#How Do You Plant Grape Cuttings

[racinggirl]

that's my girl

Lando Norris fic - requested

My inbox for requests

a/n: it took me a bit longer as I have been quite busy this last week, but it's hereeee! I hope you like it, I have to say I love badass Y/N a lot, so thank you for the request! It's a bit shorter, but we need some variation in life, don't we? Let me know your thoughts! It's not proofread, so be aware for any minor mistakes, if there are some. Lots of loveeee. Don't forget to send in requests! I love all the requests I've gotten so far 🫶🏼

‘’What kind of snacks do you want?’’ You asked your boyfriend as you were preparing some somewhat healthy snacks before he would go live on Twitch. You were filling up a bowl with Maltesers because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like those? You then decided to grab a knife and cut the cheese and cucumber to make the tray snacks somewhat healthier.

‘’Can you lay on the tray?’’ Lando wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, causing you to tilt your head when he planted soft kisses on your neck. ‘’You already had that snack not too long ago, mister Norris.’’ You teased, keeping your eyes closed as you felt his hands making its way under your shirt, close to your bra.

‘’Nah, ah.’’ You put down the knife and took both his hands in yours, moving them down and placing them on your hips before reaching back for the knife. Your action caused him to groan, and you simply smirked as you felt how much he needed you, because let’s be honest here, it was impossible to not feel him through his jeans.

‘’Grapes, mango?’’ You continued, focussing back on the tray of deliciousness in front of you. ‘’Chocolate covered strawberries.’’ He replied, walking to the fridge. ‘’Yeah, ehm, about those…’’ You bite your lip as you looked over at the – way too perfect – McLaren driver, who happened to be your boyfriend.

‘’No, you ate them?’’ He asked, turning 45 degrees to look at you with puppy eyes. ‘’Oh stop it! You ate my piece of cake the other day!’’ You laughed, feeling his hands on your body as he tickled you. ‘’Lando! Stop!’’ You managed to breathe out in between your laughter.

‘’You ate my strawberries!’’ He exclaimed; his arms wrapped tightly around you as you tried to somehow escape his grasp. But he was strong, of course he was, he was a Formula One driver.

Talking about his job, you were proud of him. The two of you had been dating for a few years now, the world only finding out in your 3rd year of dating each other. You had no idea how because you never purposely tried to be secret about it. You never went out in public, never really posted about one another on your socials, either. You only really started doing that when people noticed your relationship.

You were almost done with your degree now, though. Meaning you had more time to come to some of his races. You loved going there, not only to support your boyfriend, but also to learn about all the behind the scenes of the sport. It was something that fascinated you ever since you started dating Lando.

However, you tried to stay out of the camera’s as much as you could. You never held hands when you walked through the paddock with him; if you walked through the paddock with him. Most of the time you arrived after he did because you either had to finish some online work in the hotel room, or because you wanted to stay out of the spotlight.

You never really enjoyed being in front of the camera’s, hence why you were so invested in all the behind-the-scenes stuff. It wasn’t because you weren’t confident enough, not at all, because you were, and that’s something Lando always admired about you, especially when you started to receive hate. You just never thought being in front of the camera suited you, those cameras around you, people asking questions, it just annoyed you, and you decided you didn’t want to take a part of it.

It didn’t mean you never supported him, though. You were always there for him, and he knew. He never complained, he never told you you weren’t supportive, no. He loved how your relationship was different than the ones from all the other WAGS, he felt like he wasn’t sharing you with the entire world, that you were just his, and that’s exactly how you felt, too.

‘’Good evening chat! Long-time no see, ey?’’ You heard Lando’s smile through the words he just spoke, waving at the camera as he leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at you, his eyes gliding over you before quickly shooting you a wink. You laughed and rolled your eyes at his action, simply knowing the chat would comment on his wink.

‘’I’m good, enjoying the off season as much as I can.’’ He smirked. ‘’Aren’t we, babe?’’ He asked and you got up, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. ‘’I for sure am.’’ You winked before walking to the kitchen to get your snacks.

You always were seated outside of the camera’s view. As much as you loved staying out of the cameras at the track, you did the same whenever he streamed. You never did it purposely, though. You never hid away from the cameras; you simply never purposely were in front of them.

‘’Grabbing snacks!’’ You yelled from the kitchen when you heard Lando read the comments. ‘What’s Y/N doing?’ and ‘Where’s your girlfriend going?’

‘’She’s getting snacks, chat. You won’t believe it, but we actually prepared those for tonight.’’ He smirked, sipping his water as he read through the comments. ‘’We?’’ You asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile. ‘’Right, sorry chat, my lovely girlfriend Y/N prepared the snacks.’’ He said, watching you placing the tray of delicious food in front of him.

‘’I’m just missing one snack on here, but sadly there’s not enough room on the tray for that.’’

‘OMG HE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT’

‘HAHAHAHA Lando naughty naughty boy’

‘DUUUUUUDE LANDO WHAT LMAO’

You sat down next to him, your legs over his as you grabbed a Malteser from the tray. ‘’You’re very original with your jokes tonight, Norris.’’ You smirked, reaching for your phone before you opened TikTok, keeping yourself entertained when Lando continued his stream.

He loved this about you, he loved the fact that even though he was live, streaming and being in front of cameras, you never backed down. You never changed when the cameras were there, you always stayed yourself. That was probably the thing he admired most about you, and things he definitely learned from you.

As the hours went by, the tray of food was nearly empty. You got up a few times to go to the bathroom, get something to drink, get some more snacks and so on. Lando got up to go to the bathroom for the second time this evening, leaving you alone with chat.

You kissed his lips before he left the room, you simply deciding to pop up in front of the camera this time. You read some messages, smiling as they told you you looked beautiful. ‘’Aw, thanks guys, or girls, that’s sweet.’’ You replied, leaning your chin on your hand as you continued reading a few more comments.

The second you heard him coming back in the room, you commented on a question in the chat, Lando sitting next to you with a smile on his face. He loved it when you interacted with his fans, which you sometimes did. It’s not like you were completely offline when it came to the fame he carried with him, you just never really bothered to become an influencer like some others did.

‘’Nah, ah, Norris, they are asking me questions now.’’ You teased, holding your hand up when he started to talk again.

‘HAHA Y/N’s such a vibe’

‘Yeah Lando, we’re chatting with your girl now!’

He simply chuckled, pecking your lips when you looked at him and he then enjoyed the scenery he saw in front of him.

After a while, you got up from your chair, going to the kitchen to refill your glass of water for the fourth time that evening, and made your way back to the room when you heard your boyfriend reading some comments out aloud.

‘Y/N doesn’t love him, she never holds his hand in the paddock, what a supportive WAG.’

You furrowed your eyebrows at that comment, and just as Lando was about to say something to defend you, you put your glass of water on the table in front of you.

‘’Last time I checked, my job title wasn’t ‘WAG’. I’m an engineer, not a runway model.’’

Lando looked at you, amazed, proud, and smiling like an idiot. ‘’You heard her, chat.’’ He smirked. ‘’That’s my girl.’’ He whispered happily.

The end of the stream was nearing, and you got up to head to bed. ‘’Goodnight, babe, I’ll see you in a bit.’’ You whispered before placing a kiss on his lips, smiling against them as he returned the favour. You glanced over at chat one last time, feeling Lando’s hand on the back of your upper leg.

‘’Next time I’ll open the ‘WAGs Handbook’ to catch up on some of my duties.’’ You smirked at the chat. ‘’Goodnight chat, sleep tight.’’ You blew them a kiss before walking out of the room, heading straight to bed.

Not long after you positioned yourself in the king-size bed Lando had in his bedroom, you heard the door opening; your boyfriend making his way to you. ‘’You’re amazing, please never change.’’ He whispered and pressed his lips on yours, firmly.

Later that season

[sommerregenjuniluft]

@jegulus-microfic april 1 - spring - 1340 words (of domestic bliss with little harry)

Sundays are slow in the Potter household.

One would think James doesn’t like the pace of it, always having to do something usually, always active, moving around or talking, tugging at his loved ones or caressing their skin, but he does. It hasn’t always been this way but with getting older and especially since they’ve become parents James had noticed how his body and mind welcomed the one break in the week to just shut off and recharge.

They’ve fought their way through a cloudy March and with the arrival of April, spring is finally here. 

James loves spring. People always assume it’s summer—and credit to them, because he does—but there’s just something about the rebirth of everything that comes after the long gloomy fall and icey winter period. The birds chirp with their return and in search for a mate, insects buzz lively and everything brightens with colour. 

Like clockwork, Harry appears in the threshold of the master bedroom at around 7 am, deer plushie in a tight grip by the antlers, his dark mob of hair messy as anything. He drowsily rubs the sleep from his eyes, face squished and James sometimes thinks he might die from how adorable their four year old is.

He grabs his glasses, pushes back the sheets and plants a gentle kiss on Regulus’ cheek where he’s still knocked out like the dead and smushed into his pillow.

Harry pads wordlessly into the living room, James hot on his trail. Though while Harry goes in search of a children’s book for James to read to him, James makes a detour to the kitchen. He fills them two bottles with the tea they let out on the counter overnight, preparing one for Regulus as well for when he wakes up. He cuts up some fruit and vegetables and grabs the packets of rice cakes and crackers from the pantry, loading it all on a tray before he sets on to the living room.

Harry is already curled under the big fleece blanket they keep there, grinning when James rounds the corner with their pre-breakfast.

“Morning, dada,” he greets, sweetly.

James’ chest swells. “Morning, pumpkin,” he returns, pressing a kiss into Harry’s hair, setting down the tray. Before he takes his place next to his son he walks over to open the big terrasse glass doors. 

“How’d you sleep?” James asks, plopping down next to Harry who immediately snuggles closer, plushie still in hand.

“Good,” Harry sighs contently and James can’t help himself when he brushes some of his hair back from his forehead and kisses him again. “Can you read to me?”

It’s a hidden object book but James knows what he means. He grins, “’Course, Hazza.”

They do just that for a bit, James describing what’s going on on the pages, creating a story for recurring characters. Skipping back and forth with Harry randomly pointing out another happening of the drawing while he’s munching away on his rice cakes and cucumbers and the occasional grape. 

It’s still mildly cool, especially when a faint breeze picks up, moving the grass outside and swishing inside but Harry’s still wearing long pyjamas and James knows he’ll tell him if he’s too cold. He simply burrows further under the blanket and into his father’s side. James runs hot anyways.

When Harry decides they’re done with books James puts on a nature documentary for them.

They’re teaching about the strength of some rainforest ant species when Regulus shuffles into the room, arms wrapped around himself and eyes nearly closed.

“Morning, Papa,” Harry whispers excitedly, already wiggling out of James’ embrace even though he knows Regulus will join them there in just a moment.

A smile tugs at Regulus’ lips as he blinks his eyes open, dark lashes fluttering agonisingly beautifully and giving way to soft grey. James swears they get a little more blue every time right around his birthday, like Regulus is just another subject to the changes of spring.

“Mornin’,” Regulus sighs happily when he squeezes Harry against his chest, peppering the side of his head with kisses until he pulls away, tugging Regulus along to James.

