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countrymusiclover · 8 months ago

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3 - A Sloan Date

Part 4

Feisty Coffee Girl

Running my fingers through my hair I chuckled nervously feeling my face turn red with the interns watching our interaction. “I guess I’m meeting you for the second time, Mark Sloan.”

My entire body had frozen at that moment. I reached into my pocket of my coat drawing out my phone. Scanning through my phone contacts I saw that the number had called me when I had picked up my daughter from school. “You've been blowing up my phone for almost two weeks.”

“I thought you would have called me back by now if you were interested and most people I’m with are typically interested when we first meet.” Mark responded to me shoving his hands inside his coat pockets.

Christina spoke up first behind us. “You know the Mark Sloan.”

“Not really. We only met one time when I worked at the coffee shop.” I corrected her statement before she assumed we had a long past together when we didn't.

Meredith raised a brow. “So how did you two meet?”

“He wanted a coffee and I gave him a scone recommendation. That was basically all.” I looked at the girl.

Izzie finally rounded the nurse desk grabbing me by the back of my jacket pushing me away from the coffee guy. “You listen here Mr. You stay away from her. She doesn't want anything to do with you!”

“Woah Iz dial it down a bit would ya. Nothing happened.” I pushed my way around her, not clear on what she was so pushy about. He was a guy that we were meeting for the first time. He couldn't wrong me from our first meeting.

Mark smiled at me, sending me a wink. “Don’t worry she'd have to let me take her on first before we could ever get serious.”

I felt my face turning red at his words and it only got deeper when our gaze locked onto the other. I didn't feel up to dating at the moment. I had my daughter to think about first and foremost before anybody else. “Mark, I'll at least take you up on your offer to buy me a drink.” I finally spoke towards the plastics surgeon.

“Y/n!” Izzie gasped in disgust.

Waving my hand at her I focused on Mark. “What time were you thinking or what time do you get off of work?”

“How about a quarter to never.” Izzir growled behind me.

Mark put his hands in the pockets of his dark pants. “I'd say around 7. Does that work for you?”

“That’s fine with me.” I replied back.

Someone cleared their throat behind him and we saw an older black guy standing before us. “Dr. Sloan can I see you in my office?”

“Sure chief. I'll see you tonight, feisty coffee girl.” Mark sent me a wink following him to his office on the next floor of the hospital.

Another doctor walks over to our group that had styled black hair and soft eyes that met in Meredith’s direction but says nothing for a few minutes. The man finally did say something to the group though. “So. Who’s the feisty coffee girl?”

“That would be me.” I raised my hand moving away from Izzie, extending my hand to the guy. “Y/n, Y/n Stevens .”

“Derek Shepherd. Nice to meet you. Uh I'm sorry but do you know the kid driving the wheelchair through the hospital?” Derek introduced himself before my eyes went wide, turning around on my feet.

I jumped backwards away from him when a wheelchair came running past us and I instantly saw my daughter being the one driving it through the hospital area. “Uh sorry but I have to go. I’ll see you later, Izzie. Eve!” Chasing after her it took me a good few minutes before I had caught up with her and we made our way home since I had to get ready for my date with a doctor.

“Why can’t I come with you?” Everly asked me eating her chicken bites that I had made for her in the oven.

Slipping on my tenna shoes I was standing in my bedroom with the door open so we could still talk. “Because where mommy is going tonight isn't a place for kids. Don't worry we will spend the whole day together tomorrow to make up for it.” I told my young child looking at myself in the mirror. I hadn’t been on a date in forever.

“I'll get it!” The doorbell rang with Everly opening it revealing Caroline who closed it behind her.

She sat her bag down searching for me. “Y/n, I want to see your outfit before the date tonight!”

“Does this look too simple? It feels too simple but we're just supposed to go out for drinks. I mean it isn't helping this is my first date since I had Eve basically but-” I was cut off with my best friend raising a hand.

She eyed my outfit, which was some ripped blue jeans and a light orange lace shirt that was short sleeved. I left my hair down where I had curled the ends of it to look slightly cuter. “You look cute and he clearly found you attractive in your work uniform so you shouldn’t have to worry.”

“Okay I’ll choose to believe you.” I smiled, calling my daughter over. “Everly!”

She ran over to me when I lowered myself down to a knee hugging her before I left for the evening. “Promise me that you will be super good for Caroline while I am gone.” She looped her pinky with mine and I did the same making our promise. The bar that we were meeting at was near my apartment building so I could just walk down there. Walking down a few different streets I entered the bar seeing Mark sitting at one of the bar tables.

“There’s my feisty coffee girl.” Mark smirked when I sat down on the barstool across from him sitting my bag on the edge of the table. His eyes scanned over me not dropping the smirk. “You look cuter than you did in your work uniform.”

I blushed, snorting out a laugh. “I would hope so, Dr. Sloan.”

“Dr. Sloan, you don’t gotta call me that when we aren’t in the hospital. We’re on a first name basis aren’t we?” Mark smiled with a waitress bringing over two shots of tequila.

Picking up the glass I corrected my last statement. “My bad, Mark. But if we’re on a first name basis, call me Y/n.” We both raised our shot glasses and downed the drink yet I scrunch my nose at the bitter taste not used to doing strong alcohol.

“You okay, Y/n?” Mark asked, seeing the reaction on my face.

Covering my face with my freehand sitting my glass down on the table. When I got pregnant with Eve I didn’t have my first real drink until the day she went to elementary school. “Sorry tequila ain’t my thing.”

“We can go for something lighter. I ain’t picky especially if we can meet up again.” He met my gaze, waving the waiter over to get some different shots for us. We had done about four or five different shots just talking about his job and my job.

I wasn’t sure if I could tell him about my daughter yet. Most of the time when I did guys pretty much didn’t call me back after the date or just left during the date. If it was just me and Eve for a few more years I’d be somewhat okay with that. “You really want a second date. I didn’t think a simple coffee shop girl would impress a plastic surgeon.”

“You’re not a simple coffee girl, Y/n.” Mark sat his glass down reaching for my freehand laying on the table intertwining his with mine. “There’s something about you that interests me.”

I blurted out the question feeling embarrassed the second I said it. “You aren’t just saying that so I’ll sleep with you?”

“I’ll prove it.” He responded quickly back.

A curious look crossed my face. “How ya gonna do that?”

“While we keep going out I won’t sleep with anyone else. I won’t even mention it unless you want me too. Does that seem fair?” Mark squeezing my hand waiting for my response.

Squeezing his hand in mine I agreed to the offer not knowing what I was getting myself and my daughter at some point into. “Sounds like an interesting challenge. I accept it.” The night ended with him walking me back to my building and nothing more.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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cyberbeast99 · 2 months ago

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Wolf in the City: Part 1

"You're kidding me. NOTHING in the fridge?" I stare into the empty depths of my refrigerator with the realization that I'd eaten my way through two weeks worth of groceries in only nine days. That full-moon werewolf bingefest a few nights ago had really taken a toll on my provisions. My second transformation hadn't been as eventful as the first. I still hadn't worked up the courage to go into the woods and hunt, so I'd stayed at home, watching movies and consuming enough food to make Nikocado Avocado jealous. I sigh, knowing I have to bite the bullet and go grocery shopping today. "Welp, might as well just get it done." About an hour later, after showering, getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and calling an Uber, I'm pushing my cart through the local supermarket. The thousands of scents of fruits, vegetables, meat, and scores of people overload my olfactory senses. I ignore the produce aisle and beeline to my new favourite area of the store, and soon enough my cart is loaded with a vegan's worst nightmare. I'm pretty much buying an entire butcher shop here: a few steaks, a roast, pork chops, a package each of chicken breasts, ground beef, bacon, and sausage. It's a no-brainer that I've become a bit of a carnivore. I move up and down the aisles, picking up more items: a jug of pulp-free orange juice, a box of frozen chicken nuggets, a few bags of Doritos, a dozen eggs, and a frozen cheesecake. I'm getting a few stares from other customers, but they're because of my spiky red Mohawk and my vintage leather jacket. I've heard of other therians having meltdowns in this grocery store due to attracting too much attention but I'm not too worried. The only way people could possibly tell that I'm not human is by noticing my yellow eyes or my pointy ears. I'm making my way towards checkout when CLANG! My ears explode with noise. I whip my head around and see a little boy, probably about eight years old, pull a shopping cart back from the wall, back up to the other end of the aisle, then charge his cart directly into the wall. CLANG! I clap my hands over my ears. It's so incredibly painful it draws tears from my eyes. The noise is probably just an annoyance to the other shoppers, but with my superhuman hearing, it's torture. The pain is so much that I don't notice the itching begin to spread across my body. My ears are still ringing when the little brat slams the cart into the wall again. CLANG! I feel a hand tap me on the shoulder. A woman asks "Are you alright-" I snap my head around and growl at her. She retreats. Where the hell did that come from, a small part of my brain wonders. But the rest of my brain is too preoccupied with the pain to answer that question. A pain that has begun to spread throughout my entire body. CLANG! I drop like a sack of potatoes and begin to writhe on the ground. "Call 911, he's having a seizure!" a man shouts. The screams start as the fur sprouts and my face twists into a canine snout. Bones crack. My clawed paws rip through my shoes. My mind is screaming at me in complete shock and panic. This isn't supposed to happen! The clanging stops. The world becomes silent, save for the dozens of thudding heartbeats and panicky breaths. The air is redolent with the stench of fear, a hundred times stronger than when I smelled it from Candy. I open my eyes as the pain fades. And glance around at the horror I've wrought. Everyone in the store is crowded together in a ring around me, though nobody's close than two meters. Their faces show various expressions of shock, terror, and fear. Half a dozen people have their phones out, recording the sorry scene. The little brat who caused all this is sobbing into his mother's shirt. She looks at me with absolute horror. Every muscle in my body activates at once as the panicked animal in me takes control. I leap to my feet and start to run. On all fours. And I don't stop. The crowd parts before me like the Red Sea. The automatic doors slide open. And then there's just the wind rushing through my fur, the thud of my paws on the pavement, and the tears rushing out my eyes.

