#On another note expect Mina to appear often in my shots.

[gridanian-red-mage]

Well come and well met.

Arielle is my bookworm and bird lover of a Warrior of Light from Gridania! She and her adorable chocobo Mina (who is practically her best friend) really had only just been wandering around before they ultimately decided on adventuring being the way to go about their goal of seeing the world and learning about it. But of course, fate had other plans for her.

Here there'll be screenshots, mini fics, and some other things with her that I'd like to post here. And maybe some stuff with her friends. So I hope you stick around for her journey! 😊

~~Tag List! (this is a work in progress so it’s subject to changes)~~

• Arielle Solinar—basically the tag I have for anything with her.

• FFXIV OC(s)—posts that mention misskharmion's characters or other characters I have.

• Short Stories—mini stories that I’ve written that are the captions of some of my photo sets.

• Red Mage Fics—fics that I’ve written with Arielle as well as (eventually) my Azem Aletheia.

• Dawnhearth Stories—fics that misskharmion has written with her amazing character Mayumi, Arielle, and other characters that we both have.

• FFXIV Fics—all of the fics written by both me and misskharmion.

[yami-writes]

if your asks are open & my request isn't too much. could you write a secret relationship one shot with mina & a skater fem! reader? so like the bakusquad wants to have a movie night, but like mina declines since girly had a date with her cute skatergirl planned on that day already & like she snitches out to the date & like both of them snitch into minas room later & cuddle & kiss, reader on her lap clinging like a fucking koala on her & how her classmates would find out, react. please my bisexual ass needs more girlxgirl content here, espacially with the mha girls 😔✊

(✨) paring(s) — Ashido x fem!skater!reader  (⚠️) warning(s) — none! (🔖) word count — 2.3k (💌) yami's note — yuhh fr tho 🤧 we need more mha girls but dw i gotchu 😌✨ 

“What? Why?” Kirishima questioned, poking his head out from behind Bakugo, “We’ve been planning this for weeks! You can't just flunk on us like this!!” Kaminari exclaimed, causing Mina to rethink the amount of time that went into tonight's now somewhat ruined plans “Aha~ yeah... sorry about that guys. Maybe another time.” she scratched the back of her head. 

Mina was about to leave before being stopped by a hard grip on her wrist “Oi, raccoon eyes. You better have a good excuse for this.” Bakugo glared, his crimson eyes almost seemed as if they could pierce holes in her soul. ‘Why does Bakugo of all people care!?’ She fumbled on her words, trying to find a reasonable excuse that would reward her the get-out-of-jail-free card without spilling the beans on anything private. “Uh- well- I uhm…” 

“Bakugo, leave her alone. Forcing yourself into her business isn’t very manly of you.” Kirishima chimed, ‘Right before I was about to get blown to bits! Thanks, Kirishima!’ Mina sighed in her head, before checking the time. 2:54pm. She promised to meet her date at 3pm.

Before anyone knew it, Mina was dashing down to the common room and out the door, almost appearing as a pink blur to everyone around her.

“Wha-what was that??” “I think that was Mina~” “Where is she going that fast!?” “I don't know,,”  “Mina’s fast but I didn't think she would be able to pull off those kinds of speeds.” the class-A girls conversed, wondering in concern what's got Mina in such a rush.

“Shit! I'm gonna be late! This isn't even the first time!!” Mina panicked, still racing over to the park the two of you had planned to meet at. 

Mina recalled the time she came almost 20 minutes late to a date because she didn't know what to wear, digging through her closet to find something she thought you would like. Dresses, skirts, sweaters, shorts, jeans, you name it, she probably tried it. 

To say the least, Mina was nervous. 

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Mina continued to race towards the park she had agreed to meet at. Her pace began to slow as her stamina got closer to reaching its limit. “Hey, Mina!!” she heard a familiar voice call out. “Y/n!! Hi!” huffed out as she came to a stop. Mina took a moment to gather her breath, her hands on her knees as she pants. “Did you seriously run all the way here from your dorm?” y/n questioned after a minute of silence.

“Of course I did! I didn’t want to be late,,, again.” 

“You’re a riot.” 

“Thanks!” 

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

The weather outside was nice and the view the park offered was wonderful. Flowers of all sorts bloomed on the flowerbeds. Mina could see daffodils, tulips, alliums, sunflowers, all of different colours. The clouds created gorgeous patterns in the sky, larger ones blocking out the sun and giving the area a slightly darker atmosphere, nobody seemed to mind though. Trees shaded parts of the park, most of the adults seemed to linger around there, watching the children play together. 

Mina and y/n took a seat at one of the benches that was shaded by a tall and broad tree, the smell of nature flowing around it, their hands intertwined. Mina wasn’t the best in some compartments, but one thing she is good at is conversation. It's hard to find a dull moment with her, maybe that’s why people like being around her so much. y/n definitely wasn’t at her level when it came to social skills but the conversations between them flowed so effortlessly, the two of them just seemed to click in the best way possible. Two puzzle pieces that were meant to be together, created to be together. 

“Hey! Mina, look!!” y/n pointed to an ice cream parlor across the park, a small line of children with their parent’s 5 dollar bills in their hands  “Let’s get popsicles!” 

“Sure! Last one there has to pay!!” Mina ran off towards the parler.

“Hey-! No fair!!” y/n ran after her, taking an extra moment to pick up her skateboard, the thought of riding it to pass Mina not crossing her mind. Mina was a fast runner, most of the men in her class not able to compete without their quirks, same thing goes for y/n. It was possible her skateboard wouldn’t even be able to put up a rewarding fight. 

Mina waited by the parler, almost mockingly stretching her arms as she waited for her date to catch up. “Took you long enough~!” Mina giggled

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” y/n got out a $15 bill from her pocket before immediately having it taken from her hands. “I was joking! Let me pay instead!” Mina pleaded “I wanna make it up to you for coming late,”

“Babes, you were a minute late..” 

“I made you wait an extra minute!! And what about all those other times I-” Mina was cut off by the Parler man clearing his throat to get their attention. She shoved her money onto the counter before ordering y/n’s favourite flavor and a strawberry popsicle for herself. The Parler man took the money before opening  his parler and handing them the requested flavoured popsicles. 

“Thanks, sir!” Mina chirps before taking y/n’s hand, bringing her back to the bench the two of them were sitting at before. The two of them unwrapped their cold treats, enjoying and sharing them with each other. 

Conversation continued to flow between the two, time quickly passing by. Parents began taking their children home, young adults began walking home from their jobs, the city seemed alive. 

Wind blew on the three branches of the park, a chill starting to coat the air. 

“It’s probably gonna get cold soon, maybe we should get inside.” y/n proposed

“Yeah... Hey! You should come to the dorms!” Mina was quick to suggest, she’s always wanted to bring y/n to her room. The idea of having y/n close to her body, sharing snacks and watching funny videos on instagram always brought warmth to her heart. The idea of getting caught never really crossed her mind. 

“Are you sure? Your classmates are definitely gonna find out.” 

“No they won’t, I promise!”

“Mina, they’re heroes-in-training…” 

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

When mina was set on a decision, it was hard to get her to settle for something else, that’s something y/n’s learned many times. Mina dragged her partner to the UA dorm buildings, planning out loud what they could do together. Face masks, tiktoks, nails, and dancing are only a few of the activities that came into question. 

“I like the sound of face masks, I've been needing one for a while, my acne’s been acting up.” y/n groaned. “Dancing also sounds pretty fun, do you have any new playlists?” 

“I always have new playlists! Plus, Jirou recommended me some new songs the other day, her music taste actually isn’t that bad,” Mina giggled, “For a goth, that is.” y/n laughed at her comment. 

Mina talked about her classmates often, sometimes even gossiping about them. She never said anything hurtful, though, it was usually just a few mentions after finding something that reminded her of them. She once found a icyhot packet in the store and went on about this hot and talented guy in her class, a frog jumping around near a pond caused her to ramble on about her friend Tsu, and the taste of a tea served to her at a cafe reminded her of the tea her friend Momo would serve at the tutor sessions she hosted. 

Soon enough, the couple was standing in front of Heights Alliance, preparing a plan to get inside without being noticed. “Everyone’s usually elsewhere at this time, probably in their rooms or off training or something~” Mina opens the door to the building, “We should be good.” 

Mina peeps her head inside, making sure no one was in the common room before she proceeded. She motioned for y/n to come inside, before walking further inside the building. “C’mon, my room is this way!” Mina took y/n’s hand, passing by the common room and to the elevator. y/n couldn’t help but look around, she had never been in the Dormitories until this point, it was much nicer, and bigger, than she expected. The elevator ride was quiet, the fear of having classmates hear them while they continued their loud conversation through the halls on their minds. 

The elevator stopped at the selected floor, Mina took y/n’s hand again before leading her to their destination just around the corner. “Here is it! Come on in!” Mina smiled before unlocking and opening her room door. 

“Oh wow, so… pink.” y/n gasped “Yeah!! Do you like it?” 

“Of course I do! Your whole room just reminds me of you, I love it!” y/n wrapped her hands around her date “And I love you too!”

“I love you more!!” Mina giggled, returning the hug. Her embrace was warm, warmer than one might expect, that might be the result of such a pure heart. 

“Whatcha wanna do? I have a bunch of stuff here,” Mina pulls out a box from under her bed and begins to dig through it, “I have face masks and beauty supplies here, snacks and candy hidden around my room, we could also watch some movies or find a show to binge!” 

“Face masks are a good idea, and I’m down to watch a movie while we wait for them to dry.” y/n gets down beside her on the ground, watching her sift through her box of stuff.

“Awesome! What movie should we watch? I have a bunch of DVD’s on my shelf but we could always find something on Netflix. Oh and pick your favourite face mask!” Mina presented about 12 different face masks for y/n to choose from. 

“Oh~ I like that one! It’s my favourite colour, and it has a nice scent.” y/n picked up the f/c bottle, reading the labels on the back and admiring the smell emitting from it. “Nice choice! I’ll go with this one!” Mina holds up a pink, sparkly bottle with grapefruits and strawberries on the front. “This one’s my favourite, I use it all the time!” 

