#anyway if these sell out fast i might try pre orders to get more. if i can figure out the best way to do that.

[toxiccaves]

Wowie! I just put a buncha new stuff on my Ko-fi Shop!

I was mostly testing stuff out, so I only have a very small quantity available for most items! Shipping prices may change later due to me just basing it off of past orders.📦

[goddess-pan]

Tailor!Reader in Dream SMP

Dsmp x reader prompt; Tailor!Reader in Dream SMP. Credit would be appreciated so more people can find this and make their own things based on it.

Can fully be read as platonic. GN!reader with they/them pronounce as a placeholder so anyone can adapt it however they want. Both general and character specific parts included.

Characters who have a lot written for/about; Eret, Ranboo, Foolish, Tommy, Technoblade, Philza and Michael. Mentioned; Tubbo, Sam Nook, Purpled and Foolish Jr.

This ended up being super long so I’m putting it under the cut in order not to clutter people’s pages. My personal favourite part is Phil’s and Techno’s part. These could be read as headcanons but are still available as a prompt(s) to use for anyone.

------------------------------

The reader joining after the doomsday as a time frame in my mind.

The reader helping people patch up their current clothes since most of it got pretty banged up during the doomsday, and it's not like they can just go get a new outfit since quite a few people had just lost all their belongings and only had the clothes on their back. So at first prioritizing helping patch up the current clothing people were wearing and then moving on to making some simple fast to make and easy on the resources clothes for people. Just like basic shirts and shorts/pants, nothing fancy. Then when everyone has at least a couple of different clothes to change to and from starting their own business to sell people more if they wanted. However waving payment if they brought them the materials and what they wanted wasn't overly complicated.

People at first thinking they are just some chump who knows basic sewing or something. A very kind chump, but still a chump. So imagine their surprise when one day they are just walking by the reader's now established tailors and they see these absolutely stunning designs displayed at the windows. 

Just like their reactions seeing these beautiful designs they can't help but stare at. I'd imagine some of them just doing a double take when they walk by, someone pressing their face up to the glass trying to see it closer, the braver ones going inside and talking to the reader about their designs and the more anxious and/or shy ones only going inside when the reader isn't there to look at designs closer. 

And the reasons they like/are amazed by the designs vary also ! Some just have monkey brain that goes "Pretty. WANT", some who just love the colour and art of the pieces, some who imagine how epic this design or others would look on them, some who love the fashion aspect of it and of course the very small portion who actually know anything about tailoring/sewing and the amount of work that goes into making something intricate.

Some specific character/group interactions I thought of;

Making warm well insulated clothes for people moving to Snowchester so they don't freeze. +A warm cape for Ranboo for the same reason.

Eret being one of the firsts (if not the first) to get himself a fully tailored and customized outfit. Them also being the first and very possibly only person to get a dress or a skirt since most of the other people on the server prefer to wear pants (excluding maid dresses which people might get as joke). The reader crying in joy for getting to design something different for once. And hey if the reader ends up making a few extra ones that she didn't order, but decided to give her anyway it was all just some extra ones they had lying around, never mind the fact that the dresses/skirts are perfectly tailored for Eret and are her style. Just a coincidence, nothing suspicious there. Eret also models for the reader and once he even convinced them to hold a fashion show to showcase some of their work to the whole server. Of course he was the main model presenting the outfits.

At start of the reader beginning to display their designs at their shop Ranboo sees a really cool looking suit on display and his brain just goes "Want." He probably wouldn't be able to buy anything pre-made and be comfortable in it due to his physique. And him having just moved into the arctic and only starting to get settled in, he doesn't have comfortable enough funds for him to get something as expensive as a custom tailored suit AND have enough for any possible rent that he might be required to pay. 

Eventually when he gets richer he starts considering getting one but the anxious side of him always ends up winning and he doesn't. However once he finally gets the courage to go commission the suit for himself he doesn't regret it at all. The reader did their best to not overwhelm him and to make it the best possible experience. Just imagining the absolute joy he would feel for having a properly fitting suit that's made just for him, not too short sleeves nor too wide torso and shoulders, just perfect. If he ends up ordering a couple more suits that's between him and the reader. He actually ends up probably being their most frequent and reliable customer.

And we should all know why that is, but let me clarify just in case; Michael.

The reader basically becoming Michael's personal stylist (/hj) . Not only does Ranboo buy a god awful amount of clothes for Michael, the reader also makes some free ones for him. The free ones are things the reader felt like designing since they absolutely adore Michael and the ones Ranboo pays for are commissioned by him. Michael absolutely has the biggest wardrobe in the whole server. The reader learning how to make plushies so Michael could have some more toys, this learning experience including learning to crochet and knit to see what he like best.

Using their newly acquired plush making skills, the reader starts their quest to make some plushies for others after seeing people stare at the plushies wistfully either while they were working on them or seeing Michael with the plushies. People who got them include the minors, their close friends and basically anyone they thought might benefit from them. Some of the ones they made (that I could think of);

Of course a bee for Tubbo, but also throwing in a little ram one as well

Ranboo gets a grass block plush/pillow

Tommy gets a cobblestone block plush and a cow plush. He also later receives a Sam Nook plush while he's working on the hotel

Purpled getting two different sized ufos, one to hold and the other more of a big pillow

Eret definitely gets a flamingo plush

Foolish gets a totem and a gold block plushies

Phil gets crow plush as well these tiny fake coin and gem plushies (the latter causes problems for him which I'll expand upon later)

Techno gets a pig one as well as polar bear one

Back to the individual/group part

The reader just chilling w/ Foolish as a fellow artists. Them talking about both their arts and catching up every time the reader comes to deliver something to Snowchester when Foolish is building the mansion. Just two pretty peaceful artists talking about their passions. I’d imagine Foolish and the reader could relate to each other and their place in the server due to their similar hobbies/jobs as well as their similar time of joining the server. Foolish's first commission from them being an intricate blanket for Foolish Jr so he could have a more comfortable resting place. He may or may not end up receiving that and several other (though less intricate) blankets as well as a tiny shark plush to give to Foolish Jr. Later on when the reader gets better at either knitting or crocheting they end up making a tiny shark jumper with a hood for Foolish Jr as well. Foolish would definitely cry when he sees his tiny shark baby. Any commissions of clothes for himself tend to always take some time due to sheer amount of work needing to be done due to his size so he always makes sure the reader doesn’t already have a lot on their plate and that they know he’s fine with waiting if they need to take a break from it.

Then there's Tommy, who they sometimes teach more about sewing since he already knows some basics. Him probably being the first person aside from Michael they make a plush for, due to him demanding one once he saw the reader making them. Then proceeding to get three plushies in rapid succession. The first being the cobblestone, the second being the cow and the third one being the Sam Nook one. He ends up losing one of them during the prison fiasco and when the reader asks if he'd like a new one they only get the answer of "Don't want to think about what happened and the same one might make me do that". He then promptly receives new clothing (so he isn't wearing the same ones he was wearing in prison) and some extra blankets (for comfort) from the reader. 

After Tommy meeting Michael does he use him to scam the reader to make them matching outfits for free? Yes, yes he does. Does it work? Yes, yes it does. Are they bothered by it? Not really, they look adorable in their matching outfits.

The reader being the source for Sam Nook's construction gear/clothes or at least the original patterns for them.

And then there's the arctic boys (minus Ranboo, who will still get mentioned) who are an interesting bunch clothing wise. The first one to commission the reader out of them would be Phil who got the original warm cape for Ranboo but also at the same time commissioned one for himself that would include slits for his wings. Eventually getting to design clothing for him which is always an exciting challenge with his wings. And when Phil finally manages to convince Techno to get something made for himself as well, Techno almost immediately gets addicted to having high quality clothing when they finish their first piece for him. The fun the reader has designing clothes for these boys is immeasurable with their different styles and needs in the clothing. Aside from clothing Techno also commissions them for a pet bed for Steve. 

When the boys got their plushies it was adorable but also a very chaotic. Techno giving his pig one to Steve so he wouldn't miss him when he was away from home, but also bringing the polar bear one with him when he couldn't or wasn't allowed to bring Steve with him but still needed comfort. While on Phil's side of things; he was showing his crows the crow plushie joking about he'll replace them if they aren't careful however he made the mistake of showing them the tiny coin and gem plushies as well. I want you to imagine hundreds of crows descending upon this poor fool of a man in the background while the reader is walking away hoping they like their plushies. 

The war that ensued the couple following days amongst the crows starts to cool down but the bickering doesn't, every waking moment Phil can feel eyes on him and one or more of the crows coming to complain about the others having had the shiny plushies for too long. He quickly caves under the pressure and commissions more of the tiny shiny treasure plushies. And by more I mean a lot more. 

When he finally has enough of the things he goes around distributing them to the crows. Finally a moment of peace, but he still feels like something is staring at him occasionally. Deciding to ignore it since it's finally quiet he goes to makes himself a cup of tea and while waiting for the water to boil he fishes out the few shiny plushies he had saved for himself. The second he does he feels eyes burning into him and now that it's quiet he hears it, quiet muffled snuffles and snorts of discontent. Then he sees what ‘it’ is, it's Techno behind the window looking at the shinies in his hand with such intensity Phil fears for his life (/hj). Phil just sighs deeply before walking over to the window and opening it. For a second Techno looks like a deer in headlights before returning to intensely staring at the shinies in Phil's hand before Phil just dumps the shiny plushies into Techno's hand and closes the window. Happy piglin noises can be heard outside while Phil debates the pros (getting to have shinies himself) and cons (the embarrassment of having to commission even more of the shiny plushies than he already has) of getting new ones from the reader. And in all this the reader has no idea the amount of chaos they inadvertently caused.

And finally; Techno commissioning robes/cloaks for whole the Syndicate to wear in their meetings, because he’s dramatic like that. But since he’s a thoughtful guy, he wants them all to fit the members well and not be uncomfortable to wear so he gets everyone’s measurements. Once he has them all he goes to the reader with the order for the robes, he has all the measurements written down under just Person 1, Person 2 etc. to keep their anonymity and when asked what the robes are for he just tells the reader it’s a book club. When he gets them all and the reader asks no further questions he thinks he’s gotten away with getting some cool robes for the Syndicate with their secrets safe. Little does he know the reader actually now knows all the members in the Syndicate since they can just reference the gotten measurements with everyone’s measurements written down from previous work done by them. Whether the reader thinks it’s some weird cult they all are a part of or just an actual book club people are too embarrassed to admit they are in, is up to interpretation. 

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Whumptober Day 21: Infection

CW: sick whumpee, abdominal pain, medical whump, emeto mention, nausea mention, pet whump references, recovering whumpee, fever, sickfic

TIMELINE: Chris’s first year after rescue

Nat makes the call, her jaw set in a grim line as she puts her phone up to her ear, and Jake has never seen the laugh-lines and crow's-feet wrinkles as clearly as he does in the dim yellowed light from the single lamp in the corner. 

"We can't do this," Jake says, softly, but he's outvoted by sheer necessity and he knows it, he knows before the protest ever leaves his mouth. It doesn’t stop his heart from racing, dread pooling deep inside him. "Nat, we can't, he isn't-... they’ll turn him in, Nat, god damn it-"

"Hey," Nat says into the phone, ignoring Jake entirely. "It's me. Yeah. I'm calling you for help." 

Next to Jake, lying on the couch while the big man balances himself seated precariously on the coffee table, Chris whines weakly in pain, pressing the back of Jake's hand to his clammy, sweat-soaked forehead. Coppery hair sticks to him, soaked the color of old pennies. 

Jake half-expects to see the blue-green tarnish growing and taking over.

"Hurts," Chris whispers, and Jake's heart breaks open. They didn't know - Chris had collapsed this morning, thrown up his breakfast and then blacked out in the bathroom, it was the first they'd seen of his illness.