#animal hrt #artists on tumblr #therian #werewolf #werewolf hrt #artwork #therian hrt #alterhuman

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re-velogs · 11 days ago

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btw speaking of periods. here's a couple tips if nobody's told you — and these r just my personal experience of what worked for me, so take with a grain of salt! also just to say it from the jump i hope at least some of this could help a trans woman experiencing periods <3

Caffeine can help with cramps & (some) headaches. Even if it doesn't help you feel more awake or affect you in the typical way for whatever reason, it still helps with the cramps! If you don't like caffeinated beverages, midol or excedrin are both painkiller brands (acetimenophen i believe in both) that have caffeine in the pills as well, so you can take those to help without having to drink coffee or tea etc.

Heating pads or an electric blanket will change your life, but they can be expensive. You can make your own microwaveable heating pad with thick fabric and dried beans for much cheaper, just look up a diy guide to make sure you don't blow up your kitchen in a beancident (tone tag: silly!! very unlikely you can explode your kitchen, but you should still handle it carefully and not microwave it too long). If you don't want to or can't buy a heating pad/hot water bottle/make a heat plush, you can buy those little handwarmer bags at convenience stores (especially in the colder months). They're air activated and not all too expensive and last a while. I would take two or three and put them in a pillowcase and fold it up so i could lay it on my stomach like a heating pad without it directly touching my skin - since that can burn you.

Even if you don't experience bleeding, i would still recommend drinking a lot of water especially if you're like me and can barely get through a 16oz water bottle over two days (i'm working on it shh). It just is really good for you & again, can help with cramps, headaches, fatigue, and tbh even emotional symptoms.

You may not feel like eating anything when ur on ur period and i get it, i really do, but u gotta eat still bc it will make it all so much worse if you're on ur period AND hangry. that said, if you have any food sensitivities i would take extra care to avoid them during ur period bc you don't need to feel bloated and sick from your period And from eating lunch. it's horrid & i would sometimes end up playing myself like this right before a 6-8 hour shift on my feet and talking the whole day (i'm a teacher so i also would have to be explaining things and yknow, teaching without collapsing face first bc stomach ache).

As far as food goes, here's what worked for me: eating the same amount of food i normally do, but instead of 3 big meals and a snack or two (eating every 4 hours or so) i'd take my food amount and spread it out to turn it into a kind of constant nibbling the whole day (so finishing eating something every hour or two). i have stomach issues as-is so this helped prevent nausea and bloating, and also helped my energy stay consistent especially if i mixed it with drinking a lot of water and juice. personally it might be worth it to avoid super heavy/dense foods and invest in easy to make and simpler foods. like, protein bars, fruit strips, fresh fruit (apple slices and peanut butter <3) and veggies (carrots glazed in honey or roasted brussel sprouts are more delicious and easier to make than you think!). also, as much as you can, listen to what your body wants to eat. if ur craving chocolate, eat that. bc it's better to eat and feel good abt what you're eating than either not eating or feeling worse than you already do by forcing urself to eat stuff you don't want.

Last thing about food sorry it's just that eating is so important: If you have a good idea of when you get your period or when the worst symptoms are, try meal prepping the week before. nothing huge and complicated. you can straight up just make like six PB&Js and keep em in the fridge. if you have the energy to cook something you can have as leftovers, awesome! (one of my go to meals was boiling frozen pork & leek dumplings in chicken broth i made from store bought concentrate. took like 15 mins and i could sit by the warm stove and just watch it cook and then pour it in a thermos and then go lay face down somewhere. and it had salt, protein, carbs, veggie, just a great meal. and it being hot helped with cramps plus it was super light on my stomach!!)

Hate to say it but exercise helped so much with making periods manageable. If you can, try taking a 15 min walk each day. at the very least do some stretches within ur ability and comfort to help with general joint pain and keeping your body from feeling "creaky".

I love u please take care of yourself 🤍

#txt #long post #ok2rb if u want #since im never having a period again. might as well share my knowledge whilst i remember it...

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amenders93 · 1 year ago

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5 Weeks till Chicken Run 2!!

When two people are in a relationship (platonic or romantic), sometimes one of them never really knows how much the other truly cares about them unless they do something that shows it. Sometimes they can do an act that touches their heart and tugs at their strings. Other times, they can do a daring deed that may put their life in danger but in the end all is well. That's why for this week's post, we are going to review one of the most action-packed scenes from the movie - the pie machine rescue. When Ginger is taken for a test run for the Tweedys' new pie machine, Rocky is given the task to rescue her. Will he succeed or will he and Ginger be turned into chicken pies?

Let's pick up from when Mr. Tweedy snatches Ginger to test run the new machine he just put together for his wife. The other chickens see that their trusted leader is being taken to the barn and while the hens all start to panic, Fowler tries to take charge of this situation. Unfortunately, his commands are fallen onto deaf ears. That's when Rocky comes out of the hut and asks about the situation. Babs tells him that the farmers got Ginger and they're taking her to the chop. If only she knew where Ginger is really being taken to - and that it's much worse than the chop. Rocky is standing there all frozen, horrified to learn that the hen he's starting to care about is now meeting her doom.

Fowler insists that Rocky flies over to the barn and save Ginger. The younger rooster thinks fast and says that him flying into the barn is just what the Tweedys would expect and instead they give the enemy the old element of surprise, and the older rooster buys into it, still talking about the Germans as if WW2 had never ended. Fowler asks what his plan is and Rocky simply improvises by using a small coat hanger from Babs's knitting bag and having Bunty lift him up a telephone pole with an electrical cable that runs into the upper loft window of the barn. He hooks the coat hanger onto the wire and slides down toward the open barn window, screaming all the way down. He might have been hoping he looked heroic, but actually he looked completely terrified.

Landing in the hay loft, Rocky gets a closer look at what is making the engine sounds. At first he is surprised by the size of the pie machine in the barn but then his amazed surprise turns to shocked surprise to see Mr. Tweedy clamp Ginger's feet into ankle holders on an overhead conveyor belt. The farmer pushes a couple of levers and the belt starts moving Ginger toward the big opening in the machine. The Tweedys now move around to the side of the machine where the pies would come out so they're completely unaware of what happens now.

Ginger struggles ineffectually against her ankle clamps. Up ahead, she could see that the clamps released over a large chute that led to who-knows-where. This was a situation she couldn't think her way out of, or even will her way out of. For the first time, maybe in her whole life, she was totally helpless. But never fear because Rocky pops up behind her. Ginger had never dreamed she would be so happy to see him in her life. The rooster at first tries to run on the slick surface of the conveyor belt but his feet are churning madly. More than anything he'd ever done, he wanted to get to Ginger and save her. Beneath her tough exterior, Rocky had a feeling she liked him. He fights the conveyor belt and gets his legs to work, running towards the hen. He makes a leap for her, but was about a few seconds late. The ankle clamps releases Ginger and she falls down the chute. She was gone from his grasp. Our dashing rooster makes an inadvertent pun as he looks down at her from the top of the chute.

As Rocky looked down to where Ginger had fallen and hears her helplessly screaming his name, he was unaware that he was standing on a lever. Since he didn't know he was standing on it, he also didn't know that it was moving downward under his weight. When it reached its lowest point, it turned on an indicator light that was labeled Veg Feed. A trough of mixed vegetables poured down on Rocky's head, sending him hurtling down the chute too. As he slides down the chute, ahead he sees a sign that said Veg where the mixed vegetables go but just before he arrived, it flipped over and now it says Meat. Still zooming downward, Rocky was diverted down another chute that sent him toward a set of rotating saw blades. At the last second he notices a pole he could reach and grabs onto it. He dangles over the blades for a few seconds, then the pole dips down a tad and he slides down, plummeting down a dark shaft. Down below, he could see that in the depths of the machine was a labyrinth of conveyor belts going in all directions with huge, noisy stampers, rollers and pushers going the whole time.

Rocky lands in a big clump of dough that was chugging along on a conveyor belt. And to his surprise and relief, there was Ginger chugging along as well with her feet stuck in dough too. Rocky and Ginger may be together again but right now having their feet stuck in dough is the least of their worries. They hear another menacing roar and look behind them to see a giant roller, rounding around the corner and coming down the conveyor belt toward them. It was clear to see that as it rumbles toward them, it flattens all the clumps of dough. In a second, it would flatten them too! They struggle mightily to get out of their dough balls but are far too mucked up in it so Rocky hops over to Ginger with the dough attached to his feet. He sees a chain swinging over the conveyor belt; he grabs Ginger's hand and grabs hold of the chain, pulling them both out of their dough balls and out of the way of the dough-roller.

