#Are lychees easy to grow?

[farmerstrend]

Litchi (Lychee) Farming

Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is a delicious juicy fruit of excellent quality. Botanically it belongs to Sapindaceae family. Litchi fruit is famous for its attractive red colour, excellent quality characteristics and pleasant flavor. Specific climatic conditions are required for litchi growing but the tree is not very fussy about soils. It is also little susceptible to viral diseases. Soil and…

[sh4tt3rg1rl]

sun -🍩🥞🌙🪤👑🎡❄️💖 mix -👻🍧🍁🌏🍼🔫🌈💔 pharaoh - 💥🌺🙊✂️🔪🚆💧💙 taika - 👊🍓🕷️📣⏳🚲☄️ hex - 🍓☀️🌌📖🎨❇️🌩️ vamp - 😭💐⚾💎👖📏🌩️💓 paper - 💢🍟🌹🎭🎷📦☁️💚 pen - 💤🍰🙈💡📚🔧🔥💗 umbra - 👁️🎂🍃🏊🎤🎀🌟💌 blaze - 🤥🥞🌋📸🎁⚙️🌠💙 dialtone - 👪☕️🙉🍀🎵🖍️🌪️❤️ sisu - 😨 🍧🕷🌱✏️📎💘

note. on my screen 🪤 is. a square. 🪤 is meant to be a mouse trap.

good luck. i Apologize

answers below cut vvvvvvv >wo

Sun!

🍩 - Favorite sweet treat? - Lychee jelly, probably

🥞 - What is their comfort breakfast? - bacon n eggs

🌙 - What is Sun's greatest wish? How far are they willing to go for it? - To have a happy, healthy family. Very far, but fucks up so many times that it seems like she doesnt even try

🪤 - What will always lure them into a certain danger? A loved one in danger? A promise of something they are always searching for? - Of COURSE a loved one in danger! She'll fight tooth and nail for her kids and her husband. Maybe not that much for the second one tho. Dont want Kyubey seeing that /silly

👑 - What does Sun want to be remembered as? Why? - A loving goddess who was there for everyone. She's not very good at upholding that legacy, but yeah... She just wants to be loved qwq

🎡 - Are they someone who wants to kiss at the top of the ferris wheel? - LMFAOOOO ON THE FERRIS WHEEL????.... IN THE CIRCUS??....... NOT ANYMORE HUN TOO MANY DEATHS

❄️ - Do people consider them cold? If so, what made them this way? - Outside of her family, whose seen her good side? Yeah. Other than that many people probably see her as rather a brutal murderer or an unfeeling monster or a tired tour guide depending on how long theyve lived in the Circus

💖 - Are they a subtle or showy lover? - Showy because she probably wouldnt give a shit abt what others would think of it, though she'd conform to whatever Sigil would want.

Mix!

👻 - Do they believe in ghosts? What are their "ghostly experiences", if any? - YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING SENDING THIS ASK. Absolutely, btw. And also his closest ghostly experience was seeing Bob LOL despite how much he wishes Elida would visit him

🍧 - Do they still have any objects from their childhood? What significance does it have to them? What would their reaction be if they lost it? - Not much. Maybe a toy, or a plush or two. Circus does some shit 2 ya yk... But probably not a lot of significance, and they wouldnt really care past a bit of nostalgic sadness if they lost anything. Already lost quite abit of things and people anyway, right? Growing up as a trans child in a transphobic environment kinda fucks u up too so the main stuff would be dresses and dolls he doesnt even want

🍁 - What is their favorite season? Why? - Mix doesn't have one. All seasons kind of suck for him... If he had to pick, then summer because it's warm and inviting and theres no allergies

🌏 - Will they give up the world for someone they love? Is this decision easy for them? - ABSOLUTELY. and ABSOLUTELY NOT.

🍼 - What are their thoughts on children? - GODDAMNIT SOUP. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON OLD MAN /REF /SILLY

🔫 - Do they trust people easily? How easily will they turn their back to someone? Have they been backstabbed before? Will they betray someone if given an ultimatum? - Yes. It would be extremely difficult for them to turn their back to someone. Something something he probably considers Simon shooting Zachariah a betrayal... And he cant count the amount of times Drunkie's done some horrible shit to him. And also... if given the most DEFINITIVE ultimatum ever, then, with extreme difficulty and reluctance, yes.

🌈 - What advice would they give to their younger self? - "Fight back."

💔 - What could their partner do that would absolutely break them? - He's already broken loooollllllllllllllll we all saw drunkie we already know

Pharaoh!

💥 - What emotions do they have trouble dealing with? - Love. And rejection. Half sure he would have spent the next few days screaming incessantly into a pillow if Abayomi said no... and also will spend the next few days screaming incessantly into a pillow because Abayomi said yes.

🌺 - Do they have any allergies? - touching grass. and people /silly (no allergies)

🙊 - What is something Pharaoh will refuse to stay quiet about? - 20 DOLLARS

✂️ - What is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? How easily do they let go of people? - Handing him an $100 bill for $1.53 purchase /silly... In actuality it would depend on the situations. And likely VERY easily if they were anyone but a very close loved one.

🔪 - How do they react to injury/misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? Do they put themselves at blame? - ANGER. PURE BURNING RAGE. It may not seem like him, but inside that tiny internal cashier is a black hole of fury. They likely dont put themselves at blame tho

🚆 - What is their answer to the trolley problem? - "Kill the five people. One of them has GOT to be a capitalist."

💧 - Random angst headcanon? - Pharaoh used to be addicted to smoking. More specifically, he probably smoked the entire time he was in the real world and only stopped bc he didnt have direct access to smoking in the Circus/didnt remember

💙 - Do they miss their S/O easily? How do they act when their S/O isn't around? - Oh, SO easily. And probably is slightly more irritable. "What the fuck do you want?" turns to a polite "Hello" the instant Abayomi walks in

Taika!

👊 - Are they quick to violence? - Depends on what you consider "violence". A little fun skirmish? Yeah. A full on rage-induced angsty battle? No.

🍓 - Do they eat their fruit and vegetables? What is their favorite fruit or vegetable? - Reluctantly, yes. I think they'd really like cauliflower though. Don't ask me why cause I don't know

🕷️ - What is their biggest fear? Do they have any irrational, mundane fears? - Getting lost. They'll play and explore all they want, but as soon as they realize they don't know where the orphanage is or where they are, they're petrified. Could that be considered "mundane"????

📣 - How loud are they? What do they speak like? Got a voice claim? - VERY loud. I don't know how to deacribe their voice, but their VC is The Collector from TOH.

⏳ - Are they usually late or on-time? - Fashionably late.

🚲 - Can they ride a bike? What do they remember from learning to ride a bicycle? - They can ride a bike easily!... with training wheels.

☄️ - What do people assume about them? Are they right? - "That thing is a fucking gremlin and would bite me. GET YO DOG BITCH! /ref" They are right.

Hex!

🍓 - Do they eat their fruit and vegetables? What is their favorite fruit or vegetable? - Yes! I think they'd love blueberries. "They're blue like me!"

☀️ - Are they a morning person? What's the first thing they do in the morning? - Yes!! They probably go brush their teeth and get clothed like the good kid they are

🌌 - What was the inspiration behind your OC? What was the first thing you decided about them? - Sparklers! and i wanted them to be a little upbeat kid. The original milo, but can still be traumatized /silly

📖 - Do they like reading? What's their favorite genre? - Yes!!!!! theyd love fantasy and fun fiction!

🎨 - Can they draw? What do they like to draw? - Well, yeah :3 They like drawing people the most! Their family!!!..... you saw that one mockup

❇️ - What is their most prized possession? What do they value? - Their art! And they value their family and friends above everything.

🌩️ - Are they scared of lightning? - Nope :3

Vamp!

😭 - What makes them cry? Do they cry easily? - Life. And... Sort of? They'll hold back tears with all of their might in front of other people but she will GLADLY cry all night if no one's with her

💐 - Create a bouquet for them! What do those flowers mean? Are any of the flowers their particular favorite? - orange lily. completely orange lily. immediately came to mind. literally just means "ur a stupid bitch" and i love her so much i give her orange lily bouquet

⚾ - Can they play sports? What is their best position if they play a team sport? What's their strong suit (speed, power, etc.)? - Scrawny ass bat cant do shit, so not WELL but... She'd like tennis a lot methinks. Just cause speed. Become a bat between hits or something. Speed!!!

💎 - How rich are they? Can they live the lifestyle they want to? - VERY, VERY, VERY rich. They're also a part of a cult (technically escaped, but still follows some of the values and has NOT recovered) so Absolutely Not

👖 - What is their go-to outfit? - Their cult robes

📏 - Is Vamp well educated? Where did they get their learning from? - Sort of? Depends on what you mean by that. Socially? No. Mathematically? No. Ask her about every section of the fragile, warm, WEAK human body, though, and she'll answer like a trained anatomical scientist of 60 years.

🌩️ - Are they scared of lightning? - WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, YES-

💓 - If they have a crush, is it noticable? What changes when they're in love? - They're the playground bully your mom says just has a crush on you. Bite bite bite bite. She's just being friendly

(NOTE: FUCK I MISTOOK THIS FOR THE BEATING HEART SO I GUESS YOU GET AN EXTRA FACT TOO!!

💓 - What gets their heart racing? - Tanya.)

Paper!

💢 - What are some habits they have that will take some getting used to? - They have a habit for reaching for Pen even when they aren't there. This has caused many occurrences if them falling off chairs.

🍟 - Do they order food often? Or do they prefer to cook their own food? - Pizza every damn night bro. Pen doesn't complain it hates doing dishes too

🌹 - Do they like Valentines' Day? Have they been confessed to before? Have they confessed to anyone before? - "Just another day to spoil my beloved partner, what's not to love?" I think Paper confessed to Pen first. No exes.

🎭 - Do they act differently around certain people? What's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.? - Pen is the only person they are nice to. Everyone else they can and will bite the hands off of.

🎷 - Do they play any instruments? Are they any good at it? - They can play anything at all! Paper is sort of a shapeshifter, so whatever Pen can draw for them, they can play. Pen draws Paper as a talented guitarist and hands them one and they'll play just fine.

📦 - What are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them? - "Most likely to shoplift" and "most likely to lie horribly on their resume and STILL not get the job".

☁️ - A soft headcanon? - Paper loves watching Pen draw more than anything. It especially loves when Pen draws for it <3

💚 - What things make Paper feel comforted? Hugs, kisses, food? - Getting wrapped up in a blanket and sleeping in Pen's arms SPECIFICALLY. No one else.

