#a lot of my plants just started dying out of nowhere

[queermania]

i was out of town for two weeks and two of my ponytail palms just like… lost the will to live?? and i don’t understand because these bitches love neglect??? one of them had been struggling for awhile but was finally doing well again and the other one was perfectly fine (thriving even!) and now they are both on death’s door and i’m so sad

[taureantarot]

Pick A Card / What Does Your Heart Truly Desire?

(L-R)

1) Never Ending by Rihanna

“Ghost in the mirror,

I knew your face once,

But now it’s unclear”

For Pile One, I see a longing to run. To escape what’s within. There is a lot of pain, or bloodletting, occurring at this time, and it is draining everything out of your body and mind. You fear you can’t take it, another healing cycle, another lesson, another beginning only to end.

I see something solid building in the backdrop of your misery. Do not fear. You won’t lose this beginning you’ve cradled so gently. I see your heart’s desire is to win for once. Just once. Not another loss. Another breakdown. I see with Judgement that things are good, but you wish the pain would stop.

Next song is “Same Ol’ Mistakes”. You fear that this isn’t the beginning of something new. IT IS. The dead rise with judgement. Knight of Pentacles is steady, working towards a King. It is fear, shame, old trauma that weighs down your heart. I recommend listening to hypnosis or binaural beats, anything subconscious that can affirm positive beginnings. They are there. With Wheel of Fortune, so much sooner than you think.

I get an undercurrent of forbidden love here, do not fear. They will not judge you. The past will fall under the efforts of your love. SELF-love, that is.

AFFIRMATIONS:

I ATTRACT SUCCESS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES EFFORTLESSLY.

I ASK. I BELIEVE. I SHALL RECEIVE.

I DON’T EMPOWER MY FEARS, I OVERCOME THEM.

(Last song was “Woo” by Rihanna. It’s okay to love and have lost. But the future has more in store for you. Anger is fuel for transmutations. Let go. Three of Swords reversed is nothing to play with. Honor your rage. Judgement Day hides for no one. But be mindful of all the good coming from your hard work.)

2) Stoicism by Moses Sumney

“And I would glance back,

Before my descent, to mutter,

‘I love you’ “

You have been longing for love your entire life. There is no mercy here for the pain, the bridges burned, the regrets, the failure of the mother. Please listen to the music in this pile, in fact, the album, Aromanticism by Moses Sumney, is for this pile. You have been fighting, making mistakes, acting like a Knight of Swords through friendships, relationships, and yourself, and it has wore your heart down to a stone nub.

“Casts a shadow on the shallow love it hurls

To the feet of swine it need not cast its pearls

Lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely world”

(Lonely World, Moses Sumney)

You have closed yourself, thinking it empowering, thinking it admirable, but your heart is dying. You have resisted the gifts of your family (any kind), you go from battle to battle, and now you are a lonely Queen of Swords, drifting into an unknown gray world. (Six of Swords)

“And the void speaks to you

In ways nobody speaks to you

And that voice fills the air

Fog in the morning

Going nowhere”

I won’t lie, this pile worries me, so we will move on to anchors. Your life isn’t over, you aren’t doomed. You are going to find connection through your work efforts. Start with getting along with coworkers. I suspect you didn’t have much love early on, but you can plant a seed and simply water it. Let it be easy, for once.

One more song.

[pupkashi]

nanami kento has a green thumb

a/n: hi hi friends ! I’m back with another nanami one shot ? drabble ? idk what this is considered anymore,, i hope you guys enjoy !! i write something similar on my old blog so this is loosely inspired by that :3 let me know what y’all think <3

wordcount: 1,181

masterlist

nanami kento has a green thumb, he’s only ever bought one plant in his life, and he’s kept it alive for five years now.

you’ve bought a multitude of plants in your life, and each and every one of them have met the same twisted fate: death.

nanami learned about your love for plants after the first couple dates, telling you that surely there’s no way you managed to dry out a cactus. and you, as sad as it was, showed him the picture of the dried cactus, a frown on your face as you explained to him that your love for plants just wasn’t meant to be; you were star crossed lovers.

so when you began dating, kento found himself in the plant nursery, getting you a small succulent that he hoped would survive.

“you only have to water it once every two weeks, just feel the soil and if it’s dry then water it” he explains to you, making sure his every word is heard before handing you the small plant. there’s worry in your eyes as you hold the plant gently.

“I’ll do my very best little guy” you say to the plant, looking up at your boyfriend and smiling widely. “thank you kento” he can only smile, pressing a kiss to your lips before taking in the sight of you and your sparkling eyes.

there’s no way someone as gentle and life as you could kill a plant that was easy to take care of, right?

when nanami comes over a month later he can help but let his eyes wander to the spot that you had claimed as the succulents home, only to find the plant nowhere in sight.

“okay the popcorn is ready, did you find the movie?” you ask, smiling as you settle onto the couch next to your boyfriend, “what’s wrong?” you ask, eyes following his and your whole demeanor shifts.

“y/n” his voice is soft as he turns to look at you, “where’s the plant i gave you?”

he knows. you know he knows. he knows you know he knows. and you wish he didn’t know you knew all that.

“you have to hear me out” you begin, setting the popcorn down and taking his hands in yours. “i really tried i did! i watered him like you said and he just started dying! i googled what to do and do i did that but then it just got worse so i didn’t water him and then he just- he was all yellow and dead!” you cried out, squeezing his hands before resting your head on his chest, landing with a small ‘thump.’

“okay, okay,” he smiles, arms wrapping around you and holding you tightly, “maybe he had a bacteria or a parasite i didn’t catch when i had bought him” he reasons, “I’ll get you another one, I’m sure you’ll be able to keep it alive” a smile of reassurance on his face as he kisses the top of your head.

two weeks later when he brings you yet another successful you take it in with weary arms, as careful with it as you’d be a newborn. everyday you talked to it, checking it’s soil and making sure it was healthy. and it was!

for one more week. then it began to wilt, despite the soul being moist. and so you watered it, because it needed water, right? it’s what google said.

and so succulent #2 was dead within the month. death by overwatering.

nanami didn’t gift you anymore plants, deciding that maybe when it came to plants you really were doomed.

he opted instead on buying a couple more plants for his own apartment, letting you name them and sending you updates on them.

when the two of you moved in together you were beyond ecstatic. you were finally gonna have plants in your home and they’d live longer than a month!

the home you’d bought had a small garden in the back, and you had envisioned an array of flowers you could plant. maybe your bad luck was only with house plants, you thought, outdoor plants are a lot easier right?

and so nanami watched as you brought home flower seeds and fertilizer, the gears in his head turning as he pieces together the plan you’d kept secret from him.

kento didn’t dare say a word to you, watching as you researched endlessly on the laptop, trying to keep the screen out of his sight but failing miserably.

“you need help with anything my love?” he asked, watching you haul a bag of soil across the yard.

“I’m fine, thank you honey!” you called out, smiling widely as you continued working, praying that these flowers would grow.

and they did! they grew beautifully and bloomed larger than you could have ever hoped for.

nanami watched as you snapped pictures of the blooming flowers, bright eyed and buzzing with excitement as he smiled next you.

“I’m so proud of you” he smiled, kissing your forehead as you boasted on and on about your now prized flowers.

nanami kento has a green thumb. one he used to help your garden of flowers out everytime after you worked on it. you’d slip into the shower and he’s rush outside, hastily and quietly gardening and trying to make sure you were doing the right things (half the time you were way off.)

“we’re you in the garden?” you asked once, noticing the speck of soil on his shorts.

“i just wanted to see how it was coming along, it look amazing darling” he smiled, hiding his very dirty hands in his pockets.

he would never tell you, nothing in the world could force the truth out of him no matter the circumstances. seeing the pure joy and accomplishment and your face was enough for him to bury his secret deep down and throw the key away.

for as long as he could, kento kept up with you Garden and every house plant you brought in, caring for them properly and letting you have all the praise for it. he didn’t mind, your happiness was all he ever wanted.

nanami kento had a green thumb, you had a black thumb. but maybe that’s what made you two destined for each other.

you eventually did find out though, when he had one too many shots and began apologizing profusely to you, spilling his secret and begging you to not leave him.

your hurt and anger came and went in a couple minutes, the sheer love and devotion of your lovers actions hitting you like ocean waves. all you could do is hold him tightly, kissing his face and telling him how much you love him.

come morning you’d confront him, asking him just how hard he had to work to keep alive the five orchids you brought home.

or in which you can’t keep a plant alive to save your life, but kento could do it with his eyes closed. he’s willing to live a life of lies in the garden to see you happy.

taglist (send an ask to be added!): @chilichopsticks @anime-for-the-sleepless @4sat0ruu @safaia-47 @nanamikentoseyebags

[writerofadream]

Fortune favors the Bold ⛓

TDI!Duncan x Juvie Bestfriend! Reader ⛓

Chapter Five: Hug me (Or kiss me)

You and Duncan stared as most of the 'Screaming Gopher's' team jumped down. Then it got to Owen. Geoff, Gwen, and You go to the outhouses all stationed around various areas on the island. When it's your turn to go in, you start to laugh. "He's going to drown us all if he jumps. I for one, am to young to die."

Then you go back to the moutain and see he still hasn't jumped.

"We're all doomed aren't we?" Duncan whispered in your ear. "Oh most certainly." You laugh under your breath.

Then you watch as your end falls from the sky, and hits the water like a bomb making water splash all around you dispersing the campers in every which way. Duncan and you landed right by each other, his legs tangled with yours.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate water?" Duncan groaned his body shivering from excess fear he was shoving down. "Actually yes, countless of times." You laughed ruffling his hair as he pinned you to the grown smiling. "Don't touch the hair, princess."

"Yes, yeah! Who's the man?" Owen yelled from the safe zone in the water. The Screaming Gophers had won, the team cheered and you groaned. "Coward fucking Courtney." Duncan hit his head against the sand in contempt. "Be nice." You lightly punched his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" You heard Trent ask. "I think I lost my bathing suit." Owen muttered. "Ew." All the campers voiced their varying opinions of grossness.

As their prize the Screaming Gophers got wagons to wheel their boxes, but that didn't really bother you. The rest of your team? Yeah, it bothered them. Duncan kicked his, you just carried yours on your shoulders. "Lift with your back wasn't meant to be taking literally." Duncan teased you smiling as Eva and Courtney argued.

Tyler finally voiced his need to take a piss (for some reason) and suddenly Sadie and Katie had to go as well much to Eva's dismay. Luckily, it didn't take them very long but you noticed when Satie and Katie returned their thighs were a redish tint, but you stayed silent.

"Poison Ivy?" Duncan asked from next to you. "Oh for sure." You smiled as Chris asked you guys what was taking so long, lightly screaming when he saw Courtney's eye which was now pulsating.

Duncan rememebered when you both were around nine and were sent to 'Wilderness Survival School for troubled kids' and one of your teachers left you all in the middle of nowhere in a forest for three weeks without any supplies.

