#Must ROTATE the mushroom

[alanna-arts]

mmmm...mushrooms

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach is a 30-minute one-pan well-balanced weeknight meal that has everything: protein, veggies, and pasta! Skinless boneless chicken thighs are pan-seared with paprika and Italian seasoning. It's the perfect comfort food that will surely become one of your family's favorite dinners! My other favorite quick and easy orzo pasta recipes are pesto chicken orzo with tomatoes and reader-favorite Tuscan shrimp orzo.

30-minute one-pan meal

If you're looking for quick and easy recipes to add to your dinner rotation, this delicious creamy chicken orzo with mushrooms and spinach is a must-try. Even though it takes only 30 minutes from start to finish, the final dish looks and tastes like an entree from a fine-dining Italian restaurant. It's a winning combo of ingredients: skinless boneless chicken breasts, orzo pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and cream. The seasonings are spot on - paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Main ingredients

Chicken - I used skinless boneless chicken thighs. They are super easy and forgiving to cook. You can also use skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins.

Orzo is an Italian pasta that is shaped and looks like long rice.

Mushrooms. I used fresh baby Bella mushrooms. Other good options are crimini, white mushrooms, portobello, or shiitake.

Spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It’s high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as folic acid, iron, and calcium. I used fresh spinach - you can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale instead.

Seasonings include paprika, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Cream. I used only ½ cup of heavy cream to add a touch of creaminess to the chicken orzo.

Olive oil is for sauteeing mushrooms.

Chicken broth is used to cook the orzo. You can also use vegetable or beef broth (or stock). Or, even water if don't have chicken stock available.

Cooking Tips

Use a high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet such as a cast-iron skillet or a good-quality stainless steel pan. This will help avoid the burn spots and will ensure even cooking without food getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Reduce calories by using chopped cauliflower or cauliflower rice instead of orzo.

You can use either heavy cream or half-and-half - both work equally well!

Toppings. When serving, you can add grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, or cracked black pepper to the creamy chicken orzo.

Ingredients

Chicken

1.3 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 oz baby bella mushrooms or crimini

salt and pepper

Creamy orzo

1 cup orzo uncooked

2 cups chicken broth or stock

5 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence

½ teaspoon paprika or more

¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste

5 oz fresh spinach

½ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

Instructions 

Cook chicken

Season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt.

Heat an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. This allows the chicken to sear.

Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.

The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Cook mushrooms

Add sliced mushrooms, generously seasoned with salt and pepper, to the same, now empty, skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes (flipping once) until lightly browned and softened. Remove half of the cooked mushrooms from the skillet to a plate.

Make creamy orzo

Add uncooked orzo, chicken broth, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the same skillet with half of the cooked mushrooms.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (medium-low) and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan until the orzo is cooked through.

Add fresh spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking the orzo.

Add ½ cup of cream. Stir everything on low-medium - do not bring the sauce to a boil.

Season with salt and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Assembly

Stir in the remaining half of cooked mushrooms.

Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Reheat gently on low heat.

[Julia's Album]

[mollybecameanengineer]

The Joy of Cooking

MSR | Season 10 | 949 Words | tagging: @today-in-fic

Scully had first noticed it a month after they started working together again. 

Rather than a hastily put together sandwich, leftover Chinese, or something greasy he’d just picked up, Mulder had real food nestled in a glass storage container for lunch. It looked like chicken with mushrooms, green beans, and a yellow purée. She wondered where he’d gotten it. 

Over the following weeks, similar dishes appeared. Steak with veggies and chimichurri. A white fish over rice with Chinese broccoli. Chicken and delicata squash over greens. 

The man she’d spent most of her adult life with wasn’t a great cook, though he had managed to put dinner on the table for most of the years she’d lived with him. But it was never this imaginative. Or healthy. Or varied. They’d eaten a rotation of the same dozen or so dishes for years. 

If she didn’t know better, Scully would have thought Mulder had someone at home making him dinner every night. At least, she was pretty sure she didn’t know better. 

“Mulder,” she began, on a day when she was feeling brave. “Have you, you know, dated at all since we…” she waved her hands around rather than finish the thought.

Mulder laughed out loud. “I haven’t been on a date since the early ‘90s. Or maybe late ‘80s. Unless we went on dates. Did we go on dates?”

She shrugged. “That night in Hollywood was pretty date-like.”

He smiled at the memory. She had to admit it was a pretty good one. Other than having to sit through that movie. “Ah, yes. Well then, last date was around the turn of the millennium. How about you?”

She kicked herself. Of course he’d return the question. She’d tried hard, when they’d first broken up, to get over him. She’d made an online dating profile and went on around a half a dozen first dates. They all sucked. After having a disappointing one night stand with a man she'd picked up in a bar, she’d come to the conclusion that she was still in love with Mulder and no amount of fucking strangers was going to change that. She deleted her profile and started seeing a therapist. “A few dates. Nothing serious.”

“Ah.” Mulder pushed his chicken, mashed potatoes (or maybe mashed cauliflower!?), and Brussels sprouts around the container. “It’s a shame I didn’t take you on more dates. Do you want to come over for dinner? You know, as a makeup for the hundreds of dates I didn't take you on?”

She froze. They’d been working together, successfully, for several months now. Growing close as friends again. But she’d been careful to draw a line in the sand with respect to their previous romantic entanglement. 

He must have sensed her discomfort. “Just as friends, Scully. Don’t overthink it. I have a salmon thing at home I think you’d like.”

Well, if it would get to the bottom of this food mystery. She agreed. 

When she arrived at their (his!) house, it was already filled with the smells of dinner. “Perfect timing!” Mulder said from the kitchen. “It will be ready in about 10 minutes.”

“Can I help?” she asked, setting down her bag and hanging her coat. 

“Nope. It’s pretty easy. But you can break open the wine.” He nodded toward the already set table, where a wine bottle was sitting.

She went into the kitchen to get the corkscrew. “What are we having?”

“Uhhh,” he said, leaning to read something on a piece of paper while also tending to a pan. “Salmon with sun dried tomato sauce over couscous.”

“Couscous! Mulder!”

He looked at her. “What? You like couscous.”

“I know I like couscous. What I don’t know is where you learned to make any of this!”

“Oh.” He chuckled as he handed her the paper. “I didn’t. I signed up for one of those meal delivery services. My, uh,” he cleared his throat and returned his attention to the stove, “my psychiatrist thought that a more balanced diet might help with, you know.” He stirred the couscous more vigorously than necessary. “And as you know, I have a limited repartee, so she suggested this as an easy alternative.”

Scully ran her eyes over the paper he’d handed her. It had clear instructions and little pictures showing how everything was supposed to look. Including the plating. 

“Do you think it’s helped?” Once the words were out of her mouth, she realized they were too intrusive for their current relationship. “Sorry, you don’t—”

He cut her off. “No, I want to share with you.” A timer went off and he started plating the couscous and salmon, just as shown in the little picture. “I mean, the meds really helped, once we got them right. And talking about… everything.” He carried their plates over to the table while she opened the wine and poured. They sat, again in the places they’d always been.  

He continued, once they were settled, “But getting back to exercising and this whole new diet thing have been good, too. If nothing else, my pants fit better and my cholesterol is down.”

