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#since I mixed up 5:15 and 6:15
allalrightagain · 8 months
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Accidentally woke up (and got up, and got ready for work) a whole hour early, so now I’m chilling on my couch eating a muffin and trying to decide if I have the brain cells for writing yet.
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marcsburnerphone · 4 months
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And they were roommates
(Captain John price x F!reader)
Summary: the captain wants somewhere more homely to settle down and when an offer like yours comes alight on Zillow he must take up on it.
Warnings: angsty (minimal), john being slightly troubled, alcohol, reader being slightly embarrassing.
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5!! -part 6
—————-
You wake up to the sun softly beaming in your room. Limbs stretching beyond the covers. You look around a little confused as to when you got back in your bedroom. Then it all came together. John, John leaves today.
You get out of the covers leaving your bedroom hoping he’s still there but of course to your disappointment he’s gone. You head to the kitchen knowing at least there will be a note. 
Good morning doll, I thought of waking you but decided against it, though I might regret it. The movie was good, you seemed to really be enjoying it also:) Here's the phone number of a friend in case any problems arise. Next time I’m back I hope to see another painting - John 
(xxx-xxx-xxxx) - nick
You stare at it trying not to let your emotions get the best of you. So you fold it and put it in the kitchen drawer. Although John was an awfully quiet roommate you could feel the weight of his absence. The cold floor beneath your feet has grown warm for how long you’ve stood there. You make your way towards the front door deciding that an iced coffee and a long drive with music will rid you of this feeling you can’t decipher it feels like want but in a way it’s also need but what is it you want and need? Not even you could answer that question.
Long story short you think it made the feeling intensify.
————-
1 month in
You’ve booked your schedule full leaving not an ounce of time for yourself. From the morning till night you had clients which were good for money but really it was a distraction for your mind. That same feeling felt like it was running into new veins every day seemingly consuming you. 
You tried to start a new painting but something was off about the color scheme and it was a waste not only of time but material and energy. You wonder how John is.
————-
2 months in
No problems have arisen since he’s been gone. It's like the house knows you’ll call the expensive plumber instead of John’s friend. 
However you have started a painting you are beginning to like. It’s a mix of hues you’ve never used before blues and oranges, a flame. You don’t know where or why the idea came to you but it’s what you wanted so you started it. A single candle is the outline, and the surrounding of it is the orange yellowish aura of a flame. You tried making ratatouille the other day and although it was good you wished it was made out of pepperonis like your childhood mind had imagined. You forgot there was no longer anyone to finish left overs so you ate it for three days straight.
Also you bought a new rug.
————-
3 months in
You’ve begun putting the final laminate on the painting. It’s taken you far longer than it would’ve if you hadn’t accepted 15 new clients. Not that you mind anyways. 
You’re also a little ambivalent to the idea of John paying for 6 months of rent when he doesn’t even live here during it. 
Besides that life seems stagnant and you’ve begun to lock your bedroom door at night again. 
————
4 months in
The painting now hangs a foot away from where the other one in front of John’s door does. It’s a beautiful contrast and really you were overjoyed at the outcome. You also randomly decided it’d be a good idea one night after too much wine to order new furniture for the outside deck. When it arrived you were one in disbelief of all the building pieces and and two excited to have something more to do. 
You should've stayed up the night John left.
————
5 months in  
Redecorating the deck wasn’t enough change. You needed a makeover physically but couldn’t decide how. Maybe a tattoo? No. New makeup? No. How about a haircut?  Fuck it, yes. 
So you did just that, you got a few almost unnoticeable highlights and chopped a good amount off. After the fact you were obsessed. Was it impulsive and could it have gone so horribly wrong, yes. But did it? No. 
———
6 months in 
John’s still not back and it’s all you could think about. What if something happened to him? What if he wasn’t coming back? You worried yourself sick so much so you physically became sick. 
You waited week by week for anything, maybe he’s back on base but just hasn’t come back home yet. But something was telling you it was more than that. 
———-
7 months in 
At this point worrying wasn’t going to make him appear. Your hobbies have now turned into distractions. So tonight you sit in the living room with a glass of wine and watch another rom com. You’re as comfy as can be in this cold brutal weather. It stays below 30 degrees Fahrenheit during this time of year and the snow bites at any unclothed skin. 
You fall asleep to the small hum of the heater while on the couch. Thick blanket thrown across you and tv playing as background chatter. 
You don’t know when you wake but it’s still dark outside when you hear someone that sounds distressed. Your groggy mind isn’t processing that the sound is coming from inside the house. But when it does you're up in a second looking around as your eyes try to adjust to the darkness. 
“Fuck!” You hear from down the hall. John’s room.
You walk quietly towards it as he continues to chant that word. Suddenly it falls silent and you just hear what sounds to be deep breaths. You don’t know what wills you to knock, but you do. 
“John, are you okay?” You ask softly from behind the closed door. He doesn’t respond but you know he’s in there from the quiet but quick breathing. 
“No.” He says with that familiar deep drawl.
You open the door slowly to see him sitting on the floor near the corner of his bed clearly distressed. You take notice of the mess wondering how you slept through the making of it. There’s glass from somewhere on the floor and clothes strewn but when you look at him your heart breaks. He’s in full uniform, vest on, belt with equipment on, as if he didn’t stop anywhere. Just came straight here. His hair has grown out to an odd length and his beard has grown longer. 
“I can’t get this fucking vest off.” He interrupts your thoughts looking at you with a sense of sorrow. You kneel to where he is careful to avoid glass. His eyes don’t glance up to meet yours; they stay fixated on his hands that are covered in dirt.
“May I?” You gesture towards the plastic buckles on the vest. He nods and you start with the two at his shoulders. Then you reach down his chest to undo the two near his belt buckle. You realize it must be connected somewhere in the back when it doesn’t come off. He leans forwards as you look trying to avoid the bloodstains that taint the once green vest and sure enough the tiniest but mightiest buckle is on the center of his lower back. He shrugs it off with a sigh. 
“Better?” You ask softly.
“Yeah, Thankyou.” He slowly tilts his head back to lean on the comforter and you don’t move an inch. 
“What can I do?” Truthfully you’ve never been in a situation so unbearably awkward but so unwilling to just leave.
“Just sit here with me.” So you do. You scoot right next to him and lean your head on his shoulder. He couldn’t admit it but the nights he slept in cold frost biting weather the thought of returning to your warm presence got him through.
“He almost died.” His voice gives out at the end of that sentence.
“Who?” 
“Johnny, it would’ve been my fault. One second later and they would’ve put a bullet through his skull.”
“But he’s okay?” You know John loves his team even though he doesn’t outwardly say it.
“He’s perfectly fine.” 
“Worrying about what could’ve been will kill you.” 
“Sometimes I feel like that’s what I deserve for some of the things I’ve done.” 
“If not you it would be someone else making the world a better place.” 
“I know.” 
You sit there with him for a while in silence. He can barely believe he made it back alive but right now the battle feels worth it. He hears soft snores not too long later and realizes you’ve fallen back to sleep. His head leans to rest above yours as he closes his eyes. He knows sleep won’t come to him but he’s never had you this close and for now he’ll cherish it.
————-
When you woke up again the sun had risen and a golden glow lit John’s room. 
“John.” You whisper trying not to move your head in case he’s sleeping.
“Yeah doll.” He lifts his head to look at you.
“I’m so sorry.” You feel slightly embarrassed and bad that you just fell asleep on him.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” He sighs before standing on his feet with a groan then offering you hand to help you up.
“I’m going to shower.” He says as you dust yourself off.
“After can I give you a haircut?” He laughs a little at your not so subtle realization of his long hair..
“If you’d like.” 
“I’d love.” You say before leaving, assuring him you’d be back when he's done.
You pick up your mess from the previous night. Folding your blanket and putting it back in the basket near the couch. Taking your wine glass to the sink and rinsing it out. You go to your room and change into an outfit for the day and do your morning routine. After you grab your shears, clippers and cape. By the time you're done doing all of this you no longer hear the water running meaning John’s done with his shower. You knock on his door lightly.
“Come in.” You walk in to see him sweeping up his mess with the small house broom and can’t help but smile at the sight. 
“Come on, let's cut your hair in the bathroom, better lighting and you can see what I’m doing.” You say heading straight there. You sit him on the little bathroom bar stool that’s been in there since your ex moved out. Once he’s sitting the only cape you have is pink so you throw it on him begging yourself to not laugh which you fail causing him to smirk. 
“Okay so I’m just gonna clean it up, fade the sides a very little, cut the top with shears and what not.” You let him know.
“You cut your hair?” He replies, staring at you through the mirror.
“Yeah so?” You smile.
“I like it, it looks good.” You feel that feeling only johns been able to provoke.
“Thankyou.” You begin the cut, slowly combing out sections making sure to be precise. He seems far more relaxed than you’d imagined as you just freely cut at the top. After the matter once you're satisfied you shave the sides a little just enough to where it looks cleaner. 
“Can I do your beard and mustache?” 
“You're the hairstylist, not me?” Is all he says. 
So you do, very carefully, mere inches away from his face your hands hold one side of his jaw softly to trim the other side. He watches your expression intently. The way when you’re focused there’s a crease that forms between your eyebrows and your pupils blow a little wide.
“All done.”  You say pulling him from his trance. You move his face with your hands really checking to make sure all is well.
“Very handsome.” You compliment before turning around to rinse your shears and put them away. 
“Thank You doll.” He says examining it himself in the mirror thoroughly pleased with how well you did even though he knows you don’t cut men’s hair. He doesn’t notice you grab his beard oil from the cabinet till you're smoothing it between your hands and asking him to face you so you can rub it through the coarse brown hair. Ever the nurturer.
It feels like time apart only made you two feel closer somehow. Or maybe it’s because you wanted to be close and those feelings were equally reciprocated. 
The rest of that day John had loads of paperwork to file, sign and report. So he did that, he sat in his office for long hours going through the process. The only thing that slightly lightened this burden was your voice humming in the kitchen as you cooked something. You’d stopped by and offered him some which he gladly accepted from your giving hands. Hours later you bid him a goodnight and went to bed and even then he had so much more left.
—————
The next day you catch John in the kitchen and tell him there’s something you must show him.
“So you built it all yourself?” He says as you show him your little project you did outside. There’s a thick coat wrapped around you as you don’t fully step outside to avoid slipping on the icy ground. Him though, he stands on it with no problem in what looks like military issued boots. 
“Yes I did.” You say proudly despite his clear disdain.
“I missed you, even your stubbornness.” After the months John’s been through there was no point in hiding the way he was feeling.
“I missed you too.” You smile while clearly avoiding his gaze.
How had he missed this all along?
“Would you like to go out for drinks?”
“What?” You turn around to meet his eyes.
“Can I take you out for drinks?” What being mere inches away from death does to a man.
“Yeah.” 
-
You both silently walk away trying to break the bounds of the tense pull that makes you want to gravitate towards each other. You put on something cute but also warm and slip on some brown doc martens as your choice of shoe. You do light makeup as you give yourself a pep talk.
“Only two drinks, only two drinks.” You have to tell yourself cause after two your too you. 
You hear John putting his shoes on by the hallway and take in the sight of him, brown leather jacket and beanie. You’re not sure how he’s going to stay warm in that but something tells you he will.
“Ready?” He asks and you nod nervously.
-
“Okay, hold on, I have to do this really slow or I’ll fall.” You say stepping slowly out onto the ground below the porch stairs. 
“Well come here I’ll help you.” He offers his hand. You grab it softly, swooning at the way it encompasses your own. There’s something inside of him that doesn’t even want you to risk walking on this floor but of course he also doesn’t want to push. 
“Okay nice and slow.” You’re not even taking full steps, just small slides. You clutch his hand for dear life and he loves it. 
“Good girl.” He says once you reach the door of his truck which he opens for you. He doesn’t let go till you sit inside then only does he slip his hand from your warm one and closes the door. 
“Which pub?” You ask as he turns on the heater only for your sake.
“The one downtown near the little Italian grocer.” You know exactly which one he’s talking about. Its dim light atmosphere is cozy but fun but usually full of mainly couples.
“Mkay.” You say looking out the window at the gloomy sky realizing it just might rain. 
He glances your way during the small drive, your scent of your floral perfume mixed with his of cardamom and musk is quite perfect. 
“You alright?” He asks.
“Yeah, just comfy, you?” He grins at your response.
“Never been better.”
He pulls into one of the street parking spots and despite the weather the streets are full, he gets out to put coins inside the slot for time before heading to your side of the car. 
“Wait, I'm scared.” You say realizing that the distance to the bar doesn’t seem to be a survivable one. 
“Come on, I'll hold your hand.”
“I’ll fall regardless.”
“Want me to carry you?” He genuinely offers.
“What?” You laugh. 
“Doll I’m very serious I will carry you, just get on my back.”
“What if we both fall?” 
“I’m not falling, trust me.” He says turning around motions for you to get on his back.
“Okay then.” You hook your legs around his upper waist and his arms reach to tuck themselves firmly beneath your knees.
“Comfortable?” He asks. He’s sure you can hear his heart racing from the proximity you’re in. 
“Very.” All your dreams of climbing this man have come true. 
You shut the door as he steps onto the sidewalk. You tuck your chin in by his neck for warmth. He smells woodsy with a hint of musk, it makes your head spin.
“How are you not slipping?” You say very suspicious.
“Doll I could run on this floor with these boots on.” He answers looking slightly over his shoulder at you.
“Well don’t.” You say seriously and he laughs as he approaches the bar, opening the door and setting you softly on the floor. 
He finds you both a booth in the corner and sits on the side where he can see the entire bar, very John of John.
“What do you drink?” He asks, trying to make conversation. Suddenly the air feels very intimate, almost too intimate for what he considers his old man heart.
“When I’m out, martinis.” 
“Espresso?” 
“Mhmm.” You’re trying your hardest to hold the eye contact he’s giving you but something about the blue in his eyes and creases on the side of them has you breaking it quicker than it started.
“I’ll be back then.” He says sliding out of the booth feeling slightly accomplished.
You sit there looking at the lively pub, how many romances are at their peak here, how many friends are having the best night of their lives, how you amongst them are finally feeling like you again. 
“Here we are.” He says returning with two glasses, his is a classic bourbon with a square ice cube in the glass.
“Thankyou.” You say as he slides it over to you.
“So what’d you do while I was gone, other than be reckless and build furniture.” He asks as you sip from your glass.
“I did lots of hair, painted a bit, found new color schemes for decor and that’s kinda it, I’d ask you the same question but I fear you can’t answer.” 
“Your fears are true.”
“That Kate woman, she's very pretty.” Are you a little jealous?
“Yeah she’s also very married.” He says it like he doesn’t know what you're on about.
“And also not into men.” You nearly choke on your drink and swallow hard to get it down.
“Well I was just saying.” Sure you were.
You two have small chatter as you go through drinks. You tried to offer the second round but John said no for you to just stay in your seat. He came back with thirds and you definitely were starting to feel the effects of the previous two, him though not at all.
“So you’re telling me John you as very um good looking as you are haven’t had a girlfriend in how long?” 
“Eight years.” He says while being very amused with your light hearted, open attitude.
“That’s just not right.”
“No?” 
“No, personally, well never mind.” You’re not drunk enough to say what you were about too.
“What about you, why no boyfriends?” 
“I’m very, I would say needy I guess clingy even, I’m a double texter, someone who worries and loves too much and I think that can be overwhelming for a lot of people.” You admit.
“Don’t believe that.” He says, sounding a little annoyed.
“For the right person you could never be overwhelming.” He says looking at you intensely and this time you can’t seem to look away.
Once your third drink is finished it’s raining outside and you’re words away from trouble.
“John?” 
“Yeah doll.”
“You make me feel alive again.” You admit, the alcohol has casted a pretty shade of pink on your cheeks as you lean your head on your hand and John doesn’t think he’s ever been more entranced. 
“You and me both, here drink some water.” He slides it to you. You’re sweet, too sweet. He feels like if he touches you physically or emotionally he’d be tainting art.
“Has anyone told you you're very climbable?” 
“It’s time for us to get going, you're quite the light weight.” He laughs offering you a hand as you slide off the booth.
He leaves a tip on the table before walking with you to the door. He has to bend far more than he normally would for you to secure yourself on his back before he’s walking outside. This time he’s walking faster because of the rain droplets that are falling hard. He seats you in the car and reaches across you to buckle you in before heading to his side. 
The drive home is pretty quiet, he drives extra slowly because of the precious cargo he carries. Once he pulls back into the gravelly drive way you unbuckle and open the door as he puts the car in park. 
“You don’t want to wait for me.” He asks, a little concerned.
“I got this.” You hop out of the elevated truck immediately slipping and having to grab onto the door. He walks quickly to your side laughing at the expression on your face.
“You sure do.” He says as he grabs your arm
“Oh stop it.” You say accepting the help, sliding your feet on the ice again till you get to the door. Once you get inside you groan into the toasty air. 