“I can see why,” y/n laughs, Mina joining in. 

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

The two of them sat comfortably on Mina’s bed, y/n on her lap and arms wrapped around her. A movie the couple had agreed on plays in front of them on Mina’s laptop as they wait for their face masks to dry, sharing candy she had hid around her room. Mina occasionally placed soft kisses on y/n’s cheeks, jaw and neck, it was her favourite thing to do in this position. While Mina enjoyed receiving affection, she seemed to love giving affection even more.

Soon enough, the movie ended and credits began to roll, giving y/n and Mina a moment to stretch after sitting in one position for over an hour. “That was a good movie.” y/n said between stretches. “Yeah, I’m gonna recommend it to Hagakure, she’s been looking for good movies to watch lately.” Mina got out her phone to check the time, “We still have a few hours, wanna watch another one while we wait for our nails to dry?”

“We’re gonna do nails too?”

“Yeah!”

“Sure.”

Uhm i’m not sure how to continue and end this so i’ll do HCs for this part LMAOO

I gotta get better at writing smh 

Anyways, after Mina took you to her dorm for the first time you started coming over more often

The two of you always have a shitton of fun when you do

Not like you ever not have fun with Mina 

Although this one time was different~ 

Your skateboard had dirt and mud on it from riding after a storm, so you had left it by the door to avoid tracking any of it in Mina’s room 

But it so happened Denki was walking by and found it in the hallway floor 

And seeing it was outside Mina’s door he decided to not knock and ask if it was hers

He caught yall cuddling while binging your favourite anime 

“Yo, Mina, is this skateboard you-”

He went 👁️👄👁️

After an eternity a few seconds of pure silence Denki’s like BHJNBHJVHJ WHO’S THAT???? AND WHY ARE YOU SO CLOSE TO THEM-??/?????

Mina sighs and explains the whole thing about how yall have been dating in secret and going on dates and stuff

The look on the boy’s face was literally surprised pikachu 

Mina asked him to keep a secret but c'mon now we all know Mr. Kaminari cannot keep a secret for the life of him👩🏾‍🦯 big mouth headass

He told everyone. 

the look on Mina’s face when Sero brought up her secret girlfriend the next day was priceless

“H-hOW YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!?”

“Denki told me.” 

Denki: *choke* 

He knows he’s ‘bouta get his ass beat.

As for reactions, they’re mainly looking pretty positive ✨

Denki, kirishima, bakugou and sero are the first people to find out, and probably one of the only people Mina talks about you to besides the other class a girls

They’re happy for her (although bakuhoe wouldn’t admit it- he pretends he don’t care but c'mon we know better than that), and definitely wanna meet you sometime soon 

All the class A girls and basically screaming 

Cuz like- wHAT

How could Mina keep such a big secret grrrrr >:((

She ends up bringing you and the rest of the girls to her room to meet you

Expect expect like 30 questions from each of them about various different topics that may or may not matter

Remember the boys who didn't care about seeing the girl’s rooms in that one episode? Yea this squad is still on their shit🧘🏾‍♀️

Okay well they do care, just not as much dnjskbjdkn

Sato would bake you a yummy cupcake! 

You ain’t neva eating something that delicious ever again just sayin~ 

Everyone else would silently wish to meet you one day 

Tenya is probably the only person you should look out for

if you don’t have Aizawa’s permission to be on campus he probably won’t let you inside🖐🏾

aizawa don’t care tho so getting permission isn’t a problem 

Overall, 1-A’s reaction to Mina’s girlfriend is pretty positive! 😗✌🏾

masterlist 

[1stunseeliefaelass]

Darksiders Arthurian Tales Revisited

Chapter 22: Fresh With New Messes

Fury notices the two women gawking at her and snickers, "Seems I don't just turn the heads of men."

"DAMN...you must work out a LOT." C comments.

"Well any warrior does girl. Male or female, keeping in shape is integral to a battle ready body." Fury points out.

"As someone who was a knight once, I can concur with that. Nor can I blame you for your confidence Fury. You clearly have the right to be prideful." Morgen states simply.

"I wouldn't have guessed you were a knight myself Morgen. You're so lithe. Granted I know most Fae are, but to be this lean as one who wields any weapon is quite the predicament. Granted this body type is perfect for a mage, but if you wish to reenter the fray I'd advice some workouts. Perhaps Death would assist you in that."

"Uh huh. Aren't you considered the mage of the family though Fury?" Morgen asks her.

"Oh please. If anyone's the mage it's Death. Sure I use some magic, but not as much as my elder brother. He's practically a nerd around magic that he hasn't seen before too. Seriously it can be VERY adorable."

"What?" Morgen asks trying not to snicker.

C gets a skeptical look, "Death, adorable? I don't know about that Fury."

"Of course you don't. Though judging by what I overheard you lack confidence in your body. Even Morgen has some for her own, which I can respect despite what my words to her may suggest."

"Like I told Morgen, I've got a lot of scars."

"And that's completely normal in our line of work. A warrior's life is never easy, as my elder brother likes to say. So believe me, you having many scars isn't unheard of." Fury tells her.

"Ok I'll show you guys what I mean. If you show me some on you." C responds.

"I planned to anyway." Morgen replies.

"It's only fair I suppose." Fury states before standing up from the underwater bench she was sitting on.

C and Morgen see a scar around her gut, "This one I received from quite the cheeky demon. Little did he know that getting as close as he did was a mistake. I did have a healing potion luckily, among other things. But it scarred over nonetheless."

Morgen then moves her hair onto her back to reveal a small but noticeable scar just below her sternum. "I never saw who it was, all I know is that an archer got in a lucky shot during a battle. I was an older teen at the time. Mina hounded me for days on end after the arrow was removed, as did Barrcus."

"Well obviously, a few inches higher and you may not have been here to tell that story." Fury responds.

"If anyone was lucky, it was you Morgen." C tells her before taking a deep breath and dispersing the steam around her with a snap. As she stands the two older women look at her curiously.

Fury is a bit worried at the amount all over her, and how deep a few of them look. Morgen of course just wonders how painful things must be for her.

"I knew Gregory wasn't capable of much from what I saw of your 'training' yesterday, but THIS is concerning. You really need someone who can actually teach you without hinderances such as old age slowing them down."

"I agree, you need extra help clearly. Also how much pain are in on a daily basis?" Morgen questions C with worry.

"Oh it's really not that bad. Not even any stinging these days. Although...not all of them are from battle..." C begins to say before trailing off.

"What are you implying?" Morgen presses.

"Indeed, what's wrong?" Fury asks sensing something's up.

"It's nothing....don't worry about it ok?" C implores them before ducking back under the water.

Before Fury can go into detective mode, Mina comes in with Miriam as they're speaking to each other.

"And then the stupid ninnie said....OH DEAR. Uhm oops." Mina quickly says.

"Should we come at a later time?" Miriam asks.

Fury, not wanting to make C anymore uncomfortable than she already was, chooses to drop the subject of her scars for now. But makes a mental note to ask later. Morgen meanwhile tells Miriam, "Oh it's fine Miriam. A little girls' time never hurt anyone."

"Besides, I can't be the only golden girl here." Fury remarks looking at Mina.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on Mina I'm teasing. We're both old and we know it. At least our appearances haven't been marked by it." Fury states.

"Ugh right." Mina says before getting ready to hop in.

Miriam meanwhile already places her clothes on a drawer handle nearby and hops into the water. Surprisingly enough she's a fairly decent swimmer for her stature. "So whatcha talking about?"

"Oh just uhhhhh..." C says trying to find the words to express it.

"Trying to boost a young lady's confidence in her body." Fury states saving C on that one.

"Oh really? Well let me just say that you're not entirely alone. I've had my own days like that. Just ask Strife." Miriam tells C before paddling over to her.

"Thanks Miriam." C says with a smile.

Mina then steps in after revealing her short and stout self. "Me, I'm only short because I chose this form to hide me true self from Uther. It's not preferable, but I don't hate it. I got curves, but I know I still look good to me own man."

Fury actually asks Mina, "Your true self, what exactly does that mean?"

"Oh well I'm half Huldra." Mina states.

"Well technically she's a Skogsrå, as half of her lineage is in Sweden. You can probably tell where the other half is from." Morgen adds on.

"Oh hush Morgen."

The ladies then share a laugh together as they relax. Miriam then notices all of C's scars whilst swimming near her and asks, "Oh my....is that why you're not comfy in your body?"

"Yeah.....I've got a lot of em so..."

"It's ok. I've got some too. It's a little hard to see on this tiny form, but it is what it is." Miriam says before showing C the recent scarring from the night Leatherbeard tried having his way with her.

"Oh damn. Those probably sting like hell still huh?"

"Only at night when I'm sleeping. Although I try to not let it show. I don't want Strife to worry about me you know?" Miriam replies.

"As his sister, I believe he should know this Miriam. You'd best tell him if you're in any pain. Otherwise he may panic if he finds you randomly trying to manage the pain on your own." Fury tells her.

"Well you are his sister so I guess you have a point Fury. He does often eye me when it gets bad enough though." Miriam softly states.

"Probably because he's already worried Miriam. Try telling him when you're in pain. I'm sure he'd want to ease it where he could." Morgen tells her.

"Right of course. Although since we're on the subject, do you have any scars Mina?"

"Oh no, I'm only a mage little lassie. But being a Skogsrå I do have a hollow back." Mina responds.

"Oh now you say the proper term?" Fury inquires teasingly.

"Oh like ya wouldn't keep calling me out for using the Norwegian term ya bitch." Mina retorts to Fury's laughter.

Mina then stands up to reveal her back to them and begins to let loose. But only enough to reveal her hollow back. Once she hears the girls' surprised gasps, she goes back into the disguise. She then takes the time to catch her breath. "Well....*huff*...that took a lot outta me. But there ya are lassies. The hollow back of a Huldra."

"Skogsrå." Morgen muttered.

"I said hush."