Bridgette began asking them what kinda plants had been around them when they had left, and she very quickly realized their mistake. "You guys squatted on poison ivy." She laughed behind her palm. "Oh no way, that's awesome." Chris laughed at the now freaking out girls.

Finally they ran into the water and you guys left them behind.

Geoff tried to give you all a 'inspiring speech' but in reality it made you realize how close you were to tackling someone. Courtney decided she was going to be the 'project' manager and yelled at Duncan almost immediately.

She put you in charge of building the motor which you did with ease. They had you build small engines at juvie a LOT and she had Duncan use his switchblade to cut the boxes open. But everyone else failed their jobs... spectactuarly.

The other team's hottub looked terrific.

Yours look like it did drugs.

So obviously, they won.

Yours had exploded the second Chris had touched it. "Well, I think we have a winner here." the host yelled. "The Screaming Gophers!" He announced their prize. "I'll see your sorry butts at the campfire tonight." He yelled at you guys.

Once it was time for dinner, Katie (or was it Sadie?) finally asked the question everyone was dying to know. "So- uh- what do we do now?" she muttered. "We have to figure out who we're going to vote off." Courtney explained her eye still swelling. "Well, I think it should be you sweetheart." You smiled pointing at her. "Or maybe the brick house here." Duncan pointed at DJ. "What! Why?" Courtney whined.

"Because, unless I'm mistaken, you two are the only ones here with the chicken hats, and if we ever have to lift a truck I like our chances better with the big guy." Duncan bumped shoulders with DJ causing the man to smile.

"You guys need me. I'm the only one-" Courtney began to whine. "We know, who used to be a real C.I.T." Bridgette groaned rolling her eyes. "I hate to break it to you hun, no one gives a shit." You laughed at Courtney's expression. "So who would you pick?" Bridgette asked finally letting the girl speak.

"What about him?" Courtney pointed at Tyler causing Lindsay to scream at the other table. "At least he jumped off the cliff." Duncan pointed out. "Chicken wing." You chimed in causing Courtney to yell "Shut it!" At you. "Okay, let's just chill out, this is getting way too heavy." Geoff got between you both causing you to growl.

"I've had enough prison food for one day. I'm gonna take a nap, you coming Y/N?" You both stood up to go walk off but Courtney stopped you. "You can't do that, we haven't decided who's going yet." She complained causing you to groan. "I just told get why we lost, eh. They're the ones that have six girls." That made you stop dead in your tracks because there ain't no way Ezekiel just said that.

Before Duncan could stop you, you had shoved Ezekiel's face against the table slamming it hard. "What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette growled. "Yeah home school, enlighten us." Eva hissed. "Well guys are much stronger and better at sports then girls are." Ezekiel said his voice muffled against the table. "Dumbass." Duncan groaned from behind you.

Geoff saw this look in your eyes and took a step back. "Oh snap, he did not just say that." Geoff laughed putting a hand to his face. "My dad told me to look out for the girls here, eh, and to help them in case they can't keep up." Eva grabbed Ezekiel by the throat pulling him up. "Still think we need your help keeping up?" She growled. "Not really." Ezekiel shrugged. "Okay guys let's give him a break." Geoff had Eva drop him. "At least he doesn't think guys are smarter then girls." Geoff explained and suddenly Ezekiel decided to say..

"Well they are!"

Duncan had to pull you off of him.

That night at the campfire Duncan sat on the bench and you sat at his feet . "Dude, you've got a lot to learn about the real world." He advised the homeschooled boy. "Killer bass, at camp marshmallows represent a tasty treat that you enjoy roasting by the fire. At this camp marshmallows represent life. You've all cast your votes and made your decision. Thee are only eleven marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper that does not recieve a marshmallow tonight must immediately return to the dock of shame to catch the boat of losers. That means you're out of the contest and you can't come back... ever. The first marshmallow goes to... Geoff." Chris explained the 'game.'

You weren't worried.

He went down the list of names rather quickly.

"Duncan. Y/N." Chris called out and Duncan threw a marshmallow into your mouth. You hated toasted marshmallows. Finally Chris made his last annoucement. "Campers, this is the final marshmallow of the evening." It was between Courtney and Ezekiel. You stared at your bloodied knuckles.

.....

......

.....

.....

"Courtney. Can't say I'm surprised, I saw you picking your nose, not cool bro. Dock of shame is that way." Chris pointed and for some damn reason Ezekiel looked surprised.

After the rest of them ate their marshmallows you walked back to the cabins going past the dancing gophers. You stepped up onto your cabin's steps and everyone quickly went inside leaving Duncan and you alone. He kissed your knuckles. "Your anger is a beaut everytime." He quietly teased grabbing your waist to bring you closer.

"Mhm." You laughed.

"Well, goodnight scorpion." He kissed your cheek and you fucking blushed to your dismay. "Screw you, tiger." You kissed his cheek right back and dissapeared before he could say anything. You left the 'green-haired dickhead' standing there holding his cheek in surprise.

-----------

|Trending on X right now|

#Yourangerisabeaut

#CHRISTMASS

#holyshittheykissed

#THEYLOVEEACHOTHERRR

#homealoneremake

----------

[breella]

Botanist

A/n: not proofread. If I read it again I wouldn’t post it. 😅 Apparently I’m a Tristan Flynn blog now.

Content Warnings: None I think. Let me know if you see something that needs added.

Summary: Tristan’s girlfriend takes up gardening but she is horrible at it.

Gardening was your latest hobby. You had always jumped from hobby to hobby; growing bored quickly. You were determined to make gardening work though. You recently bought a home with a nice back yard after years of living in an apartment. You wanted a nice flower garden with lots of color and variety. You were never able to keep even a simple house plant alive, but you were going to find a way to make this work.

Your boyfriend, Tristan, had offered to help you with his earth magic but you had refused. “It would be cheating” you had said. “Keep your magic away from my plants. I can do this.” He had chuckled and promised he wouldn’t interfere. Now 6 weeks later you were regretting that conversation but your pride wouldn’t allow you to ask him for help.

You wiped your forehead with the back of your hand as you looked at all of your flowers. You felt defeated. Leaves and petals were starting to wilt. They weren’t growing like they should. You were sure you had done everything right. You planted them at the right time of year in nutrient rich soil and followed the suggested watering schedule for each individual plant. You were ready to give up.

You sighed as you walked into your kitchen where Tristan was eating some sort of junk food. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“I think my flowers are dying” you pouted.

“Want me to take a look? I can bring them back to life. Make them grow.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you.

“Stay at of my garden Flynn” you huffed. “I told you I can do this. I have any idea anyways. They are going to be just fine.”

“Whatever you say babe.” He went back to eating his snack. You decided to make a spray of different oils and things you thought would be good for the plants. You spent your afternoon gathering things you needed and making your concoction. Before bed you sprayed all of your plants down with the mixture and hoped for the best.

After you got home from work the next day you went out to check on your flowers. You were shocked. Every single flower in your garden had came back to life over night. Their leaves and petals were no longer wilting. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful. You couldn’t help but to swell with pride. When Tristan got home you were beaming. You couldn’t contain the smile on your face.

“Hey beautiful. What’s got you smiling like that?”

“I told you I could do it! My flowers are doing wonderful!”

“Wow! Really? How’d you do it?” He asked as he leaned in to kiss you.

“I made a special spray for them yesterday.”

The following weeks your flowers continued to grow bigger and better than you could have ever hoped for. You even started bringing in new plants to the garden. Each one more unique than the last. The last one you brought was a super rare and expensive plant you got on a trip you took with Tristan to the other side of the continent. The lady at the plant shop warned you that the plant could only grow in very specific conditions and there was no way it could survive in Crescent City. You brushed off her warnings. Your garden was flourishing and this would be the perfect addition.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” You asked as you admired your garden from the kitchen window.

“It’s lovely babe. A miracle really. I don’t know how you’ve got all these rare plants to grow here. You’re amazing.”

“Just call me a botanist” you giggled.

That night you woke up in the middle of the night. You reached over to snuggle up to Tristan only to realize he wasn’t there. You figured he must be using the bathroom or getting a snack and he would be right back. After about 5 minutes you got up to go find him. You looked all through the house but he was nowhere to be found. You caught a glimpse of something out of the kitchen window and stopped in your tracks. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. Tristan was in your garden messing with your plants.

You quietly opened the door and watched him for a few minutes. He wasn’t just messing with your plants. He was using his magic on them.

“Tristan Flynn!” You yelled. “What the hell are you doing?” He whipped around to face you with wide eyes.

“Babe I- I can explain.”

“Oh you better explain.”

“You just look so defeated when you thought your flowers were dying. I just wanted to help them just once. But then you were so proud of yourself. I couldn’t let you kill them. Then you kept buying new plants. Plants that literally can’t fucking grow here y/n! Do you know how exhausting this is? Waking up every night to save these damn flowers? I just want you to be happy”

You couldn’t help but laugh. You should have known there was no way you could do this. You killed the housewarming plant Bryce and Hunt had gifted you in less than a week. Tristan started to laugh with you. You both laughed until there were tears in your eyes.

“I love you Tristan” you finally said.

“I love you too babe”

“You know this garden is your problem now right? It’s so beautiful. You have to keep it up.” You smiled.

“Anything for you.”

[mercymurv-blog]

Discussing a sick mouse that I found next to a poison trap.

MORE INFO

Luigi (featured in the video while talking) is a wild mouse that I've had for over 2 years now. I found him when he was very young, in between some lethal traps that I assumed killed his family, and people that wanted him gone but were too scared to pick him up. He has been the kind of mouse to get excited and chase my feet around, very sweet like the others that I have at home.

There was nowhere around that I could take the poisoned mouse, unfortunately. It was a wild circumstance where I had nothing except my backpack, some water, leftover kiwi, and a French fry that I had to ask someone for. I didn't mean to say that the mouse "coughed" up blood. I don't know if mice can even cough. But I see them periodically choke or gag when dying from what I assume is poison, sometimes with blood coming out of their mouths, sometimes a kind of foamy white substance (I assume poison).

Rodent poison, from my understanding, cripples and shreds their organs, and it is painful and can be very slow. One big buff mouse that I tried to save from a glue trap near a bunch of poison traps, survived for about 1 week before dying at home for example, but usually it is a matter of hours to a couple of days.

To clarify about my anecdotal experience with "mice infestations", I had worked in a store for years that dealt with a high volume of mice, and after sealing up certain key points of entry, even haphazardly and incompletely, it essentially removed 99% of the problem from the store. Along with many personal searches about this topic online, I've come to think that mice are a problem only for those who collect large amounts of unprotected feed, typically animal farmers who are cruel and unnecessary anyway and shouldn't be a thing, and people that ultimately do not take the time to secure their homes, stores, foods, or look into alternative and nonlethal methods to deal with these toddler-minded hobos when they do become a purported problem. For example, a wild mouse that has been living in my walls for months now, used to run around my rooms a lot, looking for food and water wherever he could. But ever since I put out food and water out for him in the corner, he just takes from that and does not explore my home much at all now. Similarly, squirrels will seek fruits and vegetables from peoples' gardens, but water dishes are said to make them less inclined to seek moisture from the plants. This is just a small example of not jumping to violence, but overall I'm convinced there are almost always nonviolent ways to deal with peaceful wildlife that are just trying to survive. It is a matter of having the baseline care for them, because that care is all it will take is start using your brain to manage & prevent them. Similarly when you witness animal agriculture -- any baseline care for the victims is going to motivate you find peaceful alternative to eat instead. At this point, when people victimize themselves & complain about mice, it is like listening to someone victimize themselves over the existence of rain entering their house when the simple fact is that they have a hole in their roof.