When they reach an opening above the roller, a large pole knocks them off the chain and they plop down face-first onto a flattened blob of dough. They quickly recover from their fall when Ginger notices a giant pie crust cutter coming toward them. Rocky and Ginger quickly get out of the way in time as the cutter comes down around them, holding onto each other in the process. They notice this little detail as they look at each other when the cutter goes back up. But then they are then swept up in a pie tin that is then moved onto yet another conveyor belt. Both are scared but at least they're going through it together. Rocky places his arm on Ginger's arm to comfort her through their scary ordeal.

Up head they see a giant gravy dispenser, squirting scolding hot gravy into the tins in front of them. Then diced mixed vegetables come raining down on them. Rocky and Ginger are now stuck in a chicken pie tin being covered in diced up carrots, potatoes, peas and celery and about to be smothered in gravy. Rocky digs through the vegetables to find something to help them as Ginger keeps looking at the dispenser in fear. Soon the clever rooster grabs a whole carrot and, wielding it like an orange lance, shoves it right smack into the hot snout of the gravy blaster. The carrot plug holds; Rocky and Ginger high-five each other on their narrow escape from this ordeal. But just then, a presser comes down on them, covering them up with a layer of pastry.

A pusher then slides the Rocky-and-Ginger pie into a large room filled with other pies. This particular pie has two bulges moving around in it until the rooster and hen pop out of it, breathing some fresh air and a sigh of relief, but also feeling a little bit of heat. Rocky comments that it feels like an oven in the room they were in, but Ginger notices something he doesn't at the time. She taps his arm to alert him and that's when he finally takes notice. The room feels like an oven because it IS an oven. Rocky and Ginger watch terrified as blue lights begin to light all around them, shooting out of the floor. Then they see a large, heavy door at the front of the room start to close. With no time to lose, Ginger races toward the door with Rocky right behind her.

Rocky is following Ginger towards the door until he falls into a pie. He tries to keep up with her, he really was, but just keeps on falling into more pies and getting covered with more gravy. All the while, Ginger is still running towards the door not realizing that Rocky's ordeal. She slides through the space beneath the lowering door and looks back to see her friend falling into nearly every pie in the oven. First Rocky has rescued Ginger a few times in the machine. Now she has to rescue him. Talk about teamwork. Ginger grabs a wrench and sticks it in the door to hold it open, then races back inside, pulls Rocky out of the pie he was mucked up in and rushes him toward the door. And she knows she has to do it quickly too because the door was now bending the wrench. Soon the wrench shoots out and lands into nearby gear works, and the door starts to close again. Rocky and Ginger then slide through just in the nick of time; Ginger did have to save her beloved beanie hat before the door closed though.

Ginger places her hat back on her head and Rocky uses a rag to wipe the gravy off his face so he could see again. At least they're finally out of danger. However, Ginger then feels a drop of gravy fall on her head and one on her hand. She and Rocky look up to see the gravy dispenser still with the carrot stuck in the spout, shaking vigorously and dripping gravy. The chickens looked around the machine as it started to ground and groan. Rocky yells to Ginger that the machine is going to blow and that it's time to run. As they start to make their getaway, one of the gear works shoots out a screw and falls down on the gravy dispenser. The dispenser spits out the carrot which shoots past the fleeing Rocky and Ginger and knocks out six enormous cogs from their spot.

The terrified chickens make it to another chute just before the cogs could either come crashing down on them or block their escape. The cogs begin the clatter down the chute after Rocky and Ginger who were now running for their lives as fast as their feet could carry them. Kind of reminds you of the boulder scene from Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, doesn't it? All around them sharp gears are shooting out and getting stuck into the walls. Up ahead they see an opening that leads to a chasm of bigger gears. Rocky uses one of his hands to grab Ginger's hand and they make a leap the rooster grabs hold with his other hand. Screaming their heads off, the chickens swing over the chasm and towards a vent where they are then flown up and out of the machine. They then land on top of a pie box rolling down a line which comes to an abrupt halt.

Rocky and Ginger can finally relax now that their scary ordeal is finally over; they were finally out of the horrible machinery. They breath a sigh of relief with Ginger lying on top of Rocky. At once, Ginger looks up and screams again, moving out of the way just as a giant press comes down from overhead and stamps a label onto Rocky's chest. The hen's face of terror gets even worse when she reads the label on the rooster's chest; she peels it off and he yells out in pain. Ouch, that's got to hurt! Ginger tells Rocky they've got to warn the other chickens of this horrible realization and they run out of the barn, completely unnoticed by the Tweedys who are far too preoccupied with their pie machine going on their fritz.

We're going to stop right there because what comes after this daring rescue is important for next week's post. Anyway last week's post has shown that Rocky and Ginger are starting to like each other. Some might even say there's a hint of attraction between them. However you never really know how much someone cares about you unless they do something to show it like doing a kind and heartfelt act or even a brave and daring deed. In this case, Rocky went in to rescue Ginger from the pie machine even though he was in danger himself. He may have been scared but he swallowed his fear to rescue his damsel in distress. After their dance and her apology, Rocky was starting to truly care about Ginger. The rooster even had a feeling that the hen was starting to care about him after seeing him cheer up her friends and their dance together as well. In this case, it's true; Ginger does care about Rocky because when he needed rescuing himself, she came to his aid. This whole action-packed scene showed just how much they do care about each other. When one needed saving, the other is there to lend a helping hand even if it meant putting themselves in danger in the process.

Anyway this is my eighth weekly Rocky/Ginger moment post commemorating the upcoming sequel to Chicken Run. I hope you enjoyed this post. There will be 4 other posts about the first film coming up in the future as well as one monthly post about the sequel. Waiting for this long-awaited sequel may not be easy but these posts are making it easier as the release date draws nearer.

#chicken run #chicken run 2 #chicken run dawn of the nugget #dawn of the nugget #ginger and rocky #rocky and ginger #rocky #ginger #countdown

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rinwellisathing · 6 months ago

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It's A Thankless Job: Part 11

Sentry leaned in, controller gripped tighly in his hand as the characters on screen fought, gritting his teeth as his thumbs moved over the buttons rapidly, Orin beside him, leaning back and biting her lip as the teen focused on her own character. Finally, the masked man on screen posed in a close up, frigid axes forming in his hands and a bloody finish saw the woman he was fighting decapitated, head frozen and then shattered. “FATALITY. SUB-ZERO WINS.” The game announced. On the screen, the masked Tiefling posed in victory. Sentry grinned and set down his controller. “Hey, don't take it too personally, I heard your deliveries are going pretty well.” “The sniveling meat-prey try to cheat us so often, slaughter-kin. But I don't mind it. My blade stays blood-slick with the squirming insides for every time they fail to pay.” Orin replied with a deranged smile.

Sentry nodded. “Well, good for you. I like the way your kills send a message, it's dramatic, it's jarring. I think it really scares people and that's what we need right now.” He clapped his little sister on the shoulder with a grin. “Tell you what, you can have your pick of any of the heads I've got in the downstairs freezer for your next art project.” The teen beamed and nodded her head. “Thank you, Slaughter-kin!” She scrambled to her feet and hurried from the room, long hair swaying behind her. “Well, enough of me being the world's best big brother, time to check in on the family and head out for the night.” Sentry yawned and stretched as he slowly rose to his feet and pulled his boots from their place beside the bed.

Sarevok was, as usual, notably absent from assignments. Sentry smirked when he entered the kitchen and noticed, of course the old man was pissed that Sentry was calling the shots now and likely even moreso that his dalliances with Gortash were giving the family more work than ever. The rest of the family, however, seemed as though they couldn't be happier.

Tomi sat finishing a perfectly portioned bowl of brown rice, chicken, and veggies, her phone open in front of her with a news story on the recent rash of murders pulled up. She was dressed in a chic white blouse and tasteful black slacks, her hair pulled into a bun and a beautifully fitted black jacket draped over the chair behind her. Sentry could already guess she was doing press work tonight. Orin was still in her red gym shorts and tanktop, a plate of pizza bagels in her hand, the sauce staining her mouth like a recent kill. Sentry decided to let his sister be creative tonight. He was curious what she would choose to do to find victims if she wasn't bound by lists and duty rosters. “Are you ever going to cook half the meat in the freezer chests?” Jackal frowned as he watched Sentry enter the room. “Some of us need to store non-humanoid kills, you know...some of us just want to eat some good venison...like normal people.”

“You exclusively target women, Jackal, that's not normal.” Sentry replied flatly, ignoring the question as he pulled a container of cold leftover takeout from the fridge and began to eat. “More normal than cannibalism. Father doesn't say nothin' about having to eat your kills.” Jackal shuddered. “It's fuckin' nasty.” “Actually, it's delicious, but then again I wouldn't expect someone who buys grocery store pre-mades to understand that.” Sentry rolled his eyes. “Anyway, you're at the pier tonight, try and diversify your portfolio a little.”

The drow glared, but turned and left the room to head to his station, muttering under his breath the entire way as he snagged his shabby, weatherbeaten coat from the hook by the door.

