#Pixie orange farming

[farmerstrend]

How Our Pixie Orange Farm Tour and Training Unfolded in Makueni County

“Discover how our recent Farm Tour and Training in Makueni County empowered farmers with expert advice on pixie orange production, from nursery management to harvesting techniques.” “Our Farm Tour and Training at Aaron Agronomy Services provided hands-on experience in pixie orange farming, offering farmers valuable insights into sustainable farming practices and pest control methods.” After a…

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Felt like making an MLP next gen lol (something something, inner child or whatever)

[[Link to the base i used]]

SHIPS AND LORE UNDER THE CUT!!!

Characters from left to right

Daisy bell - fluttershy x tree hugger

....yeah, i know that you were probably expecting a different ship considering neither fluttershy OR tree hugger have curly hair. I gave daisy curly hair because tree hugger's design makes it look like she has wicks or some other black hairstyle and that leads me to believe she may be black. Anyway...daisy's special talent is grooming animals and i imagine she probably smokes weed in her spare time

Hailey - applejack x rainbow dash

In all honesty, i'm not really too invested in shipping in the MLP fandom though considering how it's implied RD and AJ got married in the series finale i decided to keep that with my next gen because i feel it makes sense. I chose the name "hailey" for this character for a multitude of reasons: 1. That's the name i chose for ALL my rainbow dash next gen kids ever since i was twelve, 2. It's a pun on "hail" as in the weather condition and 3. "Hailey" just SOUNDS like it could be a farm girl name. Basically hailey's thing is that she earned her cutie mark after getting bit by a vampire fruit bat as a child and therefore has a pair of bat wings. Personality-wise she's pretty much your typical "manic pixie dream girl" type (ramona flowers from scott pilgrim immediantly comes to mind, i've never read those books and i'm just going off of what i've heard)

Pastel dream - twilight sparkle x flash sentry

I admit this is a bit of a generic choice but tbh this was one of the first ships i EVER had so i feel it deserves a place in my next gen. Basically twilight and flash got married though their marriage didn't last very long and they got divorced a few years after pastel was born and twilight eventually got with big mac, pastel was very fucking angsty about having a new stepdad and only really calmed down after her little sister lavender was born. She's emo and also believes in aliens, her special talent is interpreting dreams (also, yes i know she doesn't really look THAT much like her parents. I'm just kinda tired of people ALWAYS making their flashlight fankids straight up just twilight but orange and i wanted to do something different)

Lavender web - twilight sparkle x big mac

Yeah i only really put this ship here because of the semi-infamous fanfic "the spiderses" and her personality is no different, this lass just LOVES her some spiders.

Rosemary - rarity x braeburn

This was actually the very first MLP ship i ever got into! At the time, i hadn't watched the episode braeburn was in and didn't know he was basically male applejack. 8-year-old me just saw him in the gameloft app and thought "wow that's one handsome horse! I must ship him with rarity because she's my favorite character!" So i put the ship into my next gen because of how much sentimental value i have for it. Anyways....i imagine rose to be somewhat of a "southern belle" type, her special talent is writing romance fiction and she's got the flirty nature to match! She's slightly inspired by blanche from the golden girls, i do admit.

Chocomint ice - pinkie pie x minty

To be honest....i only really added this ship in because of how often they're shipped in G3. I don't really have much to say about her other than she's based on the song "aoi-chan is going to eat chocomint no matter what" (bit of a mouthful of a song title but y'know...it's a japanese song so it's probably much shorter in the original language lol) also her bangs are modeled after the titular aoi-chan in the song's music video

I don't know if i'm going to do anything with this AU, but if i do: i'll probably include celestia x mirror!sombra and luna x discord

[pastelmagpie-t]

Current dnd group!

Meet the LUNARtics (name is in need of workshopping)!

This ragtag group of people came together after the moon was moved closer to Earth and flooded half the planet. They set out on a journey to one of the few remaining floating cities where they learned that the corrupt government (a few elite members) where using their magic and influence to take advantage of the flood and the victims of it. The group set out to stop this corruption and in turn were labeled enemies of the state. They then discovered that a moon cult, supported by the same corrupt government, was responsible for the flood and ventured to another island to put the moon back in place. They succeeded and named themselves (very apparently but unfortunately) the Lunartics. However, they were no longer able to return the city and instead were sent cryptic mission assigned by an unknown god to another land where a civil war has broken out. Here the group must figured out what this god wants of them while surviving the onslaught of other conflicts, enemies, and moral choices. Yay!!!

Anyways, here’s a look at the group!

Red: This is Brook, the chess themed human barbarian whose shirt always rips off and only moves in chess formation. (Fun fact - He wears clown shoes that makes him move like a million miles per hour and once left a Brook shaped hole in a mountain face.)

Orange: This is Marlow, the potoo aarakocra necromancy druid who may or may not be a religious terrorist. (Fun fact - During our first combat encounter, he ate a goblin whole…..)

Yellow: This is Aurialee, the sea-elf blade singer wizard who is kinda the only stable one in the group. (Fun fact - She wanted to call our group the Immovable Squad and was so upset that we didn’t choose that name that she went and stole an actual immovable rod.)

Green: Aye yo it’s Wynnie (my character)!!! If this is your first time seeing her she is a half-elf warlock who grew up on a cattle farm, has an obsession with cabbage, and has a familiar rat named Vye. (Fun fact - Just recently she summoned a flock of sniffer rat familiars to help find and uncover victims of a landslide (I rolled a nat 20!) and has now fully embraced being the rat lady.)

Blue: This is Clovis*, the pixie sorcerer who is a leader of a drug cult and who gave up his love for everything but his brothel wife to own a god. (Fun fact - He had a pet pigeon at one point, but he forgot them on a beach somewhere. (Rip piggy))

Purple: This is Erevyss, the edge lord Drow rouge/bard who tries to act cool but always ends up with his face in the mud. (Fun fact - Him and Wynnie have a love hate relationship where they bully each other constantly.)

(*Before Clovis, there was the knome fighter, Cordelia, who betrayed our group by killing our favorite alley and then left with all our loot. Reference group photo top right corner.)

[avionvadion]

Small Leon x Irene idea I don’t want to forget

Leon visits the castle farm and sees Irene passed out against one of her Buffamoo, baskets of fruit (apples, oranges, grapes) surrounding them- courtesy of the fairies, Navi and Pixie, collecting them.

The ancient priest kneels down with a small smirk, amused by the sight before him, and flips open his holding fan. He reaches out and tickles her face with the dragon feathers, watching as her nose twitched and her brows furrowed.

Irene starts to mumble, turning her face away, but Leon continues. Eventually, she wakes, reaching a hand up to grab the fan. She opens her eyes and sees Leon grinning fox ear-to-fox ear. She tugs on the fan, leaning her head back against the Buffamoo’s side. Leon doesn’t let go. Irene’s eyes are closed again.

“Mine.”

“Oh, is it now?”

“…Mmhm. S’my fan now…”

“I don’t believe that’s how it works, Princess.”

“You poked me with it, it’s mine.” Tugs on the fan again.

Leon laughs, and gently tugs the fan out of her grasp before flipping it open again to hide his grin. “And what about me, hm? It was with my hand that the fan woke you, so does that make me yours as well?”

Irene is finally fully awake at this point, her face turning a bit red. She opens her eyes and gives him a look, her earthy brown eyes trying to read what his true thoughts are. Unfortunately, Leon was a little too good at hiding his real feelings. “Do you want to be mine?”

Leon squints at her mischievously from over his fan. “I could certainly be tempted.”

“…Oh my gods.” Irene smacks a hand to her face. Leon practically beams, having successfully flustered her. “Why’re you like this?”

“Because it’s fun.”

“Why are you even here? It’s, like, six in the morning.”

Leon acts like he’s contemplating the answer, before snapping the fan shut and tapping it against his lips. “Because I’m bored. And you always make for the most entertaining company.”

In reality, he had woken from a terrible nightmare in a cold sweat, and found himself confused of his surroundings at first. Leon had been completely panicked before remembering he was in his room at the inn, displaced in time after having been asleep, transformed and trapped in a monstrous sarcophagus, for thousands of years.

He had felt alone, terribly alone, and cold, and in a moment of vulnerability left to find the one person he knew could understand him- for she more or less was the same, lonely and lost in a world unfamiliar.

Leon could hardly fathom the relief he felt just from seeing her, ensuring she was real, as if afraid she too would vanish like the past.

[parkerbombshell]

Pulsebeat #374

Mondays 3pm EST bombshellradio.com Archival shows : bombshellradiopodcasts.com Pulsebeat a new release based punk, alt. whatever show out of Abingdon, Oxfordshire broadcasting Mondays 3pm EST bombshellradio.com #Punk #Powerpop Pulsebeat #374 D1 Track No: Time Artist Title 1 00:00:11 Bleachers - Prisoners Of Paradise 2 00:03:46 Little Strange - Ain't Got Nuthin' 3 00:06:08 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Parchman Farm 4 00:09:11 Loose Articles - Unpaid Intern 5 00:11:54 A Certain Ratio - Clockwork Orange 6 00:14:41 The Four Tops - Is There Aything That I Can Do 7 00:18:17 Pixies - Chicken 8 00:22:36 Girls In Synthesis - Subtle Differences 9 00:25:49 The Volcanics - Volatile Worls 10 00:30:33 The Meffs - FRSF 11 00:33:32 Dunstan Bruce - PIN Number 12 00:36:37 The Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Knocked Down 13 00:41:11 Puzzled Panther, Gogol Bordello - From Boyarka To Boyaka 14 00:45:33 HotWax - Sail Away 15 00:49:55 Jesse Malin - The Way We Used To Roll (live) 16 00:52:52 Billie Joe Armstrong - Black Haired Girl 17 00:56:29 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Long Dark Night         Read the full article

[businessideas31]

Business Ide

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind. *PIXIE ORANGE FARMING: A WORTHY INVESTMENT*Pixie oranges continue to become very popular among Kenyan consumers. This is because this variety of oranges is a lot sweeter than the ordinary large oranges, juicier and their orange flavour is very sharp. Actually, if you cut a pixie orange in one room, its refreshing smell will be calling someone…

[whatthehelliswrongwithme]

Voltron Part 34

Time for episodes 7+8 of season 7! And how fitting! This is a two-part episode, that I get to wrap up in one post!! Just a reminder, this is my first time seeing Voltron. : 

Oh fun! Earth’s been invaded while they were gone!

