#it might be building a nest in the holly

[105nt]

Strike Walk #4

All around Barrow-in-Furness

Career of Evil chapters 24-27

This is Part 4. There's links to other parts at the end.

Stanley Road terminates in a small play park.

Strike knocks at the Brockbank house but gets no reply, and Robin takes a picture of some nearby workmen, thinking one of them might be Noel. This brings the police to them and they are warned to take no more photos. No-one arrived to arrest me, even though I was loitering for a good twenty minutes snapping pictures like David Bailey. Either security is too lax or they've stopped making submarines and the whole place has been secretly converted to manufacturing Weetabix.

A helpful neighbour tips them off that Holly Brockbank, not Noel, lives at the address they have. Holly works at a bakery in Vickerstown "just up the road from Vengence Street" and drinks in The Crow's Nest pub a few yards away.

Strike and Robin travel to Holly's workplace, so must go over Jubilee Bridge, formerly plain old Walney Bridge but renamed in 1935 for the silver jubilee of George V. It spans "the estuary, where sailing boats bobbed on dirty-looking water or sat marooned on mudflats."

Also there's what looks like a mystery cylindrical buidling, and since TRG all mystery cylindrical buildings have to be investigated. (I don't make the rules, OK?) Can confirm it's part of the Methodist Church and it's square. So that's OK then.

Strike, initially surprised that there's a "Vengeance Street" guesses (as they drive along Amphitrite Street) that the road names refer to the names of ships. According to Wikipedia, there have been seven HMS Amphitrites (including a cruiser launched in 1898 in Barrow) and eight HMS Vengeances (including a nuclear submarine built in Barrow and launched in 1998). I also saw a Euryalus Street and there's a Barrow-built ship of that name, so I think the road names are locally built ships.

"Vengence Street ran up a hill" (and indeed it runs down the other side) and a good hundred yards or so away from the end of it Strike and Robin find "a little, white painted bakery". It was in this building, now pebble-dashed and a beauty salon called "Beautique".

End of Part 4

Go to Part 5:

Go back to the start:

#strike walk #cormoran strike #barrow in furness #career of evil #my photos

[davieswealthmanagement]

Choosing Among #1 Retirement Plan Contribution Types | Palm Beach, FL

Decisions, Decisions: Choosing Among Retirement Plan Contribution Types If your employer-sponsored 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan offers pre-tax, Roth, and/or non-Roth after-tax contributions, which should you choose? How do you know which one might be appropriate for your needs? Start by understanding the features of each. Pre-tax: For those who want lower taxes now With pre-tax contributions, the money is deducted from your paycheck before taxes, which helps reduce your taxable income and the amount of taxes you pay now. Consider the following example, which is hypothetical and has been simplified for illustrative purposes. Frank earns $2,000 every two weeks before taxes. If he contributes nothing to his retirement plan on a pre-tax basis, the amount of his pay that will be subject to income taxes will be the full $2,000. If he was in the 22% federal tax bracket, he would pay $440 in federal income taxes, reducing his take-home pay to $1,560. On the other hand, if he contributes 10% of his income to the retirement plan on a pre-tax basis — or $200 — he would reduce the amount of his taxable pay to $1,800. That would reduce the amount of taxes to $396. After accounting for both federal taxes and his plan contribution, Frank's take-home pay would be $1,404. The bottom line? Frank would be able to invest $200 toward his future by reducing his take-home pay by just $156. That's the benefit of pre-tax contributions. In addition, any earnings made on pre-tax contributions grow on a tax-deferred basis. That means you don't have to pay taxes on any gains each year as you would in a taxable investment account. However, those tax benefits won't go on forever. Any money withdrawn from a tax-deferred account is subject to ordinary income taxes, and if the withdrawal takes place prior to age 59½ (or in some cases, age 55), you may be subject to a 10% penalty on the total amount of the distribution, unless an exception applies. Roth: For those who prefer tax-free income later On the other hand, contributing to a Roth account offers different benefits. Roth contributions are considered "after-tax," so you won't reduce the amount of current income subject to taxes. But qualified distributions down the road will be tax-free. A qualified Roth distribution is one that occurs: - After a five-year holding period and - Upon death, disability, or reaching age 59½ Distributions of Roth contributions are always tax-free because they were made on an after-tax basis. And distributions of earnings on those contributions are tax-free as long as they're qualified. Nonqualified distributions of earnings are subject to regular income taxes and a possible 10% penalty tax. If, at some point, you need to take a nonqualified withdrawal from a Roth account — due to an unexpected emergency, for example — only the pro-rata portion of the total amount representing earnings will be taxable. In order to meet an unexpected emergency financial need of $8,000, Holly decides to take a nonqualified hardship withdrawal from her Roth account. Of the $20,000 total value of the account, $18,400 represents after-tax Roth contributions and $1,600 is attributed to investment earnings. Because earnings represent 8% of the total account value ($1,600 ÷ $20,000 = 0.08), this same percent of Holly's $8,000 distribution — or $640 ($8,000 x 0.08) — will be considered earnings subject to both income taxes and a 10% potential penalty tax. Keep in mind that tapping your account before retirement defeats its purpose. If you need money in a pinch, try to exhaust all other possibilities before taking a distribution. Always bear in mind that the most important benefit of a Roth account is the opportunity to build a nest egg of tax-free income for retirement. Finally, not all plans allow in-service withdrawals. After-tax: For those who are able to exceed the limits Finally, some 401(k) and 403(b) plans allow you to make additional, non-Roth after-tax contributions. This retirement plan feature helps those who want to make contributions exceeding the annual total limit on pre-tax and Roth accounts (in 2022, the limit is $20,500; $27,000 for those age 50 or older — up from $19,500 and $26,000, respectively, in 2021).1 As with a traditional pre-tax account, earnings on after-tax contributions grow on a tax-deferred basis. If this option is offered (check your plan documents), keep in mind that total employee and employer contributions cannot exceed $61,000, or $67,500 for those age 50 or older (2022 limits). Another benefit of making after-tax contributions is that when you leave your job or retire, they can be rolled over tax-free to a Roth IRA, which also allows for potential tax-free growth from that point forward. Some higher-income individuals may welcome this potential benefit if their income affects their ability to directly fund a Roth IRA.  2 Which to choose? Determining which types of plan contributions to make is a strategic decision based on your household's needs and tax situation. Because non-Roth after-tax contributions are generally most appropriate only to those who wish to exceed the contribution limits on pre-tax and/or Roth accounts, it may be best to focus on maxing out those accounts first. If your plan offers both pre-tax and Roth contributions (check your plan documents), the general rule is to consider whether you will benefit more from the tax break today than you would in retirement. Specifically, if you think you'll be in a higher tax bracket in retirement, Roth contributions may be more beneficial in the long run. Also, regardless of whether you choose pre-tax or Roth contributions, be sure to strive for contributing at least enough to receive any employer match that may be offered. Matching contributions represent money that your employer offers to help you pursue your savings goal. If you don't contribute enough to take advantage of the full amount of the match, you are essentially turning down free money. Keep in mind that employer matching contributions are made on a pre-tax basis. Distributions representing employer matching dollars and related earnings will always be subject to regular income taxes and a potential 10% tax penalty if distributed prior to age 59½ (or, in some cases, age 55).3 Once the annual contribution limit has been reached for pre-tax and/or Roth contributions, it may be time to consider non-Roth after-tax contributions if your plan permits them. For more information specific to your situation, consult a qualified tax professional. (Working with a tax professional cannot guarantee financial success.) 1Section 403(b) plans may allow employees with 15 or more years of service to make special catch-up contributions in addition to the age 50 catch-up contribution. Under this special rule, the maximum additional catch-up contributions in any year is $3,000 and the lifetime aggregate special catch-up contribution is $15,000. 2Keep in mind that distributions of earnings on non-Roth after-tax contributions will be subject to regular income taxes and possibly penalty taxes if the money is not rolled over to a traditional IRA. IRS Notice 2014-54 clarifies the rules regarding rollovers of non-Roth after-tax plan contributions to a Roth IRA. 3Employer matching contributions may be subject to a vesting schedule, through which plan participants earn rights to the employer contributions, and earnings on those contributions, over a period of time. Employer matching contributions are not offered in all plans. Check your plan documents. Link to this article: BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY : https://calendly.com/tdwealth =========================================================== SEE ALL OUR LATEST BLOG POSTS: https://tdwealth.net/articles If you like the content, smash that like button! It tells YouTube you were here, and the Youtube algorithm will show the video to others who may be interested content like this. So, please hit that LIKE button! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmBYECKIzlEBFDDDBu-UIg Contact me: [email protected] Get our FREE GUIDES: Retirement Income: The Transition into Retirement: https://davieswealth.tdwealth.net/retirement-income-transition-into-retirement Beginner's Guide to Investing Basics: https://davieswealth.tdwealth.net/investing-basics LET’S GET SOCIAL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaviesWealthManagement Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDWealthNet Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviesrthomas Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TdwealthNetWealthManagement Davies Wealth Management 684 SE Monterey Road Stuart, FL 34994 772-210-4031 https://TDWealth.Net Read the full article

[geopsych]

People have questioned whether catbirds are as belligerent in my garden as I say they are. Here’s an example. I think this one may be nesting near the front or back door. Every time I’ve gone outside this afternoon, it does this the whole time!

#catbird #dumetella carolinensis #it might be building a nest in the holly

[erikacousland]

Hedgehog in snowy winter weather, sat on green moss © Coatsey/Alamy Stock Photo

*

Today on Bing 18 December 2020

A prickly combination Pictured with a sprig of prickly seasonal holly, this festive little hedgehog should really be wrapped up and deep in slumber by now, hibernating through the long British winter. They often do so in well-insulated nests called hibernacula, sometimes found in log piles and hedgerows.

In autumn, hedgehogs eat their fill of high-energy foods to build up those all-important fat reserves to help them through the cold spell. But a mild winter can mean that some hedgehogs don’t hibernate and are then caught short by a cold snap. Or they might wake to build a new nest or look for food.

These much-loved British mammals have been in sharp decline for decades but there are a few things we can do to help them. Leaving a hole in your garden fence will let them roam around, a wild patch will provide shelter and encourage insects for them to feed on, and remember to keep gardens clear of hazards like litter, netting and slug pellets. Don’t feed them milk and bread – they are lactose intolerant – the Woodland Trust recommends giving them meat-based cat or dog food, hedgehog food and cat biscuits instead.

#Hedgehog #Animal #Bing

[esevoire]

soo a little bit about the fanclans i use in my books ♡ im noting here that if anything seems off we're gonna blame the tumblr mobile ai ;; constantly warping to the end of the page, trying to delete paragraphs instead of just...select a few words tumblr p l e a s e relax

im also working on a visual map for these clans, but i havent the slightest idea of how to make maps so it's uh . . . it's a work in progress xx

Note: Organisms found in the territories are influenced by both European and North American wildlife and plants, so they are not limited to any specific region, though I've tried to keep it somewhat accurate. 

☆ The Gorge

>> One of the five groups of cats that call themselves Clans. They chose their current name from whence they reside—in a cave system above a sheer gorge on the outskirts of Clan territory. Super original, right?

>> Past Name: MistClan

>> Current Leader: Deadeye

>> Past Known Leaders: Crowstar, Shadestar

>> Their training is unlike the other Clans. They are extremely strict with their apprentices, often not even allowing them to attend Gatherings or speak out of hand. Mistakes are met with serious consequences. 