“Orin, you've got a free night, obviously we still expect at least three corpses, but you can get them anyway you want as long as they're fresh. Show me what you've got, kid.” Sentry grinned and pointed to his little sister. “So many possibilities...the little prey-beasts skittering about....What mischief can I make?” She smirked. “And, Tomi, obviously you know what you're doing so I'll leave you to that...now, Gabraela, I need you on call for Orin, Jackal, and I. Depending on what each of us are dealing with, we may need some muscle. Try and stick to the park so you've got that equal distance between the upper and lower city...And with all of the assigning done...” Sentry gave an exaggerated bow. “I'll be on my way.”

– Sentry decided to stop by Sharess' Caress to see if Wysp had some free time to plan. As he approached, a short young man ran up beside him, an unctuous grin plastered across his face. “Ah, Mr. Ojeda! I was hoping to talk to you about the try out...” He spoke up hopefully. “It's not a try out, Dolor, it's an initiation test and you continue to be unimpressive.” Sentry sighed, trying to brush past only for the dwarf to cut him off, stepping into his path.

“But I've got some exciting new ideas! Poisons, um...tinctures! Things to make for a very interesting ritual...the element of surprise as well!” He continued eagerly. Sentry gritted his teeth. This idiot spouting cult secrets out on the street, he didn't have time for this. “Listen up, you B-list Bhaalist: My answer is no. Take it up with the tribunal if you want to be one of us so bad...Oh, wait, you've never gotten far enough to impress them. Go figure.” The tiefling shoved past, leaving the young man looking stunned. “Ffion, you are a fucking saint for putting up with that kid.” He muttered under his breath, looking up at the window of the Elminster's Library room and shaking his head as he made his way inside.

Wysp was on stage currently, playing his lute dressed in a shimmering near-translucent button down in deep navy blue patterned in sparkling silver stars. Near the front of the stage, a blue dragonborn woman danced sensually, decorated only in silver jewelry. Sentry guessed Wysp wasn't going to be free an time soon from the size of the crowd, but he sat back to watch for a bit, leaning back in his seat as he reached into the pocket of his hoodie to fish out his wallet. The least he could do was tip his friend since he'd tried to visit him during work. --- “Did you hear about the owner of Sorcerous Sundries?” “They said he was murdered taking the trash to the dumpsters, I thought that shop was in a safe part of town?”

“Well, all the more reason Gortash has my vote. These criminals are getting far too comfortable coming into respectable neighborhoods.” Jaina froze as she overheard the whispered conversation from the quiet study area as she carried books for reshelving. Her brow furrowed as she itched to ask them why it only mattered in 'nice' neighborhoods. She was biting her tongue to keep from saying something, but she knew by now to keep her head down, mind her business, work to make things better behind the scenes. It did no good to get angry and get in trouble. She began to replace the books, covertly still listening to the patrons speak. Her hand moved over the spine of a book as she heard the words 'cult' and 'Bhaalist' enter the conversation. Her eyes fell to the title. “Regarding The Slayer”. Looking around carefully, she slipped the book into her sweater and continued reshelving quietly. With those duties completed, she returned her cart to the front desk and began to thumb through the most recent newspapers the library had received for the archive. One of the latest ones had an image splashed across page one with a blood red symbol splattered across the pavement of an alleyway, emergency services removing a body covered in a white sheet. The symbol was Bhaalist for sure, Jaina recognized it from her lessons on other faiths back in her days growing up on the island and accompanying her mother to the shrine of Umberlee near the shore. But what caught her eye more than that was a familiar face. Blurry and cast off to the side, but a young male Tiefling she vaguely recognized was talking to The Fist in the photo and as her eyes lowered to the article itself, she recognized his name as well. Rolan. Her friend's brother. Lia had joked about him all the time when they'd been in school together when Jaina had first moved to the mainland. She slid her phone out of her pocket and opened a message with Lia.

You: Hey, I just read about your brother's boss. Is Rolan okay? Lia: He'd never admit it, but he's a bit shaken up. Still, he's in charge of the shop now and his boss' will left everything to basically whoever his apprentice was at the time...Seems weird, but I'm happy for Rolan. You: Well, silver linings and all that. A storm at sea washes up the prettiest shells. Lia: Lol I guess so. Though I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with the ego trip once it really sinks in he's in charge of all those important wizard things or whatever is in the living quarters above the store.

You: I know this is kind of a messed up question, but do you think he'd be willing to talk about what happened?” Lia: He won't even really tell me and Cal, it's just the same thing over and over. 'I was stocking the shelves, I heard screaming outside, I got scared and hid.'

You: That's fair. Sorry to ask. Anyway, we should get drinks some time. Let me know when you're free! Lia: Oh, are you buying now that your husband is a big shot politician? You: Lol, we'll see. Lia: Joking, obviously. Jaina placed her phone back in her pocket and continued to examine the news story, determined to find something, anything, more than what it seemed to be. She was getting one of her bad feelings about this and usually she knew them to be correct.

---- The posh town house where the party was being held had a surprisingly cozy feeling inside. A fire crackled merrily in an old fashioned stone hearth, in front of which was curled a long furred Tressym, resting peacefully in the warmth. Book cases seemed to line every wall and the tasteful mahogany furniture gave the entire place a studious feel to it. Wyll thanked the smiling blonde Githyanki woman as she took his coat and welcomed him into the home she shared with her fiance, commenting how nice it was that Kroger was getting out there and meeting people finally. Kroger winced awkwardly at the way his sister spoke about the whole situation, looking like he'd very much like to sink into the floor. “Well, if you two need anything just let me know. I have to go rescue Gale from some very boring colleagues!” She beamed, blue eyes shimmering in the dim lights. “Thanks, Octavia...We'll let you know.” Kroger forced an awkward grin as his sister hurried off, collecting a glass of white wine from a nearby refreshment table on her way. “It seems like she's really happy here, and with her partner.” Wyll commented. Kroger gave a small chuckle and smiled a bit more genuinely now. “Well, believe it or not, for a scholar, Octavia has always been the most outgoing of the three of us. Our sister Lae'zel can be a bit abrasive, and I've always done best in small groups.”

“Honestly I'm surprised, you were very good at that assembly.” Wyll recalled as the two of them entered the main room, mingling with the other guests, most of whom seemed to be wizards and other academic types. He smiled that charming, winning smile. Warm and genuine, not at all a politician's smile, and inclined his head or waved politely when someone recognized him.

“That's work, I pride myself on professionalism.” Kroger replied, subconsciously dipping slightly behind Wyll as they walked, lowering his head a bit. Wyll caught on to his discomfort and gently took his hand, squeezing it lightly. “Jaina's the same way, so I get it. But I'll tell you what I told her: I think if you let people get to know you, you'd find they really like you. Not just the things you know or what you do for a living.” Wyll explained gently. “Heh...I'm afraid I'm really quite boring when you get right down to it.” Kroger brushed off the comment. “A...Anyway, over there.” He nodded in the direction of a man with greying brown hair dressed in a sensible aubergine sweatervest over a lighter purple button down. “That's Professor Dekarios, my sister's fiance. He's very well known and important in his field, with his support I think you'd corner the academic vote.” Wyll looked in the direction Kroger had nodded and assessed the man before him. He noticed that the man seemed enthusiastic about whatever topic he was discussing, but his guests seemed to be listening only out of politeness or a desire to cozy up to him. Further, Wyll could tell the subject had something to do with Kroger's sister from how the man beamed with pride and squeezed her shoulders happily as he spoke. As he made his way closer, he picked up the word 'published'. “Is your sister a writer?” Wyll asked, looking curiously at Kroger. “Sort of. She's a researcher technically, she's been compiling information on various Istik cultures since we were children and she recently attracted a fairly popular publishing company to invest. It's called 'The Practical Githyanki's Guide To Faerun'...The title was much longer, but Lae'zel and I talked her down to just that.” Kroger explained. “It's actually very informative and her field diagrams are quite charming.” “I see. Well, it's wonderful she's found someone so enthusiastic about her work. I think I should go over and congratulate her.” Wyll smiled as he approached the group, not speaking just yet, but listening as Professor Dekarios raved about his fiancee's writing. He noted a grateful smile from Octavia as she saw that he and Kroger were actually showing interest in what Gale had to say rather than treating listening to him as part of a job.

“--The chapter where she discusses the culture of Siren's Cove is really just fascinating, it's a place I think a lot of people haven't had a chance to visit and the culture and customs are fascinating.” He was saying, his expression vividly exuding genuine excitement.

“Siren's Cove? Sorry to interrupt, it's just that my wife is from that island.” Wyll cut in with interest. “Right! That's why she was so familiar when I saw her at Kroger's clinic! Her parents were some of the people I talked to when I was doing my research there! Thalassia...I should have recognized the name.” Octavia smiled. “I hope she's doing well.” “She is. Much better. I'll be sure and tell her about your book, it sounds like she would love it.” Wyll smiled. “Ah, your wife is an avid reader then?” Gale asked, he seemed eager to talk to someone actually interested in conversing with him as opposed to pretending to listen and nodding politely. “Books are her life. She's a librarian after all.” Wyll replied. “I think your collection is the only one I've seen that rivals hers. She would be beside herself in this place.” He imagined the excitement on Jaina's face if she could have a home like this, two floors and wall to wall with books instead of just the apartment. There was another incentive to win, with that kind of money he could give her that.