“I’m glad.” She took a bite of the dinner, and was surprised by how good it was. While she’d known these services existed, she’d not understood why anyone would pay for them. But it did seem perfect for Mulder. “This is really good,” she said, taking another bite. 

“I’ll let the good people at Eaters know.”

She smiled and raised her wine glass to her lips, but paused before taking a drink. “A toast.” She raised her glass. He put down his fork and did the same. “To health.”

He clinked her glass. “To life.”

[thecurrator]

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @frostfall-matches

Your romantic match is...Jade Leech!

It's easy for you both to get along well due to your similar personalities. You both would look so natural together with your matching calm demeanors, one smiling and one apathetic. Your moderate risk-taking matches his pace just fine. You can leave the actual dangerous situations for his brother to get into.

He would also appreciate you for your shared values! He doesn't like conformity and blind obedience either. In fact, organized harmony is one of his pet peeves. He does enjoy rocking the boat discreetly, if only to make sure life isn't boring.

Since you like gossip/drama, Jade is one of the perfect people to go to for that. He's always keeping an ear out for any poor unfortunate souls in need of help, or simply to get some entertainment, and he's happy to share the latest tea with you.

You both share a love for forests, mountains, and new experiences, so he'd urge you to join his Mountain Lover Club if you want to. You get to spend time with him and do your shared hobby (hiking) together, isn't that great? Since you're already here, how about trying this mushroom he just found with him?

His love for terrariums also pairs well with your hobby of taking care of houseplants. You could get some plants for him to put in a terrarium and he could care for it with you until it's settled in. If you'd like to make your own terrarium, he'd be happy to guide you through it! It's one of his favourite ways to bond with you.

Dating him comes with the perks of free meals at the Mostro Lounge! He'll often reserve a table and invite you over, then refuse to let you pay. Does he pay for you every time? Did he make a deal with Azul to allow you free meals in exchange for something else? He likes to keep his secrets, this being one of them. Just sit back and enjoy the food while he brings you your favourite chai latte.

He's used to looking out for his boisterous brother sometimes, so he's vigilant whenever with you. He would hate for you to accidentally hurt yourself or get lost after all. Maybe he also likes being your knight in shining armor. Or something like that.

Runner-up: Jamil Viper (Someone with a personality similar to Jade who would share your love for travelling.)

Your platonic match is...Floyd Leech!

Floyd finds just about anyone interesting, so it won't take much for him to notice and take a liking to you. Especially if you start dating his brother. Given how attached he is to Jade, he might even crash your dates sometimes to hang out with you both.

Your tendency to be straightforward works well for him since he's usually very blunt himself. Communication between you two isn't complicated. Your ability to take criticism well is good too, since he has a tendency to call people out. At the least, you'll know he won't take offence easily when you speak your mind.

Floyd can read the room perfectly fine, he just doesn't care. Meaning he shares your tendency of brushing off the severity of a situation. Not a great habit to have, but at least you'll get scolded together? You both are going to be the death of Jade at this rate.

You both share enneagram types and moral alignments. Like, come on. He finds your calm but playful side very entertaining (when he's in a good mood) and will try to rope you into pranking others with him. If you don't wish to join him, you'd better be really good at either distracting him, convincing him to leave you alone or escaping him. Looking for Riddle is recommended.

Your love language is physical touch? So is his! Do you like your personal space? Floyd also likes your personal space! Sorry, you're going to have a heavy eel clinging to you the moment he decides he likes you. The height difference must look hilarious to everyone else. As for gifts, he's the type to buy cute trinkets or pick up cool rocks and give them to other people. Hope you like your gifts.

Floyd rotates hobbies every week, so he's probably tried everything you're into at some point. The one hobby he definitely shares with you is thrill-seeking activities! Not the ones involving heights though, he can't do that. But perhaps... Magical wheels?

Kinda specific, but he pays attention to the socks you wear. He finds it funny how it can either be all black or very colorful/patterned. He'll guess which kind of socks you'll be wearing for the day and get really excited when he guesses right. If you'd like, you can try and do the same for his class attendance.

Runner-up: Rook Hunt (I originally matched you with Rook but forgot my reasoning for it? I straight up forgot what I was cooking up in my head before I started writing Jade's part of the matchup and realized Floyd would be a good match for you as a friend. ???)

[mallowmaenad]

me [billionaire]: *yawns* Good morning Deb, what day is it?

my live-in maid who is paid extra to dress and act like my college roommate: July 20th, 203- err. 2003. Your OK soda, m'lady.

me: bitchin'. *I crack open the recreation of the discontinued soda and savor the hiss, I look outside my window where two translucent stickers of the twin towers are, overlaid where my commisoned reconstruction of the original buildings will be.* What's on the docket today?

My maid: You have a shift at the combination pizza hut and taco bell from 4pm to 6pm today.

Me: *I sip the soda* Hm. Cancel it. I'm gonna play Kingdom Hearts on my playstation.

My maid: Your orange gamecube should be arriving in the mail today, and um- capcom is releasing a new game today.

Me: *Smirking* Oh, yeah? What is it?

My maid: Resident evil 4.

Me: Huh. sounds cool, might check that one out. [I walk into my living room with a massive collection of DVDs and VHS tapes, sitting down on the couch I had pre-soaked in cbd oil and salt water to give the impression that it's heavily used by a group of friends that smoke weed together, I have no friends. Except for Deb. I turn on my pre-programmed smart tv which plays a rotating list of playlists featuring programming aired on MTV, adult swim, cartoon network and nick @ nite circa 1998-2005]

Deb: What will it be for breakfast, ma'am?

Me: *sigh* I dunno. how about a breakfast california crunchwrap from taco bell?

Deb: A-a what...?

Me, grinning wide, she's finally starting to grow wise to my little tests: Haha i dunno just sayin shit. [I text my accountant from my blackberry to add another 5k to her paycheck this week] Hey, how about we see what pizza places are open this early and toke up?

Deb, hesitating as she tries to not give into her growing cravings for the marjuana she's been smoking to keep up her character, even if it cracks the facade she feels like she has something to prove: U-uh... I think I need a break from that stuff m-mi- girl... I got a killer headache last time.

Me, silently laughing as I can nearly hear the saliva stirring in her mouth: Alright, suit yourself I guess.

Deb: [leaves the room to break character and call one of my assistance to deliver me "the yuge" (large anchovy with extra cheese, medium pepperoni and mushroom, large spinach alfredo well done with light sauce, an order of bread sticks with garlic butter and "accidentally" giving me someone else's order in multiple random arrangements of pizza, appetizers and soda) in period appropriate containers while dressed as a pizza delivery guy]

Me: [Looking at the unlit pre-roll in my hands, weed has been legal in this state for several years now, I contemplate how to regain that edge, that dim spark of anxiety over doing something illegal. Even if it still was I know my wealth would protect me. I briefly recall how the president had a safe full of whiskey during the prohibition. I lick my lips like a hungry jaguar as an idea comes to mind.] Deb?!

Deb: [Hiding a smartphone behind her back] Yeah?

Me: Who's president right now?

Deb: Um... uh...

Me: Are ya sweatin'? They ask these questions to stroke victims y'know. Are you... having a stroke? Deb? Debby? Debby-girl? Debra? How many fingers am I holding up right now?

Deb: *gulps* Uh... Al Gore.