“Thankyou for tonight John.” You say facing him once you kick your boots off. You hadn’t realized how close you were till you turned around and could feel the heat radiating off of him and smell the bourbon on his breath. 
“No, thank you.” He says feeling awfully captivated, hanging onto your every move. You cup his face and stand on your tippy toes, boldly yet slowly placing a kiss on the corner of his lips. 
He’s starstruck. Absolutely dazed at the look of mischief in your eyes, something that tells him you know exactly what you’re doing to him. 
“Goodnight John.” You say patting his chest and walking down towards your room.
—————
I couldn't wait till tommorrow i'm sorry.
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smusherina · 19 days
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yard work - chapter 16 [final chapter] (regina george x reader)
fandom: Mean Girls (all media)
pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader
summary: You'd been in the same class as Regina George since kindergarten. You'd lived on the same street even longer. Once upon a time, when life was sandbox disputes and who got the swing first arguments, you'd even been friends. Now, in junior year of high school, you doubted she even remembered you. The same couldn't be said about you. You definitely remembered her.
warning(s): talk of past drug use and withdrawal symptoms.
chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6 / chapter 7 / chapter 8 / chapter 9 / chapter 10 / chapter 11 / chapter 12 / chapter 13 / chapter 14 / chapter 15
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[love renée but fuck am i getting sick of this gif. been looking at it for sixteen goshdarned chapters. finally i am freed.]
You woke up first. Naturally. Every time, every single morning that you'd had sleepovers, you'd been the first to wake up. The sun was shining through the blinds in a pleasant, warm yellow tone. Still morning but not unreasonably early.
You shifted to a more upright position, looking down at the girl still snoozing, whose hand was holding onto your forearm. She was all sprawled out, starfished as much as one could be on a couch. Her body was taking up the shorter end of the L-shape, one knee curled up towards her body, just barely on the couch, while the other stretched well beyond the end of the divan. You were situated much the same, except the other way around. You laid on the longer end so that your heads had almost met in the corner.
Her arms reached out towards you, one around your pillow and the other holding onto you. You knew you'd fallen asleep with much more distance between you, but you couldn't say you minded her having drifted.
Did you, though? You sighed and grumbled as you got up. Might as well do something while you contemplated reality, or something. Mrs George had insisted on some classic American breakfast ingredients, such as bacon and pancake mix. You didn't feel like causing a fire hazard, so pancakes were a no-go, at least for now. Eggs and bacon you could do.
What did you even, like, want? Realistically, actually, no, unrealistically what did you want? There was no sense in trying to make your base wants and desires realistic because at that point was any of that yours anymore? Likely not.
You wanted nights spent with Regina, talking and eating take-out, laughing until your tummy hurt and looking at her glowing in the blue light of whatever Adult Swim show was on at the time. You wanted grocery trips with Mrs George and to go to Kylie's games. You wanted people at school to just, simply not be jerks. You wanted Janis to find peace. You wanted Cady to wake up.
You wanted yesterday to not have happened. You wanted Thanksgiving dinner at the Georges' to never have happened. You wanted for your dad to be different, for Mr George to be different. You wanted your mom to not have died.
Looking at the bacon sizzling in the pan, you chewed on your lips and thought about that. You wanted many things. So many things, mostly for things to not have happened or to have happened differently. It was all wildly unrealistic. You were not a wizard, a time-traveller, or some other mystic being. You were a teenager.
You cracked the eggs into the mix. God, it smelled divine. You pulled a salt and pepper shaker from the spice rack and sprinkled a reasonable amount on there. You groaned out loud and threw your head back when you remembered there was sriracha in the fridge. Mrs George had seen you eyeing the bottle and had not taken a no for an answer, despite your abundant protestations.
"Spare your kitchen utensils the horror and go masturbate in your room like a normal person!" Regina hollered from the living room.
"Oh! Spatula! Harder! Harder!" You cried, moaning like you were receiving the blowie of your life. "If you want breakfast you're gonna have to witness this sordid affair." You called back, giggling. You leaned back from the stove, bending back at the waist. Regina was leaning her chin on the armrest, still more or less sprawled on your couch. There was a pout on her lips and a light flush to her cheeks.
"I'll show you sordid, nerd." She grouched before getting up. You straightened your posture, turning back to the stove, and probed the eggs in the pan with the spatula with a satisfied grin on your face.
You wanted this and more, above all. Was that something you were allowed to want? More importantly, was that something you were allowed to ask for?
Regina came up behind you, hand coming to rest on the small of your back. You didn't jump, much, which you were proud of.
"Looks yummy." She pointed out.
You hummed in agreement. "Can you put toast in the toaster?"
"Sure."
Then, as if no time at all passed, you were sitting down. Then eating and chatting. There was toast, eggs and bacon, and you'd made yourself a bowl of oatmeal. Mrs George had splurged on some blueberries and local honey. Regina refused to make eye contact when you were chewing, citing that your O-face was hard to look at. You only moaned louder and made more faces at her.
Then, just as you were heading to the couch to digest the meal as god intended, lying down, Regina yanked you to the foyer. Still in your jammies and everything, she insisted you bundle up and go for that walk she was talking about yesterday.
You'd hoped she would've forgotten. Sure, the weather was nice for once but if you didn't have to go outside then why would you? It was below freezing!
Much like her mother, she would not budge. You were going on a walk.
"What am I? A dog?" You muttered as you wrapped your scarf around your neck.
"If you were a dog, you'd be a... A Doberman." She was already dressed. It was odd for your roles to have switched like this. Usually, you were the one waiting for her to get ready. She had on a thick, white parka and a cute beanie. She also had on black leggings sure to insulate absolutely nothing and bulky, also black, fur boots.
"What? 'Cause I'm big and scary?" You preened at that, smiling widely.
"Nope." She tilted her head, examining you. "Gloves."
"Geez, okay, mom." You grabbed some mittens from the hat rack. "Why Doberman?"
"They wouldn't look so scary if they didn't have their ears clipped, y'know?" She said. You just looked at her weirdly, not catching her meaning. Your ears were not clipped. "Anyway, let's go."
"Aye aye," With that, you were out of the door.
You walked the block and down to the street. The sidewalk stopped so you went by the side of the road. She was walking ahead of you. It was cold out but not too windy, so it didn't feel so bad.
The sidewalk started again eventually. There, you walked side by side. You were just looking at a bird perched on a wire when you felt her grab your hand. Thinking she had something to say, you turned to look at her. She was still facing forward, the other hand in her pocket, walking along. She was just holding your hand.
Oh. Oh. She was holding your hand. Out in public. Not a lot of people were out at this hour, not even cars since it was a weekend. There was a woman with a stroller. A psychopathic man out on a jog. A dog walker. Still, it was outside where anyone who walked by could see.
You arrived at the park, hands clasped together. You stopped by a bench.
"I don't think we should sit." You said, observing the coating of snow piled on top.
"Let's go over there." Regina pointed to a tree a little ways away.
You went obediently, following the tug of her hand in yours. She was holding your hand. You felt all warm in your chest, like you were full of warm water.
You stopped by the tree. She looked around, trying to spot if anybody was nearby. Then, like she had a secret to tell you, she motioned for you to bend down closer. You did. Her hand squeezed at your fingers as the other came up to your neck, pulling you down the rest of the way.
The warmth you'd felt became hot, like an oil fire erupting in the foil-covered saucepan that was your heart, kernels and half-popped popcorn sputtering out as she kissed you. Your eyes just barely got to shutter closed before she pulled away. Instinctively, your body so starved of affection and touch, you chased her and found her lips again.
She smiled against your mouth. It felt like a secret of the utmost importance being shared, like a pinkie finger wrapped around your own in the corner of the room during a sleepover, giggled promises and childish adoration. She tasted vaguely like breakfast, and maybe egg-breath should've been nasty, but it wasn't.
Cold seeping in, the anxious feeling like you were soon going to be caught taking hold, you pulled away. You didn't lean away entirely, crowding her against the tree. When you'd gotten so close, pinned her, you weren't sure.
"Do..." What were you supposed to say post-kiss? "Do you like it sloppy?"
"What?" Her brows furrowed and the smile on her face turned sharper. What to say post-kiss: Not That.
"Uh, I mean, I just- uh..." You swallowed. "I don't know how to, like, I don't have technique. I dunno. Was that good? I saw Aaron was doing it differently..."
Regina rolled her eyes, head thumping lightly against the tree as her neck lolled back. "You would bring up Aaron now." She sighed. "It's fine. It's- it's good."
"Okay." You swallowed again. A slow smile crept up to your face. "It was good?"
"Ugh, yes, shut up." She shoved you away, but you just allowed the momentum to swing you back to her. "I... I don't think I'm good at words."
You chuckled at that. "No, you're not." She glared. You shrugged. "But, hey, you know me. I'm Chatty Kathy."
"No," She huffed through her nose, seemingly in frustration. "I wish I could say to you what I mean. What I feel. But I just... It's... It's not supposed to be but it's embarrassing."
Looking at her, hunched in on herself like a girl her age was supposed to be at times, so different from how she was most of the time, made your chest feel tight. You figured a person having been raised like she was, having turned out the way she had, would find being vulnerable uncomfortable. Or, as she said it, embarrassing.
Then again, it wasn't your place nor your duty to psycho-analyze her.
"Reg, I..." You hesitated. "I'm tired of, like, sitting in the passenger seat while you bulldoze everyone. I'm tired of feeling like if I do something you don't like you'll push me under too." You pulled away from her, hands getting sore from leaning your weight against the rough bark. "And then there's this whole thing." You gestured around you at the empty park. "Even if we were the best couple ever in terms of, I dunno, vibes or something, we're still..."
"Lesbians." She finished for you. "I'm a lesbian, Jorts." A sentence you never thought you'd hear from Regina George. "I know. For me, it felt justified for a long time, keeping them in their place, but since we started talking again, doing all that stuff just started to seem... Unimportant. And stupid." She fiddled with her fingers, eyes glued to the space between you. "It hasn't gone away. I still want to, I guess, hurt people because it does make me feel better even if it's, like, fucked up. But I want something else more than I want that."
"What's that?" You couldn't help but ask, hope stuck in your throat. Choking hazard.
"You, obviously." She said it so flippantly as if those words didn't just send your heart into the Milky Way. "I want you. I'll stop doing that stuff for you. I know we can't be out yet, but I... I have good grades."
You looked at her, puzzled. She huffed and continued. "I'll go to college. Major in, uh, I dunno, some sorta politics and I'll change the law. Maybe a law degree would work better for that, actually." She seemed to think about it for a moment before returning to her point. "Whichever one would be best in getting gay marriage legalized."
"You..." You had to laugh at that, disbelieving as well as delighted. "You're gonna change the world for me?"
"If that's what it takes." She said, determination shining so bright it made your eyes water.
"Wow, okay." You licked your lips, trying to will the stupid grin off your face. You had some important questions still. "If I moved away, would you still stop?"
She paused at that. Took a moment to really look at you, like she hadn't considered that to be a real possibility.
"Yes." She sounded so sure you believed her. "I just don't have... What it takes anymore. I guess. I don't know if there's something wrong with me that I... I want to be mean, sometimes. It's funny. For me." She glanced down and then looked somewhere over your shoulder. "It took a lot of work to get to what Regina George is now. I don't want to put in all that next year."
"Y'know what they say. New year, new me." You quipped, looking down at her. You were quite sure your pupils had morphed into heart shapes, despite your valiant efforts to have this meaningful conversation without seeming like a love-drunk idiot.
(She kissed you. You kissed her. It was a beautiful morning, you were on a walk and you'd held hands and then you'd kissed under a barren willow tree. It was the first day of Christmas break and you were spending it with Regina George.)
"Does that mean I can be a raging bitch till January 1st?" She asked, eyebrow notching.
You laughed. "Only if you..." You bit your bottom lip, getting nervous. "Only if I get a kiss for every mean thing you say."
"Deal." She offered her hand to you, a cheesy smile on her face.
You pulled your glove off and spit on your hand, then made to take hers.
"Ew! That's disgusting!" She flinched away from you, violently shoving herself back against the tree. "Don't- no! Not near me! Don't touch me with that!"
She bolted and you ran after her, cackling maniacally. You waved your spat-on hand at her as you chased her around the park, her shrieking and you laughing.
"I'm serious, J!" She looked at you over her shoulder as she ran. "Stop chasing me!"
"Stop running away from me!"
"You're just gonna smear your spit on me, you- you fiend!"
"Pinky swear I won't!"
"I won't pinky-swear with your disgusting paws, you-"
With a yelp, Regina tripped over something, probably a root, and fell to the ground. You, having been closing in on her, put the brakes on, windmilled your arms, and tried to stop, but soon followed her into the snow.
"Ouf!" The breath wooshed out of her as you fell on her. She wheezed as you rolled off of her, half-heartedly punching in your direction. You giggled and dodged to the best of your ability, not even minding the snow seeping through your pyjama pants.
Giving some time for her to recover, you laid on your back and looked up at the sky. Clear blue with some thick, greyish clouds looming in the peripheral, morning was turning to day fast. Soon, the park would surely get some more traffic. Kids and their adults, mostly. There was a sizeable play area in the centre. You were pretty much on the outskirts of the park.
It was a familiar spot. You and the guys used to meet your other friends here all the time. Those times it'd been night, too dark to see the faces of the guys with big gym bags, filled to bursting with little plastic baggies and glass bottles.
You turned your head to look at her once her breathing had quieted down.
"You bitch," She hissed at you, the usual venom in her voice gone, replaced by exhaustion. You could only smile, somewhat sheepish but mostly just happy.
"It'd be a lot harder to resist if we were still in school, y'know." You said, turning back to watch the sky. "You can't change the law until we graduate. Until then, we're stuck here. And then, let's say you do change the law and it's passed, it's gonna take some time for people to accept that."
"Yeah," Regina agreed, folding her arms under her chin to lean on.
"And you can say that you'll change a hundred times easily, but actually doing it is different."
"When did you get so wise?"
"When I was all alone for years and did some stupid stuff."
"Like what?" You could tell she wouldn't be expecting what you said next. Even you weren't expecting it.
"You know how I sell drugs and alcohol, right? Where do you think I get the stuff from? I got to know some people while we weren't talking." You sighed. Remembering those times, the worst of them, still so fresh despite it having been years, wasn't nice. "Vandalism, underage drinking, shoplifting, driving without a licence... Did some harder drugs than weed... Stupid shit. I stopped most of it when I got caught the last time and almost went to juvie. Dad got me out, somehow. Probably threw money at people."
You turned your head to look at Regina. She was already paying keen attention to you. "I told my mandated therapist I was gonna change. I said I wasn't going to ever do anything like that ever again. I lied, of course."
"When did you actually stop, then?" She asked.
"Months after the mandated therapy was over." You put your hands in your pockets, getting cold. "I wanted to do it before then. I wanted to just, not be that. A druggie fifteen-year-old spraypainting some dilapidated trailer, hanging around guys that were way too old to be hanging around me. I didn't want to be that but at the same time being anything else was terrifying. I don't think highly of myself, but that was low even for me. Then, Mrs George found me one time."
"Mom?" The question was more out of shock than actual inquiry.
"Yeah." You blinked a couple of times. "I was in a bad state. Withdrawals. I made her promise she wouldn't tell my dad if I allowed her to take me home. She was talking the whole ride from downtown to mine, trying to keep me awake. I just lost it. I don't remember what I said or exactly what I did, but she had to pull over and restrain me." You gulped. "It was awful. Then she offered that I could mow your lawn for some money. I used it the first couple of times to get a new dose. She used to ask what I'd be spending it on and those times I had some bullshit excuse, but the first time I said I was probably gonna get some McDonalds', she cried. Cried real actual tears." You didn't feel like looking at Regina, but you could feel her eyes on the side of your head. "After that it just... It wasn't worth it."
"You never told me." Regina breathed out, still sounding shocked.
"I didn't want to." You turned onto your side, body facing her. "I was- am ashamed."
You didn't feel shame now, though. You undoubtedly would later, tomorrow perhaps, but not now. You were glad for it. You regretted it, wished you hadn't gone down that road, but lying there in the cold snow there was only indifference. That had happened. You had done that.
"Me too." She whispered. "Obviously, it's not the same, but-"
"I know what you mean. And it could be more similar than you think. Quitting an addiction is hard, but I wouldn't say quitting a behaviour is easy."
"It's stupid to compare drug addiction to being a bitch." Regina huffed, a frown on her face. "It's incomparable."
"Well, then let's not compare. Both can be hard in their own way without diminishing the other. What I'm trying to point out is that," You thought for a moment. "We're both trying to get over a bad, toxic habit that feels safe and good and like the only option, without seeing the merit or the other supposedly better option first. It's scary."
"Are you still trying to get over it?"
"I haven't been on drugs since, no. But it's not something that goes away. Not ever."
"And you're still kinda in it." She said, remembering your hustle around the school.
"Yeah. I can't expect you to be all buddy-buddy with everybody suddenly. That'd be hypocritical."