The ladies then share another laugh together. They're then finally joined by Esmie. Who is only doing it to be a good example for Arn. And because she promised to bathe if he did. Since he's keeping his end of that Esmie will too.

"Damas de Hola."

"Hello to you too. Although did we ever catch your name?" Fury inquires.

"Name's Esmerelda, but Esmie works fine."

She then gets in and enjoys the company. Meanwhile the men are having their own moment. At first they're all fine aside from War who's hiding underwater a teenie bit. But Strife ends up breaking the ice.

"Soooooo...how's everybody doing?"

"Fine." Puck replies.

"Fine." Harker adds.

"Fine." Sygr says before eating more of the fruit.

"Just fine." Arn states simply.

"I'm good." Bardak replies.

Gregory however says all embarrassed, "I'm..doing alright.."

War just grumbles, muffled by the water as his mouth his submerged. Only the top of his head and nose are above the surface.

Strife then looks at him, "Ok grumpy head you're doing just fine."

War then lifts his head back up to comment, "I'm used to you, but NOT other people."

Then as War goes back down Puck looks at them weird, "Uuuhh what? Phrasing my gents phrasing, yer about to give Harker here a bloody nose."

"HEY!"

"Oh ye know it and so do I shut up." Puck tells an offended Harker.

Sygr just stares on with no care, which prompts some questions, "Some men were bored in the ring. I do NOT wish to go into detail."

Arn just shudders a bit, leading Sygr to pat his back gently. "Thanks for making sure I wasn't part of that."

"And I'm sorry you witnessed it too early. Seriously a few of them were way too eager to show off."

"OK CAN WE MOVE THE HELL ON?!" War suddenly shouts in more embarrassment.

Puck nods, "I'm getting a little bit discomfort here. Although I can't really say much against it given my extracurricular activities."

"OK MOVING ON!" War shouts again.

Bardak meanwhile just chuckles, "Ya make it sound as though ya don't get sex War."

War blushes hard and sinks even deeper. Causing Strife to explain, "He's a cinnamon roll."

"Wait....what do ya mean by that?" Bardak asked a little confused.

"Strife....is yer brother...'pure'?" Puck inquires.

"As pure and uptight as an Angel. And just as dense sometimes too." Strife remarks.

"HEY!" War yells at him annoyed.

Strife then gets a call and answers it. He's expecting Miriam at first and isn't paying attention, "Hey baby?"

"Pardon Atan?"

"Oh...sorry Ma."

War starts laughing a bit in background. It coming out as little bubbles from under the water.

"Quit laughing at me." Strife demands of him.

"It's funny."

"Says the man who couldn't grasp a knock knock joke."

War then grumbles under water again as Strife tells Ale, "Ok so how are you doing? Doing good."

"Just fine....Atan...", Ale responds trying not to giggle.

"You're never gonna let this go are you?"

"No." Ale admits.

"Please don't tell Death, it'll make this worse." Strife begs before hearing strained snickering in the background, "You heard ALL OF THAT?"

Ale then looks at Death as the vines tell her to and they describe the sign language he's using. She then translates for Strife, "Yes you....ugh...bitch..I did."

Ale then smacks Death upside the head as Strife snickers a bit to himself at Ale's discomfort at saying the word bitch, "Really Ma? It's just a word."

"I'm a grown ass man." Death tries to say in an intimidating way only to end up with a crack in his tone.

He only groans as Ale tells him, "You need your rest Atan go back to sleep."

"I don't need to sleep." Death retorts before letting out a single cough.

Ale then raises her shoe, "You want one to the head?"

"You're not Spanish Ceise."

Death then gets it to the head and Llildan sticks him with a needle right as he's hit. Death then slowly begins to fall asleep, "You....cheated...."

Once he's out Strife asks Ale, "So why'd you even call me to begin with?"

"To let you know that your brother is in Russia with your Grandfather. It should be a faster process, and it's via an injection. One he needed to have injected whilst asleep." Ale explains to him.

"Ah...I really don't wanna know what that looks like. So...what else are you doing?"

"Not much else, you Atan?" Ale inquires warmly.

"Ah me and boys are soaking in some water. You know if Stormbeard were here, we'd probably be electrocuted. Not on purpose but still."

Suddenly they hear a crackle of thunder, and Harker tells Strife, "Let's not piss off a cousin of Thor, several times removed."

"Yeah yeah...what can he do?"

"Strike us with a bolt of thunder."

"We're indoors."

"Strike us with a bolt of thunder.", Harker repeats to Strife.

"What seriously?"

"Yes, he's that powerful."

War then lifts his head up again, "Strife, get out of the water."

"Wait a minute why are you saying that? Why is he saying that? I'm now paranoid why is he saying that?"

War then tries getting out himself and Strife does too before getting a tiny bolt to his ass, "OW! What the?!"

"Like I said, powerful." Harker informs him.

"Wha..a..geh...How did he do that? I didn't even see it, where'd that come from?"

Sygr chuckles, "That storm giant is more skilled than we thought."

"Wait how did he know that? Wait....you did not." Strife says immediately to Harker with an accusatory tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hand it over." Strife states firmly.

"Hand what over?"

"Hand it over."

"No."

"Bitch, I said hand it over."

"Oh please why would I cave to that?"

"Come on Stormcaller hand it over."

Harker then cocks his head, "Call me that again, and you'll learn why I got the name.", his tone is surprisingly dangerous sounding.

"Come on Stormcaller, show me what you're made of."

"Are the Horsemen always so ready for battle?"

"That's Strife on a normal day." War explains.

"I thought that was usually you." Harker says.

War gets an awkward look on his face, "Fair point."

Harker then sighs before turning into his true form and telling everyone in the room, "I'd cover my ears were I you gentlemen."

They all do so and Harker lets loose a call akin to a banshee scream in volume. Sending Strife flying into the wall before he stops it.

"The heee-he-he-hell dude?!" Strife exclaims in excitement.

"You actually enjoyed that? What are you a masochist?" Harker inquires.

"What?! NO HELL NO! What the fuck dude?!"

"You're the one getting excited over me slamming you into a wall." Harker explains.

Strife then notices the crystal isn't active anymore, indicating Ale hung up during all of that. Course now Llildan is having to make sure Ale's alright as she scratches at her ears a bit.

"What's wrong Atari?"

"Oh dear....uhm pardon?" Ale asks scratching further.

Llildan finally just stops her from scratching anymore and snaps his fingers by both her ears. She has a delayed response which leaves him having to ensure she gets her hearing back to normal. He gets an ear drop from close by and gently works to get a drop or two in each ear. Ale isn't used to it and naturally flips when the first drop goes into her ear. "Easy Atari, this will help just stay still."

Ale takes a moment before finally staying still whilst Llildan gets the drops into her right ear. He then has her lay down on that side and holds her hand gently. He can't even remember the last time he did.

He sighs and says quietly, "If only you were here."

Ale holds her Ceiser's hand tighter and calls out to him, "Ceiser?"

"Steady Atari, you're fine. Just lay there until the liquid comes out. It's cleaning your ears right now, and it's fixing a few things as well to stop the swelling."

She gives a little nod and continues laying there. Death meanwhile begins groaning and Llildan gets up to prepare another bottle. Course Ale grips him all the more when he does. "Ale it's alright, you'll be fine Atari. Just lay there and I'll be close by. I need to prepare something for your Atan. It'll help his throat."

Ale finally relents for Death's sake and lets Llildan get to work. He gets a bottle similar to the eye drops but tweaked for throats instead. Death comes to just as he's done.

"Ugh....ack my throat.."

"Easy Gras Atan, just open your mouth and stay still."

"Gras Ceiser? Where's...Ceise?"

"Hush for now. Just open wide." Llildan requests simply.

Death does so reluctantly and feels a few drops go down his throat. Naturally he has the urge to cough but holds it back as best he can.

"That's it. Now let it do it's work. And coughing is a little bit required for this."

Death nods before finally letting a few coughs loose. It was akin to the feeling one gets when choking on their own saliva. He then lay there for a while as Llildan prepared the last step, a strange looking device. Death was apprehensive of course but stayed as still as he could. Llildan noticed the concern and told him, "You've nothing to worry about, this is completely safe I can assure you."

"What....is this thing?"

"Just need to get some warm liquid in here and we'll be golden? I think that's the right phrase...anyway...What sort of liquid do you drink Gras Atan?"

"Why is it important?"

"Just need to know." Llildan tells him.

Death thinks a moment and replies, "Nice warm cup of earl grey."

"Hmm, alright." Llildan responds before typing something into the A.I. system of his home.

From there Death watches as water makes it's way to a heating system before being transferred through a filter for purification purposes. After that is done Llildan takes the vessel the water lands in by hand to the machine and pours it inside. He then places a tea bag into a compartment below where the water was placed. Finally Llildan places a thin tube into Death's mouth.

"Just don't forget to swallow, and also use this remote here to either slow it down or stop it."

Death just nods and takes the remote, hoping for the best. Llildan then starts things up and soon Death sees the tea traveling down to his mouth. He's extremely confused but doesn't have much time to think on it as he's forced to focus on swallowing the tea. He's surprised it doesn't burn him, but only for a moment. Eventually he gets the hang of things and soon the machine cuts off naturally as the tea runs out.

Llildan then tells him, "Now drink up the rest if you can. Makes cleaning up this thing easier."

Death does so and finally releases the tube once he's done, "That...was weird."

"But it helped."

"Yeah it did actually. Still a bit scratchy but I can manage that with my own blends later. Where's Ceise?" Death inquires.

"Oh just over here. Your friend Harker shrieked over the crystal at Strife and Ale's ears took a bit of an unintended hit. Although she should've hung up beforehand."

"Logically, is she ok?"

"Partially deaf in both ears, tinnitus." Llildan states.

Death sighs, "Tell Ale to call me whenever she's well."

"And take it easy on yourself. You're going to need to rest frequently."

"Understood."

With that Death teleports back to Titania's and decides to make his own cup before resting up. Course Fuzzball sees him and is ecstatic. Hopping up and down and rolling over all cute.

"At least Ale managed to take care of you beforehand. Glad to see you're back to your usual self. Perhaps you can go find the girls, I'll need to be resting soon."