Guess it’s not time for a happy reunion with their families. Yet

~Flashback Time~

Hey! Pidge’s mom finally gets to know, that her entire family isn’t dead

Man. The Garrison are kinda assholes

Random Garrison-guy, you just found out about aliens. But you’re questioning something as stupid as quintessence

Why did Mama Holt cut her hair?

I love, that they had an entire Powerpoint presentation at the ready, to explain their situation

How much fucking government-financing does the Garrison have?!?

Who are these 4 random ass children?

Okay. We have Bully, Maru from Stardew Valley, Kinky boi and Maniac Pixie Dream Girl

Oh God. Maru’s a teachers pet

Why does the altean ship kinda look like a dick tho?

Honestly. I don’t think, that I’ll get attached to these random ass children

Dad Holt: “How do I contact you?”

Matt: “.....” “.....” “ANYwAYs....”

Is the Garrison part of the government? Or is it the government?

During the broadcast, the timer in the top right changed from 0 minutes to 35 minutes until Big Boss lady was alarmed

What the hell was Mama Holt talking about so long?

It’s nice for the families of the paladins, to know that their children are not dead

But also.... Did “Shiro” really not record anything?!!

Boy must surely have a family

Soooo. Guy who deseperately needs an eye-patch is Boss. And old lady is Big Boss?

If I found out that aliens existed, I wouldn’t offer help. I’d have a fucking panic attack

The Garrison really like their Orange

~Alien Invasion Time~

.-•-°-•-.-•-°-•-.-•-°-•-.-~☆

Good for OG! Galra Kitty Man for still staying relevant

Boss guy and Big Boss lady don’t really agree on things, do they?

Was that 4-eyes again? AKA Random guy, who was really unsupportive of Shiro for some reason?

Nevermind. 4-eyes' dead. Once again, Who are you? And why the fuck, should we care about you?

You just know, that some Florida-man probably tried to shoot those ships. Because they were on his god-given property!

Does Maniac Pixie Dream Girl get to speak, or could they not afford another voice-actress?

R.I.P. to Europe. Guess, I’d be dead now

Wait, wait, wait! Secretary lady just mentioned World War 3?!!?

Are we just gonna glance over that?!!

Secretary lady is joining the random ass kids!

Are secretary lady and Maru shipped together?

Also, do you think, that Boss guy and Big Boss lady would be shipped together, if they were younger and more conventionally attractive?

Weeeell.... don’t fuck with secretary lady...

Aaaaaaaand she’s dead!

This episode really likes killing of characters, to which I have no emotional attachment to

NEVERMIND! Secretary lady’s still alive!

Why are they so worried about their supplies? Ever heard of farming?

Plot twist. Secretary lady is Lance’s sister

Thats the third fucking time, they showed that scene of Team Voltron being in awe of the milky way. And Keith saying : ”Well, what are we waiting for?”

These episodes were kinda boring.....

[gamer-logic]

Since my state, Georgia, is having the annual Peaches to Beaches event which is two days of statewide yard sales, I thought it would be interesting to show how America, the states, and any other countries wanting to participate both 1p and 2p would be during this event. So here you go!

Georgia is happily selling fresh produce like boiled peanuts and Vidalia onions and peach-based deserts. Her homemade peach cobbler and ice cream are to die for!

Antonio (Spain) also sells many fresh tomatoes, olives, and other vegetables. He doesn't understand why no one wants his Olive Juice though.

Hawaii and Alaska make a killing selling lemonade at their stand with a free complimentary handmade flower crown with every purchase. While using their sheer cuteness to attract everyone including one of those sweet biker gangs. It's really surreal to see a huge gang of buff, tattooed, tough-looking guys in leather wearing flower crowns and drinking lemonade. Allen's also there to supervise and ward of creep. Also, to provide people more 'incentive' to buy their lemonade.

Texas breaks out the Texas BBQ and is in a Barbecuing turf war with Jett (Australia). They draw huge crowds for the five-alarm chili as well and hold a competition who can eat the most without burning out their tongues and/or passing out.

Florida sells some of the weirdest stuff you'll ever see. "Want a full-scale model of a gator made entirely out of bottle caps? Only ten bucks! Want a portrait of Florida Man painted with orange juice? 15 bucks!"

Nevada also tries to sell weird and sketchy stuff to scam everyone. "This piece is the genuine article folks! One napkin gently used by Elvis Presley himself! Just 500 bucks! Also, gets into a haggling war with Lars (Netherlands). Somewhere Alfred's dad instincts go off and he reminds himself to ground Nevada.

California, Oregon, and Washington collaborate and California sells anything vegan or made with avocadoes and the autographs of Hollywood stars, Oregon sells his old tye-dyed shirts and records, they also made him sell his old groovy hippy bus from the sixties he'd never got rid of no one knew they had. Oregon can be a bit of a hoarder, so they had to tie him to a chair and gag him because he wouldn't surrender the bus without a fight. Washington also tries to sell and drink cups of coffee, but in the hot Southern heat, this doesn't end well.

Louisiana sells anything Cajun-style from frog legs to fresh gumbo, to beignets. Also has a full collection of Mardi Gras masks and shrunken voodoo heads on sale for two bucks a pop.

Gilbert (Prussia) gets tricked by Nevada and gets a ton of stupid things he doesn't need. Ludwig (Germany) tries unsuccessfully to keep him on a metaphorical leash.

Ludwig always checks the quality of things he sees and buys dog toys and supplies for Blackie, Berlitz, and Astor. Later, he actually buys a kiddie leash for Gilbert.

All the while Lutz (2p! Germany) is asleep in a lawn chair with his hat on his face after drinking like six cold beers from this really good booth. All the while, Klaus (2p! Prussia) finds an antique Teutonic Knights flag from a vendor whose family was from Germany.

Vash (Switzerland) buys antique guns from Alabama and Roderich (Austria) also checks out some of Tennessee's guitars. He's horrified upon seeing Alabama's banjo and washboard.

Mathew (Canada) and Emma (Belgium) combine their powers and tag team to sell the best pancakes and waffles on earth with genuine Canadian maple syrup.

New York sells tons of baseball memorabilia and collectibles. Allen, trying to save his bad-boy image, tries to be discreet when buying some while taking Hawaii and Alaska around to get something with their lemonade money. James also gets some hockey memorabilia with Michigan and Minnesota who also got snow cones.

Alaska and Hawaii see a giant deluxe dollhouse but are almost in tears when they don't have enough money. But they end up getting it for free because no one can resist their weaponized puppy dog eyes. Also, no one can resist a growling Allen. Using the leftover money, they buy cute little rainbow umbrella hats for everyone and have Allen wear one who begrudgingly accepts it.

James, walking by with an armful hockey gear and flannel shirts, bursts out laughing when he sees this. In revenge, Allen forces him to wear one too and help him carry the dollhouse, much to Hawaii and Alaska's delight! "I said go my way puck head!" "No, it's my way, you vegan loving hoser!" A passing Francis (France)' is in stylish horror when they also make him and a nonchalant Luis (2p! France), holding a case of vintage wines, wear them too. Hawaii and Alaska go around giving umbrella hats to everyone including a sleeping Lutz they pass by.

Loving (Romano) practically has to supervise Feliciano (Italy) and keep him from buying anything too stupid on impulse or get scammed. They still end up with stacks upon stacks of cookbooks, kitchen wear, and a Mona Lisa made entirely out of Macaroni. They also get umbrella hats.

Flavio (2p! Romano) browses through clothing racks to get ideas for his vintage line. Also checks out the handmade fabrics like quilts. "Such craftsmanship! This pattern is so unique and chic! I simply must have it! What's your price Bella?" The nice old woman selling the quilt just smiles, "Oh just about five dollars young man." "Perfect!" Flavio hands the quilts off to Andreas (2p! Spain) who's practically buried underneath the fabric. Luciano (2p! Italy) facepalms while holding a new knife set in its case. "Oooh! Look at those adorable hats I just have to have one." Cue three more umbrella hats and a humiliated Luciano. "Just kill me now..."

Katyusha (Ukraine), Elizaveta (Hungary), Lillie (Liechtenstein), Natalya, (Belarus), Katya( 2p! Ukraine) and Anastasia (2p! Belarus), and Michelle (Seychelles) explore with armfuls of clothes, new ribbons, and a gun case for Switzerland (Lillie), cast iron frying pans (Elizaveta, watch out Prussia!), farm tools (Katyusha), Jewelry and unmentionables (Katya), dresses (Anastasia), an assortment of switchblades (Natalya), and one of those singing fish on a plague (Michelle). It's definitely an interesting group.

Kiku (Japan) and Kuro (2p! Japan) find a nerd booth selling comics, manga, and Japanese weapons like katanas. Kuro test swings a blade and tries to slice the table so hard it breaks the blade, "Hmmm, not sharp enough for me, got anything else?" He throws it on the pile of broken blades he's already tested. Kiku stockpiles on limited-edition manga and he and the vendor end up getting into a huge, heated by Kiku standards, debate on who's waifu is best. Further down, Alfred reads every Marvel/DC comic while keeping an ear out on every state's location. He checks on Texas via his glasses and notices he's beating Australia in the chili contest. "That's my boy!"

Wisconsin wearing a cheese head sells anything cheese-based. He's got cheddar, goat cheese, string cheese, cheese spray, gorgonzola, grilled cheese, cheese curds, Mac n' Cheese, cheese sculptures of all world monuments, you name it he's got it! He also starts a war with Iowa's corn dishes and Idaho's potato dishes. They eventually end up flinging cheese, potatoes, and corn after they start dissing each other's foods. "Take this cheese brain!" "Nice aim, I-da-ho!" "I told you not to call me that!" "I'm gonna go children of the corn on y'all's behinds!" Poor Nebraska is stuck in the middle.