His eyes are already closed again when Regulus nuzzles into the crook of James’ neck, pressing a kiss there before he gets comfortable.

“Morning, love,” James murmurs, voice thick with adoration, audible even to himself, and he strokes Regulus’ exposed arm softly.

The spell of Sunday is thick in the air, heavy in their bones. 

Harry, usually the most lively child, always animatedly talking about something or the other, giggling, making jokes or doing mischief, is quiet now too. It’s routine, the way he grabs for Regulus’ arm and squeezes between his two dads, waiting for James to absently card his fingers through their hair and send them back to their slumbers.

It doesn’t take longer than five minutes before Harry’s breaths are deepening and it’s marvellous. Magical in the way that Regulus’ presence seems to calm him so much it pulls him back into another nap.

James smiles so wide, looking down at them like that for so long that his cheeks start straining.

He watches a bit more of the documentary, snaps a few obligatory pictures of them on his phone and sends them into their family group chat. Monty sends back a pixelated picture of a zoomed in shot of Effie in the garden, Sirius replies with a shaky snapshot of him running with the dogs and Remus answers with an aesthetically pleasing picture of what seems to be the breakfast he’s preparing for the two of them.

James’ belly growls hungrily at the reminder and when his gaze falls on the lone grape sitting in the bowl on the tray he decides it’s time for breakfast. 

It’s nothing short of artful the way he extracts himself from besides Harry and Regulus without rousing them before he heads for the kitchen.

He grabs flour and sugar, eggs and milk for pancakes, as well as the bacon, bagles and cream cheese. It’s meditative to put together all the ingredients, set the table and assemble syrup and blueberries and chocolate chips. Halfway through James remembers the leftover quinoa in the fridge and between placing patches of batter in a sizzling pan he whips them up a quick salad as well. 

The smell in the kitchen is divine and James has already made acquaintances with the joyful bluetit in the tree by the window by the time Regulus comes into the kitchen with Harry on his hip. He’s babbling now, talking Regulus’ ear off by the looks of it and Regulus hums and nods and gasps at all the right places, looking ridiculously endearing with his curls mussed and an imprint of the couch cushion lining his cheek.

“Morning, champ,” James teases, smacking a loud kiss over the line in Regulus’ cheek.

Regulus growls quietly, grinning despite himself, “You’re lucky I love your cooking so much.”

“Yeah, you’re lucky,” Harry parrots, grinning widely.

James tuts with faux affront, “What kind of sentiments are you teaching our poor child, Regulus. I’ve been standing in this kitchen for hours now. How about a ‘Thank you, daddy’?”

“Thank you, daddy,” they both reply in unison though Regulus’ has a decidedly different tone to it that makes James point the spatula at him in warning.

Regulus just smirks before he leans heavily into James’ side and rips a piece of pancake off of the ones already on a plate, blowing on it before dividing it in half and feeding it to Harry and himself.

James tasks them with setting out glasses of water and orange juice, mugs for tea. On Sundays coffee is banned in the Potter house. Regulus thinks he can wind himself out of his caffeine addiction that way.

When everyone is done and everything is in place they all sit down together, legs tangled under the table, smiling warmly at each other over their plates of delicious food, the spring breeze ruffling their hair and clothes pleasantly as it drifts through the open window.

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-fi prompt from IndigoMay:

What would be the economic impact if people could magically grow whatever food they liked? Including fodder for animals.

This is a very wide-ranging question, like... when was the magic introduced? What was the state of agriculture before that? Is this food generated from existing matter, delivered by gods, or something else?

I'm going to narrow this to:

What would happen if people could, starting tomorrow, grow any plant...

That is edible, by either humans or livestock, with appropriate treatment.

Without delay, meaning that the time sink is several minutes instead of weeks or months.

Without concerns for weather or other natural dangers like fungal infections or pests, or requirements for water or fertilizer.

Without depleting soil nutrients, so long as they have arable land to work with.

Without relying on fresh seeds or other 'raw ingredients' like leaf cuttings.

Well... let's start small.

Personal Basis - people who are not farmers

People who do not normally grow things would start angling to acquire some kind basic gardening implements. For some, like those who live in the suburbs, this would be as simple as going into the backyard. For those in cities, they'd need to get a window box or similar to use. If you have free, guaranteed fresh plant matter, that's already a good thing, but the time and care required to keep a garden alive is more than some people can manage due to work or children or housing. With immediate food that requires minimal effort, a lot of those hurdles are removed. You can grow the two tomatoes you need for dinner, and then put the pot of soil away for tomorrow.

The cost of

Personal Basis - small farmers

The obvious impacts for those who are small farmers is that people are less likely to buy their raw ingredients. Most of these small farmers would start looking into modifying their operations to do things that require processing.

Growing apples in your house for a snack is fine--if you have a pot big enough for a small tree, and a way to dispose of the wood if it's a one-time thing--but if you want applesauce or cider or pie, someone who knows how to cook or bake needs to do that part. You can grow wheat, but your chances of having the necessary tools to grind flour are slim. You can grow cashews, but fuck knows how you're going to process that without poisoning yourself! You can grow grapes on your trellis, but that doesn't mean you have the knowledge to make wine without accidentally going straight to vinegar. You can grow corn, but that doesn't mean you know the best way to dry it to make popcorn.

So small farms shift to those products that either need processing, or are part of an animal-based food. This includes things like flowers for bees. You can't really control bees, so just 'grow and go' might incite the bees to leave somehow. Maybe they can sense magic! Who knows!

Another option would be to focus on unique or heirloom things. If you go to a farmer's market, you might be going just to see all the fruits you've never encountered before. If there's an apple stand one year, and suddenly you can grow your own apples at home, then maybe what they start doing is growing unique or rare cultivars that you've never heard of, and that's their new niche. It's not that you can't grow the apples, but would you grow them if you've never heard of them? Plus, the apple stand is doing sauces and ciders now.

Mid-tier and large farms

These farms will start to focus in on large-scale crops that don't go straight to tables or cooking pots in homes. Scrap the eggplants, the cucumbers, the blueberries. Focus on:

Fruits and vegetables that are needed for popular secondary products, like tomatoes (ketchup, marinara), or oranges (juice), or corn (anything with fructose corn syrups, popcorn).

Plants that are popular but NEED processing to be edible, like coffee beans, cocoa beans, or wheat, that most people just don't have.

Plants that are needed in massive quantities for animal feed, such as alfalfa or chicken grains.

Now, I think these large farms would still be in production. We'd see a massive reduction in water usage, which is great (except for cranberries, I guess), but many of these products would still be needed in quantities that need industrial levels of processing. Someone needs to pick the oranges, to drive them to the juicing facility, the facility needs to juice and treat and preserve and bottle them, and then that needs to be driven to the store. The reduced time to grow, reduced water usage, reduced waste from natural predators or dangers, and general ability to plan things more efficiently would result in lower costs for many of these products in a truly free market... but would possibly also rise in cost as companies try to maintain a consistent flow of profit.

Sure you can make the juice at home, but what if you're already at work? There's still a demand for products; most of us can get water from a tap at home, but there are still convenience stores selling bottled water on every other corner in a big city.

I think the most interesting of these concerns would be grazing animals, like sheep, cattle, and goats. Being able to 'refresh' the grass of a single field without having to rotate the animals to new pastures once they've eaten away at one, and without damaging the nutrient profiles of the one they're staying at, means reduced deforestation or soil destabilization in agricultural areas. We'd see a fairly significant stalling of things like the decimation of Mongolia's grasslands if the goats didn't need as much grazing land.

Maintaining the meat industry would be one of the most constant sources of demand for large-scale agriculture, given that other products could go through cycles to more efficiently use land. You can grow and harvest oranges for Tropicana on Monday, grapes for Welch's on Tuesday, soy beans for Silk on Wednesday, tomatoes for Heinz on Thursday, and so on. They probably won't need more than they used to.

Meanwhile, the cows gotta eat. And eat. And eat.

Corporations

This one is fun! MONSANTO'S GONNA BE PISSED.

So, magically growing food, you don't need seeds, at least in this case. Or you can coax more product out of a seed you already have planted. You've gotten eight cycles corn out of this one stalk this season!

So Monsanto loses some of that insane seed monopoly situation.

You'd see a decrease in pesticides and anti-fungal products as agriculture speeds up a cycle by enough to prevent the spread of dangerous infestations. It's not going to kill your entire farm if you find fungus one day and have to burn it to prevent the spread. You lost one day's profit, not a full year's.

This impacts Monsanto too. Remember the Roundup debacle?

Now, to be clear, there are still plants that will rely on pesticides and anti-fungals. The premise only covers food, after all, so there are still important plants that will need longer, dedicated growing seasons.

Industry-wide shifts

Sooooooooooo a lot of the money starts to come from non-edible plants. This is your cottons, linens, hemps, latex/rubber trees, cork trees, lumber, and so on.

As the needed arable land necessary to feed humanity (and our livestock) decreases, more land is freed up for return to indigenous peoples, reclamation by nature, usage for alternate cultivation, housing, or... well, other capitalist ventures, like bitcoin mining or whatever.

On a geopolitical level, this causes some interesting shifts in places that draw their power from being 'breadbasket' nations. For instance, if you remember the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war, we saw some major pressures being placed by virtue of some countries (e.g. Lebanon, Pakistan) getting most of their wheat from Ukraine, and the war suddenly cutting off a massive portion of how they fed their people. Much of Ukraine's support, in those early days, derived from their importance as a breadbasket nation. If everyone can grown their own food, that moves the lines. Countries that are poor on space or water can stop relying on trade to survive in terms of water. Countries that rely on their agriculture to be able to trade for other things need to diversify their economies, and fast.

(Does mean that Saudi Arabia can stop using Arizona's water, though.)

The greatest shifts would come down to water usage and pollution, I think. Agriculture is currently one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis, and the reduction of water use by farming would be a massive help. However, I'm less sure of how we'd see meat consumption change. The greater availability of fresh fruits and vegetables could result in a shift towards more plant-based diets worldwide, but just as easily we could see large agricultural corporations (and those that rely on them, like John Deere or the aforementioned Monsanto) market meat to consumers as a greater rate due to the profit margin.

Oh, also, I have a feeling that a lot of those corporations would try to get garden centers shut down, or buy out ceramic pot and planter factories. If you can't grow anything at home because you don't have a window planter, you have to buy from the store, right?

[hunters-vigil]

Her Champion - Mavuika x Kinich's older sister!Reader - Part Two

First Part Next Part

request: do you think maybe you can do another one which talks about how the reader is Kinich’s older sister and having an affair with Mavuika?

Warnings: domestic violence, childhood trauma, abandonment, child abuse, neglect, death, alcoholism, gambling, Ajaw being rude still trying to figure out how to write Kinich and Ajaw, so characters may be ooc - I read Kinich's lore a lot to write this…

Fic under the cut, don't repost my stuff on other platforms, i have ao3 which my fics are also available on.

Winning the Pilgrimmage and gaining the attention of the Pyro Archon, 'Kiongozi' Mavuika, wasn't what you anticipated however. You scraped through the team stages with whoever approached you each time. Kinich was always busy or had another team lined up. One year, he decided to participate in some Saurian Relics Association survey instead of take part. He came home with K'uhul Ajaw, an almighty headache- dragonlord, and you went on to participate in the Night Warden Wars.