Only when he'd been bundled down here to the couch, temp taken - 102 degrees Fahrenheit, holy fuck, he’d been fine yesterday, right? - had Chris admitted he'd been hurting for two days, a pulsing pain around his navel that felt like it was taking over his whole right side now. He told them he’d been so scared they would make him take medicine again that he hadn't told anyone. 

When Chris pointed to the right side of his stomach and said that it hurt there, and it kept getting worse... that was when Nat had given that serious, firm nod, said Dr. Masood couldn't help them this time, and picked up the phone. 

"Nat, he still has his barcode, they'll fucking turn him in-"

"My money’s on appendicitis," Nat says flatly into the phone. Her eyes move to Chris, lips thinning at his pale skin, freckles and two bright red splotches standing out on his cheeks, the way his green eyes are glassy, hazy, lost until the pain spikes and they briefly clear, just enough for him to start crying again. "Guarantee it. I can't use our guy." A pause. "Listen, he's eighteen - I think - and was routinely subjected to dehydration, starvation, and sleep deprivation. His medical care inside isn’t exactly nothing, but... this is appendi-fucking-citis and that motherfucker is going to burst if we don't get someone to cut it out of him ASAP. I don't have the time to waste going back and forth on this with you. Take one fucking look at him and you’ll know it!"

Nat never swears like this, with such intense hostility and insistence. Chris tightens his grip on Jake, and moans, frightened, turning to look up at him with wide green eyes far too big for his pinched expression. “S-sorry, I’m, I’m sorry… ‘ll... ‘ll b’good...” 

The plaintive haunted fear and hurt in him makes Jake wish there were an enemy, someone he could fight. Sitting here watching Chris get sicker by the hour, able to do absolutely nothing about it, is so much worse than anything else ever has been. 

“It’s okay,” Jake murmurs, stroking over his hair, carding his fingers gently through the damp, sweaty strands. “She’s not mad at you, little man, I swear. You’re sick and she’s trying to get help, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Fuck those motherfuckers who made you too scared of pills to tell us you were hurting.

"Jake-" Chris starts, and then stops, swallows as his face goes a little green around the edges and he tenses, whimpering, torn between nausea and the way muscles tensing makes him hurt even worse. Jake watches his internal battle written openly across his expression. Tears slip from his eyes, running down his cheeks, as he chokes back a sob. "It, it, it hurts so much... Jake, I, I need… I could take, take, could… could could could take something now."

Jake nods and starts to move but Nat puts up a hand. "No drugs," She says, quietly. "They'll give him something there to put him under. We don’t want anything to interact badly.”

“Nat-”

“I’m sorry,” She says, her voice firm and calm. “But nothing until my contact has him.”

“Who is your fucking contact, anyway?”

Nat gives Jake a small, tired smile. “Not yet, Jake. Have to keep these things under wraps.”

"Mom, please," Chris pleads, and Jake and Nat both turn to look at him, shocked, eyes wide. "Mom, it, it, it… It hurts!"

Neither of them says anything at first, and Chris stares at them, eyes pleading but far away. It isn’t them he sees at all.

“Nat-”

“Just go with it,” She says, and goes back to the phone.

“Please, Mom-” Chris whimpers.

"Sorry, we can't," Jake whispers, fighting back the burn of hot tears himself as he goes back to stroking through Chris’s hair. Guilt twists inside him, sharp as any knife. Being helpless is tearing him apart.

Chris’s eyes move, lock on Nat, struggle to maintain their focus, go hazy again. His flush is layered over a gray-green paleness that makes him look like a corpse with makeup, pouring sweat that doesn’t cool him down at all. “Mom, please, please help me, please… don’t, don’t, don’t let them take you out, out of my head, Mom, please!”

Nat listens to the voice on the other end of the phone. Her eyes glimmer and her jaw is starting to tremble where she has it locked, visible in the low warm light coming from the lamps, but her voice stays steady. "No. Yes. Yes, that’s him you’re hearing. Yes… 102.3- yes, I'm sure. Fifteen minutes ago, more or less. Abdominal pain - he even said he thought it was a stomachache at first. Fever. Nausea, vomiting, yes. Getting worse and moving down and to the right. Yeah, I know. So how do we keep my rescue safe without the solution being to sit here and watch him die from infection?"

Jake ignores the cold fear that squeezes bony fingers around his heart and wipes Chris's forehead with a cool wet cloth. 

"Mom, m'sick," Chris whispers. "No, no school. Please, please…" His eyes track blearily over Jake's face. "Dad, tell her. Tell, tell, tell-... tell her m’sick…”

"I know," Jake says quietly, his voice shaking and thin. Nat is speaking softer now, lightning-fast whispers with her contact, somebody she's worked with for years with the hospital. "I know, Chris. We’re going to take you to see a doctor, okay?”

Chris blinks at him once, twice, and then his eyes are gone, shifting away. His lower lip starts to tremble, jerking fast, shallow breaths, nearly panting. “I’ll be, be, be-be, be good, don’t… don’t hurt me, sir, I’ll… I’ll be good.”

“I know, buddy, I know.” Jake can’t listen to this much longer. “I know you will.” Chris’s voice is small, losing all his sense of himself. Timid, scared, sweet.

“Be good… can, um, can, can be good f-for… you…” Chris whispers, eyes closing, new tears run out the corners as he whimpers and curls up against the pain. “Just, just stop… hurting me… b-be good, handler, good for, for, for you...”

Jake’s stomach flips and he has to fight the bile trying to rise in his throat. “Nat-”

“Hush, Jake.” Nat’s voice is still calm, and her attention is on the phone. "Mmhmmm. Christopher, um... say Yoder-”

“Stanton,” Jake says from the couch. 

Nat might smile. The expression is too tight, too pinched with worry, to really be called that. “Strike that. Christopher Stanton." Nat listens for a long time, then says quietly, "Eighteen…. We think. No known health problems or pre-existing illness. Autistic."

Jake looks up, blinking, and Nat calmly looks back at him, giving a firm nod while speaking into the phone. "Yes. Yes, I'm confident. He is sensitive to fluorescent lights, scared of needles, and terrified of sedation. Yeah, I realize that I just described the exact environment of a hospital.” Her voice starts to shift, then, and Jake watches her free hand close into a fist. She speaks with increasingly open anger, badly masking her worry and fear. “For the love of Christ, just put on the fucking papers that Christopher Stanton is fucking autistic, because that's what my goddamn rescue is and he still needs care - I'll sell someone else's firstborn to fucking Satan if he isn't autistic, god damn it, mark my fucking words - and we're wasting time goddamn dithering over whether you believe a diagnosis while he gets worse!"

Nat's voice rises, nearly shouting, and Chris whines and curls up closer to Jake, then winces and cries out in pain, straightening back out again. 

"Sssshhhhh, it's okay," Jake murmurs, but his heart is racing, too, his nerves are jagged with memories of swearing, shouting adults. Some part of him that has never stopped being a child braces for the sound of impact. "It's okay."

Nat is quiet for a long time, then snaps, "Yep, nope, I know, I know you needed to confirm," fast and angry. “See you then.” She hangs up, turning to look at Jake and Chris. "My contact is on their way. If the surgery works, two days and he's home. If his appendix bursts... Could be two weeks in the hospital, Jake."

"No," Jake says, lips barely moving. "No, Nat. Two weeks… he can't fake being someone else for so long."

"He better give it his best shot," Nat says, pushing herself to her feet. "I know this sucks, Jake, but sometimes what we do is make the hard choices they can’t make. And… and even if they turn him in, being turned in is better than dying."

Is it? Do you know that?

"What do we do, then?" Jake says, resting his hand on Chris's sweat-damp hair. Chris doesn't seem aware anymore, staring off into space, weeping silent tears and hitching soft sobs, promising in whispers to be good and obey his handler if only he’ll make the pain stop. “What’s the next step? Give me a fucking order, Nat, because I’m lost, and-” Jake gives a nervous, humorless laugh. “-I’m pretty fucking scared for him.”

"Yeah… yeah, I get that. Just pack some clothes and toiletries," Nat says flatly. "And prepare to swear on the fucking Bible to doctors and surgeons and fucking cops if we have to that his name is Chris Stanton and he's your little brother. We’re about to put on a show, Jake."

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not leaving him. You are going to be the most concerned and caring big brother the world has ever seen. When he gets out of surgery, you’re going to meet him in recovery, you’re going to stay with him in his room day and night. You’re there from day one until he walks back out the door.” Nat’s jaw is set again. “And he will be walking back out that door with us.”

“Visiting hours-”

“He can’t make his own medical decisions,” Nat says, leaning over a little, staring Jake right in the eyes. “So someone has to be there all the time. Do you understand me? He can’t.”

“He’s not-... he could, if he was a little further along-”

Chris whines, and his hand grabs weakly at Jake’s and squeezes. Jake can hardly feel it. 

“He’s not. Okay? He’s not that far into recovery yet. We’re going to pretend he’s a lot less capable than he is, to get him through this. We are going to pretend he can’t do it himself, because right now it’s not pretending, he wouldn’t remember what to do yet. And I feel like shit treating him like a toddler, Jake, I really do, but… but he can’t do this alone, and I can’t exactly tell them it’s because he was a pet and they’re trained to be dependent, now can I? We’re going to have to lie about his condition.”

“That wasn’t actually a lie, though, right? We do think he is actually-”

“Yeah. We do. But he’s not incapable - or he won’t be, once he’s older. That’s what we have to lie about. And I don’t-... right now I don’t give a shit about a damn thing except buying him more time to fucking grow up.”

"What about his barcode?"

Nat takes a deep breath. "My contact is going to bandage it over, say it was part of when he passed out and they’ve taken care of it and we're going to hope to Christ no one who they don't trust checks under it. We're out of options, Jake, unless you know how to do an appendectomy and you’ve just been holding out on me. I’m not prepared to do kitchen table surgery. Are you?"

There’s a pause while they stare at each other, and then Jake takes in a deep, steady breath.

You can do this. Chris needs you to do this.

"His name is Chris Stanton," Jake says, meeting her eyes, "and he's my little brother, and he's autistic. I’m his medical power of attorney, I make medical decisions when he’s incapcitated. He’s scared of hospitals because of bad childhood experiences and needs someone nearby at all times or he’ll lose it.”

Nat gives a terse nod. "Good. Pack your shit, and hope his fucking appendix hasn't burst while my contact dicked around." 

Nat went up the stairs like a lightning bolt, and Jake let out a shuddering breath. 

By the time they hear the ambulance pull up a few minutes later, sirens and lights carefully off, they're packed and ready to follow in Nat’s old truck.

Chris's fever is still rising. 

---

Tagging: @burtlederp , @finder-of-rings , @endless-whump , @whumpfigure , @slaintetowhump , @astrobly, @newandfiguringitout , @doveotions , @pretty-face-breaker , @boxboysandotherwhump , @oops-its-whump @moose-teeth , @cubeswhump , @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-tr0pes @whumpiary

[stxleslyds]

MY TOUGHTS ON PART ONE OF RED HOOD BY CHIP ZDARSKY :)

Finally I have read part one of the Red Hood story in Batman: Urban Legends!

This story is very interesting, we start with the Red Hood looking for the people who are providing Gotham with a new drug. This drug “Cheerdrops” has been passed around for weeks at this point and it has had devastating results among it's users. If you know Jason you understand that drugs are a big issue for him and one that he treats very carefully and seriously. 

As he interrogates people he arrives to the building where one of the dealers of this drug is supposed to be, there he finds a horrific scene, a boy is desperately trying to wake up his mother who appears to have overdosed in her bed. Jason is quick to call an ambulance and get in contact with Oracle in order to find the boy's father who is (as he finds out later) the man that he was looking for. 