“Well your family should join us for dinner some night! It's been ages since I've had a chance to cook for a group...this whole thing is catered, you know.” Gale offered, voice brimming with excitement. Wyll got the feeling that being well respected wasn't the same has having a lot of genuine friends and he immediately empathized with this guy. He reminded him of Jaina in many ways. “I'd like that, and I think she would too.” Wyll smiled. “Oh, and of course you've invited as well, Kroger! And Karlach!” Octavia beamed. “Yes, the more the merrier!” Gale agreed.

Wyll smiled, nodding his head. “It's set, then! Just let me know when.” Tonight had gone well, he thought to himself. He'd made a real connection, better than simply hob nobbing with a voter bracket, he seemed to have made a friend, and that was something far more valuable by his estimation in every sense of the word.

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devil-doll13 · 1 year ago

Text

Summer Breeze

Ciarán x cottagecore!Reader

Tw: mostly Fluff and a lil bit of Smut at the end, mostly a collection of drabbles rather than a connected story, this is mostly just an excuse for me to ✨simp✨ for Ciarán so there isn’t much of an actual plot lol enjoy

Based off of this post I did a month ago or so

Word Count: 4078

Summary: While minding your own business in the cottage you’ve inherited from a relative, you catch the eye of an ancient, mysterious being…

Dividers by firefly-graphics

Life certainly doesn’t get any better than this.

The sun is shining, bright and cheerful, as you dander up the road towards your modest home. You can’t grow strawberries in this temperate climate, but you can certainly buy them; it’s only about a 15 minute walk from the village and back.

That’s not so bad, you think, admiring the Irish countryside that surrounds you. Verdant green, rolling hills, filled with fluffy sheep and lazy brown cows. You hear the telltale clip-clop of hooves behind you and turn around to see a ruddy-faced, smiley rider on a dappled stallion. You wave at them, grinning back, and you are allowed to pat their horse’s nose. He eagerly snuffles into your hand, searching for treats, nudging you as you giggle.

Once you’re back at the cottage, you clasp shut the white gate behind you and make a beeline to your kitchen, sweeping off your hat and depositing your groceries on the counter. It’s overflowing with jam jars and fruit bowls, a veritable cornucopia. Once you’re done putting away the food, you pad shoeless into the cozy living room and enjoy the sensation of the furry rug beneath your feet. This room is packed wall-to-wall with old, retro armchairs and your blanketed sofa, and crammed in between them is your sole, lonesome bookshelf. A small television sits off in the corner, a relic from decades past.

The Summer afternoon glows sweet and yellow through your windows, melting into your floral wallpaper like honey. It’s dinnertime by now, for both you and your feathered friends; you step out of your back door and cheerfully greet your chickens outside, watching your girls strutting and clucking as you scatter feed on the ground.

“Now, Bertha… Let Milly have some. You need to share!” You scold. Bertha has been hogging the feed again, believing her size and status to be superior.

After you eat, you crack open the book you’ve been putting off reading and curl up on your pillows. You feel good today. It’s peaceful here, not like the frenzied bustle of the city or the social competition of the suburbs, where all your nosy neighbours are desperate to spy on you. You’re grateful that your relative decided to leave you this place in their will instead of someone else in the family.

Outside, you hear the clip-clop of hooves again, thudding on the grass in a canter.

“It’s so late…” You yawn. “Who could be up riding at this hour?”

Stretching, you wander over to your curtains, peering out at the moonlit night. Silver fog has swallowed up the mountains, hanging over the lands like a dewy wedding veil. You blame the way it appears to shimmer on your drowsy sleepless state. Things always seem strange here late at night, and in the back of your mind you remember the myths and fairytales you were told as a child. It’s as if there’s an ancient magic here, untouched by the rapacious grip of human civilisation.

Then you see him. At first, you do not believe your own eyes; but this sight cannot be blinked away. In the quiet, blooming meadows, silent and as if in awe, stands a figure on a strong, black horse. The glimmer of the mist conceals his upper body, but you still can see his sharp, pointed sabatons resting in the stirrups. This is no farmer.

It seems he senses your gaze, and he and his mount turn to face you. Your heart almost stops. For wonder or for terror, you do not know which. Only you are frozen, unable to move. It is only when he pulls back and gallops away into the night that your paralysis gives way, and the fog lifts too, revealing only the milky white flowers of the field, bathed in the moonlight. You gasp for air, feeling as if you’ve been doused with a bucket full of ice water. This brush with what you believe to be the Supernatural does not soon leave you, but engraves itself deep within your mind.

That night, you dream of him, still hidden by shimmering mist.

In the days that follow, you feel a presence follow you on your afternoon walks and your visits to the village. Curiously, you do not feel unnerved, but instead when you leave the local pub late at night, it seems an invisible aura of protection wards off all danger. In the most outlandishly wee hours of the morning, too, you hear the pounding of hooves and whinnies and snorts, and no longer do you fear that a fox in the night will gobble up your beloved chickens or that a burglar will invade your home for fear of crossing him.

You are now quite convinced that this mysterious entity has been watching over you, keeping you safe like some dark guardian angel. How you caught this being’s eye, you have no idea, but you know rightly not to take it for granted. You’ve been taught to respect these lands and all the creatures that still live within them. Often you leave a basket of sweet fruit and bread or homemade brownies outside your door, and in the morning you find in return a bunch of carefully arranged flowers or precious minerals left in its place. This alone confirms your theory, and you can’t help but feel positively giddy at the idea of befriending a fae. Any scepticism you once had is long gone.

Now unafraid of threats in the night, you embark on nightly wanderings across the foggy moors, hoping to catch a glimpse of him again. Your mind has begun to fabricate all sorts of strange tales and explanations for him being here; for why he favours you.

But you want the truth. And on one of these late night walks, you see him again.

You’re certain that if he didn’t want you to, he could’ve hidden himself from you forever. Now, he chooses to reveal himself. All the air leaves your lungs as you see him looming over you on his horse, and you now realise he lacks a head. A wispy blue light flickers on his neck, hissing like a furnace. Before you, the fog draws back like curtains on a stage play, and you are his speechless audience.

He dismounts, and you find yourself drawn towards him. You’ve heard of such a figure in folklore, but never could you have anticipated the true grandeur of his presence. Like some kind of mythic royalty, he exudes a kind of unearthly majesty. You can’t help but feel a little intimidated by him, even though you have been anticipating this meeting for weeks.

It strikes you then that all the offerings of food you’ve given to him were probably worthless. The way his mare nudges your hand tells you that she probably enjoyed your apples, though. You turn back to look at him. He’s watching you, and though he has no eyes, he beholds you with such an intensity that it makes you shy away from him.

“Who are you?” Your voice echoes into the dark. “Um… Could I know your name?” It is difficult not to feel meek, dwarfed by this otherworldly knight.

You don’t expect a verbal answer, and barely even hope for one at all. But soon he extends his black, gauntleted hand and in his palm you see a smooth, carved stone. You take it, lips twitching in amusement. He even gives you a small, polite bow. It’s like he’s giving you his business card.

“Thankyou.” You beam up at him and gladly tell him your own, and you are pleased to see the flame on his neck flare in response. You hope that means something good.

It surprises you that night how readily he is able to answer your questions, as if he’s been expecting all of them. Without words or expression, it requires some interpretation on your end, but you manage. The night grows late and you receive a first tentative horse riding lesson; though you spend much of it nervous and watchful of the great distance between you and the pitch black ground below. A steady arm winds around your stomach and holds you fast against a cool, solid metal cuirass. Now you start to allow tension to leave your body and trust in your companion. You feel in your heart that he would not let you fall or come to harm.

He returns you home far faster than you would’ve liked. You find that you enjoy being close to him, held fast by strong arms. It is this stubborn little thought that makes your face feel hot as he helps you back down. The cracks of dawn, softly orange and warm, are already peeking up from the horizon. You wonder in the back of your mind if this is why he must leave you now. Considering his sluggish movements, he seems as reluctant to part with you as you are.

“Goodbye!” You wave a farewell to him, and he draws up on his magnificent horse as she whinnies, galloping off into the darkness.

When you return to your cottage that night, you feel so sleepy you collapse on your sofa, dizzy.

After this encounter, it’s hard to believe that your life will go back to normal. Everything seems different now, cast in a new light.

You don’t go searching for him again right away, but you’re aware of his gloomy, stalwart presence shadowing you. You stop leaving him food, convinced he’ll find it useless; you’re eager to keep him interested, hoping that he’ll continue hovering curiously around you. This does not stop him from continuing to give gifts to you, something you find out one night you almost stumble over a bundle of oddly made spades on your way to your little garden; they feel so light and well-adjusted to your hands. When you discover them, you feel a sense of relief wash over you, and bashful glee. Not because you’re materialistic, but because you’re beginning to nurse what you thought were foolish hopes. To think that he might return your growing interest, that he sees you as more than simply a trifling amusement to waste his plentiful time on.

Those tools were exactly what you needed after all: you had just very recently broken your old spade.

To your delight, he grows progressively bolder, and one evening while you’re trying to pry Bertha off the others’ shares of chicken feed, you sight him lurking on the horizon, watching over you in the dimming light of the sundown. This encounter sends a happy thrill through you, and motivates you again to learn more about him. Either one of you needs to break the proverbial ice, and considering your mortal lifespan, you don’t want to sit around just waiting for him to do it.