Pen!

💤 - Do they fall asleep easily? What helps them sleep? - No. They like staying up allllll night long, but eventually Paper will SOMETIMES get them to just fucking sleep. Warm milk does the trick.

🍰 - When is their birthday? Do they like celebrating it? - November 1. And... Yes. They LOVE the attention-

🙈 - What's a side of Pen that they don't want to show to other people? - Their loving, caring side. It's easy for them to get wrapped up in being some scary unfeeling mysterious little guy (they fail at this btw). But Paper knows

💡 - Is Pen a planner? Do they write down every small detail or just wing it? - EVERY LAST DETAIL.

📚 - How were they at school? What is their best subject? What is their worst subject? Do they have a favorite subject? - They were fine at their studies. Their favorite and best subject, is, unsurprisingly, art, while their worst subject was history. Me too buddy me too

🔧 - Are they good at fixing relationships? Or do they tend to avoid doing so? - They're HORRIBLE at it and don't bother unless they really, really like the person.

🔥 - Do they have any self-destructive tendencies? What habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self? - They like to pick at their skin and scabs. They also don't care for food- not out of any ED, just don't care for it. It'll eat when Paper tells it to eat. (which is often)

💗 - If they have a crush, is it noticable? What changes when they're in love? - Unnoticable. Absolutely nothing changes- Until they're in a relationship. The moment it's official it's all snuggling and kisses.

Umbra!

👁️ - What color are their eyes? Do people notice their eyes? Is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical, etc.)? - Their eyes are brown! She likes to cover her eyes with her hair, so not really. And,, other than them pretty much having infinite tears, no

🎂 - When is their birthday? Do they like celebrating it? - July 29! And, no. They hate celebrating it. They hate the attention it comes with and they never know what to say when getting gifts or compliments

🍃 - Do they enjoy being in nature? What is their favorite outdoor activity? - she Loves nature! with a capital L. She just likes taking walks or sitting around. She isnt much of an explorer but she'll go on a nice path or two

🏊 - Can they swim? Or are they afraid of water? How well do they swim? How do they feel about swimming in the ocean? - I think she could swim. She'd be okay with water because... yk... Kind of always falling around her eheh- I think she would be able to swim better than most people, and would think it would be fun (but a little scary) to swim in the ocean

🎤 - Are they good at singing? What is their go-to karaoke song? - Yes... i think she would have a really wind-chimey voice. She'd like New York by Fog Lake GO LISTEN TO THAT SONG RN

🎀 - How would they fit into other worlds/AUs? What AUs would you like to try out? What fictional world would they fit/not fit into? - AAAGH this is a hard one. She'd be the most PATHETIC villain in the villain au EVER. I also think that she'd be some sort of creature entirely of water in the weirdcore au idk, ,,,, They would fit well in Undertale as a waterfall creature methinks,, and she'd suck if you dropped her in Aperture Labs

🌟 - What do they think about when they look at the night sky? Is there someone they want to stargaze with? - Sarah <3 and also Sarah <3 She'd never ask though, too embarrassed

💌 - Do they like love letters? What kind of messages do they leave for their partner? - I think she would find them sweet but, once again, wouldn't know how to respond- She'd probably leave tiny notes for Sarah, but it would never go anything beyond a really gentle reminder with a heart

Blaze!

🤥 - Is he a good liar? Does he have "tells" to show he's lying? - A HORRIBLE liar. I think he'd tug at the neckline of his bandana while sweating or comically look away and roll on the balls of his feet

🥞 - What is their comfort breakfast? - hash browns

🌋 - How bad is their temper? Is it a slow boil, or an instant explosion? - I think it would be slow unless it was an extremely grave situation. Most of the time he'd be the "Okay, guys, let's not fight, I broke it, let me pay for it, it's fine" /ref (or not notice anyone was fighting at all-)

📸 - Do they enjoy having their picture taken? What's their go-to pose? Do they like taking photos? What do they take photos of? - I don't think they'd mind it :) He'd give a blank thumbs up every time. Once again I don't think he'd mind taking photos, he'd probably take photos of crops or wheat (tfw wheat field) or smth

🎁 - What types of presents would they be most happy to recieve? Are they good at gift-giving? - He'd love being given literally any food or anything handmade. Probably not good at gifting lol

⚙️ - What is Blaze's thoughts on science and art? Which do they give more importance to? How much value do they place on each? - Blaze would LOVE BOTH!! He'd probably think they're equally as important as one another. He'd value science more though cause he would probably say he's not creative

🌠 - If they could make any wish with no repercussions, what wish would they make? - "I wish I could be a cob o' corn. What d'ya mean, 'why'? I thought every'un wanted t' be a cob o' corn." Don't let Kyubey see this pt2

💙 - Do they miss their S/O easily? How do they act when their S/O isn't around? - Yeah <3 lovesick little man. He'd probably act the same with a bit more heart eyed cheek-in-their-hand swooning.

Dialtone!

👪 - What is their family like? What is Dialtone's relationship to them? Does Dialtone have any siblings? - Their family is rich. The rest? You'll have to wait and see

☕️ - Do they prefer hot or cold drinks? What is their favorite drink? - Hot! He likes bitter tea or black coffee

🙉 - What is the worst thing Dialtone could hear from someone? - Anything out of Ilas's fucking mouth

🍀 - Do they believe in luck? Are they lucky? - I don't think they believe in luck other than when trying to delusionally stop blaming themself for... Mmm maybe I should stop talking

🎵 - What is their playlist like? Their favorite artists? Do you associate a particular song with them? - They'd like sundots and Sparklehorse. Specifically Hello Lord by Sparklehorse. I have no other notes on this

🖍️ - What advice would you give to them? - "JUST FUCKING KICK ILAS OUT OKAY"

🌪️ - What is the biggest change you have ever made to them? How have they changed from their original version? - ...SOUP. SOUP I SWEAR TO G

❤️ - Their love language(s)? - Physical touch

Sisu!

😨 - When scared, do they go into "fight" or "flight"? - Freeze. Just do nothing. Can't do anything. Brain frozen up

🍧 - Do they still have any objects from their childhood? What significance does it have to them? What would their reaction be if they lost it? - Similar to Mix's answer to this. Not really

🕷 - What is their biggest fear? Do they have any irrational/mundane fears? - She is terrified of any and all medical things. She would scream louder if someone had a twisted ankle around her than if someone peacefully died in front of her

🌱 - What is their most vivid memory from childhood? - The white walls of the hospital.

✏️ - Is there a particular quote/lyric you associate with them? - SEEMS IT NEEEVER RAAINS IN SOOUTTHEERRN CALIIFORRNIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

📎 - A random fact? - She loves facing her fears! She used to be afraid of heights before she actually went out and explored them

💘 - What traits do they look for in a relationship? Do they believe in love at first sight? - Anyone who will actually listen to her. And, yes

This took three days

[cambriancutie]

how big or small is their family? who did they live with growing up? do they live with anyone now?

how crafty/resourceful are they?

their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

for lychee!!! sorry i forgot to copy the numbers lol

yay! lychee time:)

theyre an only child coming from a decently rich family, i imagine they have a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles...they ran away from home when they were around 17 and ended up in splatsville

combing the next 2.. a lot of people make their neo 3's rebels and scavengers of some kind but lychee is really boring sorry LOL. i imagine maybe they were a boyscout as a kid and a lot of their knowledge comes from that. they can make easy solutions in a bind but dont rely on them too much. lychee has relatively good morals too, they dont want to harm even if it would be necessary, generally good hearted. i think they can make a good lie though

NONE OF THE CAMBRIANCUTIES CAN DRIVE except for guava. remember this

[aggressivelyaverage21]

Baby Bea and the OCS Chapter 1

8 Years Earlier: One week following Beatrice's 17th Birthday

Stepping off the train in Antequera, Beatrice can’t help but feel like a cliche. Here she is. A school girl in a strange country, again. All her belongings were in a duffel bag slung over her shoulder as she looked wide-eyed at the beautiful architecture of the Spanish town. It rolled and moved with the hills. The buildings looked like they belonged there just as much as the mountains did like they might have been there just as long.

It was different from Porrentyry. The home of the ever-prestigious St. Charles College et Lychee, god, even thinking of the name, made Beatrice want to roll her eyes. It was greener there. But not really in a good way. It made the buildings look stuck there. Like they didn’t belong.

Though young, Beatrice wasn’t blind to the fact that all these observations about belonging were likely just her projecting. At least this time, she knew more phrases in the local language than “Hello” and “Where’s the bathroom?” when she walked through the streets of a new place. Alone, and a least less afraid than the first time she’d done it. Maybe this could be it. Maybe this would be a place she could fit.

As she walked the streets, she stopped at a little corner bakery. The smell pulled her in more than anything else. It was delightful. She’d been training since the Nun visiting Maison du Cœur Eucharistique mistook her for a novitiate and started the recruitment process for the OCS, but the Roscos Fritos smelled so good she couldn’t resist.

One treat, one final indulgence, before she entered a life of service couldn’t hurt. Right?

The man behind the counter she orders smiles at Beatrice, warm and easy, as he passes the bag to her. However, when she reaches to dig through her pockets, he holds a hand, stopping her. “¿Eres del Convento?”  

“No.” Beatrice shakes her head, looking down at herself. She didn’t think she was dressed as a nun. Loose-fitting black pants and shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. Little did she know she’d be sitting at a bus stop in an outfit not dissimilar to this one going the opposite direction. However, for now, that wasn’t her.

Not yet, at least. If they let her stay, it wasn’t exactly a done deal. She still had to convince Mother Superion to let her stay. That she was worth it. An endeavor that may prove impossible, seeing as she was still trying to convince herself too.

She didn’t know much. She’d tried her best to research the order and talk to the sister who’d recruited her, but the OCS was secret at best and very good at keeping that secret. She was told to come in good physical shape and be ready to train hard. Beatrice was no stranger to training, to discipline and pushing herself to her limits, but this was an unknown world.

Beatrice wasn’t afraid of hard things. Her whole life was hard. A sentiment she often found herself refuting. Her life was privileged. She knew that much. She should be thankful for all she was provided with growing up, and she was. However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t also hard. Fitting into boxes she didn’t belong in. Pretending to be things she wasn’t, being good at things so that she had any value at all. It was hard, and it was exhausting.

She didn’t think joining the church would solve that problem. She wasn’t that delusional, but she figured if she was going to have to pretend, to hide parts of herself away, and be miserable, she might as well make something of it. Be of service. Help.