Alfred (America) hears the commotion and using his parent radar, immediately knows who it is and reminds himself to ground Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho later along with Nevada who, though still grounded for sure, makes him feel a little proud of since he managed to out haggle Netherlands.

New Mexico and Arizona also sell Native American handicrafts along with things like dreamcatchers and giant inflatable aliens. While Delaware, being the boring stick in the mud that he is, walks by with a framed and complete U.S. quarter collection from a vendor.

Kansas sells out of every sunflower she had courtesy of Ivan (Russia). Ivan and her the team up to buy out every sunflower seed from here to kingdom come. Viktor (2p! Russia) buys all the vodka he can find and a new shovel while Xiao (2p! China) tries giving people tattoos for 10 bucks a pop.

He tries to convince Yao (China) to get a hello kitty one to match the giant plushie he's holding, with the encouragement of Leon (Hong Kong) and Yong Soo (South Korea) who all collectively agree he needs to quit being such a grandpa. They also like calling him an antique-like the items on sale. " Aiyah! I'm not that old, aru!" "Yeah, you are Sensei." "Don't deny it! Da Ze!" Respect your elders!" "Tattoos originated in Korea da ze!" He totally is that old.

Oliver (2p! England) holds a bake sale and has people lined up for blocks to get some. Arthur (England), after having his scones shut down after it poisoned some unlucky squirrels, fries selling authentic magical items like unicorn hair or pixie dust. Everyone thinks he's a little crazy but he did sell a good bit of old magic books he needed to get out of his house, after making sure no one could actually use them of course.

The Nordics also went perusing for antique and handmade furniture when Mathias (Denmark) spots two full sets of Viking costumes and tries to get Lukas (Norway) to try them on with him. Lukas wasn't amused.

Berwald (Sweden) and Tino (Finland) also find a great handmade table to get after inspecting the workmanship and a full Lego set for Peter (Sealand), now if only Mathias would stop squealing like a little kid at the full piece lego death star. Emil (Iceland) keeps thinking he's the mature one until he spots a mini top hat and cane for Mr. Puffin.

In the end, everyone ends up wearing umbrella hats courtesy of Hawaii and Alaska, loving all the strange things they bought or counting the profits they made. Alfred (America) is proud of his kids and visits everyone one of their stands. He ends up looking pretty funny with an umbrella hat (HW, AK), a washboard, (AL),a picture of Florida Man, (FL), a balloon alien (NM, AZ), a tye dye shirt (CA, WA, OR), hockey stick shaped glasses (MN, MI), a giant stack of comics with a replica Thor hammer and Captain America shield on his back, all in a shopping cart (NV), and a giant turkey leg in his hand (Tx). Unsurprisingly, it was a tie between Oliver, Texas, and Australia for who earned the most with their food. Georgia just smiled as this was another great year for her state and people!

[fbfh]

vegas lights - piper x mpdg!bff!reader

2.3k words

wlw, friends to lovers

piper x manic pixie dream girl! best friend! reader

inspired by this concept playlist from this post (i think it’s the fourth one on the post)

You and piper met at one of those fancy boarding schools

You’ve been told you have trouble respecting authority, can’t follow instructions, and have little regard to your attitude

So more specifically, you met in detention

You had shown up to school with blue and orange hair

As you expected, that didn’t go over well

Piper hadn’t done her homework again

The teacher had left to make some copies of papers, and you were sitting one seat back and to the right of piper

“Hey, since people always talk about going back in time and making one small change that affects everything, do you think the most minute decisions we make have the capacity to change everything now?”

She turned her head and saw you leaning across your desk

Your eyebrows matched your hair, your blazer was too big and the sleeves were cuffed, and pen ink was scribbled on your arms and hands

You had a wild energy, like a strong breeze that smelled like summer you find some other time of year

“Uh…” 

She wasn’t really sure what you meant, and was still a little thrown by you

“Or like, is it the kind of thing where nothing we do matters and we’re gonna end up where we end up, so that takes off the pressure of moralizing your decisions and you end up making ‘better’ choices?”

Was this real?

The late afternoon sun cast an unsettling blue green light throughout the building, and made Piper feel even more like she was dreaming

“Maybe neither,” she mused, grabbing the first thing that came to mind

A new smile crept at your eyes, and she could almost see your perspective shift

“Yeah, like… the presence of someone who wasn’t there before was the thing to set everything off. Maybe it’s not your decisions as much as being there…” you trailed off lost in thought, “huh.” 

You pushed yourself up, and sat on the edge of your desk

“So what are you in for?”

Piper hadn’t realized she was staring until your eyes locked with hers

“D- uh, didn’t do my homework,” she sputtered

You sighed, and rolled your eyes

“God, they’re only gonna realize humans aren’t designed for constant work when we’re all dead.” 

You turn back to her

“You seem intelligent. Being smart doesn’t mean anything, intelligence is what actually matters.” 

Wow

How do you respond to that?

“... I’m Piper,” 

“Piper…” you repeated slowly

“I like that.”

Silence 

“What’s your name?”

“What do I seem like?” 

She looked confused

“What do I strike you as?”

She thought for a minute, then blurted out the first thing she thought of

“Vegas.” 

You smiled

“I love that… we’re gonna go to Vegas some time. It’ll be an adventure.”

“If I had to guess for you…” you trailed off, examining every detail of her in a way that didn’t make her self conscious

“I’d say diamond. I really like Piper too, though.” 

Her stomach fell

There it is, nothing more than a pretty face once again

“Oh, cause I’m-”

“Strong.”

Her eyes snapped up to yours

“You don’t seem like anyone can break you.”

She liked that a lot better

You asked her something about lunch tomorrow, she didn’t remember quite what, and that was the beginning of the two of you

You spent every minute you could together, which often resulted in coordinating your stunts with hers to end up in detention together

After a while the bmw story came up

You believed her without hesitation

“God, guys can be the fucking worst sometimes. I bet that piece of wet toast gave you the car to get on your good side then pulled a Nice Guy as soon as he realized it wasn’t happening.” 

Not totally accurate, but she appreciated your enthusiasm so she agreed wholeheartedly

For some reason it felt really nice to hear you say boys suck

As the semester went on, she started to get worried

You had started talking to a guy, and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach

She found herself having to try harder and harder to fake happy for you

She was almost surprised at how relieved she was a week later when you plop down at your usual lunch spot and denounce cynically

“Y’know that guy I was talking to? Turns out he’s not actually into philosophy, he’s a fake academic with a superiority complex.”

A weight flew off her chest

“You’re way better off without him,” 

“I know! He thinks watching rick and morty is a personality trait,” 

“Oh god…” she laughed

She had to fight a smile for most of lunch

To her despair, the cycle repeated again, less than a week later

Then again and again, you were seeing a new boy every week for a little over a month

As it progressed, she began to notice feeling worse, then better with every guy you picked up and dumped

She started to worry she was being a bad friend, possessive and jealous

You could tell something was off, and had mentioned here and there if she needs to talk to you she can

Every act of closeness from you made her feel worse and better at the same time

You had asked her to help you re dye your hair, this time a bright lime green, and she had no idea how she’d made it through the long night of just the two of you without saying something really stupid

It was almost graduation by now and she felt like she was going to break in half

“That’s it, I’m done with men. Never touching another one. Ever.”

She looked up at you shocked

“You can hold me to that.” you finish, a laugh frosting the seriousness of your statement

A flood gate opened somewhere deep inside her

Before she could stop it, the thought crept up on her from the back of her mind

‘Least now I have a chance with her,’

The organicness shocked her so much she almost choked on her food

“You okay Di?” you asked

Her pulse was racing and she felt panic and adrenaline coursing through her in a way she’d never experienced

“Yeah, I just have go to the bathroom,” she said, standing up quickly and avoiding your eyes

“I’ll come with,” 

“No! It’s fine. I’ll be right back, stay here.” 

You agreed

She rushed into the bathroom to google “does having a crush on a girl mean i’m gay” 

She tried rephrasing the question a hundred times, glad she remembered to turn on private browsing before she started

She tries to calm her breathing as she gets the same answer five times in a row

“If you keep asking if you’re gay, you probably are”

One article on realizing you have a crush on your girl best friend was actually slightly helpful

It was validating, gave advice on how to act normal, and emphasized there’s time to sort out these feelings and what they might mean later

She read it three times before the bell rang

Shit

She had half her classes with you, what was she gonna do now?

She came out of the bathroom and there you were, waiting for her

“Hey, you okay?”

“Ye- uh… yeah, I’m… sick I think. That’s why I left suddenly, and couldn’t… finish lunch,” she was a terrible liar to you, and just hoped that whatever forces had gotten her in trouble so many times could convince you this was all cause of a stomach bug

“Oh, that sucks. I have an extra bag of chips if you get hungry later, and if you wanna sleep after class instead of hang out I totally get it.” 

Her heart was palpitating

At least you seemed to believe it

“Yeah,  I probably should… and I probably shouldn’t get too close to you- like, I should stay away from you. Cause I don’t want you to get sick too.” she knew she was rambling and had no idea how to fix it.

“Okay, text me later. I’m here to talk if you wanna.” you smiled, and squeezed her shoulder, her heart squeezing at the same time

She left in a hurry to get to her next class, for once grateful you weren’t in it

Over the next week or so, the idea of having a huge uncontrollable crush on you started to be less scary

She just didn’t want to lose you

She knew everything about you

Your favorite color, violet

Your favorite singer, someone named king princess

Your favorite food, broccoli

Even your favorite lip balm flavor, cherry

She had to set all these feelings aside and be there for you as a friend, because that’s what you needed her to be

Just for another week, then you’d part ways for the summer and she could get over this before next year

She couldn’t stop the way her heart skipped a beat when you rested your head on her shoulder

Or when you were studying last night

You couldn’t figure out a problem, and put your head in her lap declaring,

“That’s it. We’re moving to a countryside cottage and becoming an old married farming couple.”