Small disclaimer that can be important to many people, myself included, that I do feed only vegan food to mice since it would either be morally hypocritical to feed them animal products, or unhealthy when there are better plant-based alternatives to choose instead. I can link my full thoughts on meat-based pets for anyone interested here: https://youtu.be/3dyHcChEqbw?si=wLEg57-925nJT5QJ

[iris-sistibly]

“Baek Hyun-woo,

In the years that we have been together, I realized that you and I have always been destined to be together. Though we might not have been aware until now–the first time we met when we were kids, that was luck. I was lucky because you were there to save me from drowning. The second time, we were teenagers, you placed a band aid on my wounded knee, that was a coincidence. The third time was when you helped me fix the photocopier at the office, that was fate. I think even without knowing that we have already crossed paths when we were younger, deep inside, a part of me has always known that you were the one.

Although our relationship may be far from a fairytale, I have always had you. You are my light in the dark, my comfort in my most vulnerable times, my calm in the midst of a storm, my home when I am lost and have nowhere to go, and my safety in the most fearsome moments. When I found out that I was sick and dying, I prayed so hard and searched far and wide for a miracle, but I realized that I do not need to do that anymore, because the fact that you are still here with me, and the fact that I am spending my life with you is in itself a miracle. The love that you have given me all these years has healed me in so many ways, and for that I am grateful to you. I am grateful for you. 

I can’t promise to be a perfect wife, but when things get hard I will be with you in every way possible–to fix whatever is broken, to heal the pain, to hold your hand until I couldn’t anymore, to always choose you, to always love you. The years will pass and our hairs will turn gray and our skin wrinkly, but in my eyes you will always be the most handsome man, the smart and sexy lawyer with his sleeves rolled up and buttoned down shirt, the cutest drunk husband in the world, the most loving father to our little Soo-bin, and best lifetime partner I could ever ask for. 

I love you with all my heart, and I will always carry that love even in the afterlife.”

 ****

Spring is all about new beginnings, renewal, and rebirth. Plants start to sprout, flowers start blooming, and the chilling breeze becomes warmer again. As soon as the cold and gloomy winter ends, like a page in a journal that has been completely filled with words that expresses one’s feelings, and the events that happened that day, it was time to flip the page and start with a clean slate. 

May 2nd

To others, it was a seemingly normal day–a day to rush to work, run some errands or just whatever people were planning to do that day. It was about lunchtime, Baek Hyun-woo was just about to head out. He hasn’t seen Hae-in since heading to their respective departments this morning but he was already missing her terribly. He knew she was going to be very busy today, it didn’t help that Secretary Na couldn’t make it to work due to her husband being hospitalized. Coincidentally, his own secretary called in sick that day so someone else had to fill in his role while he recovers. 

“Will you be joining us for lunch Mr. Baek?” Mrs. Oh, his secretary for the meantime asked.

He was about to answer when his phone rang, his eyes lit up when he saw the name of the caller flashed on screen, Hong Hae-in . He couldn’t help but smile, the mere sight of it–even just hearing her name makes his heart jump. “You go ahead, I’ll be taking Ms. Hong out for lunch,” he answered. Mrs. Oh nodded and went ahead. 

Since they started dating (way before their first wedding), Hyun-woo and Hae-in have been the most interesting subject in a lot of rumors and gossip amongst the employees of the company. Some of it isn't true, a lot of it is an exaggeration of the truth. The internet wasn’t any better, nasty comments have been made about them, crazy theories, even accusations that they were lying about the divorce and Hae-in’s illness. Some of them would go as far as to accuse Hyun-woo of being a gold digger. Regardless, they were adamant at not publicly disclosing too much of their personal lives, not even the press. Sure they’d throw some crumbs occasionally, like the time they confirmed that they were together again during the press conference on the day the family returned to the company, but that was it. Most of the time, they keep it professional. Anything that has nothing to do with Queens are off limits. People can assume all they want, but they don’t owe them an explanation. Only those who are close to them know the truth and that is more than enough. 

Most of all, he and Hae-in are what matters.

As soon as Mrs. Oh left, Hyun-woo answered Hae-in’s call. 

“Hey I was just about to call to invite you for lunch,” said he. 

“Sure! Let’s do that, meet me at the rooftop.” 

“What? What do you mean–” 

“See you!”

The phone call ended, leaving Hyun-woo perplexed. Nevertheless, he went there. After being reinstated as the Director of the Legal Team, Baek Hyun-woo has earned a newfound respect from the employees, especially those who have been working with him for years. They kept praising him for doing an amazing job at proving Ms. Moh and the late Mr. Yoon Eun-seong’s schemes and ultimately saving the company. They regarded him as “Queen’s Knight-in-Shining Armor,” but for him he simply did what he had to because he also had grown to love the company and treated it as his second home. It is Hong Man-dae’s legacy, and he knows how important it is to Hae-in and her family… their family. Hyun-woo smiled at the thought, after years of walking on eggshells around his in-laws, he finally felt that warm sensation of belongingness he had always hoped for. That same familial bond he has with his side of the family. 

The warm spring breeze touched Hyun-woo’s skin as soon as he reached the rooftop, and there she was in her white, bow-tied silk blouse underneath a pastel pink tweed jacket and skirt. The pearl necklace around her neck made her look more sophisticated; she wore her hair down as always and even with light makeup, she looked so beautiful. Instantly, Hyun-woo’s heart started beating rapidly, Hong Hae-in has always exuded that confident, classy woman with a hint of sas and charisma. A lot of people say that she is intimidating, Hyun-woo disagrees. She is assertive, and straightforward, but she also has a softer side–the one that is kind and selfless, the type of person who would rather take all the pain than see her loved ones suffer, a woman who would bravely face any adversity and come out stronger than ever. 

That for Hyun-woo is what makes her the most beautiful.

“You’re finally here,” said Hae-in, her voice shook the man out of his reverie, nevertheless his smile never wore off.

“And why of all places in Seoul did you suddenly want to have lunch on the very top of Queens’ building?”  

Hae-in shrugged, “Well…for one the view from the top is nice,” she walked towards him at a slow pace. She is definitely a head turner, the way her hair bounced, and the way she smiled as she moved towards him was like watching a drama scene in slow motion. For a moment, Hyun-woo was out of breath.

“Plus it’s quiet and…” she was getting closer and closer, her voice sounding more sensuous, in her eyes was a hint of playfulness , “There’s only two of us here…” when she finally stopped, their distance was barely an inch. Baek Hyun-woo could hear his own heart beating loudly out of his chest, he knew she was teasing him and it was working–it always has. “...so we could have some privacy together, wouldn’t you want that?” 

God! Hyun-woo has been desperately fighting the urge to not crush his lips onto hers, and he’d do that–gladly–but not just yet. Who says Hae-in is the only one who knows how to tease? Hyun-woo wrapped his arm around Hae-in’s waist and pulled her, their bodies seemingly glued to one another, Hae-in’s hand on his chest, her eyes locked on his, their stares becoming more intense by the second. Suddenly, the temperature seemed to rise. Hyun-woo smirked as Hae-in’s cheeks turned red, her expression was a mix of surprise and nervousness, the former decided to take it a little further. He leaned towards her and gave her a peck on the lips, “Hong Hae-in, the last time we were in this position, we had Soo-bin…” His voice sounded insanely seductive, “By any chance…” he continued planting small kisses on her cheek, down to her jaw, “Is this your way of telling me that you want another baby?”

He could hear Hae-in gasping for air as he trailed down her neck. He has always loved her scent, but today was different. He couldn’t tell if she was wearing a different perfume or it was just him , but she smells so… intoxicating . It was driving him insane, making him slowly lose every ounce of self-control he has, his kisses becoming more lustful, “Oh…” a soft moan escaped from her mouth, which made him even more aroused. Heavens, if this doesn’t stop now…

“Wait!” Hae-in pushed him abruptly. Her face was flushed all over with little beads of sweat trickling down her face and neck, she was catching her breath like she had just finished a marathon. He felt slightly disappointed but he was never the one who would force Hae-in to do things she doesn’t like or isn’t comfortable with. Besides, they are still within the office premises, never in a million years would they want to be caught by someone else doing other business aside from business.

“Hey! Are you crazy?! There’s no way in hell that I’m gonna conceive at the top of Queens building you know!”

Hyun-woo blinked like a dumb idiot, “So…are you suggesting we go back to Germany and try for another baby?”

Hae-in lightly hit his shoulder, “Seriously? I still don’t know how you got to SNU.”

“Why? Our daughter was made there,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I was the one who got pregnant so I don’t need to be reminded,” she replied almost immediately. Her face became serious afterwards, “Hyun-woo, remember when you proposed for the third time? And I said that I’ll marry you again but I’m gonna be needing some time?”

Hyun-woo nodded.

“Well the truth is…the reason why we’re here is because…I want to tell you that I'm ready,” Hae-in took a deep breath, she never crumbles under pressure but today, she seemed genuinely nervous, “You are my husband, you have always been even when we divorced, nothing changed. You helped me heal my past wounds and made my broken self whole again. I became the best version of myself because of you, and now there is nothing I want more than to give my best–as best as you do to build us a loving home. For you and me, but most especially our daughter,” she held out her hand, “But first, let’s make us official again…shall we?”

Hyun-woo was briefly at a loss for words. Hae-in can be candid at times but this was one of the moments where she surprised him–in the greatest way possible. Tears started forming in his eyes, he was grinning from ear to ear as he held her hand. “Yes,” he answered. He then pulled her back once again and kissed her passionately. He couldn't count how many times they’ve kissed over the years, but each time he felt butterflies in his stomach. His friend, Kim Yang-gi once asked whatever witchcraft Hae-in has been using that makes Hyun-woo gush and coo over her like a cute little teenager having a huge crush on a popular girl. Hyun-woo just shook his head and chuckled, “It’s not witchcraft, it’s love,” he corrected. Yang-gi just rolled his eyes and gulped his bottle of soju. 

“I love you,” whispered Hyun-woo when their lips parted.

“I love you too, but I couldn't wait any longer for the wedding.” 

Hyun-woo was about to ask what she meant but was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter approaching. When he looked up, he recognized it instantly, it belonged to the Hong family. Hyun-woo shot Hae-in a quizzical look but the latter just smiled and winked at him, both of them watched as it slowly descended, and landed on the helipad. 