"So what do we do?"
What a question. One that you did not have the answer to. You didn't feel unsettled by the confusion. You hadn't told anyone of your dark past (gosh, could you be any more emo?) since those that knew had just kind of stumbled across it, so telling somebody felt... Good. You'd just sort of blurted it all out without thinking about it too much.
"Can we go back home? I wanna..." You stopped, realizing I wanna make out with you on the couch sounded awfully crude.
A lecherous grin spread Regina's cheeks. "Oh, I see. You just want me for my body."
"No!" You denied, indignant. "I would never."
"You would never want me for my body." She reiterated, purposefully misconstruing what you said. "Wow. Just wow."
"Regina, c'mon, I just mean..."
"Say what you were gonna say." She rolled away and up, towering above you with a twinkling smile pointed down at your prone body.
"Let's just go," You said and tried to get up. Like some bondage dominatrix, she pushed you back down with a shoe on your chest.
You hated how that sort of got to you. Your heart beat faster against her Ugg. Hopefully, she didn't feel it through the thick sole.
"Nuh-uh. Say it."
"I... I wanna make..." You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. "I wanna go home and make out with you on the couch."
"Oh, that wasn't so hard, now was it, baby? Let's go."
It was only once you'd made it back, chucked your wet clothes into the hamper, and spent a considerable amount of time in liplock, that either of you thought to circle back.
"Hey," Regina said, adjusting her weight to not be leaning on you so heavily. Your lips smacked apart and, gosh, now you were the gross ones. "I just now realized,"
"What are you realizing while you're supposed to be kissing me?" You pouted, falling onto your side and away from her. Your hand went over your eyes like you were a swooning maiden. Regina just patted your leg in mock consolation.
"You have your drug thing-" Only she would refer to your past addiction as your drug thing. "but I was, like, the only one doing anything actually wrong. Actively. You know what I mean." You craned your neck to look at her. Your double chin was probably epic.
"I lied to you by omission. I was really mean to you on Thanksgiving."
"Okay, lying by omission was bad and never do that again," She paused, waiting for you to affirm. You nodded solemnly. "But you were only mean after I was mean first. So, both forgiven. Anyway, I'm talking, like... I don't know how to say it."
You blinked. You didn't know what she meant so you couldn't really help. Regina huffed, nails scratching absent-mindedly on your calves.
"You made it sound like we were both wrong for how things exploded." She eventually said. "That was all me."
"I shouldn't have been such a doormat. I let you walk all over me and I never said anything about how I really felt."
"I don't think you can be in the wrong for that."
"I think I can be. At least the way that I was. I could've said something."
"And what would that've achieved? Me cutting you off and nothing changing?"
You clambered up to your elbows. "And now we're here." You smiled, one side a little crooked with how gleeful you were. "Look, we can hash everything out during the break, now just... Let's focus on other things."
Regina, still looking conflicted, caressed a hand up your leg. You shivered. You were in just a hoodie and loose briefs. Regina was more covered up than you, but still in just your old basketball shorts and a big band tee.
"Reggie, I'm getting used to asking for things I shouldn't want. Amuse me." You turned onto your back and hooked your legs around Regina. She fell forward, hands braced on either side of your torso. "Kiss me."
"I just don't want to mess up and have all this go away." She swallowed, a worried crease between her eyebrows.
"I think we're gonna mess up plenty of times. It's a possibility you'll find some justification to make somebody's life hell for a time. I could relapse." You pulled her closer with your legs, arms coming up to cross your fingers behind her neck. "A lot of the time we're not gonna want to admit it, we might not even know it. So, we can lay out a few... Promises, or something."
"Okay," Regina said, gazing down at you like you never imagined. Like you meant things to her. Important things.
"Promise me that you'll listen. Even if you disagree, please hear me out." She nodded seriously. "And, in turn, I promise to speak my mind. When I don't like something, or just like something, I'll say so." Again, she nodded. You loosened your hold on her neck and rubbed your thumbs on her cheeks. Getting to touch her like this, having her literally between your legs, was more than you ever thought you'd get.
Even if this ended in a similar fashion to the Thanksgiving kiss, or even much, much worse, you'd have regretted not taking the chance for the rest of your life.
"And... This is the most important one... Come closer."
Regina shifted closer, bending down, her elbows coming to rest next to your chest as she turned her ear towards you.
You whispered conspiratorially, like this was top-secret: "Still let me do your yard work."
Notes: Fucking christ. I wrote this all in one sitting. 4.3k words. That's like two chapters. I've written long chapters before, longer than this, but I got so used to the 2k on average pace that this felt huge.
Also! Don't be spooked by the [final chapter] marking! This is the last chapter in the story, yes, but we'll be hearing more from Reggie and Jorts still! I have a couple of epilogue sequences I want to write. Would y'all be interested in a poll as to what order those should be published? As in, chronological. Do we start from 10 Years Later... or something more like, idk, next summer? Lmk in the comments :)
This might be counterintuitive to add, and if my lovely amazing readers have exercised their reading comprehension during this series they might get why on a more nuanced level, revenge on Gretchen was left out purposefully. This will not be the last we hear of her, I have some plans for her in some of the epilogues, but yes. That plot point was left open on purpose.
The name. A lot of people like it! I was feeling insecure about my lack of foresight and impulsive naming, but hey, as it turns out it's not that deep! To add, it went really nicely with the end there I think :) No changes will be happening.
This note is getting so long. I just wanna thank everybody that's been along for the ride so far. I read every single comment and check my notifications way too often for new ones. I'm pretty used to writing for quite dead/inactive fandoms on AO3, and I love that site it's my origin, but it's very different to Tumblr. I just feel like people on here are much more open to sharing their thoughts. Everybody who's bore witness to my grief with the taglist, thank you for your patience. And thank you so much for wanting to be on it. I cannot believe people wanted that. For little ole me? Oh, you shouldn't have...
If there are spelling errors or grammatical weirdness, shhh. I'm not reading all that again at 1am. Toodles!
Taglist will be posted separately! Comment on that post if you want to be added to be notified when the epilogies are published!
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3xiles · 7 days
Text
Sweet lies part two
Pairing •Toji x gn!reader
Warnings• Angst!, Cheating, suggestive (they like lowkey make out), manipulation, UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP!, Cursing. Lmk if i forgot any!
Word count • 1079 words
A/n • I had this pre written ever since i put out the first part but was so hesitant on posting it LMAO! Enjoy! Masterlist is pinned!
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You knew life after the honeymoon phase was rough but nothing could’ve prepared you for the drastic switch in you and Toji’s relationship. About two months the after you guys got married is when you realized the mistake you made. Your days went from him coming home from work and showering you with affection to him coming in with an inaudible hello. You were confused on what you could be doing wrong. He was coming home to a clean house with food on the table, a bath prepared and you all dolled up for him, just how he liked it. This went on for months and throughout those months he’s just been coming home later and later. The man who was once coming home every day at five now walking through the front door as late as ten at night. It didn’t bother you until your 26th birthday.
You woke up excited to celebrate your first birthday as a married woman. For your birthday last year Toji went all out so you couldn’t help but let your expectations be high! Toji wasn’t there when you woke up, which was normal because he usually leaves extremely early in the morning. You spent your day pampering yourself to the max, expecting to maybe go out later. Soon enough five o clock rolls around. You sit pretty and patient on the couch, telling yourself he’s just running a little late. You wait… and you wait.. sending text after text to your husband every hour.
Hubby💍❤️
5:30pm
Y/n: Hey babe coming home soon?
6:15
Y/n: Toj idk what you have planned but i’m super excited! see you soon❤️
7:23
Y/n: Hey is everything okay??
8:54
Y/n: Hello?
9:46
Y/n: Toji it’s almost 10 where are you?
10:27
Y/n: Toji?
You send your last text with tears falling from your eyes. You hate to think he forgot your birthday. It can’t be. He just got caught up in something. It has to be. You check the time one last time. 11:03. You then tell yourself you need to go to bed. As you stand up from the couch the door opens and the man you’ve been waiting for finally shows. You do nothing but stare at him, tears mixed with mascara running down your puffy cheeks. “The hell happened to you?” he says, taking off his shoes, tie, and blazer. He begins to unbutton his shirt, purple marks adorning his chest. That was in that moment when something in you just… snapped.
“Toji, what is today?” you slowly walk towards him. He shrugs, scratching the back of his head. “Look doll, i’m beat. Can we talk tomorrow?” he begins to walk towards the stairs that lead to your shared bedroom “No. Absolutely the fuck not.” oh crap. did you just say that? he stops in his tracks and turns to you. “Excuse me?” Shitshitshitshitshit what do you say? why did u say that? “Toji i asked you a question. What. Is. Today.” you keep up the tough girl act, too deep to back out now. “Y/n.” he walks closer to you but you back away “Toji today is my fucking birthday. Today is my birthday and i’ve been home all day thinking my ‘husband’ was going to at least come home on time but you were out fucking some bitch!” You begin to yell, crying harder than you were before. “The fuck are you talking about?” You weren’t stupid, you knew he was cheating but who were you to say anything. You were nothing without him. You didn’t want to ruin things. You can’t lose him. “Toji, i know you’re seeing someone else but i at least thought you would have some type of respect or decency to not do this to me on my fucking birthday.”You’re falling apart in front of him.
The silence is strong. He walks towards you and wraps his arms around you, holding you close. “Things just haven’t been right with me, i don’t know why i do the things i do. You know how much you mean to me baby, i never want to hurt you.” i never want to hurt you. Those words replay in your mind. He brings his hands to hold your face, wiping your tears with his thumbs. “You know I love you and only you, right?” you wanted to yell at him. You wanted to kick and scream but something in you made you believe every word he was saying. Instead of doing any of those things you just nodded. Shame rose in you but it all started to fade away when his lips connect with yours. You know this isn’t right, this isn’t healthy but that doesn’t stop you from wrapping your arms around his neck and letting his hands wander. “I’m so sorry baby.” his lips travel to your neck. You try to hold back sounds but he knows just what to do to get it out if you. “Gonna let me show my girl how sorry i am?” you just started at him. not wanting to say yes but you didn’t want to disappoint him by saying no either.
You have to draw a line somewhere. “I think i just wanna go to sleep…” Removing your hands from him and stepping back. His looks confused but he doesn’t press further. Is it bad that part of you wishes he did? You wished he would’ve showed some kind of kind want, not just wanting to fuck out of pity. You know why he didn’t tho, he already got his fix of pussy for the night and it didn’t come from you. What a shame.
That night you couldn’t sleep, you were up all night silently crying. Is this really what your life was? You had lost yourself in this relationship. Your 26th birthday was a wake up call. The next few days were rough, he was just coming home later and later. Not to mention he wasn’t even trying to hide his affairs, He started to be careless. Not bothering to cover the scratches or hickeys that covered his body, leaving his phone open when you could see messages from the multiple girls and having panties and various other items in his car that didn’t belong to you. It’s like he was trying to hurt you, but isn’t that what he said he never wanted to do?
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just-aake · 8 months
Text
Boundless Devotion - Part V
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Pairing: princess!Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader
Summary: MedievalAU. Natasha is the eldest princess of the Romanov Kingdom. As the time of her coronation approaches, she is suddenly forced to make a decision – either find herself a partner or her parents will choose one for her.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
Warnings: sight fluff, angst, violence, blood, panic attack
Words: 6713
You lightly trace your fingers over your lips as you stare absently at the mirror in front of you. Your mind keeps replaying that moment from yesterday when Natasha’s lips had briefly met yours. 
“...Y/n”
You still remember the warm and tingling sensation on your lips that lingered even after she pulled away. Her soft exhale as she stared into your eyes and then the way her gaze dropped to your lips.
“Y/n?”
Unconsciously, you bite your lips, lost in thought at the memory.
Was Natasha about to lean in again or was that just your imagination?
Did you want her to?
But that can't be right. Natasha is just a friend, and she doesn’t see you as anything more than that either. So you shouldn’t want her to lean in again.
Right? 
Confused by your swirling thoughts and emotions, you release a deep sigh.
“—Y/n!” 
Startled, you jump in your seat, Wanda's yell snapping you out of your thoughts. You turn to her, a mix of surprise and confusion on your face.
“Wha–Wanda?” 
She stands beside you, hands on her hips and her expression filled with concern.
“Are you okay?” Wanda asks. “You’ve been staring at your reflection for a while now, and you didn't respond when I called you.”
Realizing that you’ve been in a daze for so long, you shake your head lightly, pushing aside thoughts of yesterday's encounter.
It was all an accident, after all. You shouldn’t dwell on scenarios and situations that will never happen.
Instead, you should focus on your current objectives which, at the moment, is to prepare yourself to go into town.
“I’m fine, Wanda,” you answer her question. 
When she shoots you a skeptical look, you reassure her once more.
“I really am fine. I just got distracted about something this morning.” 
Thankfully, Wanda accepts your answer, but then a teasing expression appears on her face.
"Thinking about something, or should I say, someone?" she teases.
“Wanda!” you exclaim, feeling a light blush creep onto your cheeks, as you attempt to swat at her arm in reprimand.
She steps back, dodging you, and shrugs playfully as she continues her teasing.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been distracted ever since you came home last night with Princess Natasha,” she remarks and raises an eyebrow pointedly, “...lost in thought while touching your lips.”
Last night, after your encounter with your father, you had explained the situation with Natasha to Wanda and Pietro, recounting all the events and decisions that transpired.
And now the two of them have been teasing you about your new “relationship” with Natasha ever since.
“We were just practicing. It wasn’t a real kiss,” you defend. “It’s just to make sure we look comfortable as a couple.”
"Of course," Wanda agrees sarcastically, her tone tinged with a playful skepticism. “If that’s what you want to believe.”
You huff in disbelief at her and give her a reprimanding glare.
In response, she raises her hands in surrender, indicating that she’s finished with the teasing on the topic for now.
Wanda then glances out the window, where gray clouds cover the morning sky, and her brows furrow slightly in concern. 
“It looks like it might rain. Do you want me to get your cloak before Princess Natasha comes to pick you up?”
You sigh at the reminder of the princess joining you today, your gaze dropping to your hands as you contemplate your father's words from the previous night.
“I’m still not sure if spending more time with Natasha is the right idea,” you tell Wanda worriedly.
There's a reason you've been avoiding her since last year.
Wanda studies you closely as if searching for signs of trouble.
“Did it happen again?” she asks cautiously.
Anxiety flares up within you at the thought, causing your hand to tremble momentarily in your lap. You quickly cover it with your other hand, but Wanda has already noticed, her gaze darting worriedly to your hands.
“Maybe I should go into town for you instead,” she offers.
You shake your head quickly in refusal, standing up with determination.
“No, it should be fine. I’m okay to go.” 
As Wanda goes to insist further, you place your hand gratefully on her shoulder, stopping her, and give her a reassuring smile.
“Besides, you and Pietro are supposed to be taking the day off. I can’t exactly have you picking up your own birthday presents. That would spoil the surprise.”
Wanda groans exasperatedly at the reminder of her shared birthday with her brother. 
“Speaking of surprises…” she remarks, her tone unamused.
Wanda takes a deep breath before extending her hand toward the door. Slowly, a faint red mist forms around her hand and similarly envelops the door handle.
Her eyebrows furrow in concentration, and with a quick flick of her hand, the handle turns, and the door swings open.
Instantly, colorful paper confetti pieces burst into the room.
Pietro enters right after, holding the sack that contained the makeshift confetti.
“Surprise!” he exclaims.
You chuckle in amusement at Pietro as you brush off some of the confetti that managed to reach you while turning to the other twin.
“You’re getting better with your control, Wanda,” you praise her.
The three of you discovered Wanda’s innate magical abilities when you were young and have decided to keep it a secret among yourselves ever since.
Although sorcery is not forbidden in the kingdom, it is still a feared and dangerous skill to possess, both by those who are afraid of its power and by those who seek to abuse it.
So far, Wanda has been able to manipulate small objects, moving them slightly but not without a lot of effort.
However, her magical capabilities and her control over her powers seem to grow stronger and easier to maintain every year.
With no other known sorcerer in the kingdom, she mostly practices and learns about her abilities from any readings that you can find for her.
Wanda grins proudly at your praise.
“Thank you, I’ve been practicing.”
She then turns to her brother with a reprimanding look.
When Pietro sees Wanda’s unimpressed expression and the lack of confetti covering her, he frowns at her in confusion.
“How did you know to dodge the confetti?”
Crossing her arms, Wanda replies with a raised brow, "You do the same thing every year," though a faint smile tugs at her lips. "Now, who's going to clean up this mess?"
You chuckle at her words and then shift your attention to the other twin.
“Be careful, Pietro. She's not exactly in a celebratory mood right now.”
You playfully nudge Wanda's shoulders. “She's too busy worrying about others.” 
Wanda scoffs in disbelief, commenting, “You’re one to talk.”
In response, you lean toward Pietro, covering your mouth and pretending to whisper.
“Make sure she actually takes some time off and enjoys her birthday today too.”