It didn’t hurt that here she would have the opportunity to prove to a god she longed to be loved by that she was doing everything she could to make up for the sins of her heart. She’d slipped one time, and that was it. It hadn’t even been anything at all. It had been innocent childhood friends misconstrued into something perverse, but perception was reality, and that time had long passed.

She’d never felt a dread like this. Thinking about all the ways she could fail. What might happen if she did. She knew this was going to test her in all the ways she could be: physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Likely socially as well. There were going to be late nights and early mornings. Training. Prayer. Studying. Beatrice wouldn’t say she was scared. That felt like admitting something she wasn’t going to be able to overcome.

In the darkest parts of her mind, even if Mother Superion allowed her to stay, Beatrice wasn’t sure she’d overcome any of it. Those nagging ‘what ifs’ played like a broken record in her mind. What if they found out? What if she wasn’t good enough? What if they rejected her? What if she didn’t have what it took? What if she was terrible at it?

Quitting doesn’t count if it is before you even started, right? No. The humiliation of quitting would be less than the humiliation of failing, right? You are doing this. Failure isn’t an option.  

Then and there, in this quaint bakery in this small Spanish town, while a baker looked at the strange young woman before him, Beatrice made herself a promise: You will convince Mother Superion to let you stay. And you will stay. They will have to drag your body from this order before you will ever quit.

All that was too much to dump on a stranger, a man she would likely see around the small town if she did get to stay. In a language, she still needed to be more confident in her pronunciation or vocabulary to get across any of that accurately. So, instead, she settles on disclosing “Soy nueva.”  

“Las hermanas no pagan.” He smiled like it was the hundredth time he’d reminded one of the women from the Convent that their money was no good in his bakery.

Beatrice figured it likely was. It was a kindness she felt she hadn’t yet earned. So instead of listening to the man, she took a few euros from her pocket and held them up to the man before placing them in the tip jar. She smiles as he shakes his head at the unnecessary gesture, flipping the towel back over his shoulder casually as he does. “¡Buenos días!”

Beatrice is halfway out the door when she realizes, for all her confidence getting off the bus, she had no idea where she was going. Pausing in the middle of the frame, she turns back around, bell smacking against the glass, stopping the baker from returning to the kitchen.

“ ¿Hermana? ”

Beatrice cringes a bit as the words tumble out of her mouth. Her lack of situational awareness was truly embarrassing. “ Um, ¿Donde esta-” But before she can even finish the question, he’s smiling at her knowingly as he points to his left as if to say, ‘That way. Can’t miss it.’ His smile only widens, making his eyes glimmer in amusement when the bells ring loudly, presumably just up the street.  

“Gracias.” Beatrice turns to look down the street, shaking her head when she sees what could only be the gates of a colossal convent. She really could have found it on her own. Yet here she was, not thinking things through. The closer the time gets to when she’s supposed to step through those gates, the more she can feel her heart beating frantically and her chest tightening with each passing minute.  

“Con mucho gusto. ¡Mucha mierda, Hermana! ”   It was a little puzzling at first, but she vaguely remembered that it was a version of ‘break a leg.’ Beatrice feels her cheeks heat up as he winks knowingly at her like he didn’t just say the Spanish equivalent of “shit” to a young woman hopeful of becoming a nun. To him, the young woman looked much too young to be getting into the kinds of things those nuns got into. Yet still here she was.

And though she took the time to enjoy the treat, there she was. She was standing in front of those grand black gates to the convent. Through the bars, she could see women in various combinations of gear. Sisters were walking around in navy habits, chatting idly. Women in black workout gear were returning from a run. A few more were in what looked to be Gi’s sparing.

This was it.

This was what she’d worked so hard to graduate early for. She worked so hard to skip her final year of school for an opportunity to serve the church like this. A chance to make up for what she was. To maybe finally do something worthwhile with her life.

READ MORE

[basuralindo]

🌻

Sorry this took so long! I've been tryna come up with something interesting for you but kept coming up blank. So, wanna hear about some Weird Fruit?

The longer I'm in the mainland, the more I discover that certain fruits I grew up with are either unheard of, or assumed to be completely fictional to a lot of people, I'm sure that varies by region and country, but here's some neat ones that I've heard people be surprised by (putting under a cut because it's long and also big trypophobia warning)

Starfruit: This is what the papu fruit in kingdom hearts is based on, I don't know anything about friendship myths surrounding them, but they are actually star shaped when sliced!

Poha berries/Lantern fruit: These things used to grow at my mom's house, they're sweet and mild and have a texture kinda like cherry tomatoes, but they come in cool pods and are bright orange when ripe, so they look like paper lanterns!

Pitanga: These are sometimes mistaken for acerola cherries, but are completely unrelated. They're really sour unless it's at its ripest, but tasty and really neat looking.

Hala: I've never actually eaten this, I didn't actually know it was edible until recently, but these are an important cultural plant in Hawai'i!

Very cool looking in general, the long thin leaves have been dried and woven into Lauhala mats for centuries, and nowadays are also used for hats and stuff. But, about the fruit. I used to convince tourists these were pineapple trees because of how the fruit looks when it grows, as well as the leaves being stiff and serrated in a kinda similar way.

This is how they look on the tree, they're a little bigger than pineapples and ripen to a similar shade of yellow. Other than that, they're nothing alike. (note; pineapples are bromeliads and grow single fruits from the top of a short plant)

When the fruit is ripe is can break apart into these guys, each segment is fully separated from each other, and attached to a central husk type thing, like so:

They're super fibrous, so when they dry out they're like paintbrushes

I used to find these things all over the sidewalks downtown

Noni: I'm really biased about noni fruit, because I hate them. I wish that I, too, had never heard about noni. It's vile. But now I'm inflicting the knowledge onto you. They're supposed to be a superfood and my dad went through much too long a phase of making fermented noni juice at home and making his kids drink it every morning. I'm lucky I didn't get botulism. Maybe botulism just didn't wanna touch this shit either. Fermented noni juice smells like ass, tastes like ass, and looks like sludge, and the fruit itself isn't better. Observe:

Aside from just being kinda oblong and lumpy and looking maybe kinda like a curse from Jujutsu Kaisen, sure, they're not the worst thing. Kinda neat, if you can't smell them, and didn't have to go climbing trees to fetch these slimy shits with the full knowledge that you'd have to ingest them later. Wanna know why they have all those eyelets?

They flower like the creepiest little aliens. This actually makes me like them more, but not enough to make up for the sins of my father. Anyway, they're green, firm, and tolerable when unripe, but omfg when they ripen...

Full fledged curses now. The color of something you'd find dead in a pond. Very Eyeballs. The skin will break with even the slightest pressure, and the meat oozes out in a putrid slime that smells like hell. Fuck

Rambutan: These guys are kinda like big hairy lychee. The shell is also thicker and cracks open easy, I always thought they looked like eggs when you open them.

[liquorwinecave]

What is the Best Australian Wine for You

Australia is a wine powerhouse. We’re talking about the fifth-largest wine-producing country in the world! Australia is home to a talented community of winemakers championing all wine styles, from rosé wine to sweet wine and everything in between.

Australia produces a vast amount of fine wine, and although picking a nice bottle is easy, finding the right wine for you is a bit more challenging. After all, with so many alternatives, how to choose?

Here’s all you need to know about Australian wine and the grapes used to make it, from the robust Australian red wine made with Shiraz to the gentle Pinot Noir. Let’s find the right wine for you.

Australia’s Wine Regions

To understand Australian wine, one must first know how the 2156 wineries and 6000 grape growers are organized and how they label their wines.

Australia has a sophisticated yet straightforward appellation system. You’ll find distinct Geographical Indications (GI) under the umbrella term Wine Australia all along the country’s southern shore.

Vineyards run along Queensland’s southern shore, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia — grapes grow merrily in Tasmania as well! There are around 65 GIs in Australia, and they all focus on different wine styles depending on their climates, soil types and proximity to the sea.

To find the right Australian wine for you, let’s explore the most famous wine grapes where they are grown. Here’s a quick tour through Australia’s verdant vineyards. Our first stop? Australian white wine.

Australian White Wine

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is Australia’s most planted white varietal and the third most important after the red Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Chardonnay is a noble grape. The queen of white grapes is native to Burgundy, France, but arrived in Australia in 1832. Winemakers love the grape for a reason — it thrives almost everywhere.

Of course, Chardonnay vines prefer colder climates, so you’ll find the finest Australian white wines made with the grape up on the hills or near the coast, where temperatures are lower.

Expect a tight acidic backbone and scents reminiscent of golden apples, white flowers, citrus peels and oaky vanilla over a medium-bodied and creamy palate. These wines are best enjoyed with pasta, creamy sauces, chicken thighs and savoury pastries.

Regions for Australian Chardonnay:

Margaret River, Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania.

Wine to try:

Allandale Chardonnay 2021

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is the fifth most planted grape in Australia, and it’s often blended with Semillon, a style inspired by the white wines from Bordeaux. By the way, Semillon alone makes extraordinary wine in Australia as well, primarily in Hinter Valley.

Unlike Sauvignon’s European versions, these wines are brimming with tropical fruit redolent of passion fruit, lychee and kiwi, always with refreshing acidity. Enjoy Sauvignon Blanc with fresh cheese and seafood. For dry white wine, Australian white wine has you covered.

Regions for Australian Sauvignon Blanc:

Margaret River, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Tumbarumba (Check the Sauv Blancs from neighbouring New Zealand as well!)

Wine to try:

Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Riesling

Riesling is the queen of cold-climate white grapes; it's easy to see why it thrives in Germany and Austria. Well, Australian grape growers have found great spots for growing the late-ripening and aromatic variety as well. The result is an elegant wine with floral and petrol aromas, often with hints of ripe peaches and mango. The sweetness in these wines may vary, so read the label carefully.

Riesling is particularly compatible with white meat, including pork and veal. It can be a great partner for spicy food like curries, too. Riesling is a wonderful summer sipper, and it’s easy to enjoy on its own as well.

Regions for Australian Riesling:

Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Tasmania, Western Australia.

Wine to try:

Pooley Butchers Hill Riesling 2021

Other Australian White Grapes

Many other white varietals show promising results in Australia, including Vermentino, Pinot Gris, Fiano, Muscat and others.

Australian Red Wine

Although Australian white wines are up there with the best in the world, the country is best known for its reds. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are the two most planted grapes in Australia and make almost half of the vineyards. Both grapes arrived in the country in the 1830s at the hands of the “Father of Wine Australia”, James Busby. Today, producers make the most acclaimed wines in the country with one of these two grapes, but there are others. Let’s get to know them.