She didn’t breathe right for a second

She somehow managed to choke out

“God, please. That can be our plan b if we fail.”

Which, unfortunately, you didn’t 

You both passed, and unhappily went your separate ways for the summer

She tried to keep plans to meet up abstract, savoring that last hug on friday more than she should have

This plan will work, she’ll avoid you all summer, and come back next semester and be totally normal

It will all be fine

Or it would have if you hadn’t pressed a kiss on her cheek before she got pulled into a rented car, speeding off for the airport

Every minute between that second and seeing her dad at the airport was filled with thoughts of you

Five days had passed, and she couldn’t sleep

She had tried to keep texting you to a minimum, which only worked because of how much she was overthinking everything

Friends can kiss sometimes, right?

And yeah, you looked at her with those big sparkly eyes, but you’ve looked at her like that since she first met you

She was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and couldn’t get your stupid amazing smile out of her head

She was… overwhelmed

Her phone buzzed

Of course, it was you

She threw her phone on her bed without reading it

Her whole body was buzzy, her feelings had never been this strong

It was too much

She actually felt like she was going to explode in 10 seconds

She could feel a stupid impulse of some kind or another creeping up

A gentle tapping on her window snapped her out of it

‘It’s her’

No it’s not, she chastised herself, you’re practically on the other side of the country

She looked over at her window

It was you

It was you

Oh god

She scrambled out of bed, and threw the window open

You had already popped the screen off, propping it next to her window

“Hi,” you said,

“H-” she had no words

Time and time again you left her speechless

“Y-... your hair’s pink,” she choked out

You laughed and smiled that crooked little smile of yours, and she could feel her heart clench

“Yeah, d’you like it?”

“Yeah,” she said without a second thought

Something she’d read online came back to her in a rush

��If you like your crush after they change their hair, you know it’s real’

Shit

You placed your hand on top of hers

“So… do you wanna go on an adventure?”

“Yes.” she answered, never wanting anything more

You laugh and lean forward, closer to her

You brush a strand of hair out of her face and watch as her eyes flutter closed

A surge of nerves pulse through you simultaneously, your hand still on her face

“Piper,” you whisper, sounding closer than before

“Hm?”

“... do you want to kiss?”

Relief floods her like nothing she’s ever experienced before

She nods twice, vigorously

Your lips connect in a moment of pure euphoria

You’re soft

You taste like cherry, and that gum you’re always chewing, grapefruit and pear and a little cayenne

Her lips are warm and soft and so inviting

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless, already wanting more

Her mind is reeling

What if this is just a fling or something, what if this isn’t like, romantic kissing and it’s the kind of kissing best friends probably do sometimes?

Best friends can kiss sometimes, right???

She has to do it now, there’s no way she could possibly come back from this

She has to tell you how she feels

But how can she say it?

She can’t just blurt it out

It has to be perfect

But she also has to be able to take it back in case you say no

“Piper,” you start again

“Yeah?” she breathes

Once again you take the words right out of her, spinning them into something beautiful and easy to understand

“Do you want to be girlfriends? Like, date each other?”

She’s frozen for a second

This has to be a dream

It feels fake

She’s been dying to hear you say those exact words for months

And how much more in character could it have been than after asking her to go on an adventure

She looks into your eyes, searching for a hint of a lie

She finds nothing

And for a moment, for the first time, she sees your composure begin to crack

You look… scared

She realizes she hasn’t answered yet

“Yes!” she blurts, pulling you in to kiss you again and again

“Yes, yes, yes…” she mutters between kisses

Your giggles hit her ears, sounding different than ever before

After what feels like forever and not nearly long enough, you finally part again

“So…” you play with her hair, braiding a loose strand

“How ‘bout that adventure?”

[dani-dimitrescu]

𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆/𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁! 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲! Bold what applies; if you don’t see what applies to your muse, you may add it to the end of the section after the line. It’s a very long checklist, so feel free to put it under a read more like this!

I'm exploring Daniela's long forgotten past....

Name: Valeria Lupei

Age: 19

Height: 5'5

Birthdate: April 16 1931

Gender: cis-male | cis-female | trans-male | trans-female | non-binary | agender |

Sexuality: homosexual | heterosexual | bisexual (But leans more towards women)| pansexual | asexual |

Hairstyle: crew cut | pixie cut | bob | shoulder length | elbow length | hip length or longer

Hair Texture:  straight | straight-wavy | wavy | wavy-curled | curled | extra curled | ultimate curls

Hair Color: black | dark brown | brown | light brown | auburn / red | ginger | strawberry blonde | dirty blonde | blonde | platinum | gray | silver | white |

Eye Color: brown | hazel | amber | blue | green | gray |

Body Type: muscular | athletic | average | scrawny | curvy | fat | chubby |

Skin Tone: pale | fair | golden | beige | bronze | ebony |

Markings: scar(s) | tattoo(s) | piercing(s) | beauty mark(s) |

Posture: upright | neutral | slumped

Face Shape: round | oval | heart | square | long

Physical Needs: glasses or contacts | hearing aid(s) | braces or similar | wheelchair

Physical Conditions: lesion | partial or total paralysis | blindness | deafness | muteness | missing limb | terminal illness

Mental Conditions: depression | anxiety | autism | PTSD or ASD | psychopathy | sociopathy | personality disorder | panic disorder | OCD

Physical Health: dying | could be better | can’t complain | pretty good | immortal |

Mental Health: kill me | ugh | can’t complain | aww yeah | I AM INVINCIBLE |

IQ: 60 or less | 61-80 | 81-100 | 101-120 | over 120

Gestures: never | rarely | sometimes | often | wildly | animated like a toon |

Direct Family: mother | father | brother | sister(s) | son(s) | daughter(s)

Relationship Status: single | in a relationship | its complicated | engaged | married | divorced | widowed

Pets: dog(s) | cat(s) | bird(s) | hamster(s) | turtle(s) | fish |

Social Class: very low | low | middle-low | middle | middle-high | high | very high | space race asshole

Education Level: less than high school | high school | college | masters | doctorate

Residence: dorm room | studio | loft | apartment | city house | suburb house | mansion or manor | penthouse | yacht | trailer | farm house

Housemates: family member(s) | friend(s) | landlord or landlady | none |

Mode of Transportation: public transit | taxi | rideshare | hired driver | motorcycle | scooter | bicycle | car | camper |

Usual Outfit: formal | casual | lazy | sport casual | uniform |

Grooming: lazy | stylishly unkempt | average | prettied up | meticulous

Most Common Smile: sheepish | happy-go-lucky | arrogant | smirk | sadistic | in love | literally doesn’t smile |

Social Life: non-existent | limited | it’s there | active | constant

Preferred Drink: water | alcohol | juice | coffee | tea | carbonated drinks |

Preferred Food: sweets | meats | fruits | vegetables | carbohydrates

Preferred Sports: team sports | water sports | martial arts | athletics | gymnastics | mind sports | extreme sports | none

Preferred Environment: big city | small town | suburbs | arid desert | woods | rainforest | mountains | open fields | beach |

Strong Point: brute force | agility | stamina | intelligence | wisdom | charm

Weak Point: brute force | agility | stamina | intelligence | wisdom | charm

Perceptiveness: oblivious | dull | average | sharp | mind-reader

Speech: vulgar | basic | average | polite | educated | pretentious

Creativity: dull | conventional | average | unconventional | prodigy |

Best Intelligence: nature smart | music smart | numbers smart | people smart | self smart | picture smart | language smart | body smart

Inclination: arts | sciences | mathematics | humanities

Criminal Record: underage drinking | drunk driving | assault | arson | manslaughter | murder | attempted murder | sexual crime | protest or activism | false accusations | black mail | nothing that can be proven | none

Moral Code: self-interest | utilitarianism | universal law | religious

Luck: witchcraft | stereotypically Irish | average | really? | historically Irish

Sense of Humor: constant | sassy | normal | can take a joke but can’t say one | slow but there | stick in the mud

Preferred Comedy: none | slapstick | absurdity | potentially offensive | stand-up | wordplay | cultured

Self-Discipline: what is that | noooooo | when they want to | decent | militant

Easily Embarrassed? shameless | pretty tolerant | average | sensitive | don’t even talk to them

Shows Affection: doesn’t | rarely | sometimes | often | at every chance

Likeability: non-existent | when they try | pretty okay | cool person | godlike

Irrational Phobias: bugs | wild animals | darkness | touch | birds | crowds | the ocean

Common Fears: buss | wild animals | darkness | death | untimely death | ridicule | isolation

Type of Drunk: happy | sad | risk-taker | angry | philosophical | doesn’t get drunk | doesn’t drink

Vices: smoking | drinking | self-harm | illicit drugs | prescription drugs | murder | torture |

Deadly Sin: pride | wrath | gluttony | greed | envy | sloth | lust

Heavenly Virtue: humility | patience | temperance | charity | kindness | diligence | chastity

Theme Color(s): black | brown | dark blue | light blue | dark green | light green | yellow | orange | red | pink | purple | white | gold | silver

Favorite Input: novels | textbooks | magazines | newspapers | TV shows | movies | sports channels | documentaries | radio | blogs | music |

Favorite Output: non-fiction | fiction | poetry | songwriting | drawing | painting | sculpture | crafts | photography | film | vlogging | sport | sleep |

Favorite Genre: comedy | romance | thriller | horror | mystery | science fiction | fantasy | contemporary | historical | literary | action or adventure | drama | tragedy

[farmerstrend]

Pixie Orange Farming Success Stories Despite Challenges

Makueni is known for producing juicy mangoes, lemons, pixie oranges and many other fruits. Fruit farming thrives in this largely arid county. Benson Mbithi harvests ripe pixies at his mother’s farm in Makueni. Janet Mutua is one of the many residents of Makueni who make a living from growing oranges and pixie fruits. On entering her orchard in Katulyani, Kibwezi West Constituency, one is…

[pluviophile-bookworm]

AWAE 2x7 rewatch: thoughts and reactions

This was pretty much my favourite episode of the entire series before season 3 came along, so I’m really excited to watch it again. Let’s dive in:

Ok, that was a really weird (and short) cold open. I don’t really know what to say. Moving on. 