Course Death hears a door open and the sound of the ladies talking. Looking behind him he notices one of the bathing rooms' doors is open. "Uh I should probably vacate the area now. Come on Fuzzball."

Fuzzball follows him with a little bark that catches Morgen's attention. She sees Death and is glad he's doing alright. Wren then comes on down from the other end and notices the party she missed.

"Ok ladies next time invite me ok? Can't go leaving me out."

"Last I checked you were still training Wren." Fury replies.

Meanwhile as all of this had been going down, finally someone woke up. He yawned deeply as Verdak came to rest at long last. He has black wooly hair with horns the same color that held lines of magenta. They curled like those of a ram, and his eyes were also bifurcated like one's with the same magenta color of his horns. His skin was completely grey and his clothes are black silk with magenta stripes. Large moth wings suddenly dazzled his weary vision before a moth like woman landed in front of him. She bowed low as he sat up in the bed.

"Good Morning, my sweet Dream King."

"Morning, my Queen of Dreams. Must've had a doozy of a dream last night. What did I miss by chance?" The King of Dreams asked his wife whilst cracking his back.

"Well Aries my love, we have a new one. Or rather, one we've been waiting for, for so long." She says coming onto the bed with him. In her arms is a wrapped up bundle. She unwraps it to reveal a teenie tiny newborn periwinkle lamb. It lets out a cute baa, leaving the Dream King glad.

"Ilona. She's alive. I....ehhh...I...." He says in shock as the happiness hits him tenfold.

He can only laugh as his wife explains, "Yes, she's soon to come back to us. Although...she may need some convincing."

"Why is that? What happened?"

"Verdak has pushed our girl so far. She's angry and I fear she may want nothing to do with our home after the horrible things he's done." His wife replies hugging him in worry.

He growls angrily before getting up and immediately smashing something, "THAT BASTARD! ANYTIME ANYTHING GOOD IN OUR LIVES HAPPENS HE RUINS IT! HE RUINS IT HOW DOES HE?! HOW DOES HE KNOW?!"

His wife shudders a bit in fear as does the tiny lamb which huddles into her. Only then does Aries calm himself down. "I'm sorry. I'm good now. How's this little one doing?"

"Scared but otherwise fine. Just needs more nutrients. Hopefully Ilona will find more for herself soon. She's starting to grow."

"She is? I can't wait...t-to see her again. I need..that is we need...to find a way to reach...no...to find...no uhm...Ah I'm already stuttering." Aries says as his wife works to calm him down.

Nergal overhears whilst hiding nearby and leaves a message for Lunara, Aries' wife. Aries goes to prepare something, anything to reach his child. But Lunara finds the note in the meantime.

"I have a way in, meet me in the woods you left me in. I have the secrets you require. Oh and I go by Nergal now, remember that."

Lunara sighs and heads off to go see what's going on, bringing the teenie lamb with her. Course as she looks around she calls out, "Nergal? Nergal?!"

"Over here, also not so loud. I don't want Aspen hearing anything." Nergal tells her.

"Aspen? Who is she?"

"A story for another time. For now I want to help you reach Ilona. Although she is quite adamant about her name being Morgen. Her memories are also lost to her. I have tried to slow down her growing, but VERDAK KEPT INTERVENING. I could sense the raw nightmare in her the last time we spoke." Nergal explains.

"What all happened, what must I be aware of?" Lunara asked of him.

"Ilona has found interest in a mortal. A different version of the Nephilim we knew before the rise of the First Kingdom. He subjected the Horseman Death, the Nephilim in question, to one of his own nightmares. I tried to aid him, but Verdak's persistence has always been so great. He's convinced he's doing this for Morgen out of love. He's even twisted Uther. I tried to help the man, to stop the breaking of his mind. But I've already lost, and Morgen has suffered for my failures. Uther has.....'deflowered' her. The way a gardener would with an axe. And he has continued to do so." Nergal says in deep anger. Clenching his fists as his tattoos light up briefly.

"Steady Nergal. We WILL FIX THIS. For now just let me know if there's anything else I should know before speaking to her."

Nergal sighs, "She does not wish to know her lineage anymore. And I have already alluded to the relationship between Verdak and Aries. And one of our dear sisters is in her mind. That is all I know. Just...help her in the way I was unable to."

Lunara places a hand on his shoulder, "I'll do all I can for her. Both me and Aries will do all we must. Thank you Nergal. Know that you did your best, and that in itself is a good sign. I'm glad you're stepping up for a change. Hopefully one day you'll be able to do so with your..."

"DO NOT mention that. Not here. And certainly not in any worlds at all. We are NOT FAMILY, WE NEVER WERE. Good day." Nergal growls at her before walking away.

Lunara watches him sadly before whispering, "I'm sorry we didn't love you enough."

She then flies back into the Dream Realm, still sullen and depressed. The lamb nuzzles her gently, and receives a little cuddle in return.

Aries notices her though, "What's wrong my love?"

"A man named Nergal told me some troubling things. He has a way to help us reach Ilona. But he's mentioned things that trouble me in regards to her." Lunara tells him, not wanting to reveal Nergal's identity. As it would likely anger him deeply.

"What did he speak of? What's wrong?"

Lunara explains all she was told and watches as Aries grows angry. At first she's worried he realized who Nergal truly was. But she gets a twinge of relief when he speaks again.

"When I get my hands on Verdak he's going to know what my fury is. WHAT MY RAGE IS. And Uther? OOOOOOOOH. I THOUGHT WHAT HE DID TO MY FATHER WAS ONE THING, BUT THIS?! SICKENS TO MY CORE!" He growls whilst punching through a wall.

Lunara and their daughters outside give various yelps. Lunara in particular jumps as well.

"I'm sorry. I just...after what happened I can't...I'm starting to lose it. I can't handle losing anymore of our children." Aries tells Lunara whilst holding her close. Course he's suddenly hit with the secrets of how to reach Morgen and where she is. It comes so fast however that he can't tell who sent it. "What...how...uhm....ok I don't know who sent that but I think I know a way now. Was that you Lunara?"

"He did say he wanted to help, and he did." Lunara says simply.

"Oh. Give him my thanks if you ever come across him. But for now we have a family to reunite."

Lunara then helped her husband to transport to Death's mind with her. He finds it ridiculous that they need to go through Death first in order to see her. But he goes through it for her sake.

"Do we really have to ask a Nephilim for permission to see our daughter?"

"I see no other way, do you?" Lunara asks him.

Course something stops the two in their tracks, and they find Death has wards on his mind. Not to mention feeling the presence of a very old deity around for some reason.

"Well then, is it considered breaking and entering to blast through these things?" Aries inquires.

"How should I know?" Lunara questions him.

Aries then blasts through the wards like nothing. Course they're met with Crom not too long after. He doesn't speak though, rather just directs the two to a current dream of Death's. Clearly the trauma Verdak left him with has reawakened old nightmares again. Aries can see that much when he and Lunara find him.

Aries sighs, "Now what should we do with this?"

Lunara looks on in the nightmare as it finishes up for Death. He only wakes up briefly, or rather he thinks he does. Lunara and Aries both look at each other before watching further. They notice Death looks troubled by something. Course what they don't know, is that Death is hearing the cries of an infant. Part of him tells him he shouldn't recognize it, but the other is certain that it's Coventina. He begins looking around frantically for her. Wandering the darkened void for the little baby. Death suddenly stops as he hears a sickening crunch. With it the sounds of the infant's cries cease. He drops to his knees, sensing what just came about. Then he hears a familiar voice, one he's not heard in eons.

"HOOORSEMAANN...It's been such a LONG TIME...."

Death goes to respond but hears another crunching of bones. He glances up nervously to see Black Annis looking more deformed than she'd been when he battled her. Course he also sees a bloody bundle. Looking more closely, he realizes what it is. He saw a now faceless baby within the bundle, and just broke. Black Annis faded away with laughter as Crom's flames lit up all around him.

Death paid no heed to this or Crom's words, "There isssss....no hope...."

Death heard a distorted cry from in front of him and finally looked up again. Only to suddenly scurry backwards as an infant shaped pile of worms began to approach him. When he finally chose to run, he realized the flames had trapped him in there with this....thing.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES! ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS! I've had enough for now! JUST LEAVE ME BE!" Death shouted out to Crom.

Aries chooses to wait for now, as so far nothing too dangerous has come about in his opinion. Lunara looks at him expectantly though, clearly being worried for the man they were visiting.

Crom's laughter came next, "Give in.....what do you truly have to live for...? You began alone....and so it will be when you die....so just end it....It'd be so easy...."

"FUCK OFF!!!" Death screams in pure rage.

Crom only laughs again, "I will have you someday Horseman....you can't escape me forever.....you can't be rid of me.....I will forever be a thorn in your side.....the crawling beneath your skin....everything you fear."

Death goes to take a swing, but only hits empty space and air as Crom continues to laugh at him.

"Damn you. Come out and fight me like a man!"

"Like a man? Funny....since when were you ever a man? I AM A GOD....and you are but the mindless thought of a whore...who didn't even give birth to you..." Crom inquired with chuckles.

"Shut up. SHUT. UP." Death growls at him.

"What's wrong? Did I bring up.....'painful' memories?"

[professionally-unprofessional]

Can I have a soulmate AU with a fem reader in 1-b and Jirou? The matching tattoos au would be cool, but I'd be fine with whatever!

Gosh I am on a ROLL with these requests recently xD

Wonder how long it’ll last.

Anyway, I’m sorry if the reader wasn’t what you expected or wanted. I didn’t really have anything to go on for their personality.

Oh, rather than just doing a matching tattoos AU I did a soulmate AU where whatever you draw not only appears on your soulmate but also on you.

Welp, I hope you enjoy. I actually enjoyed writing for Jiro a lot more than I thought I would.

“Whoa! Hey, what’s that on your arm, Jirou?” Mina called, leaning over the lunch table. The aspiring hero blinked in confusion then looked at her arm, wondering what her pink-haired classmate was on about. However, rather than blank skin, her gaze landed on a line that was slowly snaking its way down her arm. It was the beginning of their lunch break and the majority of girls from 1-A were sat down at a table together in the lunch hall.