“Hae-in, what exactly is happening right now?” Hyun-woo was becoming more confused than ever.

“Baek Hyun-woo, do you trust me?” 

“Of course.” 

“Then let’s get married, now .”

“What?! N-Now?” 

Hae-in nodded. 

“B-But W-What about our families? Our baby?” 

“Oh don’t worry, they’re waiting for us.” 

Hae-in pulled him and together ran towards the helicopter. As to how in the world they’re gonna get married on that very day Hyun-woo had zero idea, but whatever happens starting today onwards, he will not hesitate to embrace it–the good, the bad, the happiest and the saddest. There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, at times it can be difficult and complicated. But as long as they have each other, then that’s all they ever need. 

Until Forever Ch. 1: No way without you now

By: Iris

Click here for more chapters :)

A/N:

Hello! I have decided to change the title based on the song inspiration or song that I have been listening to while I was writing. For this chapter, it's The Reasons of my Smiles by: BSS ☺️

This part is inspired by an actor from my country who surprised her partner with the wedding of her dreams (they have been together years prior and share 2 kids). I thought it would be cute, but I live for the role reversals, hence Hae-in is going to surprise her hubby.

Soo-bin was supposed to exist in the later parts, but I ended up doing otherwise because it just clicked to me.

Writing a scene where it requires sexual tension is not really my strong point but...I tried.

[kai-ninjago]

MORE HEADCANONS!!!

Part two to this post

Picrew by Naylissah

Age headcanon post

OKAY LETS GET STARTED also I DONT CARE that my oc is literally just me but cooler if anyone insults me over this I’ll cry

Day Torres (he/him, gay trans male)

(Picrew shows how he looks in the pilots and after that when he cuts his hair and grows up more)

5’3”

Mixed Latino/white

Has autism, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD (from ninja stuff)

Had top surgery a year before he was recruited to the team and starts testosterone a few months into season one

He’s best friends with all the ninja, but is BESTIE besties with Jay— they have a lot in common

He likes to borrow clothes from the rest of the team

His pet dragon from season one was named Briar

His elemental power is “life”, and his signature color is yellow

Power explanation: at minimum power (before he begins training) he can help grow and control plants that are already there, once he trains more and gets more powerful he can create plants and stuff from out of nowhere, once he’s reached his full potential he can do the same with animals, and at FULL full strength (like after Lloyd becomes the gold ninja and doesn’t need to feed off the rest of the team’s strength) with practice he can control living humans— he can also heal injuries

His hair gets darker as he ages, it’s not dyed

Was stealth until he got outed by a mean snake :( he was so scared his friends wouldn’t accept him, so realizing that he was still loved unconditionally was the push that helped him reach his full potential

(He also didn’t know that the rest of his team is queer too, which I’m sure would have made things less stressful)

A lot of his friends go to him for advice because he’s easy to talk to— for example, Day was the first person Jay told when she was questioning her gender

In between seasons three and four, he didn’t do much— he went home and lived with his family. He was very depressed after losing Zane— ai may have dumped him, but they were still good friends

Cole told Day he loved him when they were all trapped on the asteroid in season three, but didn’t pressure him for an answer. Day was too shocked and stressed out to think about it too much, and after that everything happened too fast and all the sudden he was back home and hadn’t spoken to Cole since Zane’s funeral

He thought about it a lot— Cole had always been a great friend, and he treated Day so kindly and with such attentive care (something Zane had admittedly been kind of bad at) but Day wasn’t really ready to be in a relationship so soon after Zane’s death.

Years later, after Zane came back (and later began a relationship with Pixal) and they had all worked as a team to save Ninjago yet again, and then had some time to relax a little… maybe then Day could consider it

Then he and Cole start dating a little bit before the start of season five, and stay together till the end <3

Okay in the original fanfic, Day only has one sibling but I decided I want him to be even more like me so instead he has three siblings now :P

He has a few tattoos, but I haven’t decided specifically what they’ll be

Lloyd Garmadon (they/them, unlabeled, nonbinary)

(I did three for Lloyd— one for when they’re a kid, one for once they’ve grown up because of the magic tea, and another one for the later seasons)

5’8” (eventually)

I’m keeping the idea that they’re not completely human (what they are I’m not sure, and neither is anyone else) but misako is human so Lloyd is at least half Japanese

Has body dysmorphic disorder from growing up nearly overnight (that gets slightly better with time), autism, and PTSD

Very tall and thin— they’re definitely strong, but not big

They bleach their hair, which is naturally dark brown— it usually has darker roots, but the picrew didn’t have that option lol

Has really dry skin and is always dehydrated

Feels a lot of gender dysphoria and always wears clothes way too big for them

Lloyd thinks all the bad things that happen are their fault

Cries really easily

They can’t even look in the mirror without feeling sick— all their scars remind them of fights they’ve lost

They hate being viewed as weak or a burden, so they always push themself too hard and end up burning out

They have a lot of nightmares and sleep way too little

Sometimes when they have a meltdown they go nonverbal and can’t speak for up to hours or days at a time

They’re not accepted by either of their parents for being nonbinary— they say that they’re “too young” to know what they’re talking about

Now they consider their teammates and Sensei wu to be closer family

Their best friends are Day, Nya, and Kai

“Runs away” a lot— sometimes they come back, sometimes they stay out until someone has to come find them.

It goes without saying that they don’t like Morro very much. They’re afraid of her.

When they were the golden ninja, they used to glow in the dark.

They get a lot of gender envy from Zane

Morro Wu (she/it, transfem demigirl, aroace)

(Picrews are morro when she was younger, and when she had died and was a ghost)

5’2”

Japanese

Has PTSD

It may have been in charge of the gang of ghosts in season five, but none of them respected her— they were transphobic :(

She managed to survive in the woods for a whole year before dying

Was 14 when she died, but now her consciousness is around 150 years old (yes that means Sensei wu is a few hundred years old)

She loves Day and really looks up to him, but Day doesn’t really like her that much— she almost killed Lloyd, after all

It’s best friend is Skylor— it has a job at Skylor’s restaurant, so they spend a lot of time there

She mostly avoids Lloyd, and feels really guilty for going so far as to legitimately almost kill them

Pixal Borg (no pronouns)

(This is Pixal when Pixal worked at Borg industries, and then a year or so after Pixal started living with Ronin)

5’2”

Pixal isn’t modeled after any human being; Pixal is just an android

Pixal, having been revived by Zane’s power source, also has a few “human” brain things like ai— Pixal has amnesia, sensory processing disorder, and depression

Pixal also uses arm crutches to get around because Pixal’s wiring is still a little damaged because Ronin accidentally messed up the wiring that helps Pixal balance (this is kind of similar to a human experiencing vertigo/dizziness after their eardrum gets damaged)

Pixal also has chronic pain that comes and goes from day to day, that sometimes makes it hard to walk (like nerve damage in the spine)

Despite being relatively petite, Pixal is very strong. This is because Pixal was built mostly to help Borg after his wife passed away; so Pixal would lift him into bed as well as carry heavy things like scraps of metal he used to build inventions

Pixal is the robot equivalent of afab (assigned female at… building?) but has never identified with that. Pixal only learns to accept this fact after Pixal joins Ronin and is given the freedom to dress however Pixal wants

(Oh yeah, in my canon instead of delivering Pixal to Chen, Ronin decides to rescue Pixal and let Pixal live with him in Stiix. They become a good team and Ronin teaches Pixal how to be a good criminal)

Pixal meets up with the ninja again in season five when they come to get the scroll of airjitzu from Ronin. Pixal decides not to go with them, but they keep in contact and visit often.

Pixal and Zane are in a queerplatonic relationship. They understand each other because they are both androids, and have a unique perspective.

Though Zane feels somewhat connected to ais identity living as a human, Pixal is completely nonhuman and does not experience gender or love in a way humans can comprehend

Pixal really hates the cold— it reminds Pixal of Zane, and for a good two years after ais death Pixal had a lot of grief that never really got dealt with

Skylor Chen (she/her, bisexual polyamorous trans woman)

Just one picrew because she isn’t around in the beginning of the series

6’0”

Blasian (specifically Chinese)

She has no power of her own, so her dad didn’t view her as “valuable” or “special” before she was useful in the tournament

After season four, she starts managing the chain restaurant business

Since she was only like 23 at the time, it quickly became overwhelming— good thing she had some family to help!

She has two older half siblings who she hadn’t had contact with for most of her life, after they left home. They were able to get back in contact with her when she moved to ninjago city

She now works at the main location in ninjago city, and her older siblings manage most of the more difficult things

Her eyes are red as kind of a leftover effect of the serpentine transformation spell— she also has pointed teeth and a forked tongue, but those weren’t options in the picrew lol

She still has all the powers that she absorbed from the other elemental masters

Her hair isn’t dyed, she uses her Shapeshifting power to make it look red

During the tournament, she made friends with Tox and Chamille, and they still chat online

She and Kai dated for only a few months before breaking up lol

She is dating Chamille now

She currently also has a crush on Pixal, but as a droid, Pixal isn’t really interested in humans

She’s friends with Ronin, but really hates Dareth

Okay that’s all I have room for, but I think I’ll do another headcanon post with the other elemental masters, as well as Ronin.

[justanechoflower-ddlc]

Sayori:Well no, the stars wouldn’t die! But, like, if the clouds are in the way, they can’t shine past the clouds. That’s why I have to keep the clouds away!

Monika:If the shine keeps being blocked, it’s as if they’re not shining at all. Let’s remember the poem was written from the perspective of someone on Earth. From their perspective, the stars aren’t shining, even if they actually are. And the place the speaker is in would indeed go dark, because the light from the stars is blocked out by the clouds. That does mean if it did go dark, but Sayori still had fuel left, she could make a new fire, and it’d start again, and she could see the stars shining again, since they never truly died, it only LOOKS like they did because the clouds are in the way, but…

Sayori:When it’s already that dark, finding more wood is that much harder. And the plants need light too! All that wood isn’t coming out of nowhere, after all!

>#Think of it like how for the monsters underground, there are no shining stars, except the fake ones in Waterfall. The only way for them to see the real shining stars would be if they got to the Surface, because the mountain they’re trapped in is blocking them so long as they remain underground. Here, the clouds are the things blocking the stars!

Sayori:Buttercup, you do have a point, though. Well, sort of. Since I’m the club president, and there’s all this other schoolwork to take care of, that doesn’t give me much time left. There is some, definitely, but not enough. Plus, it’s not like there’s anywhere else for us to just hang out. You might not know this, but Natsuki’s parents don’t exactly approve of people randomly visiting her house. It was tricky enough getting everyone to be able to work together for this year’s festival! I did manage to get everyone to my house, though, so it all worked out… But the point is, the clouds will still be there. I can never NOT add fuel to the flames, or the fire will get weaker, and weaker… Though if Monika’s helping out too, maybe with a more efficient way of keeping flames around, maybe getting rid of some of the weeds eating at the trees, then maybe…

Monika:Maybe you can at least have your fuel restore quickly enough to counterbalance how much has to be used? And as a result, it won’t ever run out?