Shiraz

Shiraz, AKA Syrah, is a red grape from the Rhône Valley, France. The rustic grape produces big and bold red wines with ripe fruit aromas and hints of freshly cracked black pepper and chocolate.

Shiraz is also commonly blended with Grenache and Mataro (Mourvedre) in the now-famous GSM blend, where Grenache plays first fiddle. These wines are complex but approachable and offer a wide range of fruit, herb and spice aromas.

Australian Shiraz is best enjoyed with hearty stews, meat pies, grilled red meat, barbecue, roasts, goat and lamb.

Regions for Australian Shiraz:

Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Hunter Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale.

Wine to try:

Turon Artist Range Syrah 2019

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape globally and the second most popular in Australia. There’s no doubt the noble Bordelaise varietal produces age-worthy and structured wines across the country. You can find wines made 100% with Cabernet Sauvignon everywhere and spectacular blends, most likely Cabernet-Merlot and Cabernet-Shiraz.

Cabernet Sauvignon wines are an excellent match for thick, fatty steaks, especially rib eyes and strip steaks. Cabernet will also shine with meaty stews, casseroles and semi-hard cheese.

Regions for Australian Cabernet Sauvignon:

Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Victoria.

Wine to try:

Suckfizzle Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is not amongst the most planted red grapes in Australia, not because producers don’t want to grow it, but because the thin-skinned Burgundian grape is tough to grow and only thrives in the coldest climates.

Pinot Noir produces elegant, almost silky red wines with elevated acidity and fruit purity on the nose and palate. These sensual wines pair best with mushroom dishes, oily fish like salmon and tuna, and roasted poultry. Pinot Noir is also often used to make pretty rosé wine.

Regions for Australian Pinot Noir:

Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Adelaide Hills.

Wine to try:

Quartier Pinot Noir 2021

Other Australian Red Grapes

There are dozens of other red grapes in Australia, although not nearly as popular as those described above. Tempranillo is worthy of a special mention, and it’s doing great in Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Heathcote and Margaret River.

Merlot, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Petit Sirah (Durif) and many other grapes are worth seeking out, and they’re climbing the popularity ranks at an impressive pace.

There’s an Australian Wine For You

We’ve covered the most prominent red and white varietals in the Australian repertoire and where to find them. However, this is just a drop in the bucket — there’s much more from where these came from!

From world-class sparkling wine to lusciously sweet wine, Australian winemakers make wine for all occasions, food pairings and budgets. What’s the best Australian wine? That’s up to you. And you’ll have a great time finding the answer to that question.

Enjoy the wine Australia has for you and share it with friends and family. Australian wine is better than ever, and it’s not going anywhere. Are you ready to explore the vast country through your taste buds? All you need is a wine glass!

[chadwick211]

Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts to Please Your Beloved Ones

As a gift-giving occasion, Valentine's Day is special because it is a day dedicated to the person you love and know best. Valentine's Day is the perfect time to express your love in a unique way. You can show your appreciation for your unique relationship by giving these unique Valentine's Day gifts from Sendgifts.

With Sendgifts, you can deliver liquor gifts online in the USA in the shortest time possible. We offer a wide variety of liquors, wines, and champagnes from around the world. There are liquor gifts for Valentine's Day that fit every budget. Additionally, Sendgifts can deliver liquor gifts online to the address of your choice. This makes it convenient and easy to gift someone, especially when you cannot be physically present.

In addition, you get to enjoy the entire process of delivering the gift. We will help you chose the perfect gift and ensure its timely delivery.

 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

 Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur

This elegant spirit is a 30 proof liqueur filled with decadent flavors of Godiva unsweetened dark chocolate, bright black cherry, candied sweet orange peel and a hint of cold-brewed coffee. Perfect for mixed drinks or as a gift, our dark chocolate liqueur is sure to please and thrill.

Nothing says I love you like chocolate, and surely chocolate in its liquid form is better than any old chocolate bar!  Choose from a full line of Godiva Products to send a bottle of luxurious liqueur.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Hint of cold-brewed coffee.

Palate: Flavors of unsweetened dark chocolate, bright black cherry, candied sweet orange peel.

Finish: Rich, silky finish.

 Double Cross Vodka

Double Cross Ultra-Premium Craft Vodka awakens your senses to authentic handcrafted flavor, and the complex character that comes from cold harvested estate grown winter wheat. Made with water sourced from the fresh waters of the Tatra Mountains and seven times distilled with diamond filtration.

The perfect Valentine's Day gift - Double Cross it off your list!

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Subtle and quiet with hints of citrus and white chocolate.

Palate: Silky and creamy. Balances with bright flavors of white pepper and lemon zest.

Finish: A warm, medium-long finish leaves you with a dry, clean palate.

 Nuvo Sparkling Liqueur

Nuvo is a pink sparkling liqueur created in 2007 made from vodka, sparkling wine and a blend of fruit nectar. It brings together the luxurious and celebratory nature of champagne, with the sophistication of an aperitif.

If you can't take him/her to Paris give her the essence of that magical city with the world’s first sparkling liqueur. Looking more like a perfume bottle than your traditional liquor bottle this is a gift that is meant to be savored. A blend of premium vodka and sparkling wine NUVO is truly L'Espirt de Paris.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: French frothy drink offers aromas of ripe fruit and reveals its vivacity and elegance.

Palate: Fresh, round, well balanced with fruity notes that give sweetness with a citrus.

Finish: Sweet and brisk.

 St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

St‑Germain is a French liqueur made with fresh elderflowers, hand-picked once a year in the late spring. To accomplish its exquisitely natural flavor, every bottle of St‑Germain contains up to 1,000 of the very best elderflower blossoms, resulting in a finely crafted, perfectly balanced and refined liqueur.

Try as an after dinner drink or added to some bubbly for a festive cocktail.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Floral, supple nose with hints of lychee in syrup, a touch of peach nectar and fresh, sweet blossom.

Palate: Balanced and subtle palate with notes of pear, hints of soft sweetness, aromatic elderflowers, elderberries, tangy citrus.

Finish: Long, fresh, balanced finish.

 Tanqueray Sevilla Orange Gin

Inspired by Charles Tanqueray's original recipe book and the ripening oranges growing on the trees in sun-drenched Seville Spain, Tanqueray Sevilla Orange is a uniquely distilled orange-flavored gin made with orange essences and other fine botanicals.

The perfect inspiration for your own ingenious cocktails, mix Tanqueray Sevilla Orange with premium tonic water and garnish with an orange wedge for a refreshing-tasting, fruitful gin and tonic.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Orange blossoms and fruity aromas.

Palate: Vibrant with a hint of juniper berries and citrus fruits.

Finish: Long, sweet, and well-balanced.

 Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka

Smirnoff Raspberry is rich and robust. This spirit is infused with natural raspberry flavor for a tart and fruity finish. Pairs best with soda water, lemonade, or cranberry juice. Smirnoff Raspberry is Kosher Certified and gluten free.

Founded in 1864, the Smirnoff brand traveled from Russia to the rest of the world due to our award-winning quality and smooth liquid. We pride ourselves on bringing our famous beverage to connoisseurs, assuring the consistently great taste and quality expected from our traditionally distilled vodka.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Essence of Raspberry.

Palate: Sweet and sour punch of raspberries.

Finish: Refreshing and clean cut finish.

 The Botanist Islay Gin

The Botanist is a gin of layered complexity, a progressive exploration of the botanical heritage of our isle of Islay. 22 hand-forged local botanicals delicately augment nine berries, barks, seeds and peels during an achingly slow distillation.

These botanicals are picked at varying times of the year, and can only be picked when it's dry—a frequent challenge on Islay! Our dedicated Scottish foragers then carefully and meticulously dry all of the botanicals in order to be infused during our slow, simmer distillation process. The Botanist Islay Gin is first, and only Islay Dry Gin is a rare expression of the heart and soul of our remote Scottish island home.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Enough botanicals to make us wish we had five noses. Big notes of citrus, delicate menthol and flowers everywhere!

Palate: Cool at first. It quickly mellows out, warmth growing with citrus keeping it fresh throughout.

Finish: Long, with a good spice.

[creativegourmetau]

Frozen fruits for your feast

Are you looking for the finest quality frozen food? Do you want to buy frozen fruit in Australia? Creative Gourmet provides you with the best-frozen fruits. Our mouthwatering products include coconut water, chocolate, strawberry, and filled crepes as well as other delicious goodies. If you are looking for something different in your menu, let us know and we will be happy to help you find just the right dish to complement your special occasion.

Creative Gourmet's frozen fruits are made from the finest quality, they are frozen and packed fresh. This ensures that the nutrients and flavor are retained, providing you with a delicious and nutritious snack. This sound like a delicious and easy way to add some flavor to your food. Perfect for smoothies, baking, and salads. we provide multiple recipes such as the frozen mango recipe for you!

Creative Gourmet is passionate about growing, harvesting, and supplying premium quality fruits and berries from around the world. We believe that great food comes from scratch and that quality ingredients make a difference. We strive to be the best we can be, and our products are sure to make your palate crave more. Our most popular product is the frozen banana in Australia.

Fresh frozen fruits varieties we provide: -

●     Avocado Slices

●     Banana Chunks

●     Blueberries

●     Coconut Chunks

●     Lychees

●     Mango Chunks

●     Mango, Banana, and pineapple mix

●     Mixed berries

●     Organic acai puree

●     Passion fruit Pulp

●     Pineapple pieces

●     Pink Dragon fruit chunks

●     Raspberries

Our fruit-based product is made from real fruit with no artificial colors or flavors. We believe in using real fruit as our main ingredient, so you can trust that you're getting a quality product. We offer fresh, market-fresh frozen fruits in Australia. Our product is of the highest quality, and we are confident that you will find the perfect fruit for your needs.

[nakshikatha]

How to Air Layering Lychee Tree - Easy method to grow Lychee tree from c...

[arrghigiveup]

Putting the full text of the NYT article that the first tweet was responding to underneath the cut.

Link to the original tweet: https://twitter.com/speechleyish/status/1275990670663012352

Link to a couple of more serious threads about exactly why the biennial “Durian: the Freakshow Fruit” articles are so annoying:

https://twitter.com/amirulruslan/status/1276088736296472577

https://twitter.com/amirulruslan/status/1276313332492845056

Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

Many delicious species in Thailand, “the Great Power nation of fruit,” require laborious peeling and careful chewing. Then there’s the sticky fingers and occasional disappointment.

By Hannah Beech June 22, 2020

BANGKOK — All across Bangkok, fruit juice is dripping off chins, dribbling down arms and splashing onto the city’s sidewalks.