Pietro nods and makes a sound of understanding while Wanda rolls her eyes at the two of you.
He then plucks a piece of confetti from your hair and playfully taps it against your nose.
“And you, go enjoy your ‘date’ today,” he teases, wiggling his eyebrows before nodding toward the door.
“Princess Natasha and the others have arrived. They’re waiting for you outside the gates.”
Surprised at his words, you tilt your head in confusion as you ask curiously.
“Others?”
Outside the manor's gates, Natasha stands with her arms crossed, her disapproval evident as she glares at the two unexpected guests seated innocently in the carriage, their respective canine companions resting at their feet.
With a suspicious squint, she questions them.
“Why are the two of you here again?”
Yelena responds with a nonchalant shrug and a bored tone, “I wanted to go into town today too.”
Kate, at least, looks a bit apologetic as she explains, “Yelena invited me.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me you were coming?”
Yelena answers her question with a roll of her eyes and a small groan, “Oh my god, we’re not here to ruin your ‘date’,” her hands make air quotes at the word before continuing.
“We just wanted to hang out together for a bit. You know, like before, and then we'll leave the two of you alone.”
“That’s not the problem,” Natasha says, though she understands Yelena’s reason for wanting to come. 
When you avoided her during the past year, you also avoided the younger princess by extension, and even if she doesn’t admit it aloud, she knows Yelena also missed spending time with you. 
Still, this is not the proper way to go about it.
“You can’t just invite yourself and join in on her trip without asking Y/n first,” Natasha reprimands.
“I don’t mind,” you interject from behind.
Natasha turns around at the sound of your voice, examining you closely when you stop in front of her.
You appear like your usual self, almost as if the distraught version of you from yesterday never existed.
Everything seems perfectly normal.  
Natasha furrows her brows lightly at a sudden unsettling thought.
Were you always this good at hiding your emotions from her or is she the one who can’t read your feelings like before anymore?
Noticing Natasha's upset expression, you ask her curiously, wondering whether there's an issue if Yelena and Kate join the two of you.
“I’m fine with them coming along, if that’s okay with you?”
Truthfully, Natasha had hoped for a chance to speak to you alone after your unusual behavior yesterday.
Your reactions to your father's words especially troubled her throughout the night. 
But when you tilt your head at her expectantly with a hopeful look, Natasha finds herself agreeing with you.
"Fine, they can stay."
Your pleased expression afterward makes her smile softly in return.
Behind her, she hears Yelena let out a fake cough and mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like "whipped" under her breath.
Natasha sends her sister a warning glare, causing Yelena to turn away while whistling innocently. 
Shaking her head slightly, Natasha guides you a short distance away from the others. She still wants to confirm that everything is okay with you first before you all leave.
“Can we talk about what happened yesterday with your father?” she questions gently.
Your body briefly stiffens at the mention of your father, causing Natasha's eyes to narrow in suspicion as your gaze nervously shifts toward the carriage.
You wave your hand dismissively.
“That was nothing, Natasha. He’s always had a sort of intimidating presence.”
You pat her shoulder reassuringly.
“Anyway, we really should get going. We don't want it to get too late.” 
Looking closely at your expression, Natasha realizes that she can still recognize some of your emotions.
You're clearly hiding something.
Nonetheless, she relents with a sigh, understanding that she won't get more from you at the moment.
As she glances up at the dreary skies, Natasha quickly realizes that your current outfit offers no protection against the impending weather.
Without hesitation, she swiftly unclasps her black cloak and gently drapes it around your shoulders. 
Just as she's about to fasten it, your hand stops her.
"I could go back and get my own cloak, Natasha."
Ignoring your protest, Natasha secures it firmly in place, raising an eyebrow.
“I thought we needed to get going.”
A small, amused smile escapes her as your lips twist into a pout when she cleverly uses your words against you.
Rolling your eyes at her pleased expression, you step past her toward the carriage.
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
The cobbled streets are bustling with townspeople by the time you arrive, each person scurrying around to complete their daily errands. The market is alive with the voices of merchants beckoning customers to their stalls and shops.
“There sure are a lot more people in the town than usual,” Natasha comments in observation.
“Obviously,” Yelena responds with a roll of her eyes, gesturing to her. “Your coronation is coming soon, and with the upcoming festival in a couple of weeks, it’s no wonder people from other kingdoms have already started to arrive here.”
As the carriage turns a corner, Kate excitedly points toward a certain direction.
“Oh, can we stop by Clint’s shop? He told me he should be almost finished with my new bow.”
“That’s fine," you respond, instructing the coachman to stop, “I needed to drop by the bakery nearby anyway.”
The carriage comes to a halt in front of the blacksmith’s shop. The owner, Clint Barton, once served as a knight at the castle before retiring to be with his family. 
As the bell atop the door chimes upon your entrance, Clint emerges from the back with a rag in hand.
“Well, this is a nice surprise. What can I do for the four of you?” 
Kate steps up to the counter eagerly, barely able to contain her excitement.
“Is my bow ready?”
Clint smiles at her and nods, replying, "Just about. It needs a few finishing touches, but you can take a look."
With a flourish, he retrieves the bow from the back and presents it to Kate with a wave.
"Go ahead, check it out."
Yelena, equally impressed, lets out an appreciative whistle at the weapon while Kate admires its craftsmanship and the feel of it in her hands.
With Kate and Yelena occupied, Clint shifts his attention to Natasha with a meaningful look.
"I have something in the back for you also, Your Highness."
Natasha frowns when Clint's eyes briefly flicker towards you beside her, catching his unspoken message.
Recognizing the seriousness of the atmosphere, you excuse yourself in understanding, “I’ll go make sure those two don’t hurt themselves.” 
As Clint heads to the back, he asks over his shoulder, "Did you want me to sharpen your sword for you too?"
Following Clint, Natasha hands him her sword with a disapproving sigh.
"You know Y/n is a trustworthy person. She's not one to spread anything important."
“Even so, my duties are to the members of the royal family alone,” he says before raising his eyebrows at her. “Though from what I hear, she may be joining the family soon.”
Natasha rolls her eyes at his teasing tone.
"We're together, Clint. That doesn't mean we're engaged."
“Not yet, you mean,” Clint corrects her pointedly. “With how long you've held back your feelings for Y/n, a proposal is bound to happen sooner or later now that you're finally together.”
Natasha shakes her head at his playful banter, but she internally sighs in relief that Clint wholeheartedly believes her relationship with you is genuine with no suspicions.
However, his last comment puzzles her. What did he mean by her feelings for you?
Pushing aside the thought, she brings Clint’s attention back to the original point.
“You said you had something for me?” 
Clint lets out a deep sigh, his demeanor growing solemn.
“There have been troubling whispers coming from the Hydra’s den.”
Natasha raises her eyebrow at the name of the tavern known to be frequented by less savory characters.
“You know that Laura doesn’t like you poking around shady areas like that. You’re supposed to be retired.”
He responds with a sneaky grin, “Doesn’t mean I don’t still keep in contact with some informants.”
His face turns serious again as he explains his discoveries.
“The ambush on the king. It sounds like Rumlow may have known about it.”
Natasha crosses her arms with a frown at the revelation before giving Clint a knowing look.
“But there’s no evidence of an actual connection with the mercenaries who attacked, right?” she says, already aware of Rumlow's knack for concealing his involvement in anything shady.
Clint nods grimly before continuing, “Even if there was, I doubt he was able to organize something that precise. Somebody else has to be one pulling the strings or helping him.”
Natasha tilts her head curiously at his sure tone.
“You have some suspicions?”
Clint’s gaze briefly shifts toward the door leading back to the front where you and the others await.
He leans closer, whispering, “I heard Lord Dreykov and Rumlow had some meetings a couple of days before the attack.”
At that moment, the sound of your voice interrupts their conversation as they hear you inform Yelena and Kate that you're heading over to the bakery first.
Natasha looks regretfully at the door when she hears you leaving. She didn’t intend to hold you back from completing your original errands.
Clint lets out an amused huff at her expression and waves her away knowingly.
“Go, I’ll finish this up and let you know when I’m done.”
Natasha nods thankfully and starts to leave but she pauses at the door, turning back to Clint.
“Keep this information quiet for now and let me know if you hear anything else.”
After checking in on Kate and Yelena, who choose to stay back a bit to continue their conversation with Clint, Natasha exits the shop. She spots you across from the shop, engaged in a conversation with a nearby flower vendor.
When Natasha steps to join you, the sudden growling at her side captures her attention.
Both Fanny and Lucky were originally told to rest and wait outside the shop for their respective owners, but now they stand upright and alert, growling at something in the distance.
Natasha surveys her surroundings, carefully observing each person. Her eyes pause on a suspicious figure lurking in the shadows of a corner.
Following his gaze, Natasha realizes he's watching you.
Meanwhile, you remain distracted, examining the different flowers in the cart, completely unaware of the attention on you. 
As the stranger begins to move in your direction, the two canines become more agitated, letting out warning barks that attract the attention of people around Natasha, including the suspicious figure.
When the stranger notices Natasha's presence, he quickly turns around and disappears into the crowd. Natasha goes to follow him when a hand grasps hers.
She turns and finds you looking at her with concern.
“Natasha, is everything okay?” you ask her.
The dogs have calmed down and are now nuzzling against you.
Natasha glances back at the crowd and finds that the mysterious figure has disappeared without a trace.
She turns back to you, nodding in reassurance. 
“Yeah, let’s go,” she grips your hand firmly before pulling you towards the bakery in the opposite direction.
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
As Natasha and you enter the shop, the warm and sweet smell of freshly baked goods envelops you. You greet the young shopkeeper with a friendly wave.
They recognize you and immediately head toward the back, calling for someone.
Your old stablemaster, Cedric, emerges from the back, greeting you with a warm hug.
“Y/n, it’s so good to see you again.”
You return the hug, glad to see he was well.
“You too, Cedric.”
After the embrace, Cedric notices the princess standing beside you and offers her a respectful bow.
Reaching at your side, you pull out a pouch of coins, presenting it to him with an apologetic tone.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything about your dismissal.”
Cedric shakes his head with a reassuring smile, pushing the pouch back toward you.
“That wasn’t your fault.”
You frown and insist, placing the pouch in his hands.
“Still, I want you to have this, please.”
He finally accepts the pouch graciously, already knowing your stubborn determination.
“Alright, how about I give you some pastries in exchange.”
You follow him to the counter, where an array of baked goods is displayed, as you clarify one of the tasks that you had for today.
“Actually, I was also planning on purchasing some cakes and pastries for the twins’ birthday.”
Cedric waves off your offer with a warm smile.
“Nonsense, consider it our present to them. And this time I insist, so don’t think you can change my mind, dear.”
“I’ll be sure to let them know then,” you smile softly at his gesture.
Cedric has always treated the three of you with compassion as if you were his own children.
He places a plate of various pastries on the counter, waving his hand in an offer for you. 
“Here, try some of these new pastries that Martha made this morning while I have those cakes and pastries ready for you.”
Martha is his wife, who also worked in the kitchen at your manor for a long time. She would always let the three of you sneak and have some of her desserts that she made even when you weren’t supposed to.
You take a bite of one of the new pastries, and the creamy custard filling fills your mouth immediately. It was nice and fluffy and not overly sweet.
Nodding in approval, you take another piece and offer it to Natasha.
Natasha raises her hand, politely declining, “Thank you, but I’m good.”
At her refusal, you frown with a playful pout.
“Come on. Try some, Natasha. It’s not too sweet.” 
Natasha shakes her head firmly.
“No way.”
“Don’t tell me the princess is scared to try something new,” you challenge, playfully bringing the pastry closer to her face.
She scoffs in disbelief at your words.
“Oh, so you do remember that I’m still your princess,” Natasha tells you as she deftly dodges your hand.
You try a different approach, tilting your head at her and giving your best pleading look.
“Please, just one bite, Natasha. You’ll like it, I promise.”
Natasha locks onto your pleading eyes in defiance for a moment before giving in with a sigh, unable to refuse. She takes the pastry from your hand and takes a bite.
You were right — it isn’t too sweet.
As Natasha takes another bite in satisfaction, you chuckle lightly at the small cream left at the corner of her lips.
Reaching up to her face, you wipe away the cream with your thumb before bringing it to your lips. 
“I told you it was good,” you say nonchalantly, not noticing how Natasha had frozen at your actions and was looking at you with wide eyes.
“Which cakes would you like, Lady Y/n?” the shopkeeper calls out to you, causing you to turn around and go behind the counter.
Natasha finishes her bite slowly as she watches you go, recovering from her shocked state. Her fingers reach up to trace where you had touched her lips.
Her attention is so focused on that moment that she is startled when Cedric speaks up from beside her.
“Lady Y/n is a brilliant and kind woman,” Cedric comments, his voice filled with genuine admiration.
Natasha recovers her composure and acknowledges his words with a nod. She's known that since the first time she met you.
“She’s one of the best people I know,” she says proudly.
“Indeed, she is.”
Cedric's expression turns solemn as he looks at you.
“But sometimes, I worry she keeps too much of her troubles and worries to herself. She’s always trying to protect everyone else.”
He turns to Natasha with a grateful smile.
“That’s why I’m glad that she has you back in her life. Someone needs to care and love her as much as she does for others.”
Natasha looks at you, remembering how you brushed off the events from yesterday when she brought it up.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“You’ve worked at the manor for a long time. How would you describe Lord Dreykov as a father?”
Cedric’s eyes widen, and he glances around nervously as if checking the shadows.
“I shouldn’t say—”
“Please,” Natasha gives him an imploring look.
With a sigh, he responds quietly.
“Lord Dreykov has always been a strict and cold person in general.”
He rubs his hands nervously as if recalling some troubling memory.
“Calm and calculating. But if something displeases him, his temper can sometimes become…aggressive.”
Natasha frowns at his wording, her concern deepening.
She is about to inquire further when you suddenly appear at her side, interlinking your arm with hers, and holding up a bag of pastries victoriously. 
“All done. The rest will be delivered later today.”
You look between Natasha and Cedric curiously.
“Are you ready to go?”
Natasha gives you a small smile, nodding in response.
You turn to Cedric and give him another hug goodbye.
“Thank you again for everything,” you whisper to him. 
He pats your head fondly, “Take care of yourself.”
When the two of you step outside, you find Yelena and Kate waiting for you. You offer the bag of pastries to Yelena, who, unlike her sister, has a sweet tooth.
“Yes! Thank you!” Yelena exclaims, taking the bag excitedly, “This is why you are way better than my sister.”
You smile in amusement at her reaction while Natasha rolls her eyes.
Her hand finds yours naturally and intertwines them together, holding your hand firmly.
“Where to next?” she asks you.
You point in the distance, as you grip her hand tighter, pulling her down the street.
“The jewelry shop.” 
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
“Welcome!” The elderly jeweler lady greets and bows at the sight of the princesses.
“Please take a look around,” she kindly offers. Yelena and Kate wander off to explore other displays, while the jeweler turns her attention to you and Natasha.
"Your order is nearly ready, Lady Y/n. They're just finishing up the wrapping for you." 
"Thank you," you reply appreciatively.
She beckons for you and Natasha to follow her to another section of the store.
"In the meantime, I thought the two of you might enjoy examining these while you wait."
The display showcases a collection of rings, each bearing distinct styles and precious stones. They are unmistakably engagement rings, you realize.
“Oh, um, I don’t believe we're in the market for such items at the moment,” you tell her. 
“Nevertheless, it never hurts to explore what might interest you for the future,” she suggests, glancing between the two of you. 
You exchange a questioning look with Natasha who gives you a small shrug in response.
After a moment's thought, you decide it would be better for the validity of the charade to pretend as if you are searching for an engagement ring for each other for the future. 
As you contemplate Natasha's preferences, you shake your head, unable to find a suitable option among the displayed rings.
“I don't think you'd want something extravagant. Probably something more simple and elegant, maybe with a meaningful inscription inside the band instead of a gemstone.” 
You tilt your head as you examine Natasha and place your hand lightly on her chest, your thoughts wandering.
“We could even attach the ring to a delicate chain so you can wear it as a necklace. That way you can always keep it close with you even during your training.” 
“What do you think, Natasha?”
Finally looking up at her, you find Natasha staring at you with the same dazed expression as the one that she had in the carriage yesterday after she accidentally kissed you.
Blushing at the memory and the realization of your closeness, you retract your hand and turn away, unable to maintain her gaze as your face flushes with warmth.
Beside you, Natasha clears her throat awkwardly, snapping out of her daze before responding.
“Um, yeah, that sounds nice.”
The lady nods in agreement, seemingly unaware of the sudden tension in the air.
“It’s so lovely to have someone who truly understands you, Your Highness. And as for you, Lady Y/n, which one would you prefer?”  
Regaining your composure and thankful for the shift in focus, you shrug casually as you reexamine the rings on display.
With a smile, you point to one that captured your attention.
“I like this one.” 
Natasha peers over your shoulder to see the ring you've chosen, an elegant design with a red gemstone at its center.