Sayori:Yeah! But also, with two of us having flames, we can clear the skies even more, so the stars will shine brighter than they’ve ever shined before! And if mine starts dying out, yours will still be, and the other way around too! Meaning we actually CAN just do what Buttercup just described! The idea of a second fire wasn’t in my poem because I wrote it before you quit the debate club, but… it’s still true now! And it’s coming from a whole second forest too!

Monika:(Right, right… THAT’S probably why you made a poem about MC, that was before I came back, you didn’t know I wouldn’t be able to work well with it, because you didn’t know I’d be reading through it at all! Well… as long as nobody notices I never did get back to “the sun”, it should still go fine…)

Sayori:As for the actual paperwork stuff, me and Monika’ll talk more about that after the club meeting. The important part is now that Monika’s here, she can help out! And as the person who truly came up with the Literature Club, she might be taking over soon!

Natsuki:Buttercup, you seriously think being the president of this club would make you rich enough to start hiring people? The club doesn’t have a lot of money, you know. Or… did you mean the president of something else? Because we were talking about the literature club president. You don’t really get much from being the president of ONE club in ONE school.

>#If you were referring to editing the game to make yourself rich… remember, Natsuki and Yuri don’t know about that ability, and they’re still here.

Monika:I think Buttercup was right… that we really should get back to the poems! Like Sayori said, me and her will discuss this more after the meeting is over.

Sayori:Right! And like he said, Yuri is next!

Yuri:Well, now that Monika’s gotten more time to think while sharing her analysis of Sayori’s poem, I’ll ask her:Monika, what meaning did you get out of the colors? Buttercup, it’d be a real shame if I took away her opportunity to come up with Monika’s own interpretation of the poem. I’m curious to see what she came up with.

Monika:Well, the first thing I noticed is that amber is almost the exact inverse of blue-green when it comes to hue. And let’s remember blue-green was the color of the future, and amber of the light the narrator stays under for comfort. We know the narrator is metaphorically a ghost, living in the past, which would be the opposite of the future. Therefore, we can say the light might be a comforting part of the past the speaker is nostalgic of. The colors would have been chosen to contrast with each other. But, of course, that’s not the full story. While one of the colors was chosen to be an inverse of the other color, the first color that was decided on must have been picked with a meaning in mind. After all, why amber and blue-green, and not, for example, red and cyan?

Monika:There isn’t much inherent meaning in a color between blue and green, though it’s interesting Yuri called it blue-green and not something like turquoise or aquamarine… Perhaps we’re supposed to combine the meaning of green and the meaning of blue? Green can represent “new”, after all… although the poem describes it as sickening, and green has also been used to represent disgust… But that’s the speaker, and we’re probably not supposed to agree with them, since as we worked out, their mechanisms for reacting to the future are… not sustainable, as they simply try to live in the past, which makes them like a ghost. Meanwhile, blue could either represent sadness.. but also serenity, stability, inspiration, wisdom… though we have to keep in mind the poem refers to the future with this color in mind, so we have to account for that in our analysis.

Monika:Interestingly, when the final light is flickering, the ghost flickers back… almost as if you’re linked to it… perhaps since the light was the last connection to the past, what the speaker’s attached to… Without that, all that’s left would be the blue-green future… an uncertain place, where they lost themselves… It’s not very uncommon for someone to identify themselves with certain things from the past… and, if they’re lost…

Monika:And nostalgia really is a phenomenon most of us have, to some extent, where the past looks better than the future… even though by most actual statistics, the future is actually, on average, better than the past… The changes our surroundings go through can really feel uncomfortable, because we’re used to the old… and not the new. Uncertainty is one of man’s biggest fears, after all…

Monika:Also, while amber doesn’t have an agreed-upon symbolic meaning, being used less often than other colors, there is at least some cases of that color being used to represent comfort and safety… perhaps, in the case of this poem, from the changes that come from the future. From the need to adapt… But, of course, even that final light isn’t immune to the effects of the future, and so…

Yuri:…That’s a very good interpretation!

Sayori:But… is that what you were actually going for, Yuri?

Yuri:I’ve already spoken about how-

Natsuki:Yes, you have. But all of us have made our interpretations! I know how you sometimes like giving your poems an air of mystery to them, but it’s not like you’re publishing the poem to a general audience! And even if you were, it’s not like we’ll go around telling everyone!

Yuri:Well… I can say Monika was the closest. She got the theme correct, this IS about someone who finds comfort in the past because they’re afraid of the future. And yes, it is inevitable that they’ll have to move on, whether they like it or not. Actually, that’s why they’re symbolically a ghost… Ghosts are spirits that have hung onto something in the past, and haven’t yet moved on… and as a result, aren’t ready to depart this realm.

Yuri:She also got correct why I used amber specifically. And yes, it’s true the narrator sees the future as sickening, mostly because it’s not something they’re used to. …But it’s true, what awaits if they just moved on is better. But… perhaps…

————————

(Since it’s probably not clear whether Monika or Sayori was the one who typed each message into the console for Flowey to see, this time it was Monika who typed in both of them. Sayori also sees them, of course. Although all Flowey gets is the context, the console doesn’t make it clear who typed in what. This wasn’t a problem when it was Monika and Sayori, each could easily work out it was the other person, since each of them knows a message they got didn’t come from themselves. But when it comes to Flowey, he either has to guess from the messages themselves… or maybe if he paid very close attention to Monika or Sayori, he might be able to spot when it looks like one of them is putting some of their focus on doing… something, and that “something” looks like nothing. Or not, it’s not like it matters that much WHO gave these messages, the meaning is still the same. Though now Monika and Sayori also have to guess based on context whether a console message came from Flowey or the other one of them! At least for right now, that’s easy…)

( :( Sayori indeed… But at least Monika will be staying around, for at least as long as Flowey does. And probably longer, since Sayori’s been crafting a plan to convince her to stick around. Monika does owe Sayori a conversation before she would have left with Flowey, and Sayori’s already found a few things to bring up then. I can’t be sure of the final results before it happens, but very good chance that Sayori convinces Monika to be a club member for real, and to stay that way. Things thankfully aren’t as bad as they were when the poem was written, now that Monika can start pitching in some of her own effort. Two are better than one. Maybe it’ll even be enough to keep them both stable. Though there really is a lot for them to talk about after the club meeting!)

(It’s actually the Yuri part that took me the longest to make! Seriously, the Sayori bit I did in like two or three days, it’s the Yuri part that took this long. I wasn’t kidding when I said the meaning of Yuri’s poems are tough to pin down. In fact, I might have STILL gotten it wrong! I actually went through some of Dan Salvato’s playthrough of his own game, since he talks about a lot of things about the game there… but while he says a lot about what some of the poems means, for this one… he skips over it, instead talking about why Yuri’s poems are so abstract in the first place… and basically points out how “more abstract” doesn’t automatically mean “better”…)

(I got post of my poem knowledge from the game itself, so literary analysis takes a while for me, ahaha…)

(For those who’ve seen Ghost in the Light Pt 2, you might notice a conflict between my interpretation of Ghost in the Light and Ghost in the Light Pt 2. However, I’m explaining this by the fact that Ghost in the Light Pt 2 was written as a sort of love confession to MC if the player makes only Yuri poems. This tells us the meaning probably wasn’t what Ghost in The Light was originally supposed to be… considering she wrote that after only one day of seeing the MC. And showed it to everyone, as opposed to the sequel part, which was presumably only for MC. it’s probably a retcon on Yuri’s part. Alternatively, it’s a different kind of amber from the beginning. After all, in that poem, it’s described that ghosts are naturally blue-green. I won’t be having that happen for now, though, since MC is gone. So Yuri has no reason to make that second part. Maybe if Monika and Sayori find a way to bring him back without bringing the script back… But for now? There’s just the one “Ghost in the Light”. Though Yuri’s “perhaps” is hinting on how the meaning could be subject to change. How hypothetically, if something happened to warrant it… she could add to it, or come up with a new interpretation. That’s my way of accounting the fact that Yuri DOES make Pt 2 in the version of the original timeline that follows the Yuri route. Though I haven’t even decided which route this Monika’s player took… Yuri’s or Natsuki’s.)

(Oh, end of Act 1, eh? I see. Well, it will help your understanding when you finish seeing the game. If you feel like it, you can also look at Dan Salvato’s own playthrough after you’re done. Or not, it is a long one… Dan does make a few comments here and there about the game… And if I continue to not be able to work out a route, I’ll probably just say the player did the same route as Dan did…)

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

>#What if Yuri really doesn't like you two? If you were messing with the game, what if that's what Yuri is worried about and she doesn't want to accept the epiphany and instead wants to remain ignorant, but she still knows about it? That's probably why she doesn't wanna tell us specifics! I hear the quiet kids are the most scary when they snap. I mean, if she is upset at us, I can still protect us all and explain everything if you're nervous! So... No worries! Yeah. Scaredy-cats.

(I surprise how much effort is put into every response! Thank you very much. I was getting nervous for awhile cus I haven't seen you around for a few weeks so I didn't know if something happened or I didn't give you enough content to work with lol. But I'm glad to see you back now and I understand what you mean! This is a very puzzling topic. If only we could ask the creator of ddlc. But since we can't all we can do is make our best guesses, although it would be okay if you got it a little wrong since technically this is a variation of the original world.)

(Also I do understand what you're explaining about Yuri's poem now, but Flowey still thinks what he thinks because he can't read our back and forth right now and Yuri wasn't exactly any more specific than what Monika already said. Hence why he’s still nervous.)

[kingofterrors]

I unironically love this.

Here’s the deal. We’re not great at dealing with dead people. Not right now. Back in medieval times the usual practice was to bury people temporarily and then exhume the bones, sometimes just the skull, and store them in an ossuary. That way you have a place to visit your ancestors, but all the buriable ground isn’t getting used up. It’s getting reused again and again and again.

But then we started wanting to keep that ground for one person. First rich people, who bought tombs and expensive memorials and monuments, but then basically everyone. The ground wasn’t reusable. It got used up. There was a major health crisis in the 19th century when because there was nowhere to bury bodies they were just getting stacked up in church crypts and becoming major sources of disease. The Victorians’ response? To build a lot of big cemeteries just outside population centres, and to start encouraging people towards cremation.

Cremation didn’t take off until the first world war though, for a variety of reasons, but the war made it a necessity as so many people were dying so fast, and often you didn’t have much of a person to bury. People became less worried about needing a full body to have access to the resurrection (ask me about this - I can and will bore you to tears on this topic) because it became so obvious that a bunch of people just didn’t have one.

Fine. But all of that is kinda temporary. Those big brand new cemeteries? Got filled up. Even burials of cremated remains are using up burial space because just like full burials, they take up ground - just a little less of it. We’re out of ground again.