This is peak fruit season in Thailand, when the rising mercury concentrates the sugars in the tropical bounty that is native to Southeast Asia.

The region’s fruits are like no other. There is a fruit encased in prickly armor that smells of a deep, dank rot. There is a fruit that emits a sticky sap when peeled and another that stains fingernails mauve for those craving its succulent flesh.

And there is the rambutan, which means “hairy thing” in Malay. With its crimson skin studded with green feelers, the egg-sized fruit bears more than a passing resemblance to a coronavirus. It is yummy.

With pandemic travel bans in place, Thailand’s economic mainstay, tourism, has been battered. The country of 70 million has had to rely even more on exports of its agricultural products, and a national fruit lobby group predicts that overseas fruit shipments will increase by at least 10 percent this year, despite the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has called Thailand “the Great Power nation of fruit.” Last year, the country ranked as the world’s sixth biggest fruit exporter.

But most of the fruit is exported to Thailand’s regional neighbors, with China its biggest customer. The prospects of expanding to large Western markets like the United States may be appealing, but face some daunting obstacles.

Less than 3 percent of Thailand’s fruit was exported to the United States. Distance is one problem, as are worries about fruit flies accompanying the imports. But the main reason for the low figure may be that Southeast Asia’s indigenous fruits have what Fuchsia Dunlop, a British author of Chinese cookbooks, calls a high “grapple factor.”

Many of the region’s fruits require serious commitment to eat: laborious peeling, careful chewing and the frequent spitting out of seeds to which meat stubbornly adheres.

To snack during office hours on a langsat, a demure cousin of a lychee with a peel that oozes a kind of natural super glue, is to submit to sticky fingers and sticky keyboards. Soap doesn’t help.

The meat is perfumed but each bite is fraught, lest teeth accidentally penetrate the bitter seeds. The langsat is worth it, but only just.

Unlike a banana’s easy extraction, dissecting a jackfruit is to hack through a jagged sheath, then painstakingly pluck out rubbery polyps that taste like overripe Juicy Fruit gum.

The process can consume an afternoon, and there are fruit vendors whose careers are dedicated to peeling jackfruit — a single specimen can weigh up to 120 pounds — and other complicated fruits.

At Talad Thai, Bangkok’s wholesale fruit market and the largest in Southeast Asia, there is an entire building dedicated to citrus and a gymnasium-sized section only for the mango, of which there are more than 200 varieties in Thailand.

The fruits at Talad Thai are often transported and peeled by migrants from neighboring Cambodia or Myanmar.

“I was so poor that I had to look for work in Thailand,” said Sing Dy, who was unloading a truck of fruit as sweat drenched her coronavirus face mask.

She hasn’t seen her children back in Cambodia for six months because of the pandemic travel ban, but she still sends most of her $20 a day salary back home.

Each year, regional newspapers relate various jackfruit-related deaths, mostly involving someone lingering under a tree with fruit looming above. In May, a man in southern India was injured by a falling jackfruit and required spinal surgery, only to discover at the hospital that he also had the coronavirus. (He recovered.)

In terms of showiness, the rambutan jousts with the dragon fruit, a neon pink mini-football covered in acid-green tendrils. To some, the experience of eating a dragon fruit, which grows on a cactus indigenous to South America, is a letdown after all that dazzling packaging: It’s a bland mush with tiny seeds that can require floss to dislodge.

Thais tend to approach milder fruit as a canvas for the fermented, spicy flavors that dominate the country’s cuisine. So guavas, rose apples and pomelos, the world’s largest citrus, are often served with a chili, salt and sugar dip to enliven the experience. Tart fruits, like green mangoes, are balanced with a sweet condiment that includes fish sauce, dried shrimp and shallots.

If someone’s fingernails are dyed purple at the tips, it likely betrays a preference for the mangosteen, a palm-sized orb that looks like an extra in a Super Mario Bros. video game. Beneath its woody rind are juicy segments that strike a Socratic equilibrium between sweet and sour.

Even a peach has nothing on a mangosteen when it is perfect, but the mangosteen is rarely perfect. Many are afflicted with a blight that tarnishes the white flesh an ugly mustard hue. Which fruit is blemished is unknowable before peeling, and so to eat a pile of mangosteens is an exercise in disappointment.

The salak is also called the snakeskin fruit because its casing is undeniably reptilian. Inside is a not-quite-crunchy flesh that, like so many of Southeast Asia’s native fruits, hovers between delectable and decayed. Some scientists have theorized the smell attracts rainforest primates, whose consumption and dispersal of the seeds helps the fruit take root for another generation.

The most infamous fruit, which stinks of death, is the durian. Buildings and taxis in Thailand have no-durian signs next to no-smoking signs.

The durian’s flavor elicits passionate, and polarizing, responses, with few indifferent about the fruit’s appeal or repulsiveness.

On the outside, the durian resembles a medieval torture device. Nestled inside the spiky shell are kidney-shaped lobes of custard. The flavor is somewhere between an off-peak Gorgonzola and a crème caramel, with a whiff of skunk.

Orangutans adore the durian. In Indonesia, where expanding palm oil plantations have destroyed the apes’ natural habitat, orangutans occasionally raid fruit orchards for sustenance. Farmers have responded by shooting them.

Even if the smell could be put aside — which is, frankly, impossible — the durian would still probably have the highest grapple factor among Southeast Asia’s endemic fruits. Thai exports of the fruit are mostly destined for China, where consumers tend to be more willing to work for their meals.

The durian’s greatest supporters hold out little hope that it will ever capture the United States market the way the kiwi charmed Americans in the 1970s, when marketers renamed the Chinese gooseberry after New Zealand’s national bird. It helps that the kiwi, with its fuzzy peel, is cute and easy to eat.

While some of Southeast Asia’s indigenous fruits are available in specialty markets in the United States, the flavors lack the vibrancy of those grown at home, aficionados insist.

Ubolwan Wongchotsathit is a second-generation fruit magnate, and she used to fly her durian as far away as Dubai and Melbourne before the pandemic forced her to use land and sea routes instead.

“Americans say they hate the smell of durian,” she said. “I don’t understand. It is sweet love.”

[indiegoblin]

Fall is here, and it feels like a great time to dive into my first review post: some gorgeous and spooky Fantome samples!🍂

I'm at the start of my indie journey, and as a result, I pick scents to explore, learn, and grow my tastes. i.e....I get it wrong, a lot! I'm still figuring out what I love. Here's how I rate:

6- gasping wheezing noises as i huff my arm (will FS) 5- ohohohoh. yeah baby turn up this jam (might FS) 4- wearable, not just bearable (will finish sample) 3- this is fine. yeah. i am making a neutral expression 2- i could see how someone could like this. that person is not me. 1- Fellas we got a scrubber :(

A quick note on my experience beyond the smells: Fantome's site is reliable and easy to use on mobile. I placed my order on July 11th, and my samples shipped out on August 9th, standard for their 20-30 day TAT. My samples came with a care card, as well as an insert highlighting their bestsellers. No issues- as expected with such a well-reviewed and respected house! Now let's get INTO IT MAIN EVENT

🍅🍑 Lycanthrope- Spicy tomato leaf, dark honey, and oakmoss, with hints of peach, lychee, ivy, vanilla, and tomatoes fresh from the vine.

Starting off strong with my second favorite of the bunch! This scent is bright, juicy, and green. The peach and tomato play well together when wet: perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. The green, bitter tomato leaf and oakmoss come forward on the drydown, tempered by the vanilla. Sweet and unisex, this scent is for summer (or yearning for summer...)

I love this scent the more I wear it. It's like walking through a freshly-watered neighborhood garden full of things ripe for the picking, glowing in golden late-afternoon sunlight. 5/6

🍷🗡️Vassago- A silver dagger, red wine mulled with blackberries, cloves, & orange peels, a goblet of blood & a black mirror.

My partner picked this one. I'm in love with him, and also this. It smells like mulled wine in October. Opening full-bodied, fruity, and orange/blackberry forward, the cloves tickle the back of the throat. I didn't get any metallic blood or dagger out of this scent, but I don't mind. The fruits aren't synthetic or overly sweet. An autumn and winter scent, it makes me want to throw a very witchy dinner party.

For a gracious host who loves simmer pots, wine and conversation with friends 4/6

🌼💦Lymphae- Fresh musk, cool vanilla, a swift-running stream, Italian lilac, orange blossom, damp earth, and the ozone of spring thunderstorms. 

This is where I learned that Fantome's aquatic note does *not* work for me. Most people describe a vividly realistic stream experience. I get...sharp soap. This changes slightly on the drydown, I think I pick up a little more of the florals and nice earth note separate from that sharp smell that I think must be the aquatic note of the stream. This is well reviewed and could be really lovely on someone who is not me.

I want to love this one very badly. Sample bed rest and further testing are prescribed! 2/6

🍂🏕️Kupala- Morning dew, davana, fern flower, bonfire smoke, birch leaves, warm summer air

Accursed aquatic: pt. 2. My first scrubber ever. That sharp scent from Lympae is also present here (in the form of dew), and in combination with the bonfire smoke, this is a death combo. I've tried smoke scents I love, but this didn't work for me. Lots of people have high praise for the Fantome aquatics, though - worth the chance!

This scent took me back to a tour I took when I was 16 of a castle basement where they had an exhibit on medieval torture. It smelled bad down there. 1/6

🥀🔮Madame D'Esperance- Sage laced with creamy jasmine, sensual red patchouli, frankincense, dusty cedar, a hint of rose, and intoxicating ambrette.

Have you ever been in a small town gift shop, incense in one corner, local soaps in the other, all sorts of eclectic items everywhere? This smells JUST like that. It's not a negative experience at all, personally. The sage and patchouli are strong on my skin chemistry, and the dusty cedar and "hint of rose" combine into what I must be perceiving as "old building". Not even a hint of jasmine to my nose. Fascinating!

The Madame is spooky, but comforting. She offers you sage advice and a discount at the register. 3/6

🌲🦌Faun- Opens with a deceptive hint of sweetness from neroli, grapefruit, and iris—then deepens into dark vetiver, oakmoss swirled in amber, and hints of animalistic musk.

Faun. Oh boy. So. I enjoy that deceptive opening, as a big grapefruit fan. You can sense the beast beneath, but when wet, it's just a dark, playful force under the bright grapefruit and neroli. I thought, cool. I love a little dark wood, I ADORE vetiver, I'm down for the bitter, woodsy drydown. Unfortunately, on my skin, it becomes straight up sweaty forest mammal. Consider this a watershed moment: I am not the person who loves animalistics. A valuable lesson. I will never wear this again.