Jason sees this scene and can't help but compare it to the time he went through this situation with his mom all those years ago, so he takes the boy with him so he can take him to his father, who Jason is hoping is a good man that had to sell drugs in order to help his family.

That's basically the premise of this first part of the story but now i will write about my thoughts on the specifics of the story.

The story begins with Jason giving a speech about fear and how it's used, 

"Fear. Its a tool, it's his tool. I never really adopted it, maybe because he kept that fear all to himself." Then he continues with "Never had to rely on it, had to work harder to take out the bad guys, had to be...more direct." he finishes that thought with "Rubber Bullets. So that fear doesn't get turned around on me."

I for one really liked this Fear speech, it does really sum up what the Batman does, he relies on the Fear that he imposes on Gotham's criminals and such while Robin on the other hand was never meant to work with fear, which is true.

It did remind me of the speech that Alfred gave in issue #10 of Under the Red Hood about how Batman works with fear and Jason had some thoughts on it, here is some of it, 

"Master Jason had a condescending practice of referring to the costumed criminals elements as 'dress ups'. He also noted that such individuals did not fear the Batman the way street thugs and mafioso did. The 'dress ups' did not believe he was a monster." "...the boy did say something to me that chilled me to the bone...even then. 'They all know he won't kill them.'"

Anyway let's go back to the actual comic I am talking about...

Jason speaks from his position as Red Hood in current time and says that he uses rubber bullets in order to keep the Bat at bay, the fear that the Bat uses against other criminals cannot be used against him if he plays within the Bat's rules.

As he was doing that he was actually trying to get info about who is making the drug but all he was able to get was who was selling it to the person he was interrogating. This drug is dangerous and Jason has to work fast. 

Here is where we see the first flashback scene, we see Jason in the cave before he was able to go out as Robin and he is not to happy about it. The art is very beautiful but sadly in these panels i found my first problem with the context of Jason becoming Robin and how Zdarsky seems to set Jason's feelings on the first Robin.

It seems that Zdarsky is going for the “Jason believed Dick was the perfect Robin and no matter what he did he would never be as good as him” route, which fine ok, that's your right but, is it really necessary? I must admit i am a little tired of this particular thing because i adore the fact that when Dick and Jason first met they were fine with one another (even if a little wary at the very start). And the whole competitive and “i will never be as good as X person” is really tiring in the Robin/Batfamily fandom.

That problem is not as significant as the next one though.

Jason not thinking that Robin was “badass”. Well this is not only a bad take but it's completely OOC for Jason, no matter how you see it. From his first appearance as Robin to the flashbacks in Winick's UtRH and even through both of Lobdell's runs Jason has always loved the concept and the mantle of Robin as a child. 

Batman v1, #385.

So that whole take is wrong, i don't like it and also who on this or any universe would rather call themselves Batboy? Honestly i hope this is never brought up again or i will cry. ((((Also in this house Robin will always be the name that Mary gave Dick and then he used as his hero name so it hurts a lot more))))

Also at the end of this first flashback Jason discovers a room full of firearms and is obviously surprised because Batman hates those so he asks why he has them, B responds that he has to understand how they work for his detective work, but that's not all he says, he also says this “...Guns are a coward's weapon, and we will not be cowards.”

Alright Mr. Zdarsky i see the irony... i also see the Daredevil / Punisher thingie right there.

Anyway we are now back to the present where we see Batman seeing the effects of the drug in one of its victims, after saving that person he takes some samples of the drug. We also get to see two police officers with different views on the “masks”, that's a nice way to set the story after the Joker War and before the Magistrate. 

Back to Jason, he seems to be struggling, he can't find the people making/providing the drugs in Gotham and is also doubting his skills, he tells a man that if the information that he gave him is incorrect he “will find him” followed with another internal speech full of self doubt, “...sure thing Red Hood, right now you can't even find a street drug. Half of Gotham's teenagers could find it no problem. You never were the best detective.”

Alright, so Jason feels insecure about his skills now? First you have pre-Robin Jason not feeling like he could be able to keep up with the first Robin and now, Jason as a grown man has doubts about the skills that he has used for a long while now? I mean, press X for DOUBT because UtRH showed us how much of a badass and extremely skilled he is. This man planed everything in order to turn the Bat's world upside down (and this story has references to UtRH so it definitely happened) and now he feels like he is not that good? 

Shit. i know where this is going, first the insecurities that he has already worked out... I can see it coming, the next big thing will be Daddy issues. Wonderful i hate it and i hope i am wrong because those “issues” are more than resolved, i know that's the only trope DC throws at Jason but honestly how different will it be this time?

Fine, lets move on. Jason finds himself in one of the apartments and what he sees is horrifying. Lying on a bed there is a woman completely catatonic with a horrible smile on her face and right next to her a terrified little boy.

Here is the best take on Jason's character so far. 

Realizing that the child is scared of the situation and the masked man that just came into his home Jason takes off his mask and reassures the kid that he is there to help, it's quickly made obvious that the woman has overdosed on Cheerdrops, he makes sure to call an ambulance for her stating that she seems to be in a  drug-related coma.

Its important to note that Jason is doing this as he is having troubling thoughts about how much this scene reminds him of the time he was in this little boy's (Tyler) shoes. Its hard for him but he soon realizes that he needs to make sure Tyler is safe. 

He asks Tyler if he has another parent, he does and his name is Andy, after taking a look around the house Jason deduces that maybe the father is also taking drugs so if the police comes they will surely take Tyler and put him in the system, this idea is not one Jason is fond of so he calls Oracle, he asks if she can locate Tyler's dad's phone, when she asks about the kid Jason says that he will be the one keeping him safe.

Now we find ourselves back with Batman where he is investigating the components of Cheerdrops, he finds out that the drug is a modified version of Scarecrow's fear gas that gives the victim a sense of extreme happiness instead of fear.

Here we get confirmation of when in the timeline this story occurs, which is after the events of Infinite Frontier (where there was an attack on Arkham and many patients/prisoners were killed or escaped).

B suggests to Oracle that maybe Crane didn't die there and that he might be behind this drug, he will be on the job right away! To this Oracle is like well shit, so she tells B that Jason is also working this case...and here comes a funny yet confusing interaction. 

Barbara says “I know you two aren't exactly friends right now but...” before she finishes Batman interrupts her by saying “He is a killer Barbara. I will do this alone.”

OH BOY is this interaction confusing! First of all may i point out how different this conversation is from the one in Three Jokers where the roles were basically reversed??? Please tell me that i am not the only one who finds that funny! Anyway that story doesn't matter here, but Red Hood Outlaw from Rebirth does, right?

Here is the thing, the last person that Jason “killed” in rebirth was Penguin and he actually didn't do it, he had him trapped in a panic room in his own Casino. Batman already beat the living shit out of Jason in RHatO #25 for it...and some time has passed, B surely found out that Jason didn't kill Penguin by now, i mean isn't he like the best detective to ever detective in the history of the universe??

Not only that but Jason has been using rubber bullets for a while and even at the start he mentions that, he basically implies that he is playing by the Bat's rules to keep him off his back. Maybe B hasn't let go of the duffel bag full of heads or any of the shitty people Jason killed during UtRH??? If B still holds that against Jason then why would he try to make Jason part of his Bat clan at the beginning of RHatO Rebirth? 

Maybe he still thinks that Jason killed the penguin...but even then isn't B working with Harley and Ghost-Maker? You know, people who have killed? Why is Jason different? Did Jason kill someone recently that we don't know about? Jason only kills a very distinct set of people (that are very not nice) so i guess i don't see the logic...

Anyway second flashback, and this time we have a look at what was going on in the Batcave with B and Alfred during the events of UtRH! Nothing that wasn't explored in UtRH is said here but we do see Alfred explicitly telling Bruce how much they failed Jason. There is a heavy insinuation that the fact that Batman keeps sending the Joker to Arkham only for him to escape and kill more people actually makes B responsible for those deaths and i love that. Thank you. 

Back to Jason and Tyler we get to see some very adorable scenes between the two. Jason gives the lower half of his mask to Tyler to protect his identity like a superhero and we have a really sweet moment in which Tyler chooses the Blue Hood as his name because he likes the colour blue (same Tyler).

After he leaves Tyler in a place where he will be safe he goes to the building where Andy should be and let me tell you the more Jason sees the less hopeful he becomes about Andy being just one of the people selling the drug... He does some shooting and incapacitating and then follows the man that is trying to escape and here is when shit hits the fan. 

Andy is a disgusting human being. He hates Tyler's mother and doesn't care that she might be dead and the piece of shit hates his son so much that he gave a barely 10 year old drugs. 

Yeah. BANG BANG BANG MOTHERFUKER. 

If you think that this leads to Jason being a little more like his UtRH self, you know the guy that said that people who gave drugs to kids will get killed without a thought...yeah that's not happening, here comes the guilt!

I get it he just killed a man, but, did you read what that man said?

Anyway that's how the first part of this story ends. 

The story is good. it has things that don't make much sense but i think it's because Zdarsky is a Batman fan and not a Red Hood fan in the sense that he doesnt know much about Jason's character and that this is his first ever DC work.

I cant wait to see where this story goes, while i hope “unresolved daddy issues” doesn't become a theme yet again in a Red Hood story i believe it's where we are headed. I will keep on reading because i am invested in Jason and Tyler's relationship and what is going to happen now that Jason killed Andy.

Let me know what you thought about the issue and my post if you want! Bye!

[therealvalkyrie]

Accidental

CHAPTER ONE

Summary: Our lovely reader gets injured on her morning run and Steve comes to her rescue, leading her into a life she never had the courage to dream of.

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: injuries, mentions of blood and head trauma, fluff, eventual smut.

AN: So. This is the first fic I’ve ever put on the internet and I’m actually vv nervous lmao. But I’m proud of it and I plan to write more of this story and inject some ~plot~ and ~romance~ and things, so yeah! It’s set vaguely pre-Infinity War-era, in New York with our regular cast of Avengers, plus some (eventual) special guests. Hope you enjoy:) ~val

--

The early morning sun casts a pale light on the running path ahead of her, although it does little to warm freezing fingers. She’s lost in her head, breathily humming the lyrics of a song she heard last night as her feet pound on frost-covered dirt.

She feels good. Light. Unburdened from the usual stress of city living. Early March means the pond next to the trail glistens in the sun, half iced-over, as she picks up the pace coming around a corner.

It happens fast, with a sharp jab to her side from the handlebar of a passing bike and a hot, sharp pain to her knee. She’s stumbling, clutching her side, one hand out to catch the fall, suddenly stopped short as head connects with tree. She slams against the hard ground and rolls to her back, eyes wide and panicked against the pain in her knee and head. Breathing fast, too fast, the frosty air no longer makes her feel alive. Instead, it constricts the lungs and makes her head feel light.

“Hey, are you okay?” A face appears in her field of vision against a canopy of leafless boughs. It, too, takes her breath away. Piercing blue eyes and flaxseed-blonde hair stun her into silence for a moment. When she doesn’t respond, he utters a soft “hey” again.

“Oh, I, uh, yeah, I think I’m good, I just, uh, what happened?”

“You were hit, and then you fell. Here, let me help you.”

Words won’t go in the right order in her mind as he helps her sit up with large, gentle hands. Immediately, she cries out against a sharp pain in her skull, pressing palms into her eyes. “Ow, fucking fuck!”

“Whoah, there, no need for the language,” he chuckles. “I think you hit your head.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” As the pain dulls, she squints her eyes open to look again at her savior. Her brain hadn’t been deceiving her; the man kneeling by her side is undeniably gorgeous, dressed in a muscle-hugging workout shirt and running pants that show off his incredible physique. Focus, she thinks, shaking her head and wincing when it brings a tidal wave of nausea. “Did, um, I mean, is the biker okay?”

The man glances over his shoulder and she follows his gaze to where the biker is brushing dirt from his pants. He appears unscathed and casts a guilty look in her direction before darting across the path to join them. 