"Why’s that?" she asks curiously.
Turning back to her, you playfully take strands of her hair between your fingers before waving it in front of her face in an obvious manner.
“The color reminds me of you.” 
Natasha’s mouth opens slightly in surprise, but she can’t seem to gather her thoughts to respond, too stunned by your words.
At that moment, Kate calls you to come over and see something.
You give the jeweler an apologetic smile as you go across the store to them.
Natasha’s gaze focuses on you the entire time, watching your retreating back in a daze. There’s that strange feeling in her chest again.
A tap on her shoulder draws her attention away, distracting her from thinking further about what that feeling might mean.
The jeweler leans across the counter, whispering to Natasha in a secretive manner.
"I can have this ring prepared for whenever you're ready, Your Highness," she says, gesturing to the ring you liked.
Realizing what she means, Natasha waves her hand in refusal, chuckling nervously.
"Oh, no, that won't be necessary."
After all, it’s not like you and she are going to get married soon.
As soon as Natasha finishes speaking, your laughter fills the shop, drawing Natasha's attention back to you. Her eyes soften, and a fond smile graces her face as she watches you. It's been a while since she had the chance to see you so happy and carefree.
Next to her, the jeweler nods resolutely as if coming to an understanding. She takes the ring from the display and places it in a small intricate box.
Then she presses the item firmly against Natasha’s palm, telling her knowingly, “You may need this sooner than you think.”
Natasha’s mouth hangs open in surprise, speechless and confused at her words.
Someone from the back calls out for the jeweler, causing the lady to quickly excuse herself and leave. 
"Wai–" Natasha says in an attempt to stop her and return the ring, but the lady quickly disappears behind the back doors before she finishes her call.
Defeated, Natasha looks down at the box in her palm in confusion.
This is the second time today that someone has suggested such a thing to her. Why does everyone keep thinking that she is going to propose to you?
Before she can wonder about it any further, you and the others approach her, and she swiftly hides the item from view, tucking it into her pocket. 
"Alright, I've got the presents," you announce happily. "There's one last place I need to visit, but I don't want to keep you all out this late." 
Natasha frowns at the thought of leaving you by yourself.
“We can come with you. It’s no bother.”
"Actually,” Yelena interrupts, raising her hand and remarking. “Your sword and Kate's bow should be ready now, right, Kate?"
Kate’s face twists in confusion, replying, “Clint said it was going to take a whil—ow.”
Yelena’s elbow is pushed in a sharp nudge at Kate’s side, and the young princess’ glare silences Kate’s previous statement as Yelena pointedly gestures at Natasha and you with her eyes.
Kate opens her mouth in understanding and continues, “Right, and I have a lot more questions to ask him, like the different types of bow strings, arrow tips, nockin— ”
Yelena covers Kate’s mouth with a tight smile at the two of you.
“The point is, I can go with Kate to pick that up for you, and we’ll head back whenever we finish.” 
She then pushes her sister closer to your side.
“Meanwhile, Natasha can go with you, Y/n, and then the two of you can go back home together afterward.”
The two of them hurry away before you can respond, leaving you staring at their retreating figures in confusion.
“That was strange, right?” you ask, glancing at her.
Natasha just rolls her eyes and sighs in exasperation.
“Nope, that was just Yelena.”
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
The roads have significantly cleared since the morning as more dark clouds loomed overhead. Most of the merchants are already closing their shops in anticipation of the impending rain.
The gloomy weather seems fitting for your final destination of the day.
With reverence, you carefully place the flowers you had acquired earlier onto the tombstone of Iryna and Oleg Maximoff, the parents of Wanda and Pietro.
Natasha stands respectfully behind you, patiently waiting.
Your face has a sorrowful expression as you begin to explain.
“They both died during a raid by some remaining enemy soldiers still in the kingdom after the war,” you sigh, “just as they were celebrating the twins' birthday.” 
You manage a melancholic smile as you remember how they were earlier this morning.
“They don’t show it, but I know today is a tough day for both of them.”
Natasha's hand rests on your shoulder in comfort as she responds sincerely, "Then it's a good thing they have you."
“And I’m truly grateful that they’re in my life," you say honestly, placing your hand gently on the tombstone.
"I promise I'll protect them,” you whisper.
As you rise to your feet, a light drizzle begins to fall from the sky.
In response, Natasha guides you under a nearby tree, pulling your cloak closer to shield your body from the cold rain.
“Take cover here. I’ll go have someone bring the carriage around."
“Okay,” you reply appreciatively as Natasha turns to go.
After a few minutes, the rain intensifies, forming puddles around you as you wait under the cover of the tree branches.
Thunder booms and fades into the distance until you hear the distinct sounds of approaching footsteps.
You turn toward the splashing water, expecting Natasha's return.
“That was fast—”
A hand closes tightly around your throat, forcing you back harshly. Pain shoots through your head when it collides with the trunk of the tree.
Instinctively, your hands clutch at the hand retraining you as you look at your attacker. 
“You!” the stranger snarls inches from your face. “You’re supposed to be dead! I made sure you and that woman died in that fire.”
Your eyes widen in shock at his words, piecing together the reasoning for his anger directed at you.
This was the man who killed your mother?
Growing up, you had learned that the perpetrator had escaped that fateful night. You always wonder how you were able to survive his attempted murder against you and your mother, but all you had ever managed to uncover was that he was an enemy soldier who wanted revenge against your father for capturing him as a prisoner during the war.
Your surprised gasp at the realization of his identity was choked out as he increased the pressure on your throat.
It won’t matter who he is if you end up dying from lack of air though.
Desperately, you try to fight against his hold, clawing at his hands and kicking with your feet to give you some sort of leverage, but you can feel your strength draining as it gets harder and harder to breathe.
Suddenly, the pressure around your throat disappears, and the man is forcefully pulled off of you as you stumble to the ground.
As you gasp for breath, you look up to find Natasha's familiar figure now positioned protectively in front of you, her eyes glaring fiercely at the man who is currently groaning in pain on the ground. 
“Stay down,” Natasha growls in a stern warning.
Her body is shaking as she struggles to contain her anger at the man for hurting you, but her primary concern is to ensure your safety first. 
As if ignoring her words, the man clutches his head, shaking it violently as he mutters incoherently under his breath.
“...supposed to dead...destroy…kill everyone…nonono…not my fault…what he did to me…needs to pay...He needs to pay!”
At those words, his furious gaze locks onto you with seething anger.
He pulls out a dagger and lunges toward you, the blade glinting menacingly in his hand. 
Natasha steps in swiftly, intercepting the attack. She catches his hand and redirects his assault, causing the blade to veer away from you.
However, it still manages to graze her arm.
She ignores the slight pain of the injury as she presses on. Using the momentum of his strike, she deftly twists his hand, disarming him of the dagger.
Then with a swift action, she sweeps him off balance, and he crashes to the ground with a resounding thud.
The man groans lowly in pain before finally slumping unconscious.
Natasha straightens up and goes to confirm that he is truly down.
As the fleeting rush of adrenaline begins to subside, she winces slightly at the stinging pain in her arm from the earlier cut. The wound doesn't feel too deep, but it appears she may need to have it looked at soon, seeing how her sleeve is gradually staining crimson as blood now drips down to her hand.
Cradling her injured arm with her other hand, Natasha turns her attention back to you, only to find you standing a distance away with your face turned pale just like how it was yesterday.
"Y/n, are you okay?" she asks, her voice filled with alarm that you may have been hurt.
Meanwhile, in your mind, Natasha’s concerned voice feels distant and muffled as your eyes focus on her bleeding arm.
Sudden panic surges in your chest at the sight of her blood, triggering a rush of emotions.
Memories from that terrible night flash before your eyes, causing your breath to quicken and your chest to tighten further.
The present and the past blur together as you vividly remember the sight of Natasha coughing up blood while calling your name.   
"Y/n?"
Natasha's brows furrow with concern when you don't respond to her call. That's when she notices your hands clenched and shaking by your side as your breathing grows more and more erratic.
Worried, she rushes closer to you to comfort you.
However, at her movement, your eyes widen in fear, and you back away from her. Your voice trembles as you whisper.
"You're hurt."
Realizing that you're focused on her bleeding, Natasha turns her injured side away from your view and approaches you again, cautiously and slowly this time, extending her hand in a calming gesture.
"Y/n, look at me," she speaks softly with a soothing tone. "I'm okay. We're safe."
Again, you barely register her words amidst your racing thoughts. The guilt and trauma from that night resurfacing to remind you of your role in what happened. 
Natasha is injured.
She got hurt because of you.
You're responsible for this.
As your eyes stare blankly at your hands in a distracted state, Natasha finally reaches you and gently takes your trembling hands in hers. Up close, she makes out your fearful and panicked voice as you continue to unconsciously mutter to yourself.
"I did this…"
Natasha’s brows furrow in confusion at your words, but before she can correct and reassure you, she needs to calm you down first. Tilting her head, she tries to lock eyes with you to help control your rapidly increasing breathing.
“You need to breathe, Y/n," she says gently, guiding your hands to her chest and taking a slow, deep breath to coax you to follow along.
Despite your distant state, your body still responds to her calming presence and guidance, and you gradually slow your breathing.
After a moment, Natasha speaks up again, this time to reassure you.
"This wasn't your fault."
Her words jolt you out of your trance, and your eyes finally focus on hers in disbelief. Pain and anguish taint your voice as you cry out to her.
“You almost died, Natasha!” 
Your hands clench against her chest, and you attempt to push her away.
This was a mistake.
You should have never allowed yourself to get close to her again.
Natasha widens her eyes in surprise, realizing that you're referring to the incident from last year.
Seeing your pained expression and the tears in your eyes, Natasha feels her heart break at the sight. She tightens her grip on your hands and envelops you in a comforting hug, cradling your head against her chest. 
Your hands push weakly against her shoulders, but she doesn’t budge, not willing to let you go.
Unable to break free, you bow your head in defeat, tears mingling with the rain as they stream down your face. 
“That night…you almost died…because of me.”
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
Series Masterlist : Boundless Devotion
a/n: Sorry this one was kinda long but thank you for reading!
Taglist: @lightwhoranoutoflight, @taliiiaasteria, @romanoffprentiss, @canvascoloredin,  @silentwolfsstuff, @blacklightsposts, @arcturusseer, @presser24, @dvrkhcld, @jujuu23, @screechcat, @vivs46, @cd-4848, @youneversawmehereooooooo, @pancakefan7529
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project-sekai-facts · 2 months
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Pre-broadcast station commentary
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The next broadcast station will be held on the 27th, featuring Chiruriin, Jiena, Itoken, and Minoringo. The guest during the VOCALOID Music SEKAI segment this time will be Shishi Shishi.
Rotation 4 is nearly done and only has one event left, that being Ena's 4th event! We can definitely expect her event to be announced on stream. Her event will be 2DMV and the rateup at the very least should feature Mizuki. Hopefully pure attribute so Niigo can finally get a pure vsinger 4* card.
That said, there will be one other event too! Since Chiruriin is here, I'm tempted to say it will be for Saki, but Ichika works too I guess if there's any card distribution issues.
For the 3.5 mixed event... well Akito not getting a card at all on concerto seems to pretty much confirm him for the event. This happened to Mizuki back in December. As for the other cards, there's surprisingly few people it could be. The 5 most likely characters are Akito (likely the banner character), Airi, Saki, Honami, and KAITO (mmj or n25). Miku (vbs or mmj) also works if clpl doesn't care about vsinger lim balance. Rui and Nene work too, but it's pretty much confirmed that Tsukasa and Emu are the fes cards, so is clpl cruel enough to put 3 of 4 wxs members on lim rateup 8 days after wxs lim rateup? I think Akito/Airi/Saki is most likely, with mmj kaito as the vsinger card.
And for April lim, I actually have an idea already. April's lim slot has consistently been unit lims. Every year. Here's the thing though: like with 3.5, there's barely any units that actually work. It won't be niigo because of Ena4 being the same month. It can't be MMJ because 3/4 of their members are maxed for lims (and if airi's on 3.5 you can make that 4/4). It's incredibly likely that either Saki or Honami will be lim on 3.5, which puts you with 3/4 being maxed for lims (plus the chances of saki5). WxS in theory works with Nene/Rui/Luka lineup, but you hit a snag with the fact they already have 4/6 vsinger lims.
If April is a limited unit event, it will probably be for VBS. There's some other evidence to back this up too, namely the fact it kinda has to be An/Toya limited if it does happen. Akito 3.5 will max him out for lims, Kohane had valentines recently but long enough that it could justify her getting a lim. However we know already that An and Toya have already gone more than a year without lims, the absolute maximum time to go without a lim (as of posting) is 15 months, 15 months after white day Toya puts him on the wedding banner, and he already has a wedding card. He has to be april limited unless colopale hates him lmao. And obviously, An works for the banner card and also has gone ages without a lim. Luka, Rin or Miku could work as a vsinger card.
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This stream will also reveal the songs for the 3.5 anniversary vsinger song campaign, as well as possibly give us a sneak peek of this year's april fools prank.
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keeperesque · 6 months
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hi, this is my dog! her name is magnolia mae and she's an elderly chihuahua-dachshund mix (estimated between 12-15 years old). she's a rescue we received from my roommate and best friend's late cousin about 5 years ago.
long story short, our sweet girl has been experiencing some severe and concerning health issues (extremely low RBC, WBC, Neutrophils, and Platelets), and she needs to have her bone marrow tested. this is extremely expensive (at least 1,200), and we're hoping to get some help. if you'd like more information on what's going on with her, that will be under the cut. otherwise, please consider using either of the below methods to help us take care of our sweet old girl!
ppal.me: @/daisyd0nati0ns (replace 0s with Os)
kof!: @/keeperesque
don't tag as d0nat!ons/etc, etc..
when we moved across the country during late 2020 to be with my wife, we brought her, as well as my elderly cat sampson and my two older rabbits, indie and digit.
2023, however, has not been kind to any of our pets. in february, we lost sampson to kidney failure - it was sudden and utterly heartbreaking. a month later, my wife found that digit had passed away in her sleep, and indie was put down shortly after due to health complications we could not afford to properly treat. since then, we've been extremely diligent with maggie's health - she eats special food for her kidneys, has vet appointments scheduled every 6 months, gets twice-daily walks, takes medication for her thyroid, and receives plenty of love.
unfortunately, starting with an emergency visit in september, maggie's been having severe problems with her blood - specifically an extremely low platelet count (33,000-55,000, normal levels are about 200,000), white blood cell count and neutrophils are extremely low, and she's extremely anemic. while she's on some medication to keep her stable, we aren't sure how long that will last, and it's taxing on her body.
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after ruling out infectious diseases, we need to take her in to have her bone marrow looked at. the procedure, at the low end, will cost around 1,200, and up to 1,600, depending.
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i also have pdfs available for anyone skeptical of these claims or who want proof of treatment.
we're not sure if we'll be able to save her, but we would at least like to know what's happening so we can make an informed decision on how to proceed, instead of watching and waiting for the worst. anything over the price of her procedure will, of course, go towards related expenses, such as treatments or end-of-life care.
if you read all of that, thanks. again, please consider helping us out!!
ppal.me: @/daisyd0nations (0 is an o)
kof!: @/keeperesque
have an extra maggie pic :)
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chloeangelic · 6 months
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Since hot slut - Seeking What is Desirable Joel - got BUTT ASS naked immediately in someone else's guest room with ladybug.....
Can you describe in a bit more detail what he looks like naked?
*Disrespectfully
Ask and you shall receive - everything under the cut~  
seeking what is desirable Joel - body and 🍆 HCs!
Rating: 18+ Warnings: Discussions about dick and cock and height/size difference kink, references to our lord and savior Manuel Ferrara
I see him as being about a foot taller than Ladybug - I’m 5’8 and my bf is a foot taller than me so it’s more about Joel being tall than Ladybug being short or small. He’s generally a big guy, and - not to ruin anyone’s immersion so LOOK AWAY if needed - but when I write for them I tend to visualize them as like 5’5 and 6’5 tbh. She's definitely not petite by any means, not skinny or small, just sort of average height. Jeremiah is about 6'1 I think.
Let’s do this head to toe, shall we? This Joel can be read as show or pixel Joel, however his nose and hair are more consistent with show Joel cause he’s my man. He has very broad shoulders, muscular arms and chest, definitely a dad bod cause he’s softer around the middle and has a solid insulation layer so nice soft tummy but if he were to flex when you poke him, you’d feel some abs under there. Nice chest hair, mix of brown and gray, not too thick but not sparse either, just a solid layer you can see his skin through. Normal amount of dark arm hair as well. We’ve all seen that screen grab of Ramon from that pornstar first date thing, of the tummy and the thigh grab? That’s a good representation haha 
He has a very nice and thick back, wide lats and nice lower back muscles. Can definitely see his traps well when he’s wearing t-shirts. Some veins on his forearms but mostly pronounced when he’s working or at the gym. 