Unfortunately, you don’t crack the code on the rock he’s given you for days. It takes some fair effort to translate, as well as several visits to the local library and several dives down internet rabbit holes, and even then you suspect he has tried his best to communicate with you. But this language was ancient, older than your most distant ancestors. You hold it in your hands and it thrums with power, pulsing like a heartbeat.

“Ciarán…” You murmur under the lamplight, studying the runes engraved in the stone. They are tiny, chicken scratch etchings that make your head hurt when you look at them; perhaps not entirely due to eye strain. “And… Gorm… Laith…” In your mind swim many forgotten Irish pronunciation lessons, and it takes another google search for you to feel confident enough to address him by his name the next time you meet.

“That’s your name, right? That’s what you were trying to tell me?” You ask him. Again, he looms over you, his armoured figure almost melting into the darkness.

The icy glow of his neck-fire morphs and spits in what you hope is happiness, because you’re actually quite nervous about messing this up in front of him.

“Oh, that’s good…” You sigh, relieved.

That night you acquaint yourself a little more with him, and the next evening he takes you out for another ride. This time not due to necessity, but for leisure. You trot up mountains and through shaded trees of woods, and he reveals to you hidden glades shimmering in moonlight, crowned with mushroom rings.

This is how you begin your friendship with him, though in your heart, you know you want more.

You are quick to welcome him into your home, and in the darker evenings he makes a habit of keeping vigil quietly as you cook dinner (if only for yourself) and fold laundry. You often find yourself rambling to him about your day. It’s very easy to slip into revealing so much about your personal life to him, because he is so stoic and unbothered. You are certain you could mention to him off-hand that you’ve murdered someone and he wouldn’t bat an eyelash. Not that he has them.

Ciarán is a man of scant words, of course. He will stand quite upright, unmoving, for hours on end for you. It is for this reason that you are shocked when he strides across your tiny living room and picks out a book from your dusty, neglected shelf.

“Oh… Yeah, I never actually finished that.” You say.

You have always felt slightly guilty for this, and wonder now if you should give it another try. He cracks it open and presents it to you, gesturing in his elegant way.

“You want me to read it to you?”

By now, you’re well used to interpreting him. He hisses in what you assume to be a ‘yes’ and you shrug your shoulders. You’re a little bewildered, but he crams himself into an armchair that’s far too small for him and you start the book again. This time, it seems far more interesting, maybe because you’re hoping he enjoys it as well. To be honest, it may also be an excuse to keep him here for a while longer. He tends to insist you go to sleep when it’s late, and leaves you.

But it’s difficult not to feel drowsy sometimes, and you do nod off; only to find yourself waking up in bed, snuggly tucked into your cushions. You sit up, and he is nowhere to be seen.

One night, you decide to teach him to write in English.

He isn’t difficult to persuade. If anything, you begin to suspect that he has been trying to ask you to do this for a while, nudging blank sheets towards you and tracing a sharp talon over it. More than once he has poked a hole in the paper this way. You want to kick yourself for not realising this sooner, and lead him eagerly to your sofa to your cluttered mess of stationary and notebooks.

The sight of him holding a tiny pencil between his huge armoured fingers is comical to say the least. You notice that his handwriting is unusual, seemingly wanting to stray back into the esoteric runes and symbols that are more familiar to him. You teach him how to write your name and it becomes his favourite thing to scrawl on his paper, second only to ‘Gormlaith.’

For a while the only other words he can manage are “Hello,” and “Dear to me,” but his terse, broken notes to you grow gradually into more refined passages. Even with simple tools, you find he can construct quite meaningful sentences, rich with surprising emotion. He pens several letters to you, and you scour over them all, one by one, in hopes that you’ll understand him better.

One day you notice he treats one of these letters to you as being of great importance, and when you open it you are astounded to see it is a declaration of love. For you.

“I didn’t think you’d be interested in a human like me…” You stare at your feet, flustered.

For all your overthinking, you haven’t realised how clear his intentions have been all this time. Then, you hear the scratch of a pencil over paper, and he pushes it over to you. You shift and read it over:

“You’re more precious than you know.”

This makes your ears ring. Feeling bold, you bestow a kiss on the cold metal of his gauntlet, and hear a crisp hiss sounding in response. You allow yourself to lean against his chest and sigh, murmuring your acceptance.

From then on, there is an agreement between the two of you: you are his now.

One night you pack up for a picnic in the dark, and he humours you despite his inability to eat. He seems to enjoy your company regardless.

You’ve never known fireflies to live in Ireland, but you have the funny feeling that the tiny glowing orbs that welcome you aren’t lightning bugs. There’s a curious music in the air, like windchimes, and a warm Summer breeze rustles the grass around you. You choose a sheltered patch in the glade to lay down your tartan spread and basket. Gormlaith, still sporting a knitted blanket you had fashioned for her, trots over to a nearby river and laps at the water there, leaving you and Ciarán alone. He curls an arm around you and you lean into him, all cold, sharp metal and fire, but you have never felt so comfortable.

Something strange happens as you spread jam over a slice of bread, and your attention is drawn by your lover pointing off into the distance. You see it, then, a ghostly blue wisp hanging over the marshes shrouded with fog, and almost drop your sandwich. There are more behind and to the sides of you, glowing with ice. You realise they’re surrounding you both now, haunting the bog like death’s lanterns.

You should be used to this sort of thing by now, but to be able to confront it as a real, tangible phenomenon, and not simply the work of an overactive imagination, is always incredibly surreal.

“Is this your doing?” You stare at him accusingly, grinning. He makes no move to confirm it, so you turn back to watch the flowers sway, biting into your sandwich. He is never transparent, and you’d be lying if you said that didn’t bother you sometimes. Even after giving him the tools he needed to tell you all, he remains a great mystery to you.

There’s something wistful about him too, like an old soldier come back from war. You wonder if you’ll ever know him, truly.

Your staring is a little too obvious. He gently touches your cheek with his hand, a soft caress of gauntleted talons. The fire on his neck crackles richly, flaring like he’s admiring you. When you smile and lean into his touch, you see his chest swell proudly.

“Ciarán,” you start, “Could… Could I see you without the armour?”

It’s a loaded question, but you hope he won’t take offence to it. You’re not afraid of him, but you don’t want him to clam up.

His hand comes to stroke your side, and he seems deep in thought for a moment. You’re content to snuggle in closer to him, but then he shifts off the ground. You look up at him questioningly, but he offers you his hand. ‘Come with me,’ he’s saying. Gormlaith trots over on his command, and nudges you.

Ciarán lifts you up with ease and places you on her back. You pat her neck as he mounts, embracing you gently from behind. Your pulse is thick in your ears. You’re thinking you can take this as him allowing you to see him; but not here.

He kicks firmly, and you gallop off.

You shut the door of your bedroom and pull the curtains closed. All is quiet, except for the furnace-like hiss behind you and the beating of your heart.

For a long time, you’ve seen the armour as if it was his own skin, and you almost can’t believe you’re seeing it removed now, clasp by clasp. His gauntlets come off, stiff as if they were frozen, and you see his skin is ashen grey, drab like a corpse’s. Your hands are extended, unsure, but they meet him eagerly. Ciarán allows you to trace an experimental hand across his forearm and up through his collarbone. You see where his head was cleaved from his body, and though it may be a gruesome sight to some, you only wish that you could brush your warm cheek against his, and kiss him there. He clasps your fingers in his and gently rubs your thumb, as if to soothe you against this thought.

He tugs gently at the bands of your clothes and you feel your body shake a little as you shed them and reveal yourself to him. But you’re overwhelmed by want as he touches you, and your embarrassment is quickly away.

He gathers you up and sits down on your bed. It creaks dangerously under his weight, but you cannot think of that now, close as you are, almost melded together. He handles you as if you were his toy, guiding you into his lap. You feel so hot, bunching your hands into his embroidered tunic. You feel your way into his naked chest, finding relief in the cool, solid flesh there.

“I need you…” You sigh breathlessly.

He’s kneading your hips like a cat, almost purring with satisfaction. You think he’s trying to savour the moment, but you can’t help but feel that he enjoys you like this; all desperate and needy. He creeps a hand downward, and your stomach twitches as you feel his palm smooth over it, your heart throbbing as he reaches the inside of your thighs. His movements are achingly slow, and you’re unable to stop yourself from pressing into him.

“Ciarán!”

The deft strokes of his fingers feel mind-numbingly good. You’re shivering with anticipation, brushing softly against his crotch. He’s hard, too. Once he’s satisfied he’s prepared you enough, he draws the strings on his breeches. You swallow at the sight of him, and eagerly position yourself above him. He keeps you still with a firm hold on your thighs, hissing heatedly.

Ciarán finally sinks inside you, and you cry out against him. You’re being stretched like never before. You can tell from his hesitation that he’s being careful not to hurt you, but through the momentary pain you feel white, hot pleasure.

He’s still holding your hips in place to keep you from moving. You whine, torn agonisingly between wanting more and being overwhelmed by sensation. It all feels too good all at once. Ciarán grips your waist and fucks you deeper still, petting your head fondly as a reward for taking him so well. It isn’t long before you’re cumming messily around his cock, almost drooling onto his shoulder.