“A-are you okay? I am so, so sorry, I must not have been paying attention.” He leans halfway down, hands on his knees, as though he doesn’t really want to be part of their little group.

“Yeah, I, um, think I’ll be fine?” What’s meant to be a statement comes out as a question.

“She hit her head,” inserts blondie, who’s eyeing the biker with some contempt. “And it looks like the chain caught her knee, too.”

Confused as to what he’s talking about, she looks down at her leg and gasps. The blonde man is holding what looks like a formerly white, now blood-stained, sweatshirt to a pretty significant gash trailing from her kneecap down her calf. 

“Noooo,” she moans. “Those leggings were on sale. And your sweatshirt! ” She’s frustrated and starting to register the pain in her leg and side. With a groan, she slumps back against the tree and tenderly feels the growing lump on her hand. The rough tree bark must have broken skin because her fingertips are red with blood when she pulls them away.

The two men are talking to each other, saying something about responsibility and police report. She doesn’t tune back in until the biker walks away back across the path.

The blonde man turns back to her, tucking his phone back into a pocket. “Don’t worry, I got his information. In case you want to file a report. I’m Steve, by the way.”

“Oh, thank you.” She gives her name and sticks her hand out. He awkwardly shakes it with his left one, as his right was still holding the fabric to her bleeding leg.

“So, how bad is it?” She winces in anticipation of the answer and peers at her wound.

“You’ll be alright, but you should go to the hospital. Your leg definitely needs stitches and I think you have a concussion.”

“Fucking hell,” she sighs. “I don’t have insurance, I can’t afford a hospital trip.”

Steve looks concerned, glancing down at the bloodied leg and back up to her face. He seems to make a decision. “Well, that’s alright, you can come with me and I’ll get you patched up.”

“What are you, a doctor?” she jokes, disbelieving that this man would go any more out of his way than he already had.

“No, but I have a friend who is. It’s not far from here, and I promise he won’t charge you.” His blue eyes twinkle like he has something hidden, but he looks trustworthy nonetheless.

She takes a moment to weigh her options: go home and try to deal with it herself, risking infection and almost-certain brain damage, or go with this strange man, risking waking up two days from now in an ice bath in some warehouse. Fuck it. “Well, okay, that sounds alright. Are you sure your friend isn’t going to chop me up and sell my organs on the black market?”

He breaks out in a wide grin and openly laughs. “No, no, I can promise you he’s legit. Don’t worry, you’ll see. Can you stand?”

“I think so, let me just--” she cuts off her sentence and gropes around in her pockets for something to tie the sweatshirt to her wound. “Got it!” She produces a rubber exercise band from a jacket pocket and passes it to the man, who carefully secures the sweatshirt to her wound.

“Alright, here we go.” Steve crouches next to her and winds her arm around his shoulders, securing his around her waist. With his help and one hand on the tree, she finds herself suddenly standing.

“I’m not sure I can bend my knee, so just don’t let go,” she warns in a nervous almost-whisper and grips him tighter. He is reassuringly solid, and she takes a moment to mentally thank the stars that someone was around to help her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you, sweetheart.” The pet name makes her flush, and she focuses on the path in front of her rather than acknowledging it.

Slowly and patiently, the pair hobbles all the way to the end of the trail, which abruptly leaves the peace of Central Park and opens onto the busy New York streets. By this time she’s sweating and uncomfortable and somehow also freezing, the pain alternating between stiffness in her leg and nausea in her head.

“Why don’t we take a rest. I can call someone to pick us up.” Steve awkwardly guides her to sit on a bench at the edge of the park.

“Grand idea,” she grunts and stretches her injured leg out in front of her. She breathes a hot breath into her fingerless-gloved hands. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a train. Are you not cold? I kind of stole your sweatshirt.”

Chortling good-naturedly, Steve takes a seat next to her, lounging more gracefully than one would expect for someone so lengthy. “I’m okay, I run naturally hot.”

You sure do, she silently agrees, turning back toward the street. As Steve pulls out his phone to call a ride, she closes her eyes and absorbs the sounds of the city waking up. The day is starting out strange, but at least she’s still in familiar territory. He’s talking to someone he must know well, as he’s teasing whoever’s on the other end of the line. After a moment more of listening to the half-conversation, she sinks back into her thoughts.

Please, god, don’t let him be a serial killer, I’m too young to die. I’ll do anything, I’ll donate to charity or adopt a dog or stop being a slut, anything, I swear, as long as he doesn’t --

“So, do you live near here?” The question jolts her out of a reverie, and she scrambles for the answer.

“Oh, uh, yeah, just a couple blocks that way.” She gestures in the direction of her apartment. If he’s a serial killer, I’m dead, she reprimands herself. “And you said you’re not far from here?”

Meeting her slightly hesitant gaze with a steady one, Steve answers, “Yeah, not far, not far. Although I grew up in Brooklyn.”

“No kidding,” she exclaims, a smile finding its way to her face. “Me too! Don’t know what possessed me to move uptown, but here we are.”

He nods in agreement. “I know what you mean. I moved for work, I guess, but I’ve always intended to move back.” 

“What do you do for work?”

This time, he looks at her curiously. “Not to be conceited, but I’m actually surprised you haven’t recognized me yet.” She raises her eyebrows. “But, I suppose you’ll find out soon enough anyway. I’m Steve Rogers, er, Captain America.”

Her head jerks back in surprise and she blinks away another confusing wave of nausea. “Oh! I guess I’ve been so out of it I didn’t notice!”

He laughs at her reaction. “That’s completely fair. But, yeah, that’s why I can get you a doctor.” “That makes a lot more sense,” she nods sagely. “Plus, there’s a significant decrease in the chances you’ll chop me up and sell me for parts.”

“A significant decrease, for sure, I would have to agree.” He mimics her nod and after a beat they both laugh.

Just then, a sleek black car pulls up to the sidewalk and a man steps out and around the front, and it can’t be, can it? Oh my god, it is--

“And just who might this be?” Sam Wilson quips, making eye contact with her, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Steve rolls his eyes affectionately and stands, moving to open the back of the car

She gives her name with a smirk of her own and moves to stand, but Sam steps forward before she can.

“Please, don’t, Steve tells me you’ve hurt your leg. The name’s Sam.” He takes her hand and kisses the back of it lightly, making her giggle like a schoolgirl.

“I know,” she quips. “The Falcon, right?”

“The one and only! I feel honored, Stevie told me you didn’t recognize him at all.”

“I was preoccupied at the time, as it happens.” You steal a glance at his outfit and stifle a giggle at his Captain America pajama pants. “Nice PJs.”

“I’ll have you know I crawled out of bed an hour early for you,” Sam joked, pointing an accusing finger at her. “But Steve says he met a beautiful woman in need of assistance and my inner gentlemen overpowered me.”

“Sam, stop flirting with the lady and help me.” Steve is smiling as he returns to her side, but she thinks she can see a hint of envy in his blue eyes. “Can you stand again?” he asks her lowly, stooping down to wind an arm around her waist again.

“Yes, I think so,” she replies and grips Steve’s broad shoulders and Sam’s outstretched elbow. “Oops, nope, I regret that.” Her head swims and swoops, good knee buckling as soon as she’s upright.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.” And in a heartbeat, Steve has scooped her into his arms and against his chest, one arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her knees.

“Oh,” she breathes, instinctively gripping his shoulders and blushing. He crosses to the car and gently maneuvers her into the back seat.

“Now, I’ll be right up there and it’ll only be a few minutes. We’re not too far away,” Steve reassures before closing the door and sliding into the passenger seat. “All right,” she says to no one in particular, settling her bad leg across the seats.

The ride to Avengers Tower isn’t too long, and it’s spent listening to the two super-soldiers’ easy banter as she leans a cheek against the cool window glass. The low hum of what must be one of Tony Stark’s luxury vehicles lulls her into a half-stupor. She can feel her eyes drooping, heavy, heavier until she slips uneasily into unconsciousness.

The two men don’t realize their passenger has stopped adding in the occasional witticism until a direct question goes unanswered.

Steve calls out her name, then, “You all right back there?” He twists to look back at her and is seized with panic when he sees her pallid form slouched uncomfortably against the door.

“Sam, floor it, she’s out!” He turns fully and reaches back to shake her shoulder, but she only flops limply back.

“Cool it, big guy, we’re here,” Sam coolly reassures but pulls into the garage fast and haphazardly.

The wheels have barely stopped turning and Steve is out of the door, throwing open the back seat. He is panicked and shaky and guilty, thinking she must have lost too much blood and definitely has a concussion, should have kept her awake.

“Hey, hey, wake up, I’ve got you.” He pulls her out of the backseat and into his arms, carrying her bridal style to the elevator bank.

Sam is a step behind him, jamming the “up” button while barking orders in a phone, hopefully to Bruce.

Steve is shaking with anxiety, willing the elevator to hurry the fuck up already. It arrives, and the men slip past a confused intern and into the sleek elevator.

“FRIDAY, medbay,” Steve orders the omnipresent AI.

“Of course, sir. Doctor Banner has asked that you meet him in emergency care.”

[shanie-the-toyaddict]

Shanie Figure Update 8/29/2020

Sizzling shit on a stick

So, on Ringside Collectibles, nearly the entirety of the second line of AEW figures is sold out before it even hit “in stock”. It sold out via pre-order and, because I was a greedy fuck who wanted to conserve my food stamp money, I had to use cash for groceries (buying the groceries was NOT my idea, btw, that was my mother’s) Anyway, spending all my cash on food, meant no money for figures, and that meant that I have likely lost my chance for both a Hangy and Mox figure, as well as a Ultimate Edition Cena figure. That last one is a damn near guarantee. The Hangy and Mox might show up as backorders, I don’t know.

But between those three, and several recently released Elites that are quickly selling out, I’m hurting. My soul ache. I really wanted that Hangman figure. And the Cena was an instant lemming the moment I saw it. I know, I know, there will likely be other Hangman figures. But that UE John Cena? It’s the only one. They ain’t making another for a long time and the figure is already going for hundreds on the ‘bay. And if I miss out on the New Day and Io Shirai? Well, I can try for them on ebay, but no promises. 

There’s just so much plastic that I crave right now. SO DAMN MUCH. As is stands, with Chadwick’s recent death, I’m coming to terms with possibly never getting a Marvel Legends MCU T’Challa figure (the prices on ebay started skyrocketing the moment after the news hit, with some figures already priced over 200 dollars). 

If I’d have had any funds this month past the first week, so much of this could have been avoided. And the figure money I *did* spend this month went to non WWE figures which, granted, was money well spent. I got 6 Doctor Who figures for under 150 bucks, which is a damn steal considering they all came from ENGLAND. (I cannot tell you how fast I clicked when I saw someone selling loose copies of the new Classic Who companions with only 8 dollars combined shipping!)  So, I guess, technically, I did scratch the itch this month. And my “Row of Who” is really damn snazzy looking. (I moved the Who figures off the shelf and onto my bannister. That gave me room to grow in both DW and Marvel Legends as previously, they’d both been sharing a shelf.) And those limited edition sets the new companions came in are being scalped to fuck and back already, so getting almost every figure I wanted from there?  You know what. We make decisions, and we live with them. Am I bitter? Hell Yeah. I wanted my Hangy fig. But it’s not the end of the world. IMHO, Missing out on Romana II or Benton and Yates would be a bigger sin. And who knows, maybe with my money next month, (I’m not spending cash on food), I can get a couple MORE DW figures on top of the WWE Figures I can grab. Seriously, the 12th doctor wants to know where the fuck his friends went. So sorry for the long post. Just needed to vent.  I really need sleep. Bed is calling. Maybe I should answer.