Mavuika watched over the battle from the Speaker's Chamber, watching as you never stopped fighting, not even when you saw the other members of your team fall to the abyss. You brought alone brought them victory, but the celebrations did not interest you. Again.

Mavuika wanted to know why. Why did her champion refuse any acknowledgement of victory in the every Night Warden Wars you participated in?

She ended up asking her 'Hot Spring Buddies' about you, after realising that you had failed to come to the People of the Springs to celebrate, even after Atea's personal invitation.

"Honestly, I'd never seen her before her first Pilgrimmage." Atea admitted, a frown on her face as you disappeared from the stadium far too quickly.

"Kinich's older sister. The two were living with Elder Leik up in the mountains, but now… I'm not sure." Vichama elaborated, but it left Mavuika with a lot to wonder.

Why not get some answers from the source?

///

She knew Kinich well already, he inherited the ancient name 'Malipo' from her childhood friend, Burkina. But she hadn't had the opportunity to speak to you, and Kinich didn't talk about his past at all, he barely mentioned he had a sister to her in fact.

When she sent the team to the Night Warden Wars each time, you barely looked her way, instead staring at the entrance like it was calling to you. Had she ever heard you speak?

"So, this is how I finally get to congratulate my champion in person." Mavuika found you staring at a large plot of land, from the looks of it, multiple different crops had been planted and were growing well.

"Archon? Is there something you need?" Kinich approached her first, Ajaw kept quiet by the grapes you had thrown at him earlier, while you watched the woman from the corner of your eye.

"Hello Kinich, how have you been?"

You could feel her eyes drift over you, but you didn't say a word as you headed inside, telling yourself that it was snack time just to avoid talking to the archon.

You didn't worship her like most people in Natlan, you were completely uninterested, which made Mavuika's intrigue for you even worse.

"She called you 'her champion'. Did you skip out on your reward for winning again?"

"Wasn't in the mood." That was your excuse, but Kinich knew better. He only nodded, folding his arms and looking over to where Mavuika was waiting on the two of you to join her.

"Servant! Fetch me more- ah! How dare you throw grapes at K'uhul Ajaw, the Almighty Dragonlord, you, you wench!" Ajaw screeched, gaining everyone's attention as you stared icily at the pixelated creature, "stop- stop looking at me like that!"

Mavuika watched as Kinich slapped Ajaw into a time out, while you disappeared into the mountains, taking your weapon with you. Mavuika's gaze remained on you until you disappeared out of sight, smiling at Kinich as he said nothing but the look on his face was laced with confusion. What business did the Archon have with you, he wondered…

You weren't the first to win the Pilgrimmage, Kinich having won and gone to the Night Warden Wars last year, getting his dendro vision in the process. The one year you didn't participate due to getting injured while fighting him… the look on his face after that still haunted you as you didn't even wince at the pain.

The Pyro Archon wasn't someone who gave up easily however, as she found you as you were training, watching you carefully as you practiced over and over.

"My champion, may I have a word with you?"

"Forget the pleasantries, just tell me what you want." you turned your head to look at her, twisting your weapon away from her as she approached. Mavuika knew the craftsmanship immediately, one of Xilonen's creations, but she had no doubt that you had influenced the design.

You cleared your throat, waiting for Mavuika to speak, but she only blinked and met your eyes with a smile that felt so warm it was almost uncomfortable… had anyone ever looked at you like that before? Could your mother have, before…

[waterinz]

hi!! i looked thru ur rules of what u write/don’t write and didn’t rlly see anything abt it buttt i understand if u are uncomfortable writing abt this but would u write either gojo or toji x pregnant reader 🥹

i’m a sucker for those hehe love ur work btw 🩷

awww ty pookie 🥰

⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡

Mini Fushiguro.

warnings: smut/fluff, cursing, other shit :3

pairings: rich!Toji Fushiguro x fempreg!reader

note: I’m not sure if you meant fluff or smut but I’m assuming it’s fluff. :3

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★˚˖𓍢ִִ໋🌊🦈˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚.‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡ ☆⋆｡

as you sat in your bed, watching some movies, you hear the downstairs door open. You could almost tell it was Toji from just the door opening, but since your legs were sore as hell from just walking to and from the bathroom, you opted to just wait for him.

“Tojiii!” You yelled happily, greeting him from upstairs.

“Good evening, my love.” He responded, not even a second late. You could hear the smile in his voice.

The door shut, Toji placed his key on the counter. He shuffled to the kitchen, before yelling upstairs to you.

“Need any snacks, doll?” He asked with precision, he wanted to ensure he fulfills your every request , even at his expense.

You pondered for a moment, before responding.

“Some fruit would be nice, and a water.” You simply asked, Although that’s probably light work to him.

Toji opened the refrigerator. taking out oranges, grapes and strawberries. He knows how much you hate to peel oranges because it pains your nails like a bitch, so he peeled the oranges for you, cut the leaves off of the strawberries and cut the grapes in half. He also poured you a glass of water, dropping in a thinly cut lemon slice. His heavy footsteps made their way up the stairs with your food.

You see a tall shadow approaching you door, Toji steps inside.

“How’s my wife doing?” He smirked, sitting down your fruit and water on the nightstand.

“Good, my legs do hurt though.” You explain, stretching a bit to the left.

“I can fix that, love.” He explained as he climbed onto the bed, he kicked off his shoes and sat them on the side of the bed.

Toji slightly lifted you up off of the bed and sat you on his lap. He moved you chin to face him, planting small kisses all over you. While simultaneously massaging your legs, thighs and stomach.

“Can’t want to meet lil miss fushiguro..” Toji added.

⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡ ⊹ ࣪ ˖🍰₊˚⊹♡

[seresinhangmanjake]

Stolen Angel - part 2

Demon!Jake Seresin x reader

Summary: You thought you were having a one-night stand with some random, normal guy. Turns out he’s a winged, demon-like stalker who has been obsessed with you for years.

Warnings/Notes: Jake is a little dark. Kidnapping. Manipulation. Obsessive behavior. Brief smut 18+. I’m sure there are typos. This used to be a different fic for August Walker, so if you see it, it’s fine. I wrote that one too.

Words: 1551

Part 1, Part 3

He moans so sweetly for such a strong, toned man. And it’s odd.

As he moves in and out of you, filling and stretching, his lips graze across one of your cheeks before he makes his way to the other, his nose nudging yours between those kisses. 

You try to meet his thrusts harder so you can get him to fuck you faster, but he plants a giant hand on your hipbone to hold you in place so he can continue at the pace he wants. It is not a pace you are used to, and certainly not one you expected, but you don’t hate it. 

Eventually, you succumb to it, you thrive in it, and when he flips you over and you sink down onto his cock, you keep it slow. You would like to think his hands on your waist are stopping you from increasing speed, but they just rest there, occasionally moving to your ass or breasts and gently squeezing. 

“Beautiful,” he sighs, eyes locked onto yours. “Absolutely beauti–”

You shoot up at the sound of knocking at the door, instantly groaning at the ache of your healing back. There is more healing to be done, but you’ve made rapid progress, and, to your dismay, you’re slowly starting to get used to the weight of the new appendages. You’d resisted accepting the wings at first, but after multiple mornings of waking to find them still attached to you, you gave up on the idea that any of this could be a dream.

There’s another knock. You have no idea why he bothers, seeing as he hadn’t bothered with politeness when he invaded your body with whatever drug he used to get you here. But then, true to character, he opens the door and walks right in despite your missing permission. 

The small tray in Jake’s hands is covered with an assortment of what appears to be familiar foods, but you’re no more certain that they are real than you are certain that the view outside of your window is real, or that he is real. There could be a monster under that handsome disguise. A fitting figure to match how he has treated you. His skin could be an unnatural color, bones twisted and mangled, teeth razor sharp, with eyes to compliment his misplaced soul. 

You hope you’re wrong. You hope you didn’t let a creature like that inside of you. 

As Jake nears, the blaze of his gaze over your body is unashamed and cuts into your skin like a heated knife. “Tell me you didn’t sleep in that again,” he says, disappointed.

You glance down at the dark brown smock cinched at your waist with a thin piece of rope; the first item of clothing given to you after your wings had finished growing.

“What happened to the nightgown?”

“It’s see-through," you huff.

“And?” he questions, setting the tray on the table beside your bed. “I’m the only one who will see you in it, and I’ve seen you in nothing at all, so what does the opacity of the fabric have to do with your not wearing it?”

“I don’t like it."

“So what did you do with it?”

Your eyes flick to the fireplace on the other side of the room, the fire long burnt out since its lighting the night before, and Jake’s head turns to follow. He sighs, clicks his tongue, and says, “I’ll bring you another.”

“I don’t want anoth—”

“You need to eat,” he interrupts, nudging the tray closer to you. “You haven’t in days.”

You get a better view of the fat, green grapes, and thin apple slices next to cubes of cheese and round plums. All foods you enjoy… coincidentally? No, suspiciously. You’re increasingly wary of the hints telling you that he knows so much about you.

“Not hungry,” you tell him, crossing your arms like a petulant child. 

“Yes you are, you little liar. I heard your stomach groaning from down the hall,” he replies with a slight smirk. “So, you’re going to eat whether you want to or not. I don’t need you getting any ideas about starving yourself until you’re skin and bones,” he says. “That’s not to say I wouldn’t still find you appealing, but I prefer the woman I love to be a touch livelier than that.”

Just when you think you’ve gotten over the last of the nausea, another wave rolls through you—you would rather be skin and bones than be anything that pleases him—but then the sickness is overpowered by a rush of gritty determination. 

“I don’t care what you like or prefer,” you spit back. “You want to dress me up and feed me as if you’re trying to play house, but I am not your girlfriend, I am not your wife, and I am not your toy. All you’ve done is kidnap me and put me through unbearable pain, so drop the bullshit.”

Jake’s fists are balled at his sides by the end of your words, face harshly contorted, eyebrows knitted, and the corners of his mouth tipping down. 

“You think I wanted you to hurt?” The low rumble of his voice shakes the walls. The vase of flowers on your other bedside table shatters. A small frame you’ve never noticed before falls from its hook and smashes to pieces on the stone flooring. “You think I enjoyed hearing your screams? I wish I could’ve taken it all away, but that's not possible!”

You stand sharply, sturdy despite the tremor of the floor, and try pushing him back, but he doesn’t budge this time. He’s like a brick wall, tall and six feet thick. 

“You could have left me alone!” Your fists slam into the rock-solid muscles of his arms and chest and shoulders; anywhere you can reach. “I’m not meant to be here! I don’t belong! I’m not supposed to be whatever the fuck you are, I'm supposed to be human!”

Jake snatches your wrists, presses them together, and wraps one large hand around both. Your eyes widen and wings fan out to keep you steady as you’re forced into a seated position on the mattress. The room descends into still silence, and with a tightening grip, Jake leans in until his nose nearly touches yours. 

“You are meant to be with me,” he growls. “You are my Angel, and you couldn’t return to your old life even if I released you. You are not human. This is your home now.”