>> Camp: Located at the far south of their territory. On the cliffside, there are steep ledges leading down into a complicated cave system that serves as their camp. In the center of the main cave is the Smoothstone, which is a hollowed out, massive stone that serves simultaneously as the leader's perch and den.

>> Territory: The territory is notably rocky almost all over, though it's also consistently forested. 

>> Landmarks: Boulderdrop (dangerous rocky outcrop to the east, often used for training). Twoleg nests beyond the eastern border.

>> Typical Physique/Traits: Considering the cats of the Gorge are cats from all the Clans and rogues—some stolen as kits, some the result of forbidden or hidden relationships, some taken in with the desire to be stronger—the builds of these cats are extremely varied, though their nighttime eyesight is incredibly enhanced due to their life inside the caves.

>> Prefix Conventions: As stated above, the Gorge turned into a kind of melting pot of cats from all Clans, and as a result they don't follow much of a pattern with naming conventions—especially considering they often change their names when they receive notable battle scars (Deadeye, Hawkscar). However, they occasionally take influence from plants and critters in their territory, especially cliff- and cave-dwelling flora and fauna such as Aster–, Lichen–, Eagle–, Falcon–, Bat–, Poppy–, Moss–, Spider–, or Ivy–

◇ SwiftClan

>> Current Leader: Fishstar

>> Past Known Leaders: Ivorystar

>> Camp: Between several of the hills, there's a large area where the gorse is especially thick, along with some divets in the hills that make up the dens. It lies in the heart of the territory.

>> Territory: Much more barren than most of the other Clans, though not quite as barren and uninhabitable as BlazeClan; it's a very marshy moorland. The wind hits hard, and the bogs stay nasty and cold most of the year. Many invaders and trespassers often end up stuck in the sticky bogs, and the cats of SwiftClan are known to only save them if they agree to leave the territory.

>> Landmarks: Fallen, partially rotted tree stuck in the bogs by the southern border with the Gorge.

>> Typical Physique/Traits: Cats from SwiftClan tend to be very lanky and long-legged as a result of their lives running along the moorland. In addition, their paws are said to be slightly webbed to help them navigate the marshes in their territory without getting stuck in the mud and bogs.

>> Prefix Conventions: Cats in SwiftClan are more accustomed to the boggy moorlands, and therefore tend to name their kits after plants and terms more applicable to their territory. Prefixes tend to follow themes like the following: Bog–, Marsh–, Swamp–, Mire–, Moss–, Juniper–, Owl–, Cypress–, Adder–, Snake–, Ash–, Elm–, Frog–, Sedge–, Cotton–, Plover–, Bracken–, and more!

♤ NightClan

>> Current Leader: Harestar

>> Camp: In the heart of the territory, there is a massive oak tree that shelters the camp. Their dens are among several uplifted roots, and several boulder piles that they've collected over time. Like BlazeClan, they've learned how to weave together plants, though they use more ferns along with brambles. Beneath the common mossy nest is a layer of pine needles, carefully layered for extra cushioning. The camp is protected like a fortress by thick, woven walls of brambles and bushes.

>> Territory: Very thickly forested area, both pine trees and oak trees. On the east, the river marks a small portion of their border with RushClan. In the west, near SwiftClan territory is an area where Twolegs often come camping. They often bring dogs that have gotten loose in the past.

>> Landmarks: Twoleg camping at the western border, near their southern border with SwiftClan

>> Typical Physique/Traits: Life in NightClan isn't nearly as demanding as the others, so their traits aren't usually so defined. It's not uncommon, however, for them to be notably large-pawed and long-furred, or for them to have plants stuck in their fur.

>> Prefix Conventions: The forest they live in is thick with trees and rich with all kinds of life. Almost anything you'd see in a thick forest could be found here, and their naming conventions often take many plants and animals into mind: Coral–, Bell–, Wren–, Warbler–, Thyme–, Deer–, Doe–, Fern–, Pine–, Skunk– Oak–, Holly–, Weasel–, Sorrel–, Dove–, Needle–, Clover–, Kestrel–, Thorn–, Newt–, Robin–, Mint–, and Thistle–.

♧ RushClan

>> Current Leader: Kinkstar

>> Camp: The camp lies on a strip of land over the river, and said river is often used as protection against invasions or attacks from other Clans. The leader's den is wedged underneath a series of sturdy sunning stones in the center of the camp; while most Clans consider their meetings and announcements to be formal, RushClan cats often relax on the sunning stones while their leader gives announcements from atop the highest one.

>> Territory: Not as thickly forested as NightClan, but still quite forested. A large river runs through the heart of their territory, leaving their bellies full on the many fish that thrive there.

>> Landmarks: On the western side of the river lies a large treebridge; on the eastern side, there are multiple stepping stones. Both landmarks serve as an escape route in the case of an emergency, though most cats know how to swim.

>> Typical Physique/Traits: Because of their fish-based diet, many cats of RushClan are notably sleek-furred, but they're also incredibly lean due to their comfort with swimming in the river. Most have rounder faces and ears, though it isn't uncommon for them to have unusually long tufts of fur on their cheeks, chins, or ears. Like SwiftClan, it's also rumored that these cats develop something similar to webbed paws to help their swimming.

>> Prefix Conventions: Many naming trends in RushClan tend to follow water-based ideas or comparisons, such as: Salmon–, Reed–, Eel–, Spruce–, Duck–, Birch–, Pike–, Turtle–, Newt–, Willow–, Minnow–, Frog–, Lily–, Tadpole–, Aspen–, Snail–, Pond–, Perch–, Otter–, Trout–, Heron–, and Dragonfly–

>> Special Notes: RushClan medicine cats will use water lily roots to help treat swollen limbs and may sometimes trade it to the other Clans for other herbs!

✧ BlazeClan

>> Current Leader: Heatherstar

>> Camp: A circle of huge, sharp, skyward-reaching stones forms the walls of the camp. Along the tallest of these formations, a small ledge leads up until it reaches an overhanging cliff. On this cliff is a cave; the leader's den.

>> Medicine den is half-cave. Stone in the back with large crevice for herb storage; "shelf" ledges on outside of stone for prebundled herbs. Ceiling is brambles and thick leaves interwoven. Far back corner is a pool, with brambles woven at the source of water to manage its flow.

>> Many of their dens are woven together in the same fashion as stated above, utilizing the dry shrubbery that litters their territory.

>> Territory: Mostly barren, sandy, and rocky territory. There are several grassy patches here and there, along with smaller, bare trees, though they're few and far between. At the far eastern edge of their territory lies a small town with Twoleg structures. 

>> Landmarks: Abandoned Twoleg structure near the southeast border; very old and made of stones and bricks. Beyond the east border are clusters of Twoleg nests.

>> Typical Physique/Traits: Due to recent attacks and territory loss to the Gorge, many cats, while very muscular, are becoming very gaunt. Usually, the cats are seen as very broad-shouldered and strong, with angular faces and tough, calloused paw pads accustomed to their harsh, sandy territory. Cats whose fur blends into this environment are more often than not used on hunting patrols.

>> Prefix Conventions: Due to the dry and degraded land that makes up most of BlazeClan territory, their naming traditions might be some of the most unique. Plants and animals that thrive easily in sandy soil are more common here, so their common prefixes follow a similar pattern: Sand–, Sage–, Wild–, Iris–, Fern–, Beetle–, Yarrow–, Poplar–, Ant–, Cedar–, Lizard–, Newt–, and occasionally Larch–. Because of their limited fauna and flora, they've become creative with their names, featuring prefixes like Bounce–, Fir–, Pounce–, and Talon–, or names of things they hear in stories from traveling loners!

♡ Sacred Spots

Starfalls ;; A clearing north of the RushClan and NightClan borders. There's a pond that reflects the light of the moon, with a series of waterfalls falling down ledges until it reaches the pool. Because of the waterfalls, mist shrouds the clearing and nearby forest, sparkling in the light of the moon, as if it were tangible starlight.

The Gathering Stones / Tallrock ;; Massive ancient boulder among other smaller boulders in a dirt/sandy clearing, with many large trees and overgrown plants bordering the clearing.

#warrior cats #warriors fanclan #warriors fandom #warriors fanfic #erin hunter #warriors #warriors designs #wcttoc

[the-stoned-priestess]

Hello! I would honestly love a reading for clarity on someone I have feelings for. Their initials are HB and I’m wondering if I should reach out to them once more or just leave it as it is and move on. I’ve been thinking about this person a lot, yet can’t seem to find the right answer within my spiritual life or see any clear signs. I would love your help on this, and to have a reading set me on the right path:) Thank you! Holly C

Situation: Prince of Shells - The Charmer. The situation involves someone who is a charmer. This person displays a carefree latitude about love. Maybe someone who is a serial monogamist. Excessiveness. Overspending or harmless about giving away resources like time, energy or money. Sometimes impulsive but still an ideal partner. Wanting someone who displays this personality or want to embody someone who is confident and successful in love and relationships.

Challenge: Five of Gems - Anxiety. Needing to cope with stress, anxiousness and/or denial about a person or situation. Distance or separation. Worry about things beyond control. Focus on the present or you'll miss out on important details that could otherwise save you from a mistake.

Advice: Ace of Roses (rev) - Passion. Someone you're not that into might be overly interested in you or you may embarrass yourself by moving too far too fast with someone whose just not that into you. A new beginning or breakthrough in a relationship delayed by lack of chemistry. More faith is needed or there will be more frustration and worry. Especially if you don't take your challenge card seriously.

Outcome: Prince of Gems - The Builder. Someone who wants something but not willing to work for it. If that's you, you won't get true love this way. If it's someone else, they will not get sympathy for failures if they didn't show they cared enough to try in the first place. Someone who is good or trying to get what they want by cheating. Meeting someone at work or on a project. Take control of your finances and start building a nest egg. My advice is to not try to converse with him. Let him come to you on his terms. I'm not sure if I'm feeling this right but I don't get good feelings about him. This guy you're talking about or another. Hmmm....

Deck: True Love Tarot

By Amy Zerner & Monte Farber

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My spiritual journey blog also @flameontheotherside

#free readings #free psychic #ask a psychic #tarot readings #tarot cards #amy zerner #monte farber #true love tarot #tarot community #tarot readers #psychic #psychics #mediums #medium #intuitives #paranormal #supernatural #twinflames #soulmates #twin flames #soul mates #twin flame #soul mate #relationships #love and relationships #relationship goals #relationship psychic #witch #witchcraft #divination

[dahliawolfe]

Retribution

Sam and Dean stand in the back of the crowd, watching as the young woman tosses a handful of dirt over her mother’s grave. The preacher prays, and people begin to disperse.

“That’s her, right? The daughter?” Dean asks, eyeing the mocha skinned young woman, more of a girl, really, make her way out of the cemetery.

“Yeah. That’s her. Jade Munro.” Dean nods and heads to the parking lot surrounding the cemetery. Dusk is just beginning to fall, and he’d really like to wrap this up before night falls completely.

The parking lot is nearly empty when they arrive at the cobalt Mustang at the edge of the asphalt.

“Ms. Munro,” he calls out. The woman pops up from behind the car, her arms reaching over her head to unzip the lace dress that’s hugging her body. She gives them a smirk and wave.

“You’re the hunters, then?” she asks, sliding the lace over her shoulders and down her body, exposing her skin. All of her skin, save for what little is covered by her lace bra and panties. Dean and Sam turn away, out of respect.