“Oh, this? Guess my soulmate’s drawing again.” She hummed, wondering what you were going to come up with this time. This was a regular occurrence. Every so often you’d find a pen and just start letting your creativity flow. Much to Jirou’s relief, you didn’t take to drawing rude gestures all over your body but instead focused your creativity into pieces of artwork.

Well, at least she assumed you were the one drawing. In reality, she had no way to check, but the skill behind the pieces was fantastic nonetheless. Given that they never appeared on one arm and only places that would be visible to the artist, she would be willing to guess that it was you.

Either that or you had a super talented friend. Either scenario was fine.

The things that appeared were what really mattered since - should it be by your hand or not - there was no way you’d have just anything inked on you. No, you had specific themes. A lot of the time, instruments appeared and the thought that perhaps you liked music warmed Jiro’s heart. She found herself wondering about you far too often when things like these cropped up.

What genres of music did you like?

What sort of personality were you?

Aside from art, did you have any other big passions?

Were you an aspiring hero or someone going after a different career?

Who were you?

The girls were all leaning over the table now, watching as the line art slowly took form. Somehow, the intimate action of watching her soulmate drawing had become a game of Pictionary from her friends but, for some reason, the hearing hero didn’t mind. They were all being awed by you, her soulmate. The small spark of pride that kindled and warmed her was enough to stop her from finding somewhere private to watch.

When the shapes of a violin and cello took form, she knew you were doing another one of your musically inspired pieces. Normally you started at your hand with smaller doodles which then expanded as you worked further up the arm until they broke out around the top with something different. Whatever you started with was your theme and base and from there you just eased into a creative flow.

Yet this time, you had started from the top of your arm and Jirou knew what that meant. You were properly going for it today, having a full composition which was pre-planned and thought out. She was in for a treat.

She really admired your talent; to be able to do what you did just over their lunch break was borderline insane. Drawing on your own body was hard - let alone time-consuming. Then again, you’d started before they’d even sat down for lunch and you obviously practiced this hobby enough. Jirou allowed herself a moment to wonder where you were. You could be on the other side of the world. Or sitting in this lunch hall. However, given that you always seemed to be doodling when people from her age group were free, she’d hazard a guess that you were a student in Japan.

Somewhere.

From the violin and cello, you’d gone on to draw some lines where sheet music could sit wafting from the bow of the string instruments. The girls cheered as the drawing continued to take form. Once you’d drawn the outline for it, you went back to work on the detail for a few moments then returned to the score music.

They were all expecting you to put some decorative notes down but instead, you did a beautiful shape in calligraphy. ‘Y o u’ appeared on the bars and a hush fell over the girls. They watched as more curves took form along the inside of Jirou’s arm, Hagakure was holding her friend’s new canvas up for the others to see.

“You’re…. What?” Yao-Momo asked aloud from opposite her friend, seeming somewhat perplexed. Even the cool-headed creator was getting interested.

Mina let out a small squeal of excitement. “Do you think they could be trying to write something to you?”

Immediately the girls started chattering and the dark-haired heroine had to stop a blush from rising to her cheeks. You hadn’t tried to do anything like this before.

You were still working on other details, now throwing a flute and harp into the background. Mina let out a frustrated cry and Jirou smiled internally. Were you deliberately not finishing the writing?

What a tease.

Wait, did that mean… Did that mean you were watching from somewhere, knowing what was going on?

Feeling her heart rate pick up slightly at the thought that perhaps her soulmate was here in close proximity, the hearing hero raised her head and tried to see if there was anyone in the lunch hall drawing on themselves or being drawn on. She couldn’t see anything.

No groups of friends looking at them for reactions nor at one of their own with a pen. Damn.

“You’re p… Ahhh, what’re they going to say?” Mina cried, leaning even farther forward over the lunch table to get a better look. Jirou’s gaze immediately shot down to her forming temporary tattoo.

Indeed the beginning of another word had appeared next to the ‘You’re’ on the beautifully curving lines of the blank sheet music. This was too much! Why had she been landed with a soulmate who was such a tease? Deciding that she couldn’t take it anymore, she plugged her earphone jack into the ground.

Immediately conversations sprung into her ears but she focused and filtered past them. If she really concentrated hard enough and you were close by… perhaps she’d be able to find you.

None of the conversations in the hall were linked to art or soulmates. Okay then, time to try going a bit further.

It was faint, but she could hear something from outside. There was a familiar voice. Kendo! She was chuckling and talking to someone, reporting on a situation from… From a little way outside the hall! Focusing as intensely as she could without looking too immersed, she blocked out the noise from the hall and tried to hear. “…figure out… significant other is in UA… Are you… confess now…?”

She couldn’t hear any response, you must’ve given a physical response of some sort.

Looking back down, she took her jack out of the floor and heard all her friends cooing and crying out about how adorable her soulmate was. You’d done it, completing the little two-word sentence on her arm. “You’re perfect.”

She couldn’t help but smile at your little compliment. How sweet of you. Unable to hide her smile, she stood and scooted out of the little booth they’d been eating at.

“Hey wait, where are you going?” Mina cried out after her as she strode away.

“Leave her,” Momo smiled, watching her close friend go and the musician made a mental note to thank her for that later.

Lunch wouldn’t be going on for much longer. She was just glad that you’d done the ‘you’re perfect’ along the inside of her arm. Not that she wasn’t proud of it but she didn’t fancy everyone asking about it, especially not when it was too hot to be wearing the school blazers.

Feeling a tickling sensation on the unmarked inside of her wrist, the teen raised it to see what was forming.  “I… would… love… to… meet… you…”

How adorable. She cursed the fact that she didn’t have a pen on hand to communicate back. You’d just have to wait for her to get there. That’s if it was you with Kendo. It had to be!

If she’d been right with her quirk then you were just outside. If memory served too, there was a rather large tree there sheilding the spot from anyone in UA. It was the perfect little secluded spot. Turning the exact corner she’d visualised, she saw you in all your splendour.

You were sat down in the shade of one of the trees with your back leaning against the trunk. A set of washable tattoo pens were in the grass beside you and Kendo was stood, leaning against the tree with her usual easy smile. She’d been saying something encouraging from the sound of her voice and stopped when you appeared.

You looked up in surprise and Jirou finally recognised you! You were a student in 1-B. No wonder Kendo was here with you. You looked up and Jirou’s deep violet eyes met your pretty (colour) hues. 

You… had you always been so cute?

She remembered thinking that you were kinda attractive one time when they’d done joint training with your class but she’d been so focused on trying to get through the exercise that she hadn’t really had the time to admire you.

You were so much more gorgeous than she remembered.

A blush had crept up to your cheeks. Perhaps you’d been expecting her to write back and ask more questions or arrange a meeting. If nothing else, you certainly hadn’t expected your little plan to end like this.

Kendo smiled kindly and patted your shoulder. “I’ll leave you two to it.” With that, she raised a hand and walked off. That was the big-sister figure of class 1-B for you.

“Uh, hi.” And the award for the most award greeting goes to… Kyoka Jirou! At least she’d managed a small smile in an attempt to not look so scary. After all, you were looking like a deer in the headlights.

You managed to nod a little. “H-hey.”

It was then that the heroine’s eyes landed on the items scattered around you. She’d noticed the drawing utensils at first because of their colours against the green grass. Now she noticed what they were sat upon. It was a sketchbook and, on the page, she could just about make out various compositions for the piece you’d just executed.

“Did you draw all of those for this?” She breathed.

You nodded. “Sorry if it was a bit much… I didn’t really think my doodles were actually affecting someone else until this lunch. Shiozaki knew I was going to be drawing and when she saw you all getting excited about a soulmate tattoo she phoned Kendo and well…”

Moving forward, Jirou crouched and sat down on the grass in front of you. “No, it’s really cool. I like your drawings. You’ve got a talent.”

A blush crept up your cheeks. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Were you planning on writing that message regardless of who was going to see it?”

You shook your head. “Not particularly. I was going to write something different. I was going to write ‘Keep Smiling’ as a sort of positivity boost for my soulmate regardless, but when they said it was you…”

Kyoka found herself grinning slightly as you whined and hid your face in your hands getting too embarrassed to finish your sentence.

“I’ve had a crush on you since we did the training together.” Your muffled voice came out. “I thought it was bad… to crush on someone when it might’ve been my fate to be with someone else.”

She blinked in surprise. Had you liked her even without the soulmate system?

“Would you have said anything even if we weren’t soulmates?” She wasn’t sure why the question came out, it just did.

“If I could gather the nerve to confess, probably…” You grumbled and Jiro felt her cheeks warm from that confession.

A smile broke out on her face again. “You’re so punk-rock.”

You blinked then laughed softly and began to pack up your things. “I wouldn’t say that, but sure.”

“You’re totally badass!” She exclaimed catching your attention again as you paused from putting your sketchbook in your bag. “Do you remember the Chinese dragon you drew that snaked up your arm that time? That was really cool! And the Day of the Dead design you did on November 2nd last year with the cool decorative skulls?”

You nodded, recalling the designs. Had she really paid that much attention to your drawings? Gosh, those would look terrible if you saw them again now. Old artwork was often cringe-worthy albeit occasionally funny. It probably looked better in memory than it would physically. Thank goodness.

“You… really liked them that much?” You asked quietly, watching as she nodded. A smile crept across your face, lighting up your features. “Then I’d be happy to draw on you every so often. It’d be cool if I could draw on someone else. I’m sure it’d look a lot better!”

Jirou grinned back and agreed that she’d love that. How lucky she’d been to meet you today! She’d definitely thank Kendo and Momo when she next saw them. As the two of you sat underneath the tree, beginning to discuss your hobbies and get to know one another, she couldn’t help but let the happiness that was brewing in her fill her being to the core. Her cheeks even began to ache slightly from the fact that she couldn’t stop smiling with you.