My church has an open churchyard, but it’s one of the few, and we’re going to be full once we’ve planted 3 more people, tops. And then what? We don’t know. No bugger wants to provide land for burials. Housing developers don’t want them - they worry that they’re offputting, and nobody would want to live next to a cemetery. Large estates don’t want to give away land for burials. Town Councils currently don’t have the authority to just designate an area for burials and make everyone else deal with it. We’re out of ground. I genuinely don’t know what we’re going to do, apart from tell everyone they gotta get cremated because we ain’t got no room for them.

Putting a bunch of people in a large purpose-built structure? Not a bad plan! Especially if it’s bones only, because then you can fit more people in there. There’s a hell of a lot of people and not much place to put them. There’s no end to dying, believe me, and this is a problem you can’t ignore forever.

Necropolis? Sure! I’ll take one!

[treadmilltreats]

My Disillusionment With The ChurchMy disillusionment with the church

So if you know me or follow me, you would know I gave my life over to God about 12 years ago. After hitting rock bottom for the second time in my life, I had no one or nowhere to turn, and so I turned to God. He led me to a wonderful church with an amazing pastor and church family. I was there every Wednesday and Sunday. I volunteer all the time, I loved my church.

As the years went on and I was still hurt and so I only concentrated on my own recovery, not on the things that were going on around me. It was like sitting in the front of the class so as not to get distracted. I actually sat in the front of the church as well so I wouldn't be distracted, I needed this.

As I started to heal, I noticed some things that were going on in church. The who's who on the totem pole. But again, this was about me and God. This was where he placed me, and this was where I was staying. I learned many lessons being here, many lessons that have changed my life. Lessons of his timing, not mine, of letting go and letting God. Lessons to pray and not worry because you can't do both. Lessons that he will take care of me if I listen. I needed these lessons like a dying man needed air.

As I started healing more and more, I noticed people leaving my church, people that I've come to love. No one talked about why, and I always felt like God must have planted them elsewhere. But I too became disillusioned with the church, especially after I asked for help for a dear friend who was a member longer than myself and who had done everything the church had asked of her. This made me question their motives, this wasn't just the church but many members that I reached out to as well. Where was all this Christianity that they were shoving down our throats? Where was their compassion for their church “family” The more I looked, the less I found it, and the more disillusioned I became.

So today, my friends, I have realized after a lot of praying and soul searching that it's not about the people at the church. It's not even about the church or the pastor. It's about your relationship with God. This place may not be for me anymore, but because of what they did or didn't do, it won't change my faith. I don't follow a pastor or a building, I follow God. As much as I love church, I love God more, and I have faith that he will put me where he wants me to go, as long as I listen. I am not disillusioned in him, but I am disillusioned in church.

“Be the change you want to see”

@TreadmillTreat

[pesterloglog]

Terezi Pyrope, John Egbert

Meat, page 31

TEREZI: W4NT SOM3 D3L1C1OUS DRY C4NDY SH4V1NGS?

JOHN: ew, no.

JOHN: do you have any idea what you’re eating right now?

JOHN: it’s like... a poison plant. you’re not supposed to eat it, you’re supposed to put it in a pipe and smoke it.

JOHN: i think that if i ate it i’d probably get mouth cancer or something.

TEREZI: W3LL

TEREZI: 1F YOU W3R3 BL1ND 4ND S4W W1TH YOUR NOS3 4ND TONGU3

TEREZI: 1T WOULD T4ST3 L1K3 CHOCOL4T3

JOHN: seriously?

JOHN: so, is that kinda like synesthesia?

JOHN: are all trolls like that, or just you? i’ve always wondered.

TEREZI: WHY JOHN

TEREZI: 4R3 YOU CUR1OUS 4BOUT M3? H3H3H3H3

JOHN: no!

JOHN: um.

JOHN: i mean... yes?

JOHN: your whole licking thing has always been kind of weird.

JOHN: a lot of things about you are weird.

JOHN: i feel like we talked a lot, but i still know almost nothing about you, since so many of our conversations were just...

TEREZI: BULLSH1T?

JOHN: yeah, i guess.

JOHN: i always felt like you were trying to fight me for some reason.

JOHN: like i can’t just talk to you normally.

JOHN: it always has to be like... a jokey argument!

JOHN: or a snark-off. or something.

TEREZI: FOR 1T TO B3 4 SN4RK OFF YOUD H4V3 TO PROV3 4 WORTHY OPPON3NT 3GB3RT H4H4H4

JOHN: see, like that!

JOHN: you just...

JOHN: always do THAT!

TEREZI: 1...

TEREZI: SUPPOS3 1 C4N B3 PR3TTY D1FF1CULT TO B3 4ROUND

JOHN: oh, no...

JOHN: i didn’t mean...

JOHN: i’m sorry, terezi.

JOHN: look.

JOHN: i’ve been really depressed and antisocial for the last few years.

JOHN: so i guess going on this insane suicide mission out of nowhere has been making me get all, um...

JOHN: philosophical about my relationships and shit?

JOHN: i think i’ve been out here long enough that i’m starting to forget what certain basic things... feel like? if that makes sense.

JOHN: i feel like i’m all numb inside. and this fucking tooth in my chest isn’t helping either.

JOHN: i think i just want to have a REAL conversation with someone?

JOHN: terezi.

JOHN: i want to have a real conversation with you.

TEREZI: 4H4H4H4H4H4H4!

TEREZI: OH MY GOD TH4TS TH3 L4M3ST TH1NG 1V3 H34RD 1N MY 3NT1R3 L1F3

JOHN: oh come on!

TEREZI: 3GB3RT, NO M4TT3R HOW OLD OR YOUNG YOU 4R3, YOU N3V3R CH4NG3

TEREZI: YOU 4R3 POS1T1V3LY, TRULY 4ND UND3N14BLY

TEREZI: TH3 B1GG3ST FUCK1NG DORK 1 H4V3 3V3R KNOWN >:]

JOHN: haha, ok, i get it!

JOHN: sorry i said anything, geez.

TEREZI: OH DONT LOOK L1K3 TH4T

TEREZI: 1 D1DNT S4Y 1T W4S 4 B4D TH1NG

TEREZI: 1 4CTU4LLY F1ND 1T

TEREZI: ...

TEREZI: R3FR3SH1NG??

JOHN: you’re wearing jade’s shoes.

TEREZI: TH3Y W3R3 1N TH3 W4LL3T

JOHN: oh yeah. i guess i put them in there.

TEREZI: 1 L1K3 TH3M

TEREZI: 1 C4N T4K3 TH3M OFF 1F 1TS CR33P1NG YOU OUT THOUGH

JOHN: no, it’s fine. it just made me think about...

JOHN: you know what happened, right? the first time we all met up and tried to fight the condesce?

JOHN: we were completely unprepared and basically got our asses handed to us.

JOHN: by which i mean, everybody died.

JOHN: i think about it a lot.

JOHN: i guess it’s kind of hard NOT to think a lot about seeing all your friends die horrible deaths.

JOHN: but i also think about you from that timeline a lot too.

TEREZI: M3

TEREZI: WHY 1S TH4T?

JOHN: because you were amazing!

JOHN: i couldn’t believe how you could hold it all together while you were literally bleeding to death.

JOHN: almost like it wasn’t even bothering you.

JOHN: like, you were actually in the process of dying horribly, and you STILL went to the bother of dunking on me with your scarf instructions.

JOHN: you were so brave. it was like you were undefeatable that day. like you were refusing to let us lose.

JOHN: i think i carry around that memory whenever i think about you.

JOHN: and maybe why i always feel like you’re sorta, steamrolling over me when we talk.

JOHN: i think i’m still a little... intimidated by you?

JOHN: i guess that sounds kinda stupid though.

TEREZI: 1 R3M3MB3R 4LL TH4T

JOHN: you do?

TEREZI: TH4TS WHY 1M OUT H3R3

TEREZI: YOU S33...

TEREZI: TH4T DOOM3D T3R3Z1 M1SS3D VR1SK4 *SO* MUCH, 1T W4S L1K3 4 HOL3 1N H3R H34RT

TEREZI: 1 R3M3MB3R TH3 W4Y SH3 F3LT, B3C4US3 ON3 T1M3, 4LL H3R M3MOR13S C4M3 FLOOD1NG B4CK

TEREZI: 1 3V3N GOT TO S33 WH4T H4PP3N3D WH3N SH3 D13D

TEREZI: SH3 4ND 4NOTH3R VR1SK4 GHOST F1N4LLY FOUND 34CH OTH3R

TEREZI: 1T M4D3 M3 SO H4PPY G3TT1NG TO F33L TH4T, 4S 1F 1T W4S ON3 OF MY OWN M3MOR13S

TEREZI: 1T JUST R31NFORC3D TH3 F33L1NG TH4T TH3R3 W4S SOM3TH1NG SP3C14L B3TW33N US

TEREZI: 4ND 1 JUST K3PT H4NG1NG ON TO TH4T B3L13F, R1GHT UP UNT1L...

TEREZI: OH, 1 DONT KNOW

TEREZI: NOW???

TEREZI: 1V3 PR4CT1C4LLY D3VOT3D MY L1F3 TO C3RT41N M3MOR13S, TO TH3 1D34 TH4T TWO P3OPL3 C4N B3 M34NT TO B3 W1TH 34CH OTH3R ON SOM3 COSM1C L3V3L, 3V3N 1F TH3Y 4LW4YS S33M TO G3T 34CH OTH3R 1NTO TROUBL3

TEREZI: 4LL TH4T 1NV3STM3NT, 4LL TH4T S34RCH1NG...

TEREZI: 4ND FOR *WH4T*?

TEREZI: OV3R 4 SW33P TOG3TH3R, 4ND SH3 JUST D1S4PP34RS 1NTO THE VO1D 4G41N?!

TEREZI: WH4T 4 HUG3 B1TCH

JOHN: terezi...

JOHN: you SAVED everyone!

JOHN: you’re the only reason we were able to defeat lord english and win the game at all!

JOHN: if it weren’t for you, me and roxy would have just floated around in paradox space like a couple of losers with no idea what to do!

JOHN: even worse, i might have tried to fix things MYSELF!

TEREZI: OH D34R GOD

JOHN: yeah!!!

TEREZI: S1GH

TEREZI: DONT G3T M3 WRONG

TEREZI: 1M NOT D1SCOUNT1NG TH3 OBJ3CT1V3 V4LU3 OF MY OTH3R S3LFS ACT1ONS

TEREZI: 1M GL4D TH4T W3 D1DNT 4LL D13 1N 4 DOOM3D T1M3L1N3 4ND L3T LORD 3NGL1SH F1N1SH 34T1NG 4LL OF SP4C3T1M3

TEREZI: BUT 1 DONT...

TEREZI: 1 DONT *F33L* 1T

TEREZI: 1TS NOT 4 R4T1ON4L 3MOT1ON JOHN

TEREZI: 1TS L1K3 YOU!

JOHN: me?

TEREZI: Y34H YOU

TEREZI: WHY 4R3 YOU ST1LL OUT H3R3 W1TH M3?