“Uhh… What? No!” Dean chuffs. How the hell did she know.

“Yeah right. Look, I know what Holly did. I know she was a hunter. And I also know that she wasn’t killed in a bear attack.” She was right. Holly Munro was one of the best in the business. But she’d always claimed to have kept it from her only child. “You can turn around now. I’m decent,” Jade announces.

“How?” Sam asks.

Jade shrugs, sliding her feet into combat boots. “I’ve known for a long time. I found her journal when I was 10. I just let her believe whatever she wanted. Wasn’t like she was ever home anyway. So, what’s our first move?”

“Excuse me? No. There is no ‘we’. You’re not involved in this,” Dean argues, voice hard.

“Look, this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve got a few hunts under my belt, myself. So, it’s either with you, or alone. But I’m going to kill the son of a bitch that killed my mother.”

“Holly sent us to take care of you. You’re a kid, and we’re here to get you set up somewhere safe and keep you away from this stuff.” Jade barks out a laugh.

“A kid? Dude, I’m 19.”

“Exactly,” Sam replies with a huff.

“And how old are you? 23? 24?” Jade asks him, a smirk pulling at her cheeks.

“25,” Sam replies, dejectedly. Jade grins.

“Well, look, you’ve heard my terms. I’m doing this. With, or without you.” Dean sighs.

“Fine. But you stick to us like glue.” Jade salutes them before tossing her funeral clothes in the trunk and slamming it shut.

“Sir, yes sir.”

Back in the Impala, Dean is fuming, and Sam knows that the blow up is coming. Jade is definitely getting under his skin.

“Dean, calm down. It’s her mom. She has the right to help get justice.”

“Justice, Sam!? That’s not justice. It’s revenge. And look where it’s gotten us! Do you feel any better!? Cuz I sure as hell don’t!” Sam sighs. He knows that he’s not going to get anywhere with Dean when he’s acting like this, so there’s not much point in trying.

…

It’s nearly dawn when they pull into the Oak Ridge Lodge. Jade pulls in smoothly beside them and parks, jumping out of the car before Dean has even put Baby in park. The elder Winchester shakes his head. He unfolds himself from the front seat and heads to the office.

…

“Jade, you take the bed closest to the bathroom. Sammy, take the bed by the door. I’ll take the couch,” Dean instructs when they enter the room. He dumps his bag on the couch and heads to the fridge to put the six pack he’d picked in the cool air. Jade places her bag on the bed and rifles through it, digging out some clothes before making her way to the bathroom.

“Dean, that thing ain’t sleep-able. Just crash with me. It’s not a big deal,” she invites. Dean studies her, then the couch, then her again before nodding.

“Fine. Thanks.”

…

Dean is laying stiffly on the edge of the bed when Jade returns from the bathroom. She’s wearing a tank top and boxers. She slides in on the other side of the bed and curls up, back facing Dean. It’s silent for a few minutes before Jade speaks.

“Dean,” she whispers. Dean’s eyes snap open.

“Yeah? You ok?” he asks.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Didn’t mean to spook you. I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. And for letting me come with you. I know you didn’t have to do that, and it means a lot.” Dean turns his head toward her.

“It’s not going to make you feel better, ya know? Killing the thing that killed your mom. It won’t help.”

“I know. But it’s what she would do for me. So, I owe her that much.”

“Fair enough.”

“You…You’ve lost someone too, huh?”

“Yeah,” Dean whispers brokenly. “My mom and dad. A demon. Almost took Sammy too.” Tentatively, Jade takes his hand.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I know it’s hard.” Dean gives her hand a little squeeze, letting the room fall silent again.

The next morning, Sam, Jade, and Dean sit down to eat breakfast at the motel diner.

“So, I figure we head out to Sarvis Creek. It’s in the Routt National Forest, and it feels like it might be the best bet for finding a wendigo,” Sam says, clicking the keys of his laptop.

Jade chokes. “Wait. Wendigo? Really? Aren’t those like super rare?” Dean nods.

“Yeah, but we ran up on one a few years ago. It does fit the M.O.”

“How do we kill it?”

“Fire.” Jade’s eyes are a little wide as she takes in Dean’s words.

…

“You ready for this, Kid?” Dean asks as they park in the forest’s visitor center’s parking lot.

“I’m ready,” she assures, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She pulls her hair out of the strap, brushing it out of her face and over her flannel covered shoulder.

“Wait, guys, what is this?” Jade calls as they round the back of the visitor center. Sam and Dean join her and look up.

“What’s what?” Sam asks, squinting.

“That,” Jade says, leaning up on her tiptoes, pointing to markings on the wall of the building.

“Anasazi drawings. Probably warning about what hides in the woods.”

“Anasazi? Do people still communicate that way? With hieroglyphs and stuff?”

“Some do.”

Night falls early in the forest, and Dean builds a fire. Jade camps herself on one side of it, looking forlorn.

“What’s up, Jade?” Sam asks, offering her a bottle of water.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking.”

“About what?” Dean asks, sitting next to her.

“Just, ya know. My mom. She did this stuff by herself all the time. And then one time she just didn’t come back. And I used to be so angry at her for being gone. And when she was home, I was awful to her. I would stay in my room and avoid her. I’d refuse to tell her I loved her or give her a hug. I was a terrible daughter.” Dean takes her hand.

“You were a kid without a mom. And it’s understandable that you were mad. You had every right to be. And Holly knew that. She also knew that you loved her. Even if you wouldn’t say the words, she knew. Trust me. We always want that one last time to tell them how we feel, but we don’t always get it.” Jade gives him a small smile before laying her head on his shoulder.

…

“Jade. Jade!” the voice wakes her up. Why is Dean calling her in the middle of the night. The fire has died out, and Jade can’t see to the other side of the clearing, where the boys are, so she stands up, intent on following the voice.

“Dean? Dean, what is it?” she asks, walking away from her sleeping bag. She tiptoes further away from the embers of the fire. “Dean!” she hisses. “Where the fuck are you?!”

“Jade!” The voice echoes around her, and she freezes. She has no idea where the voice is coming from. She hears a thump behind her and turns, screaming at what she sees.

“Dean!” she shrieks, as a claw rakes down her left arm, shredding the skin.

The creature standing in front of her is hideous, and she’s glued to the spot for a few seconds, until Dean’s, “JADE!” tears through the air.

Jade turns on her heel, running as fast as she can, but the thin, cold hand that wraps around her throat and draws her forcefully back is much stronger and much faster. She slams into the creature’s body, forcing the air out of her. But not for long.

“Dean! Sam! It’s him! Help! Turn left!” She knows that her odds of not being eaten but the creature under her are greater if she keeps yelling, telling the Winchesters where she is. The wendigo clamps a hand over her mouth, its smell nearly making her gag, and yet, she continues to scream.

Soon, but not nearly soon enough for Jade, she hears loud footsteps running toward them. That’s when she feels the creature jump. Then heat, and the sensation of falling. She hadn’t realized that her eyes were closed until they sprang open, just in time for her to slam into the ground. Her leg was on fire, and the ground was much harder than she was hoping, and flaming bits of wendigo were flying all around her, but she was alive. So, she gives a small smile, and let’s the darkness draw her in.

…

“What the fuck?!” she splutters as the cold water hits her face.

Sam tosses the canteen to the ground, reaching to help Dean lift Jade to her feet. “OWW!” she hisses when she puts weight on her left leg.

“I know, Jay. We’re going to patch you up. It’s gonna be ok,” Dean reassures, scooping her up.

“What happened? Did we get him?”

“Dean got him with a Molotov cocktail. He’s dead.”

“Good. Should we like…” she was getting woozy again. “Find his cave or whatever?”

“Just rest. I’m gonna get you back to the hotel and fix you up, Sammy will take care of the nest.”

…

A few days later, Jade, Sam, and Dean are packed and ready to leave. And the youngest hunter’s stomach is in knots. She doesn’t want to leave the boys. She’s grown too attached.

“Ready to go?” Sam asks, coming back in from packing the cars.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Jade replies, struggling to her feet. Sam helps hoist her up, and she gives him a grateful smile.

“Alright, Losers. I figure we’ll rest up at Bobby’s for a few days, then we’ll find a new hunt. Let’s hit the road. I need a burger.”

“Wait. ‘We’?” Jade asks, hopeful smile tugging at her lips.

“Yeah, ‘we’. You got a problem with that?”

“Not at all, Dean. Not at all.”

The end.

Want more Jade Munro? Let me know.

Word count: 1893

#SPN #spnfanfic #spnfandom #spnfamily #supernatural #supernatural imagines #imagines #story #dean winchester #sam winchester

[elsewhereuniversity]

The North Dorm

     No one remembers the North Dorm being built, nor how long it had been there. Well some of the Gentry might but they have their reasons for keeping it to themselves.      The grounds seem nondescript at first glance, but like most things at the University, one starts to notice subtle oddities. Take the plant life for instance. The holly bushes that surround the building in two semicircles like parentheses are intertwined within with mistletoe. The front lawn teams with daisies even in the dead of winter. The Tree in the back is the most impressive thing, at least to any Botanists that happen to study it. Though the moss covered trunk is unmistakably some species of ash, each branch is representative of every fruit baring tree known to man and a few forgotten by man but still remembered by the Gentry. There is always some sort of fruit on the tree no matter the time of year. It is known that the fruit is freely given to the residents and guests of the North Dorm. The Crows that nest in the tree enforce this so it is best not to push the issue. A few of the more reckless fae have tried and the less said about the condition they were found in, the better.      The Building itself wouldn’t seem out of place, even with its odd anchor like shape, any where in the world. At Elsewhere University, however, it is possibly the most bizarre structure on campus. The most glaring oddity is in the framework of the building itself. Every stud, rafter, floor joist, tie beam, and load baring member is made of some sort of high iron alloy. That alone is enough to keep most of the Others away, however those with the Sight will notice the runes. Only residents and guests are welcome in the dorm. All others unwise enough to attempt entry, human and fae alike, are dissuaded, sometimes with great prejudice, rather quickly. Those few Gentry who mention the dorm do so with whispered curses that always contain the same word, “Svartálfaheimr”.      Perhaps the most interesting thing about the North Dorm is the R.A. Like the Dorm itself, noone knows how long he’s been there. He seems normal, in fact you could say he is average. Average height, weight, face, age etc. Nothing stands out. There are some of the Alumni that swear he used to be older but they’re not sure. He rarely smiles but when he does it is obviously genuine. He can be seen talking to the crows on a regular basis. There is none of the malice, none of the predatory grace one would find with any of the Others. He is unique among the R.A.s in that he is human, possibly the most human person on campus.

x

#skrytch #stories #the north dorm #submission #the dorms

[xtruss]

Wild Bees Are Building Their Homes From Plastic—And Scientists Aren’t Sure Why

When tasked with making their unique nests, Argentina’s solitary bees are now choosing plastic.

— By Sarah Gibbens | Published June 5, 2019 | National Geographic

Portrait of a leaf cutter bee, the species believed to be using plastic for construction material in Argentina.

Wild Bees, nesting in Argentinian crop fields, were recently found constructing nests entirely made of the flimsy plastic packaging material left on farms.

From 2017 to 2018, researchers at Argentina's National Agricultural Technology Institute crafted wooden, artificial nests for wild bees. Unlike bee species that have a large hive with queens and workers, wild bees burrow into nests to individually lay larvae. The constructed nests fit together like long rectangles with a narrow, hollow opening that allowed wild bees to crawl inside and fill it with cut leaves, twigs, and mud.