You try your hardest to hold your position in the stare-off, but you're distracted by a bright red that begins to seep into the green of his eyes, like little tendrils slithering from the pupil and infecting the iris. It's barely noticeable, but it calls for you to back off, to stand down, and though you don’t want to, you have to look away. 

“I hate you,” you grumble.

Jake exhales heavily as he straightens to full height. “You will learn to love me,” he says. 

You look up to find all traces of that red gone. “How could I? Why would I even try?”

“Because I saved you from a miserable life in a useless world. Because no man could love you like I do,” he replies. “Because before you knew about any of this, you enjoyed having me in your bed.”

When he goes to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear with the hand not holding your wrists captive, you jerk your head to the side. “Bastard,” you mutter.

Jake chuckles dryly and releases you, but there is a warning in that chuckle, a threat in the way he frees your hands. You can feel it—how he wants you to understand that he will have no problem putting you in your place if you refuse to cooperate, but that for now, for reasons you’d be wise not to test, he's willing to be lenient.

“I don’t know what we are going to do about that rude mouth, Angel,” he says, crossing his arms. “I’m getting a bit sick of it.”

“Yea, well, then maybe you took the wrong girl.”

His lips pull into a closed-mouth grin as he stares down at you, almost in examination. After a few seconds, however, you realize it’s not examination, it’s adoration. He’s not scanning your face as if to memorize all of its fine details now that he has ample opportunity, he’s gazing appreciatively at what’s been previously memorized. As his eyes drink in your features, you’re starting to believe he could map them out in complete darkness if necessary; he could paint your portrait with no source of light. They follow the curl of your eyelashes, trace the bow of your lips, give attention to each faded freckle as if caressing a long-lost lover. 

“No, I didn’t,” is all he says before he turns and walks to the door. He pauses halfway through and points a finger at the tray of food. “Eat,” he demands. “And I want that attitude sorted out by the time I come back.”

Plucking a grape from the bunch, you hurl it his way as the door shuts behind him. You miss, of course. Because, somehow, he’s just a tad too quick. Somehow, he’s always one step ahead of you.

tags: @wkndwlff @kmc1989 @sagittarius-flowerchild @dempy @oliviah-25 @rosiahills22 @xoxabs88xox @matisse556 @hardballoonlove @lynnevanss @pono-pura-vida @tgmreader @amgluvsbooks @ravenhood2792 @djs8891 @shakespeareanwannabe @penguin876 @tgmavericklover @athenabarnes @emilyoflanternhill @wretchedmo @shanimallina87 @crowsreadsarahjmaas @mamachasesmayhem @sky2nd @jessicab1991 @rosedurin @averyhotchner @horseshoegirl @roosteraloha @b-bradshaw @fandom-life-12 @hookslove1592 @buckysteveloki-me

[ryomaandgundhamkin]

Some stuff for now since I have no idea how this website works..

EDIT: here take this lmao

!!!!! MINOR !!!!

Hi and welcome to my page, I’m Ryomaandgundhamkin. You can call me that or Ryo, Kin, whatever. - PRONOUNS ARE THEY/THEM, probably hypersexual

(SECOND BLOG: @cannibaleclipseau )

I’m probably gonna somewhat be online here. Or maybe a lot.

Also I’m not gonna be doing comissions for a while, sorry.

You can ask me about stuff if you want. Either my OCS or me-

Gonna make a post about them soon if I don’t forget, here’s the list so far for OCS:

( Vawilog

Klein

Veil

Coco

Lupne

Tempignis

Shinji

Kenji

Niko ) <- these are from other fandoms like HH/HB and Danganronpa

Quincunx² <- TSAMS

REGRETEVATOR >> Xenon, G10, XYST

Please help my mental state because I have no idea about role playing or anything.

Probably gonna post things on there that’ll be on my DA (Ryomaandgundhamkin) <- Not really active but i'll hop on every so often or post here if I cant on Tumblr, rarely though

You can also find me on Roblox (Katieemmav)!! <- tell me your user just so I know, I already have like 40 friend requests

SONA (as of September 2 2024) under the cut

Lil fun facts:

I’m left handed, I have a dog, I’m -11037 years old, I have DS manga I never read, my handwritings kinda good, I’m a pretty organized person, I sound like Bryce Papenbrook sometimes (Nagito ahh sounding-), I like plants, kinda minimalist, I live off grape candy and grape ramune and I know Pig Latin. The voice reveal is somewhere on my page just scroll a bit lmao

Quincunx² is a new OC of mines with a ton of lore. Uh, probably not gonna post all of it anywhere. Still working on it kind of?

But if you ask me anything, or my OCs, I’ll try and draw a photo of em to go along with the message ^^ I might do it digitally or traditionally.

Oh cool fun colors nice. Anyways I’ll try and respond to any questions to the best of my ability!

Iyay ewgray oredbay osay ouyay ancay anslatetray ifyay ouyay antway. Ifyay ouyay askyay ayay estionquay inyay Igpay Atinlay Iyay illway espondray inyay Igpay Atinlay ;)

V Link : https://www.tumblr.com/ryomaandgundhamkin/760562156232196096/i-finished-it-yay-im-not-gonna-pin-this-but

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: How To Learn To Love Yourself & Heal From Toxic People

Allow yourself to feel all your emotions and thoughts, authentically and without self-criticism or judgment: Acknowledge that you're grieving. Accept that you need to mourn your loss. Even if it is better to move on in life without these people, it is healthy and completely valid to grieve the relationships you had with these people – regardless of whether they were one-sided, deluded, or otherwise toxic. Allow yourself to cry, be angry, lie in bed, etc. Hit a pillow, sleep in all day on a weekend, or wear a set of pajamas for a WFH day. Give yourself permission to engage in self-soothing behaviors without any type of self-harm or self-sabotage.

Rest, relax, and pamper yourself in your leisure time: Spend time taking it easy – reading, watching TV, doing a face mask or another indulgent skin treatment, using a body massager, cooking dinner in a silk robe and slippers, lighting a candle, cozying up in a blanket, etc. Allow yourself to feel at peace. Create a sanctuary in your space.

Take time for introspection and self-discovery: Being in any type of relationship with toxic people is draining and can cause you to feel as though you've lost a part of yourself by trying to make the relationship succeed. Now, it's time to reclaim yourself after you've courageously cut out these toxic people from your life. Consider and honor your deepest desires, values, interests, hobbies, lifestyle, goals, aesthetic, food, sexual, entertainment preferences, etc. Go on a self-discovery journey to figure out who you really are, what you believe, and who you will work to become as you enter this new, exciting chapter of your life.

Journal, read, eat healthily, work out, drink plenty of water, and sleep: Go back to the basic healthy habits. Try to journal for at least 5-10 minutes a day (using a 5-minute journal, morning pages [writing 3 pages of stream-of-conscious thoughts first thing in the morning], journal or shadow work prompts), make 2-3 whole food, plant-based meals with carbs, veggies, fruits, proteins, and healthy fats, find some ways to incorporate movement into your day – 30-minute walk or yoga session is enough if that's all you can manage consistently, have your body weight in ounces of water daily, and sleep for around 7-8 hours a night. Do some inner child healing by taking care of your core needs.

Indulge in all of your favorites: There's a lot of fun you can have when you have total freedom regarding your daily activities and choices. Give yourself permission to enjoy this solitude. Wear your favorite outfits every day (occasion-appropriate options, of course), including pajamas, loungewear, lingerie, and accessories. Make your favorite meals and snacks throughout the week (incorporating some healthy options in there to feel your best – I love a good oatmeal bowl, frozen grapes, baked Japanese sweet potato, or a hummus and vegetable plate). Watch your favorite TV shows or movies. Indulge in a glass of wine you love or reread a favorite book. Create a masterful playlist. Plan a day of your favorite activities (a long walk, getting a coffee, indulging in a spa day, going to a farmer's market, going to a yoga class, etc.) Treat yourself like your own best friend.

Get comfortable doing things alone: Honestly, no one cares or is paying attention to if you're doing activities alone or with someone else. If someone shows too much interest in your solitude, they're probably projecting their own insecurities regarding their perceived social ridicule. Take yourself shopping, to the nail salon, out for a meal, to the movies, etc. alone. Personally, I love doing most of these things alone anyways. Running errands alone gives you some space to clear your mind and think freely.

Define what an ideal social life and/or relationship looks like for you: Once you've become comfortable with yourself and living life on your own terms, it's time to embrace your desire for human connection and socialization. Consider the types of people you want in your life – their values, personalities, interests, goals, favorite activities, relational boundaries, etc., and where/when/how often you want to interact with them.

Create an action plan: Reconnect with the people in your life who continue to show up for you and have been a light through these toxic relationships and their lasting effects over the months or years. Decide on the places, groups, and ways you'll reach out/try to meet these people. Figure out how to expand your network, and make new connections. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You won't vibe with everyone you meet, but it is worthwhile to engage in small talk with several strangers if even one of these new faces, later on, becomes a good friend or acquaintance. A varied social circle is a great way to enrich your life.

Take small steps, then strides: Be gentle on yourself throughout this entire process. It is perfectly okay to take one day at a time during the grieving process. Everyone's healing journey will look different and evolve at a different pace. Don't let these toxic people remain in your heart, mind, and spirit. Remember that you deserve love, kindness, happiness, success, peace, and patience.

[nikethestatue]

Salted Cashews

Despite all the ickiness in this fandom, my Elain Archeron Week continues.

This little fic was based on the quiz that is found on SJM's website.

Happy Summer Solstice!

June was in full bloom across Velaris. The city was always a thing of beauty, but springtime and early summer were especially lovely. The sea took on a special cerulean colour and all the parks and boulevards were clad in blooming flowers and trees of every hue and blossom.

The River Estate of the High Lord and High Lady of Night Court was swathed in blue and white. These were the colours that Elain Archeron had decided on for the garden’s colour palette. There were fat, shaggy hydrangeas of every shade of white and blue, beds of violets, rows of forget-me-nots, tall stalks of grape hyacinth, a smattering of bluebells, and plenty of white and cream peonies. She had taken special care to plant blue wisteria around one side of the estate, and jacaranda trees had been delivered from Day Court and replanted here. 

Currently though, all the beauty around her was lost on Elain. She was, what one might call, hate gardening. Whether that was a real thing or not, Elain didn’t care. She was hot, the soil was giving her pushback, her knuckles were skinned, something was digging into her knee and her dress was sticking to her back. Also, she was giving real serious consideration to just cutting off her hair and going with a nice, short haircut. The heap that was currently baking her head was enraging her. Even in a tight braid, the hair was still hot and uncomfortable.

She was almost elbow deep in the ground, sweating and cursing under her breath, when finally there was some relief from the sun. A cloud covered the blazing rays and offered a bit of shade. Elain sighed, wiped her brow and continued to dig and pull. 

It was Summer Solstice and she wished that there was something interesting and entertaining happening in the city today, but there were only smaller, localised celebrations happening, and she didn’t want to go alone anyway.

“Cauldron damn it to Hel!” she groaned, when she pulled on a weed, but it didn’t budge, and instead, she rolled back on her ass and jerked like a fish.