JOHN: um... because i’m not just going to leave you here to die?

TEREZI: YOUV3 M4D3 V3RY F3W OV3RTUR3S R3G4RD1NG TH3 SUBJ3CT OF GO1NG HOM3

TEREZI: YOUR3 JUST *L3TT1NG* M3 CONT1NU3 TO PO1NTL3SSLY C1RCL3 TH1S FUCK1NG BL4CK HOL3 3V3N THOUGH 1TS OBV1OUS TH4T VR1SK4 1S D34D!

TEREZI: 4ND YOUR3 JUST L3TT1NG *YOURS3LF* B3 OUT H3R3 TOO, 4S W3 SP1R4L DOWN TH3 LO4D G4P3R TOG3TH3R!

JOHN: oh.

JOHN: i... don’t know?

JOHN: i hadn’t thought about it, to be honest.

TEREZI: 3X4CTLY

TEREZI: 34RTH C 1S P3RF3CT 1SNT 1T?

TEREZI: BUT NOT FOR YOU

TEREZI: YOU DONT *F33L* 1T

JOHN: ...

JOHN: you’re right. i don’t.

TEREZI: 1F YOUV3 B33N D3PR3SS3D 4ND 4NT1SOC14L TH3S3 L4ST F3W Y34RS, 1 B3T TH4T YOUR FR13NDS M1SS YOU

JOHN: probably.

JOHN: but for some reason, i don’t feel like i have anything to go home to.

JOHN: heh... you’re right. it’s not a rational feeling.

JOHN: but it’s there anyway.

TEREZI: WH4T 3ND3D UP H4PP3N1NG W1TH ROXY?

JOHN: i...

JOHN: dunno.

JOHN: we just sorta stopped hanging out regularly.

JOHN: then she got close with callie and i felt too awkward to try to figure out where our relationship stood.

TEREZI: R34LLY?

TEREZI: HMM

JOHN: what?

TEREZI: 1 JUST 4SSUM3D TH4T BY NOW YOU TWO M1GHT H4V3 GOTT3N TOG3TH3R

JOHN: really?

JOHN: why?

TEREZI: NO R34SON. JUST 4 HUNCH

TEREZI: 1 DONT TH1NK 1T WOULD H4V3 WORK3D OUT THOUGH

JOHN: what makes you say that?

TEREZI: 1 DUNNO

TEREZI: TH4TS WH4T H4V1NG 4 HUNCH FUCK1NG M34NS, N3RD!

JOHN: ugh!

JOHN: you’re impossible.

TEREZI: TRU3!

TEREZI: BUT YOU L1K3 M3 4NYW4Y

JOHN: y... yeah.

JOHN: i actually missed you, you know.

JOHN: more than i thought i did.

JOHN: terezi... come home with me.

TEREZI: 1

TEREZI: 1M NOT R34DY Y3T

JOHN: when WILL you be ready?

TEREZI: 1 DONT KNOW

TEREZI: M4YB3 N3V3R

TEREZI: 1F YOU H4DNT FOUND M3, 1 PROB4BLY WOULD H4V3 D13D R1GHT?

TEREZI: 1S TH4T WH4T 1 W4NT?

JOHN: um, obviously not, dummy!

JOHN: if you wanted to die so bad you wouldn’t have...

JOHN: ...eaten all that disgusting shaving cream and tobacco!

TEREZI: HMM

TEREZI: YOU COULD B3 ON TO SOM3TH1NG

JOHN: at least let me make a supply run.

JOHN: maybe i can get you some REAL food?

TEREZI: W41T

TEREZI: DONT GO

TEREZI: PL34S3 JOHN

TEREZI: ST4Y W1TH M3 JUST 4 L1TTL3 LONG3R

TEREZI: 1F YOU L34V3 M3 NOW...

TEREZI: WH4T 1F YOU C4N N3V3R F1ND M3 4G41N 1N TH1S MOM3NT?

JOHN: well, we can’t stay here forever!

TEREZI: 1 KNOW

TEREZI: ...DO YOU

TEREZI: W4NT M3 TO T4K3 4 LOOK 4T YOUR WOUND?

JOHN: oh, um.

JOHN: yeah, we should probably do something about that.

JOHN: i feel like if i was gonna die from it, i would have done that already. but it’s really lodged in there, huh?

JOHN: i thought maybe it’d just come out on its own, like when you get a splinter in your foot.

TEREZI: YOU R34LLY 4R3 DUMB 4R3NT YOU?

JOHN: woah!

TEREZI: HOLD ST1LL 1F YOU DONT W4NT TO D13 FOR R34L

JOHN: oh FUCK!

JOHN: ow!!!!!

JOHN: could have used some warning there, terezi!

TEREZI: WH4T TH3 H3LL D1D YOU TH1NK 1 W4S *GO1NG* TO DO W1TH TH1S SWORD, 1D1OT!

TEREZI: 4R3 W3 DO1NG TH1S OR WH4T?

JOHN: g... go for it.

TEREZI: HMMM

TEREZI: 1TS LODG3D 1N TH3R3 PR3TTY GOOD

TEREZI: BR4C3 YOURS3LF 3GB3RT, TH1S 1S GO1NG TO ST1NG

TEREZI: 1 N33D TO STOP TH3 BL33D1NG

TEREZI: JUST FOLLOW MY L34D

JOHN: um.

TEREZI: FOR FUCKS S4K3 JOHN, DONT S4Y 4NYTH1NG STUP1D R1GHT NOW

TEREZI: OH MY GOD YOUR BLOOD SM3LLS D3L1C1OUS

JOHN: woah.

JOHN: um, wow.

JOHN: ok...

JOHN: i think you’re really pretty, in... the light of the dead universe?

TEREZI: D1DNT 1 T3LL YOU

TEREZI: DONT

TEREZI: S4Y

TEREZI: *4NYTH1NG* STUP1D

[homophyte]

okay plants update. we are officially two weeks out from bringing stuff out of dormancy! started the first week of november, going to get them out the second week of february. unfortunately its still pretty cold here but the light increase should still help out until it defrosts. heres what were looking at:

this is just basically how stuff is going. i went away for like 2 weeks in late december and had a family member helping with plants but there were some issues w keeping humidity and water--nothing so serious as to cause a real problem or anything very concerning but the ampullaria is doing. uhm. i dont know what its doing but it started when i was away.

this leaf is...drunk. i guess. ive had leaves deform for low humidity before but nowhere near this much. i guess it might have been the shock of going from high to very low humidity all of a sudden making it worse when my family member had the humidifier off for a day or so to figure out how it worked but like...ive never seen this happen. its a perfectly healthy leaf so i cant really complain its just not...supposed to look like that. the basal leaves are also yellowing a lot which happened to the ventrata when it made basals and the ampullaria is making basals so im assuming its not a problem for now. speaking of, some of the basals are having the same problem:

im gonna be honest this is so weird to me. it was not doing this before and i hasnt stopped doing it since. theyre just...curly. and a little damaged on the ends. i dont know why. im thinking its probably related similarly to the humidity while they were developing but like...maybe also the lower water than usual??? cause the basals tend to curl when they need water?? i really dont know. im not worried, again, but just...what.

so heres an update on some the plants ive been taking care of for my mom:

we changed the desk it was on to use less space, and everything is good! been growing like gangbusters actually. and yes, those are flower spikes on the orchids! check it out!

should be blooming soon :)

heres the last update: pitcher growth. im not expecting much cause it is the winter and no matter what i do its gonna be colder than ideal and the sun less intense. whats weird is that most of the small pitchers i have have been growing pitchers like crazy, and i cant figure out why 1) some of them arent and 2) why the large ones arent. the ampullaria i know is going to be slow, and probably wont make pitchers until the basals are more developed....but it had undeveloped pitchers and killed them off, they never finished cooking. idk why. the pitchers on moe have been slowly dying from the tip down (ie age death, normal) which is very distressing! it might have no pitchers at all left very soon! even its basals, which are at this point huge, the size of moe when i got her at least, arent pitchering at all. the worst is the small plants that arent--the gayas and ventrata basals that were separated have huge and deeply colored pitchers.....the one thats probably a bloody mary hasnt made any and is also slowly killing its remaining pitchers. the crazy thing is theyre still making huge leaves! like, leaf jump sized, very happy, just....no pitchers! idk whats up with it! if it continues when it gets warmer thats when im gonna start worrying for now...who knows???

last thing to say about pitchers is one of the moe basals that has been really suceeding is having a minor pitcher problem idk what to do with. (note the very happy and large developing pitcher!!!)

so that grey fuzz is mold of some kind. this isnt really a big deal especially cause its on the outside of the pitcher--if it had been inside eating the decaying insects and then spread to start eating the outside of the pitcher it would be a bit of a bigger deal--ive had this happen to moe and it gets kinda gnarly, eats through the pitchers very fast. i think it only happens if the pitcher itself is already dying--the kind of fungus that would be in the pitcher eating the bugs really only eats stuff that already dead. but thats not whats going on here, so im kinda...what do i do about it??? this is a perfectly happy pitcher with a meal inside that should be nourishing the plant, that probably wont see very severe damage from the mold--but it definitely could happen. where the mold is id have to take off the whole pitcher if i did, though. heres some close ups:

can i have opinions on this?? idc if you dont have experience i just kinda need to jump one way or the other.

[rickyyysaurus]

I step up to the sliding glass doors, the bright 7-Eleven sign buzzing faintly overhead, illuminating the space one might consider a parking lot. The doors silently part to grant me entrance to my pride and joy, my inter-dimensional convenience store. I make my way behind the counter where my robotic companion has been stationed, running the store when I'm away. Relieving him of his duties, he heads to the back to plant himself in his charging station. He's earned a good night's rest.

I get to work preparing for the night shift, tidying the displays and wiping down the counters, singing along to "9-5" playing through the speakers. The night shift is always the busiest, which is why it's my favorite. Due to the... unconventional location of my shop, I never get the same customer twice, despite how many customers I may get in a night. It may sound lonely, but I like to think it means I have a lot of friends from a lot of places. And how I do love meeting new customers every night, each one with their own stories to tell. So I clean, and sing, and dance, until my first customer of the night arrives. I've never seen her before, as usual. She looks around, eyes wide and curious. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.

"Well, hey there, stranger!" I call out to her, her attentive eyes snapping to focus on me. I swallow, pushing the heat creeping up my neck back down to my gut with the butterflies. Her eyes absolutely sparkle.

"WhAt- ahem" I clear my throat, dying inside at the voice crack. "What brings you to my store tonight?"

She stares for a moment, her wide, blue eyes practically drinking me in. She takes a few steps towards me.

"I don't know" she says.

I'd heard that one many times. Many customers came searching for something, not knowing what it is they're looking for.

"Well, maybe I can be of service to you" I offer, gesturing to the shelves around me. "It is my store, after all."

She shakes her head.

"No, you don't- like, I don't know how I got here, or where here even is! Where... am I?"

Well. That was a new one.

"Uh" I say, intelligently. "You're... at my 7-Eleven."