Sixty-three wooden nests were constructed, and three were found lined entirely with plastic. Similar in size and shape to a fingernail, the bits of plastic had been carefully cut by bees and arranged in an overlapping pattern in their nests. Based on the material, researchers think the plastic may have come from a plastic bag or film, which has a similar texture to the leaves bees typically use to line their nests.

Of the three plastic nests, one had not been finished, meaning the bee did not use it to lay her larvae, Science Alert reports. In the remaining two, one larva died and the other was not found, leading the researchers to believe it survived.

What Does It Mean For Bees?

This new research, published in the journal Apidologie, documents the first time bees have been seen making nests only out of plastic, but for years scientists have known bees were incorporating plastic into their building materials.

In 2013, a paper published in Ecosphere outlined how bees were using plastic films and foams to line nests in urban areas throughout Toronto, Canada. Similar to the bees in Argentina, the wild bees observed in Canada cut pieces of plastic that resembled the leaves they commonly use.

Notably, the Canadian study found it wasn't just flaps of plastic bags the bees were using. Plant resins, which can be fashioned into anything from gum to latex, often bind a bee's building materials together. But some individuals, they observed, were hauling a plastic-based caulk back to their nests to use instead.

Both studies noted that more research needs to be done before scientists can outline the potential impact plastic might have on bees, but the nest building shows that bees are highly adaptive to changing environments. In both places, leaves were readily available as a building material.

“It would demonstrate the adaptive flexibility that certain species of bees would have in the face of changes in environmental conditions,” the study’s lead author Mariana Allasino wrote in a press release translated from Spanish.

Plastic Dangers

Hollis Woodard, an entomologist who studies bees at the University of California Riversides Woodard Lab, isn’t surprised to see bees hauling plastic to their nests.

“I think it’s really sad,” she says. “It’s another example of the rampant use of materials that end up in places we don’t intend them to.”

Plastic often presents a threat to wildlife in the form of microplastics, the incredibly tiny bits of plastic that form as larger plastic trash breaks down. Microplastics are a danger to the animals that mistake them for food, which many do, especially in marine environments. No study, however, indicates that bees might be consuming plastic.

Among the dangers that bees face are pesticides, habitat destruction, and exposure to viruses or parasites.

Researchers have speculated that plastic may form a barrier against common nest issues like mold and parasites.

If the bees are in fact choosing plastic over natural materials, it wouldn't be the first time animals have used trash to their advantage.

Sparrows and finches line their nests with cigarette butts to ward off parasitic mites, and black kites in the Italian Alps collect bright strips of plastic to decorate their nests and attract mates.

“It would take a lot more research to know what this means for the bees themselves,” says Woodard. “Sure it’s possible it might afford some benefits, but that hasn’t been shown yet. I think it’s equally likely to have things that are harmful.”

[mxn-yoongi]

Ex-Girlfriend (CEO!Hoseok x Reader)

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Fluff...?

Word Count: 5,931

A/N: This isn’t at all what I had planned when I first started writing it but this is what it is now. Enjoy x

Beep. Beep. Beep. You groan as the sound that rudely interrupts your sleep goes off continuously until you reach over to your bedside table and push what you think is the snooze button on the alarm. Slowly but surely you doze off again in hopes of getting back to dreamland. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.  5 minutes later the alarm is going off again except it’s louder than before and you roll over in bed hoping to just tune it out but failing miserably. You sit up in bed with your hair resembling a bird’s nest and a face puffy from sleep. You stretch out your limbs with a yawn as you get off the bed. You make your way around the large room to the door leading into a long luxurious hallway. This house was ten times bigger than any home you’ve ever lived in but you were getting used to it. It had been a few months since you started living here anyway.

You make your way down the hall with a grumpy pout on your face. You descend the large set of stairs slowly but an all too familiar smell has you picking up the pace. You run in the direction of the kitchen and stop in the doorway before crossing your arms over your chest. Hoseok is sitting on the kitchen table dressed in his usual attire which consisted of a fitted suit along with the shiniest pair of dress shoes you’ve ever seen.

“Hey, Y/N! Want some lucky charms?” You couldn’t believe him. The CEO of a multibillion dollar company was sitting on the kitchen table eating lucky charms approximately thirty minutes before a meeting with what he called ‘very important business partners’ of his but really they were his best friends. But they were still business partners nonetheless.

“Hoseok, is something burning?

“My desire for you.” He sends a wink your way but you merely push his head to the side as you walk by him, “Don’t be gross!” You head towards the kitchen counter where you have learned to keep a fire extinguisher along with some cleaning supplies in the base cabinets and Hoseok lets out an exasperated sigh, “But I’m your hu-...”

“Dude. The toaster is on fire!” Hoseok’s eyes widen and he turns his head quickly “Wait are you serious?” You quickly extinguish the fire before setting the fire extinguisher down on the ground.

“Yes, I was serious! And you left the alarm on!” Hoseok hops off the table and mocks you behind your back.

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. I’m going to work now. “

“I would hardly call sitting in a room full of hot men in suits and listening to them do smart money talking going to work.”

“Did you just call my business partners Yoongi and Namjoon hot?” You nod your head while finishing off his bowl of cereal.

“I want to marry Yoongi. I heard he has a room at his place that’s all bed. That could come in handy...for sleeping purposes.” Hoseok stands there blinking repeatedly before clearing his throat and heading towards the front door.

“Bye Hoseok! Have fun at work. Ask Yoongi if that room is real or a myth!” Hoseok gives you the finger before heading off for the day.

“Well, Mickey, looks like it’s just you and me today.”

Hoseok enters the lobby of the large building his own name is plastered on. This company was his family’s baby, well besides their actual children. Hoseok’s sister didn’t want to take over after their parent’s retirement so the responsibility fell upon Hoseok but it was what he had been hoping for anyway. Hoseok was made for this life. He was so charming and he just sort of wowed everyone he met it was no surprise he had no problems making business deals or connecting with future clients.

He makes his way to the elevator where he usually puts his gameface on. Hoseok is naturally playful and excitable much like a puppy but when he comes in to work he has to show his employees that he means business and if that means putting up a front then so be it. Hoseok rides the elevator up to the top floor where his office looks over most of the city and he stays far away from windows most of the time because holy fuck they’re really high up.

Hoseok steps out of the elevator on the top floor where his secretary is already standing and ready to brief him on his day. She hands him a cup of coffee which Hoseok takes happily like every other morning for the past 6 months she’s been here but he’s not much of a coffee drinker and she hasn’t caught on so he just holds onto it anyway.

“Good Morning, Mr. Jung.  You’re 5 minutes late to your 8 o’clock meeting with Mr. Min, and Mr. Kim in room 927. Then you have new client meetings until 12:00 PM. I have arranged for lunch to be brought to you in your office at 12:30 and the rest of your day will consist of reading over contracts, revising them, and signing them after you agree with their terms.”

Hoseok nods his head as his secretary Sohye briefs him on his day. “Thank you for the coffee and the briefing but I’m going to need you to cancel the lunch because I’m meeting with Y/N for lunch today.” Sohye nods her head before making a note in her tablet.

Hoseok walks into room 927 where the other three men are already seated and waiting for him to begin. He closes the door behind himself before taking a seat at the head of the table.

“5 minutes late? What were you even doing?”

“I set the toaster on fire.”

“AGAIN? I’m surprised you and Y/N are even still alive. How’s my wife by the way?” Hoseok glares in Yoongi’s direction, “She’s not your wife.”

“Then how come whenever she calls me she calls me her husband?”

“I don’t kno-...WAIT. SHE CALLS YOU?”

Yoongi nods his head with a smug look on his face, “She like to get updates on our son Holly.”

“Umm...text messaging is a thing you know. The last time she called me she asked me to pick up a package at the post office. It was your birthday gift. The only thing I got for my birthday was a fancy pen.”

“She got me a blanket with a picture of us on it.”

“I’m starting to question who she really mar-...”

“Can we get to actual business here. I have a company I need to run.” Both men turn to look at Namjoon who is sitting in his seat with an unamused look on his face. Oh right. This was a business meeting.

The meeting goes on as normal, they talk about profits, assets, personnel improvement, etc. you know business stuff.  At the end of the meeting Hoseok shakes all of their hands as they walk out. He does stop Yoongi though.

“Y/N Wanted to know if you really had a room in your house that’s all bed.” Yoongi shrugs nonchalantly, “Tell her to come over one day to find out.”

“Get out of here you asshole!” Hoseok playfully shoves Yoongi out the door before straightening his suit out. The little scene has drawn some attention from the employees that worked on this floor. They’re all staring in Hoseok’s general direction but he keeps himself composed.

It might sound bad to say that he was used to the attention but he was. There was no doubting that he was a handsome man but seeing him in a suit surely had some kind of affect on all of the women around. He was aware of all the gossip and rumors floating around the office.

People seemed to believe he was in an intimate relationship with his secretary but that’s something straight out of a bad movie. Although he couldn’t deny the fact that she always seemed so eager to get close to him and often made suggestive comments which he shrugged off to avoid embarrassing her. He didn’t feel the need to clear things up though because he was a professional and his employees should know that he would never do something like that. It wasn’t against company policy to date within the workplace but if it were to happen then it was prohibited that the two work in the same department or on the floor.

Hoseok was a reasonable boss. He understood that when romance happened it happened and who was he to get in the way of that but he also had a company to keep up with and he wasn’t going to let some out of work issues get in the way of his business.

Later on in the day when Hoseok is done with possible client meetings it’s officially time for lunch. He’s getting ready to make his way to the elevator when Sohye scurries up to him holding the familiar container from a nearby restaurant he likes, “Mr. Jung where are you off to? I’ve got your lunch right here.” The hopeful smile on her face makes Hoseok feel ten times worse about the words coming out of his mouth next.

“Sohye, I must have forgotten to tell you that I’m going to meet with someone for lunch today…” The way Sohye’s smile drops makes Hoseok regret everything. By the look on her face one would have thought he had just rejected a confession or something.

“Oh okay...I was hoping we could work on the SynCo merge offer together but I suppose you’re busy.” Hoseok is too nice to leave her like this oh my gosh what has he done.

“No. No! I’m sure the other person won’t mind if I miss lunch one time.”

“Are you sure Mr. Jung?”

“Positive.” Bingo. Sohye had gotten what she wanted. Of course Hoseok told her about going off to lunch with you he wasn’t a very forgetful person. Sohye just had this intense hatred for you because it seemed like you were the only person in the way of her and Hoseok getting together. Whenever she thought she was getting closer in came Y/N, best friend of CEO Jung  Hoseok. Maybe she had done a little bit of reasearch on you. She hated you. But now she was really going to step up her game. She wanted Hoseok(s money) and she was going to get him(it) no matter what.

Nighttime - At home

Hoseok walks into the house at 11 PM with the most tired look on his face. You’re still awake, watching T.V. in the  bedroom with Mickey sleeping beside you. When Hoseok walks in you raise an eyebrow.

“You missed lunch. Did you eat?” He nods his head and collapses onto the edge of the bed.

“Sorry I didn’t visit you at work.”

“Oh no I wasn’t at work. I can never go back there ever again. Not after what they said to me…”

Hoseok perks up immediately and looks over at you, “What the fuck did they say to you? I’ll end them.”