To her utter horror, she heard a hearty snort, followed by a chuckle.

She scrambled to her hands and knees and looked up. 

Azriel stood above her, arms folded on his broad chest. He was dressed in a simple shirt and light jacket, instead of his leathers. A day at the office then…She already knew what he typically wore, depending on what he had planned for the day. If the day demanded a lot of flying, he usually dressed in his leathers. If he spent most of the day with the High Lord or in Velaris, dealing with his informants, then he typically dressed in a simple tunic, or a shirt and a jacket. And if, by some miracle, he ever had a day off, he just wore a black, knit shirt. Elain wouldn't admit it, but those shirts were her favourite–the way they draped over his immense, muscular form, subtly emphasising every curve of his biceps and his shoulders, not to mention the perfect washboard stomach that he possessed so casually. 

Which brought Elain to her current reality–she was on her hands and knees, her breasts straining the neck of her dress, her ass up in the air. Like she was ripe and ready for mating. Azriel was watching her with a smirk, his massive wing stretched out and blocking the sun.

“It was…you…you,” she muttered, embarrassed. 

“Gave you a bit of shade? Yes,” he confirmed.

“How long have you been standing here?”

He smiled.

“A while.”

Gods. He was standing there, watching her for however long, shading her from the sun.

“Well, you shouldn’t do that!” she said primly.

“Oh?” he cocked his head, “which part? The shading? The standing? The watching?”

“All of it!” she exclaimed, blushing like a strawberry. “You...you shouldn't sneak up on people.”

“Spymaster, remember? It’s kind of my job. To sneak up on people.”

“Well…well, you shouldn’t! And also, you shouldn’t use your wing like that,” she scolded him.

“Why not?”

“Because it can burn!” she said firmly.

“And you are such a wing expert?”

“I know enough. You shouldn’t sneak up on unsuspecting people.”

“Did you not enjoy a bit of a cool down?”

“Maybe. But that’s not the point!” she insisted.

She didn’t like being alone with him. It confused her.

He said that they were a mistake.

Which was his right, of course.

But then he shouldn't have been chasing after her in his own way. He shouldn't be here right now, shading her from the sun and watching her.

He was always watching her. She knew it. She could feel his eyes on her, even when she was in the garden, or in the kitchen. Once, she noticed a blob of shadowed darkness in the corner of the kitchen. She wouldn’t have noticed it, if it weren’t for that blob reminding her of something. She had continued shelling peas, and then sliced the green beans, and went to fetch basil from the garden. When she returned, the blob was still there. It hadn’t moved. And just when she began telling herself that it was nothing more than shadow play, and nothing to worry about, she remembered. In the recess of her mind, an image came to her–a memory–of the same dark shadowy blob keeping vigil in her room, right after she was Made. Typically, only Nesta would come and visit her. Sometimes the twins, who became her friends, because they brought food. But no one else really visited her in those miserable weeks. No one. But she’d noticed the darkness in the corner. And for some reason, when it had gathered there, and stayed, ever watchful, she didn’t feel quite so lonely.

Azriel was watching her face and then commented, “Seems like something just dawned on you.”

She didn’t answer, shocked by her realisation. Was it true? Did he hide himself within his shadows and did he watch her? Has been watching her since day one?

“What might it be?” he pondered.

“Nothing!” 

He made a sound, but didn’t push. Instead, he extended his hand to her.

“Not that I mind watching her like that,” he teased and she coloured even further at the remark. “But I think that you should probably get up, lest someone gets the wrong idea.”

She was scandalised by his implication, but took his hand and he lifted her with alarming ease. 

“You sure you don’t want to tell me what it was that you had suddenly realised?” he probed.

She shrugged impudently and said, “no, not at all!”

“Shame,” he murmured to himself. 

She smoothed her dress on her hips and legs and muttered nervously, “I have to go…go see about dinner.”

“Well then,” he announced jovially, “then we are going in the same direction.”

His broad warm hand lay on the small of her back and she had no other choice but to walk next to him. 

“Do you, by any chance, keep a journal?” he asked suddenly.

“Umm, no. I don’t. Why do you ask?”

“If you did,” he said with chilling honesty, “I would’ve wanted to read it.”

Her head whipped to him and she asked, shocked, “what?!”

“Yes, I would’ve loved to be a daemati–and believe me, I wouldn’t have been asking anyone for permission to read their thoughts, unlike Rhys–but I am not a daemati. And as much as my shadows provide me with useful information, reading someone’s thoughts must be incredible.”

Elain glared at him in disbelief.

“Wait a minute!” she cried. “That’s horrible! That’s utterly dishonourable too! You cannot read people’s thoughts or their diaries!”

“You can, and you should,” Azriel contradicted her ruthlessly. 

They entered the quiet, cool mansion and walked towards the kitchen. Everyone was out, and it was just the two of them. The twins were probably around somewhere as well, but they didn’t make themselves known.

“See, if I had that information,” he continued nonchalantly, “I would’ve known how often you think of me. What you think. What worries you. What excites you.”

She paused by the cupboard, as she took out two bowls and turned away from him, so he wouldn’t be able to see her face.

“I don’t think about you,” she whispered.

He didn’t say anything for so long, that she thought he’d left. So when she turned around, she was faced with his wide chest and the fact that he was standing almost right next to her.

“Gah,” she gasped.

“We both know that’s a lie, don’t we, Miss Archeron?” he breathed, bowing to speak into her ear.

“No,” she shook her head, breathing heavily. “No it’s not. I…I don’t think about you.”

“Hmmm.”

“I, I need to cook,” she stammered. Despite the coolness of the house, she was feeling very hot.

“Cook then. I will help,” he offered. 

“Umm, you don’t have to.”

“Why not? If I am going to eat, I might as well cook as well. What will you have me do? I am putty in your hands,” he opened his arms widely in invitation.

She sighed dramatically, and then dumped a bunch of cucumbers in front of him and said, “you may slice these. Not with Truth-Teller!” she added quickly.

He chuckled and took a knife, and then began slicing.

She pulled a fresh chicken out of the ice box and placed it in a baking dish, before grabbing a bulb of garlic, some onions, lemons and fresh thyme. 

Glancing discreetly at where he was standing, she noted how precise his slices were, as he ran his knife through the cucumbers with ease.

“You know,” she said suddenly, “I don’t need to read your diary to know everything about you.”

He looked at her in amusement and inquired, “is that so?”

“It is,” she nodded. 

“And what do you know about me?”

“If you listen closely enough, and observe, you can find out everything you need to know,” she said confidently.

“Alright then, indulge me,” he welcomed.

She minced garlic on the chopping board, and said, 

“Fine. Here it goes: You are haunted by your past and cannot reconcile your need for peace with your warrior nature. You cherish the gifts that you receive from some of your friends–and strangely, you like jewellery. You have silver rings and your syphons that you tend to closely, polishing and cleaning them often, you wear leather bracelets and a silver forearm band, and you have a pierced ear. You don’t show it to others often, but sometimes, you wear an earring.”

At her words, Azriel stopped slicing and just listened, his face inscrutable.

She continued, 

“You have a terrible sweet tooth, because you didn’t have sweets when you were a child. However, your favourite snack is salted cashews. What’s more, you like reading people’s diaries, and when you cannot find what their thoughts or motivations are, it frustrates you.”

“Anything else?” he asked, his voice stony.

“Sure,” she nodded. “You are loyal to a fault, but your loyalty battles the need that you have for freedom and independence. It’s a constant struggle. You like to eat. You especially like to eat what I’ve cooked,” she said the last part so quickly, it came out slurred. “And you don’t realise what others value in you the most. And it’s not your bravery, or your acerbic humour, or your shadowsinging abilities,”

“What is it that they value then?”

“Your incredible kindness.”

She finally looked at him. 

His face remained expressionless.

“How did I do?”

“Wrong about everything,” he told her tersely. 

“Oh.”

“Except one thing.”

He got up and laid the knife down.

“I just remembered that I had to be somewhere,” he lied.

She knew it was a lie.

“Alright, thank you for your assistance,” she said simply.

“But I do like eating what you cooked,” he said at last.

Elain watched him, her big brown eyes following his every move.

“I will see you later,” he said and headed for the door.

“Wait!” she called out, and hurried to the cupboard.

He stopped, a slight expression of annoyance on his face.

“I have something for you,” she said, wiping her hands on a towel. The next moment she emerged from the pantry, holding a packet.

She walked over to him and then extended her hand, so he had no choice but to take the packet.

“I know I was wrong about everything, but I still got you this. Happy Solstice.”

He looked at her for a long time.

“Happy Solstice, Elain.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

The moment he was out, he shot into the sky, his breathing heavy. 

She…she saw too much.

Too much.

Once high up in the air, he soared over the roofs of the buildings and then curious, he opened the packet. Inside, he found a bag of salted cashews.

His favourite snack indeed.

[serpentface]

hello i would love to hear about culturally specific dishes in the blightseed setting. what do the animals taste like hows their fat content... herbs and seasonings and the trades involved perhaps..... hows the salt economy? love your setting and if you have a list of ingredients i will invent meals in my head and be well satisfied... i just love food and cooking in world building it is so important to me :-)

OK this is crazy because I had literally just cooked a Lore Friendly Meal the night before I got this ask.

Since this is a super broad question gonna default to Imperial Wardin since that's what I'm writing in right now and has the most developed food economy. (Sorry.)

This region currently dominates the eastern Inner Seas tradeway so has a very broad access to imported foods and spices, and many of its staples are not originally native to the region. Its regional cuisine is quite diverse and varied, largely owing to its status in the tradeway and a long history of immigration to the region (as well as a wide variety of native regional variations in diet).

For simplicity's sake I'm mostly going to stick to staples that are grown in-region (whether native or not) or commonly imported. Also mostly sticking to domesticated plant life, or very common and easily acquired wild plants. (Also not all these plants/herbs/spices would be 1:1 with real-world equivalents, or would be of unique variants that don't exist irl, but if they're basically the same thing I use the IRL word)

Staple base foods: maize, barley, wheat, and rice (closer to O. glaberrima than O. sativa), red yam (a yam regarded as very delicious), white yam (a hardier but poorer tasting yam, often associated with poverty), cassava, chickpeas, other legumes.

Staple vegetables (regionally varies): Cabbage, lettuce, okra, onions, garlic, chili peppers, celery, peas, kolis (a drought tolerant, cactus-like plant. Young stems are tender and edible), camiche (a tree that produces edible seedpods and young leaves).

Staple fruits: Dates, figs, pomegranates, olives, melons, apples, bitter cherries, kolis fruit, nara (a type of citrus, comparable in flavor and sourness to lime).

Widely used spices/herbs/flavorings: cumin, saffron (VERY expensive but natively grown), coriander, culantro, thyme, fennel, sage, tumeric, cardamom, ginger, firebug (an insect that is dried and crushed, provides a reddish hue and slight acidic flavor), anuje (a tree sap which is the region's most popular sweetener).

Livestock: cattle, horses (the small 3 hooved kind), hogs, ducks, geese, one domesticated species of gazelle, some camelops (rare in this region, imported), one type of small domesticated lacetor, several types of fowl.