Sweet faun grows fangs and hunts you down in the forest, if you're into that. Maybe you are ;) 1.5/6

🦋🌳Duende- Evokes the smell of being lost in a forest—with oakmoss, cedar, fir, resinous labdanum, benzoin, tree sap, wild violets, and lilac.

When I first smelled this, my first and only note was "wet log". After resting two weeks, I could talk about this smell forever. It's green, fresh, floral, and woody. It opens with green, dewy florals. At no point could I call the lilac or violet "powdery". This is no baby powder or soapy purple floral. The flowers wake up the dark, resinous forest notes of the drydown- this is a scent that lives and breathes. So much brighter than I was expecting!

Like walking through an old-growth forest with an armful of freshly-picked lilac. The #1 winner for this batch for me and for the summer! **6/6**

🌻🐝Vasalisa- Clover honey, neroli, rich tonka, chamomile, dry hay, a flower crown of marigolds & sunflowers.

Free sample! This is a heavy, deep honey scent. If you've ever had the pleasure of keeping bees and smelled that glorious, end-of-summer warm honey smell that lingers around them this time of year, this is it in a bottle. The hay note is very forward on my skin, especially on the drydown, which I don't personally love for wearing, but delights me from a blending standpoint for how it holds down the florals and completes the atmosphere. This is a rich, golden smell for end of summer and early fall.

For beekeepers, aspiring beekeepers, or people who love to stand in fields pretending to be bees. 4/6

Jasmine Sambac

This was a freebee, single-note of the jasmine sambac they use in some of their blends. I'm a jasmine fiend, so this feels like fate! It's not a fresh jasmine flower and doesn't lean dewy at all. It shares some of that golden energy with Vasalisa- deep, floral, and mature. I bet someone who didn't typically love jasmine notes might change their mind for this one.

Perfect for layering or wearing alone, which I WILL do OFTEN 5/6

TLDR: This sample set was a wonderful send-off to summer. This set was also a great learning experience for my likes (smelling like a forest!), dislikes (smelling like a forest animal!), and I would definitely look to order more from Fantome in the future.

[bruhstories]

Baby, I’ve Already got Your Heart

Summary: An accidental meeting between Armin and Y/N leads to an unhealthy obsession. Pairing: Armin Arlert x Fem!Reader (modern AU) Warnings: stalking, language, unprotected sex, loss of virginity, fingering, oral sex (male receiving), oral sex (female receiving), switch!Reader, switch!Armin, rope is involved. Word Count: 2.5 k

A/N: This fic is heavily inspired by this song. It is surprisingly wholesome, considering the tags xD

Armin Arlert. The purest man in the world. You accidentally met him one cold, rainy day when he entered your coffee shop for shelter and warmth. He naively talked to you, grateful for how nice you were with him, grateful for the cappuccino on the house, grateful for the towel you offered him to dry himself off. Little did Armin know, a fixation sprouted in your mind and heart, developing into the unhealthiest obsession. He was just so cute — and you just had to have him. It helped to know that you were both going to the same university, and after that, you knew everything about him: his Facebook, Instagram, email address, hell, you even knew his real address. To be fair, it was a piece of cake, the boy was absolutely clueless and whenever he 'accidentally' met you, he thought it was by pure chance. The next and most obvious step was to befriend people in his social circle, one Jean Kirstein, one Sasha Braus and one Connie Springer. Naturally, you did your homework, and you knew his best friends were Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman, but they weren't easy targets. Besides, it would jeopardise your entire plan, as you found Armin was considered a genius. An oblivious genius. He didn't know it yet, but you loved him and he loved you too, right?

A text from Sasha, months after you first met the angelic man, set your plan in motion. A casual gaming night at Armin's place, and you were invited. How perfect. Poor glutton Sasha had no fucking clue how much you were using her, how you told her you want to meet a cute guy, someone nice and caring, someone smart and attentive. The girl put two and two together and decided she just had to introduce you to one of her friends, especially that he was also interested in meeting a girl like you. Unbelievable — you acted surprised, met up with Sasha and left for Armin's little gaming night. You wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Starting from tonight, he'd be yours. Forever.

"Armiiiiiiiiin, I brought a plus one!" Sasha barged into his house. "This is my friend, Y/N. Y/N, Armin! Oh shit, pretzels!" The brown-haired woman left the two of you in the hallway and the blond flashed you a smile.

"I feel like I've seen you before." He mused as he closed the door behind you.

"If you ever drink coffee at Rose's you might've seen me there." You smiled and removed your leather jacket, revealing a Pearl Jam t-shirt.

"No way you listen to them!" Armin blurted.

"Are you kidding me? They're my favourite!" You lied through your teeth with a sickly-sweet smile.

"Mine too! Oh, I know, you're the girl who gave me a free cappuccino months ago!"

"I remember! You were drenched in rainwater." You laughed as the two of you entered the living room. "I had to mop up the puddles you left behind."

"I'm so sorry about that..." He blushed. Your heart fluttered and you couldn't wait to get your hands on him, but for the time being, you needed to behave.

"No worries, I just hope you didn't catch a cold." You assured Armin and sympathetically placed a hand on his shoulder. There he goes, blushing again. It couldn't be... was he a virgin? Fuck. This was better than you could've imagined.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, Mikasa, Eren, this is Y/N. She's friends with Sasha."

"Nice to meet you!" Eren shook your hand. "Oh, God, you listen to Pearl Jam, too? You nerds are going to get along just fine." He joked.

The night went great, and you actually had fun with Armin and his friends, despite not intending to mingle with them too much. People started leaving around 2 am, but Eren and Mikasa stayed longer. Too fucking long — and things were boring now anyway. You and Armin kept talking about video games and books, Mikasa fell asleep on Eren who was playing fucking Farmville on his phone. They had to leave as soon as possible.

"Hey, Y/N, we can take you home." Eren suggested and you froze. Shit.

"Didn't you say you're almost out of gas?" Armin questioned his friend.

"Ah, fuck, you're right. I still don't know how that happened — I fuelled the tank yesterday!" The brunette scoffed. "Guess you're on your own, Y/N."

"It's alright, I'll take an uber." You politely smiled.

"Alright, we'll wait for you."

Oh, for fuck's sake. Truth be told, you appreciated how nice and caring Armin's friends were, but you had a different goal to accomplish.

"You really don't have to, plus I have to use the bathroom." You excused yourself. "Um, where is the bathroom exactly?"

"Upstairs, first door on the right." Armin told you while gathering plates and cups from the table. You nodded and climbed up the stairs. Your hand hovered over the bathroom doorknob for a good minute, eyes drifting to the door next to it. Armin's bedroom, by the looks of it. Surely, you could take a look, right? Fuck it. You opened the second door and at first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. LED and fairy lights encircled a corner of his room and, curiously, you walked closer to see what that was, because it didn't look like a desk. Your Y/E/C widened when you saw tens of framed photographs of yourself on the square table, objects you thought you lost and — Jesus, was that your bra? A rush of anxiety hit you, but before you could do anything, a blow to your head blurred your vision.

•°☆°•☆•°☆°•

Dark lashes fluttered as you opened your eyes. The sudden realisation that you were naked and restrained to a bed made you jolt. What just happened?

"Fucking finally, I thought you'd never wake up." Armin greeted you, but his voice was different, deeper and darker.

"Ar-ugh, Armin?" You groaned at the stinging sensation at the back of your head.

"You know, I was relieved you didn't leave with Sasha, otherwise you would've slipped between my fingers again."

Again?

"Ugh, and Eren and his stupid idea. 'We'll take you home.'" He mocked his best friend with a high pitch. "I've been dreaming for this moment since I walked into that shitty coffee shop."

You were at a loss for words. This was not the Armin you fantasised about, not the Armin you wanted. He was much more and much worse. And. So. Much. Better.

Alright then, you'd put up a show for him.

"P-please, Armin, please untie m-me! I'll be good, I p-promise!" You stuttered and whimpered, trying your best to sound genuine.

"Why, so you can run away?" The blond scoffed. So, he didn't know you stalked him. What a twist.

"I won't r-run, I swear!"

"Bullshit." Armin bent over your body, hands around your neck. You gasped and pretended to be startled by his touch, but in reality, your core was already burning with lust. You knew you couldn't keep up with this charade. "No, Y/N, I won't untie you. But we'll have so much fun." He sneered.

"You promise?"

"Yes. Wait—"

Your laughter filled the bedroom, genuine laughter that baffled Armin. Was this some sort of reverse psychology trick?

"Oh, Armin, even when you reveal your true colours, you're still oblivious to the reality of what's in front of you."

"Then enlighten me, what am I so oblivious to?" He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"The fact that this was my fucking plan, too." You stretched as much as your restraints allowed you to and licked your lips. "I guess we both stalked each other without even knowing. How ridiculous."

"I think I would've known if you stalked me, Y/N."

"Really? Let me prove it, then. Your favourite food's Carbonara pasta, your favourite drink is peach and lychee iced tea, favourite movie is Interstellar, you lived on Sheena street until you were 12–"

"That's common knowledge, Sasha could've told you any of that." Armin blurted, growing impatient.

"You watch BDSM and asphyxiation porn between 10 pm and 11 pm every Tuesday, you're a virgin, you own a fleshlight–"

"Fuck, alright!" He threw his hands in the air, defeated. "So, what next?"

"You untie me and you tear me apart, Armin, that's what's next."

The blond hesitated before removing the cuffs on your ankles, still unsure about the ropes around your wrists. Clearly, you weren't making things up, but what were the chances of both of you stalking each other? For a brief moment, Armin felt guilty for hitting you and practically holding you captive, and you could see that on his face, but obsession and desire soon took over, and he reverted back to his darker self. His soft hands moved from your ankles to your knees, up your thighs and stomach, stopping above your chest, deciding it's best if you're not fully free. Armin licked his lips and climbed on top of you, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. You thought was surprisingly strong for such a thin man, but when the unbuttoned shirt revealed his chiselled abdomen, it made sense why he was strong.

"The wrists, Armin." You insisted but the blond clicked his tongue.

"I like you better when you're helpless." He pressed his lips onto yours in a hot kiss. A great kiss, you thought, your tongues wrestling for supremacy.

"Please, I want to touch you! I need to..." You trailed off, intoxicated by his smell, notes of saffron and cardamom. His hands roamed your shoulders, tickling your axilla and groping your breasts. "Please let me touch you, Armin!" You begged again, but he didn't say a word, his hot breath fanning over your oversensitive nipples, goosebumps all over your skin. His pink tongue poked out of his mouth and you watched him painstakingly slowly lick one of your nipples. It literally pained you to be unable to touch him, pull him closer to you. Alas, you had no choice, and despite yearning to be in control, it aroused you to have him control you.