You fiddle with your hands and swallow hard before looking Hoseok dead in the eyes, “They said ‘You’re fired’.” Hoseok throws his arms up in the air with a groan

“Are you serious? You got fired? All you have to do is stand around and look pretty, Y/N.”

“Aww come on Hoseok. Don’t be mad at me. I don’t even need a job. Besides, who wants to pose in front of a camera and look pretty all the time. Not me.”  Hoseok shakes his head before moving himself over in between your legs. He leans his body back against yours and crosses his arms.

“So why did you miss lunch?” You stroke and caress his arms gently the way his parents used to do to get him to sleep. It had become a habit of his to seek this kind of comfort after a particularly long day. You didn’t mind though, it was a nice little unwinding ceremony at the end of the day which you also needed.

“Sohye forgot to cancel my usual lunch and when I was leaving she came up to me and I couldn’t say no when she asked me to so I stayed and we worked on a deal together while we ate.” You tense up a little bit at the mention of Sohye. You’ve heard about her plenty of times in the last few months. Apparently she knew nothing about personal space and enjoyed spending her time around Hoseok. Sure, she was his secretary but nobody needs to spend that much time with their boss.

“We can have lunch another day. Don’t worry about it.” Hoseok nods his head slowly as he begins dozing off. This is usually how the two of you fall asleep. It was a little uncomfortable at times but as a good best friend you figured it was the least you could do for Hoseok. You press a small kiss to his temple before turning off the lamp on your bedside table and going to sleep yourself.

1 week later

Hoseok walks into the kitchen a little bit surprised by the fact that you’re awake before him but you can’t really help it you’ve been having some uneasy feelings lately and sleep hasn’t been coming easy to you.

“Hey, you’re up early. What are we having for breakfast?”

“Hoseok, today I’m serving looks.” You do your best pose and wait for his reaction. He just sits at the table scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Y/N, we haven’t had a proper breakfast in 3 days.” You pout before sliding a plate of pancakes, eggs and bacon in front of him. He smiles at you and any sort of anger in your body is suddenly gone because oh my gosh he’s the literal sun.

You almost feel bad for what you’re planning on doing later today while he’s at work. You’ve been a little suspicious of his secretary Sohye. It seemed she was getting bolder and bolder by the day but every time Hoseok mention her advances towards him he never told you what he did about them. Was he even trying to stop her? Were you just being paranoid? You had to get to the bottom of it.

12:30 PM - Same day

You walk towards the front doors of Jung Summit Tech with your friend Sejeong close behind. It’s a huge building in the center of the bustling city. It was a little daunting looking up at this building. It was huge. Hoseok and his parents have built an empire and you were lucky enough to get to witness it. They started with the bare minimum. Selling and repairing computers. Over time that turned into ordering new computer parts. Manufacturing their own parts. They expanded to different types of technology. And now here they were, a multibillion dollar company.   

At the entrance you’re greeted with a welcome smile from the doorman and there are people walking past you as they try to get in and out of the building. Most of them are wearing professional work clothes and carrying briefcases as they hurry from one place to another. Despite being around Hoseok so long you never really took the time to come down here and immerse yourself in the world of business. Sejeong pulls you towards the elevator and you ride it all the way to the top. Floor 75. The very top.  

“Why do I feel like we’re trespassing or something?” You look over at Sejeong before pulling a sticky note and pen out of your purse. You quickly write something down and hand it to her. “We’re not trespassing. See. We have a permit”

Sejeong looks at the paper and raises an eyebrow, “This is just a sticky note that says ‘I can do what I want’ on it.”  You shrug before exiting the elevator on the top floor. There’s a security guard standing at the front desk and he asks for an I.D. and your reason for being here. You hand the identification over and tell him you’re here to see Hoseok. He calls it into Hoseok’s secretary to see if Hoseok is free. You glance over at Sejeong with a confused look on your face. Was Hoseok really this important and busy even at lunch time? You rock back and forth on your heels as Hoseok’s secretary gets back to the security guard telling him that he’ll be free in five minutes and to hold you outside for the time being.

In Hoseok’s office - Same time

Hoseok is a bit startled when Sohye comes running into his office without knocking. Usually she’s a little more cautious than this.

“Sohye, can I help you with something?” He puts his fork down and stands up to walk to the other side of his desk. Suddenly Sohye begins bawling and mumbling words that Hoseok can’t quite understand in her state. Hoseok approaches her slowly but Sohye abruptly wraps her arms around him and buries her face in his chest as she continues crying. Hoseok is too nice to tell her that he’s a little uncomfortable with the situation.

“Umm...What’s wrong?” She composes herself long enough to get out some coherent words.

“M-my grandmother passed a-away…” Hoseok’s struck with guilt because he was really going to push her away but now that he knows why she’s suddenly acting like this he feels like a jerk for even thinking about doing that. “I’m so sorry for your loss. You can go home for the day. Take as long as you need. It’s really no problem.” Sohye pulls away a little bit and begins wiping away the tears streaming down her face. She looks up at Hoseok and this time he really does feel a bit uncomfortable because her face is so close to his and it almost looks as if she’s coming closer.

From outside the door the security guard can be heard saying, “Right through this door.” and as soon as the door opens Sohye plants her lips right onto Hoseok’s. You’re now standing in the doorway with a shocked expression on your face as Hoseok really does pushe her away this time. What you really want to do is run out of here crying but what you actually do is cover your eyes slightly, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll see you later Hoseok. Sorry again.” You swallow hard and blink back a few tears before heading back towards the elevators as fast as you can.

Sohye did it. She was content with the outcome of her actions. But once again the tears fall from her eyes as she begins spewing out apologies. “Mr. Jung! I’m so sorry. I was just so caught up in my emotions. This has really hit me hard. That was very unprofessional of me and I can guarantee it won’t happen again. If you fire me now I’ll have nowhere to go. My grandmother was all I had…” Hoseok clears his throat before speaking to Sohye firmly, “Go home, Sohye. When you’re ready to come back you’ll be on a three month probation. Excuse me, I have something to deal with.”

Hoseok hurries out of the room in hopes of catching up to you but by the time he gets to the elevators the doors are already closing and there’s no point in trying to take 75 flights of stairs down. He’d never make it in time.  

“Fuck what am I gonna do now…” Hoseok rakes a hand through his hair before balling his hands into fists. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and punches in a number before holding the phone to his ear.

“Seokjin. It’s Hoseok. I need you to push forward everything. The end of the month isn’t a good time anymore. I need it all ready by the end of the week.”

“Hoseok. It’s Tuesday. How am I supposed to get everything done by Sunday?”

“I don’t care how you do it or how much it costs me. I need it done on Sunday. Can you do that for me?”

“You owe me big time.”

“How does a new house in Cancun sound?”

“I was thinking something along the lines of a new car but I’m not opposed to the new house.”

“New car it is. Also, Seokjin I have another guest to add to the list.”

“We’re at capacity Hoseok!”

“Do you really think all of the people on the list are going to show up to this thing?”

“This is the biggest event of the year. Everyone wants to know why THE Jung Hoseok has decided to gather the press and business elites in one place.”

“Whatever. Just send an invitation will you?”

“To who?”

“Park Sohye”

When you arrived home you immediately began shoving your belongings into suitcases and bags while Sejeong tried to  communicate with you.

“Aren’t you being a bit too hasty about this? He’s your best friend and…”

“I’m not being hasty. You don’t know anything. If you’re not going to help me then leave.”

Sejeong is taken back by your tone of voice. You rarely ever raise your voice and when you do it’s usually because you fell of rainbow road in Mario Kart but that’s besides the point right now.

“Can you drive me to a hotel completely across the city? I don’t want to risk running into him.” Sejeong reluctantly nods her head and helps you carry your things out.  Forty minutes later you’re settled into a large empty feeling hotel room. But it didn’t feel anywhere near as empty as your heart did.

Saturday - Midday

You pick up the hotel room phone after the third ring but you’re unsure why the staff would need to contact you. You’ve been a model hotel room guest. Not noisy. Not annoying. You had kept to yourself the past few days.

“Ms. L/N, we’re calling to inform you that something has been dropped off for you at the front desk.”

“Who is it from?”

“There’s no name on the card, miss.” Hoseok, you thought. 

“I’ll be down in a few minutes, thank you.”

“No need to come down here. We’ll send them up with room service.” With that the line goes dead and you set the phone down with a sigh. Of course he had managed to find out where you were staying. Curse Sejeong for exposing your location.

Sure enough a few minutes later there’s a knock on the door but by the time you open up whoever dropped it off was gone. You look down on the ground and there sits a box sporting the Elie Saab logo, a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a card. You roll your eyes as you bring everything inside. As much as you hated to admit it you did miss being around Hoseok but you were thankful that he had decided to give you your space.

You set the bouquet of flowers down on the desk and the box on the bed as you open the card:

‘Don’t let it end this way.

Meet me tomorrow at the Kim

SJ Ballrooom. 7 P.M.

All will be revealed then.   

                      - Love, JHS’

Sunday

Come Sunday evening at 6 P.M. you’re sitting on the edge of the hotel room bed in a robe. Looking at the bouquet of flowers sitting on the desk you have yet to decide whether you want to show up to whatever Hoseok has set up. You get up and walk over to the bouquet but upon closer inspection you notice that one of them looks a little bit off. It doesn’t look real at all. You stroke the stem and leaves and come to the realization that it’s fake. You pull it out of the vase and shake your head with a smile on your face. “Jung Hoseok, you hopeless romantic.”

Kim SJ Ballroom 7 P.M.

“Hoseok. If you don’t stop pacing I’m going to lock you in a storage room.” Hoseok looks over at Yoongi with a worried expression on his face.

“What if she doesn’t show up? I should have gone after her that day. I’m such an idiot Yoongi.”

“That’s one thing we can agree on. I can’t even believe you’ve managed to hide this for so long. You’re the king of simultaneously always being in the news but also not having everything you do be exposed.”

“We had to keep it a secret but now that everything is done and sorted I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It’s been a tough year.”

“Wait, the whole process is done?” Hoseok nods his head and grabs an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Yoongi grabs it from him and begins reading through it.

“Congratulations, Hoseok! Y/N is going to be so happy to hear this.” Yoongi pats Hoseok’s back before looking out the curtain at the guests mingling in the ballroom.

“If she even shows up.”

“She’s going to show up Hoseok. When has she ever let you down?”

“But this time I let her down.”

“Listen. Things are going to work themselves out. It’s 7 P.M. Get out there and do what you do best. I’m sure the press are dying to get some shots of you. I’ll keep an eye on the door for Y/N and I’ll bring her over to you. Promise.”

Hoseok lets out a deep breath before nodding his head, “Thanks Yoongi.” He gives him a genuine smile before grabbing the microphone off the table and stepping out from behind the curtain.

“Greetings, everyone. I’d like to thank you all for coming out to this event on such short notice. I’d especially like to thank the press for agreeing to postpone publishing anything about this event until tomorrow morning. I owe my success to your cooperation.” When you walk into the room nobody notices because they’re all focused on Hoseok who’s standing on the stage giving a short speech. You’re wearing a stunning Elie Saab dress from the Fall 2017 Couture Collection. Look 39 to be exact. You remember telling Hoseok how you had fallen in love with the dress as soon as you laid eyes on it and here you were dressed in it.

“For now please help yourselves to the food and drinks. Hopefully my next announcement will make this all worthwhile. Thank you once again.” Hoseok steps behind the curtain again and his palms are so sweaty that the microphone slips right out of them and onto the floor. At least it was off so it didn’t make that godawful shrieking sound.