Other meat (common wild game, or livestock raised in smaller or more localized capacities): crocodiles, gazelles, aurochs, salutachin (a meat dog breed), doves, nechoi, lacetor, hippegalga, anara (a large semi-aquatic rodent), hespiornis, unkata (a large flightless bird), ibis, pheasants, rabbits and hares, caviar ants.

(Of the fantasy game, most nechoi have a strong, lean gamey meat, but an-nechoi is fattier and milder. Lacetor is generally mild and tough (with a few very fatty cuts) and benefits from slow cooking and heavy spices. Hippegalga is lean and mildly gamey and has a nutty quality. Anara tastes like wild rabbit, but slightly fattier. Unkata kind of just tastes like turkey.)

Alcohol: Wine is very important and is consumed (mostly watered down) on a daily basis. Date wine is most common and least expensive by far; only small parts of the region are ideal for viniculture and grape wine is somewhat uncommon. Other fruit wines are common (bitter cherry and kolis fruit being most popular). A very strong liquor is produced from anuje sap, with sweeter and lower ABV versions available as a kind of dessert wine. Grain-based beers and liquors are widely available, but not as prized as fruit/anuje drinks. Mead is somewhat rare and is mostly seen as inferior to anuje.

Salt economy: this region is a dominant player in the salt trade, having a large area of salt flats and marshes in its south. Salt is widely accessible throughout the region via internal trade routes.

Fishing: The region has a huge fishing industry along its coasts and the diet in the coastal cities is enriched with seafood. Pretty much any edible sea life is eaten. (Dozens of fish species, octopus, squid, clams, urchins, oysters, scallops, crabs, lobster, shrimp, etc etc). The tiny, schooling larval form of yotici are also sometimes eaten.

There's also a 'whaling' industry for leviathans, which have very rich, blubbery meat high in iron (I guess I'd describe it as a fattier, stronger, bloodier version of alligator meat), and uhrwal, which have very tough, gamey meat and are considered an acquired taste, used specifically for delicacy dishes.

Misc lore:

Arthropods are not widely eaten in the region and have stigma as peasant or famine food. Some local exceptions are made for locusts, and the eggs of caviar ants (there is a very small industry of ant farming in Ephennos, brought by White Sea qilik immigrants).

Dogs have been used for meat in this region for hundreds of years (largely in the form of the salutachin, a breed specifically developed for meat), but the practice declined under the 3rd Burri empire (in which context it was seen as an 'unclean' food). Cultural trauma from feral dogs eating the dead (and in turn being eaten by starving civilians) during a siege-induced famine has made it specifically taboo in Godsmouth. Dog is now widely considered a famine/poverty food in most of the region, though corn-fed salutachin is still a delicacy in the city-state of Wardin.

Animals that eat human flesh are taboo to consume in most parts of the region (whether this extends to all/most predators or just obligate scavengers varies).

Eggs of skimmer gulls and ibis are considered delicacies.

The basic diet varies across the region, but a huge proportion of the established cuisine revolves around cumin, onions, and peppers for flavoring.

The majority of the diet for an average person is built on savory grain porridge and mashed legumes.

Dairy products are important to the everyday diet in the eastern 'dairy belt' of the region, but are of lesser significance elsewhere. Horsemilk and cow's milk are both common.

Maize is usually consumed after nixtamalization for greater nutritional content.

Most people (especially in the cities) do not eat meat on a regular basis, as even for self-sustaining farmers and herders, the value of livestock for milk, textiles, labor, sacrifice, and trade means that frequent slaughter is often unsustainable. Most get their everyday protein needs met with legumes, and those in coastal cities have broad access to seafood.

Animal sacrifice is vitally important to the practice of the Imperial Wardi faith, but the meat of sacrifices is not eaten (outside of a few specific rites and festivals) and is instead burned.

Khaitmeat is rarely eaten outside of desperation (or opportunistic slaughter of old/injured animals) due to their great value and a developed taboo around its consumption in some parts of the region.

Hunting is a pastime for the urban upper class and typically forbidden within the territories of the city-states without an expensive 'license' (unless one one's own lands, which also generally requires having big money). Poaching for meat in the outskirts of cities is common among the urban poor.

Hunting is a key part of the diet throughout the rural parts of the region, many rural commoners eat meat more frequently than their urban counterparts on this merit.

Some established dishes (either vaguely conceptualized, or have come up specifically in writing):

Pounded white yam and nothing else (a famine food).

Pounded white yam with whitefish and pepper soup, a hearty common meal in Godsmouth.

Savory cornmeal cakes (cornmeal cooked in vegetable broth, lard or olive oil, peppers, onions, cumin, salt, cheese, wrapped in a corn husk and cooled to be eaten on the go).

Shitty cornmeal cakes (a famine food) (cornmeal with weevils in it, you can't really get the weevils out and it's protein so might as well, salted and cooked in water).

Grain festival beef/horse stew (tough bone-in cuts slowcooked with peppers, onion, garlic, and any other available vegetables. Usually heavily spiced. The resulting broth is used to cook the grain (usually hominy, rice, or barley), the meat and vegetables are served on top, sometimes with cream or cheese).

Hominy porridge with milk and sprinkled cheese.

Wheat porridge with dried dates and anuje.

Reed duck boiled in date wine, flavored with peppers, coriander, cumin, and saffron (VERY fancy).

Pickled kolis stem bulbs.

Fermented kolis stem bulbs and cabbage.

Gannegal soup (made with bull penis, hominy, garlic, onion, cabbage, and chickpeas in a spicy broth, supposed to support fertility)

Raw hippegalga meat, thinly sliced with onion and hot pepper, all marinated and cured with nara and eaten cold atop barley or rice (also supposed to support fertility)

Anaebi soup (made with reed duck, lily bulbs, rice, and okra, supposed to support a healthy pregnancy)

Cow tripe and cabbage soup

Finely chopped meat/fish/shellfish or vegetables with onions, wrapped in dough and fried or baked.

Peledyo (A strong, heavily fermented fish sauce favored in the coastal cities (this is pretty much a garum ripoff), which is mixed with wine, vinegar, honey, etc to form the base of other sauces)

Very spicy shellfish soup with a peledyo, wine, and pepper broth.

Caviar ant eggs marinated with nara, vinegar, chopped onions and cabbage, mixed with rice.

A sweetened bean porridge made with cream and anuje.

Hummus-esque spread made with chickpeas, garlic, onion, peppers, and olive oil, usually eaten with bread.

Whole spitroasted horse

A type of root vegetable sausage (intestine casing stuffed with mashed cassava or yam, onions, garlic & cumin seeds which have been cooked down in lard, sometimes with minced meat/offal. Boiled all together.)

Blood sausage (usually horse or cattle)

A kind of donut fried in oil and then soaked in anuje and fruit syrup.

Roasted peppers and onions sauteed in heavy cream, usually served atop grain or a grain porridge.

Toasted locusts, locusts fried with rice or barley, pounded white yam stuffed with fried locust and onions (opportunistic meals during locust plagues)

Fried sprats with pepper and onion sauce

Crab stock soup with onions, peppers, crab meat or whole softshell crabs, and crab roe (sometimes with cream)

Squid ink soups (variety of seafood or seafood-stock soups, blackened by squid ink)

A simple 'trail mix' made with dried camiche seeds and hominy

Dessert bread glazed with fruit syrup or anuje, covered in dried dates

Raw minced lacetor with peledyo, garlic powder, cardamom, coriander. Used to top grains or to be eaten with pounded yam.

Thinly sliced uhrwal flank simmered with date wine and vinegar.

Fatty cuts of an-nechoi belly, usually slow cooked and eaten in soups.

Minced kolis stalk, onion, and pepper, salted and marinated with nara or vinegar

Roasted figs with cheese

Also here's the lore friendly meal I cooked, the grain festival beef stew. Here served in only the lore friendliest of dollar store paper bowls

This specific dish is eaten as a part of yearly grain festivals celebrating the end of the harvest. In most contexts it's an agricultural community event with each family contributing whatever vegetables and spices are on hand, and each donating some of their harvested grain. It's cooked in a huge pot and usually serves dozens of people.

The exact vegetable/herb/spice components would vary wildly within the region, timing, and by the success of the various harvests, but will generally be farmed (rather than foraged) due to the nature of the festival as an agricultural celebration and thanks-giving. Cumin, peppers, and onions are considered the absolute bare minimum necessity. The grain will usually be maize, barley or rice, and may be mashed into a savory porridge instead of eaten whole.

This will usually be one of few times a year where meat is eaten in abundance in the agricultural context. The meat is almost always beef or horse, usually tougher bone-in cuts are chosen for this specific dish. These animals will have been slaughtered specifically for this festival, with the best cut of meat from each being burnt in an offering of gratitude to Ganmache and Anaemache (ox-face and river-face of God, both of which are associated with agriculture and harvests), at the base of what will become the cooking fire.

The meat and vegetables are cooked on low heat in water until the meat is soft and tender and a broth is formed (which should be very strong and spicy, as it will be used to flavor the grain). Some of the broth is drained and used to cook the grain, which is then served with the meat, vegetables, and a few spoonfuls of broth on top. In the eastern dairy belt, milk/cream may be added to the broth, and/or it may be topped with crumbled cheese or sour cream. This is next to heresy in the west.

---

For my easily accessible grocery store equivalent, I used a beef shank, 2 onions, 2 jalepeños, one habanero, a bunch of garlic, okra, and cabbage. Seasoned with cumin seeds and tumeric (very lore friendly) and a sazon packet because I had it (most of the spices involved are at least passably lore friendly). Also jasmine rice (not lore friendly but it's what I had).

I first toasted cumin seeds in olive oil, then added the vegetables and stirred until they were cooked down. The meat and vegetables/spices were cooked in water on low heat for ~5 hours and seasoned to taste. Some of the broth was then removed to cook the rice. Meat + vegetables are spooned on top of the rice, along with some broth.

Results: It's preddy good. Might be a little better with roasted or sauteed rather than heavily cooked down vegetables, but the latter is how it would be eaten. I also had a sore throat at the time and ended up just drinking the rest of the broth. It felt amazing. 6.5/10.

[silverynight]

Underworld

<--Previous

Part XXV

Before he can think about what he's going to tell Todoroki, Aizawa appears for Izuku's daily training.

"I think it's time to take you to the Olympus; Toshinori wants to train you too."

Izuku can't stop himself from beaming; Aizawa had told him that All Might wanted to train him, but it was difficult for him to believe it at the time.

Well, it still is.

However, it's a good thing that he's going to the Olympus because that way he can tell them both at the same time about the courtship.

He goes home quickly to say goodbye to his mother and promise her to be back at night.

The Olympus looks a little bit empty now that there's no party, but it's still very impressive and beautiful to look at.

There's some sort of garden with a golden apple tree in the middle of it all; Izuku can't help but stare at everything and notice how much life is in every inch of it.

He can feel it everywhere.

"Midoriya!" All Might is very different from Aizawa; he greets Izuku like they have known each other for ages and hugs him in such an enthusiastic way Izuku's feet stop touching the ground for a moment.

"You're going to crush him!" Aizawa scolds the other god after a while, although Izuku feels completely fine.