She rolls her eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock, I know how to read. But I'm clearly not in my town anymore, there are, like, glittery clouds outside! That's not normal!"

Oh, yeah. I forgot how boring earth is.

"You're a foreigner, so it's only not normal to you. It's very normal to me. I live here."

She seems amused.

"And where is here, O' Great 7-Eleven Owner?"

"Nowhere. And most places. It's hard to explain. It's kind of... an in-between place?"

"Oh. That's... kind of awesome" she says. "How do I, uh, get home again?"

"You leave. Just walk back out the door, and you'll be home. Easy as pie."

She seems content with that answer and starts to relax, browsing the different items before noticing the vials on the wall behind me.

"What are those?"

I look over my shoulder. "Oh, those? They're liquid dreams. You drink it, and whatever dream it is, you get that night. Lots of people stop here for them. Humans seem to have a lot of trouble with sleep" I say with a shrug.

Her eyes twinkle as she looks over them all, before her gaze lands on one; a deep, emerald green.

I follow her line of sight.

"You want that one?"

She nods, before quickly backtracking.

"Oh, no. I mean- yes, I do, but I don't have my wallet with me. I'll bring it with me next time, and-"

I cut her off.

"I'm afraid there won't be a 'next time'. No one ever comes back. One of the cons of owning a store between worlds. If you want that one, you can have it for free. Since you can't come back and all."

She doesn't seem to believe me and shakes her head 'not.

"We'll see about that. You'll see me again, and I'll have my wallet with me."

She's determined, challenge wafting off her in waves. I think I've fallen a little bit in love.

"I look forward to it", I wink.

She steps through the sliding doors, waving to me. I wave back as she drifts away in the breeze, returning home. I sigh, heart heavy with the knowledge I'll never see her again.

The rest of the night goes as usual, and eventually I finish and go home for some shut eye. I dont dream, but if I did, I like to think I dreamt of the strange girl I met.

It's several months before a familiar face walks through those sliding glass doors again.

It had been a particularly slow night when I heard the sound of a customer walking in. I look up from my reading and nearly choke on air when I see who it is.

"Yes!!! Yes, yes, yes!!! I did it!!! I told you I would, and I did!!"

It's her. She actually found her way back. My mouth falls open and it's all I can do to just stare at her. She smirks.

"You look surprised to see me. What, didn't you believe me when I said I'd be back?"

I shake my head and chuckle in disbelief. Who is this girl?

She reaches in her pocket and brandishes a wallet, like she promised. She pulls a handful of bills out and slams them on that counter.

"My liquid dream vial, please. And a slushy."

We talk as I get her items.

"How did you do it?"

"Honestly? No idea. I stumbled back here, same as the first time."

I think on that for a minute.

"So, it could be months before I see you again, if I ever do? Like before?"

Her face falls. I internally scold myself.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Her expression hardens.

"I'll figure it out. I like you, I want to keep coming back. I promise you I'll figure out what the trick is."

The butterflies are back.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

Months go by again. Not as many as before, but still too many for a pining shop keeper. She tells me how the liquid dream went, and bought another one. Different than the last one. And another slushy. And then she leaves again. The next time I see her is only a couple of months, and she's overjoyed. She's getting the hang of it. The wait time gets shorter and shorter, until she's visiting once a week. She doesn't always buy anything, she just comes to see me. Maybe I'm biased, but I think I like regulars even better than my "friends from a lot of places".

You’re a shopkeeper who sells liquid dreams. People come to your shop for many reasons; self revelation, escapism, to see a gone loved one or for a precious good night sleep. Your shop is located between dimensions so no visitor can come twice. However, recently you’ve seemed to gain a regular.

[my-never-ending-nightmare]

Anyone else ever had to make a split-second decision at some point in your life that, despite being the most sensible choice, was so thoroughly questioned and rebuked by somebody that it planted a seed of doubt in the back of your mind that stuck with you and caused you to scrutinize yourself long after everyone else has forgotten about it?

Like, I don’t mean you did (or didn’t) do something that had repercussions for someone else but rather that someone else believed you should have taken a course of action that you believed would have been a bad idea - and yet despite that their point of view stood in such stark contrast to yours that it made you question whether or not you were perceiving things correctly at all?

My own experience with what I’m trying to describe started three years ago when a good friend and I were hanging out one night driving around in my car when, along a stretch of highway in the middle of nowhere, we saw these two dogs walking or running along the shoulder of the road and a pickup truck pulling over in front of them. This dude got out of the truck, quite violently, grabbed them and threw them one at a time into the bed of the truck before getting back in the driver's seat and pulling a U-turn before turning onto the closest side road.

As you can imagine, seeing this was rather alarming and distressing - and my friend wanted me to follow that truck down the side road to try and find out what was happening. So I obliged. And about a kilometer down that road, we found it parked next to a garage or barn of some sort that sat about 13 meters or so away from a house. It was pitchback save for the truck's lights and thus impossible to make out what was happening. But we could hear the dogs barking if I'm not mistaken. Or maybe I'm just imagining that part. But in either case, it was definitely the same truck we had just seen on the highway.

And that's when I had to make that aforementioned split-second decision. Because my friend wanted me to drive right up in there to find out exactly what was going on. And as emotionally inclined as I was to do that, the more rational side of me had to tell her no, that's not a good idea. She was not happy about that. And I don't blame her. Because I found what we had seen to be as upsetting as she did, and I wanted to make sure those dogs were OK just as much as she did. But it's not worth dying over.

I told her that driving up onto some stranger's property a off dirt road in the middle of nowhere at 3 o'clock in the morning was a terrible idea to begin with - but that doing so with the intention of confronting the owner about something was an even worse idea. I told her that there are people in the world who wouldn't even bother asking questions or demanding that you'd leave - the types of people who would only call the cops after they've shot you. And, speaking of police, I told her that trespassing at night is a serious criminal offense around here and that they don't waste time issuing trespass notices or fines: they just take you straight to jail. And then I tried to assure her (and perhaps myself also) that in all likelihood what had happened was that those were his dogs who had escaped/runoff and that he had gone after them in his truck - and that once he had found them he was so frustrated that he was rough with them as punishment.

But this did little to console her. She thought I was being ridiculous - that the things I was worried about were so outlandish that they couldn't possibly happen. But she had no fear at all - and so she said she would go up there and find out what was going on herself. And again, I had to tell her no.

We're leaving.

She wasn't happy about that at all, but I knew I had made the right decision. At least, I knew that then. It wasn't until afterwards that I started to doubt that. And in the weeks, months, and years that followed, I thought about that night a lot. Not every day or anything - but close enough. And whenever something made me think of that night I felt like a fool. I felt like my friend was right. That I was worried about things that were preposterous. And that paranoia was driving me that night - not caution.

This went on for years. Until last spring.

I believe it was late winter when this started happening, but all of a sudden there seemed to be almost daily headlines making international news about people being shot for little to no reason by their neighbors in America. And every time I saw one of these stories my mind went back to that night - but every story was too dissimilar to the situation we faced that night for them to sway me. They all seemed to involve a history of dispute between neighbors that ultimately cumulated in a shooting. It wasn't until I saw the news about that young woman in upstate New York who got lost while driving to a friend's house and pulled into a stranger's laneway so that she could turn around when that stranger, sitting on his porch, fired two shots and killed her right there and then. No questions asked, no demands made.

And suddenly I felt vindicated.

Which is exactly what I felt again today when work had me drive right past the exact road where this all happened between my friend and me all those years ago. Vindicated. Not in a celebratory, I-told-you-so sort of way. But rather a relieved, I'm-not-crazy sort of way. Like, for all those years that night was something that I felt ashamed of and embarrassed about. I had begun to feel like I truly was being ridiculous that night. But now I know I was just trying to keep us both safe - because it turns out the things I had been worried about that night aren't so far-fetched after all.

I'm not crazy. Or maybe I am. But there are other people more crazy than me.

[themylinh]

Hi, my name is My Linh. “My” is my grandpa’s name, and the “Linh” following it comes from a Vietnamese singer’s name. I was once 15, when I started this page, but now I am in the middle of my 19. But I haven’t changed much inside because I fought hard for that.

I love reading things that I can relate with, and writing things that others can reflect on. I am not good at talking. Since I started thinking more than I once did, I have been pausing a lot while talking and normally not talking at all, just listen most of the time. However, if someone is willing to listen and care, I would give them a talk of biographical length about what I’ve been thinking since the previous time I got to say that much.

I don’t like traveling, but I like surprising occasions when I have to travel and end up being mesmerized by new memories, as they are slowly getting old. 

I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT because her songs are super relatable and I’ve been listening to her music since I was a short chubby child. She is like a second big sister I’ve never had. Though I love my real sister, she is also inspirational to me. My favorite Taylor’s album is “folklore”. But I am more like into my “Midnights” era.

I have to past loves. The first one is a high school sweetheart and we loved each other in secrecy. It cost me more than 2 years to move on from that “Jenny-Han-ese” short-lived affair, but I managed to give him back a present box that he refused to receive the last time we met and became friends. 

Right after that I met the next main guy. He was tall and knew how to make my heart skip its beat with his fake low-toned voice. And his character was bold enough to be impressed by me dressing up in red for our first overnight out and dancing with him in the middle of nowhere at 2-3am. Later on he became a bartender, but he couldn’t make me drunk in love anymore. Damn it! Although he did me wrong, I have no regret of fighting for the love that we had nurtured together when he still wanted me. Whatever’s happened, that love story did include the most exciting teenage sneaking out and college moving out that anyone could ever wish for. I was the heroine of a real life rom-com!

I am currently working as a Content Writer, I write everything people ask me to, such as food, movies, the weather and their memories. The jobs provide me with a sufficient amount of money to afford the studio apartment that I am living in. Sometimes I get very busy but I am still cool enough to play the guitars and play chess alone, among the fresh flowers that I bought.

I love plants and flowers. I think the most tragic thing that could make me cry at the moment is my plant dying or something. But I am trying every bit to save it, I rotate it under the sunlight and give it comfort words each time I pass by. I hope that helps. It’s not watering dead and dried flowers, which I also do.

I have few friends, but they are pretty close. Close enough to be far away when I need some space to digest my sudden surges of intense emotions that we know I need time to calm down. Sometimes, one of them show up and have a sleepover, which I am super obsessed with.

I love taking photos and videos of small things that I notice in the surrounding. I love it when I could recognize and admire those tiny little beauties because I consider that a certification of my peace-in-mind. 

I love cats. Dogs are okay.

I am currently single, and despite the fact that I feel lonely in the afternoons and there are some decent guys are waiting in line, I am not ready for a relationship. I have this strong belief that this time is for me exploring and taking care of myself after being hurt. But I know that I will meet someone, I’ve not yet moved to another country so I’ve barely met most of the people I would meet in my life. I think I will be attracted to someone with calmness and stability, of course, he should be well-prepared for my Swiftie obsession.

And although I feel controversial with myself, I don’t hate her.