You’re startled when you feel someone grab onto your arm. When you turn your head you find Yoongi smiling at you.

“I knew my wife wouldn’t leave me dateless.”  You smile back at him before locking your arms together as he begins leading you away. “Do you know what all of this is about Yoongi?”

He nods his head but doesn’t say a word.

“Where are you taking me?” Yoongi leads you behind the curtain where Hoseok is once again pacing about nervously.

“You two need to talk.” Hoseok looks up from the ground and his breath catches in his throat. God, you were beautiful. He was so lucky to have you in his life. The best friend a guy could ask for. You stood by him during the hard times and here you were in his time of success. He knew the dress would look stunning on you.

You were kind of in a daze. Hoseok was looking handsome as ever. Sure, he was wearing what he usually wore. A suit and dress shoes. But somehow this time it was different. Wait, no. Snap out of it you’re supposed to be mad at him! He broke your heart. You don’t break someone’s heart. They only have one of those. Break their bones! They have 206 of those. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the sound of Yoongi shutting the door as he exits leaving the two of you alone.

Your senses are suddenly invaded by none other than Hoseok. The image of a perfect gentleman standing in front of you.The familiar scent of his cologne. The warmth radiating off his body. The sound of his apologies filling your ears. The taste of mint on his lips as he cups your face in his hands and plants his lips on yours. The kiss is short and sweet, but Hoseok pulls away leaving you craving for more.

“What you saw, in my office,  it wasn’t what it looked like. She came onto me. I know it looked bad but I promise i would never do that to you. Not after what we’ve been through. “

You look into his eyes and the sincerity in them makes you feel guilty. Of course it wasn’t what it looked like. You had just been so on edge lately with everything going on in your personal life and you had jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst.

“I believe you Hoseok. I trust you. But what is all of this about?”

“Y/N. Today is the day. We’ll be set free. I’m going to tell the whole world what I’ve been wanting to shout from the top of the highest point in the world since last year.”

You tilt your head a little bit in confusion before he grabs the microphone once again and presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Come out when I ask you to okay?” You nod your head slowly still not exactly sure what he’s talking about. Hoseok walks out onto the stage once again with a blinding grin on his face.

“I think I’ve kept you all waiting long enough. The reason I’ve gathered you all here today might change the way the world views me but I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing more important than the people you love. So I stand before you today to declare that I, Jung Hoseok, love Y-...”

Hoseok is interrupted by the annoying voice of the woman that caused all of this. Park Sohye.

“Hoseokie!! Oh my goodness. I knew it. I knew you loved me.” She runs up the steps on the side of the stage and makes her way over to Hoseok. The whole crowd is dead silent because the look on Hoseok’s face suggests that she’s got it completely wrong. Sohye takes the microphone from Hoseok’s hands and addresses the crowd.

“Hoseok and I fell in love a few months ago. It was your typical forbidden office romance. He tried to play it off but I knew he wanted me from the start.” Hoseok snatches the microphone out of Sohye’s hands and the crowd gasps at the sudden action.

“That’s very far from the truth actually. I-...” You wanted to set things straight. This Park Sohye

was a nuisance in your life and you were quite tired of it. When you walk out from behind the curtain the crowd gasps yet again because wow what a twist of events. You’re completely calm as you stand beside Hoseok. He bites the inside of his cheek momentarily before smiling.

“I’d like to introduce everyone to my best friend. Also my ex-girlfriend. Y/N.” You smack his arm lightly with a smile on your face.

“Don’t introduce me like that.” You hold out your hand to Sohye

“My name is Jung Y/N. I’m his wife.” Cue another crowd gasp. Sohye takes a step back. Her face is slowly turning red as she processes what has just happened. She’s so embarrassed as the press snap photos of the moment which will probably end up on news articles tomorrow morning but you didn’t really care what happened to her.

Hoseok clears his throat into the microphone to get everyone’s attention once again.

“I’m sure you all have many questions and both Y/N and I are open to answering them at this point in time.” Hoseok reaches over and intertwines his hands with yours as reporters begin shouting out questions.

“How long have you been married?”

“At the end of the month it’ll officially be a year. We were going to announce it then but a few things came up and we decided to push up the date.” Hoseok points at another reporter.

“How did you manage to hide it so long?”

“We didn’t have a wedding ceremony which I’m a bit disappointed about because I want nothing more than to see my beautiful bride walk down the aisle but that’s going to change soon. After thinking about it for a long time we went to a courthouse and we were officially married there for certain reasons. It was just us and our parents.”

Hoseok raises an eyebrow when he sees Yoongi raising his hand but he points at him nonetheless.

“Why did you keep your marriage a secret? What was the point of all this?” Yoongi gives Hoseok a thumbs up and you look up at Hoseok clearly worried about how he was going to respond.

“ Ah. Yes. Our reasoning might not be suitable to all of you but…” Hoseok reaches into the pocket inside his suit jacket and pulls out the envelope from earlier. “When we were dating, Y/N and I agreed that we would like to have children as soon as possible. The sooner the better.” Hoseok chuckles a bit in embarrassment before continuing, “We had always talked about adopting children and a few days before we were set to get married we were told by an adoption agency that they had a mother that was looking for a family for her unborn child. Y/N and I felt like we were ready for this step and we took a chance. For the mother’s privacy and our own we decided to keep things under wraps. I’ve been in the public eye my whole life so I know how hard it can be to grow up that way. So we thought it would be best to avoid drawing any unwanted attention to the situation just in case things didn’t work out. It’s been a tough year long journey for us but I’m happy to be able to announce that Y/N and I are now the proud parents of a baby girl.”

Your eyes go wide as Hoseok makes the announcement that not even you were expecting.

“Wait, are you serious?” Hoseok nods his head.

“She’s ours?” The tears begin building in your eyes as you think back to everything you’ve been through to get to this point. All the times Hoseok has been dubbed the most sought after bachelor as you sat at home staring at the gorgeous ring you couldn’t even wear out. All the gossip you had to hear from other women about the things they would do to your husband. It was worth it now.

“All ours.” The tears begin falling as you bury your face in Hoseok’s chest not even worried about ruining it. You had your husband. You had your daughter. You didn’t have to hide your relationship anymore. What more could you ask for?

“Y/N.”

“Yeah?”

“Will you marry me? Can we have an actual ceremony?”

“I would be honored to become your ex-girlfriend. Again.”

A/N: This was probably really trash but here it is!!!! I’m a sucker for Hoseok and I just had to write this. Thank you for reading it!! Also, sorry for all the time skips, I’m really lazy. Yikes.

#bts writing squad #jung hoseok x reader #hoseok x reader #jung hoseok x you #hoseok x you #jung hoseok #hoseok #jhope x reader #jhope x you #jhope #bts jhope #bts jung hoseok #bts hoseok

[lennart11412]