[artsyhamsterdraws]

My first Artist alley experience

So I did it. I survived! Can I get a wahoo yeehaw boiiiiii

*cough*

Anyway I wanted to write a "lil" thing about it all, like how it went, what I learned and shit like that. So here we go~

The convention I've been going to for a while now (3 times if you count this one) is called Närcon summer, and it's a "bit of everything" convention in Linköping (sweden) that happens every summer, but they also have one in the winter and fall as well, tho I've never been to those. (I want to try and get to Närcon Winter this time if it's possible).

It's pretty big. Apparently this year they got about 12.500 visitors over the weekend, so I got to meet a lot of people!

So, how was it?

Well if I wanna be short and straight to the point, it was amazing. I had so much fun and I can't wait to return!

Long answer? Well this one will go through the whole experience from start to finish. So buckle up kiddos this might get boring.

So for me it started even before the convention opened it's gates. During it I had decided to try and sell sketchbook commissions for 50 sek (like 5 bucks), because (1): It meant I would have something to do and wouldn't just have to sit at my table and stare off into space, and (2): Seemed fun.

I then decided to try and start selling them before the convention started, so that some people could come and pick them up day 1 if they wanted to. This worked, way better than expected. In the end I had 5 drawings to make before I even got there.

Here also comes the first thing I learned!

If you sell it for cheap, some people will tip you once they see the final result!

Not everyone paid extra, but I had a couple do it and that seriously almost brought tears to my eyes :')

I had reasons for selling them for so little, but I know that it was way too cheap considering the amount of time I put into each of those drawings. I just felt that; since basically no one knows who I am and this is my first time having a table, this would be a good way to get my name and work out there.

I mean, it did work since I sold 13 of them in total? Over 3 days? (I've never drawn that many things in such a short amount of time ever before).

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to sell more commissions once I got there since I already had 5 of them to do (3 of which I managed to finish before I got there). But apparently I can be fast if I need to? Suddenly they were all just...done and I opened up the commissions again!

Here are a couple of them that I remembered to take pics of:

It was a mix of fanart, original things and OC´s! Some of them I actually wanna make digital versions of cause I think they would look cool...

Once I got there I had to face one of my fears...my neighbors...  I had no idea what so ever who I would be seated with so I was afraid these upcoming 3 days would be filled with awkward silence and avoiding eyecontact. BUT! And that's a huge but (hehe)! They were great. Literally first second I met them I was like "yeah this is going to be fine".

We had so much fun, and once it got late we would sing Abba songs, and today I feel sorry for the people that had to listen to us... :P

I hope to meet them again next närcon, but the gods probably won't put us as neighbors again. They're probable mad at us for the Abba thing...

Oh and, they're both very talented and y'all should check them out! Here are their instagrams!

Literalpleb Apeachiations

Both had a bunch of fire emblem stuff, and apeachiations had some real pretty steven universe prints I wish I could buy but I don't watch steven universe so :(

Oh and I was given amazing gifts from them!

Then I bought these 2 key..chains...rings...I can't remember the english word....

Anyway I saw the Kirby one and knew I had to get it, and then I was talked into gettin the other one (I love it and wanted it don't get me wrong. It's a joke). I have yet to play the new fire emblem because my pre-order is back home and I'm at my parents place for another couple of weeks so :(

(I bought stuff from other people as well but I'll show that at the end!)

------

Setting up the table was fun! I decided to bring my bookmarks and a couple of prints, + like 8 stickers of my hamster logo. I gave 2 of them away tho to my neighbors .

Oh and I put one of my cosplay rifles on the table as well because I decided it would be too much work carrying 2 around. x'D

It started out slow. Most people just stopped by and looked and then moved on. I sold maybe 1 print and 2 bookmarks the first day? I didn't expect much anyway since it was my first time there. Honestly I'm surprised one of my prints even got sold ^^' So I wasn't that put down by the first day...

But then it was Friday, the second day, and things started picking up! I sold out one of my prints! Someone even decided to buy that damn rifle I randomly threw on there, which was amazing. I still can't believe it?

Friday was also the day my friend and I decided to do our cosplay. I missed a couple of hours in the alley because of that, since we had to get back to the hotel and change and all. Tho we did it during the evening so that it would get colder outside and we wouldn't miss THAT much time.

The alley closed around 10pm so we left around 3 to change, got back at 7 and spent those last hours there. Once it closed we also stayed way later at the convention, just walking around and actually looking at things!

Ok back to artist alley!

------

The last day I entered the building, and then only went outside once to buy a drink. Other than that I literally sat there a whole day. 10-10. (Don't worry I had a friend with me that came and went with drinks/snacks).

This day was by far the busiest! I had figured out already that most people wait until the last day before they buy a lot, which makes sense since you want to scope out the whole place before deciding on anything. Saturday (the last day) was also probably one of the days most one-day goers chose? I don't have evidence but that's the day I would choose if I only went 1 day at least...

I decided I would have sales on the last day. For example you got a discount if you bought a whole set of bookmarks. The commissions stayed the same price tho since it was already so cheap. ^^'

In the end I sold 45 bookmarks, the rifle, all my stickers, 13 commissions and all prints except for the 2 with the woman laying in flowers :/ My poor Selma (oc). Might put those on my etsy? I still have bookmarks there btw! Even though I sold a lot those did not sell out. xD

-------

Now, the last day was also the day I bought stuff from others. I decided not to buy anything from the big shops in the other building, and only spent my money on food and artist alley stuff!  Gotta support em fellow artists ya know!

I already listed the things I bought from my neighbors, but I went outside of our little hidden away corner too (I did not pay extra for like a good seat heh...).

I had table 74 (in the upper right corner)...so yeah we were very hidden. Considering the bad spot my table did very well!

Anyway, Here's the cool shit I bought!

The artists' Instagrams:

Linn Standal (Cinnapai)

Emma Lupine

Linda Lithén

I also picked up a bunch of business cards from people I couldn't buy from this time...

-----

So then. What did I learn for next time? Weeeeell...let's make a list I guess!

If you sell commissions for cheap, some people will tip you once they see the final result! (These people are very kind)

The first day is slow. Don't panic!

You always need to bring more business cards than you think. I thought I had enough but nope, they were gone halfway past the second day :/

Next time I'll bring more prints. (Only brought 2 of each, except for the spirited away one. Of that I had 4)

People make cute sounds when they see something they like :'D

Hhhh people are so kind!

Take pictures of your damn commissions!

Bring more drawing paper. (I had to buy a new sketchbook the last day cause I had like...one empty page left)

Leave a sketchbook on the table for people to look through

You're not as bad as you think you are.

People are very kind

Put the commission sign in the middle where it's easy to see it. A lot of people didn't see mine before I moved it.

Putting a sign saying "only one left" on an almost sold out item is good.

Keep track of which prints get the most people to stop. Make note of this and order more of them for next time.

Also take notes whenever someone buys something, so you know how much you sold!

Find something you can hang your prints on so you don't have to lay them on the table. There's not as much space as you think there is.

EAT!!! FFS!!!

Write down your instagram on your business card! (I forgot I had one xD)

Aaaand I think that's that?

Like I said, I had an amazing time and I really hope to do something like this again very soon! Hopefully I'll have time and money to get to Närcon winter. I'll at least try and grab myself a table just in case, and sell it if I can't go in the end. I probably won't cosplay there tho and only focus on artist alley. ^^'

Well, how the fck did you read all this? Impressive. I am impressed. Here's a picture of my cat as a price!

Bye!

[beedaleebjd]

Psssst do you happen to have any tips or beginners links for newbies who are interested in getting in to the BJD hobby? 👀

*SOFT SCREECH* ALICE COME DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH ME... /CLAMBERS FOR

This is a very slap-dash tips post, because a full fledged crash-course would take me much longer than a day to assemble. I think this could get someone started, but I can always answer specific questions if you have them in the future. ❤️

BJD 101: For a rundown of definitions, terminology, and origins of the hobby, I highly recommend checking out the Wikipedia article. (Warning for old vaguely spooky doll photos) I honestly wish I just read this when I got started, haha. It’s not everything, but it’s definitely a start.

Study! Read as much as you possibly can!! Especially terminology and maintenance. I highly recommend watching a bunch of unboxing and review videos- it might seem silly, but they're really helpful to get an idea of scale, how they function/pose, and how they look and feel when handled by a human. I also recommend trying to find owner photos of dolls you’re interested in, because sometimes the store photos are limited!

Join a community! Consider joining a forum like den of angels or a facebook bjd group like BJD Addicts! Exposure to the hobby is really helpful and you learn way faster. It’s fine if you’re shy, you don’t have to interact if you don’t want to- I like lurking DoA for the valuable tutorials and threads on doll brands I'm interested in. Tip: You can view some of DoA’s threads without an account by searching "[subject/doll of choice] den of angels" in google, but i got tired of that pretty fast. Signing up takes a few weeks to get approved but it's worth it for all the knowledge, even old archived stuff.

Window-shop until you drop!! I think the number one regret in the hobby is 'too many dolls, not enough time to love any of them'. So I HIGHLY recommend making wish-lists. These help a lot with avoiding impulse purchases and buyer’s remorse. There are a loooot of dolls out there, so if you've seen a huge majority of them, you'll be more picky.

For me, wishlists include both dream/grail dolls, tentative desires i’m not sure about but want to remember the name of, dolls I could never afford but feel validated writing down somewhere, and also cataloging info- measurements, wig/eye/shoe sizes, resin colors, price, current availability, dealer websites, etc. it becomes such a godsend when you shop for them. you’ll thank me later!!

I spent a lot of time browsing dealer websites like Alice's Collections, Legenddoll, Denver Doll, DOLK Station, etc- I linked some of those here. This is to see what my tastes are. Not EVERY doll company will go through all or any dealers, but it’s a good start!

If you’re the social type, going to conventions or local bjd meetups can help with getting an idea of your preferences! I accidentally walked by one at sakuracon last year and got to hold an MSD and an 11cm tiny, and that was REALLY helpful for me to realize I DID like those sizes. If other doll owners will let you hold theirs, I totally recommend it! (Always ask first, of course! Not everyone is comfortable with it!)

Go!! Slow!!! if you think you're taking it easy, go even slower. i'm so serious. it's so easy to get dazzled, over-eager, or totally overwhelmed by this hobby. especially if you have a habit of hyper focus/special interest tenancies like i do. 

Patience is a virtue anyway: If you’re not buying second-hand or in-stock dolls, you will be waiting a while for your doll. Anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the company and how backlogged they may be at any given point. Dolls are usually pre-order and take time to be made.

Some people like to just buy sculpts and let a character ‘come to them’, which is absolutely valid so if you wanna just go on a feeling that’s great!! i totally can’t afford that route most of the time, so I spend a lot of time mood-boarding for my potential dolls using pinterest and my own art to see just how in love with an idea i am and highly recommend it. I’ll ramble about this in another post soon.

Budget! They are not very cheap like 10-20$ fashion dolls at wal-mart, so those new to the hobby may be shocked.This hobby is an investment and an indulgence/luxury, as with most Nice Things. But don’t be discouraged! There are affordable dolls out there, a lot of Dealer websites offer layaway plans, and the second-hand market is always circulating things!

Here is a DoA list of dolls that are under 300$. 

Note: Size of dolls often scale with price, so the bigger it is, the more expensive (and HEAVY) it will be. Some videos on BJD sizing here and here, but Flickr is crawling with height comparisons as well.

Craft or Not To Craft: Are you team 'i'm gonna sew/craft stuff/do wigs/eyes/faceups for my doll' or team 'i'm gonna buy clothes/props/faceups/wigs/etc from other artists!'? I know most people end up being a little bit of both, but these things both cost time or money (or both) so you wanna think about that in the overall price when you're considering a doll. It seems intimidating, but really, it’s the responsible thing to do. I’d rather plan for it than have a naked sad doll to feel bad about. Some personal recommendations below helped me get started:

Wigs: Monique Gold Collection wigs are affordable in the 20 dollar range, and have incredibly soft fiber! (You can find a lot of these available through ebay sellers as well)

Eyes: Lemonjellyshoppe and CandyKittenEmporium have some incredible eyes and also do custom orders!