Me, smiling wickedly as I light my joint, it's funny how the design of a bic lighter has never really noticeably changed over the years: Man this stuff must be fucking with our heads, huh?

Sandra Jackson, my live-in maid whom I call Deb: Hahah, yeah.

[snobgoblin]

oc prompt taken from this instagram reel

What's the first thing someone sees looking at them?

the first thing someone might notice is his intense gaze or the way he slouches or sits with his feet on chairs. he has some mannerisms that would earn him some looks

How do they respond to the touch?

this man is touch STARVEDDDD but it really really depends on the person. if it's a friend or love interest he'll melt into it but if it's like, Valdemar, his bones are gonna go cold

How do they feel about their appearance?

he takes pride in his appearance and carefully curates his outfits to compliment it. he's kind of unaware of how much charm he has at times because he's never seen himself as deserving of love, but fashion is a hobby of his anyway and he does it because it pleases him

How does your OC handle or view the concept of death and afterlife?

that really depends on at what point in the game we're talking about here... I guess the over view is he isn't sure what awaits him in the afterlife. he's seen ghosts firsthand and the souls of the damned- but he's also seen Khamgalai in the magical realms. even ghosts can differ greatly from each other, like take Morga vs the plague victims (not counting Lucio because i do not believe he is a ghost. he is merely separated from his body, he never properly died). so he's deduced that your afterlife must depend on some mysterious force he can't possibly identify, and that it might have something to do with the religious practices that person believed in. with that said, he still isn't sure which religion he's settled on. though, we can deduce he believes in more than one god

at this point his belief system is just vaguely "The Arcana do the trick just fine but other religions are very compelling as well". he's pretty open to anything

What is your OCs Guilty Pleasure?

he likes to be SELFISH. sometimes hes tired of playing nice and trying to get people to like him. sometimes he just wants to be an attention whore. sometimes he wants to be worshiped. sometimes he just likes to be greedy or only focus on himself or whatever

If your OC were to invent a holiday, what would they celebrate and what does it say about them?

oh if nobody has invented 14th century earth day yet it would be Danny. definitely some kind of nature festival- he's a huge nature lover! identifying plants and going mushroom hunting and such

How does their body react to stress/crisis?

he definitely nervous stims. this can range from simple things like rotating his rings or they can he more intense like biting his fingers. it's self soothing. sometimes he may rock or go silent

What is a lie your OC tells themselves, and how does it shape their actions?

hes like. convinced he can't possibly be wrong. convinced everyone's out to get him at times. this plays a lot into his rejection sensitivity and he'll walk on eggshells to keep someone around- and snap when he believes they're going to abandon them

What motivates them to keep going?

honestly he just wants to prove everyone wrong

If your OC had to sacrifice something precious to achieve their greatest goal, what would they be willing to give up?

his greatest goal... I guess personal goals aside his goal in most routes is to save the world. and in that case he would risk his life (and has)

How do they react when they are betrayed or let down by someone they trust?

VIOLENTLYYYYY and you might not even realize it. he might keep it hidden from you. but there will be signs. you might not see the screaming or crying as his faith in you slowly dies and his heart breaks... you might just see him recede. get quieter. laugh less. but, he'll try to take it with dignity. and then throw theeeee biggest fit in private. he can't quite bring himself to abandon someone, though

Which Point of time would your OC time travel to and what does it say about them?

oh he'd love to see both the past and the future but he's more concerned about the past. there's so much that's been lost to time... he'd love to collect evidence to fill in some of the gaps

What's a rumor or misconception your OC would have?

he thinks crabmen are actual crabs

What's the most horrifying thing your OC has ever seen, how did it change them?

VALDEMAR'S TRUE FORM. and he takes it surprisingly well in the moment but it keeps him up at night. the static ringing in his ears... the confusing form flashing against his vision when he closes his eyes... it makes him feel so small. like there's so much he still doesn't know about the world

[downtoithaca]

WIP Intro:

LAST RITES

tw: disease/pandemic, gore, violence, psychological abuse, detailed medical imagery,

About

MEXICAN GOTHIC X DRACULA X THE STORY OF BURKE & HARE

A queer Gothic Historical Horror set in Victorian Edinburgh ft. mushrooms, cults, the cutting edge of (1800s) medical science, spooky manors and bodysnatchers.

Synopsis

Dr Ernest Mayweather is the only patient he can't treat. He's dying, and he's looking desperately to find a way to stop it. When a colleague of his at the prestigious University of Edinburgh Medical College discusses the avant-garde idea of using one disease to cure another, he begins a pursuit of the thing that will save his life. It leads him to a strange illness wherein strange flowers and funghi grow within the body. Curious, and keen to study it, he visits Auchindrain House, a sanctuary for the illness run by two mysterious aristocrats and their Italian acquaintance. When the horrifying nature of the house and its occupants come to light, Ernest must soon choose between accepting a quick and quiet death or chasing something potentially endless, with all the blood and horror that might come with it. What will Ernest's conscience allow him to do to survive?

Snippet

Status

It currently stands at around 69k, though by the end of this draft I think we'll be looking closer to 120k.

As of October 2023 I'm currently working on the second draft! I did a detailed re-outline after the first draft which I completed in April 2021 for Camp, and now I'm filling in all the extra scenes I need before I rewrite the novel again following the comprehensive developmental editing plan I've made, focussing on adding extra detail and coherence, especially in terms of the plot. I was initially hoping to finish this by the end of October, but at this rate, it's looking like that's not going to happen, so I'll probably pick this up again in February. (One thing you have to know, is that each month I shift projects to another one of those in rotation. I aim to always have one new project, one dev edit project and one later-stage project in rotation at all times to reduce fatigue!)

[i-will-physically-fight-you]

No More Yielding But a Dream Fic

Title: No More Yielding but a Dream

Word-Count: 2066

Pairing: Ambiguous Prinxiety

Summary: The fae are fair folk, not kind folk. They should never be confused with the latter, because a fae's kindness is not like a human's kindness. 

Roman knew this, of course. He heard the tales from his brother and others. But then, the tales that no one liked telling were how humans liked to trick and harm and hunt their own brethren in the name of self-proclaimed kindness.

This is how on the eve of a midsummer, Roman ran through the woods. He ran into twisted thickets and past barbed thistles. He ran as he heard wolf howls and vulture screeches. If the fae would not have him, the woods would. 

Either one would be better than the fate that awaited him otherwise.

Warnings: Fae AU, Angst with a Bittersweet Ending, Injuries, Implied torture/abuse, blood mention, Implied Villain!Remus, Implied Death, Virgil is a morally grey fae (he does not have human morals so uhh yeah)

Rewrite of a ficlet I wrote a while back, this fic idea has been rotating inside my brain for awhile now. Quick shoutout to @hiddendreamer67 and @lefaystrent who inspired a bit of the latter half of this fic with their suggestions of the original ficlet’s aftermath.

-

On the eve of a midsummer, Roman ran through the woods. He ran into twisted thickets and past barbed thistles. He ran as he heard wolf howls and vulture screeches. If the fae would not have him, the woods would. 

Either one would be better than the fate that awaited him otherwise.

“You shouldn’t go into the woods when the summer reaches its peak,” Roman’s brother told him once as a child, “You might run into a fair folk.”