Seriously, what just happened to Marilla? And how often has it been happening?

Yeah, as if Phillips would give extra lessons to anyone but Prissy. Also, Gilbert is right about him not caring much about teaching. People like Phillips have no place being teachers.

Bringing up Gilbert’s father, whose passing I’m pretty sure he’s aware of? How dare he? I hate that dirt-bag excuse of a man.

Oh, you’re going to the ball, dear Cinderella... I mean, you are going to the party, dear DiAnne! And you’ll be bringing someone else, too. 

Speaking of someone else, poor Cole is still struggling with his art after Billy’s horrendous deed. Emotionally, mostly. But burning his drawings is not the answer. Never.

‘Cole is a man!’ Yes he is, that’s what I’ve been saying for I don’t know how long now. I’m glad someone’s finally noticed. I’ve got to say this scene reminded me a tiny bit of HP and the Goblet of Fire where Ron finally realised Hermione was a girl. But it’s different. In a good way, of course.

I love their, well, Anne’s, plan so much. I just do and I don’t really know why. But Marilla’s worsening headaches and her calling Matthew ‘Michael’ are worrying me so much. The Cuthberts do have their own trauma, they do. It seems everyone does in this series. 

Of course Matthew allows it. In Matthew we trust. They’re going! Of course, I knew they were, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. See, that’s the thing about favourites - they make you feel the same emotions every time that they did the first time you experienced them. And isn’t that the most wonderful thing?

Marilla seems to be reminded of her own childhood and how she didn’t have the chance to experience such wonderful things as Anne gets to. But Anne’s had her share of traumatic experiences. She deserves this. 

Hero is right. Cole is one and he’ll get back to his art soon enough. And he’s just arrived in what will end up being his new home thanks to the amazing Aunt Josephine.

Anne’s finally realised what Josephine had with Gertrude and her reaction is absolutely lovely. I knew it would be. In fact, I knew it the very first time I watched it. Here’s a note I wrote to myself all the way back then: Anne is so open- minded and finds it all but strange that aunt Josephine had a romantic relationship with Gertrude, while Diana’s conservative upper-class upbringing seems to get in her way of accepting it… but she’ll get around to it. What I really would like, however, is that Cole would eventually come out to Anne first, I mean they confide in each other in  a way few others do, and she’s, at least the way I see it, the best person to come out to considering how she views Josephine and Gertrude’s relationship.

The party looks so beautiful, it makes me want to draw it. I probably will - just like I did last week with Diana the magnificent fairy queen. This show is so inspiring. In fact, my first ever drawing that I posted here was based on this episode and this party. Here’s a link: https://pluviophile-bookworm.tumblr.com/post/187379899979/i-dont-really-draw-but-i-was-just-rewatching-my  Hey, this also means I’ve seen this episode more times than any other AWAE episode! It’s clearly my favourite - well, now it’s second to 3x5, but we’ll see what happens when I rewatch that one. 

‘If it were agreeable to my husband’... poor Diana really needs more of her aunt’s influence. How lovely it would be for her to become a pianist... or a scholar, or what she desires. Not necessarily a wife unless it’s to someone she truly loves and who truly loves her. 

The girl with the pixie cut who complimented Anne’s might have just made her day. At least it would have made mine. 

If these people calling Cole ‘farm boy’ did something good, it must have been decorating him with their scarves and pearls. I love this look on him. 

If not pixie-cut girl, Sunflower-man made Anne’s day and I’m so glad something finally did. If someone could only tell her how beautiful she looks...

I feel like I would have loved Gertrude if I had known her... and that woman who said she and Jo were her romantic ideal... there should be more like her in the world. 

Josephine and Cole dancing together warms my heart so much! And what warms it even more is knowing they’ll be a family, a loving, beautiful found family as they both deserve. I’m not crying, you are.

Poor Marilla is still struggling with her past and her headaches, and Matthew is trying to do the best he can to help, but there’s not much to be done when one refuses to be helped. And dear Matthew seems to have trauma of his own. ‘Doesn’t she love us too?’ Heartbreaking. 

Marilla’s thinking of Anne like a true mother, and though it breaks my heart when she says ‘I won’t be a burden to Anne.’, it also warms it to think she feels so responsible for her new daughter. 

I wish dear Diana would be more accepting of her aunt...s. I suppose they were both her aunts in a way. In their own way they were married after all. 

The artist who reassures Cole means so much to me for it. And the way she seems to know Anne after only having met her for a while... also, ‘Cole the artist’ - yes, he is that. I love that woman although I don’t even know her. She made Cole smile for the first time this evening. 

I’m just imagining Anne in her puff sleeves and a top hat... magnificent. I might try to draw that sometime. 

Oh, Diana, just because something is kept secret doesn’t mean it’s wrong! It might just be that people aren’t ready for it yet, and I’m sad for the people. Not for Jo and Gertrude. Not for Cole. For those who aren’t ready to accept that love is love in all shapes and forms.

‘broken, defective, unnatural...’ is that what Cole thinks about himself? I so hope it’s not. And I so hope he finds a man someday who makes him feel like Jo and Gertie had. He deserves it. 

Here’s a note on this next moment from the time I saw it first:  Oh my, oh my! He came out to Josephine first! I think it’s just as beautiful as had it been Anne, and the way he spoke of it to Anne and Diana first, although he didn’t confess anything, was so beautiful, deep and meaningful. Seriously, the way this series portrays things that are ahead of their time in the chronological context of the plot... that is so beautiful that I can’t even describe it… Anne with an E is my aesthetic… and one of the reasons I rediscovered my fondness of the colour orange which I previously disliked… just… so deep and aesthetically elevating. Ok, that last part had nothing to do with Cole or Josephine or coming out, but it’s truly what I think and it belongs here. 

Matthew finally speaks up and it’s so powerful when a quiet person raises their voice. ‘She had other children. We all lost Michael.’

‘You missed me?’ But of course she did, she’s your mother now. I love the found family trope. And Marilla looks lovely with that flower crown. 

‘[Love] can come in so many forms.’ This series teaches the proper values. I love it for that. #renewannewithane

‘The good doctor’. However demeaningly this was meant to be, it describes Gilbert so perfectly, and his response (‘and I managed to learn that with no extra time from you.’) was so absolutely great. Thanks, I love it.

‘You’ll get there, if you know where your passions lead you.’ That was a beautiful underrated Shirbert moment.

The pen of possibility. How lovely. This episode ended on just the right not and it’s just such a favourite of mine, I don’t even know what more to say. let’s just end here. Roll the recaps.

Let’s sum up: Marilla has headaches and flashbacks; Anne’s pen of duplicity concocts the perfect lie... fib; Cole struggles to get back into art; ‘Cole is a man!’ and so he and Anne and Diana get to go to Aunt Josephine’s party; Josephine and Gertrude are a romantic ideal; the perfect summer soiree in the middle of winter; Cole the farm-boy goes back to being Cole the artist thanks to a mysterious sculptor woman at the party; he comes out to Josephine, then to Anne and Diana; love is beautiful in every shape and form; the good doctor shoots for the stars on his own, thank you very much, Phillips (not!); the pen of possibility.

[searchingwardrobes]

Start of Time: 2/?

Here it is finally, the second chapter of this fic!! Sorry it’s taken me so long to get this up, @teamhook ! I also have no idea how long this is going to be. Looking at my outline, it should be at least six chapters.

Remember that Emma can’t remember her name in this, so Emma is just “she” at first in this chapter, then “Wendy” later on. (You’ll see why once you read the chapter). I won’t lie, writing a story in which Emma can’t remember her name and no one else knows it either has been a big challenge. Hopefully I wrote it a way everyone can follow!

Rating: T

Trigger warning: Alice Jones appears in this but is Killian’s adopted daughter with Milah, and so is Henry. Henry has no relation to Emma in this. There is also positive past Millian.

Also on Ao3 and part of my Fandom Birthday Playlist.

Tagging the usuals: @snowbellewells​ @teamhook​ @kmomof4​ @let-it-raines​@whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @xhookswenchx​ @jennjenn615​ @kday426​ @welllpthisishappening​ @wellhellotragic​ @winterbaby89​ @stahlop​ @spartanguard​ @shireness-says​ @scientificapricot​ @xhookswenchx​ @distant-rose​ @delirious-latenight-laughs​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @vvbooklady1256​ @thislassishooked​ @bethacaciakay​ @hollyethecurious​ @nikkiemms​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @optomisticgirl​ @profdanglaisstuff​ @branlovestowrite​ @tiganasummertree​ @snidgetsafan​ 

I'm an atom in a sea of nothing

Looking for another to combine

Maybe we could be the start of something

Be together at the start of time

When she awoke again, the sun shone brightly through the curtains. She struggled to sit up, her mouth dry and tasting of cotton. Her head still ached, but it no longer throbbed. How long had she slept? Was the sun this bright when she woke up before? She heard sounds outside her door as she swung herself slowly around and stood up. The room spun a bit, but once she took a few deep breaths, she was able to walk across the room easily enough. Her clothes were folded neatly on top of a white dresser, and she made quick work of changing out of the pajamas. The fabric was warm and smelled of fabric softener - someone had washed them.

Speaking of washing, she suddenly realized how greasy her hair was. She could actually smell her own body odor, which was never good. It made her wonder again just how long she had been asleep. A shower would be nice, but she wasn’t about to ask such a thing of complete strangers. They had been kind, she understood that, but she couldn’t stay here any longer.

When she exited her door, she was struck by the quaint log cabin style of the home. Her bedroom was at the end of an open hallway that looked out over a great room with high beamed ceilings of exposed wood. On the other side of a stone fireplace, she could see the dark haired man named Killian at the stove in the kitchen.