"It's a pleasure to see you again!" The demigod beams, slightly flustered.

"Are you ready to test your power against me?" All Might grins, posing like one of those statues the mortals have on his temples; he flexes his arms, showing off his muscles.

Izuku gets immediately nervous; he doesn't think he's ready to test his abilities against the king of the gods.

Aizawa rolls his eyes before standing in the middle of the two.

"No. There's not going to be any of that; we agreed." Aizawa sighs, looking like he's about to have a headache. "First, you're going to watch him train on his own so you can see his progress so far."

The fact that he's going to be aware of them watching him makes Izuku feel even more nervous, but he tries to focus.

He needs to know what kind of life grows in that garden; the plants and flowers are not used to Izuku's presence, but they welcome him anyway.

Izuku is not sure if it's because he has had a lot of practice or it's that life is buzzing with energy there, but it's easier to control. He manages to catch Aizawa once with vines, although he makes sure not to use thorns.

All Might puts a hand under his own chin and just as Izuku waits for him to point out everything he's doing wrong, he smiles and claps his hands together once.

"Let's eat!"

If he doesn't count that time at the party and when he was in the underworld, Izuku is almost sure he has never seen that much food on a table before.

Gods don't need to eat, but they still enjoy the taste of food. That's why a lot of the offerings mortals made to them are meat, grapes and sometimes wine and juice they make with their own hands.

"You have done an amazing job with the boy, Shota," All Might says after a while, making Izuku relax somewhat. However, when he turns around to face the demigod, he looks slightly more serious: "Even though you are obviously working on your technique and have better control over it, you still hesitate a lot, Midoriya."

Izuku turns slightly pink before looking down; he knows he's right.

"Don't be afraid of your own power, young Midoriya. I promise it won't betray you or consume you like you seem to believe."

Aizawa quirks a brow at the other god, almost as if he's quite surprised by his wisdom.

"And don't hesitate to use it on Shota!" All Might chuckles before giving the other god a slap on the shoulder that almost makes him fall face first over his own plate. "He can take it!"

Aizawa glares back at the blond god, but when he turns around to look at Izuku, his expression softens considerably.

"He's right. You shouldn't hesitate."

"Let's go back to training!"

"Wait," Izuku cuts in, looking at both of them. "I need to tell you something first."

He gets slightly nervous when he notices Aizawa's worried expression and All Might's excited grin.

"Kacchan is courting me!" Izuku blurts out, knowing that if he doesn't say it as soon as possible he never will.

"He's... WHAT?" All Might doesn't seem that happy about it. "But you're too young for that!"

Even though the god doesn't seem to agree with that, Izuku worries a bit more about Aizawa's eye twitching. He hasn't said a word, but it seems that whatever he's thinking is definitely nothing good.

Maybe he should've waited a little longer to tell them.

***

It's been a while and Aizawa is still pacing around the room; Izuku is not sure why he doesn't seem to like the idea of Katsuki courting him.

"It's okay!" All Might says then, he's not completely happy, but it seems he has come to terms with it. "I mean, young Bakugo is not bad! He doesn't like to come here often, but I know he takes care of his realm and the people in it quite well!"

Izuku is ready to agree and tell him how kind and gentle Katsuki actually is, but he realizes that All Might is talking to Aizawa.

The other god pauses, pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath before looking back at him.

"I know, I know," Aizawa sighs. "I don't have anything against Bakugo and he seems to have learned his lesson after what happened the first time, but..."

"You don't want Midoriya to suffer because you care about him," All Might says, surprising Izuku. "I care about him too."

The demigod feels the tears in his eyes before they start sliding down and he realizes he can't stop them.

Izuku already knew they cared about him; they wouldn't be there at the moment if that wasn't the case, but now he thinks that he doesn't quite understand how much they care. A couple of years ago, Izuku firmly believed that his mother was the only one who could care about him like that.

It seems he was completely wrong and he's never been happier to be wrong before.

He jumps into Aizawa's arms first, but this time the god immediately hugs him back.

"You still have to bring Bakugo here because I want to talk to him, alright?" He says after a while.

"Sure!" Izuku beams before giving another hug to All Might.

"Actually," Aizawa adds, almost like an afterthought. "I think it'd be better if he meets us in your mother's house in a couple of days, if your mother is okay with it."

Izuku nods, knowing his mother will agree.

"Great!" All Might cuts in, cracking his knuckles. "I have a couple of things to say to young Bakugo too!"

Even though they kinda said they're okay with the courtship, Izuku gets slightly nervous about the upcoming meeting, but he doesn't have time to think about it too much because Aizawa puts a hand on his shoulder.

"You still have to train, Midoriya. It's time you use your powers on Toshinori."

Right. Another thing to be nervous about. At least it takes his head off the courtship for a while.

Then he realizes that he's not a good opponent for All Might; the god defeats him every single time without breaking a sweat.

It's going to be a long day.

***

Next--->

Patreon

[animentality]

if you have ever gone really really really thoroughly through moonrise towers looking for every single readable scrap of paper. you can find this sequence of letters between gortash and ketheric that i havent seen anyone talk about but if i have the order right its REALLY funny to me. kicking myself cause i can’t find the screenshots at the moment but it’s like

the first one (in ketheric’s room) is gortash writing to ketheric very formally and commandingly in proper letter format telling him to retrieve the artefact and not to fail in doing so. and it’s super overbearing lol

the second one is a copy of ketheric’s reply (near z’rell’s desk i think) wherein he tells gortash that his “tone” in the previous letter is “inappropriate” lmao. and to not order him around like that because he doesn’t answer to him or bane and also he’s working on it.

the third one is gortash’s reply to that i believe (one of the alcoves on the roof where the first round of ketheric’s fight is) and it takes the form of a small unformatted informal thing that goes something like “k- just a note to say i can’t believe the artefact is still missing! i hear even the githyanki are after it!!! i sure hope you find it soon! -g” with exclamation points and everything and it just comes off as the most sarcastic patronising thing bsgshsgs

and so this, plus the way he kicks you in the shin at the morphic pool, and then the way he petulantly shoves you and yoinks the netherstones (at such a critical moment too) because the brain is pissing him off. AND all the intentionally hurtful things he goes out of his way to say to karlach even when she’s so supposedly beneath him. it has all brought me to the conclusion that, for all his posturing, gortash genuinely has the emotional maturity of a grape and it makes for a very very funny dichotomy to his character

(but also kind of sad. because he kind of still the little kid his parents sold out to the devil all those years ago. he never grew up he just learned how to puff up his self esteem with hot air and it takes so little to cut through the performative sophistication)

Anon...

why did you have to hurt me this way?

I have seen all of those notes, actually, but I never thought anything of them...

But you're right.

Gortash is fundamentally a child tyrant... a miserable little wretch, who was an abused slave for most of his childhood, and who swore he'd never let anyone treat him like that again.

And then he swore HE'D be the slaver and the bully.

But maybe that was because he never had the opportunity to grow to his full potential.

And the parts of him that were able to grow, grew wrong.

He was twisted up and gnarled inside like a plant forced to grow through the bars of a small cage.

My poor Gortie.

Evil boy. Tragic boy.

The pettiness is funny but god now I'll think of it as sad too.

[pupluto]

hi. if you’re willing to (bc I know this might be a little weird), can you please do hcs + stuff for a Tyranitar carer taking care of a depressed little?

₊˚🌱 ʚ Tyranitar Carer 🌿 ₊˚✧ﾟ.

Tyranitar carer looking after their depressed tiny headcanons <3

>> not enjoying to talk too much their actions speak louder than any words could ever:

>> tries to make their love’s bed as comfortable as possible for them, stacking blankets and pillows and removing any rubbish that might be littered around the second they see it. They love to cuddle with their angel right after cleaning up, having their baby lay on top of them and rubbing their back gently while their tiny hears their heartbeat.

>> brings small healthy snacks to try and keep their tiny’s diet as balanced as possible: grapes, berries, etc, they will make sure to sit with their love and snack together, trying to be a good example for their sweetheart.

>> encourages at least an hour of sunlight and fresh air daily: whether it’s through having blinds up and windows open in their room, or going outside for a little walk, they remind their baby that getting even some light and air will help them feel a little better. They make sure to keep their love company throughout it all, holding hands on walks, even carrying them on their shoulders, or sitting by their open window together, tiny in their lap, breathing the air in.

>> asks their tiny to help care for their plants, knowing that having them focus on taking care of something else might encourage them to do the same for themselves, seeing how the beautiful greens flourish with the right care.

>> loves to spoil their baby with stuffies, colouring pages, action figures, anything to keep their mind occupied and at ease. They make sure to be right there with their little love, partaking in any activity that they are even if in silence, loving to see the smiles their angel gives them while they play.

>> prepares bottles, divided plates, and pacifiers for all three meals, trying to stick to what they know their tiny enjoys so that they can get more food and liquid in them, with a pacifier as a little bonus once they’re all done with their food. They love to cut whatever food they can up into fun shapes and make little stories out of them, trying to entertain their baby into eating well.

•｡🦖* ☆

[the-habitat-ring]

The (Real) Stardew Valley Farm Update 2024

I’m wrapping up my third year trying to grow everything from Stardew Valley in our yard, with substitutions as needed, preferably with Midwest USA native plants.

I’m continuing to battle the invasive plants (why won’t the honeysuckle and thistles stop?????), beg for truckloads of woodchips (Google decided our address isn’t real anymore), and deal with a body and brain that makes going outside impossible sometimes (the past two years have been rough medically). But despite all of that I still managed to make a ton of progress!

Here’s how things stand as of now. If you’re looking back at previous posts you might notice some differences, but that’s mainly because things I planted died (drought + medical crises don’t bode well for newly established plants). I’ve also added the additional crops from the new update.

2021

Amaranth - Native white amaranth

Grape - Native riverbank grapes (so many grapes). I’m hopefully going to successfully propagate some cuttings from the neighbor’s green cultivated variety

Dandelion - Obviously

Maple Tree - Native silver, red, and sugar maples

Pine Tree - Douglas fir

Apple Tree - Three old apple trees of different varieties in very rough shape. I’ve been working to prune them up and two are looking a lot better. I’d love an Enterprise apple tree at some point

Coffee Bean - Chicory (a naturalized plant commonly used as a coffee substitute)

Salmonberry - Native black raspberries since salmonberries aren’t from around here, although I really want to add raspberries of various colors in the future

Starfruit - Native wood sorrel

Cave Carrot - Queen Ann’s Lace, AKA wild carrot

2022

Kale

Rhubarb

Strawberry - Both cultivated and native

Tulip

Radish

Tomato

Eggplant

Fairy Rose - Native prairie rose

Cranberries - Native cranberry viburnum

Orange Tree -Native persimmons, which produce orange fruit

Daffodil

Spring Onion - Native nodding onions

Spice Berry - Native spicebushes

Wild Plum - Native plums

Crocus

Cherry Tree - Native black cherries and nonnative bush cherries

Banana Tree - Native pawpaws, which are also known as Indiana bananas

Sweet Gem Berry - Native Juneberry (Downy Serviceberry)

2023

Garlic - Native wild garlic

Blueberries - I planted three varieties and only one survived. Don’t shortcut your bed preparation, friends

Wild Horseradish - Not wild, but contained with my mint

Hops - Teamaker hops which is good for tea since we’re not alcohol fans

2024

Blue Jazz - Native Ozark Bluestar

Beets

Apricot Tree - Native passionflower vine, also known as wild apricot

Sunflower - Both native and non-native sunflowers

Pumpkin

Cactus Fruit - Native prickly pear cactus

Melon - Cantaloupe

Oak Tree - Native dwarf chinquapin oak, which took me forever to get

Hot Pepper

Palm Tree/coconut - Native palm sedge

Poppy - Native purple poppy mallow, after other native poppies failed. I still want to grow bread seed poppies, though

Corn - Tried some gorgeous colored corn and popcorn that didn’t grow great but they did grow!