The Vision of Sir Launfal James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) Prelude to Part FirstOVER his keys the musing organist,  Beginning doubtfully and far away, First lets his fingers wander as they list,  And builds a bridge from Dreamland for his lay; Then, as the touch of his loved instrument        5  Gives hope and fervor, nearer draws his theme, First guessed by faint auroral flushes sent  Along the wavering vista of his dream.    Not only around our infancy    Doth heaven with all its splendors lie;        10    Daily, with souls that cringe and plot,    We Sinais climb and know it not.  Over our manhood bend the skies;    Against our fallen and traitor lives  The great winds utter prophecies;        15    With our faint hearts the mountain strives;  Its arms outstretched, the druid wood    Waits with its Benedicite;  And to our age’s drowsy blood    Still shouts the inspiring sea.        20  Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us:    The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in.  The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,    We bargain for the graves we lie in;  At the devil’s booth are all things sold,        25  Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;  For a cap and bells our lives we pay,    Bubbles we buy with a whole soul’s tasking:  ’T is heaven alone that is given away,    ’T is only God may be had for the asking;        30  No price is set on the lavish summer;  June may be had by the poorest comer.  And what is so rare as a day in June?    Then, if ever, come perfect days;  Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,        35    And over it softly her warm ear lays;  Whether we look, or whether we listen,  We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;  Every clod feels a stir of might,    An instinct within it that reaches and towers,        40  And groping blindly above it for light,    Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;  The flush of life may well be seen    Thrilling back over hills and valleys;  The cowslip startles in meadows green,        45    The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,  And there ’s never a leaf nor a blade too mean    To be some happy creature’s palace;  The little bird sits at his door in the sun,    Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,        50  And lets his illumined being o’errun    With the deluge of summer it receives; His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings, And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings; He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest,—        55 In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best?  Now is the high tide of the year,    And whatever of life hath ebbed away  Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer,    Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;        60  Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it;  We are happy now because God wills it;  No matter how barren the past may have been,  ’T is enough for us now that the leaves are green;  We sit in the warm shade and feel right well        65  How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;  We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing  That skies are clear and grass is growing;    The breeze comes whispering in our ear    That dandelions are blossoming near,        70  That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,  That the river is bluer than the sky,  That the robin is plastering his house hard by:  And if the breeze kept the good news back,  For other couriers we should not lack;        75    We could guess it all by yon heifer’s lowing,—  And hark! how clear bold chanticleer,  Warmed with the new wine of the year,    Tells all in his lusty crowing!  Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how;        80  Everything is happy now,    Everything is upward striving;  ’T is as easy now for the heart to be true  As for grass to be green or skies to be blue,—    ’T is the natural way of living:        85  Who knows whither the clouds have fled?    In the unscarred heaven they leave no wake;  And the eyes forget the tears they have shed,    The heart forgets its sorrow and ache; The soul partakes the season’s youth,        90  And the sulphurous rifts of passion and woe Lie deep ’neath a silence pure and smooth,  Like burnt-out craters healed with snow.    What wonder if Sir Launfal now    Remember the keeping of his vow?        95 Part First    “MY golden spurs now bring to me,      And bring to me my richest mail,    For to-morrow I go over land and sea      In search of the Holy Grail:    Shall never a bed for me be spread,        100    Nor shall a pillow be under my head,    Till I begin my vow to keep;    Here on the rushes will I sleep,    And perchance there may come a vision true    Ere day create the world anew.”        105      Slowly Sir Launfal’s eyes grew dim;      Slumber fell like a cloud on him,    And into his soul the vision flew.  The crows flapped over by twos and threes,  In the pool drowsed the cattle up to their knees,        110    The little birds sang as if it were    The one day of summer in all the year,  And the very leaves seemed to sing on the trees:  The castle alone in the landscape lay  Like an outpost of winter, dull and gray;        115  ’T was the proudest hall in the North Countree,  And never its gates might opened be,  Save to lord or lady of high degree;  Summer besieged it on every side,  But the churlish stone her assaults defied;        120  She could not scale the chilly wall,  Though around it for leagues her pavilions tall      Stretched left and right.      Over the hills and out of sight;        Green and broad was every tent,        125        And out of each a murmur went      Till the breeze fell off at night.  The drawbridge dropped with a surly clang,  And through the dark arch a charger sprang,  Bearing Sir Launfal, the maiden knight,        130  In his gilded mail, that flamed so bright  It seemed the dark castle had gathered all  Those shafts the fierce sun had shot over its wall    In his siege of three hundred summers long,  And binding them all in one blazing sheaf,        135    Had cast them forth; so, young and strong,  And lightsome as a locust leaf,  Sir Launfal flashed forth in his maiden mail,  To seek in all climes for the Holy Grail.  It was morning on hill and stream and tree,        140    And morning in the young knight’s heart;  Only the castle moodily  Rebuffed the gifts of the sunshine free,    And gloomed by itself apart;  The season brimmed all other things up        145  Full as the rain fills the pitcher-plant’s cup. As Sir Launfal made morn through the darksome gate,  He was ’ware of a leper, crouched by the same, Who begged with his hand and moaned as he sate;  And a loathing over Sir Launfal came;        150 The sunshine went out of his soul with a thrill,  The flesh ’neath his armor ’gan shrink and crawl, And midway its leap his heart stood still  Like a frozen waterfall;  For this man, so foul and bent of stature,        155  Rasped harshly against his dainty nature,  And seemed the one blot on the summer morn,—  So he tossed him a piece of gold in scorn.  The leper raised not the gold from the dust:—  “Better to me the poor man’s crust,        160  Better the blessing of the poor,  Though I turn me empty from his door:  That is no true alms which the hand can hold;  He gives only the worthless gold    Who gives from a sense of duty;        165  But he who gives but a slender mite,  And gives to that which is out of sight,—    That thread of the all-sustaining Beauty  Which runs through all and doth all unite,—  The hand cannot clasp the whole of his alms,        170  The heart outstretches its eager palms;  For a god goes with it and makes it store  To the soul that was starving in darkness before.” Prelude to Part SecondDOWN swept the chill wind from the mountain peak,  From the snow five thousand summers old;        175 On open wold and hilltop bleak  It had gathered all the cold, And whirled it like sleet on the wanderer’s cheek;  It carried a shiver everywhere  From the unleafed boughs and pastures bare;        180  The little brook heard it, and built a roof  ’Neath which he could house him winter-proof;  All night by the white stars’ frosty gleams  He groined his arches and matched his beams;  Slender and clear were his crystal spars        185  As the lashes of light that trim the stars;  He sculptured every summer delight  In his halls and chambers out of sight;  Sometimes his tinkling waters slipt  Down through a frost-leaved forest crypt.        190  Long, sparkling aisles of steel-stemmed trees  Bending to counterfeit a breeze;  Sometimes the roof no fretwork knew  But silvery mosses that downward grew;  Sometimes it was carved in sharp relief        195  With quaint arabesques of ice-fern leaf;  Sometimes it was simply smooth and clear  For the gladness of heaven to shine through, and here  He had caught the nodding bulrush tops  And hung them thickly with diamond drops,        200  That crystalled the beams of moon and sun,  And made a star of every one:  No mortal builder’s most rare device  Could match this winter palace of ice;  ’T was as if every image that mirrored lay        205  In his depths serene through the summer day,  Each fleeting shadow of earth and sky,      Lest the happy model should be lost,  Had been mimicked in fairy masonry      By the elfin builders of the frost.        210  Within the hall are song and laughter;    The cheeks of Christmas glow red and jolly,  And sprouting is every corbel and rafter    With lightsome green of ivy and holly;  Through the deep gulf of the chimney wide        215  Wallows the Yule-log’s roaring tide;  The broad flame pennons droop and flap    And belly and tug as a flag in the wind;  Like a locust shrills the imprisoned sap,    Hunted to death in its galleries blind;        220  And swift little troops of silent sparks,    Now pausing, now scattering away as in fear,  Go threading the soot forest’s tangled darks    Like herds of startled deer.  But the wind without was eager and sharp;        225  Of Sir Launfal’s gray hair it makes a harp,          And rattles and wrings          The icy strings,  Singing in dreary monotone  A Christmas carol of its own,        230  Whose burden still, as he might guess,  Was “Shelterless, shelterless, shelterless!” The voice of the seneschal flared like a torch As he shouted the wanderer away from the porch, And he sat in the gateway and saw all night        235  The great hall fire, so cheery and bold,  Through the window slits of the castle old,  Build out its piers of ruddy light  Against the drift of the cold. Part Second  THERE was never a leaf on bush or tree,        240  The bare boughs rattled shudderingly;  The river was dumb and could not speak,    For the weaver Winter its shroud had spun;  A single crow on the tree-top bleak    From his shining feathers shed off the cold sun;        245  Again it was morning, but shrunk and cold,  As if her veins were sapless and old,  And she rose up decrepitly  For a last dim look at earth and sea.  Sir Launfal turned from his own hard gate,        250  For another heir in his earldom sate:  An old, bent man, worn out and frail,  He came back from seeking the Holy Grail.  Little he recked of his earldom’s loss,  No more on his surcoat was blazoned the cross;        255  But deep in his soul the sigh he wore,  The badge of the suffering and the poor.  Sir Launfal’s raiment thin and spare  Was idle mail ’gainst the barbèd air,  For it was just at the Christmas-time;        260  So he mused, as he sat, of a sunnier clime,  And sought for a shelter from cold and snow  In the light and warmth of long ago.  He sees the snake-like caravan crawl  O’er the edge of the desert, black and small,        265  Then nearer and nearer, till, one by one,  He can count the camels in the sun,  As over the red-hot sands they pass  To where, in its slender necklace of grass,  The little spring laughed and leapt in the shade,        270  And with its own self like an infant played,  And waved its signal of palms.  “For Christ’s sweet sake, I beg an alms:”—  The happy camels may reach the spring,  But Sir Launfal sees only the grewsome thing,        275  The leper, lank as the rain-blanched bone,  That cowers beside him, a thing as lone  And white as the ice-isles of Northern seas  In the desolate horror of his disease.  And Sir Launfal said,—“I behold in thee        280  An image of Him who died on the tree;  Thou also hast had thy crown of thorns,—  Thou also hast had the world’s buffets and scorns,—  And to thy life were not denied  The wounds in the hands and feet and side:        285  Mild Mary’s Son, acknowledge me;  Behold, through him, I give to thee!”  Then the soul of the leper stood up in his eyes    And looked at Sir Launfal, and straightway he  Remembered in what a haughtier guise        290    He had flung an alms to leprosie,  When he girt his young life up in gilded mail  And set forth in search of the Holy Grail.  The heart within him was ashes and dust:  He parted in twain his single crust,        295  He broke the ice on the streamlet’s brink,  And gave the leper to eat and drink;  ’T was a mouldy crust of coarse brown bread,    ’T was water out of a wooden bowl,—  Yet with fine wheaten bread was the leper fed,        300    And ’t was red wine he drank with his thirsty soul.  As Sir Launfal mused with a downcast face,  A light shone round about the place;  The leper no longer crouched at his side,  But stood before him glorified,        305  Shining and tall and fair and straight  As the pillar that stood by the Beautiful Gate,—  Himself the Gate whereby men can  Enter the temple of God in Man. His words were shed softer than leaves from the pine,        310 And they fell on Sir Launfal as snows on the brine, That mingle their softness and quiet in one With the shaggy unrest they float down upon; And the voice that was softer than silence said:— Lo, it is I, be not afraid!        315 In many climes, without avail, Thou hast spent thy life for the Holy Grail: Behold, it is here,—this cup which thou Didst fill at the streamlet for me but now; This crust is my body broken for thee,        320 This water His blood that died on the tree; The Holy Supper is kept indeed In whatso we share with another’s need. Not what we give, but what we share,— For the gift without the giver is bare;        325 Who gives himself with his alms feeds three,— Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.” Sir Launfal awoke as from a swound:— “The Grail in my castle here is found! Hang my idle armor up on the wall,        330 Let it be the spider’s banquet-hall; He must be fenced with stronger mail Who would seek and find the Holy Grail.” The castle gate stands open now,  And the wanderer is welcome to the hall        335 As the hang-bird is to the elm-tree bough;  No longer scowl the turrets tall. The summer’s long siege at last is o’er: When the first poor outcast went in at the door, She entered with him in disguise,        340 And mastered the fortress by surprise; There is no spot she loves so well on ground; She lingers and smiles there the whole year round; The meanest serf on Sir Launfal’s land Has hall and bower at his command;        345 And there ’s no poor man in the North Countree But is lord of the earldom as much as he.

[toemar]

Is Mississauga Becoming A Wildlife Kingdom?

With critters ranging from racoons and skunks to rabbit, deer, fox and coyote, there’s more wildlife than ever to contend with in your backyard.

Remember when the biggest menace going was squirrels digging up spring bulbs? Now there are all manner of wild animals roaming the area and that can spell trouble for you and for your yard

Don’t Encourage Them

The first and best thing you can do is make sure that your home and yard aren’t interesting to animals, as a source of food. In the City of Mississauga, it’s illegal to intentionally feed wildlife but you could be inviting them to your yard and not even realize it.

Whether directly, by leaving garbage in unsecured containers, or indirectly by not limiting access to plants that interest them, once they’ve arrived, they’re hard to get rid of. If your garden is a ready source of food for wild animals, they’ll get into the habit of visiting and lose some of their natural ability to forage.

Eliminating odours that attract them is a good start. Spray wash your garbage cans and recycling bins every once in a while, to get rid of too many lingering odours. Make sure your compost container is well secured as well, with a solid lid, as the odours from these may attract some animals like raccoon.

A few other tips?

· Clean BBQ grills after use.

· Keep wood piles away from your house, as they are perfect homes for small rodents.

· Don’t use bird feeders that spill.

· Don’t feed your dogs or cats outside: their food will attract other animals too.

If you’ve got a grub problem in your garden, deal with it using a non-toxic, environmentally friendly pesticide as well as regular mulching of your garden—grubs tend to prefer compact earth, so aerating properly will also help reduce the grub population. Racoons and skunks LOVE grubs and will dig up half your garden to get to them!

Make Sure Your Structures Don’t Create Homes For Them

A deck with open gaps make excellent hiding spots for animals like rabbits and skunks to take up residence and procreate. Not only will you have wildlife living in your yard, but their numbers will grow! Same goes with front porches or outbuildings like sheds, that aren’t in good repair. If there is a way for an animal to find a way in to crawl spaces under your deck, they can build themselves a tidy little nest, safe from other predators.

TIP: Make sure there aren’t already animals inside before you block off all exits. You don’t want to block them IN.

Fence Off Food Sources

If you’ve got a veggie patch in your garden, make sure you fence it off. If deer aren’t common where you are, a few feet of fencing will keep out most bunnies and groundhogs, though some may burrow UNDER the fence, so make sure it goes down half a foot too. They can get through chicken wire fencing, so use something more sturdy. You can, however, cover young plants with chicken wire to keep them safe. For fruit bearing bushes, netting can work to keep the birds off before you get a chance to harvest.

Container gardening is one way to help keep nibblers away. You might still need some other form of protection for your plants—like chicken wire—particularly when they are young and at their most nutritious for animals to feast on.

If you want to keep deer out of your garden and you don’t have a fence, thorny bushes and a well placed wind chime can help, as they don’t care for those and are skittish.

No fence will stop raccoons, unfortunately, so before you go to a lot of effort building one, make sure you have tracked down what animals are infiltrating your garden. The one thing that does repel raccoons is ammonia. If you soak rags in ammonia, put them in containers with holes in the top) and leave these where the raccoons are hanging out, they’ll go find a better smelling area to play in!

Mulch Between Plants

Adding a good amount of mulch around your plants is good for moisture retention and temperature regulation but it also helps to discourage digging, particularly by cats or rodents of all types. River rocks and other stones can also help in this regard.