Sewing Patterns: DGRequim on etsy and SproutyDoll have both been very nice to use and easy understand and modify to fit your doll!

When you’re savvy on the sizing of your dolls and if you’re comfy with secondhand sales, Facebook groups like BJD Addicts Sales & Commissions, BJD Lovers Sales, and BJD Adoption has a lot of people selling BJDs and accessories, oftentimes discounted for de-stashing or collection overhauls!

In addition to the other dealer sites I linked before, Dollmore (which also has an ebay shop) has a lot of options on everything! 

Rec@sts and the community- This is a veeery hot button topic, but you’ll probably see a lot of it the more you get into the hobby. I don’t want to talk about it a lot because of the negativity it attracts, but to sum it up: BJDs are essentially commissioned art pieces. They are hand sculpted by an artist or small group of artists, and then cast in resin and refined and strung by hand. There are people that will cast copies of them and sell them for a very cheap profit. To put it simply, it’s theft, and it effects the livelihood of people that make a living of their art. A lot of companies stop making dolls because they can’t compete anymore. Most official doll/art related conventions (LDoll, Resin Rose, etc) ban rec@sted dolls, as well as DoA and several of the facebook groups. Be sure to read all the rules of groups/forums you join them.

A lot of people come into this hobby unaware of this and buy a bootleg doll on sites like Ebay or Aliexpress, and then get turned away from the community without understanding why. There are understandable circumstances that cause someone to end up with a bootleg doll, but it’s also important to respect the artists and creators that share their art with the public.

On that note: Sometimes people will resell 2nd hand dolls as legit when they are not. Be careful about who you buy second-hand dolls from. Also, keeping certificates of authenticity (CoAs), receipts, and original packaging is must if you ever plan to resell your doll!

I... think that’s everything major I can think of... at least enough to get someone started? I know a lot of it is a bit vague, but if you wanted my opinion on a certain brand or size of doll or budgeting tips if money is tight, I’d be happy to give my personal preferences on that separately!! But otherwise, good luck and happy treasure hunting! ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

[once-upon-a-ouat]

“Stardust”

@knight-rook-a-history: Stars - AU (Day 6)

A Curious Archer AU inspired by the movie “Stardust”. This is a plot description of the idea because it got away from me and became too long to be written as an actual fic (heaven knows this description is too long, too). Fair warning for major character death and a sad, painful, bittersweet ending. I can’t help my love of angst, folks.

Read on FFN or AO3

Robin saw the star fall. Everyone saw it fall. Everyone knew it was somewhere outside the confines of Mist Haven. Everyone wanted it. No one dared to go get it. No one but Robin. And she had a plan, too. With the help of her two best friends - Gideon and Alexandra, she'd been preparing her plan for years, ever since they’d seen their first shooting star when they’d been kids. The three of them had made a pact to come up with a plan so that they'd be ready when the next star fell out of the sky.

They’d had enough time to perfect it over the years since there’d been no other shooting stars. Or they hadn't seen them. It didn't matter now. They had a star and Robin needed to get to it before someone else found it.

She grabbed the travel bag Gideon had prepared for her with all the things she might need, her bow and arrows, and the shoes Alex had made for her. They were of excellent workmanship and were enchanted. Gideon had helped Robin mold the magic from which Alex's mother's glass slippers were made and adapt it to her own needs. Gideon understood magic like no one else. He knew it inside out on a logical level which Robin couldn't even begin to comprehend. Her mom and aunt had always taught her that magic was emotion, and she'd never been that good at it anyway. She had just enough magic to accomplish the spell of altering a pre-existing body of magic under Gideon's guidance but that meant that the glass slippers had to be sacrificed. On the other hand, she had a pair of enchanted boots that could travel as fast as her body would allow. And Gideon had helped her make a copy of the glass slippers that would never fool a magic user for it wasn't nearly as precise as the original, but Ella would hardly notice the difference.

Robin was all set to go. She just needed to get past the magical barrier that kept them trapped, i.e. safe. Outside of the shield there were ogres lurking, but Robin wasn't afraid of them. She knew how to defeat them – the trick was to shoot them in the eye. Though, with her magical shoes she'd hardly have to worry about ogres. The magical barrier around Mist Haven was the only thing standing between her and that star. Luckily for her, her aunt was the queen of their isolated kingdom and a powerful sorceress. If she didn't have the key to the kingdom so to speak, no one did.

Robin went to her aunt's magic vault. It was sealed and even though her own magic had never been strong, that spell she could break. It was blood magic, after all. All she needed was a drop of blood. She cut herself on the tip of one of her arrows and entered the vault. That was the only part of the plan they needed to improvise because once she opened the vault, she wouldn't be able to seal it again. However, there was a small chance of her aunt finding out about it because she didn't use the vault anymore. Robin had never understood why she would keep all that magic locked away. But “to keep it away from inexperienced and reckless magic users”–such as herself–was probably a good guess.

Robin knew that what she was doing was dangerous. She knew it could blow up in her face in so many different ways and earn her a grounding for life. That was why Gideon and Alex were instructed to cover for her as long as possible. They'd lied that the three of them would be spending the night in their secluded childhood tree house. Knowing them, one night could easily turn into five, so that'd give her enough time to escape and find the star. By the time her disappearance was discovered, she would probably be on her way back and, hopefully, not empty-handed. If she succeeded in her quest, it would be worth all the risks she was taking. Life would change for all of them.

She found a way to open a small "door" in the magical barrier. However, she needed strong magic to spear through the magical field and she knew her own magic couldn't do that. She knew her mom's magic was stored in a box that was somewhere around the vault. Her mom had made the sacrifice to give up her magic in order to protect the community. Since then it was stored into the box and her mom and aunt had been looking for a way to get it back inside her. But that had been when Robin had been a baby. She was twenty-five now. If they hadn't found a way to do it by now, there probably wasn't one. Not in the confines of their magical trap anyway.

Robin took the box and let out her mom's magic. It made a hole big enough for her to get through the barrier. She stumbled out of Mist Haven falling face first into the grass, forced out by the magic. There was something different about the world outside, something wild and exciting. She headed for the place where the star had to be according to her calculations. Well, okay, Gideon's calculations. He'd helped her figure out where she needed to go. And the boots Alex had made for her took her there in under an hour as they allowed her to move with incredible speed.

She found the star but it turned out it was a girl and not, well, a rock, like they'd all expected. It didn't matter, though. She’d gone there for a star, and a star she'd take home.

The star didn't seem to agree with her, though. She accused Robin of being selfish for wanting to possess her. They started calling each other names. Robin called her Star Girl even though her name was Alice. Alice called her Snobin when she learned her name. Robin decided that a better approach might be to explain herself. She told Alice that she wanted to help her people.

Everyone had heard that shooting stars could grant wishes. So they had to be magical. She figured if she brought the fallen star to Mist Haven and everyone wished for it, the war with the ogres would end and they would be able to live freely, instead of being trapped under a magical lid.

Mist Haven was small for her. She wanted to be like her dad – roaming the forests without fearing the ogres and helping people in need. She wanted to have adventures. She wanted to find herself, and that wouldn't happen in Mist Haven.

She also wanted a better life for everyone else. Gideon could become a great scientist with the right resources. Alex could make a fortune from selling shoes to the royals from neighbouring kingdoms and even other realms. Her own mom could make clothes for other royals besides Robin's aunt instead of working on a farm. Snow White could track criminals, and her husband – David, could be a knight. And Emma’s powerful Savior magic could save thousands of people instead of being wasted in the confines of the magical trap they all lovingly called home. They didn't have to be trapped in Mist Haven with no opportunities for the future.

Alice said she'd go with her. She'd always hated to see wars. She couldn't bear the thought of them. Watching the earth for centuries, she'd seen more bloodshed than any human. The thing that kept her watching and shining on the people was how happy they seemed. They always sought adventures and the biggest adventure seemed to be love. So she said she'd look at this as an adventure. She hadn't fallen from the sky intentionally, but until she could find a way to go back home, she would take the opportunity to do what she'd always wanted.

Robin gave her the cloak Gideon had packed for her. They'd figured it would come in handy to conceal her load. Well, not exactly how they'd imagined it, but it still served its purpose. Alice also limited her shining so that she wouldn't blind or even obliterate Robin and anyone they might meet. It really helped to keep her off the radar of anyone else who might be after her.

Robin figured that the journey back would take a lot longer since Alice didn't have magical boots of her own, and carrying her wasn't an option. So they'd have to walk back. Robin was so grateful she had that map Gideon had made her.

Robin was also glad that she took all her savings with her even though she'd planned to use the shoes on the way back, too. Good thing she'd figured it was a good idea to have a backup plan because they needed something to eat. A means of transportation other than walking would be great, too, but there was no way her savings would be enough for a horse. Besides, she was trying to lay low and not draw attention to herself and Alice. However, that wasn't exactly easy with a curious star that was just beginning to get acquainted with human things.

If given the chance, Alice would stop at every step to smell the flowers and pet all the forest animals who seemed to flock to her even though they kept their distance from Robin. It was the bow. The animals on her mom's farm liked her well enough.

The trouble was that Alice drew the attention not only of the animals, but also of the people. Her presence was immediately felt in all the villages they passed–far enough from Mist Haven to not even be aware of the ogre infestation they were facing–as she was filled with child-like wonder by the simplest things. Robin tried to keep her in line, but every once in a while Alice found the opportunity to be in total awe by something as simple as a hook or a stuffed toy.

At one of the market places they went through, Alice saw a white rabbit and immediately fell in love with it. It seemed to gravitate towards her as well so Robin asked her if she wanted it and when Alice nodded enthusiastically, she bought it for her despite her concerns about keeping a low profile.

When they got to the forest, Alice let the rabbit go and it was out of sight as soon as she let it on the ground. Robin scolded her because "seriously, Star girl?" She paid money for that thing. Alice thanked her and said that she’d saved the rabbit from death and now it could live and have a family. Robin just shook her head and kept walking, but when she was out of Alice's sight, she allowed the smile to take over her face.

That night while they were walking–Alice wasn't used to sleeping during the night so Robin compromised by letting Alice sleep for a few hours during the day while she stood guard and they switched at night so that she could get some rest as well–they heard a commotion nearby. They saw a man threatening two girls. Robin used her archery skills to scare him away and save the girls whose names were Anastasia and Drizella. The two had been on their way to an inn nearby where their mother was waiting for them when the guy had come out of the forest, wanting their money.

Alice and Robin joined them on their way to the inn since Robin decided it would be good to sleep in a bed and take a bath for a change. They arrived at "Mother Gothel's Secret Garden" shortly. The innholder – Mother Gothel – was a friendly woman that immediately offered them shelter. Drizella and Anastasia were reunited with their mother – Rapunzel, and said they'd be on their way even though it looked like a storm was coming.

Mother Gothel recognized Robin as a magic user and told her she could show her a trick or two to help her in her travels while Alice was enjoying a nice cup of tea since Gothel, too, was a magic user. It was what helped her run the inn by herself and made it a real win. She told Robin that the trick she was showing her was called "Getting away with your prize" before disappearing.

Robin panicked and checked the inn for Alice but she couldn't find her anywhere. What was worse was that she couldn't get out of the inn. There was a spell that sealed her inside. She used what Gideon had taught her to change the structure of the magic of her shoes again so that it would allow her to walk out of the magical circle she was trapped in.

Once she was free, she started looking for a way to locate Alice. She went through her bag and found a locator’s potion that Gideon had put in there. She wondered what possible reason he could have had for putting that in there before deciding that it must have been his gift of foresight that had made him do it, and, really, what did it matter? The important thing was that she would be able to find Alice.