She made her way quickly down the stairs and through the living area. She paused at the threshold of the kitchen, and when she did, the family’s chattering stopped abruptly. Little Alice sat at the kitchen island spreading jam on toast. A boy with dark hair just a shade lighter than Killian’s stood by the sink pouring glasses of orange juice. A woman with a dark pixie cut stood with mouth agape clutching a fistfull of silverware. For some reason, the domestic scene made a lump rise in her throat.

“You’re up!” Killian exclaimed with a wide grin. He lifted the pan of scrambled eggs he was stirring. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Um, no thank you,” she replied nervously. “I um . . . I thank you and your wife for everything you’ve done -”

The woman interrupted her with an exuberant laugh. “Oh no, I’m not his wife. My husband David and Killian are best friends. Killian was delivering a foal at our farm last night, so I came over to babysit Alice.”

“I am not a baby,” protested Alice with a pout that said otherwise.

“Excuse me,” the woman corrected with a pointed smile at the little girl, “I was having girl time with Alice, my favorite seven year old.”

Alice tilted her chin with satisfaction than started slathering jam on another piece of toast.

“I’m Mary Margaret,” the woman said as she turned her attention back to their visitor. She extended her hand.

“I - um, that is, I . . .” Shit! What was the social protocol when you didn’t remember your own damn name?

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Mary Margaret exclaimed snatching her hand back. “I forgot.”

“Sooo, what are you doing here if you two aren’t married? At breakfast?” She shook her head and rubbed her temple. Why was she still talking? “Um, I’m sorry. How long have I been asleep?”

All four of the people before her spoke at once, but only Mary Margaret’s words penetrated her brain.

“Awhile.”

“You slept forever!”

“I was worried you were dead!”

“Oh honey, we’re snowed in.”

She shook her head as she tried to comprehend Mary Margaret’s words. “Um, okay, that’s a problem, I know, but I can’t stay here. I mean, I don’t . . . that is to say . . . I’m just, um, gonna go, okay?”

She inched her way backwards towards the front door as she spoke, stumbling once over a toy lightsaber. Killian rushed forward, and that only made her dart for the door faster.

“We really are snowed in, love,” Killian insisted as she reached for the doorknob.

“Well, I’ll just walk to the nearest town, or -” her words ended abruptly as she opened the door to a wall of white. The snow was packed in hard, letting in not a trace of light, yet the snow on the threshold had melted enough to tumble inside over her feet. She let out a gasp as the cold seeped through the leather of her thin, stylish boots.

“I told you we were snowed in,” Killian told her with a lopsided grin and a sparkle in his eyes.

She sheepishly tried to kick the loose snow back outside, amazed that he wasn’t at least irritated with her. Shoving the door shut was something else entirely, and it took both of them to get it done.

Hands shaking, she made her way over to a cozy armchair angled towards the roaring fire. She stared at the flames as fear clawed at her chest. Killian came over and sat on the edge of the wide hearth, tilting his head a bit so he could look into her eyes.

“I know you’re confused and frightened, but I promise you you’re safe here. We’ve got plenty of firewood and food, even a generator if the power goes out -”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she whispered.

He nodded in understanding. “We’re strangers, and I can’t imagine how terrifying this all must be. I know it takes trust to believe this, but we really just want to help you and make you feel at home.”

She glanced up to see Mary Margaret perched on the arm of the chair, smiling down at her encouragingly. Alice sat down next to her father, and he put his arm around the little girl and brushed a kiss to the top of her head. Surely a man with such obvious affection for his daughter couldn’t be dangerous. Right?

The boy stood a bit shyly behind Alice and Killian, shuffling his feet a bit before stepping forward to offer her his hand. “You were passed out when you met me in the truck. I’m Henry.”

She merely nodded as she took the child’s hand, still not sure how to respond with no memory of who she was.

“That does it!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “We have to call you something. You sure you don’t know your name?”

She scrunched her face up, thinking as hard as she could, but all she could come up with was darkness, snow, and pain. She bit her lip as she shook her head in the negative.

Mary Margaret shrugged. “So we give you a name!”

Killian narrowed his eyes at his friend. “MM, we can’t just name her like she’s our pet.”

“Why not?” Mary Margaret shot back. “Alice doesn’t have a creature in this place for more than five minutes without it having a name.”

“I have a white rabbit named Tick Tock,” Alice told her eagerly, “and a turtle named Mossy, and a frog named Prince, and two goldfish -”

“You can introduce her to your menagerie later, Starfish,” Killian chuckled as he ruffled Alice’s hair.”

“We can pick a name from one of our favorite books!” Henry exclaimed. “Alice is already taken, but what do you think of Lucy like the Narnia books?”

She wrinkled her nose.

“Fern like in Charlotte’s Web?” Alice suggested.

“Fern!” Henry exclaimed. “Seriously? Charlotte would be better!”

“Charlotte is a spider,” Alice shot back before sticking her tongue out at her brother.

“What about Wendy?” Killian asked.

“Dad’s favorite is Peter Pan,” Henry explained.

“Yeah, but he like’s Hook best, not Peter,” put in Alice.

“Hey!” Killian chuckled, poking each of his children playfully in the tummy. “Hook is just misunderstood.”

She narrowed her eyes. Wendy . . . “That name sounds familiar,” she told them softly.

Killian smiled at her. “Perhaps because it’s yours?”

“Or maybe it’s someone you know?” Mary Margaret put in helpfully.

She shook her head, frustrated. Every time she thought of the name Wendy, it was as if she were squinting into the fog, trying to make out a figure in the distance.

“I don’t know!”

“It’s okay,” Mary Margaret said gently, patting her hand, “it will come to you, I’m sure of it.”

“And we’ll get the doctor out here just as soon as the weather clears enough for the snow mobiles,” Killian added, “as well as the sheriff. I’m sure someone you love is looking for you.”

She nodded and attempted to give him a small smile.

“So, are we gonna call her Wendy or what?” Henry asked.

“Don’t be so rude!” Alice yelled.

“I’m not!”

“Get along, please,” Killian admonished, and she couldn’t help but smile at the bickering siblings and their father’s resulting exasperation.

“It’s okay,” she told them, “it will be nice to have a name, even a temporary one.”

“So . . . “ Killian prompted with arched brows.

“So, Wendy it is!”

A wide smile filled her face despite her circumstances as the four people around her cheered. If she were snowed in, there were worse places she could be. And if she had to join a temporary family, this seemed like a pretty happy one to stumble upon.

*************************************************

The strong scent of cedar filled Killian’s senses as he opened the long forgotten trunk shoved into the far reaches of his walk in closet. He closed his eyes briefly, letting the woodsy aroma wash over him. Not only would the cedar have protected the clothing inside, it would also have eradicated the scent of the former owner. He could do this.

Killian opened his eyes and looked down at the sweaters and leggings that Milah once wore. He lifted one of deep purple from the trunk and pressed it to his face. All he could smell was the cedar. Not the lingering scent of the citrusy shampoo Milah had preferred nor the hazelnut creamer she always used in her coffee. Surprisingly, it didn’t make him sad. Instead, he was relieved. Relieved that her scent no longer clung to the clothing but also relieved that he still remembered details about her. He would never be able to forget her, and the truth of that finally brought him comfort after four long years.

He rose from the floor of the closet with a pile of clothes in his arms and made his way down the hall to Alice’s bedroom. He hated that Wendy had to use his daughter’s room, but Mary Margaret was already set up in the guest room. He also hated that Alice was sharing his bed. The girl was a cuddler who hogged the bed, and Killian was simply exhausted after two nights of sleeping on the very edge of the mattress.

Killian knocked on the door, but there was no answer. However, he could hear the shower running from the jack and jill bath that Alice shared with her brother. He eased the door open, calling out that he had the clothes he had promised. There was no answer, though he did hear a voice drifting from the bathroom. The voice was singing.

Killian let the door swing open and couldn’t help stepping into the room, mesmerized by the voice. Wendy was belting out The Pretenders “Brass in Pocket” with the powerful voice of a rock star. He drew closer to the sound as if he were a sailor and she was a siren calling out to him. As he rounded the bed, however, he fumbled and dropped the clothes in his hands. Wendy had left the door to the bathroom half open, and through it he could see into the bathroom. He spun away quickly, not wanting to be a voyeur, but he wasn’t fast enough to miss the silhouette of Wendy’s figure through the frosted glass of the shower door. He fumbled again as he picked up the clothes and set them on the bed. They now looked like Henry had folded them, but he didn’t care. He rushed from the room before Wendy caught him and thought he was a peeping tom.

He shut the bedroom door quietly behind him and sagged against it, his heart pounding like a teenager. Yes, four long years. Four long years since Milah passed. Four long years since a woman had been living in this house. Killian drew in several deep breaths and ran his hand wearily down his face. He had to get a grip! Wendy needed his help. This was no time to become sexually attracted to her. She had been through something traumatic to leave her wandering injured on a remote snowy road. She had amnesia and was understandably frightened and confused.

Mentally listing all the reasons he couldn’t be attracted to her helped his blood cool considerably. Besides, he had made a vow to Milah when she was sick that he would make fatherhood his highest priority. Making sure Henry and Alice were happy and thriving left little time for anything else. Hadn’t that been made abundantly clear after that disastrous blind date he’d let Mary Margaret set him up on?

Wendy had a life somewhere to get back to, and he had his kids to think about. He wouldn’t let her sultry voice, inviting curves, or golden hair distract him from those two hard, cold facts.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes Pt4: Check Up part2

Back at the manor, Weiss and Jaune prepare to leave while Nicholas studies. However, he can’t focus on the work. He was making good progress until a chill ran up his spine. His mind slowly drifted as he began to clench is pencil. The feeling of a hand on his back jolts him back to reality to see Weiss staring at him concerned; she wasn’t alone though. Next to her was a girl in a pink arsity jacket with the Atlas symbol on the back. Pink converse match the jacket while navy blue jeans go surprisingly nice with her orange pixie cut hairstyle. A book bag is hanging off her shoulder.

Nick:Mom? Valerie? When did you both....?