He’s def the type to unintentionally have kind of a juicy ass and thick quads from working out - not as juicy of an ass as Manuel, however, but I have taken a lot of Seeking inspo from the video of him and Naomi Swann, especially for ch 1 (I sometimes watch that video just to get into the headspace to write for them lmfao, would recommend). He has hairy legs, the hair growth tapering off a little mid-thigh and up, and big feet. Probably shoe size 14/15.  
Dick and cock wise… Let’s see. He probably used to be in the habit of trimming his pubic hair but stopped giving a fuck a while before ch 1 - it’s mentioned that he looks like hasn’t seen a razor in a few months. It’s dark, thick, but definitely not too long. When Ladybug enters the picture, he goes back to slight trimming so it's still full coverage, still thick, perfect for rubbing against, but not long enough to wrap around your finger entirely, you feel me?
I’d say he’s 8.5-8.7” fully hard, very thick and proportional from base to tip with a very slight taper at the end, has a few thick veins that bulge but he’s definitely not covered in them, I think they mostly just run along the bottom half of his length. Proportionally sized balls - I know some people are into massive balls but one time my friend showed me a pic of a guy with massive balls and it honestly just freaked me out, like, his entire bulge was 90% BALLS and I was not into it. I see him as a shower tbh, like he’s probably 5-6 inches soft. His erection is so heavy that it doesn't stand out 45 degrees from his body like a lot of dicks do, I think it probably just sort of chills around parallel with the floor if he's standing.
New chapter on Tuesday !!!! Enjoy !!
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forever-will-last · 1 month
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Welcome to the Psych Ward! Fic Masterpost
A collection of one-shots set in a college AU featuring the insane polycule of Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen aka The Psych Ward.
(Each time a new chapter is uploaded, I edit this post and reblog it!)
Today's Chapter (All other chapters under the cut):
Chapter 21: Five Nights at Cady's - Rated E - Cadchen: Cady wants to do some research, and Gretchen is always willing to be her subject.
Chapter 1: Regina George and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Rated T - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): Pure crack of Regina getting hit by progressively weirder things throughout the course of the day. Chapter 2: Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show - Rated M - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): Scary movie night, but only Regina and Janis actually enjoy scary movies. Things get a little spicy.
Chapter 3: (Ac)Counting on You - Rated T - Cadina: Regina’s struggling with accounting and goes to Cady for help.
Chapter 4: Red vs. Blue - Rated M - Nightmare Blunt Rotation (Cady/Regina/Janis): Janis mixes up two batches of brownies and accidentally gives the wrong ones to her girlfriends.
Chapter 5: Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me - Rated E - Regina/Janis/Gretchen: Gretchen suffers the consequences of being a brat during Halloween movie night. Sequel to Chapter 2.
Chapter 6: A+ in Pretty - Rated T - Fetchen: Gretchen and Karen come home from the bar after a few too many shots and get a little sappy.
Chapter 7: Paint Me Like One of Your Girlfriends - Rated E - Rejanis: Janis and Regina get heated with some rough and angry sex.
Chapter 8: Crunchy Tuna Surprise - Rated T - Regret: Gretchen isn't feeling well, so it's Regina’s time to shine in the kitchen. Only problem is, Regina’s recipes are… more slimy than shiny.
Chapter 9: Not Quite the Savannah - Rated T - Cadnis: Janis takes Cady on a surprise date after a tough exam. Part 1 of 3.
Chapter 10: I'M GONNA FIGHT THE SUN! - Rated M - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): Janis is acting really weird, and no one knows why. 
Chapter 11: Clouds and Stars - Rated T - Dream Blunt Rotation (Cady/Gretchen/Karen): It’s Gretchen and Karen’s turn to help Cady relax after her big exam. Part 2 of 3.
Chapter 12: Meet the In-Laws - Rated T - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): It's the first family weekend since the polycule became a full group of five, and it's time for everyone's parents to meet. Well, almost everyone's.
Chapter 13: Apex Predator - Rated E - Cadina: Regina’s got big plans for the grand finale of Cady’s pampering. Part 3 of 3.
Chapter 14: Tiny, Ineffectual Fists - Rated M - Jaren: Janis overhears someone insulting Karen.
Chapter 15: Whistle Janis - Rated E - Jatchen: Janis buys a new toy and wants to try it out with Gretchen.
Chapter 16: At Your Mercy - Rated E - Fetchen: Gretchen’s really pent up on campus, and in desperate need of relief.
Chapter 17: Torrential Downpour - Rated M - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): When it rains like this, there’s no getting away from the past. For Regina, that means a painful reminder of what happened to her back.
Chapter 18: The Circle of Cake - Rated T - Kady: Karen’s latest baking endeavor leads her to make a special gift for Cady.
Chapter 19: Kiss the Cook - Rated M - Cadchen: Cady’s in a frustrating video call, but Gretchen is there to "help."
Chapter 20: Plushie Pandemonium - Rated M - Psych Ward (Regina/Cady/Janis/Karen/Gretchen): Cady’s bummed because she won’t be able to get a limited edition plushie. Her girls decide that simply won’t do.
Chapter 21: Five Nights at Cady's - Rated E - Cadchen: Cady wants to do some research, and Gretchen is always willing to be her subject.
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karisworldofwords · 2 months
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So I was at the Joker Out concert in Leipzig yesterday and here's my personal highlights!
1. Bojan took his sweet sweet time coming on stage at the beginning, lmao, he's such a drama queen, slay
2. Because I love Jure so much - yes, I'm a Jure stan, sue me - I often looked back towards the drums and honestly, the expressions he made- They were a mix between being concentrated but also having fun and being happy (he's my sunshine boy 🫶🏻)
3. When we were still queuing, Jan walked past us to a store called Penny lol. What a traitor, Penny ist für Penner 😭 /j
4. KRIS LOOKED FUCKING GOOD, OKAY?? The moment he got on stage, I was so caught by him, I can't lie- I don't have a specific highlight of him because he was the highlight
5. Speaking of Kris, my friend Tara had a magic wand in the form of a star at the top with her that she wanted to gift to him - and he took it! He placed it into the mic holder for the piano 🥹🫶🏻
6. Nace's bass solo. That's all. The God of bass doing godly things, as is known 💅🏻
7. Going back to Kris for a bit, he got a pink cowboy hat from a fan and put it on during two songs, I think. May I say: Sir, you looked like a snack. My God.
8. During one song where Jan was supposed to play the piano, and he did, Bojan received a painted picture of himself from another fan. He placed it in front of the mic holder on the piano, displaying it very proudly - and then, as Jan played, the picture said bye-bye and did a dramatic Mufasa lmaooo. Bojan only noticed because of the sound since he was up in the front singing - Jan just kept on playing while Bojči couldn't stop laughing, so much so he couldn't sing anymore. We laughed along, of course 😂
9. So. Many. Kris and Jan moments. And Nace and Jan. At some point, Nace joined Jure at the drums and played his bass there. Kris and Jan had another moment. And Bojan was being Bojan, lol
10. Speaking of Bojan! His outfit was his official entry for his personal slut era. But he looked amazing in it because he looks amazing in anything he wears 🫶🏻
11. The way Jan tossed his guitar pick into the crowd like "Fight for it, midgets"-
12. Fan: "Can you play [a specific song]?" - Bojan: *playfully but with a straight face* "No."
13. Seeing fans film Jan play the piano, Kris didn't want to interfere and crawled past Jan and the piano (honestly, it was either Kris or Nace lol, I don't really remember 😂)
14. Once we were outside after the concert, I met Jure! My sunshine boy 🥹🫶🏻 And I managed to give him the bracelets I made for him and the other boys! The way his eyes lit up and he instantly smiled so happily when I gave him his bracelet, and how he immediately put it on, my heart 😭🥹🫶🏻❤️
15. I got to talking to Nace as well! We took a photo, too 👀 When we did, I subconsciously said "You're so tall!" and he replied with "No I'm not!" and bent down a bit for me because I'm small 😭🥹 He's also an excellent hugger 🫶🏻❤️
16. Last but not least, a special mention of Jan when I talked to him - he was a bit awkward but it was cute, lol, he's sweet ✨️🫶🏻
I can't wait for more to come, hopefully, and for me to meet my new friends again, too 🥹🫶🏻
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afeelgoodblog · 1 year
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The Best News of Last Week - March 6, 2023
🐎 - News That'll Make You Say "Neigh" to Negativity: My Weekly Positive Roundup
1. Drugmaker Eli Lilly caps the cost of insulin at $35 a month, bringing relief for millions
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Eli Lilly will cap the out-of-pocket cost of its insulin at $35 a month, the drugmaker said Wednesday. The move could prompt other insulin makers in the U.S. to follow suit.
The change, which Eli Lilly said takes effect immediately, puts the drugmaker in line with a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, which in January imposed a $35 monthly cap on the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for seniors enrolled in Medicare.
2. Over 7,500 Pot Convictions Expunged in Missouri
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More than 7,500 individuals in Missouri have had their prior marijuana-related convictions expunged with recreational cannabis now legal in the state.
The expungement is the latest byproduct of the constitutional amendment that was approved by Missouri voters last fall, which legalized pot for adults and cleared the way for Missourians to have their records cleared.
3. Scientists cure 22 year old former race horse's behavioral disorders after 15 years of symptoms
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A team of international researchers from Italy and Brazil published findings earlier this month in the science publication Veterinary and Animal Science in which they reported a “successful outcome of four weeks-therapy with CBD” in a clinical case involving a 22-year-old Quarter horse that was experiencing behavioral disorders.
The clinical case study was a collaboration between investigators from the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Bologna in Italy and the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University Metodista of São Paulo in Brazil. At the heart of the study was a 22-year-old mare subject that was reportedly suffering from “chronic crib-biting and wind-sucking,” which are common behavioral disorders in horses for various reasons, including but not limited to poor welfare
4. Clean energy record: More than 40% of US electricity now comes from carbon-free sources
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Power from zero-carbon sources made up a full 41% of the U.S. electricity mix in 2022, a record-breaking number that has increased almost every year since 1990.
That mix includes power from nuclear plants, hydroelectric dams, solar and wind. With nuclear and hydropower relatively unchanged for years at about 19% and 10% respectively, the majority of the increase has come from the rapid build-out of solar and wind power, whose costs have plummeted in the past two decades. 
5. ‘Cruelty-free’ circus replaced animals with holograms
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Holograms of horses run in circles. The Circus Roncalli stopped using wild animals in its shows in the 1990s. Circus Roncalli was among the first circus acts in Europe to stop using animals in acts.
6. New UN brokered High Seas Treaty Places 30% of Ocean into protected areas by 2030 after decades of talks
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The High Seas Treaty places 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, aiming to safeguard and recuperate marine nature.
The agreement was reached on Saturday evening, after 38 hours of talks, at UN headquarters in New York. The negotiations had been held up for years over disagreements on funding and fishing rights.
7. 'Heroic' Wirral student rescues dog from Manchester canal
Watch the video here:
https://twitter.com/feelgoodnws/status/1632323139454550018
- - -
Lastly, I opened a Youtube account. Subscribe for more wholesome videos. That's it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:
Buy me a coffee ❤️
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ywpd-translations · 8 months
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Ride 746: Cheering and conclusion!!
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Pag 1
1: I'll win!!
2: I will!! I'll become the sixth member!! This year for sure!!
3: I'll go!!
4: I will!! On the same stage as you, Issa!!
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Pag 2
1: They're neck and neck!!
For sure!!
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Pag 3
1: For sure!!
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Pag 4
1: There are 50m left until the sensor line!!
2: Kuaaaa
3: Garuaaaa
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Pag 5
3: Nii-chan, on!!
4: Damn, I get it
This resolution, is making me shake
5: Sugimoto!! I'm cheering for you!!
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Pag 6
1: Danchiku!!
2: 30m left!!
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Pag 7
2: I think I can hear, mixed together with Sadatoki's voice
3: Kawada's cheering
4: It's surprising, but I'm grateful
It's turning into strength for me, Kawada
6: Imaizumi....
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Pag 8
1: is watching quietly
Can't be helped
2: They're the three core third years who put together the club
They can't afford to support one of us
4: But, maybe, if you supported me
I
5: I would have been
6: several times more strong than usual
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Pag 9
1: I'm glad
For this training camp
2: It's been hard, but, Imaizumi, I could become your “buddy”, and run with you during these intense for days
3: Imaizumi......
4: I haven't told you yet
5: Once this race is over.... will you listen to me?
5: It's silly
A daydream
6: The reason why I want to run in the Inter High
7: I've been thinking about it since around a year ago
Before the finish line, running as teammates, wearing the same jerseys....
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Pag 10
1: Go, Imaizumi!!
Got it, Teru!!
I.....
2: I thought that I want to push your back and for you to take the finish line
3: With these hands!!
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Pag 11
2: Sugimoto
3: At first, you boasted that you were an experienced cyclist, but it was just words
During the first training camp, you retired halfway through
4: But you worked so hard
Secretly
5: And without resting, for three years
Sugimoto.....
6: Show me the moment your three years of progress bear fruits
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Pag 12
1: Pedal!! Sugimoto!!
2: Yeah!!
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Pag 13
3: Now
4: 30m!!
I'll pedal at full power!!
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Pag 14
1: Garuaaaa
2: Sugimoto-san
3: You're really an amazing guy
4: I respect you from the bottom of my heart
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Pag 15
1: Your heart is probably bigger than mine
2: The courage to boldly challenge, the earnestness of working so hard
The heart of never giving up until the end
3: You, who hid all that, are strong
4: Stronger than me, much more!! I finally noticed during the last lap
5: So
6: It's the end, so please
My heart is so small it can fit in the palm of my hand
So
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Pag 16
1: Allow me to practice with you one more time, senpai!!
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Pag 20
1: Garuaaaa
2: It's Danchiku
Danchiku crossed the sensor line first!!
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acti-veg · 9 months
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16 Plant-Based Protein Sources
Protein is often raised as a concern for people considering adopting a plant-based diet, and considering the fact that we've all been taught to associate protein primarily with red meat, this is not surprising.
It is estimated that most adults require 56 grams of protein per day, and you're probably hitting that number if you're not in a calorie deficit. If you're trying to lose weight and so are cutting calories then you may need to track your protein a little more closely, but 56 grams is pretty easy to hit without having to really think about it.
It gets a bit more difficult if you're very physically active, particularly if you're engaged in regular endurance training or are trying to build muscle. There is a great deal of disagreement about precisely how much protein is ideal if you're training intensely, but it is very achievable to hit even the upper end of protein requirement estimates using only plant-based foods. Listed below are particularly good options.
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1) Lentils - Lentils are a cheap nutritional powerhouse, and provides about 17 grams of protein per cup. They're also very flexible, you can have them as your main protein source of a meal, use them to substitute mince in a pasta dish, make burgers out of them, or put them in a stir fry or with rice and veg with some seasonings. They are cheap and convenient if you buy them canned, since they're ready to eat, though I would recommend at least warming them up.
2) Chickpeas - Chickpeas are a popular vegan staple, and it's not hard to see why. At approximately 14.5 grams of protein per cup, they're nutrient dense and very flexible. Use them to make hummus or falafel, as the main protein source of a curry, on their own with rice or worked into a salad. You can also just air fry/grill them with some oil and spices for a convenient, crunchy snack.
3) Oats - A cup of dry oats is around 11 grams of protein by itself. Making it with a cup of oat milk brings that up to 14 grams, throw in a tablespoon of peanut butter and you're up to about 17.5 grams at breakfast, and all those ingredients are pretty cheap and very filling. You could add something like nuts or chia seeds as a topping to stretch that to well over 20 grams.
4) Nuts - Peanuts are 9.5 grams per 1/4 cup, almonds are 7g, pistachios 6g, cashews 5g, hazelnuts 5g, brazil nuts 4.75g, walnuts 4.5g and pine nuts are 4.5g. You can buy 1kg bags of mixed nuts for a little bit cheaper and keep them in a jar for a healthy snack. I find it better to buy a bag that doesn't have peanuts in then add the peanuts later, as mixes that include peanuts tend to be less for your money. Peanut butter is also a cost effective way to add protein to many snacks and meals.
5) Beans - Depending on the type, beans are anything from around 10-15 grams of protein per cup. Some are better than others, like kidney beans, but even your standard baked beans are high protein and good for you. Turn them into a chilli, have them on toast, on a jacket potato, turn them into a bean burger or make them the protein base of a salad or soup. Kidney , soy and edamame beans are particularly good options.
6) Seitan - When cooked, seitan closely resembles to look and feel of red meat. It is made of wheat gluten and has 25 grams of protein per 100 gram serving. It is not very widely available in supermarkets, but try your local Asian market, where it will usually be cheaper as well. It's a bit of a hassle, but you can also make your own at home, which is extremely cheap as it's just wheat gluten, yeast, plant milk, miso and spices.