She couldn’t help but watch the way your eyes sparkled as you spoke about being a hero and your dreams. Art was a hobby you used for stress relief just as she used music. Both of you passionate creatives in your own areas but able to understand and enjoy the dream of the other.

She’d found her soulmate and she’d been so blessed with someone so talented and kind.

As lunch came to an end and the two of you needed to get back to your respective classrooms, Jirou quietly gave you a small kiss on the crown of your head before waving goodbye; a promise on her lips that she’d see you again soon for that tattoo.

So in the shelter of your tree, away from prying eyes, you touched the spot on your head and smiled to yourself.

What a wonderful thing that had begun to bloom in front of your eyes. And this was only the beginning.

[short-stories-club]

                                                                                  Both Eyes Open 

          "Morning already?” Restless sleep thrusted my mind into a foggy expanse. I allowed myself a moment to float lazily in the nothingness between consciousness and slumber. This was my favorite part of waking up, if such a thing could even be considered pleasant. The sound of rustling papers and muffled chatter coaxed my eyes open all too soon. The crisp draft from the overhead window mocked me as I searched the room for my shawl. There, by the white marble fireplace, bundled carelessly on the chaise-lounge from last night’s blissful mood. Officer Davenport had asked me to accompany him to this evenings Carnevale. Excitement flooded my body as I recollected the conversation. With a soft giggle I flung the duvet to the side and winced as my bare feet brushed the frigid floor. Two brisk steps to the chaise and my shoulders were covered. I practically danced out of my room as the door creaked shut behind me.

          Papa’s voice slowly came into audible range as I descended into the dinning room. “Again, Margaret. I can’t make sense of it.” “Make sense of what?” I responded, twisting my copper tresses into a swirl at the nape of my neck. “Wilhelmina, You look lovely, dear. Come, sit. My associate Mr. Jackson returned last week from the far East with your favorite tea.” “Wasn’t his name listed in the missing persons section last week, Papa?” I was awarded muttering for a reply as he turned his attention back to his newspaper. Flattening my nightgown I looked up at mama while she poured the black liquid before me, shaking her head. Papa had made quite the habit of evading topics he didn’t wish to discuss. With a tinge of annoyance, I raised the gold-leafed cup to my lips. The tea was delightfully bold and soothing. It rolled over my tongue and warmed me from within. I peered over at the end of the table. Papas ink-stained fingertips clutched the edges of his previously crumpled newspaper. Crumpled out of frustration perhaps? A plume of tobacco smoke rose from behind the folds, punctuated by grunts of indignation. Breaking the silence, I directed my question at Papa “Are we still on schedule for today?”. Every Saturday we loaded up the guns and graced the local range with our remarkable precision. Papa was an avid hunter, and I would often accompany him whenever he indulged his hankering for skill-work. “Today I must oversee production, my manager is out with something they’re calling the ‘Spanish Flu’.*(1) Do forgive me for this unfortunate postponement, Mina-dear.” “Of course, Papa. Next week.” Standing up he neatly folded his paper and walked toward the door, brushing his knuckles against my cheek as he passed. Before closing the substantial piece of cherrywood behind him, he slammed his paper onto an old stack. The compilation was surely gathered from this week’s no less frustrating news. Concerned for Papa, I rose from my chair and started after him. Just then, a gust of wind from the open bay window coursed through the room, leaving the neatly placed dailies in disarray. Giggling with mama at the sudden upset I took another step after Papa. Feeling a crunch beneath me, I planted my heel and raised my toes only to see this mornings paper. The headline flashed in bold “Seaford*(2) Suffers More Missing Persons”. After Mr. Jackson last week, and the pair of siblings the week prior, I pondered this series of lamentable events. Curious.

                                               *         *         *

          “He gave me his word,” I thought begrudgingly, leering at our unoccupied point of rendezvous. Then, perhaps it was given out of a momentary surge of pride. I challenged him, you see. He asked me to go out with him in front of his colleagues. I pointed out the arrogance in his assumption of an immediate acceptance and told him he wouldn’t follow through. He begged the opposite as he flamboyantly gave me his lapel pin as a token of his vow. “Far too showy” I thought to myself in the moment. Right. That’s all it was – a show. A worthless defense of his wounded dignity. At half-past the hour, embarrassment had slithered its way into my chest. “Mina, you sap” I muttered, shoving my freshly manicured hands into my coat pockets. As I approached the old bloodwood tree *(3), an unsettling feeling trailed its ghostly fingers along my body, staining me with footprints of paranoia. Frantically, I tucked in every loose strand of hair, dusted my frock, and pinched my cheeks. I became vexingly conscious of my gait, my hands, even my breath. This was quite unusual. Fidgeting with my buttons, I recalled the night I brazenly approached that Naval Officer, the one who’s word I’ll never again accept.                                                *         *         *                     “What do they call ya, handsome?” Eyes darting to the crook of his arm, he found his service cap swiped and resting cockeyed atop my elegantly braided head. “Officer Philotius Davenport. But you can call me Philo” he offered, as he lifted the brim and peered into my coal- lined eyes. “Emeralds” The word slinked from his mouth in a low purr. “How’s a martini? - with an olive to match those gems.” “Make it dirty” I shot back with a menacing grin. The comment trailed off leaving echoes of flirtatious remarks and unwavering stares. Where was that girl tonight? My steps grew more unstable with each metre gained. My mind had become frenzied with thoughts of the most sinister variety. Intrusive images of agony, pursuit, confinement, and the like had usurped any last remaining shred of poise. Forceful as they were, they all the came to a halt at the faintest of melodies. I plucked my gaze from the horizon and let it fall to the outskirts of town. The Carnevale had made a sudden appearance in East Sussex *(4). It was erected seemingly overnight. Even so, it baited the masses despite the lack of previous advertisement. A suppressed sigh escaped my lungs as the thought of attending sans escort danced antagonistically around me. No matter. I was accustomed to being alone and tonight was no different than any other. Pulling my coat tighter around me, I abandoned my expectations for the evening and set off toward the music.

           Suddenly, the entrance was before me. I thought I was hundreds of yards off.  I must have been dazed from my bout of nostalgia. “How peculiar,” I noted aloud. The imposing entrance doors loomed over me, casting a tangible shadow onto the soft earth. This carnival was walled, quite unlike the tented carnivals I attended in my childhood. The music I heard before had now dwindled into silence. The only melodies here were those of nearby loons *(5), serenading me with their haunting ballads. I peeled my eyes from the foreboding entrance to discover that my surroundings had very much altered. There was an enveloping eeriness about the place, the sort that heightened ones awareness. The bloodwood trees were barren, unlike the trees toward home which were still full and vibrant. Their branches looked as if the hands of skeletons were grasping at moons borrowed light. The wind rustling through them brought them to life. The earth lost it’s abundace. What was once green and lush, was now grey, sparse, and brittle. The brush below my feet had turned to powder with each skittish step. The air lost it’s salted ocean scent and replaced it with something too noxious for words. “Isn’t there always a boisterous, bearded man with a top hat and tails welcoming eager patrons?” I wondered. It was a feeble attempt at disctraction from the present circumstance.“Yes, where has he run off to? He should be enticing me to “try this” and “see that” with his whimsical introduction. Strange.” I stole a foot of ground with hesitance, inhaling with difficulty the now chilled air. I held it captive in my lungs and placed my hands on the icy wrought iron handles. One…two…three. Screeches of iron against iron pierced the air as the sights and sounds of the festivities came into view.

