Candles, as most pyromaniacs and some poets can attest, are beautiful things. Their light spills forth like water from an upturned bucket – all at once and then in drips and drabs. But through their fascination with that small dancing light, that fills a room so similarly to a tap, letting just too much water in for the drain to handle, they do not realise that the candles they admire are far from the natural state.
In fact, chandlers have prized the creation of these perfect candles. Candles that, throughout their creation, have behaved well. Made from wax that melted sensibly and wicks that politely hung while the wax did the proper thing and cooled. The careful hand of the chandler would top up the divots of the shrinking wax and cut the wick to the length determined by the Charter of Chandlers and Chalkers.
Brytha liked those days. Days where her wax listened. Preferably without bubbling, without sputtering. And definitely without this.
She lit one of the recent candles she made. It took a moment, the fire trying to penetrate the waxen twine. But after a moment it did take hold.
“Let’s see what you have to say.” Brytha spat through clenched teeth. The flame standing stock still. Quivering.
But it couldn’t help itself. This entire batch couldn’t help themselves when lit.
Then, after a brief pause as the wax began to melt the candle started.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity~
She sighed. It picked it up from the last one.
“What’s going on down there?” Guild Master Rye thundered.
Brytha quickly extinguished the candle and stepped in front of it.
“Nothing, Rye. Just humming to myself.”
The portly man stepped off the bottom step. His once-white sleeves poking through the haphazardly slashed burgundy doublet, and a curtain of black hair framing his deep brown eyes.
“Humming? In here? Why?”
“I got lost in thought.” Rye’s eyes narrowed at that. Candle making was serious business,
“Were you making candles while lost in thought?”
“Only testing them.”
“Test them again. They might have picked up your habit of being lost in thought.” Brytha nodded before Rye continued, “If any of them hum, speak, or worse, sing, feel free to take them home, or melt them down.”
“Of course, Rye.”
“Of course.” He shook his head and patted her shoulder before heading back upstairs.
Brytha looked at the candle vats. Fifty candles for home, and no docked pay. She could save a lot of money with that. And surely they wouldn’t pick up any other songs.
Grabbing a linen bag, she stuffed the candles into it and went to make another batch of candles before heading home.
She made sure they were well behaved this time. Stopping the wax from bubbling, cutting the wicks to the appropriate length, and not humming to herself throughout the process.
These candles would not be fit for a church service, she thought, but nobody at the local alehouse, The Wolf Wihout, would mind the occasional bluster, nor the smattering of curses the candles had picked up from the kitchen.
At least these weren’t singing.
---
Thank you @flashfictionfridayofficial for another wonderful prompt.
I've been enjoying the more lighthearted stories as I edit CotSJ for draft 3 which has taken a bit out of me.
I see a lot of folks defending their vitriolic repugnance towards toddlers with cries of "but my sensory needs!" as if children are not also in possession of sensory needs. As if you, an adult here on Tumblr.com, do not have the capability and resources to learn the skills or acquire aids for coping with competing access needs. Or, y'know, just the option to leave, the way children most often do not.
You're holding an actual child to higher standards than you hold yourself, but it's the child that should be removed from public and community spaces. For your comfort.
As someone with high sensory needs... I do not claim assholes like that.
If you are using your issues to force kids out of public spaces you can go choke on your own saliva. A grocery store is sensory hell on a good day (and that includes without children screaming) but I would never advocate for someone leaving public because their child, who just so happens to be upset or having sensory issues of their own is now screaming or crying in that same store.
If you try to advocate for children (which my brain automatically categorizes as 'anyone under 18' but that's neither here nor there) not being allowed in public spaces because they might cry, or scream, or otherwise make loud noises/throw tantrums, go fuck yourself. I hope you trip and hurt yourself. I HATE you and everyone like you. You are not more important than a child.
It’s like some people have never heard of noise canceling headphones. Or ordering your groceries delivered if you’re having a REALLY bad sensory day. There are a million ways to deal with sensory issues without making it some kid’s problem
the new york times has such a great series of elevated butter noodles, if you ever want a super fast easy dinner that still feels grown up and you can emulsify pasta water + butter together basically the sky is your limit
ya got
gochujang butter noodles
peanut butter noodles
chili crisp fettuccine alfredo
miso butter noodles
any one of these + a bag of salad or whatever vegetable side you find easiest/cheapest, and you've got yourself a full meal that tastes far above the effort you put in.