7) Tofu/Tempeh - A staple in Asian cooking, don't be afraid to try this one. Think of it as doing all the same things chicken does in terms of recipes, it soaks up the flavour around it. It needs to be pressed before use, or you can avoid that by just draining the liquid and freezing it, then thawing over night when you want to use it. 100 grams of tofu (less than half a small block) contains 8 grams of protein. Some tofu, like Naked TooFoo, is pre-pressed for you.
8) Faux Meats - Faux meats are an easy way to add a protein base to your meal, and has the advantage of serving the same function on a plate as the foods you were used to before you went vegan. A Beyond burger, for example, has 19g of protien per patty, though you can get much cheaper options that have a similar nutritional profile. Pair that with a wholemeal bun and something like brown rice/quinoa and vegetables and you can create a very high protein meal.
9) Grains - All grains are good for protein, these include quinoa, spelt, brown/wild rice, teff, amaranth and sorghum. They can range anywhere between 5 and 8 grams per 100 grams, and you'll usually be serving them with some sort of protein source. They're also an excellent source of fibre and carbohydrates, which are also important for training and general health. Quinoa in particular provides all 22 essential amino acids.
10) Peas - Green peas are not mentioned much when it comes to high protein options, but a cup of cooked peas is a respectable 9 grams of protein, and it's worth mentioning here because they tend to be used more as a side than main, so can be paired with other high protein options. They're also very cheap, freeze well and are easy to prepare.
11) Seeds - Just a tablespoon of chia seeds is nearly 3 grams of protein, and the seeds are so small and tasteless that you don't actually notice them in anything you put them in, making them an easy way to add protein to just about any meal. They're pretty cheap to buy in large quantities, particularly good to replace eggs in baking, to add to bread flour, salads and oatmeal. Other high protein seeds include pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, hempseeds and buckwheat.
12) Bread - Bread may not immediately come to mind when you're thinking about protein, but wholegrain/rye/spelt breads can be very high in protein, anywhere from 3 all the way up to around 10 grams per slice, particularly for seeded loaves. If you really want to turn bread into a high protein food, invest in a bread maker or bake it yourself, that way you can add nuts, seeds and oats yourself to up the nutritional value. That's just the bread too, a hummus and falafel sandwich with a high protein bread can be very nutrionally dense.
13) Fruit and veg - Worth mentioning here, as they're something you'll need to consume to maintain a healthy diet anyway, and some options have moderate protein. The higher protein options include broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, which all contain 4–5 grams of protein per cooked cup. Likewise, blueberries, guava, bananas and nectarines contain about 2-4 grams of protein per cup, as well as many other vitamins important for training.
14) Nutritional Yeast - No vegan list is complete without mentioning it, it's a vegan staple for its nutty, cheesy flavour, as well as being an easy source of vitamin B12. It's a complete protein that has 8 grams of protein per 16 grams serving, making it an easy way to add more protein to things like pizza, pasta dishes or a jacket potato. Use it to make cheesy sauces, or just sprinkle it on anything you'd have previousy added parmesan cheese to.
15) Protein Bars - They tend to be  on the expensive side, but there are a few plant-based options. I'd recommend Misfit bars if you can get them online, they're low sugar, 15g of protein per bar, and you can buy them in variety packs of 40 which works out cheaper. Trek also have protein flapjack bars, less protein (8-9g) but are much cheaper in packs of 3 and frequently available at a discount (as little at 85p for three in Heron here in the UK).
Most brands won’t be suitable as a daily option for many people given the price, but great for when you're need a protein boost on the go. You can also just make your own protein bars using nothing but oats, cinnamon, baking soda, a little maple/golden syrup and a scoop of plant-based protein powder.
16) Protein/Meal Powders- Even the cheaper powders are around 18g of protein per scoop, so a shake is an easy way to add more protein to your diet, or you can stir it into oatmeal to get most of your daily requirements over breakfast. Some meal replacement shakes, like Huel Black, are around 40 grams of protein per serving (2 scoops) even when made with just water, providing a cheap and easy way to have a high protein and nutritious meal without any prep or fuss. Add some peanut butter and plant milk to make them tastier and even higher in protein. (I don't accept sponsorship or commissions from any brand and I don't have any affiliate links. Any product recommendations are based solely on my own experience.)
95 notes · View notes
kiramizukiii · 2 years
Text
⋆ ˚。⋆ 🤍 ୨୧˚ 🥯
𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐀’𝐒 𝐈𝐍-𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒
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𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
Hi loves! I am back with another in-depth post. Today, I will be talking about Sleep paralysis, one of the most amazing phenomenas a human can go through and is one of the best methods that can be used to manifest,shift, respawn etc. in my opinion! This is a repost of my post on Amino 🤍
Before commenting, “why do you want sleep paralysis??” or “won’t you see demons during sleep paralysis?” etc. , educate yourself on it first or just read the whole freaking post. Sleep paralysis is known to be one of the easiest ways to shift/respawn, traced back all the way back to the history on this community. Yes, if you’re asking, this could yeet you out of here tonight even.
FULL DISCLAIMER! These methods are what works for me and others but it might not work for you. Mix it up and try setting up a routine intuitively.
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𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒
Cited from NHS (2019), Sleep paralysis happens when you cannot move your muscles as you are waking up or falling asleep. This is because you are in sleep mode but your brain is active. It's not clear why sleep paralysis can happen but it has been linked with: insomnia.
Many people would often suffer sleep paralysis due to an unhealthy sleep hygiene, stress, alcohol-consumption, even inheritance in genes. When in sleep paralysis, people tend to see “scary faces”, shadowy figures standing in their room,sounds such as someone calling their name clearly, feeling the sensation of heaviness on their chest and not being able to breathe properly, strong vibrations etc. These symptoms doesn’t apply to everyone so don’t be alarmed!
Are there really demons during my sleep paralysis episodes?
No. They are just a fragment of your mind since you are half awake and asleep. Many tend to see these “demons” since it is a common thought for people who goes through sleep paralysis that it is associated with “horror experiences”.
Can we induce sleep paralysis anytime?
Yes. But in my experience and many others, it is easier to induce sleep paralysis in your REM cycles. This is highly recommended if you are a beginner or someone who does not experience sleep paralysis regularly.
You will be in REM sleep every 90 minutes so it is best that you set an alarm for 3-6 hours after sleep or intend to wake up in your REM cycle. This is also known as the Wake Back to Bed technique (WBTB), often used by lucid dreamers and astral projectors.
Other than that, inducing sleep paralysis during naps are amazing too, since most of our naps are made out of REM cycles. Make sure to give yourself at most 90 minutes of nap time to induce sleep paralysis.
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𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒
There are 101 ways to induce sleep paralysis and it is not only limited to the ones I will be listing down. Once again, experiment with each technique and if none resonates or works for you, switch it up and make a method of your own. I will be sharing the WBTB method again, for the sake of this guide.
Wake Back to Bed technique (WBTB)
Like I said previously, set your alarm 4-6 hours after you sleep, timing can be adjusted according to your liking. If you are good at setting an intention, set an intention to wake up at your desired timing. If you are a heavy sleeper and would easily fall back asleep after switching off your alarm, place your phone on the opposite side of your room. Then you will be forced to push yourself out of bed and off it.
Once awake, you are required to stay awake for about 10-60 minutes. Again, customise it to your own liking. I would recommend 15-30 minutes though but it all depends on the individual. If you feel as though you are still very sleepy, add another 5 minutes to your timing. During this time, walk around, go to the washroom, repeat affirmations, read your scripts, etc. Do anything you would like but try to avoid activities that would increase your heart rate excessively. The goal here is to only wake your mind up and not your body.
Method 01
Perform the WBTB and get back to bed. Lay in your back and in a corpse position.
Make sure that your limbs aren’t intertwined with each other to make this method work better. Switch on a subliminal, binaural beats, soft music etc. to help distract your mind from your body and to prevent yourself from sleeping pre-maturely through the method. If you aren’t relaxed enough, try doing a progressive muscle relaxation technique, which I will be explaining at the later part of the guide.
When you have completely relaxed yourself, close your eyes and focus softly into the void behind your eyelids. You can also watch the hypnagogic imagery that happens before your closed eyelids. Let yourself sleep, but make sure to maintain a sliver of awareness to induce sleep paralysis. This might sound hard but that is why the background sound, subliminals etc. , would help you to maintain a little of awareness. If you want to scratch or swallow, just do it without giving it any thought.
If it is hard for you to stay aware, repeat a mantra “mind awake, body asleep”, to fasten the process. Once you feel the symptoms kicking in, do not passively try to interact or try to manipulate sleep paralysis! Wait for it to completely engulf you before doing the next step to shift/respawn yourself.
Method 02
This method is commonly known as the DEILD/CanWILD technique in the lucid dreaming community. It is used to spontaneously induce sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming, but it takes a little more effort to master.
The hardest part to master for this method is to wake up completely motionless and without opening eyes. Even though it is not necessary to do that, it helps to fasten the process of inducing sleep paralysis and re-entering your dream. I would usually affirm to myself that I would wake up in sleep paralysis, and that would usually happen to me. However, there is a shortcut to this method that I constantly use when my intentions does not consistently work.
Use a touch-less alarm clock. One that I love is “Lucid Waker”. It is available on the app store but I’m not sure if it is for android users. I would set an alarm after 3 hours of sleep and let the alarm play for 20 seconds, since I’m a heavy sleeper. There is a feature for “dream chaining” so I clicked on that one too and set it to automatically go off again every 30 minutes, so I would have a higher chance of inducing sleep paralysis in one night. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON THE NEXT DAY!! Doing this will make you feel sleepy and not well-rested.
I would lay on my back, like the picture above and sleep until my alarm goes off. Once awoken, I would instinctively remember to not move and about 10 seconds or so, I will be in sleep paralysis. A way that could help you prevent from opening your eyes is by using a sleeping mask.
Method 03
Following method 01, as you are about to fall asleep, open your eyes slightly and close it again. Repeat it as many times as you can whenever you feel like falling asleep. At one point of time, your body will automatically shift into sleep paralysis.
Method 04
This method consists of using the SSILD method, also known as the Sleep senses induced lucid dreaming. You can read it up [here|https://www.reddit.com/r/LucidDreaming/comments/18h2bi/ssild_official_tutorial_20/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf] if you want to know more about it.
What works best for me to induce sleep paralysis with SSILD is to wake myself up 3 hours after sleep, since “insomnia” could be a problem when you use this technique. It won’t apply to everyone, so do experiment with this technique. I would get straight to doing the cycles and since I’m barely awake, I would induce sleep paralysis half-way throughout the method. I found out about this on accident while intending to use this method for lucid dreaming.
Method 05
Of course I had to include FILD into this too. FILD, also known as Finger induced lucid dreaming, is a usually used as WILD anchor in lucid dreaming. It is not so well-liked by lucid dreamers, but it still dish out results. So why not use to to your advantage right?
If you want to know how to carry this technique out, read it [here|https://www.reddit.com/r/LucidDreaming/comments/c9ljkg/a_beginners_guide_to_fild/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf].
When you are at the verge of sleeping, move your fingers ever so lightly and slowly reduce the movement of your fingers. At this point, you should be imagining your fingers still tapping onto the surface of your bed lightly. You will feel a sudden shift of energy and sleep paralysis will take over very quickly.
Method 06
Following method 01, once you have done everything and is currently laying on your back, try not to move at all. It should not be a problem since you have already relaxed your body. If your body jerks, just let it be. It is known as a hypnagogic jerk and that means your body is falling fast asleep. Try to stay on your back until you have that extreme urge to move. If it is super unbearable, switch your sleeping position to the side and “fall asleep”. Relax yourself as a whole and feel yourself falling into sleep paralysis quickly.
Method 07
This method is commonly used to induce hypnagogia but could also be used for sleep paralysis. Perform the WBTB technique and when you’re back on your bed, place your arm up 90 degrees to your bed OR bend one of your knees up.
As you fall asleep, your arm or knee will drop as well. If it does drop, wake up slightly and hold your arm or knee back into it’s original position. Do this until you can’t stand it anymore and place your arm or knee down. Relax and sleep paralysis would take over after a few minutes or so.
Progressive muscle relaxation technique
As promised, [here|https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/how-to-do-progressive-muscle-relaxation/] is how you can help relax yourself before inducing sleep paralysis, or honestly any method of your choice.
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𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓/𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐖𝐍/𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒
Since I’ve seen this question floating a lot throughout the community, here is what have worked very well for me.
When in sleep paralysis, rage shifting/respawning affirmations in your mind. For example:
- I have fully shifted to my Dr
- I am in my Dr
- I have manifested xyz
What works best for me is to use past/present tense. Try to avoid continuous tense such as “I am shifting to my Dr” or “I want to manifest xyz”. It might still work for you so do experiment. When I say rage, means just shout the affirmations in your head angrily! It actually works really well since it helps to strengthen my sleep paralysis vibrations and I would actually shift in a minute or two.
If this doesn’t work, you can also incorporate 5 senses with affirmations. If you have aphantasia and can’t visualise, just use your other 4 senses.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄
Taken from my post in DRSU (Amino)
A copper coin? How the hell is it supposed to help me reach sleep paralysis faster? I know it might sound stupid but I will tell you why. Copper is known to stimulate energy flow and enhance your psychic energy. It is an energy conductor that will move energies and amplify thoughts.
It will also help you in channeling and communicating higher dimensional beings so heads up to anyone who channels here <3 Copper can also ground and move a wide array of vibrational frequencies from the spiritual realm to the physical realm.
Not to mention it can help you by sending healing energies around your body and encourage you to achieve physical and emotional alignment, resulting you to think clearer and less aggressive behaviour.
Warning! Copper activates your third eye so stop doing this method if your third eye chakra becomes too over active.
The method
Find yourself a copper penny or if it is unavailable, you can use a copper wire etc. as long as it its flat. Once you find one, clean it thoroughly. I would recommend that you do this method after a few hours of sleeping (wake back to bed) but do it whenever you are comfortable.
Lie on your back and prop a pillow under your head so that it will be slightly elevated. Arms at your side and feet separated. Use your right hand to press the penny on your forehead, between your eyes but slightly above.
Carry out the progressive muscle relaxation technique.
Be aware of your consciousness separating from your body and imagine your body floating gently in a boat on a slowly moving river. You should try to trick your mind into thinking that your body is asleep. Your body will start to vibrate like hell and no matter how hard you tried to move, you can't. This is an indication you are already in sleep paralysis.
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𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐒
Taken from my post in DRSU (Amino)
- Worrying and tensing your body too much. The main goal to reach the state of sleep paralysis is to RELAX. Do not worry about swallowing, moving your eyes, limbs etc. Instead try this. Pretend to be asleep. Let your mind wander and after every few minutes, bring your focus back to your body and ask yourself, “Am I asleep?”
- If you are someone who sleeps too fast even after turning off the alarm, place your phone across the room and wake up to switch it off. Walk for a bit, go to the washroom etc.
- If you are someone who has a hard time sleeping when you move to switch off your alarm, I would recommend you to use a touchless one instead such as Lucidity or Howtolucid. I am using an iPhone so I am unsure if it is available on Playstore.
- If you do experience pre-symptoms of sleep paralysis, it is best if you do not control them. Trying to intensify them would only dissipate the symptoms. Instead, allow them to do whatever they want: the less you act, the more intense it will become by its own means.
- Looking up at your Ajna, or also known as the third eye. When laying flat on the bed, close your eyes and look subtly up at your third eye, somewhere between your eyebrows. Do not strain your eyes since you will have to stay like that for quite awhile! Continue meditating and sleep paralysis would happen quicker since your eyes naturally roll up as you sleep.
- Do a third eye meditation before sleeping. I have not tried this yet but many said that it could help you achieve sleep paralysis, lucid dreaming and even astral projection way quicker.
- Listen to frequencies, binaural beats or maybe even guided meditation. I never tried guided meditation to induce sleep paralysis because at some point, I will be distracted as hell hehe. Some binaural beats I would recommend are theta waves on the Binaural app, [🍥|https://youtu.be/bolhpqL0uZU] and [🍤|https://youtu.be/FOnn4H5lEaY]
- Do not get too excited when you finally induce sleep paralysis. Don’t be like me seriously. I got too excited the other day and it faded away :( Just lean back and let sleep paralysis take over and then start affirming to shift/respawn to your DR or to manifest!
- Tilt your head slightly to the side and slightly forward in a corpse position. Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth so your mouth would not randomly open while inducing sp.
- A method that was recommended by my boyfriend, he said to prop pillows under your head. Make sure to have your head higher than your body. This always made him have sleep paralysis. You could also use a heavy blanket when you want to induce it.
𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃
Sleep paralysis is a gateway to other states such as lucid dreaming, astral projection and even the void state. Here are some ways you can transition sleep paralysis to lucid dreaming etc.
Lucid dreaming
Once you are in sleep paralysis, just let yourself slide deeper into it and affirm that you are lucid dreaming. It usually works for me since I would transition into a lucid dream in a minute or so.