          Instantly, I was met with a collision of dazzling colored lights, the scent of fresh confections, gongs and whistles, and characters of the most bizarre form. I felt the dense presence of disappointment and dread ease it’s grip while I strolled along the center isle. “Step up and test yer sharp shootin’, lil’ lady!” the gruff holler cut through the hustle and bustle. “American” I confirmed with myself after a moment of contemplation. I whipped my head around to see a stout man in pinstripes and top hat that boasted Englands national colors. The only American I was aware of so close to Seafort is - “Mr. Jackson?” I inquired, stepping onto the plywood platform. His eyes widened as I meticulously studied his face. With conviction I stated his name once more “Mr. Jackson! How are you here? I saw your name in the paper just last week. You and your wife – you were reported missing” He took a step back, and shifted his eyes from side to side after my abrupt crescendo. “A mans allowed to have more than one source of income, and I’ll thank you to keep your voice down” he retorted, handing me an absolute peashooter of a revolver. “Three shots a contestant” he spat. With pursed lips, I inspected each chamber for vacancy. “No pullin’ the wool over YER eyes, I see” He chuckled nervously. Ignoring his remark, I flicked the cylinder shut and planted my feet. “Well, sir” I continued, lining up the sights, “unveil the targets, If I shoot three out of three, you tell me what the hell is going on.” “And If I don’t?” “The remaining three bullets will be assigned to those pretty little wing-tips*(6)” With a huff of exasperation, he pulled back the double sliding doors to reveal six severed human heads. “Well-crafted figures, I’ll give 'em that. Even the smell is convincing. Let me guess, red-stained ink for blood?”           My exterior was cool and collected, but my mind held nothing but chaos. Breathing deeply, I let my eyes fall shut. Retreating into myself for but a moment, I looked on while clarity battled with the malevolent dyad of confusion and panic. As the former gained ground, the disorienting whirr of the carnivals sights and sounds swiftly melded into a low, sustained hum. The hum was strong and steady. I inhaled once more. Mustering every bit of lingering tenacity I possessed, I drove clarity behind enemy lines - forcing the adversaries surrender. Amid the resulting decrescendo, Papas advice rang in my ears.“Both eyes open, Mina-darling”. Silence.My eyes shot open; pupils constricted. BANG! Thud. First shot fired. A spray of crimson simultaneously decorated the striped curtains, and my stippled my face. Wiping the droplets with the back of my hand, I walked over to examine the result of my “sharp shooting”. There, at my feet laid Mr. Jacksons lifeless body.           I rolled his corpse face down with my boot heel. Taking the knife with which my father had armed me, I ripped open the back of his suit jacket from the neck straight down to the hem. I inhaled sharply at the sight. Starting at the top of his spine and creeping down to below his belt-line, lax skin was haphazardly held together by monstrous metal staples. My suspicion had been confirmed. Skinwalkers. I’d seen this in photographs before. The aftermath of a raid by Scotland Yard *(7). It was a cult gathering headed by the notorious Elias Draven. The members took the Navajo definition of the word a bit too literally. Displayed in the photos were policemen standing over cult leaders, removing skins that previously belonged to the gored corpses lining the back wall. I shuddered at the memory. That incident was farther north, though. I never thought those ideals would seep their way out of London and settle here. My nose wrinkled from the overwhelming stench. From the spine outward fanned purple and black skin from several days rot. Upon further reflection, during our exchange Mr. Jacksons demeanor was unfamiliar, and he had aged tremendously over the course of a few days. Poor Mr. Jackson. Had this skinwalker been masquerading as him for that long? Are the others? What sort of place is this?           Cutting short my train of thought, a strong hand coiled it’s fingers around my upper arm and yanked me behind the blood-stained curtains. Struggling in vain to break the grasp, I tripped and landed on something that felt like what could only be described as dozens of perspiring men. I strained my eyes to see what I’d fallen into but to no avail. It was quiet. It was damp. Who had pulled me in here? My heart rate skyrocketed as I labored to take even the shallowest of breaths. The strike of a match and the subsequent glow of a gas lantern severed the darkness. A tall, strong figure of a man in a bloodied uniform emerged from the shadows. An incredulous gasp preceded “Philo? Wha-?” “Shhhh!!!” He knelt before me and covered my mouth with his sizable hand. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t come alone. I’ve just barely escaped with my life, but the fight isn’t fini- You’re a block of ice!” He whispered forcefully. “Mina, you’re going into shock” He said as he shifted me from my landing spot to the dry ground. He ripped his jacket off and wrapped me in it as one would a child in a blanket “A dead carnie won’t stay unnoticed for long. We’ve got to move.” Before I could protest he hoisted me to my feet and turned to grab the lamp. I was afforded a few moments of sufficient illumination to identify what I’d previously fallen into. They were in fact men – bodies rather; dismembered and tossed into a heap. Freshly acquired, as indicated by the steam ascending from the pile. My stomach heaved as I stepped to the side and bent to spill it’s contents. “You can shoot a man and study his mutilated corpse, but this upsets you?” His handkerchief appeared in front of me. Unable to produce a coherent response, I took it gratefully and pointed toward the exit. “Of course, this way”. Swiftly extinguishing the lantern and supporting my weakened frame, he led me out of that abominable place.                                                                      To be continued (1) The Spanish Flu started in 1918 (2) Seafort rests on Englands southern coast - on the English channel. See map here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Seaford,+UK/@50.848991,-4.1385618,6z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47df7986ed6f704f:0x7441a7a1135a8869!8m2!3d50.7734669!4d0.101108 (3) When cut, bloodwood trees release their sap in long, red drips. Unfortunately, this tree is not native to England. It prefers much warmer climates. See it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/natureismetal/comments/gar13m/desert_bloodwood_the_bleeding_tree/ (4) East Sussex is the county. (5) Loons are waterfowl native to North American and northern Eurasia. Listen to their hauntingly beautiful calls here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk2302piqUc (6) Wing tips are a style of mens dress shoe originating in the 16th - 17th century. The tip of the shoe has curved stitching making a sort of “wing”. These shoes are still very popular today, although there have been several style modifications throughout the years. The most popular style in the 1920’s was a two- toned wing tip. See them here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/292382200799158398/ (7) Scotland Yard is a colloquial name for the London Metropolitan Police

[haveyouseenthis]

I Wanna Have More & More | TWICE Comeback Review

TLDR: The girls are back and better than ever. 

Okay Tek, bear with me. I’m trying to work out a skeleton of sorts for these reviews. 

Pre-Release: (I’ll dive into the teasers, trailers, and my thoughts going into the comeback)

Back in 2019 TWICE started a chain reaction in their concept with the release of the EP Fancy You. ONCE finally started to get the TWICE that J.Y. Park promised us back in 2015 on SIXTEEN: a cute girl group with an edge.

The sound was different, the looks were shocking, but I was left wondering if it would be a one time thing and that we’d go back to eras like “OOH-AHH” and “Likey” (not that that would have been a bad thing in the slightest). Would Fancy You just become an outlier in TWICE’s discography? A failed experiment?

Five months later in September, I got my answer with the release of Feel Special: No, this TWICE was here to stay. Both comebacks were shocking and bright in a way I hadn’t seen the girls tackle before, but they still hung onto a hint of something, a feeling, that was so TWICE. 

“More & More” individual teasers played with a peaceful and dream-like world. Album design told a different story. It looked like the girls were going to be tackling a darker concept, or at least one with duality. 

The M/V trailer was released, and wow! When I say it gave me Alice in Wonderland vibes - yes. I was a fan from the moment it came on screen. It made perfect sense, right? All the trailers I’d seen showed a perfect utopia and all the memes my discover had been flooded with told of ONCE’s excitement of an upcoming dark concept - what encapsulates that better than Alice’s world of her own where nothing is as it seems? Right at the end of the trailer though, we’re hit with a red lensed shot of a snake wrapped around a tree branch. The edge we’d been waiting for. The hint of darkness first teased in the album designs. My mind immediately abandoned my previous Wonderland theory and linked the shot to Adam and Eve. Suddenly everything made so much more sense. The teasers, the tone of everything released so far - this peaceful garden with its bunny-rabbits and butterflies wasn’t Wonderland, but rather The Garden.

Post-Release: (a smaller section where I’ll cover how my thoughts above changed with the release of the m/v. Were my speculations correct or way off? Did it live up to the hype going into it? etc.)

With all the hype from ONCE insta I was expecting a little more “dark” than I got. While I was disappointed, I couldn’t stay mad because JYPE didn’t exactly promise ONCE as dark of a concept as we got hype for. On the contrary, JYPE gave us exactly what they showed us in the teasers. I respect that. 

While there was a very clear Garden motif going on, it wasn’t as prominent as I thought I was going to be. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed about that. I feel like there was a lot of lost potential there. Still, the little nods to it were nice. I’m absolutely a fan of the deep-voiced “more”s throughout the song.

This was absolutely Sana and Momo’s era. More on that later...

The album overall did not disappoint. My favorite song is “OXYGEN,” hands down. It’s got so much personality and could easily have been the title track (fun fact, Jihyo actually said it was almost on the tracklist for the Feel Special comeback, and could have even been the title track). Mina’s starting “na na”s give me Melanie Martinez K-12 vibes. A tranquil melody with a dangerous undertone. I love how Nayeon and Jihyo project at the beginning of their parts in that second verse “Yeah 이건 마치 Fiction / 항상 꿈꿔 왔던 오늘 같은 장면 / Feeling na na / 말로 다 할 수 없는 기적 / 꿈이라도 좋아 / 내 기분은 So high / Singing la la”. The repetition of “really” in the chorus helps tie this song down to the More & More era. In my head it feels like a nod to the “more more more more more and more” in the title track, so it fits perfectly in with the style of this era.

I could go on and on about “OXYGEN” forever, but I’d really like to mention “FIREWORK,” definitely my #2 this era (“More & More” comes in at 3rd for me, sorry Tek). This is the first Latin inspired track TWICE has done and I absolutely loved it. This song is everything IZ*ONE’s “Fiesta” should have been. It gives me major KARD “Oh NaNa” vibes. The whole song I’m waiting for Somin and Jiwoo to pop up. It sounds like something they would have done at the beginning of their career. Nayeon’s voice when she sings “I feel like a firework” at the end of the song is sassy and smooth in all the right ways. 

Visual: (My thoughts on outfits, makeup, hair, sets used in the m/v)

There isn’t a single point lacking visually in this entire m/v. The hippie-esque style of the outfits not only fits the style and tone of the song, but enhances it. The opening set is my favorite, hands down. What, with it’s too-blue pond and bedazzled trees, pink and teal plants surrounding the girls. It sets the tone right off the bat for the magical and all too perfect world we are entering. Plus, the 3x3 square formation at the beginning is perfection, it’s something I can never get enough of with groups of 9.

I thought NCT 127’s “Regular” had ruined CGI big cats in M/Vs for me - not a sentence I thought I’d ever have to type, but here we are - but I have to say, I’m really in love with Tzuyu’s scene where she is surrounded by jaguars. It took me aback at first when one of the cats appeared in the background of her close up, but when they zoomed out to give us the full shot with the five or so big cats I was… actually pleasantly surprised? They committed to the theme for her scene and I dig it. Queen Tzuyu from Feel Special has five pet jaguars and honestly, of course she does. 

Onto hair and makeup. The stylists killed it with this era, no joke. The members with my favorite hair are easily Jihyo and Sana. The pale pink suits Jihyo so well, and I was in love with it the second I saw her teaser video. Sana’s firey orange really stands out compared to the other members’, but the more it popped up the more I liked it. It really fit with the whole “everything is not as it seems” thing they had going on. It was another edge they added. I loved seeing her in the center. The bright color really drew your eye to her, and is a big part of why I say this is partly her era.

It hurts me to see my girl Jeongyeon with long hair again. Of course, she looks good regardless, but come on! JYPE, you have a living breathing girl-crush right there and you gave her short hair to Nayeon? As you can probably tell from that comment, T, I’m not exactly living for Nayeon’s short cut either. Again. Of course, she looks good, how could she not? Personally, I think the two would have looked better if they had swapped styles. I would have loved to at least seen Jeongyeon’s hair up more. The colors still look gorgeous on them though. I have always loved Nayeon with that nice, deep chocolatey look like that.

Dance: (My thoughts on the choreo *let it be known up front that I am in no way a professional dancer*, and how they worked center distribution with it)

All the members have agreed that “More & More” holds the title for the title track with the most challenging choreography. It doesn’t surprise me at all. From second number one there is already a lot going on. It’s deceivingly simple on the surface, but it requires the members to be so absolutely in sync and precise with their movements.