Valerie:You really didn’t hear us knock huh? All that training make you scattered brain today?

Nick:No it’s just, where’s Summer?

Weiss:Didn’t she message you? She was supposed to anyways; Summer is getting a check up.

Nick:Oh, that explains it. *rubbing his head* Everything is fine then. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?

Weiss:The date turned into a double date so Valerie decided to keep you company.

Valerie:Looks like it’s your lucky day.

Nick:........

Nick:You’re not prepared for our science test are you?

Valerie:Dust ratios are hard okay!? *opens bag* please help?

Weiss:Have fun! *closes door*

Valerie:So I was thinking about starting with lightning dust then- Nick?

Nick:........Hmmm? You were saying something?

Valerie:Oh boy, Summer on your mind? Not that I could blame ya.

Nick:Shiva popped up moments ago, but I think she’s already leaving. I hope the check up going well.

Valerie:I still think sometimes you’re making up this whole sixth sense thing you got.

Nick:Whay can I say? It’s a twin thing.

Valerie:Well whatever you want to call it I can see that it’s distracting. Conme on man, focus...

Nick:Stop it...

Valerie:Stop what? *smiling* I just think you’re really clever and we both should focus. Concentration is key....

Her playful teal eyes look at his icy blue ones. Teasing him like this will always be one of her favorite pass times. You could always feel the slight tension on their aura rising during this little battle of will before a smile broke out onto his face. Valerie returned the smile with her own cheesy grin then booped his nose. Both of them shared a little chuckle as their aura went calm.

Valerie:You always try to make that same serious face; is that your first line of defense against my semblance?

Nick:More like I’m trying not to entertain your shenanigans.

Valerie:Pfft, last time I checked you willing participate and improve upon them.

Nick:Yeah well....I guess you make me do crazy things. *red*

Valerie:Nicholas.....

Nick:Sorry, I know. Just sort of came out hehe. *opening books* You said Dust Ratios right?

Valerie:(Sigh, this goof ball)*smiles* Yeah.

Nick:Alrighty then, let’s get started.

Valerie:*scoots next to him* Hey.....

Nick:Hmm?

Valerie:I appreciate you.

Nick:*glows faintly* I appreciate you too.

xxx

The check up was proceeding normally for the most part back at the base. Summer layed on what was essentially a hospital bed as she was regaining consciousness. Bright lights strained her eyes a little as they started to adjust accordingly. Penny was at her work station hard at work with Summer’s clothes right next to her. One the other side of her is what really caught her attention though.Several vials of diamond dust and microscopes were visible. Penny must’ve been working with them and whatever data she managed to gather.

Summer:*rubbing her eyes* How long was I out for?

Penny:Oh goody, you’re awake. You have only been asleep for about an hour. When you walked in I noticed that you looked a little restless. Is everything okay?

Summer:Just did some rough training today..... with confronting Shiva.

Penny:*eyes widened* That’s....very dangerous. I recommend that you wouldn’t dive into an unknown situation like that. Last thing you want is to do something irreversible; after all the conditions of your body is-

Summer:Weak, I know! That doesn’t mean I want to be babied! Gasp! I....

Penny:......*frowns* That may have been too blunt. I still have trouble reading the room at times.

Summer:Penny I, I didn’t mean to yell at you. That was wrong of me.

Penny:That’s alright. I can imagine your entire situation hasn’t been easy. Besides, Shiva has said far worse things to me. *hands her clothes* I put them in the wash while you were sleeping; also I made adjustments.

Summer:Thank you, not sure how I’ll repay this. *putting on clothes*

Penny:Nonsense! It’s my job to keep you strong and healthy. Making specialized thermals is just part of the job. I wanted to learn how to make clothes anyways; just yesterday I made matching scarfs for me and my father.

Summer:Well I guess I should get going.

Penny:Hold on a moment. Today is a 100 percent check up remember? *knocks on second door* Sweetie?

Oscar:*opens door* Yeah? Oh, hello Summer.

Summer:Professor Pine! I didn’t think you were here.

Oscar:I was giving you two some space and doing some paperwork. But my office is clear and ready to talk. *holds out his hand*

For as long as she’s known Oscar, that smile always was a source of comfort. The way is lab coat looked slightly big on him and is shaggy hair screamed how he’s not from here; it was a breath of fresh air. No wonder Penny was thrilled about marrying the handsome but dorky farm man; not to mention he’s incredibly strong. He kissed Penny’s cheek and took Summer by the hand into his office. The walls had multiple bookshelves with his deck against the back wall. The light in here bathed the room in a glow similar to the sunset. In the middle of the room was one of those long chairs you would see in a therapist office. Made sense, this part of the exam was more mental and emotional than the logic and physical part his wife just completed. Both of them sit down and look at each other calmly.

Summer:I always forget to ask, you’ve really read all these books?

Oscar:With these eyes of mine, no. My mind definitely knows them page for page though. My office back at Beacon has even more books.

Summer:I’d hope so, you sort of run a school.

Oscar:True, so how are things going? That outburst outside sounded intense.

Summer:*scrunches face* I’m sorry you heard that.

Oscar:You’re stressed, it happens. I’m more curious about if you felt anything during it. When I was younger there were certain emotional situations that had Oz slip out. Not this is exactly the same situation.

Summer:I didn’t feel anything different I think. Just me whining.....

Oscar:It’s not whining.

Summer:Feels like it, especially when so many people go out there way to help me. I feel ungrateful.....

Oscar:.....Have you been keeping a journal like I suggested?

Summer:Stopped using it.

Oscar:Couldn’t fins much to write?

Summer:Ran out of space. I got songs in there that can probably rival Mirror Mirrior. In away, it’s a bit ironic. My mom always sung about being afraid to wake up one day and not recognize her own reflection. Now her daughter has to deal with that fear being a very real possibility; it’s......unnerving to say the least.

Oscar:*taking notes* Well I can tell you from experience, it’s a feeling I know is hard to shake. But I’m living proof that it’s possible to fight for “your” life. I promise that there’s a way for you to take control of your life permanently and we’ll find it.

Summer:*smiles* Pro-Oscar, you’re something else you know that? You make me feel...less crazy about this entire thing.

Oscar:You are far from crazy.

Summer:Feels like I’m not that close to sane either. At the very least I’m weird; my entire headspace is a mess.

Oscar:Actually, let’s talk about that more. Any noticeable changes from what you can tell.

Summer:No, it’s usually the same routine. Whenever she comes out it feels like I’m going to sleep almost. Next thing know I’m just in a vast void of ligh blue and a ice ceiling just as wide. There’s not even an actual floor or a reflection to look out. Well, besides Shiva standing there too. That feels more like looking at some sort of cracked or funhouse mirror. On rare occasion though my headspace looks like my room except the ice ceiling is still there. Worst part is being aware of what’s actually happening in the real world-

Oscar:Yet being able to do nothing about it?

Summer:Having two souls must’ve been rough huh?

Oscar:Not always, we learned to trust and cooperate. In a lot of ways, he was greatest partner I had. All it took was talking.

Summer:Shiva’s made it clear that playing nice is not an option. There’s rarely any talking; just threats and constant fighting. It’s unavoidable though since I get control back only by force or her convince.

Oscar:Can you describe that struggle for control?

Summer:It’s actually gotten a little bit better for what it’s worth. It’s hard to focus on everything around me when it I’m basically fighting on two fronts. Thankfully that goes both ways and I actually fight her off sometimes. *frowns* Other times I need help. It always ends the same though; the space around us slowly crumbles and she fades away. Next thing I know I feel like I’m waking up.

Oscar:And what about when yo almost lose?

A pit in her stomach starts to form. Slowly she pulls her knees up to her chest and closes her eyes to try and collect her thoughts. Oscar patiently waits for the girl’s answer.

Summer:When......when that happens, everything gets really cold. Ice creeps on my feet....and my......my hands. *sniffling* Before I know it my entire body feels like it’s back under the lake, but no one is there to pull me up this time.

Oscar:......I’m gonna do everything in my power to help you Summer. That’s a promise.

Summer:I know this might be a little unprofessional but, can I get a hug right now?

Oscar:That’s something you never need permission for. I’ll even make it better. *clears throat* Penny?

Penny:*opens door* Something wrong? Gasp! Summer is crying!

Summer:I’m tearing up, not crying.

Penny:Either way this is unacceptable! *hugging her* You’re too beautiful to cry.

Oscar:*hugging them* Told you I’ll make this even better.

Summer:*red* Both of you are great.

Oscar:Nah we’re selfish. Just ask Ruby, we steal hugs all the time.

Penny:Ready to go home aren’t you.

Summer:Yeah, I think I’ll walk though so I can clear my head. Last thing I want to do is Nicholas worrying about nothing. *grabs door*

Oscar:.......Summer?

Summer:Yeah?

Oscar:People love you.

Summer:That’s.....what made you say that?

Oscar:Just felt like you needed to hear it. Remember you can talk to a lot of people that love you about anything.

Might as well add mind reading to the list of Oscar’s skills. Summer’s eyes softened in sadness and guilt as she nodded. In that moment, it was obvious he wasn’t talking about Shiva problems. At least not entirely anyways. Summer took another breath as she tried to calm her mind once more and another look at Penny’s desk. Sure enough, plenty of dust vials still there. Sure they were doing their best, but maybe, just maybe..... she could speed things along.

Oscar:Any ideas on her conditions.

Penny:I have plenty of theories but no way to put them into practice. For the time being I’m grasping at straws. What about you? Think this is needs a more supernatural approach?

Oscar:I don’t think it’s magic but these days it’s hard to tell. Are you busy here at all?

Penny:Unfortunately, I have to continue making progress on the military’s energy experiment. *frowns* Are you going back to Beacon today?

Oscar:No, but I wanna go see if maybe I can get some answers about anything. I hoped we could go together. *holds her hand*

Penny:*pouts* I hate our busy schedule.

Oscar:I’ll make sure to come back before I actually have to leave. *kisses her cheek*

Penny:You better! We have our own little experiments to try. Mind telling me where you’re going for answers?