Astral projection
When you reach the vibrational stage, you can start doing an exit technique. I will list some below:
The widely known, rope method
When in sleep paralysis, you can start imagining a rope directly above you and your astral arms pulling you up. The trick here is to feel the rope and yourself getting pulled out of your physical body. Continue this until you hear a “pop” sound or a shift in awareness.
Levitate, sit up or roll out from your body
Like what I stated, once you are in sleep paralysis, attempt to levitate, sit up or even roll out from your body. Remember that this is your astral body doing the tasks and not your physical body!
Once you are out of your body, remember to seek for protection from your angels or higher ups before spawning a portal to your wr/dr. Once there, just merge with your dr body and you have shifted/respawned.
The void state
Just like lucid dreaming, when you are in sleep paralysis, just affirm that you are in the void state and you will be thrown into it.
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𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒
This is mainly for lucid dreaming and astral projection since I have not experimented with other methods to sleep paralysis huhu. You could use this if you really want to use sleep paralysis as your shifting/respawning method OR have troubles shifting/respawning with lucid dreaming and astral projection.
Lucid dreaming
When in a lucid dream, what I would usually do is to find or spawn myself on a building or a cliff. If you are afraid, you could use the next method. Then, I would affirm that I would wake up in sleep paralysis and jump down from there. It would work 99% of the time.
If you’re scared, you can just affirm to wake up in sleep paralysis in your lucid dream. It still works as well.
Astral projection
When I astral project and I want to induce sleep paralysis, I would affirm that I would induce sleep paralysis. Not long after, I will be pulled back into my body and wake up in sp.
𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
01| https://youtu.be/JdfxkBj_Jp0
02| https://youtu.be/uoOejJ6HH-g
03| https://youtu.be/PssXvbZNemA
04| https://youtu.be/0GWhCO5_Tww
05| https://youtu.be/vKo-IU5aJLw
06| https://youtu.be/r-MHa49N6mg
07| https://youtu.be/HeTFSTLicEw
08| https://youtu.be/-rhJAQ8ysug
09| https://youtu.be/fDn38yOdGaI
10| https://youtu.be/js4A3mOCAkM
11| https://youtu.be/pFSHGRe-I0k
12| https://youtu.be/AQIBxE5_WUg
13| https://youtu.be/UGK9AyozPvQ
14| https://youtu.be/QD-6Y_h9_kY
15| https://youtu.be/rCF8incoo-E
16| https://youtu.be/rv5cVrif_84
17| https://youtu.be/bolhpqL0uZU
18| https://youtu.be/G3q0qAc69kk
𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒 (from Amino, mostly for shifting/respawning)
From 🍒 desired reality ☁️ amino
how to induce sp (for the sp method)| http://aminoapps.com/p/2j36ivk]
how to shift with sp| http://aminoapps.com/p/79utts
“the opening and closing eyes method - for SP”| http://aminoapps.com/p/4rt7mu
affirmations for Ap, sp, ld, the void state and hypnagogia| http://aminoapps.com/p/bexoc6
how to induce and shift through sleep paralysis| http://aminoapps.com/p/u3bzaj
sleep paralysis and how it works| http://aminoapps.com/p/brcl0u
sleep paralysis info| http://aminoapps.com/p/xm9152
inducing and using sleep paralysis to shift| http://aminoapps.com/p/cmzwbw
how to induce sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming to shift| http://aminoapps.com/p/212izg
sleep paralysis method| http://aminoapps.com/p/pfu0yx2
how to induce sleep paralysis + shift| http://aminoapps.com/p/jc83tr
misconceptions about sleep paralysis| http://aminoapps.com/p/kb3lju
sleep paralysis guide - in depth| http://aminoapps.com/p/ptv2bv
don’t be afraid of sp(sleep paralysis)!| http://aminoapps.com/p/xjy4xx
how to get into sleep paralysis for shifting| http://aminoapps.com/p/20wk18
what is sleep paralysis + how to shift with it| http://aminoapps.com/p/ld9b88
From DRSU
sleep paralysis masterlist| http://aminoapps.com/p/v6dfy3
inducing sp without 30min relaxation| http://aminoapps.com/p/78tyw6]
reddit post gives a detailed explanation on sp/lucid dreaming method|http://aminoapps.com/p/qh2fgk6
how to easily induce sleep paralysis| http://aminoapps.com/p/qzta9x0
I had an epiphany about sleep paralysis| http://aminoapps.com/p/4unu5a
how I induce sleep paralysis| http://aminoapps.com/p/sw29t5t
Exclusive content!
There is a sleep paralysis guide made truly by my sweetheart, Natari. You can check it out on her channel (https://youtube.com/c/Natari%E2%80%99sRealm%E6%B5%AE%E4%B8%96). It is really well written and very informative 🤍
𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
That is it for my guide! I tried to make as detailed as possible to make sure I am able to help you guys out. If you have any other tips or tricks for sleep paralysis, do leave it down below. Have a great day/night ahead and good luck in your journeys loves!
⋆·˚ ༘ * kira
456 notes · View notes
louloulemons-posts · 8 months
Text
Oil At The Coffee Shop VII
Eddie X Fem!Reader
Summary : Steve’s Halloween party takes place, and things escalate between you and Eddie.
Word Count : 1.8k
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Warnings : not proofread, swearing, alcohol, drunk reader, talks of the upside down and vecna, flufffyyyyyyyyy, first kiss 👀
Fic Masterlist
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
Halloween was here. Kids were running up and down the streets dressed as various ghouls and ghosts. You’d closed up shop early, the day had been busy, people adoring all of the sweet treats you’d had on offer.
You quickly shooed Max and El, telling them you’d see them at the party later on. Cleaning up as fast as you could, you headed up to your apartment to get ready for Steve’s party.
You’d decided to dress up as Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo, one of your favourite characters. Climbing into your purple costume, you fought with it to zip up the back.
Pink tights covered your legs, a green ascot around your neck, along with purple shoes and headband. It looked great for a last minute costume.
It was now nearly hitting 8, so you had to be quick. Luckily you and the girls had already wrapped up the cakes for the party, so you could lock up, get in your car and go.
The drive to Steve didn’t take long, early enough so you didn’t seem rude. Walking in you headed straight to the kitchen, food and drinks were lay out.
“Hey! You made it!” Steve smiled, giving you a sideways hug. To nobody’s surprise, the boy dressed as Danny from Grease, slicking his hair back, dark jeans, vest and a leather jacket.
“Look at you Grease Lightning!” you exclaimed, putting down the snacks in hand. “And you! You ready to solve a mystery?”
“If the offer comes about of course,” I laugh.
“Ah babe these look great!”
“Thanks, where’s Robin, I need to tell her which ones have peanuts in.” He pointed towards the lounge. Sat on the couch was Robin and Vickie, dressed as Andie and Duckie from Pretty in Pink.
“Hey guys! You look great!”
“Jeepers! So do you,” Robin laughed.
“I just came to tell you, some of the sweets have peanuts in, they’re the little frankenstein looking ones.” She smiled, thanking you for the heads up.
The younger kids were dressed up as the Goonies, a great group costume. Nancy and Jonathan were Baby and Johnny from dirty dancing. You heard a familiar voice in the kitchen, Eddie was here.
Walking to greet him, you were taken aback. Okay in all honesty he looked the same as he normally did, but the addition of eyeliner and the taming of his wild curls was something else. “Woah Van Halen, look at you!” you grinned.
“Hey Sweetheart, you look fantastic,” he smiled down at your purple dress. “So do you.”
“Really? Think I look the same.”
“You always look great Eddie,” you smiled at him.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
The party was in full swing, Steve slapping away the younger kids hands whenever they went for alcohol. Scolding them. You on the other hand, were nursing your fifth or sixth drink of the night.
Feeling buzzed and very happy, it was fun. It was nice to have fun and feel normal. You loved the shop, but it’d been stressful. This was the time for you to relax, have a great time with your friends.
“You alright Sweetheart?” a voice came from beside you. “Eddie!” You exclaimed, as if you hadn’t seen the boy in weeks - it’d been about an hour since you last spoke.
“Hiya,” he gave you a crooked smile.
“Hi,” you matched his expression.
“Watcha got there?”
“Drink, it’s yummy. Wanna try?” you asked offering him your cup.
Accepting it from you, he took a sip, coughing slightly. “Who’s mixing your drinks?”
“Robs.”
“Jesus Christ,” he spoke, “Let’s get you some water.”
He put her drink in the skin and filled up a new glass with water. “Sip it okay?” he said, bringing it to your lips, taking small sips. “Good job.” You may have only had 5 or 6 drinks, but Robins pours meant you’d had about 15 or 16.
Watching Eddie intently as drank your water, “You okay?” he asked. Moving the cup from your mouth you nodded, “You’re real pretty Eds.”
His face flushed, “God Robs how much did you put in this?” he asked, more to himself than to anyone in particular. “You should wear eyeliner more often,” you spoke.
“Oh yeah?”
“Mhm, looks real good on you.”
“I almost took my eye out.”
“I’ll do it for you next time, I’ll be real gentle,” you said, touching his cheek softly.
“Yeah okay, as long as I have two eyes by the end of it.”
“Promise,” your hands still touching him, sliding down to play with the curls at the base of his neck.
“What you doing there Sweetheart?”
“You’re just so pretty, curls are just so beautiful Eds.”
“You’re drunk Sweetheart.”
“It’s true though, so fucking beautiful.”
You looked at him in awe, eyes wide like a curious child. “We should get you home,” he said, taking your hand from his face. “But I wanna stay!” you whined.
“Sweetheart don’t you want to go and get comfy in bed?”
You hummed, “That does sound nice. Will you take me?”
“Course Sweetheart? Is your car here?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay then, let’s say goodbye to everyone.”
Wrapping your arms around his, you walked to say a drunken goodbye to your friends. “You gonna be okay driving her home?” Steve asked. “Oh yeah, doubt she’ll be any trouble.”
“Okay man, I’ll see later. See you later,” he smiled, kissing your cheek. “Bye Stevie.”
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
Eddie helped you into your car, walking round to the other side. “Can you do your belt?” he asked. You attempted, but your fingers didn’t want to work. “I’ve got it Sweetheart,” he said.
Leaning over you and grabbing you belt, you watched Eddie intently. Clicking it into place, he looked at you, not expecting you to be looking at him like that.
“What?” he asked, voice barely a whisper. You heart thumped, he deep chocolate eyes meeting yours. “Eds,” you spoke, hands reaching out to touch his face. “Sweetheart.”
You leant forward, pressing your lips to his gently. You heart warmed, your stomach swarmed with butterflies, all your mind could think was - Eddie Eddie Eddie.
Your hand played with his hair as you kissed him deeper, his own lips moving now. His hand came to your face, his rings cold against your flushed cheeks. You hummed, smiling against his mouth.
He pulled back slightly, “Sweet,” you kissed him again, which made him laugh. He pulled away fully this time, making you whine. “Sweetheart you’re drunk, we can’t do this.”
“Y-you don’t want to kiss me?”
“No! I mean yes! Yes I want to kiss you, but not when you’re drunk. If you want to kiss me when you’re sober we can do that.”
“You promise?” you asked, wide eyed.
“I promise.”
You leaned back in your seat, resting your head against it. Eddie started up the car, taking you home.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
“Hey, wake up,” Eddie shook your shoulders softly, making a groan come out of your mouth. “Come on Sweetheart, let’s get you into bed.”
Eddie had taken your keys when you were back at Steve’s, so he could drive and get you in. After parking in the side alley he helped you up the back staircase and into your apartment.
“Here we go,” Eddie as he pushed the door open. Although you and Eddie had become close, he hadn’t been in your apartment. Not many people had, only Max and El when you sent them up to grab things.
Eddie helped you through the door way, clicking the light on. The boxes full of your stuff was now gone, everything had its place - you still needed to paint some parts.
“Where do you keep your glasses and medication?” Eddie asked.
“Meds are in the bathroom cupboard and glasses are in there,” you motioned to a cupboard.
“Okay,” he filled up a glass and then went to find the bathroom. You sat on the couch, sighing in comfort, sliding your shoes off. You could fall asleep here, suddenly Eddie was in front of you, pills in one hand and water in the other.
“Here you go, you won’t have a headache in the morning.”
“Talking from experience?” you asked, teasingly, he squeezed at your nose lightly. “Take them.”
Without another word, you took the pills with the water, making Eddie smile. “Good job, let’s get you to bed now.” Holding out his hands to you, you took them, allowing him to lead you to the room.
Turning on your lamp, Eddie couldn’t help, but feel honoured to be in a space like yours. It was so you. Cosy, warm, inviting. Something Eddie could have lost if he hadn’t actually got to know you.
“Can you help me out of this?” you asked, you had fought with your zipper on the back of the dress earlier. Eddie walked up to you, carefully lifting your hair up. Taking the zipper into his hand and pulling it down.
Your bareback and bra was visible to him, making him gulp. His skin was rough on you, even-though he touched you as if you were made of glass. “There you go,” he spoke.
“Thank you.”
Holding your arm over your front, you walked to your cupboard to get a shirt and some shorts. “I’ll um … I’ll wait outside,” Eddie said, walking out of the room.
Swapping your clothes, you walk back to the door, to let Eddie in. “Hi,” you say softly.
“Hi Sweetheart.”
“Will you stay with me?” you asked him.
“I’ll stay on the couch, not the bed.”
You sigh, “Sweetheart, if you were sober, I would. I’ll stay on the couch. I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.”
“Okay, let me get you a blanket and pillow.”
Opening the chest at the end of your bed, you pulled out a nice plus blanket and the took extra pillows from your bed. “Here you go,” you smiled.
“Thank you,” he spoke as he took them from your hands. Leaning down he pressed his lips against your forehead. “If you wake up and you want to kiss me, you’re more than welcome too.”
“I’ll hold you to that offer.”
“Goodnight Sweetheart.”
“Goodnight Eddie.”
Once the door had closed, you lay down on your bed. Quickly getting comfy, and closing your eyes, you’d kissed Eddie. It was amazing.
Soon enough you fell to sleep, dreaming of his lips on yours.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
We’d kissed. She kissed me. I kissed her back.
What if she regretted it? What if she was so drunk she’d just forget?
It might be for the best that she forgot, she deserved so much more than Hawkins’ freak. The man who apparently summoned Satan to the town.
The man who was mentally and physically scarred from the ‘earthquakes’. You didn’t know the truth. Would you still think he was beautiful? Still want to kiss him?
She didn’t know about Chrissy, or Vecna, or what really happened to him and Max. She deserved to know. Even if she hated him after. She needed to know.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
A/N : oh my goddddd 👀👀👀 also can you believe we’re half way through this fic????
Thank you so much for reading 🤍
taglist : @corrodedseraphine @flawiette @witchwolflea @emxxblog @plk-18 @vintagehellfire @ima1986 @squidscottjeans @eddiesguitarskills
let me know if you want to be added 🤍
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shoku-and-awe · 2 months
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Veggie lunch! Featuring @baronmagikcarp's delicious peasant bread (halved), roasted beets with dill sauce, and green beans with almonds. Recipes behind the cut. Yes, emotionally I still feel like some kind of fuzzy mold growing inside a forgotten tupperware but this was very tasty and fun to eat.
The bread looks like it has a very dense crumb (my yeast may be dead or dying; time to check!), but the texture was extremely pleasant and doughy. It was delicious and very crusty! My husband said it was the highlight of the meal, and I ate so much I feel slightly sick, but I still want more.
Beets: Wash, wrap tightly in foil, and roast at 210C until slightly soft. (This took at least an hour? I did it yesterday.) Chill, peel, slice, serve with dill sauce.
Dill sauce: Greek yogurt, fresh dill, green onion (supposed to be chive but they are still in winter hibernation), garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, and a little bit of mayo for fat. Mix it up. Taste continuously.
Green beans: While salted water is boiling, snip off bean ends and snap in half. Boil about 30 seconds, strain, and run under cold water until cold. Toast almonds in a skillet and add to green beans with melted butter, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Peasant Bread  (Thanks again, @baronmagikcarp!) Make: Two 14-ounce loaves
4 cups (512 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 2 cups lukewarm water Softened unsalted butter for greasing
1) In bowl, whisk together dry ingredients 2) Add water, mix with rubber spatula until absorbed and sticky dough ball forms 3) Cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours 4) Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 425 F 5) Grease two 1-quart oven safe bowls 6) Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling towards center 7) Separate into two pieces and transfer to bowls to rise for 10 to 20 minutes uncovered 8) Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 375 F and bake for 17 to 20 minutes more, remove to cooling rack (if pale, cook for 5 minutes more), let cool for 15 minutes.
Note from shoku-and-awe: I had to make the following modifications knowing my oven and because either my yeast is dead or my kitchen is cold/inhospitable even when it feels warm. (I've generally had difficulties baking since we moved here, both with yeast and sourdough alike.)
My dough had barely risen after nearly 90 minutes, so I proofed it at 40C for maybe an hour and it still did not seem to need deflating in Step 6. I did score it, though!
Since my oven is weak, I baked it covered in a pre-heated pot for 15 minutes, then uncovered it and went for another 20.
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