Her joy was quickly extinguished when she realized that she needed something of Alice's for the potion to be of any help. And she didn't have anything of hers. Well, unless she counted her own heart. Alice's curiosity, bravery and readiness to help had enchanted her from the beginning. And even though she'd only known her for a few days, she was the only one who'd ever made her feel so deeply. So she considered the possibility of ripping out her own heart to use with the potion since it was the only thing she had that belonged to Alice. Even though not in the traditional sense of the word when it came to locator’s potion. Still, it was the only chance she had of finding Alice so she decided to try it.

Before she could proceed with her plan, she was being teleported. And also shrunk. She found herself in a jar in Gothel's hands. The sorceress used her to motivate Alice to help her. She wanted Alice to shine bright enough to make her plants grow enough in size to take over the entire world and kill the people who only destroyed everything in their way. Alice refused but Gothel set a sensor to Robin's jar that would only open the lid when a certain level of brightness of light had been reached. And that would only happen if Alice agreed to cooperate. If not, Robin would soon run out of oxygen and die.

Alice started crying and from her tears grew other plants with stems of shimmering silver that knocked over the jar, shattering it to pieces, and attacked Gothel. Robin was still shrunk, though, but that hardly mattered at the moment. She kissed Alice's cheek, relieved that both of them were alive for the moment, and before she knew it, she was her normal size again. Alice hugged her and told her to close her eyes. And even behind her closed eyelids Robin could still see the blinding wave of light that radiated off of Alice.

When she opened her eyes, there was only ash left of Gothel and her plants. Alice had obliterated them with her shine. She explained to Robin that Gothel had put a curse on her to inhibit her power and prevent her from doing just that. But when the two of them had shared True Love's kiss, the curse had been lifted. And so had been the shrinking spell Gothel had put on Robin.

They got out of the cave where Gothel held them only to find themselves lost. They had no idea where the hell Gothel had taken them. Robin took out the map Gideon had given her and used reverse blood magic. She let the drop of blood fall on Mist Haven's location on the map and trickle down to where they were. It turned out that Gothel had taken them far away, thus eliminating all their progress. Robin groaned that they'd have to walk all that distance again. But Alice's hand in hers gave her the needed encouragement and lifted her spirits.

The two renewed their journey and tried to be less conspicuous this time so as to not draw the attention of another witch that wanted to use Alice's powers for evil. And for heaven's sake, no more inns. They slept under the night sky that was as full of stars as ever.

Robin saw the woven bracelets at one of the market places where they stopped to buy food and decided to buy matching ones for Alice and herself. While she was fumbling with the money, she overheard a conversation between two drunk pirates. She heard them mention the Jolly Roger and stuffed the bracelets in her bag before grabbing Alice's hand and rushing after the pirates.

They followed them to a hidden cove where the ship was anchored. Robin dragged Alice aboard despite her protests. They sneaked around a few of the crew members but their path was blocked by a man dressed in black leather and with a hook for a left hand. Robin recognized him as the captain of the ship – Killian Jones.

She introduced herself as a friend of Gideon’s from Mist Haven which immediately grabbed his attention and he welcomed them on board. Robin explained to Alice that that was the man who had brought Gideon to Mist Haven after he'd rescued him from a place called Neverland where time didn't move and Gideon had been trapped for centuries after he'd been kidnapped from his parents.

Killian offered them lunch and safe passage to Mist Haven. He then asked Robin to tell him everything about Gideon. She told him about the workshop Gideon had in Mist Haven where he built all sorts of inventions to help ease the life of the people.

Meanwhile, Alice was at the railings, watching the sea. A figure in a brown cloak approached her. She could feel the darkness in him. But before she could say anything, he revealed that he knew she was a star. She asked him how he knew and he told her his magic could detect hers.

Robin chose to interrupt at that moment for she’d recognized the hooded figure. She turned to Killian, shocked that he’d have the Dark One on his ship. She’d heard stories about him. The man who could’ve easily ended the Ogre war but had refused to. She drew an arrow and aimed it at him, perfectly aware of her minimal chance to even get to shoot it, not to mention hit him with it.

Killian stopped her, revealing that that was Rumplestiltskin – Gideon's father. He’d challenged him to a duel because he’d wanted his ship. It could fly thanks to the sail made of pegasi feathers and he needed just that to rescue his son from the prison he was being held in. Killian had agreed to help him when he’d learned the boy was trapped on Neverland. His own brother had found his death on that cursed island, so if he had the chance to save someone from there, he would take it. They’d rescued the boy and had brought him to Mist Haven where he’d be safe.

Robin asked why Rumple hadn’t stayed with him and had left him an orphan instead. Rumple told her the story. He’d been the Savior, destined to end the great evil that’d been born the same winter as him. It had turned out that evil had been his own mother. And to prevent him from fulfilling his destiny, she’d cut off the thread of his life, thus altering his fate. He’d turned out to be a coward. Yet, he’d found a kind soul who’d been able to look past all of his shortcomings and had fallen in love with him. He’d fallen in love with her and they’d gotten married. Soon his wife had given birth to a son – Gideon, named after her favorite book character. They’d been living a fairytale.

Until his mother had reentered his life. She’d been trying to steal Gideon from them because, as the son of the ex Savior, he had powerful magic that could help her get what she wanted. Afraid of her endless attempts to steal his son, Rumple had sought out the Dark One and had taken his power for himself so that he’d be able to protect his family from the woman who’d ruined his life the first time around. He wouldn't let her do it again.

However, when he returned from his journey with the power of the Dark One, it had been too late. His son had been kidnapped by his father – Peter Pan, who ruled over Neverland. He’d taken the boy in hopes of being reunited with his wife. So Rumple searched for ways to get his son out of Neverland for years while his wife faded under the burden of the grief and time. She’d died eventually and he’d had nothing to keep him on the side of light anymore. He’d used more and more dark magic and it had been consuming him slowly. And he still hadn’t found a way to get to his son.

Then he’d heard about Killian’s ship. Together the two of them had freed Gideon with Rumple killing his father in the process. They’d saved Gideon but he hadn’t even recognized his papa. He looked nothing like he had before and his voice sounded different with madness woven in it. He’d sunk so deep into the darkness that his own son hadn’t been able to recognize him. So he’d decided Gideon would be better off without him and Killian had suggested to get him to Mist Haven where he’d be safe.

However, the Black Fairy – Rumple’s mother, had followed them there as she’d needed Gideon's magic in order to be able to stay in that dimension and not be pulled back to the one she’d been banished to. And as luck would have it, in Mist Haven she’d found the last ingredient she needed in order to free herself – Emma. She was the new Savior and with enough of her magic she could open a portal between the dimensions and come back to this one permanently.

Killian stepped in to tell Robin about her mother’s brave sacrifice. The Black Fairy had used Zelena’s magic to power her plan, and in order to stop her Zelena had sacrificed her magic, thus saving everyone in Mist Haven. However, the Black Fairy had consumed enough of Gideon's magic–all of it, actually–for one final battle. It had been Rumple who’d incinerated her, leaving only a heap of dark fairy dust behind. It had seemed harmless enough but it had poisoned the soil and had turned all the bugs into ogres. That had been how the Ogre war had started and they’d had to seal Mist Haven to prevent more people from falling victim to the vicious beasts.

Robin needed some time to process the whole story but, luckily for her, now that they were on the ship they had time to rest and actually enjoy the journey.

Alice seemed to have great fun on the ship. Killian taught her the main things about being a pirate – steering a ship, swordfighting, reading maps and even navigating with help from the stars. She loved the sea for it was so different from the sky, yet, reminded her so much of it. It was the sky’s reflection on earth, and it was beautiful.

One night Rumple caught her staring lovingly at Robin who was talking to Killian. It turned out he’d known her father so he was telling her all about him. Meanwhile, Rumple told Alice about his wife – Belle. He told her about her passionate love of books, her desire for adventures and her brave heart. He told her of how much she reminded him of her, and when Alice mentioned that she’d never really read a book, he conjured Belle’s favorite – Her Handsome Hero. It was the one from which Gideon's name had come.

It took them a few days but they finally arrived at the port near Mist Haven. Robin knew something was wrong the moment they first stepped on land.

They rushed to where she’d opened a passage in the barrier and entered Mist Haven only to find it ravaged. The ogres had found the opening in the shield, too, and had taken advantage of it. Robin wondered how that could’ve happened. Rumple’s guess was that they’d picked up the lower vibration of the hole in the barrier with their incredibly sensitive hearing. They were blind but their other senses more than compensated for it. And when Rumple told her that something must have drown them near after her objection that they usually didn’t come close enough to the barrier to sense a disruption in it, she realized that it was all her fault. She hadn’t closed the wound on her finger when she’d pricked herself in order to open the vault. A drop of blood must have fallen on the grass when she’d dropped to the ground on her way out.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that sounded familiar. She saw her mom being attacked by an ogre. She would’ve been killed if Emma hadn’t saved her with her magic. There was a heavy battle going on. Emma and Regina were using their magic to shield the people and transport them to a safe place–if there even was such a thing–while David was brandishing his sword left and right and Snow was shooting arrow after arrow. Mulan and Philip were also there, fighting to protect what was left of their home.

Robin couldn't care about all of that. She ran to her mom, relieved to see that she was okay. Zelena hugged her, looking just as relieved to see that her daughter was fine, but their joy was short-lived. Zelena berated Robin for putting everyone’s lives at risk before telling her that not everyone had had her luck. Alex’s father was dead. And who knew how many other people.

Robin felt the tears falling from her eyes. She’d just wanted better lives for all of them. But she’d ended up taking away even the ones they’d already had. And the worst part was that she couldn't do anything to fix her mistake. If Emma and Regina’s combined power wasn’t enough to stop the ogres, she had no chance.

That was when she heard Alice call her name. She told her that she could stop it. She could destroy the darkness. It was why she’d fallen from the sky. She’d been sent to help them all. Her light could balance out all the darkness that had been spread around their world. And before Robin could say anything, she started sucking the darkness out of the ogres, causing them to shrink back to the bugs they’d been before.

The moment Robin saw it, she knew what the consequences would be. Alice would die. Her shine was fading with every second as it neutralized the darkness. She could save them. But she had to die.

Robin begged her not to do it, but Alice had decided already. She reasoned that Robin’s wish had been for her to save them from their prison. And when the darkness was gone, they’d be able to go on all the adventures their hearts desired.

Robin cried at her that that wasn’t what she wanted anymore. She wanted the adventures only if Alice was there to share them with her. She’d wanted adventures, too, and she couldn't give up on that.

She assured Robin that the adventure the two of them had had on the way back had been more than enough. And while Robin wailed that it wasn’t enough for her, Alice concentrated all her power on shining. She felt more darkness entangling with her light and turned to see Rumple’s skin returning to its normal texture and color as all the darkness drained out of him and flowed into her.

Alice said a last “I love you” to Robin and, with a loud explosion, the darkness and the light melded together and dissolved into thin air, perfectly balanced. A cloud of stardust fell all over Mist Haven, causing yellow flowers to start growing from the soil. Later, they found out that they had healing powers and helped immensely in the recovery of those who’d gotten injured in the battle. Even in her death Alice had found a way to save more lives and had left them one last parting gift.

Robin was proud of her. But that didn’t change the pain that was tearing her apart. She fell to the ground, her fingers clutching at the bracelet that was the only physical proof she had that Alice had ever existed.

Gideon ran towards her but the sight of his father gave him pause. Without the darkness, he recognized him, but there was no time for a happy reunion. Without the darkness, his father was dying. He only had time to tell him he loved him before the light left his eyes.

Gideon cried.

Alex cried.

Robin cried.