"You smell so sweet." He abruptly stopped. "I bet you taste sweet, too."

"Armin..." His words made you brace yourself. While you weren't a virgin, you've never had anyone eat you out. The blond was already in between your legs, one hand resting under your thigh, the other gently touching your slick folds. Armin was so careful, like you were made of glass, and the ticklish sensation didn't help you at all. You wanted him to ram his cock inside of you and rearrange your guts, but he wanted to take his sweet time. The teasing only made you dizzy with pleasure, and you bucked your hips, trying to get him to move faster.

"You really need to learn to be patient, Y/N." Armin purred, pressing gentle kisses on your thighs. He lazily dragged his tongue across your slit, electricity shooting through your body. God, how you wanted to rip those ropes apart. Two fingers entered you and the blond gingerly licked your clit.  

"Fuck– so... so good ah–" You couldn't form a sentence even if your life counted on it. Gradually, you could feel your orgasm building up and Armin sensed it, picking up the pace. His fingers thrusted harder and you arched your back, the intensity too much for you. "Armin, please! I wanna come with your cock in me!" The begging didn't stop him, he was determined to make you finish then and there. And he did — within seconds you melted under his touch, legs trembling with pleasure. Armin pulled back, his mouth messy with saliva mixed with your juices.

"You come when I want you to come." His voice was low, almost like a growl. He unbuttoned his jeans, and you watched him like a hawk, waiting to see just how big his was, and you were not disappointed.

"Please please please let me suck it, please!" You begged him, eager to taste him. He smirked and kissed you, all the while rubbing his cock.

"You want this?" Armin quirked a brow at you. The little shit, jacking off in front of you and you couldn't even do anything about it.

"Armin..."

"Say it. Say you want it."

"Armin!"

"Say it, Y/N." He groaned, precum leaking from his member. Fuck.

"I... I want it..." You eventually gave up.

"Good girl." The blond climbed back on top of you. He raised your hips and you placed your legs on his shoulder, his first thrust slow and deep. Armin couldn't help the moan escaping his lips — this was so much better than that shitty fleshlight and countless porn videos. You couldn't deny the fact that it hurt, despite your soaking cunt, but you quickly adjusted to his size. As Armin pounded you, the bed underneath the two of you started moving and screeching, and the ropes tied to the metal bedframe loosened and you felt your arms fall onto the pillows. In his frenzy, the blond didn't notice, so you took this opportunity to lower your legs and wrap them around his waist, one hand grabbing his soft locks, the other wrapping around his neck. You used his weight against him and turned him over. You were in control.

Armin was taken aback by this, but the feeling of your fingers squeezing his throat only turned him on more. You bounced up and down, throwing your head back and groaning. He gripped your hips tightly, thrusting his own hips against yours.

"F-fuck me harder, Y/N!" He begged and you sped up. You felt like a queen — no, a goddess — when he asked you to fuck him, the feeling of him inside of you so addictive. He was your drug, and your rehab, your poison, and your antidote. And you were his and his only. His cock was twitching in your cunt and knew he was close but you didn't want to risk it. Swiftly, you got off of him and wrapped your lips around his dick, bobbing your head up and down. It didn't take long for him to finish, hot liquid shooting down your throat with one final grunt. You swallowed it all and threw yourself next to him. It was breaking dawn already, but you weren't tired. Physically, yes, both of you were exhausted, but mentally it felt like you discovered a hidden gem.

"What the fuck did we just do?" Armin calmly caressed your hair as you nuzzled his neck.

"Are we talking about the obsessively stalking each other part or the part where you hit me in the head? Or the fucking?"

"The everything." He explained. "This is wrong."

"Did it feel wrong?" You asked him, your fingers idly tracing circles over his chest.

"Well, no..."

"Then it's not wrong." You shrugged. "Am... am I yours?"

"Yes." The blond instantly replied without a trace of hesitation in his voice. "Am I?"

"You've been mine the moment you set foot in that shitty coffee shop." You laughed.

"And what are we going to tell the others?"

"That we ended up talking all night and I stayed over?"

"Sounds like a plan." Armin kissed your forehead.

"By the way, I really don't like Pearl Jam." You admitted.

He laughed and it filled your heart with warmth. You have no idea why you and Armin were like that, or how things would be from now on, but you had a good feeling about it. Things were okay. You two were okay.

[patreontoken]

Orangutan

Facts

STATUS: Critically Endangered

POPULATION: About 104,700 (Bornean), 13,846 (Sumatran), 800 (Tapanuli)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus

WEIGHT: Up to 200 pounds

website

Orangutans are the largest arboreal animal, spending the majority of their time in trees and are known for their striking red coats. They can navigate between the branches because to their long, strong arms and grabbing hands and feet. These big apes are extraordinarily intellectual creatures who share 96.4 percent of human genes.

In the Malay language, orangutan means “man of the forest.” Orangutans spend solitary lives in the lowland forests where they inhabit. They eat wild fruits such as lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and drink from tree holes. To sleep at night and rest during the day, they build nests in vegetation. Male orangutans can weigh up to 200 pounds as adults.

Flanged males have broad cheek pads known as flanges, as well as a throat sac that allows them to emit loud verbalizations known as long calls. Unflanged males have the appearance of mature females. An unflanged male can convert to a flanged male for unknown reasons, which is a biological phenomena unique among primates.

The appearance and behavior of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans differ slightly. Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair than Borneo orangutans, despite the fact that they both have shaggy reddish fur. Sumatran orangutans are said to have tighter social ties than their Bornean counterparts. Bornean orangutans are more inclined than other orangutans to come down from the trees and wander around on the ground.

The populations of both species have been rapidly declining. There were possibly more than 230,000 orangutans in total a century ago, but the Bornean orangutan’s population is now projected to be at 104,700 based on updated geographic range (Endangered), and the Sumatran orangutan’s population is believed to be around 7,500. (Critically Endangered).

In November of 2017, a third orangutan species was discovered. The Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered of the great apes, with only 800 individuals left.

Why They Matter

Orangutans are forest “gardeners,” assisting in seed dissemination in their natural environments. They love tropical woods in river valleys and floodplains on their various islands. Orangutan populations are severely endangered due to their exceedingly low reproduction rate. These species can take a long time to recover from population decreases because females only have one child every 3-5 years. Orangutans are on the verge of extinction as human pressure on them grows.

ThreatsHunting and Illegal Wildlife Trade

Because orangutans are enormous and slow, they are an easy target for hunters. When they move into agricultural areas and ruin crops, they are killed for food or in retribution. When orangutans can’t get the food they require in the forest, this happens.

Females are the ones who are most frequently hunted. The young are frequently kept as pets when found with progeny. The pet trade is a serious issue. It is estimated that 3-5 more animals perish in the process of bringing an orangutan to Taiwan. The recent implementation of the legislation in Taiwan has reduced orangutan imports, but the trade remains a problem in Indonesia, where demand for orangutans as pets remains high. Orangutan skulls are also traded in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).

Deforestation and Habitat Loss

The last remaining habitats of Asia’s only great apes are being razed to make room for oil palm farms and other agricultural developments. Illegal logging inside protected areas and unsustainable logging in orangutan concessions continue to pose a serious threat to their future. More than half of orangutans are now located in forests managed by forestry, palm oil, and mining industries outside of protected areas.

website

[milkybonya]

Unnamed

order #002: large banana milk tea with pudding and lychee jelly for Shinwon, requested by anon

-> Warning: food/drink mentions, mentions of alcohol + a bit suggestive?

-> in the same soulmate universe as my Named fic for Haechan, where "Some are named, some are unnamed. The named have their soulmate's name written somewhere on their body, and the unnamed don't have a soulmate", here you're unnamed.

[a/n]: i know this is a soulmate!au but i wanted to try writing from a perspective where the reader doesn't have a soulmate?? i think it will be fun hehe (but i hope the anon who requested doesn't mind!). i think it will work well with the enemies to lovers concept too :)

You're unnamed, and it sucks. For all your life, you've had to deal with all your loved ones moping about how they can't find who the name on their body belongs to, while you don't even have a name on your body. You're unnamed, like I said :(

They call you dramatic for being sad about it, telling you that you're free to date around and just do whatever... as if that helps. Of course it makes you feel worse.

The worst of them all if your neighbour, Shinwon.

"Good morning, [y/n]. Got a hot date today?" Shinwon asks you as he opens up the door to his flat.

You're dressed nicely today, but no, not for a hot date.

"Got a job interview."

"Oh... of course. I'm sure the unnamed wouldn't be going on dates much, anyway."

"You literally told me last time I must date around a lot because I come home late and have no soulmate so I can do what I want," you spit out, growing angry.

"Whatever. No need to get so mad!" Shinwon says, waving his hands around and finally stepping into his flat.

You huff and stomp off to your job interview.

Ever since Shinwon moved in next to you and found out you were unnamed, he's been getting on your nerves like it's no one's business. He's always teasing you about it, even in front of the other neighbours! He constantly embarrasses you and you hate him for hit.

He even leaves notes on your door, with 'unnamed!' written on it with stupid ' :P ' faces all around. It's so childish, but it still manages to make you so angry.

There's only one mystery, though.

Shinwon has never told you if he's unnamed or not.

You asked him many times, and he's always managed to dodge the question.

He lives alone... but of course, that might not mean anything. Still, you like to think that he's unnamed too, and lets out all his anger on you. The day that you find out for sure, you'll never let him live it down!

After absolutely killing it at your interview despite being nervous and angry because of Shinwon, you head to a café to treat yourself. Of course, Shinwon just has to be there. Working. At that café.

You don't realize it until you're right at the counter, since you're so giddy from the successful interview, still. But as soon as you hear him laugh right into your face, you realize who it is.

"[y/n]? What are you doing here now? Are you stalking me?" he laughs. His coworkers grow increasingly confused until he introduces you.

"This is [y/n]. They're my neighbour, and unnamed. Isn't that sad?" Shinwon tells them, cracking up.

His coworkers nervously nod and continue with what they were doing, but you feel absolutely embarrassed. You don't even know any of these people but now all of them know that you're unnamed? You'll get Shinwon back for this....

"Can I get that drink please?" you ask Shinwon, pointing to the menu. After paying for the drink, you wait on the side for him to prepare it. When he finally hands it to you, your rage is bubbling up so intensely inside that you do something you never thought you would have done.

As you go to pick up the cup, you pretend to 'accidentally' knock it over and spill it all over Shinwon.