“A what?” He asked, his little face screwed up tight in confusion.

“The fae–they’ll trick you, try to ask for your name to take you far, far away. They’ll make you dance until your feet bleed–oh! Imagine the blood dripping onto dandelions!”

His eyes had widened then, terrified at such a thought. That was then, this was now. On a midsummer’s eve, many moons since his adolescence, he found himself in the woods. It wasn’t an accident, not really. It was out of survival.

 He kept going until at last he reached an arc of mushrooms. Every instinct within him screamed to step away, to go around, to move anywhere but closer to it but he ignored them. With legs like wood, he stepped inside. Nothing happened at first. Birds continued to chirp as the trees were gently swayed by the summer breeze. A fox yipped in the distance. 

“Why hello there,” A silky voice crooned from behind him, “you’re far from home, princey boy.”

Startled, he swiftly turned to see a man standing before him. Well, not quite a man. A fae to be more precise. Windswept chestnut hair and eyes with slitted pupils. Pointy ears and limbs too long. An ethereal aura surrounded them, something wild, something wonderful all in one. Their clothes were made of fine silk cloth draped over by a black cloak that shimmered purple in the broad sunlight.

“I’m not a prince.” Roman protested, “not any–anymore at least.”

“Oh?” They took a step forward, “What are you then?”

“I’m…” He stumbled a half step back, his legs threatening to collapse beneath him, “I do not know.”

“You must know something,” The fae persisted, “May I have your name, at least?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, hardly able to withstand the next words that would come out of his mouth. Oh he was a coward, so far removed from the fearless, brave prince he had aspired to be.

“R-Roman,” He forced out, tears pricking his eyes, “Roman Montgomery Leroy, that’s my full name–now please, just take me away, do with me what you wish!”

Hands caressed the sides of his face, cool to the touch. He looked up at the fae, shocked to see a grimace marring their features. Wasn’t his name what the fae sought after? Why else would they ask for it?

“I know humans are foolish, but you are exceptionally so.” They growled, “seriously, what is your true intent? Surely you know better than to trick a fae.”

“No-no trick,” Roman insisted, “My brother he-grskf–”

His word ended in a hiss of pain as the fae traced their fingers across his broken collarbone. He nearly forgot about it with the rush of adrenaline that it took to get here.

“You’re hurt.”

“Well, yes, but not badly.”

“You have a broken bone,” The fae said, “isn’t that what humans consider to be a ‘bad’ thing?”

Roman stared off into the ground, swallowing. “Depends on the circumstances.”

“So what? You have come to me in hopes of healing your injury and taking petty revenge on your brother, I presume?” The fae scowled.

Roman shook his head, “I meant what I said–I don’t care what you do with me just please–take me far, far away from here!”

In the nearby distance, a hunting horn wailed, causing Roman’s stomach to drop. No, no, no. He thought he’d have more time. 

“Romaaan!” His brother yelled, so faint yet so close all the same, “Come out, come out wherever you areeee!”

He needed to run, to get out of sight before his brother found him. His legs crumpled to the ground before he could take a step. He struggled to rise, hindered by fatigue and the fact it’d been several days since he was allowed a morsel of food. 

Little black dots invaded his vision as he was lifted up into the air. Had his soul finally ascended from his body? Wait no, it was the fae’s doing. They held him in their spindly arms, cradled close to their chest akin to a mother with her babe. They whispered something and then the forest spun, the trees becoming a big blur.

When his vision cleared, he found the fae tucking him into a bed. An actual, real, literal bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept somewhere that wasn’t hard stone or dirt.

“Whatareyoudoing?” He asked, his words slurring together.

“Doing what I wish with you,” The fae quipped, “Now hold still.”

“Why–ARGHH.” Roman yelped as a burning sensation spread across the area around his collarbone. It lasted only a few seconds, the pain dissipating as it went.

“You…healed my collarbone?”

“Well of course. Broken humans are not entertaining to mess with,” The fae rolled his eyes, “Now, go to sleep Roman.”

With the command, Roman’s eyes began to droop. A peaceful drowsiness settled in his bones, one he hadn’t experienced in quite a long time. The fae brushed his bangs out of his face, causing him to whimper. Nobody has touched him so fondly, not since his brother became king.

“Don’t worry,” The fae said, his appearance morphing, twisting into something else, “When you wake up again, your brother will be no more.”

-

The fae were fair folk, not kind folk. They should never be confused with the latter, because a fae's kindness was not like a human's kindness.

Roman knew this, of course. He heard the tales from his brother and others. But then, the tales that no one liked telling were how humans liked to hunt and trick and harm their own brethren in the name of self-proclaimed kindness.

Still, when he finally awoke again, it was in a warm bed of soft feathers and a snug leaf-like blanket. Not the slightest tremor of pain ran through his body nor did any exhaustion cling to his frame. It was perhaps the most refreshed he felt in a long while.

"You're awake." A wispy voice greeted him. Roman looked to see that the fae was peering from up above him in a dark abode that almost looked as if it was spun together by a giant spider.

"What--are you an arachnid?" Roman asked, the words impulsively rushing out of his mouth.

But the fae didn't punish him for his impudence. They gave a long blink to his words, before bursting into a melodious laughter.

"Nah," The fae said at last, "You could say I am a friend of theirs, however."

"Oh." Roman said, not knowing what else to say. The fae stared down at him, the precision of their facial features half hidden in shadows. Were they bemused or exasperated by him? Roman could not know.

Such a feeling was a familiar one--one could never tell the mood swings of his brother.

A shiver tickled his spine just then. He had not known if he'd find a mushroom circle, let alone if it would summon a fae. It was out of sheer desperation he offered his name, his life, so freely to a fae's whims. He had not stopped to think if perhaps he doomed himself to a fate even worse than of his brother's making.

A slender hand tilted his chin up, stirring from his thoughts. "You are troubled."

Roman found himself in the gaze of the fae's eyes. He did not take much note of them in the woods; he was much more occupied with the threat of his brother than anything else.

But being so close to the fae, he could see that their eyes were in fact colored differently from one another. One took on the dark green of forest canopies, while the other reflected the rich purple of lavender flowers. Eye colors that no natural human would ever possess.

"I am...fine." Roman swallowed.

The fae snorted, shaking their head, "You really are moronic aren't you? You cannot lie to me, Roman."

The fae's usage of his name sent a jolt through his body. There was a power behind it, a warning that the fae did not have to respect any resemblance of free will within Roman.

"Don't you remember what I told you?" The fae continued on, their hand moving to tuck a strand of hair behind Roman's ear, "You have no need to be worried--I upheld my promise to you."

"Promise?" Roman choked.

The fae shook their head, a laugh bubbling underneath their breath. "You really don't remember, do you?"

With a flick of their hand, a bright flash of light emanated from their palm. When it faded away, a crown dangled in front of Roman's gaze. A crown encrusted with the kingdom's finest gems and dried blood; the high king’s crown. A crown that was once promised to him. A crown that his brother made certain was never Roman’s fate to wear.

Roman clutched onto it without permission. His fingers ran through the edges, feeling every engraving and etching added on through the centuries that his ancestors whose heads this crown rested upon. They were all there–every carving that his tutors endlessly lectured to him that each had its significant and importance. 