Ciarán lays your sweaty body down on your pillows, his fire blazing. He’s not done with you yet. That night, he has his way with you until you’re spent and exhausted, and you barely remember falling asleep before you’re wrapped in linen.

In the morning you wake up with a nagging fear pricking at your neck. For so long you have been paranoid; what if your lover is a mere fantasy, an illusion conjured by mist? But you open your eyes, and feel Ciarán’s cool skin against your face and his arms enveloping you.

You stir drowsily, sighing in contentment. It was not a dream. His neck is unlit at first, but it soon crackles to life as you adjust yourself; you have no intention of leaving his embrace. Your thick curtains shield you both from the early morning sun, its pure, golden rays reaching only to the foot of your bed. A soft breeze flutters from the open window, smelling of wildflowers. Outside, you hear the sweet calls of songbirds and the clucking of your beloved chickens.

You lean over to kiss his collarbone, and he rubs a soothing thumb into your naked thigh. It seems he feels no pressing need to move either, drawing the sheets closer to your body, as if to shelter you.

You can feel yourself starting to fall asleep again, and you don’t try to fight it, but doze off contentedly on his chest.

Life certainly doesn’t get any better than this.

(Taglist: @rottent33th, @slaasherslut, @vincent-sinclair-deserved-better, @myers-meadow, @solmints-messyocdiary)

This is my nsfw Taglist, let me know if you want let off/added

#this is finally done after a month #or almost a month #Thankyou to cy and meadow also for proofreading this for me <3 #Ciarán #🗡️#Ciarán x reader #fic #my writing

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sustenance-soon · 10 months ago

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2024 recipes

my goal is to! cook 52 new recipes in 2024! here is a running list of possibilities.

winter:

moroccan vegetable tagine stew (recipetin eats)

✅ sheet pan nachoes with queso (gimme some oven)

aloo chaat two ways, add chickpeas! (bon appetit, indian healthy recipes)

✅ japanese tomato curry (just one cookbook)

fujian fried rice (woks of life)

✅ weeknight enchiladas (budget bytes)

✅ leek and potato soup (ch7 author's notes of alchemyalice's a steady grip, the tumblr post that started it all, use some spinach!)

✅ single chocolate chip cookie (dessert for two)

✅ sweet red bean soup (woks of life)

✅ spinach smoothie (the natural nurturer / ruby)

✅ shandong fish and pork dumplings (woks of life)

✅ vegetable biryani with leftover basmati rice (raaazzz food love)

spring:

yotam ottolengi's green pancakes (bon appetit)

红油抄手 (woks of life, just buy chili oil lol)

japchae (my korean kitchen)

butter chicken (random youtube person)

these four sandwiches (youtube)

https://www.wellseasonedstudio.com/eggs-florentine/

miso ramen

summer:

yotam ottolengi's very full roasted veg tart (the bitten word)

spicy spring roll cold noodles (momofuku)

yotam ottolegi's soba noodle w/ eggplant and mango (the happy foodie)

peach or berry galette (kitchn)

cucumber green pear smoothie (isha)

tuna tomato cold somen (just one cookbook)

frozen orange shaved ice (youtube but look up a couple more maybe)

beef and tomato donburi (youtube)

some kind of cold marscapone/ricotta and pesto pasta? maybe add spicy green chutney to see?

fall:

ginger scallion shrimp with crispy coconut rice (momofuku)

november cakes from scorpio races (maggie stiefvater)

brock's cream stew (tumblr)

this bean? soup? ppl r losing their minds over? (tumblr)

carrot onion ginger soup w ditallini, key is to grate the ginger in the end (COOK NOODLES IN THE SOUP)

anytime:

korean toast (my korean kitchen)

gamja jorim, korean braised potatoes (my korean kitchen)

edible water/juice jelly drops (tumblr)

cauliflower dal (feasting at home)

red lentil wraps, eat w/?? yogurt / leftover chutney (six hungry feet, from Tor)

bombay burritos / frankies (feasting at home)

lemon blueberry yogurt cake, use frozen bluebs (recipe tin eats)

tomato rice (sunny: core tomato; salt/oil water; rice cooker)

boba from scratch from this book dk reviewed

gochujang stir fry sauce (tumblr, use on leftovers)

muffins?? (tumblr)

ratatouille

beef in pita (various)

super easy rice cooker meal (that lady i like on youtube)

THREE MORE EASY RICE COOKER MEALS (youtube guy)

hungarian mushroom soup (tumblr, add chicken maybe? google)

rocket shrimp — just shrimp and wrappers omg w a sauce, easy?? (youtube)

tofu shrimp stew chinese style — one pan balanced meal, use romano beans! (youtube)

#52 recipes 2024

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companhiaminuano · 1 year ago

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#Best meat shop in brazil #Best Meat to buy online #Buy Frozen Beef Feet online #Buy Beef Meat Online #Best chicken online #Buy frozen chicken backs online

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sweatandwoe · 2 years ago

Note

copies typical grocery list and what sort of etiquette he would have in an extremely busy supermarket.

I specifically did the other headcanons list first so I could put all my focus on this one

Typical Grocery List/Food Habits Headcanons (cause I started adding those too):

Fresh Pastas

Jarred Sauces

A jar of garlic for the jarred sauces

other spices to bring out more flavor

Frozen Meals, like tv Dinners (Eats the Chicken Nugget ones)

A lot of grab-and-go shit like protein bars, small bags of chips, etc

Gets fancy flavoured water once a week as a treat

Buys a bag of beef jerky when he's shopping on the road

Pears

Coffee beans

Hot chocolate powder in the winter

Probably wine too, idk we don't sell alcohol in our groceries here but I know that's common in other places

Eggs

Etiquette he has in an extremely busy supermarket

he's like a nervous rodent

is wishing he could've done a pickup order

as Papa he rarely goes out for groceries as it is so the experience is different

apologizes every time he turns in an aisle and sees someone also turning

ends up buying shit he doesn't need because an aisle is full of people and he doesn't want to do it

bought pig's feet one time

they turned out to be expired

he did try them

regret

is in a rush to get out every time it's slightly busy

self-checkout always if it's available

if no self-checkout he makes the absolute worse small talk with the cashier

still panicking a little until he's out of the parking lot

if he's wearing his Papa face paints on, he's usually already only running in for a couple things

far more confident with the facepaint

also because people tend to give him more space

will run in and out a lot more easily

even if super stressed out, if someone needs help he's on it

BONUS: Other Food Headcanons:

Since he became Papa he cooks less due to being a lot busier, but I imagine he enjoyed making certain dishes (like sausage rigatoni)

Orders a lot more take out with the increased work hours

Probably has a snack stash, but is more savory orientated

like sweets but really only freshly made stuff

hates snack cakes (ate a few boxes when he was younger now they're far too sweet)

his favourite birthday cake, if they can get it/someone makes it, is lemon chiffon cake with a light amount of icing. But he also likes devil's food cake (everyone in the emeritus line also does)

Will spend extra time in the oreo section looking at all the flavors but rarely gets them

enjoys soup a lot

gets edibles occasionally and then forgets them in his desk drawer

prefers white meat over red/dark meat

if anyone makes him homemade treats/dishes he's definitely in love a little bit, especially if they're childhood or favourite dishes

ordering those dishes also gets big points

favorite take out is American Chinese food

likes spicy food but can't eat too much or he'll get a tummy ache

#cardinal copia #ghost band #copia #papa emeritus iv #thank you chicken <3 #sweaty asks #headcanons

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elizabethplaid · 1 year ago

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daily notes - overview of oct 5, 2023

omfg, I'm so tired. Like, we got home before 4pm, and I've been resting these last few hours. It was cool but humid, and I was just a sweaty mess when I got home. Hopped in the shower, then laid on my bed in front of the fan, and caught up on my web comic reading.

This will be the text overview of everything we did. When I get other posts up with images, I will edit and link to those.

First, we stopped by the local bakery I had mentioned on Monday. They probably had less-than-half of their inventory left. I got the very last blueberry-almond "scone", a couple other cookies for me, and some bits for LL-K. (K couldn't make the trip today, because she's busy with work.)

Second, we visited Rooster Brother, a store for cooks and those who love them, as they say. Lots of fun kitchen items, though they were more pricey than I'd prefer. Fun things, but nothing that screamed "must buy!". I did browse some chopsticks, though I was torn between using them as hair sticks or as chopsticks. (One was more decorative, but the other was cute enough for either use.)

There was a whole display of mushroom-themed items, too. The opposite side of that display had other woodland creatures, including deer and owls. They had the very same glass xmas ornament that @vintage-tech once sent me, several years ago - a little fawn, curled up and sleeping.

Next, we visited Riverside Cafe in Ellsworth for lunch. Very tasty, but neither of us could finish everything. (I only had fries left, but LL-J had 1-4th of her sandwich and fries leftover.) The music playlist was very good, though slightly biased towards my high school years. I can only remember 5 of the songs

Jack Johnson - "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"

Weezer - "Island in the Sun"

Counting Crows - "Long December"

Blues Traveler - "Runaround"

Counting Crows - "Round Here" (I think? It was another CC song, at least)

It was tough to hear the music, so I'm sure there were other songs playing, and I just didn't catch them.