Oscar:I don’t know where it is but I know it exist. I’m gonna go search for the Gods. *smiles*

Penny:.........

Penny:I need answers.

Part 3

[rapha-reads]

13-21, & 37-39 on the soft asks? :)

Hi there ! Thanks for the ask ! :) :) I’ve reblogged two soft asks so I’m going to do both. The more the better ! ;)

13 : Do you have any candles ? what scents are they ?

Nope ! Don’t have candles. But if I were to have some, I would get something forest-y. Tree scents, or petrichor ... 

M : sunkissed - autumn or spring ?

Autumn ! Red and gold and orange leaves, cold wind and warm sun, the world taking a breath between HOT and COLD. 

21 : What snacks do you usually get at the theater ?

Maltesers and potato crisps. Maltesers are tiny balls of perfection.

U : paper - favorite children’s book ?

Okay, but what’s considered as a children’s book ? Because the first novel I read was Harry Potter when I was 6 and I spent my whole childhood reading books that were supposedly for “11 and plus” ... Though I have to say I adore McBroom the Rainmaker by Sid Fleischman. I read that one again and again so many times ... And I just NOW discovered that it’s actually part of a series ? And that there are more shenanigans of the McBroom family and their fantastic farm ? I’m gonna need those books. 

37 : How often do you doodle ?

Very often ! I like drawing flowers, trees and birds. Mostly because they’re the only thing I can kinda draw well. Doodling is a low-brain energy activity so I often doodle when I need to relax and turn off my brain for a moment. But it’s very doodle : tiny things in the corner of a page, etc.

AK : plush - how many stuffed animals do you still own ?

Two ! My bunny that I was gifted when I was born, and my little leprechaun/pixie/puck that used to be a music plush but it doesn’t work anymore. The bunny’s name is Lapinou and the elf is Lutino (bunny in French : lapin ; and the word “lutin” in French is used as an umbrella term for pixie-like creatures). Listen, I was a child.

39 : What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room ?

Ah. My house and room. That house and room that I definitely have. Yes. Decor. I ... don’t ? There’s nothing in my grandfather’s house that calls my eye ... I guess in my parents’ house, there’s this painting that a friend of them gave them when they left France 18 years ago. It’s somewhat abstract but still clearly a scene of three women in a room busying themselves. It’s really beautiful, all in cold colours, blue and green, with yellow and red, and you can reinvent the story it tells constantly.

AM : sweetheart - favorite mug/cup ?

I have two ! One is a tall white mug with red/pink flowers that I bought at 17 when I went to Czech Republic on a class trip. It’s my morning mug, my breakfast tea mug. The other is a large Rogue One mug that my best friends gifted me for my 21st birthday. It’s my afternoon tea and evening herbal tea mug.

Thanks for the ask ! Lovely calm asks Soft asks

[kootenaygoon]

So,

When Paisley and I first broke up in February 2016, I spent a few weeks in rapturous relief before realizing what a dire state I’d left myself in. I was nearly homeless, with a few car-loads of possessions that I was lugging from one temporary refuge to the next. She got the dogs, I got the RAV-4. It was dark days, and suddenly the reality TV star that everybody thought would’ve dropped out of the presidential race by now was getting taken more and more seriously. I didn’t believe the rhetoric, didn’t believe the people saying Donald Trump could win. He reminded me of Cam Carpenter, a right wing bully, and I hated him from the moment he started making headlines. 

What did interest me, though, was how he was using social media to his advantage. Here was a senior citizen weaponizing Twitter in ways that astonished me. The pundits were dissecting each tweet, word for word, while press releases from other candidates sat unopened in their inboxes. He’d found a way to circumvent the media, then make them scramble to keep up to the conversation he was creating. They were treating him as a joke while playing right into his hands. It was like watching a magic trick in slow motion.

I’d been a reporter in the Yukon when Obama first began campaigning, and I remember the sensation of giddy hope that came with the idea the U.S. was finally going to elect its first black president. It felt like finally, now, things were going to be better. Fast forward eight years and this sexist bigot was proving that there was plenty of opposition to progress, plenty of people keen to give this orange-faced huckster the reins. And coming to terms with that felt like accepting that the world was a darker, shittier place that I’d once thought. I was glad to have found my Kootenay refuge, but I feared for the future.

After crashing for a week with Niles, enjoying his John Cooper artwork and sharing joints over morning coffee, I ended up moving in with a newly elected city councillor named Anna Purcell. She lived with her husband Gary and a German exchange student I didn’t like. Anna had earned more votes in the election than any other councillor, and it was easy to see why. She had the perfect amount of Nelson quirk, while being ultra-articulate and incredibly passionate about her new gig. She was the type of person who walked her talk. When I interviewed her for the Star she’d been outspoken about the affordable housing crisis, so I knew she would understand if I asked her for a place to stay. She lived just a few blocks up from Paisley’s place, meaning I would have to pass by it every morning on the way to work. 

“When my ex left me, it was like the words were bonked out of me,” Anna said, sitting in her living room one afternoon. “I just couldn’t talk for a while after that. I literally couldn’t speak.”

I told her I felt embarrassed after writing that love-drenched introductory column for the paper, and making Paisley such a big part of my public persona. Now everyone was going to know I fucked up my family, and would be watching the fall-out like a soap opera.

“I feel like this is such a huge hit to my social capital, you know? Like I used to be a guy with a partner and a place and some dogs, now I’m just a guy. With nothing.”

Anna shook her head. “That’s enough. I don’t think it will be as big a hit as you think. It’s not like single people have less value, right?”

Once a week I would swing by Paisley’s place to pick up Muppet and Buster. We would take the train tracks to Red Sands, or trek along Baker Street and down to the Prestige, but I didn’t have a dog-friendly place to take them home to. Sometimes I just walked them around the block, hanging out at the Central School playground en route, then brought them back an hour later. At first I was having no problem processing my separation from Paisley, but with the dogs it was different. They were blameless, had no idea what was going on. One afternoon I sat on a random lawn and held them to my chest, weeping. I called my parents and sobbed into the phone.

“I don’t mean to be insensitive, but you need to stop crying in front of the dogs,” Paisley said, standing in the doorway of her house. “It really upsets Muppet.”

“How did you know I was crying?”

“Last time you took them she came home and she wouldn’t sit still, she was stressed out and wagging her little body around. She knows something is wrong.”

“Well, this feels wrong.”

Paisley was having no trouble transitioning into the next stage of her life. Her dessert business was thriving, she was dating new guys and making new friends. She posted so many pictures with her new roommate that people started to wonder if they were a couple. She had shaved her head, Britney Spears-style, in the midst of our breakup, but now her hair had grown into a cute pixie cut. She looked like Winona Ryder in Alien Resurrection, and when she stood with her hands on her hips you could read her tattoo: It Could Be Worse...

“What’re you eating these days? How are you feeding yourself?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Nachos, peanut butter and jam, stuff like that.”

She shook her head. “Peanut butter and jam?”

“You know I’m just keeping it simple. I don’t have many groceries.”

“But you’re still going to CrossFit?”

“Yeah, I told Ali I couldn’t afford it and she was like ‘just keep coming, and get the money to me when you can’. I think she knows what I’m going through, you know?”

“That’s nice of her. How’s Rock of Ages?”

Having something extracurricular to focus on had been crucial for me, otherwise I would’ve spent all my time either crying, smoking pot or sleeping. For the audition I’d ripped off my shirt and belted my way through an 80s power ballad, earning a spot in the chorus. I’d been given one half-sentence solo at the beginning of a song early in the show, and for the rest of the production I swapped my time between being the bartender of the Bourbon Room and a slimy producer who creeps on the female lead. It was keeping me just busy enough to feel stable, and made me feel like I was in high school school again.  

For the Star coverage, I did a photo shoot with the cast at an abandoned building near the Selkirk College campus. It was covered in the expected graffiti and looked like it would be a perfect setting for a horror movie. At the time there was a particular cartoon that had been popping up all over town, Thug Bear, and he showed up in a few of the shots. There was a main couple, then a rockstar named Stacey Jaxx who had been played by Tom Cruise in the movie version, and a quartet of sexy nymphs. The costumes were neon and pastel, with big wigs and plenty of bare skin. Though they were squinting into a harsh afternoon sun, I got an awesome shot that ended up on the cover. 

The rehearsals were more challenging than I was expecting. The choreography for the dance sequences was intricate, the pace that we were putting things together was faster than I was accustomed to, and I felt way out of my depth when it came to the singing. I’d been a soloist in the church choir as a kid, and I’d done a few musicals in high school, but I hadn’t sung in front of people for years. As the weeks passed I became increasingly more nervous, though I knew I was basically just background furniture for the other actors.

One day a woman named Siobhan approached me. She was part of the production, a swaggering farm girl with a sarcastic streak. Rehearsal was just about to start, and I’d just put down my bag.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you,” she said.

I smiled, expecting a joke. “Oh yeah, for what?”

“That picture that you took of Andrew Stevenson, the one where he’s handcuffed and being led into court? I wanted to thank you for taking that photo.”

I blinked for a moment, caught off guard. “Thanks, yeah. I was really happy to get that shot. It took me over a year.”

She took a deep breath. “Well, I was there in court for the proceedings, but I never got a chance to really see his face, not like you can see it in that photo. When I saw it, it honestly blew me away.”

I was confused. “So who’s this guy to you?”

“I was one of the bank tellers that day, at the credit union he robbed. He waved his fucking gun right in my face. Traumatized me. I’d been having nightmares about this guy for months, every night, and it was like he wasn’t human. With a black mask, jumping around and screaming like some sort of ghoul. That’s what I saw every night when I closed my eyes.”

“Holy shit.”

“Then I saw that photo, Will, and it changed everything. I saw he was just a human, just a normal human, just like everyone else. He wasn’t some supernatural monster who was out to get me. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. That’s what that photo did for me. So that’s what I’m saying thank you for.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

She smiled warmly, and hugged me. “You don’t have to say anything.”

The Kootenay Goon