Except, his fingers brushed against a new one–a kraken grasping a spear in each of its many tentacles. Remus’s symbol–his sigil that followed every decree issued from his crimson throne.

As a former prince, Roman was dictated from an early age how to think, feel, act. In this moment, he knew he should be sickened, repulsed, disgusted–anything but the relief that ran through his veins like a rain dousing out a raging fire.

“W-why?” Roman whispered, holding the crown tightly in his grasp, “I did not ask you to give me a warm bed or to heal my body nor even to vanquish my brother. I only asked to be taken far away. Why this kindness?”

“Kindness?” The fae questioned, a smirk settling onto their features, “I believe you’re mistaken, human. Is treating a beloved possession with care what you consider kindness? Just because I mend what is mine and take action to prevent further damage does not mean I am kind.”

Oh, oh. This was what the tales warned about of the fae–they were cold, unkind beings who see humans as being nothing in their eyes. Roman was the fae’s possession, no different than the crown resting in his hands. But he was a well-cared possession nonetheless and that almost felt like a kindness unlike what was given to him by his brother.

Still, what would happen when the fae inevitably became bored of him? Roman could only hope he’d be given a swift, painless death.

“Roman,” The fae said, commanding his attention, “you are mine. I do not throw away what is mine frivolously. Do you understand?”

“I–” Roman blinked, “Did I say that out loud?”

The fae huffed amusedly as they tapped a finger gently against Roman’s forehead. “No, but you might as well have. You gave me your full name–that is, your whole being, all that makes you who you are–to me. That means every thought, every feeling–that belongs to me.”

Roman watched as the fae laid their hands over Roman’s own that still held firmly to the crown. He allowed the fae to lift his hands up and guide it until the crown rested at last upon his brow.

“Roman Montgomery Leroy, you are my prince, mine, you belong to no one else. As long as you draw breath, you will never have a reason to worry. Do you understand?”

Roman inhaled deeply as a smile graced his lips for the first time in months. “Of course I understand, why would I doubt your words?”

He should be alarmed, perhaps petrified, of the immense power the fae held over him. But in fact, any concept of worry faded away completely from his mind as an unwavering confidence took its place. 

He was Roman, he was the fae’s prince and there would be no reason to ever fear his brother or anything else ever again.

[anneapocalypse]

January Writing (+ a little Wednesday WIP)

Word Count: 6250

Thanks to getting sick this month, I did not get as much done this month as I'd hoped, but all things considered, I'm not unhappy with what I did get. I did some work on Harsh Light early in the month, wrote various FFXIV snippets throughout, and as February approaches, I have been writing a bit of Dragon Age again! This is the first week I've been back to my writing routine in earnest, but I'm feeling very energized and ready to do more.

I had been tossing around the idea of working on A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren in February (I may not end up with anything ready to post for Femslash February, but I can at least work on some femslash!) and as January comes to an end I've found myself excited to get back into that fic, and to work on an established project in general, so I think that's what's happening.

Here's a little snippet from this week!

Context: While Teyrn Tabris and Briala were in Denerim getting married, her human vassals have attempted a coup, and Castle Gwaren is currently under seige. With the help of an already-organized elven resistance, our heroines must find a way back to the castle to take command and put down the coup.

The first hitch was that the wagon would be inspected upon entering the town. There was no way around this. Bribery was not an option; if the guards were humans in the service of the banns, there was a strong chance they would simply pocket the gold and turn the elves in anyway. The resistance had a handful of people on the inside—elven knights sworn to the nobles' service, hired by necessity, Talith had explained, as the population of Gwaren had shifted more and more toward elves. They were trusted, reluctantly, to wield the sword for their liege, but they would not be trusted to guard the gates during a coup against the elven ruler. Unless there were an unexpected change of guard rotation, perhaps due to sudden illness. Talith had visibly perked up, to Briala's amusement, at the mention of poisons. "What will you be using? Not deathroot, I assume." "Nay, too bitter, easily detected," Alys had replied, briskly taking down phials and jars from a high cabinet she had unlocked with a large steel key. "I prefer a strain of deep mushroom for such applications… a moderate solution, we don't want them dead immediately, just taken ill, which is going to arouse suspicion as it is, so our agents will be administering the poison at the last possible minute, and your timing will be narrow, as it's likely to be discovered quickly. Our scheduled guards will sit down to lunch, fall ill within the hour, and our people will step in to replace them, just long enough to get your wagon inside. As soon as the commander discovers them, their cover will be burned, so Farron's got someone to extract them… hopefully." She had removed several strips of dried mushroom gingerly with a pair of tongs, crushing them to a powder with her mortar and pestle, then looked up to regard Talith and Briala gravely. "That spends two of our agents, and there's a chance they may not make it out. So, with all due respect, my ladies, do make this one count." Talith had swallowed. "Thank you, Alys. This means everything to me." "To us as well, my lady. It's our future hangs in the balance here, and we'll do what we can to restore you as our rightful ruler. There will be casualties, and I know you won't spend those lives lightly." Her eyes had dropped to the floor. "Still, I know nearly every elf in the resistance by name… I'd be remiss if I didn't say it. I pray the Maker give you swift and decisive victory… for us, as well as for you."

[thestalkerbunny]

How is the whole "goblins are now living with the humans as the standing army" in the Barghest Princess setting going? They're both social creatures, and humans are used to small animals scuttling around (cats, children, rats) but I imagine there is significant tension, especially if things were crowded at the beginning (as you mentioned in Diedre's origin story). Is Princess Dierdre trying to diminish the difficulties in any particular way? ...aside from demonstrating that goblins are very eligible romantic partners, which everyone already knew.

Now normally I hate fucking drawing maps, but I have drawn a map

The city is kinda surrounded by thick woods with highway roads that cut thru them. And I'm talking ADVANCED EUROPEAN WOODS. The kind that are so thick that when night happens, you can't see five inches from your nose (unless you are a creature adapted to that kind of forest, like a Goblin.)

The Clear Cutting started near the Count's House and was going to expand gradually clockwise. So if you were lost and on the highway at night-the light from the large manor home would at least hopefully signal civilization is near.

This is the new revised map. instead of expanding in a single established direction and gradually rotating around the permiter, she opted to cut away at small bits all at once in the massive circle similar to her father's plan. Though it doesn't clear up a WHOLE lot of land for new buildings-efforts to repair and reestablish current existing buildings to livable conditions have massively helped the problem. As well as introducing lighting on the sides of the highways via bioluminescent mushrooms that are not only harmless to the environment but edible as well. She also had trees replanted where the logging damage was done so the strange fey like creatures would hopefully return one day (they mostly all fled after the big main fey died.)

Essentially all the goblins live on Diedre's property, which for a Countess....

Can be pretty fucking big.

Mostly the goblins stay close to home, since sentiments towards goblins are still not very kind. But it's not uncommon to see one or two running errands for Diedre in town. Some Goblins do help around town as Diedre has asked them 'if you must, make yourself helpful'.

So it's not odd to see them scampering around doing little tasks, provided you are polite about asking them. They seem to fill the void that was left when the lesser fey fled (which is minor tasks in exchange for kindnesses and meals) But in the evening they all return To the Estate from wherever they are.

Diedre can't make people LIKE the Goblins and at the same time, the Goblins can't (Don't) want to go back to the forest. So it's a stalemate that people are going to have to get used to.