Green bean

Hazelnut - They’re supposed to be easy to grow but they do not like me. Third time’s the charm, right?

Carrot

Summer squash

Powder melon - I decided to do honeydew melon because it’s kinda powdery and I don’t really have any other ideas

Planned for 2025 and beyond

Potato

Pineapple - White strawberries (pineberries)

Winter Root - Hopniss, a native root vegetable

Red Cabbage

Artichoke - Native Jerusalem artichokes

Yam

Bok Choy

Leek

Fiddlehead Fern - Ferns do not like me

Blackberry

Crystal Fruit - Probably honey berries, which produce fruit earlier than anything else

Ancient Fruit - Native Aronia berries. They’re blue(ish) and have lots of antioxidants so you live to be ancient

Tea Leaves - Native New Jersey Tea bush. The previous ones were murdered by rabbits

Mango Tree - I thought one of our pawpaws was a variety called mango but I was wrong

Ginger - I want to try growing native wild ginger again

Rice - Native rough-leaved rice grass

Wheat - I have some gorgeous ornamental blue wheat seeds

Summer Spangle - Possibly native prairie lily? I was unsuccessful growing it from seed this year but maybe in the future

Parsnip - I can’t get them to germinate to save my life but one day I will be successful

Sweat pea

Holly - Native winterberry holly

Mushrooms - I'm just gonna ignore varieties and try some plugs or similar

Peach - Vine peach. It’s a melon, and more doable than a tree

Mahogany Tree - I think I’ll resort to mahogany nasturtiums

Broccoli

Pomegranate Tree - I could try Russian pomegranates?

Taro Root - I would have to plant it in pots

Snow Yam - Not actually a yam but maybe native sweet potato vine?

Qi Fruit - Very creepy, not sure what to do with this

Over halfway there! If anyone has suggestions for plants please let me know because I’m still stuck on a few and very open to alternatives.

In other news, I’m making Stardew Valley Fair displays with cross stitch patches for each of the items I’ve added that year. I’ll have to post pics of those at some point.

[t-mblr-begone]

HI I JUST FINISHED TNG AND AM AUTISTIC I NEED TO TALK (warning long ass post, ramblings)

Q in his stupid fucking judge outfit???? Oh my god i love him so much?? And like?? I dont even think he wanted to put picard on trial at the end he says it was the continuums orders so did he even want to do that too him? Who knows!! We do know hes gay as shit though oh my god. I love him.

The past, the Encounter At Farpoint, picard yelling for Q on the bridge and everyone probably thinking hes insane. Picard not telling any of them whats going on, even though it doesnt affect the other timelines. Tasha Yar???? Hi Tasha!!!!!! Worf with his old sash, the old uniforms, the shitty dress deanna wore in the first episode (it slayed), data being. So autistic. Liek actually hold on can i talk about tha

This episode, with all its converging timelines, really shows how data grows- not just as a character just in general, as the years go by on the ship, he starts understanding idioms, somewhat. He. He gets more human. He really does. His movements more fluid, hes smarter. He really does grow, something about his neural net constantly evolving or something. Oh my god.

The shitty future?? Worf liking Deanna Romantically Cannon??? Riker was still holding on to the relationship this whole time?? (I never noticed really. Im. Autistic.) PICARD AND CRUSHER GOT MARRIED. And then divorced BUT STILL. Picard back on earth?? Tending to what i can only assume to be grape plants or something, like his brother. Data teaches at Cambridge. He has grey hair, thinks it makes him more distinguished. Geordi has eyes! Like in two different timelines he has eyes.

Thats another thing actually, like i could have sworn at least in the earlier seasons, he didnt want. Eyes? I thought?? But like. It seems like a minor Thing, cause it showed up in that one Riker Gets Kidnapped By A Child Alien Because Its Lonely episode. And again here, and probably other places i can't remember because ive consumed all of tng in 2 months.

The present. I dont have shit to say about that actually. It sure is season 7.

OH MY GOD THE BEGINNING OF THW EPISODE BEFORE Q REAVEALS HIMSELF?? How we dont know if he Is travelling through time or if hes Going Senile. The cuts?? I mean the cuts through the whole episode is so good the cinematography in general!!!! Oh my god. The close ups, the panning, THE ACTING?? TASHA YAR??? EARLY WORF? OLD WORF? I like worf. GEORDI? DATA???? love brett spiner.

And i mean who remembers the judge scene from the first episode at this point? The foreshadowing with the jury(?)/audience(?) i didnt even. Realize until they put Picard on the stand again.

DEANNA BEING FUCKING DEAD IN THE FUTURE HELLO?????????????

Oh my god but the end scene. The end shot of the poker game? Imagine seeing the future, all your friends, drifted apart, tense at each other with worf and riker. Seeing that. And then coming back to reality, to Your Time. And seeing your friends as they are right then. Why didnt picard join them for poker?

No like actually. Did. Did he have a reason for that? Some like, weird captain thing? Or like. Some weird barrier wall thing? Thing where he feels like he should isolate himself.

But the point is, he joins his friends for some poker, i dont think he had probably played poker in years. Its just. Amazing.

You know. I think this is one of the first times ive seen her again and not cried, which is progress because every other time it was. Not great.

But now that tngs over

Hey does tumblr have a word limit? We're about to find out.

But now that tngs over, theres still a lot i have to ask. Like why the fuck did they do that to wesley? Do we see wesley again? Is still dont know who b-4 is. Whats Ro doing now? Is she good? Do we see her again? Does she know kira? Do ro and kira meet? Probably not actually. Itd probably be cool though. Do worf and deanna get married? Please. I ne- oh wait no they cant bc worf has a thing with jadzia at some point. What the fuck is up with worf and jadzia? And also where is alexander now? When does worf join ds9? Probably season 3 idk. Or Barclay? Cheif o'brien? Cause the show ran concurrently for a bit. WHY DONR WORF AND DEANNA GET MARRIED THEYRE LIKE PERFECT???? What the fuck is that guy with the ears damar? Gamar? I think its damar? Idk. Why he look like that? IS RO GOING TO DIE??

Oh hey i get to meet sisko, hes cool. He gets like visions or some shit. Q doesnt like him i think "picard never hit me ):" "im not picard."

Q and Quark. Odo and Q. Do we get to see the cunty judge outfit again? Why does he have a mustache when hes boxing sisko or whatever?

OH I GET TO SEE FUCK ASS DUKAT THEOW DARTS AT HIM EVIL. Fun.

Okay yeah im done

[merrimentsmight]

Cicero and Listener gathering flowers for Mother, then killing people who're bounty hunting the Listener and then just having a cute camp/picnic while still covered in blood,,,,, that's my favourite daydream of Cici

Mother needed dragon's tongue, Cicero said. He would always bring her flowers, and make sure they were fresh and fragrant. It was sweet, and it made him happy. The Listener suspected it made Mother happy, too. So they were picking dragon's tongue off the side of the road south of Windhelm. The Listener was being careful, picking only a few blossoms from each plant to keep them growing and healthy. Cicero was less calculating, and picked whichever ones he thought best, even if that was every flower the plant had to offer. When they had a full basket of flowers, the Listener rested, sitting on the side of a stone ledge, and began to pick wild jazbay grapes, popping some of the sweet berries into their mouth and adding some to the over-crowded basket.

Cicero kept gathering flowers. They watched him flit about in the late afternoon sun, mumbling and laughing to himself and looking, gods bless him, content. “And there was the one with the, no, no that won't do, too crass. Oh, terribly, terribly crass. But perhaps if I reworded it...” he mumbled to himself, following a train of thought whose beginning and end were as obfuscated to himself as anyone else. They were so caught up in looking at him that they didn't notice the quickly approaching footsteps on the road behind them, despite the fact that they were far from stealthy.

“Well!" said Cicero sharply, catching the Listener's attention, “It looks like we have company. Should Cicero set another place at the table?” The rest of the world came back into focus, and they hopped off of the ledge to stand next to him.

“Perhaps it's nothing," they said, as the group approached, "perhaps they'll just keep walking.” They both hoped that it was not nothing, and that they would be stupid enough to make trouble. They both got their wish.

“You! We know who you are,” said one of them, a thick-accented Dunmer near the front.

"Oh?” They asked, clutching the basket of flowers like an innocent youth. A sentiment undercut by Cicero's grim laughter.

“Yeah.” He returned, stepping dangerously closer, “and ever since what you did to the Emperor you've got a mighty fine price on your head, too.” He was in leather armor, as were most of his cadre, and the leather was from cows and not netches. They hadn't traveled too terribly far for the bounty. The Listener wondered how far rumors had spread, and who was spreading them. They had gone to great lengths to remove witnesses in the past.

“Do you have proof, or are you going to execute me on your hunch alone?” They asked.

“Please. You have the jester with you. There's only one little redheaded jester in all of Skyrim, far as I know, and he's your one.”

“Oh! Cicero feels terribly special,” he said, knives already drawn. But he did like that idea of possession, that even strangers knew who he was, and who the Listener was, and that he was theirs.

The Listener smiled in that way they did, sharp and nasty, that made Cicero's heart start beating even faster than the thrill of the impending fight did. The good name of the Dark Brotherhood had been tarnished so badly that these poor men had no idea what they were up against. The man reached for the sword on his belt, and Cicero, like a well trained attack dog, pounced.

He cut the man's throat before anyone knew what was happening. A spray of blood issued from the wound and covered Cicero and the Listener and the basket of flowers, which the Listener set gingerly behind them before drawing their own weapons and advancing to join Cicero in the throng. They made quick work of the rest of the bounty hunters, who reacted slowly, as if they had been expecting the assassins to surrender when outnumbered.

“Mash and bash and swipe and clash! Ha!” laughed Cicero, sidestepping to avoid overturning the discarded baskets of flowers, “nobody gets the best of the Dark Brotherhood.” The Listener allowed themself to laugh with him. When it was all said and done, they were ringed by the bodies of the dead and dying, sitting among the flowers and leaning on each other to laugh like children. By the time they stopped fighting, and then stopped laughing, the moons had come out.

“Oh,” said the Listener, pushing away from where Cicero had clutched them in his helpless mirthful peals, “I suppose we'll have to set up here for the night.”

“Mmhm,” said Cicero, still giggling. He lowered his bloody head onto their lap and popped a blood-splattered grape from their basket into his mouth. “Whatever you say, my Listener.”