The dance break about two-thirds of the way through the song is what really makes me want to call this Momo’s era in addition to Sana’s. Not only did they add a dance break for her, but they added a completely different set and brand new outfits.

And it paid off.

The dance break is easily one of my favorite moments in the song. I do mean to say song, not just M/V. Often I’ll like a dance break in a M/V because I have something right there in front of me to watch, I can see the choreo that goes with it and that keeps me interested. Then I’ll listen to the song on its own and the dance break feels alien to the entire concept. Like it was literally thrown in. “More & More” doesn’t feel that way. I don’t sigh every time the dance break starts as I do with so many other songs, I get excited. I get up and dance myself because it’s so contagious. It manages to change just enough to warrant a dance break but still sounds like “More & More”.

Vocal: (My thoughts on line dist. and associated things)

The line distribution (LD), in my opinion, is godly. To have a large group like TWICE show such even LD is amazing. 

Or maybe it’s not and NCT 127 just poisoned me.

Nayeon has the most time with 14.4% of the song being sung by her, and Momo came in last with only 7.3% of lyrics. Yes, you read that right. A 9 members group only has a LD percentage gap of about 7%. In fact, the line distribution looks ideal. The main and lead positions got about half of the song, and the other half was split between the subs positions and dancers. With that in mind, it makes sense that Momo, the main dancer, has the least lines. Of course, she was well compensated raking in the most composite center time with 34.4 seconds.

That’s not to say positions always determine the LD among members. Nayeon, a lead vocalist, raked in more lines over the main vocalist Jihyo. When I first saw that I was a little taken aback. Jihyo, my main vocalist queen deserved those lines, didn’t she? 

Well, maybe not.

The more I’ve listened to the song, really taken time and let the notes and melody sink in, the more I’m glad they gave a lead more lyrics than a main. Why? Well, Nayeon and Jihyo have very different voices. First of all, Nayeon’s voice goes a little higher than Jihyo’s and sounds sharper than hers. It reminds me of a fairy; light and airy. Jihyo’s has more of a smooth, sexy, bewitching sound. It’s very full and thick, like syrup. 

That’s not to say either one of them can’t do the other. They are both extremely talented vocalists. However, I admire JYPE’s intelligence in divvying up the lines. “More & More” is a song that better fits Nayeon’s natural way of singing. Jihyo got the parts that fit her voice and she sang them well. Nayeon got the others, along with Sana, Momo, and Tzuyu, the three other members who also sing in a similar style.

Final Thoughts:

Very, very, very good. I’ve listened to the whole mini album at least once a day. I really want more comebacks with this same feel and style. They have been expanding their repertoire and pushing their limits every comeback and I don’t want to see that stop anytime soon, however, if it did, this is a good era to get stuck in.

More & More Lyrics

OXYGEN Lyrics

FIREWORK Lyrics

IZ*ONE Fiesta m/v

KARD Oh NaNa m/v

[cliftonsteen]

Barista vs Machine: The Role of High-Tech Coffee Shop Equipment

Try to imagine a coffee shop without a barista. Now try to imagine it without an espresso machine. Which seems the most improbable?

Machines have been a quintessential part of the coffee shop for over a century, while the smiling barista has become a cliché both in and outside of the coffee industry. But as machinery keeps developing and our customer service and coffee expectations grow, what roles do the two play? Can one replace the other? How is the job of the barista changing?

You might also like How to Control Brew Ratio for Better Espresso

The brew bar in a third wave coffee shop. Credit: Neil Soque

The Importance of Skilled Baristas

A barista does far more than press buttons on an espresso machine. They understand coffee extraction and create and troubleshoot recipes. They dial in profiles. They look after the equipment, cleaning machinery and spotting problems. They steam milk and pour latte art.

Read more in Tamping to Timing: The Technical Skills Every Barista Needs

They also provide excellent customer service, ensuring that customers are satisfied and return to the shop. They adapt to individual customers’ needs, from oat milk to clock systems for the visually impaired (“your coffee is at 3 pm and your muffin is at 5 pm”). They cross-sell and up-sell, boosting the café’s profits per transaction.

They work together as a team, mentoring and motivating other baristas, and in doing so create a positive shop environment. They keep the bar and the tables clean, and check that there are enough napkins on the condiment table. They politely ask customers with trailing laptop cables to sit closer to the socket to avoid creating a hazard for people in wheelchairs or with prams.

A skilled barista isn’t just responsible for the coffee being served. They work to meet all the customers’ needs and ensure the shop runs smoothly.

A barista monitors the weight of an espresso with a scale during the Flow King Contest in Barcelona. Photo credit: Dalla Corte

How Machines Make The Barista’s Job Easier

New tools are constantly being developed, while today’s espresso machines come with an impressive array of features. Baristas can dial in via apps and use water fonts with a temperature precision of 0.1°C. 

These tools increase efficiency but also improve consistency, reduce the likelihood of errors, and create a healthier work environment. Let’s take a look at some of the ways new equipment can help a coffee shop run smoother.  

Scales

Scales improve consistency and accuracy by allowing baristas to assess and control the ratios of all the drinks they make. Simone Guidi is a Dalla Corte Brand Ambassador and the owner of La Sosta Specialty Coffee in Florence, Italy. He says, “Of course, the scale is important to be sure that you are working with the quantity of ground coffee that you wanted. Because if for some reason, the coffee weighed more or less than you expected or wanted, the result is going to be different.”

There are workarounds. Simone tells me that if he didn’t have a scale, he would work with cups with lines drawn inside them. “The line inside the cup is just a reference,” he says, explaining that it measures output by volume instead of by weight. “It’s not super-precise like a scale, but it’s something that can help you.”

However, this creates extra work for the barista. They have to calculate where the line should be, mark the cups before they begin working, and make sure they always use the right cup. It’s also not as precise as measuring by weight. Having a scale means the barista can work accurately with any cup, which frees up time for them to focus on other things.

Moreover, not all scales are the same. A high-quality, waterproof, and heat-resistant one will allow baristas to work efficiently and consistently, meaning that they can focus on providing better service. The scale will measure the ground coffee accurately, and should water splash onto it, the barista won’t have to rush for a towel. Instead, they can finish creating the customer’s drink, serve it with a smile, and then dry the scale off.

Measuring unground coffee beans before brewing espresso. Credit Neil Soque

Tamping Tools 

From distribution and levelling tools that help ensure an evenly packed and tamped puck to automated tamping tools like the PuqPress, there is a wide range of tamping tools to choose from.

Simone tells me, “The leveller for sure is a tool that is important, because if you are not an expert barista, it helps you to tamp more evenly.” He points out that it improves consistency and is useful for trained and proficient baristas, as well as trainees. 

As a roaster, he often provides coffee to specialty coffee shops. He tells me, “I have given [levellers] to three of my customers and they’ve got much better results… Because now they are better at tamping, and of course, now they are extracting the coffee better. This is something that I can tell you works.”

Automated tamping tools also ensure consistent, even tamping, but with the bonus of reduced physical effort. As a result, baristas are less likely to experience a repetitive strain injury and can continue working comfortably and safely for longer.

A barista uses a leveller and tamper to prepare espresso-based coffees at The Fix, Madrid. Credit: Fernando Pocasangre

The Espresso Machine

It’s the most prominent piece of equipment in the coffee shop, often placed on the counter so the customer can see it. The espresso machine is a polished piece of art, but how much difference can it make to a barista’s workflow?

Simone gives me the example of the newly launched Dalla Corte Zero, which is capable of measuring and controlling water flow from the group showers in grams per second. He tells me that this allows baristas to modulate extraction, since they can control flow rate. In turn, this means a trained barista with an understanding of the relationship between flow rate and extraction can better control the quality and consistency of the espressos they’re pulling. 

The Zero is not the only machine to offer flow rate control – the Mina does as well, for example. Yet Simone points out that on the Zero, baristas can regulate the flow rate from the digital screen. This allows them to do so quickly, meaning more of their attention can be focused on the customer or on steaming the milk.

Any machine where settings can be amended on a digital screen will reduce the amount of work needed from the barista, allowing them to respond quicker, have greater control, and also work on other tasks. Simone says, “[With a digital screen], if you want to change the temperature of your espresso, in just a very short time you can change it.”

The Dalla Corte Zero. Credit: Dalla Corte

Can High-Tech Machines Work Without Skilled Baristas? 

From flashy coffee-making robots to automated pour over machines, there are increasingly more options on the market that promise to do away with the barista altogether.

I ask Simone if he thinks robots can replace baristas. He tells me that if we were just talking about making coffee, then yes. “A robot can make a very good espresso,” he says. 

Yet he wouldn’t want to replace all baristas with machines. “This is my opinion, but as everyone knows, the barista’s job is not just a question of making a good espresso. Also, when I talk about my specialty coffee brand, it’s not just a question of selling a good product. It’s a question of giving an experience to the customer… 

“Of course, there is a part that can be replaced by a robot, but another part comes from your intelligence, your brain, your experience. That will never be substituted by a robot.”

A robot cannot offer the same customer service as a human barista, nor can they currently show as much adaptability. From giving customers recommendations to troubleshooting issues, there is much that we still rely on human baristas to do.

Similarly, there is a huge difference between a trainee barista and a skilled one. Simone says, “The more skilled you are, the more you can play with the machine.”

He gives the example of controlling flow rate to alter a coffee’s profile in the cup. “In order to give a different result, in order to help if the roaster didn’t roast the coffee at the best, with a machine like the Zero you can rebuild the cup or help make the cup better. But you have to have good skills for tasting and to understand espresso extraction.”

So, in the barista vs machine debate, who wins? Both. The best option of all is to have a highly competent barista operating top-of-the-range machinery. Good machinery will make a barista’s job easier, while a skilled barista can take advantage of all the functions that the machine offers. In the pursuit of high-quality coffee and excellent customer service, both machines and baristas are essential.

Enjoyed this? You might also like How Can Water Flow Rate Help You Pull Better Espresso Shots?

Written by Ivan Petrich. Feature photo: A Dalla Corte Zero. Feature photo credit: Dalla Corte

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Dalla Corte.

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