[formulapisces]

yes. you caught me.. cute pic of me you got there hehe

the seeds are a little bit peppery. like cress maybe?? what else is on your foods to try list? 😲🦇 (nosy)

oooooooh nice, fruit is so hit and miss with me, i either really really like it or really really hate it so i hope papaya is the first option 😅

i’ve never fully written down the foods to try list, it’s more of a mental note, so i’ll write it here with explanations and edit it if i need to add more:

(this is when you realise i literally have 3 comfort foods on rotation everyday and that’s all i eat)

obviously mimolette cheese 🦇

obviously papaya 🦇

i also really want to try goji berries because i saw it was in this smoothie i had once and i’ve never had them just alone before.

hear me out… i want to try so much american food, like their fast food and snacks, just to see like what… why, when, where, who, how… i don’t think i actually want to try this one, but i’m just SO CURIOUS?! id love to just browse an american supermarket they seem so huge? why does the same place that is selling you a sofa also have a deli section? WHY IS THERE CHICKEN AND WAFFLES ON THE SAME PLATE??!!!? i must find out. i must know the appeal. here in england a lot of their food is literally banned or really warned against trying, so im not going to just pop out and get some. this one is literally like an emotion i have. sometimes im happy, sometimes im sad, sometimes i get the overwhelming sense to have a bottle of neon orange fanta and some goldfish.

anything ‘authentic’, like i’d love to go to different countries and try their national dishes and to see what it’s ACTUALLY like if you know what i mean. i think this one is because of my italian family, their food just tastes so different (and better) when i’m with them than if i make it with the exact same recipe and ingredients. they say it’s because it has love in it, i say it’s because im a shit cook.

can i be honest and real for a moment… sushi. i’ve never tried sushi. i don’t like seafood… but sushi is just so colourful and beautiful, i’ve never tried it because i know i won’t like it and i’ll just be disappointed :(

ENOKI MUSHROOMS. this started with me watching tons of mukbang videos where they had them… only problem is, i don’t like mushrooms either.

STARFRUIT. self explanatory.

this was longer than i expected, i just kept thinking of more things as i went along 😭🤍

[tvccreator]

More Balan Wonderworld - This Time with More Positivity

I’m almost done with the main story of the game - I just have Chapter 12-2, the Hooverton boss fight, then the Lance boss fight - but I wanted to give more of my opinions on the game, this time focusing on level designs and the costumes. *Note that I don’t have all the costumes yet and I haven’t unlocked the Act 3-s of the chapters since those are post-game. I also don’t have the Balan costume because I keep losing my three-badge Tims in my sea of 100+ Tims, which you need the three-badge Tims to breed and give a King Tim to “sacrifice” to the Father Tim statue on the isle. This is a long post, so I’ll put everything else under the “Keep Reading” button so it doesn’t clog up feeds. Hope you guys enjoy this!

First off, here’s my top five favorite level designs:

1. Chapter 9 Act 2

I am a sucker for carnival/circus-themed levels in games, so this haunted house-style level in a chapter revolving around a circus clown is absolutely my cup of tea. The rotating hallways scared the shit out of me every time - mostly because I didn’t know when they’d start rotating, then I realized it started right about half way through - and the large room with falling platforms actually managed to make me jump. It’s a really fun level and I loved it a lot.

2. Chapter 8 Act 1 Did I ever mention I love ice worlds? Yeah, I love ice worlds. Not necessarily for the gameplay of sliding around willy-nilly on ice, but for the simplistic beauty you can get from snow falling and ice statues. This level is gorgeous every time I walk through it, and while having the Seal Skater is a must in this chapter, it still made me feel like I was walking in a winter wonderland.

3. Chapter 10 Acts 1 & 2

Kinda cheating with this one since it’s just the entire chapter, but I absolutely loved the MC Escher-style level design in both of the acts. Optical illusions are so impressive to view, so getting to essentially walk around in an Escher painting was a thrill. I found myself looking around in awe at just how the different perspectives could alter the reality, and I really enjoyed it. This is also the only Chapter that makes it so you can’t fall out of the world, so that was a major blessing.

4. Chapter 6 Act 2

This is where Cass Milligan’s chapter turned full-on Alice in Wonderland, and I was living for it. The travel through portals had been a feature since Chapter 1 Act 1, but getting to actually freeze time and roam around was exhilarating, especially when I needed a breather after getting ambushed by Negati. It’s filled with Tim Traps, though, so you have to be on your toes to make sure the Tims don’t get grabbed.

5. Chapter 3 Act 2

I really love flying around in levels. I’m scared to death of heights, but when playing video games, I really enjoy the prospect of flying. While Chapter 4 is literally focused on Haoyu and his ambition to fly, I enjoy Chapter 3 Act 2 more because of the level layout. Don’t get me wrong, the open skies are amazing, but seeing the hollow trees, towering mushrooms, green foliage was so beautiful when flying around in the dark with the Dusk Butterfly. It was absolutely breathtaking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, time for my top five favorite costumes. I’ll add some honorable mentions, as well (I didn’t do honorable mentions for the levels because I didn’t really have many favorites outside of those five... and Chapter Twelve sucks right now. I only recently beat Act 1 because I kept dying right at the floating platform bit near the end and ended up rage-quitting after ten consecutive deaths in the same area):

Honorable Mentions:

Iron Apollo - This little costume, while slower than molasses, was extremely helpful when I didn’t have Double Jumper. It can fly just as high as a double jump, which was how I managed to get Fixer-upper and Sickle Slayer.

Flame Blaster - I haven’t used it much, but oh my Lord, I love how brutal its attack is. I also love the added bonus that it’s immune to lava and fire, because dear God, Chapter 11 was a nightmare to get through since I kept losing my Water Blaster costume.

1. Frost Fairy

I feel like everyone and their dog really likes Frost Fairy, and I can’t blame them. The design is beautiful, the stair-jump is really helpful, and it’s just an overall useful costume to have. It’s fitting that one of the most beautifully designed costumes is the signature outfit to one of my favorite characters, Iben Bia.

2. Air Unicorn

Yeah, Air Cat is good, but Air Unicorn upgrades Air Cat so you can walk for double the amount of steps. Air Unicorn is not easy to get, but it’s absolutely worth having for Chapter 12 (so far - remember, I’m only through Act 1 of Chapter 12) and is a really good costume if you have to go back to Chapter 9 Act 2 going statue hunting. Also is it me, or does the design for the Air Unicorn look really similar to Starlight Glimmer from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?

3. Merry Ghost

I found out just how amazing this little guy was when I went back to Chapter 6 Act 1 to go statue hunting. While the Merry Ghost can’t attack Negati, it can avoid poison hazards and fly up those collapsing stairwells you can find throughout certain levels. I legit had to pause and laugh in disbelief when I found out that, when I was using Soaring Sheep to climb the stairs, I could’ve just stocked up on Merry Ghosts in 9-2, come back to 6-1, and go about my merry way (pun intended.) It also looks like the Pokémon Mimikyu, which makes this little ghost boy extremely cute to me.