Pick Plants That Aren’t Tasty

You can minimize your garden being used as an open air grocery if you choose at least some plants that animals are less interested in. Like what?

· Ornamental grasses

· Holly bushes

· Lily of the valley

· Ferns

· Bee balm

· Daffodils — if squirrels like your tulip bulbs, try daffodils. Squirrels avoid them so you can protect an area of plants by surrounding these with a row of daffodils.

·Rabbits and deer don’t care for strong smelling herbs like rosemary and sage, so planting those with your other flowers and vegetables can help repel the notorious nibblers.

· Rabbits and chipmunks also don’t like the strong smell of onion or garlic, so planting some of these will also help.

· Smaller rodents avoid things like lavender and mint, as well as marigold flowers.

Soak Them!

No creature likes to be doused with water while feeding, so a motion activated sprinkler system might be just the ticket to make your garden unpalatable. If they get sprayed a couple of times, they might find your neighbour’s dry yard far more interesting.

However you protect your garden from the wee beasts out there, just remember to be humane in your choices and, if all else fails, get some help from animal / pest control professionals.

#mulch

[softplacepod]

Episode 1: Sugar, Butter, Flour

Show notes & transcript below the cut.

SHOW NOTES:

“A Soft Place to Land,” from Waitress, sung by Jessie Mueller, Keala Seattle, and Kimiko Glenn.

Schitt's Creek

Stardew Valley

"Dead Stars,” by Ada Limón, from The Carrying (2018)

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, bees. It's me, Sara, sending you light and love, and also a bunch of things I've been super into lately that I think might be your jam. Welcome to A Soft Place to Land.

[music]

Item the first: "A Soft Place to Land,” from Waitress, sung by Jessie Mueller, Keala Seattle, and Kimiko Glenn.

Or, a title track to parenthood.

[clip: opening]

This whole musical has, more often than not, been on my mind since I've had a kid. It's not only about kids, of course, but so much of it reflects on the ways we grow up, and how our raising stays with us and shapes us, for good or ill, forever. And this song specifically just breaks my heart every time I hear it.

I want, more than anything in the world, for my kid to grow up happy - not all the time, not Stepford-style, but fundamentally happy. Secure in the knowledge that she is so loved, no matter what, that nothing she could ever do or say or not do or not say could change that. Fearless to be herself in the knowledge that behind her are people who stand ready and waiting to catch her, to carry her, to clap as she soars.

Growing up any other way leaves scars, and they never really heal, and I am walking around trying to bear them and maintain them and maybe forget about a few while trying very, very hard not to give any of them to my kid. She's going to have some stuff, and she's going to go through pain, and she's going to cry and be sad and get her feelings hurt, and I want very much for none of it to wound her so deeply she turns inward.

[clip: a dream needs believing / to taste like the real thing]

So, how do I do that? How do I singlehandedly prevent my trauma from messing up my kid?

First I forget the concept of doing anything singlehandedly, ever. The rest is...a process. I rein in my own ish as much as I can, I am honest when I can be about the struggles I'm having, I talk about parenting in a complicated world with one of my very good friends (we have a podcast, I'll link it below). I talk to people. I listen to my kid when she talks, and when she sings, and when she's quiet. I ask her how she feels, if she's proud of herself, if she needs a hug, if she'd rather have some quiet time. I give her space and I ask for it when I need it, and more than anything in the world I try, against my own nature, to tell her and show her how much she is loved.

I do what I can with who I am to give her a soft place to land, and I hope to the universe that it's enough, and I take a deep breath and I do it again.

[music]

Item the Second: the final season of Schitt's Creek

Or, a reminder that where things start doesn't dictate where they go.

[clip: little bit alexis]

Look, okay, if you're an Internet person you likely don't need me to yell about how much Schitt's Creek means to me. It starts, I will freely admit, as a sort of skimmed version of Arrested Development, but quickly shows you that it's actually doing something much more interesting and difficult. It is instead a show about family, yes, but a family that is forced by circumstance to reassess who they are and who they are to each other, and finds the beating heart at the center of their relationships. Stripped of all the obstacles they'd joyfully embraced to keep themselves apart, they find joy.

It's about love - romantic and platonic, mixed-up and weird and shifting - and about acceptance of yourself and of other people. It's a show that, like eternal favorite Leverage, began with characters who completely changed when compared to the people they are now, but are still those people underneath. David is still the vain, needy, insecure, damaged person he was in the premiere, but he's also beloved and loving, generous and funny, kind (especially when no one is looking) and clever. Alexis, who I love more than air, is still brittle in some ways, and too comfortable being overlooked while still angry about it, and prone to take on anything anyone will hand her out of fear no one would ask. But, too, she's found her strength, and her passion, and some of the truths at the center of herself, and she's built a life that works for her, and she's chosen that life again and again. They all have.

[clip: what's your secret stevie]

For me, there's no story I'd rather see than that one. The building a life where you are and making it work for you, the "change is inevitable and needed but I am still who I am" narrative: that's my jam, eternally. I choose this life, every day, and I will keep choosing it.

Also, and this is sincere, Schitt's Creek gave me some of the best ways to talk to my straight friends about the dreams I have re: my own queerness, avenues of conversation I'd never thought of before. Plus, the fanfic is almost uniformly sweet and great, so.

[music]

Item the third: Stardew Valley

Or, a life that means something.

[clip: stardew valley overture]

This is the best video game. It's three years old, and it's on basically every platform, and it has brought me more peace than any one media item has in years.

The basic gist is that it's a farming simulator, mostly. You inherit a derelict farm in a tiny town when your grandfather passes away, and you take it as a chance to escape your soul-crushing cubicle job for a megacorp. And you get there, and everything is difficult. You can barely swing your pickaxe to break up the rocks to make room for a first pitiful planting of parsnips, and you don't have any friends, and there's junk and weeds all over this land that, you suddenly see, you are solely responsible for. And there's a town with people in it, some of whom are nice enough and some of whom seem desperate to ignore you, and you have a little exclamation point urging you to talk to all of them at least once.

Then you look up and it's been a year or two or three. Your crops do just fine, and the chickens in the big  coop cluck happily. You have friends, maybe a partner, and the rhythm of the community has embraced you. You have a place here, standing. You have a life that you've built one swing of your axe at a time.

And that's the thing about it. It's not a game you win, exactly, though of course (like the Sims) you can try to min-max your crop yields, or romance every character, or finish every offered quest line. You can try to make enough money to never have to work again. You can choose to side with the megacorp - they're here, too, because capitalism is inescapable - and kill off the remaining kindness of the town.

But it's a life that matters. Your choices may not affect Abigail's daily routine, but you can play video games and music with her, and encourage her to use the bravery and curiosity that's so obvious about her to go exploring, like she wants. You can't make Shane's alcoholism or depression disappear, but you can encourage him to get the help he needs, and cheer with him as he finds joy again. You can't make George a happy person, exactly, but you can become his friend.

[clip: distant banjo]

It's a life where you can't starve to death or fall ill or be evicted, where your friends are always excited to see you, where your work goes out into your community and you see results from it, where you can have a house and a family and a pet if you want them. A life that's small and quiet, yes - you can't become the mayor, or end the war that's referenced - but far from inconsequential. And there are changes you can make to better your community, small and large alike, and there are people you can help, and there are things you can create. It's a dream of a life that's not defined by anything but what you think of it.

It's silly, maybe, to talk about a video game like that, but there it is: a game that at its heart thinks capitalism is a bad idea, that creativity is the best thing about being a person, that relationships matter more than basically everything else, that nobody likes getting holly as a gift. A place where everyone in town comes out to the fair or the wedding or the jellyfish migration, and you have a place to stand, too. A life you build yourself, a home you make.

[music]

Item the final: "Dead Stars" by Ada Limón, from The Carrying (2018)

Or, being a nest of trying.

Ada Limón is, and has been for a few years now, my favorite poet. Oh, Richard Siken and Mary Oliver and Eve Ewing, of course, too, and a million more - I love poetry, more on that in a moment - but all of Limón's work lately has just been a knife to the neck for me, and I mean that in the best possible way.

This poem in particular has been rattling around as the winter holidays swarm, as domestic life gets yelled about from every TV, as I have yet another crisis of confidence, sure as I always am that while I know full well my worth as a person is in no way tied to how my house looks, I also am a bad person and the proof of that lies in the pile of laundry at the foot of my bed.

But, too, what I like about this poem, or maybe what I responded to so strongly, is its very suburban setting: taking out the trash, looking at the stars. And that's when it turns, and that's when it shakes me back awake.

I burst into tears the first time I read this poem, and then I made my weekly calls to my representatives, and then I wrote some more lore for the Dungeons & Dragons game I run, and then it was time to go pick up my kid from school.

Our little lives in their little boxes, our worn-in grooves on the world, they have value. Many of us have fought and scratched and sacrificed to get them, to settle into them, to stake our claim. And now we have a safe place, safer than some, and we look around and, for some of us, for me, feel guilty about it. I have all of this, and others have so little.

So maybe we wallow, and maybe we whine, or maybe we go the other direction and get haughty and hard-nosed. Or, which I think would be better, we widen our orbit. We survive more, we love harder, we speak out and up from the place where we are safe. We cast our shadow where we can, and we bring the light where we can reach. We've built something safe in our home or our heart or our neighborhood gas station, and the next thing to do is expand it. If my house is a safe place, what about my yard? What about my sidewalk, and my street? The voting location blocks away and the library on the other side of town, the school my kid attends and the ones she doesn't?

What happens if we take the stable footing we're on and start scooting towards the edges of it, bringing its stability with us? What happens if we shout across the lines we draw around ourselves, choose to choose a life eternally pushing our boundaries outward towards each other? We start from here, from the carved-out nook we rest in, and we take a step towards the edge, and we keep doing that. What happens next?

[poem:

[Out here, there’s a bowing even the trees are doing.                 Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us. Black bark, slick yellow leaves, a kind of stillness that feels so mute it’s almost in another year.

I am a hearth of spiders these days: a nest of trying.

We point out the stars that make Orion as we take out       the trash, the rolling containers a song of suburban thunder.

It’s almost romantic as we adjust the waxy blue       recycling bin until you say, Man, we should really learn some new constellations.

And it’s true. We keep forgetting about Antlia, Centaurus,       Draco, Lacerta, Hydra, Lyra, Lynx.

But mostly we’re forgetting we’re dead stars too, my mouth is full       of dust and I wish to reclaim the rising—

to lean in the spotlight of streetlight with you, toward       what’s larger within us, toward how we were born.

Look, we are not unspectacular things.       We’ve come this far, survived this much. What

would happen if we decided to survive more? To love harder?

What if we stood up with our synapses and flesh and said, No.     No, to the rising tides.

Stood for the many mute mouths of the sea, of the land?

What would happen if we used our bodies to bargain

for the safety of others, for earth,                 if we declared a clean night, if we stopped being terrified,

if we launched our demands into the sky, made ourselves so big people could point to us with the arrows they make in their minds,

rolling their trash bins out, after all of this is over?

[music]

Theme music for A Soft Place to Land is “Repose,” by Chase Miller, off his album Burnout. Chase’s music can be found at chasemiller.bandcamp.com. Show notes and episode transcripts are at softplacepod.tumblr.com. You can find me on Twitter @cyranoh_ and you can listen to me jabber on as the foil to my very good friend Anna on our parenting podcast, The Parent Rap, at parentrap.net.

I love you very much. Take care of yourselves. See you soon.