Hi! Are you a Gw2 artist/content creator?
Do you struggle getting High Def references of some stuff in game because it's too pixelated or those damn shaders are in the way? Struggling still with figuring out the details on that dress on your character? Maybe you just enjoy a bit lore and art watching!
Did you know a lot of Anet artists and sculptors post their work for Guild Wars 2 on Art Station in High Res?
-> I have made a Google Docs compiling a list of works posted by Arena Net employees on Art Station! <-
It includes model sheets, early concept art, 3d models, you name it!
I compiled these for myself and my friends at first, but I thought I might as well share! Hope it's useful to someone or that you learn something new about the behind-the-scenes of Guild Wars 2.
If you have any suggestions to add and see any mistakes as well feel free to throw a DM!
If you've committed a crime and a detective gathers everyone involved in the room, especially if he's not actually a detective and is instead a novelist, puzzle-setter, psychic, fake psychic, dog, chess grandmaster, etc. ...
YOU SHOULD NOT CONFESS.
Every year, hundreds of people are put away by non-traditional "detectives" who have either inserted themselves into the case or are working with the police in a dubiously legal capacity as advisor. In 99% of these cases, the murderer gives a full confession even though the evidence against them is circumstantial at best and often requires a long just-so story which can only guess at motive.
If this happens to you, stay quiet, do not attempt to defend yourself or talk your way out of it, only say "I want a lawyer".
Now if you find yourself being investigated by a boy genius, magician's assistant, anthropologist, classics scholar, or philosopher, it's likely that refusing to talk to the police (or investigator with no legal authority) is merely the end of the second act, and by the end of the third act they will have you dead to rights.
YOU SHOULD STILL NOT CONFESS.
Make them take it to court. Force the eccentric detective and his straight-laced police partner to take the stand and explain their methods to a jury of your peers. Have your lawyer look at the chain of custody on the evidence, especially if you believe it to have been handled by someone who has only bumbled into detective work through their natural charm and/or unique set of skills and outsider perspective that come in handy more often than they should.
Know your rights. Don't let eccentric detectives put you away.
A question I get asked a lot while working at a public library is "how do you deal with homeless people?"
And the answer is, we don't.
The unhoused people who come here seeking refuge 99% of the time understand that they will be kicked out if they misbehave.
The people you have to watch out for are Jessica, who only came because the kid she didn't want had to visit for a homework assignment and she just *needs* to yell at her child for asking to borrow two books or stay an extra five minutes, or Michael, who came in to look at porn on our computers for whatever fucking reason, or Karen who just wanted to come by to throw a fit that the particular book she wanted was checked out and harrass our staff about our collection being too limited.
99% of the time, the people we need to ban are middle to upper-middle class white people while the homeless and mentally ill/disabled people mind their own damn business and are honestly some of the best patrons we have.
I bring this up because today we had a man come in. He stopped at the desk, pulled up a chair and said "I'm newly homeless and was living in my car. I'm disabled. It was impounded. It's raining. I don't have a phone and I don't know where to go tonight."
And we did what we could to help. He was incredibly kind and patient despite his obvious anxiety and stress, more than most able bodied, housed patrons are to us under much less dire conditions. I liked knowing that we were the first place he came.
We have so many people like this who come in everyday. Many are quiet and keep to themselves, but sometimes they talk to us.
They tell us about how they're taking a few courses on a scholarship they applied for from our library's computer at the local community college to get their diploma. Or ask about a manga or dvd or book we might have to help them pass the time.
One woman, who comes in daily with her tattered walker always says hello to me and likes to work on the new jigsaw puzzle with me when we set one out.
So like, treat unhoused people like people. Treat disabled people like people. I don't want my library to feel like the only safe space in the world, but I'm glad it can be one of them.
I'm so sick of hearing about how "the homeless are ruining everything" when they are some of the kindest, most respectful people here. Sometimes they mutter, might not have had a place to shower, and might need a little extra space for their backpacks but that's FINE. It Doesn't Matter Actually. None of that is a problem or any of my business to care about (unless they request help/services), and I also don't think it's any of yours.