4. Iron Panda

If you’re scared of falling off the edge with the Tackling Bull or want something that can actually jump while destroying stuff (Box Fox, lookin’ at you), I definitely recommend the Iron Panda. It helped me get the Paladin Puncher without me risking a plummet to my demise, it’s really useful in other chapters as usually you can find statues in areas only the Iron Panda can get to, and its design is just... it’s so dorky. I love it.

5.Itsy-bitsy Elf

This guy was definitely a challenge to get, but once I got it, I had a lot of fun with it. (When going for the costume, I recommend using Slow Tortoise to slow the blocks down, then just bolt back and forth with Slow Tortoise if you want to stockpile the costume.) Its design is absolutely adorable, the little doors it travels through are a bit disorienting but overall enjoyable, and its smaller than your Tims. Imagine being in the Itsy-bitsy Elf costume and hugging a Tim; that’d probably feel like heaven.

[planetarybound]

Me tripping in the chat today from 9:45-12:30:

______ asked if I was doing anything today and I said no, so he asked if I was up for doing the mushrooms today, and I said yes. So I just ate a gram of mushrooms for the first time. 😬 9:45. 9:50AM

*Erowid mushroom effects screenshots*

I feel really tense and anxious… Kinda jittery… Scared, lol… Extra smiley though. 10:20AM My legs feel weird and it seems like time is passing soooooooo slooooowlyyyyyy……. Idk it's just changing all the time… More anxiety… Feeling cold… I grabbed a blanket and covered up in it… Listening to some upbeat music… I see like the rainbow tunneling pattern when I close my eyes… 10:32AM Seeing some really profound closed-eye visuals now. 😌 I could get anxious worrying about later, how the TV with commercials would affect everything, but nah… My stomach has a little bit of discomfort that I wish would go away… 10:42AM indescribable feeling adding nicotine 😶 10:56AM The wire to my earbuds from my laptop got caught in the blanket and the thing came unplugged and shut off… I need to try and fix that sometime… 11:03AM Indescribably beautiful concentric rings rotating in a space of every color imaginable Of course it's helpful to me to be able to share it with you. 😌 11:16AM 🙂 11:23AM Wells of dark hued rainbow lights I can't really explain… I could if you were here and I could just say what's there but having to open my eyes and focus on a screen is impossible. 😛 11:27AM Hmm. 🤔 11:29AM So I was listening to this song…

Idk. 😛 The visuals and the music were trying to show like the formations of human societies building out of the human intellect and how all of the superstructures of the world are all humanity trying it's best every single day… Like out of the colors I saw hierarchies of different groups of people forming and building into mountains… And it all just felt like it's all divinely blessed and perfect… 11:38AM Sunshine feels good. 😌 11:39AM ______ said the song was boring for him. Lol. 😆 Hmm. 🤔 The sunshine and fresh air feel so good… 11:45AM I don't have any open eye vidual distortions. 😌 11:49AM Yeah nice and easy. 😌

The clouds can turn a neon green but I can make them white again. 😌 11:56AM They're clearly white on the computer screen though. 🤨😝 11:59AM Thank you for being so positive and helping me this morning. 😌 12:10PM I just straight up told _______ that me and _______ took a gram of mushrooms. 😛 She said that it's bad and a hallucinogenic… I said no it's really good and everything's fine I sarcastically said yeah, it's so bad to just lay here feeling connected to the universe and have amazing visualisations. That the sunshine and fresh air feel great. Asked her if I sound out of my mind and she said no. 😛 12:19PM Idk, I just feel like looking at the clouds. 😌 And feeling the sun. 😌 Watching how the air pushes the clouds around. 😌 I must look weird as hell just staring at the clouds though. 😛 12:30PM

[bakersstreetirregulars]

Returning Registry Event Report: 1/9/2023

As written by New Hire Coffee Candy Cookie ☕️🍬

Operation: Time Fixers

Crystal Delivery (-> 1/14)

500 Crystals given daily for twelve days, 1,000 for logging in five consecutive days, 2,000 for ten consecutive days.

This is a PERMANENT CHANGE in which the Guild Daily Check-In Bingo Bonus Crystals (up to 500/day) are being moved to the Cookies’ Daily Gifts tab in the Events menu. Up to 9,000 Crystals can be received over two weeks if every day’s gift is collected sequentially.

Daily Dice Battles - Round 1 (-> 1/12)

Roll dice against randomly-selected opponents, opting between rolling odd or even to win. Certain opponents may have special rules and side gambits. Extra winnings for a win against Licorice Cookie, Poison Mushroom Cookie, Cherry Cookie, or ME?!?!*

*Addendum I: Coffee Candy Cookie panicked as she ran through this report.

Addendum II: As Printed- Win against her and Licorice for 300 Crystals. Win against Poison Mushroom for 100 Crystals. Cherry Cookie is not recognizable by her base silhouette, as she is wearing her costume. Win against her for 300 Rainbow Cubes.

New opponents appear every several hours, but a sponsored ad can be viewed to meet the next opponent immediately.

Meet Coffee Candy Cookie: Missions (-> 1/12)

An array of missions in Breakout and Trophy Race to complete to accumulate the following rewards. Some of these rewards have been relocated from the Cookies’ Daily Gifts to this repeating event.

100,000 Coins

Ten (10) Bronze/ Four (4) Silver Sugar Crystals

Regular/Special Blessing Tickets

Magic Powder

Three (3) Spirit Potions

Five (5) Quick-Run Tickets

Fifteen (15) Classified Task Records…?!*

One (1) Treasure Incantation

Fifteen (15) Copies of Coffee Candy Cookie & Welling Inkwell each

Meet Automatic Typewriter (-> 1/12)

Similar to the above event, except the reward list changes to the one below. Tasks are centered around guild activity, so membership with a guild is mandatory.

Coins

One (1) Treasure Incantation

Three (3) copies of Automatic Typewriter

Enhancement Tickets

Five (5) Quick-Run Tickets

Six (6) Bronze Sugar Crystals

Magic Powder

Treasure Mastery: Automatic Typewriter (-> 1/12)

Use the Automatic Typewriter to score points for rewards on a progressive track. You must own the Automatic Typewriter to access this.

Cookie of the Year 2022 Results

Blue Lily Cookie has received the most votes and will receive a Valentine’s Day Costume. Timekeeper Cookie will receive a costume for White Day as the runner-up despite her lead for earlier rounds of the competition. View the victory speech to receive 100 Crystals.

Custom Run (-> 2/5)

Run with custom rules in private rooms. Featuring the Warm Midwinter Campsite for 1,500 Sugar Snowflakes, which can be earned for running in these races.

Operation: Time Fixers (-> 1/29)

To be disclosed in a future post.

Cosmetic Gacha Banners: “Operation: Timeguard”, “Save the Future”, and “Operation: Time Fixers” (12/31 - 2/28)

Prior TBD Costumes for Walnut (Search for Lost Time), Roguefort (Pursuit of Lost Time), Croissant (Director of the TBD), and Timekeeper (Ruler of the Ephemeral Flow) will be grouped into one “legacy” event banner.

The new costumes for Cherry (Time Demolitionist) and String Gummy (Timeline Lawbringer) will be grouped into a “new” event banner.

The TBD Search Unit Jelly Shape Set will be grouped into a third jelly shape banner with increased odds.

Miscellaneous Patch Notes

“Save the Future” added to Story Mode with storylines from January 2022.