We walked down the road, ducking in The Dream Catcher antique shop next. Lots of pretty visuals, though the aisles were crowded and some display cases didn't show prices well. (There was such cool jewelry!) Because it was a cold and humid day, and they left the doors open, we felt very uncomfortable in that stuffy place. Both of us were tired, so we decided to call it quits when we saw there were another 2 floors to the place.

I bought 3 small dolls and a snake-shaped pendant. They're all cheaply made items, with discoloring and no easy way to remove the clothes. One is an Irish (I assume) souveneir doll, who came with a stand - $12. Then I found a dandy, dapper Rococo man. A little more digging, and I found his lady. Both have sleep eyes and painted feet/legs. They didn't have tags, so the clerk said $10 for the pair. Fine by me!

The snake pendant was $1. It's shape to curl around a marble or gem stone, and even has prongs to help hold it in place. It was empty, found in a dish of tiny pewter figures glued to flattened marbles. So so soooo tiny!

When we left, we both felt awful and tired. We visited a kids' book-and-toy store very quickly, didn't buy anything, then browsed the store windows of some other shops. The two I liked both looked very elaborate and fun. We'll hit one of those first on our next trip, when I have more energy again.

From there, we went to LL Bean's outlet store. They had a big sale on women's pants, so I grabbed a couple pairs. One's like... lounge or athletic wear? The other seemed like casual drawstring pants. I can't describe the texture. Omg, the textures for most of the pants were so bad in that section. So 60% off, I only paid about $35 after taxes for 2 pairs, yay.

Hit up Dunkin's drive-thru on the way out of town. LL-J now knows the glory of the "frozen hot chocolate" - basically a chocolate milk slushy.

We stopped by LL-K's house once we got back in town, to drop off the cookies. She gave me 2 containers of chicken stock that she had made. A couple weeks ago, she had asked where she could find chicken feet, so I helped source some from Neighbor-J and -S's chickens. (They were the couple that ran a general store for a few years. S used to sew cloth diapers as a business, too.) ----------

I hopped in the shower once I got home. Very very tired. Laid in front of the fan for a couple hours, and now I've been typing for like 20 minutes. We left at 10:15am and got home before 4pm. If the weather wasn't so clammy, I think we would've done far better. BUT I still did very good, considering how cheerful and happy this day has been.

Will work on posting photos in multiple posts next. Some stuff at the antique store is worthy of shiftythrifting, but some is not. One item is even from the "we see this too often, so don't submit it anymore" list. My first time seeing one in the wild!

#daily notes

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ere-the-sun-rises · 2 years ago

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I have some tips!

There's nothing wrong with discount meat in grocery stores. If it has a discount tag, buy it!

Costco has very, very cheap rotisserie chicken ($8 CAD). Buy two, use one for dinner and strip the other one down. You can fry it later (margarine and garlic plus are my preferred method, but bbq sauce works well too) and use it in a salad/pasta/whatever.

There's almost always a solution you can find for home issues in Home Hardware (if you're Canadian).

For the love of god, invest in a really good plunger. It'll save your ass and they never, ever break.

Vim and Windex can be used to clean just about everything that isn't dishes or clothes. That includes cooktops and non-porcelain tubs.

Dollar stores are a godsend. Lots of them have cheap breads and tools (think pliers and paintbrushes), as well as kitchen wares (I cannot recommend Betty Crocker kitchen stuff enough).

If you can't afford a vacuum but your place is cold, buy bathmats. They're usually plush, affordable and washing machine safe.

Invest in good towels. They should be thick, wide and soft. Trust me, good towels wash better and never need to be replaced.

Thrift stores are denim gold mines. Spend the time to thrift for jeans - you won't regret it.

There is very little clothing that can't be fixed with an embroidery hoop, a needle, some thread and time. Darning is easy to do, if a little time consuming, and can save a pair of pants (especially if you get holes in the inner thigh like I do).

Keep unsavable denim clothing - they make great patches, especially if you don't have the time to darn.

Burning cheap candles that smell good can be a lifesaver for morale. Everyone likes their place to smell good, and candle scents tend to linger unlike airfresheners or plug ins.

Wool socks can save your feet in the winter, even with shitty boots/shoes.

Don't cheap out on extension cords or power bars. They will cause fires.

Frozen vegetable mixes are the best. They often have otherwise expensive foods like brocolli or cauliflower in them, and they're super cheap.

As a former cashier, your groceries do not get judged. Don't be afraid to buy what you need or what's at a really good price.

Crockpots are the ultimate soup machines, and soup is such a wonderful and easy thing to make.

CABBAGE. Cheaper than other greens (mostly) and very versatile. Eastern European recipes make a lot of solid use from it.

Speaking of, soup mixes and boullion cubes. They are cheap, easy to use and work wonders flavouring a soup or rice.

Freeze as much as you can, especially meat. Pork and beef can be cooked from frozen, as well as some pre-prepared fish.

Check if your grocery store does bagged value stuff. In mine, they have $10 bags of breaded fish, breakfast sausage and hotdogs (good, big ones too). These are generally stagnant prices, so they're good reliable items.

Frozen pierogi are really good and usually pretty cheap if you don't buy a name brand (look for them in a bag rather than a box). You can fry them in oil (or bacon grease if you're feeling bougie) to crispen the shells. Don't buy the ones with bacon inside, though - they're disgusting. Cheese and potato or potato and spinach are the best.

Vinegar is an effective (if mildly unpleasant) cleaner. Use it to disinfect stuff like door handles, countertops or even floors (though it doesn't clean as well as an actual floor cleaner).

Try and keep a plant in each room. You'd be surprised how much your new little buddy will improve your mood.

Duvets are superior bed clothes if you live anywhere cold.

Bed-in-a-bag are really, really helpful. They usually contain a comforter, fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillow shams (2 or 4 depending on whether it's a twin or higher). While not as warm as duvets, they're well worth the money.

If you've got long hair, there are little mesh caps you can buy to place in your drains. This will catch the hair and cut down on Draino costs/usage.

Nice laminate tiles are available - you don't have to completely tear up your floor to update your place.

Mattress toppers can save your bed for you. Aim for 3", though - it's the most comfortable.

Throw blankets are great for a cheap way to pad your bedding or keep you warm around the house. You can even use them in place of carpets (though i'd recommend only in bedrooms - they move too much for high-traffic areas like living rooms).

Polyester traps heat better than cotton and is more resilient. Polyester/cotton/raylon blends are the best fabric to balance durability with comfort.

Polyester-filled pillows can be machine washed/dried and indeed should be. It prolongs and preserves their lifespan.

Pillows are a good insulator if your bed is against an external wall.

Some tips on eating as a poor person that aren't "live on dry beans and rice that take time and effort to make"

Food Banks Exist For YOU!! I don't need one anymore but am so thankful for them. You may hesitate to go to them bc you don't think you need it as badly as others... but from someone who spent years with their dad going to several, the food is there and they want to help. It isn't embarrassing; the people who volunteer are doing it for a reason, and ime treat you as a shopper, not a charity case. There are sites to find food banks. If you go to one, they usually have pamphlets for all the ones in the area. We never had to prove income or anything like that. They want to help, I promise.

If there's a local farmer's market, check to see if they have a subsidy program for people on food stamps. Another thing my dad and I used. At two separate markets 5 hrs apart, both had a program where you could DOUBLE your food stamp money in farmer's market coupons. Healthy, fresh, local, ethically raised food for less than the grocery store

If you go to a store more than once in a blue moon get the discount/membership/whatever card. It's usually super easy and almost always saves you a LOT of money

When in a supermarket, look at price per ounce if comparing items. Do not look at total price vs visual package size. Companies are experts at packing less and less food into larger packages. Grocery stores with a price per oz on the tags are so so helpful, but if they don't, sometimes it honestly makes a difference to use your phone calculator

CHECK IF YOU HAVE AN ALDI IN YOUR AREA. They sell actual seriously good, usually healthy food way cheaper than crappy stuff at other stores. This is for a lot of reasons I won't get into. But, it's also just a more ethical system for their workers, who make well above minimum wage. Aldi is Life. Tip: if you don't have reusable bags, keep an eye out for empty boxes as you shop. They don't bag anything for you.

BIG LOTS or other similar clearance/discount stores. They get an ever-changing stock of things at deep discounts. Lots of nice luxury and/or healthy groceries at half price as well as your normal staples. Also my go-to for home items and pet supplies

Shop Sales. This one is obvious to some but others just aren't in the habit. I almost exclusively buy things on sales where I save at least 1/3, usually 1/2. You can have a fully stocked pantry and freezer and spend half as much as if you only buy things when you want to eat that particular thing. It does mean less fresh food, but y'know. Just develop a laser eye for a sale tag and know where the clearance section is. Second nature to people who grew up poor but I was amazed shopping with college friends who bought full price name brand food and had trouble paying rent

I haven't done this but my brother swears by it. He went in with a few friends on a communal Costco membership. Could also do this with Sam's Club. They shop together, and then split bulk items if there's a great deal on something one person couldn't eat on their own. Bulk is the way to go if you can find a way to have the up-front cash. Impossible for many which is why the communal thing is so genius!

If this helps even one person it was worth writing out! I've realized last year, I learned a Lot growing up under the poverty line. It doesn't just appear in your brain when you're 22 and can't pay your bills for the first time.

Please feel free to add other tips if you have them. Just don't shame people for eating what they choose to eat like those "vegan dollar cookbooks" or whatever.

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