"Oops, sorry," you say, innocently.

Shinwon wears a blank look on his face. He pauses, not doing anything until one of his coworkers rushes forward to help clean up.

"I'll get you a new drink!" they tell you.

You start to feel a little nervous as Shinwon's mood has very obviously changed. He greets the new customers quietly and without a trace of a smile on his face.

Why does it even matter, though? He's the one who's always making you feel angry. How about he be the one who feels angry for a change?

After taking your new drink and heading home like a boss, you spend the rest of the day resting at home. You decide to go out for a walk later in the evening, though, and you're met with a surprise when you open your door.

Your favourite plant, that you've placed right outside your door so you can see it everytime you enter and leave the house, and also so it's easy for people to know which flat is yours when they're visiting, has been completely smashed to pieces. The gigantic pot that was holding the little tree that had grown taller than where the doorknob sat on your door is now laying on the ground in a sad state.

It breaks your heart to see it like this, but you know exactly who's done it.

You take a few steps until you're at Shinwon's door. Then, you knock loudly, wondering if he's still home. Sure enough, he opens the door. And when he notices its you, he glares.

"What is it?"

"Why have you gone and broken my plant?"

"What makes you think I did it?" he shoots back, a slight, evil smile dancing on his lips.

"I know you did it, Shinwon."

There's a moment of silence as Shinwon thinks of what to say next, but you don't even let him speak as you continue.

"Shinwon, you embarrassed me, today, just like you always do. If this is because of me spilling my drink on you earlier, then no. We're not even now. We were even after I spilled my drink, because you've been tormenting me for so long now."

"What have I done?" Shinwon asks you, raising his eyebrows.

You sigh.

"It's not even worth telling you. Maybe you should clean up my plant and take some time to think about it yourself," you tell Shinwon before walking away.

He's left in a daze and actually ends up cleaning his mess, wondering why you have such an effect on him so suddenly. They're hot when they're angry, is what he finds himself thinking, but he quickly pushes this thought away.

-

"Shinwon, you jerk!" you yell up into the sky as you sit in your balcony, drinking some alcohol.

Nothing quite hits the spot right now like the drink in your hand as you peer down at the peaceful view below. A light breeze hits you and you close your eyes, feeling like it's caressing your face.

"You called?" Shinwon asks, poking his head out from the balcony next to yours.

You almost drop your drink out of your hand and curse at him. Shinwon just laughs at response.

"I never called you!"

"I clearly just heard you call me a jerk..."

You stick out your tongue at him and continue to drink. Somehow, he climbs over from his balcony onto yours and takes a seat across from you, taking a few sips from your drink. You feel so hazy that you don't even feel surprised.

"What are you doing?" you finally ask him.

"Not letting you drink alone," he murmurs.

"And what's wrong with drinking alone?"

"I do it all the time. It sucks."

Shinwon wears a small smile on his face as he talks to you, different from the mischievious one he'd always give you when talking to you and teasing you.

"And why do you drink alone if it sucks?"

Shinwon hesitates, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm unnamed... we all do that, don't we?"

Your breath hitches in your throat. Unnamed... so you were right.

"Just cause we're unnamed, that doesn't mean we have to drink alone."

"Maybe... but we do it anyway, right?"

You hum in response before drinking some more.

"Why do you tease me so much if you're also unnamed, then?"

"It makes me feel more at ease. You make me feel... more comfortable in my skin."

You laugh a little.

"And what does that mean?"

"Maybe that I like you?" Shinwon giggles.

"What? You're joking, right? It's just cause we're both unnamed."

Shinwon shrugs, looking down.

"Shinwon, you know how it feels to be unnamed, then, right?" you ask after a long pause. "I feel so unloved, so unneeded and unwanted on this stupid planet. It's like I don't have a purpose."

Your eyes start to tear up as the burden and many thoughts you've been carrying begin to spill out.

Shinwon remains silent, probably unsure of what to say or do. Instead, he says something unexpected.

"Can I kiss you?"

You cock your head at him, confused. Why is your rude neighbour asking if he can kiss you when you're literally about to cry?

Oh, well. This will be your first kiss.. Finally, you're kissing someone...

When your lips meet, Shinwon's feel so soft and warm against yours. You don't want to pull away, and it all makes sense now. You don't feel so alone anymore.

-

The next day day, you wake up to flowers at your doorstep, along with some hangover soup. There's a note on top:

feel better, [y/n]! i'm sure the hangover must be bad... i would come to your door in person, but i thought you may be too embarrassed to see me.

- jerk Shinwon

You smile as you read the way he ended the note. This all feels very weird to you... You used to hate your neighbour, but after tasting his lips last night, hearing him say he doesn't want you to drink alone and seeing what he's left for you now, you're second-guessing how you feel about him.

You knock on his door, hoping he's still home. To your surprise, he opens the door, his hair messy and his eyes puffy.

"[y/n]? How are you feeling?" he asks, looking a little frazzled.

"Me? Better than you, it seems. I'm about to head out to work!" you say, pointing to your formal wear.

"Oh... won't be needing the soup, then?"

"No, I need it! I haven't had breakfast."

Shinwon smiles, looking down.

"I'm glad," he says.

"Well, Shinwon. Wanna go on a coffee date or something today?" you ask him, your heart pounding as your veins overflow with sudden courage.

Shinwon laughs slightly, the corners of his eyes creasing.

"That sounds nice."

[mortirolo]

respectfully what are 4 of those 5 fruits

lmao bestie I'm sorry, I assume you know what a mango is...

a greengage is a type of plum, nothing fancy but they have a lovely delicate flavour

a lychee is originally chinese. it has a rough inedible skin but the fruit itself is sweet and floral and annoying to eat bc of the skin and huge seed each fruit has 😒

a custard apple is neither custard or apple but sort of tastes like both? it is also known as cherimoya and its seeds are poisonous so you have to be careful when eating it!

cloudberry <333 they're just berries lmao but they mostly grow as wild plants, and farming them is pretty uncommon so they're not super easy to get. I've only ever had them in a jam but I want to try cloudberry liqueur one day!

[tastesoftamriel]

I believe the Orcs (and Dunmer?) sustain themselves mostly with meat. What races eat primarily vegetables, and how do they prepare them? Do provincial climates have any effect on the availability of certain plants? Thank you for such a wonderful blog; I'll let you know if I try a recipe.

Hi there! Funnily enough there aren't really many vegetarians in Tamriel, but by and large people do have fairly balanced diets and that includes a large amount of fruit and vegetables. Like you mentioned, geographic location and climate plays a large factor in cultivating local crops, as well as what can be feasibly imported by road or sea (magical import methods are risky and expensive).

A notable exception to this list is Valenwood, which exports extremely minimal plant matter beyond its borders due to the Green Pact, though certain regions are known for producing cacao beans, cinnamon, and vanilla beans (none of which are part of the traditional Bosmer diet).

In northern mainland areas of Tamriel, including northern High Rock, Hammerfell and Skyrim, fruit and vegetables are either grown on farms or foraged from the wild. Mountainous regions often produce delicious apples and berries between late summer and autumn, and a large portion of these are dried or preserved both for personal consumption and export. A large variety of vegetables are also cultivated on farms, as well as greenhouses for things like tomatoes, which are usually more accustomed to Cyrodiilic climates. Potatoes, cabbages, squash, leeks, and other seasonal vegetables and fruits are plentiful, and fresh provisions are often imported in winter for those who can afford them. Nords and Orcs love simple vegetable dishes like soups, pasties and stews, while Bretons are more inclined towards salads and vegetable tarts too.

Cyrodiil and parts of High Rock and Elsweyr produce a large amount of grain. Aside from wheat, you'll find things like millet, spelt, quinoa, and other cereal grains which are exported widely across the continent. Of course, Morrowind and some areas of Black Marsh are famous for their production of saltrice (a cornerstone of Dunmeri cooking), but the largest production of rice in Tamriel comes from southern Elsweyr, in addition to corn. Khajiiti corn flatbread is a staple in many households across Tamriel, while saltrice is in 4E a common food to most men and mer alike.

The Khajiit have lots of lovely vegetarian dishes, though ingredients vary between the more arid Northern Elsweyr and lusher Southern Elsweyr. Needless to say, moon sugar is the Province's main crop, which is an industry worth billions of gold per year. Shredded coconut and corn cakes dipped in moon sugar syrup or lemongrass and sweet chili sauce are a staple snack for the Khajiit on the go.

Cyrodiil is also famous for its wine, and needless to say a dizzying variety of grapes are cultivated on its fertile slopes and fields. Since vines thrive well in the temperate climates, you'll also find beans, tomatoes, and aubergines. And of course, who can forget the humble olive, which is used both as oil and preserved? A delicious tomato and basil salad with fresh goat cheese and drizzled with olive oil is a classic.

Corn is also cultivated by the Redguards, who have been credited for the invention of polenta too. Drier, arid regions of Tamriel such as the Alik'r and Northern Elsweyr still produce lots of vegetables and fruits too! Dates are of course a staple, and you'll find many things like chickpeas, edible cacti, beets and other root vegetables, and lots of types of peppers. The Redguards love a good spicy chickpea stew, often served with goat or lamb, but vegetarian variants often come with okra, peas, and bitter melon.

Black Marsh is slowly opening up to trade with wider Tamriel, and they're famous for their weird and wonderful rare plant ingredients used in both alchemy and cooking. The swampy, tropical climate produces all sorts of treats such as pineapples, bananas and coconut (also grown in Elsweyr), fragrant palm leaves and fruits, scuttle bloom, lemongrass and watercress. In my opinion, the only reason Argonian cuisine hasn't taken off in Tamriel is because it's a bit too...exotic, but nobody can say no to some chilled papaya and sago in coconut milk on a hot day!

Aside from saltrice, Morrowind also produces ash yams galore, as well as other crops like marshmerrow, bittergreen, comberry, hackle-lo, and canis root, to name a few. You're sure to know a few dishes containing these delicacies, such as the classic hackle-lo and saltrice warm salad, served with scuttle dressing and crispy kwama "bacon".

By and large, the Altmer cuisine probably has the most focus on vegetables and fruits, and Summerset produces all sorts of wonderful produce ranging from leafy greens to luscious fruits like lychees, cherries, and peaches. The climate (and natural magical aptitude of the High Elves) makes it easy to grow produce year round, but seasonal cherry blossom salad is a vegan must-try for visitors to Summerset.

Hopefully this list gave you some of the answers you seek, and I look forward to hearing about your Tamrielic cooking endeavours in the future! ~Talviel