Operation: Timeguard (November 2020, 4th Anniversary) has possibly been ignored because it bases itself on the retconned version of GingerBrave’s Tale that follows him through the lands outlined in Trophy Race and would progress as the player unlocked new lands.

Added Impeccable Snake Fruit Minister Jelly Set to the Jelly Shape Gacha

Raid Run Changes

Number of Bosses in rotation reduced (4 -> 3, Poison Jelly Toad removed from rotation)

Rank and Leaderboard Scoring has changed as follows (Team’s Total Raid Score -> Time Spent Defeating the Boss). If you take too long to defeat the boss, it will escape and you will get minimal rewards and a rank of E- if you stayed in until the end.

Accumulating enough points as a team will now activate a “Team Ultimate” attack which deals (10M x 20 hits) for a total of 200,000,000 damage. Upon launching this attack, a review of the top 3 contributors will flash across the screen.

Leaderboard Placement Requirements have changed as follows

Higher Score gained between Normal/Hard -> Best Score obtained on “Hard”

Combined Scores of each Boss -> Combined Shortest Time to defeat each Boss

Bosses’ respective Raid Chests now contain more Skill Gems of the color corresponding to their weakness

Giant Sugar Mantis: (Even Mix -> Yellow)

Soboro Queen Bee (Yellow -> Red)

Bamkuchen/Thorncap Treant (Red -> Blue)

Matchmaker will now match based on similar skill levels. You cannot see the levels of your teammates’ combis until a match has been established.

Story Mode

Added Combi Recommendations to get 3 Stars

Lowered Maximum Levels by stage

Relays have been removed

Adjusted Energy Drain, added Energy Potions to select stages to match changes

Escape Level Bonus

Added rewards for Escape Levels 301-325

Level 255 Bonus: +150 points for Pink Bear Jellies

The above bonus will be applied retroactively for anyone who has achieved level 255+

Champions League

Strange Winded Grove -> Legendary Sacred Forest

Added settings to toggle real-time event notifications and the live scoreboards

Balance Changes

🍒 Cherry

Giant Cherry Points added to points for regular Cherry Jellies

+2 Cherry Bombs thrown per skill activation

Increased Cherry Jelly Points (-> 120,000)

Decreased Giant Cherry Jelly Points (40,000 -> 80,000 -> 120,000 -> 160,000 -> 200,000)

Combi Bonus changed to +88,000 Points for Cherry Jellies

Rocket Firecracker: Rescue charges now stack (maximum 3), Increased range for Magnetic Aura during Rescue and Blast, Increased Rescue & Blast points (600,000 + 100,000 per level -> 2,000,000 max)

⏰ String Gummy - TRIAL RANK REQUIREMENTS ADJUSTED

Increased Clockbot Jelly Points (173,000 + 20,500 per level -> 460,000 max)

Increased Jump Shot Points (1,120,000 -> 1,540,000 -> 1,960,000 -> 2,380,000 -> 2,800,000)

Combi Bonus: Increased points for Clockbot Jellies (+410,000 points for Clockbot Jellies)

Smile Detector: Increased points for Metal Jellies (880,000 + 80,000 per level -> 2,000,000 max)

Time Rend Scissors - Increased points for Time Reversal Jellies (938,000 + 77,000 per level -> 1,785,000 max)

[urbanafarmstead]

Discover the Best of Little Rock Farmers Market

The Little Rock Farmers Market is a vibrant hub of community engagement, fresh produce, and artisanal products that brings together locals and visitors alike. Little Rock Farmers Market Nestled in the heart of downtown Little Rock, this market has become a beloved gathering place for people looking to experience the best of local agriculture and handmade goods.

A Fresh Take on Local Produce

The market is renowned for its wide selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, all grown by local farmers. Visitors can browse stalls brimming with seasonal favorites like juicy tomatoes, crisp bell peppers, and sweet watermelons during the summer, or discover root vegetables and hearty greens in the cooler months. With a focus on sustainable and organic practices, the Little Rock Farmers Market ensures that every product is of the highest quality and produced with care.

Artisanal Goods and Unique Finds

Beyond produce, the market offers a diverse range of artisanal goods that showcase the talents of local makers. Handcrafted soaps, homemade jams, baked goods, and even handmade jewelry can be found throughout the market. Each item tells a story of craftsmanship and passion, making it a perfect place to find unique gifts or a special treat for yourself.

Supporting the Community

The Little Rock Farmers Market isn’t just about food and crafts—it’s about fostering a sense of community. By shopping at the market, you are supporting local farmers and small businesses, ensuring that your dollars stay within the community and contribute to its growth. Many vendors are happy to share their stories, offer cooking tips, or provide insight into their growing practices, making each visit an educational experience as well.

Visiting the Market

Whether you’re a Little Rock native or just passing through, a visit to the Little Rock Farmers Market is a must. The market is typically open on weekends and features a rotating lineup of vendors to keep things fresh and exciting. Make sure to check out the Urbana Farmstead website for more information about their involvement and other local events. You’ll leave with a basket full of fresh produce and a deeper appreciation for Arkansas’s rich agricultural heritage.

A True Farm-to-Table Experience

The Little Rock Farmers Market embodies the spirit of the farm-to-table movement, offering residents a chance to connect with the people who grow their food. From heirloom tomatoes to specialty mushrooms, the market showcases the diversity and quality of Arkansas’s local farms.

Next time you’re in Little Rock, stop by the market and experience it for yourself. Little Rock Farmers Market Enjoy the fresh air, taste delicious samples, and take home a piece of Arkansas’s rich farming tradition. Don’t forget to explore Urbana Farmstead for more ways to support local farmers and learn about sustainable farming practices right in the heart of Little Rock!

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Review: Buckwheat Tea

I’m really into alternative teas and hot drinks—Matcha and fruit teas are some of my favourites, and I’ve even gotten into mushroom tea recently. So, I was super excited to try and review the buckwheat tea. It has a wonderfully nutty flavor, and it’s surprisingly warming and wholesome. A perfect drink for cozy evenings or when I need something a bit different from my usual go-tos!

My Review of Buckwheat Tea (Soba-Cha): A Unique Alternative Tea

I recently had the pleasure of trying buckwheat tea, also known as soba-cha, and I must say, it was quite a unique tea-drinking experience. As someone who enjoys exploring alternative teas beyond the usual green or herbal options, soba-cha definitely stood out to me.

The first thing that caught my attention was the aroma of the tea. It had a toasty, nutty scent that was quite inviting. Upon taking the first sip, I was pleasantly surprised by the rich, earthy flavour with a subtle hint of sweetness. It is a comforting and soothing drink, perfect for unwinding after a long day.

Benefits

What I appreciate most about buckwheat tea is not only its unique flavour profile but also its potential health benefits. Soba-cha is known for being rich in antioxidants and nutrients, making it a great addition to a balanced diet.

As someone with a passion for exploring different teas, I highly recommend giving buckwheat tea a try if you're looking to broaden your tea-drinking horizons. It's a delightful alternative to traditional teas and offers a distinct flavour that is sure to intrigue your taste buds.

Overall, my experience with soba-cha was truly enjoyable, and I can see it becoming a regular part of my tea rotation. If you're a fellow tea enthusiast looking for something new and exciting, I suggest giving buckwheat tea a chance – you might just discover your new favourite brew.