When she’d managed to pick herself up enough to function, she used her magic to gather the particles left of Alice. It drained all her power but she had a pile of stardust in her hands in the end. She used her magic again to sprinkle it over the sea water that was to become Alice’s last home. She would be happy there.

Killian gave her the Resurrection Amulet that was told to be able to revive people. It just needed to be filled with magic. And it needed a price to be paid. Gideon warned her of that. She’d known it already. Not that she would’ve used it. Alice wouldn't have wanted that. She’d made her own decision and Robin respected it. Besides, she’d already used her magic for the last time to give Alice the resting place she deserved.

She used the amulet to suck out her own magic and then gave it to her mom. It was the least she could do after stealing the box with her mom’s magic. Besides, Zelena would use it more responsibly to help people, and not hurt them. Robin only asked her to use it to restore the glass slippers that she’d destroyed. Ella would want back the thing that had helped her find her husband. And Alex would want them, too, now that her father was dead. And Robin had already robbed them of enough.

She also gave Gideon the book Rumple had given Alice. His mother’s favorite. Alice would’ve wanted him to have it.

To Killian she gave the bracelet that she’d bought for Alice. She’d seen how much the two of them had bonded in the short time she and Alice had been on his ship. He’d acted like a father to Alice the whole time, teaching her everything he could and always remaining understanding, even when Alice’s perspective on things had been a little too unique for a human to understand. He deserved to have it.

Robin was glad to hear from him that he planned to stay at Mist Haven. A certain blonde Savior had caught his eye so he’d decided to stay on shore for a little while. See where things would take them.

And Robin had decided to leave. She would travel and devote her time to helping people in need. Just like Alice had done. And like her own father had done when he’d been alive.

She slept under the stars that didn’t seem so bright anymore. Maybe they were mourning the loss of their sister.

Alice would never find her way back to the night sky. But the stardust that was left of her still carried life in it and when the fish swallowed it, they turned into a species no one had seen before. They turned into starfish.

[sakurasakiyama]

Goodies I’ve Received During My Offline Period! ❤

Since it’s always been a tradition for me to share with all of you what I’ve received on arrival of some of the DVDs, CDs, Magazines and Good’s that I buy; I thought I would make a *little* post of some of the things that I have purchased and has arrived since being offline! :D This won’t be as long since I haven’t purchased much since I was away due to pre-ordering and a hectic December, but I try my best to keep up with what I can :) And a head’s up that some of the photos have the flash on since my room is at the back of the house and the light doesn’t come through my window xD

There’s a lot to get through, so all of it will be under the cut (especially things that could be spoilers) ♥

1. Di Kita Malimot Drama DVD & Magazines!

I pre-ordered the Di Kita Malimot DVD back in August last year. I was really excited to see the Drama for the first time, and I wanted to have a copy of the extras as well as the visual book that came as a bonus. Unfortunately since I don’t have a Blu-Ray player for my laptop (as it’s a laptop without a disc drive), I was only able to watch the extras once on the Blu-Ray player I have in the living room for the TV when no one was home xD The Drama itself is quite funny and good to watch! You’d see them act in ways that you never thought they would, which is a good pick-me-up on days when you’re sad and in need of a laugh xD Overall, the Drama was definitely worth the wait! :D And, the visual book has a text mistake in it as well that was pointed out to SLF, and they made a note on the item page for those who purchased it. But they didn’t request for people to send it back, only to just be aware of it and what the part was meant to say. 

The magazine contents for all of them are amazing (especially the photos ♥), and the magazine’s in that photo are:

CDJournal October 2018 Issue

B’s LOG November 2018 Issue

Stage Fan Vol. 3 Issue

Cast Size Summer Special 2018

JUNON September 2018 Issue

JUNON November 2018 Issue

2. Stage Stars & Sparkle Magazine’s (Present)

These were one’s that I didn’t buy myself, a friend ended up getting them for me as a present in November! :D This was actually a big surprise for me since I didn’t know that they were going to get them for me, it just arrived at my door xD So, at least this post allows me to say thank you to them for getting me these magazines and I love them very much! ♥ The magazines here are Stage Stars Vol.3 and Sparkle Vol. 35 :)

3. UTOPIA Albums & Sakiyama Tsubasa Birthday Event Goods

I’ll start with the Birthday Goods first xD I pre-ordered them the second pre-ordering started, which actually happened to be during my lunch break when I was doing my teaching placement LOL! But, there’s a long story with these and the UTOPIA albums. Due to December being a busy and a not very financial month for me (I went on a trip to the city, I had to pre-order the Toumyu nendo’s, and I had to pay for subscriptions, phone bill and Christmas presents), I had to put off getting these shipped out to me (along with the albums), until January this year. Luckily I got paid on the first of the month, so I was able to get them shipped out as fast as I could xD They arrived to my proxy around the end of November. The bromides are literally dangerous and cute, and the pamphlet photos are just as perfect, along with the interview being quite deep interesting! ❤ The contents in this photo are:

Birthday Event Pamphlet

Birthday Event Bromides A, B & C (there was no bonus for getting all 3 of them as that was only during the event run)

Birthday Event Ball-Pen (Pink) & Automatic Pencil (Blue) (it’s one of those pencils that you push on and the lead just comes out, so you don’t have to sharpen it, just buy lead refills xD)

Next is the UTOPIA Albums xD I pre-ordered these in November and they arrived the day before release day to my proxy xD I wanted to have them as a Christmas present, but because of the lack of funds was an issue for me in December, I had to wait >.< I got them online which included the online purchase bonus with 2 RAW photos per album (one as a bonus, one as an extra), and there’s 2 in each of those 4 holders. With the RAW photos and the Trading Cards, let’s just say that bad luck is still on my side, and you’ll know what I mean in a moment xD

After listening to all of the songs in full for the first time (excluding “Dancing☆Samurai” thanks to KENZO and TOMO from DA PUMP collaborating with Tsubasa to make a Music Video for the cover of the song by doing the choreography and producing the MV), I fell in love with all of them instantly! ❤ The lyrics for them all have a purpose behind them and you can really feel the emotion in his voice. For the songs Tsubasa wrote the lyrics for himself, “Re:quest” for Kurogarasu and “Snow Gift”, I was really proud and amazed by them! The lyrics for “Re:quest” gives that dark, powerful vibe, which i feel links perfectly with the theme of his main starring movie “Kurogarasu”. “Snow Gift” was a lot more softer and kind of brings out his loving side. But it could also be perceived as him and his passion and never wanting to let go of it. This is his first time writing lyrics, but I do hope in the future, he will be able to write more songs and let his feelings come through ♥

As for the MV, MV Making Video & Special Movie, the short MV of UTOPIA gave us a preview of most of it, so the last part was a total mystery, and it was really beautiful ♥ As for the other 3 MV’s that were on there, I STILL love them to this very day xD The MV Making Video was short but sweet :) They just showed some of the places he took photos at and a couple of other little things that I had a good laugh at, as I had my suspicion that the Special Movie would give the full making in Macao. And I was right xD But I still loved the Making Video since there was some good shots :D The Special Movie was really good! ♥ The way it started I had a bit of a laugh at, but it was really cute. It follows through the 2 days he was in Macao doing his MV shoot and the photos as well for the cover, trading cards, and etc. He really did seem to have a lot of fun and was grateful to be able to do it in Macao, and Tsubasa would still have his little antics here and there as well xD Overall, I loved all of it! ❤

These are the RAW photos I got: 

I got doubles AND triples LOL! As expected of me to end up with the random draw like that, but I still love all of the photos anyway! ♥ They’re all of Tsubasa’s good sides and he’s really attractive in them all ❤ And if anyone has any doubles that aren’t in this photo and I have one of the photos in the triple and double that you’d like to trade with, by all means don’t be afraid to ask! :D If not, I might sell them or do a giveaway xD

The Trading Card bad luck continues to play with me and get worse each time xD So, I’ll let the photo speak for itself:

THEY’RE BOTH DOUBLES LOL! So, I ended up with 2 out of the 5 this time. It’s the same with Crescent Moon, except I got 3 of the same in that one xD I got the two top ones in the MV and Special Movie editions, and the bottom two in the photobook and CD only editions xD The trading card photos are really cute (not to mention quite good looking ♥), and I was super anxious when opening them as well as the RAW photo bonus also. Again, if anyone has a double of the other trading cards and you don’t have one of the ones in this photo, I’d be glad to trade with you! :D If not, again I’ll either sell them or do a giveaway :)

4. Surprise Birthday Present

Since what I’ve purchased is a surprise birthday present for a friend, I’m not going to show or say what they are (hence I took a photo of what it looks like from behind, and put a line in it to keep it as a surprise as it had the name of it on the back xD) since their birthday is still a while away and I don’t want to ruin the surprise! xD I got these off Mercari for a reasonable price and brand new! Thank you to the lovely An, @beansproutsong, for helping me purchase these for me through her proxy! ❤ I have used her a few times and her service fees are very reasonable for second-hand goods and her service is literally 10/10 in every way possible! So don’t be afraid to message her here on Tumblr or on Twitter (@Angelic1408) if wanting any goods that you can’t get shipped overseas, or from second-hand sites! :D She’s one of the friendliest people (out of the many others who are friendly too) who is willing to do a personal proxy for everyone, so don’t be afraid to ask questions or get a inquiry on something :) More info about her proxy service can be found: HERE

[thegamecollection]

BAYONETTA 3 - REVIEW ROUNDUP!

Much has been talked about on Bayonetta 3 these past couple of weeks, with little of it to do with the game itself. We’ll leave the controversy where it is and will simply highlight what looks to be a major win for PlatinumGames ahead of Friday’s release... Who even remembers Babylon’s Fall anyway?

NintendoLife - 10/10

“Bayonetta 3 cranks up the chaos, improves the combat, polishes the level design, and adds a ton of new mechanics to the mix, making for the very best entry in this storied series to date. PlatinumGames has absolutely nailed it this time around, carefully layering on more ways to engage enemies, piling on the OTT gameplay sequences, and giving us multiple protagonists without upsetting the balance of what makes these games amongst the very best examples of their genre.”

Read the full review here.

Gamespot - 9/10

“There's nothing more attractive than confidence, and Bayonetta 3 developer PlatinumGames is well aware of it. From the way Bayonetta sashays about the screen--left hand cocked on her hip while the other clutches her gun--to the sheer bombastic nature of the game itself, every part of Bayonetta 3 is unapologetically self-assured. Like the titular witch, Bayonetta 3 feels as if it doesn't much care how it is perceived because it knows its own worth as a game that offers fast and fluid gameplay, jaw-dropping spectacles, comedy, and camp in a way very few others do. And it's hard to argue with that when it's true.”

Read the full review here.

Eurogamer - Recommended

“Bayonetta 3 might not be as consistently brilliant as its predecessors, but when it's good it's next to godly; playing as Bayonetta with her entire suite of toys unlocked is as electrifying as it's ever been, a spectacle of sinewy combat and S&M excess that's uniquely, defiantly video games. It's so over-the-top that trying to make sense of it would be a mistake, and while the rough edges are a disappointment if you embrace the chaos there's a lot to love here. Bayonetta 3 is overstated, in parts underbaked - but it's rarely less than a thrill.”

Read the full review here.

GAMINGbible - 9/10

“Bayonetta 3 is a near-perfect game. I’ve never considered that the combat in Bayonetta or its sequel was missing anything in particular, but the third game’s new inclusions are so well refined that it may be difficult to return to the previous titles having experienced this one. Furthermore, the story, despite a few confusing points, has easily cemented itself as my favourite of the three. Not only is this one of the Switch’s best titles of the year, it’s truly one of its strongest to date.”

Read the full review here.

Destructoid - 10/10

“In an early tone-setter for the game, you’ll water ski as a giant demon dragon, and it only gets wackier from there. When playing Bayonetta 3, much to my delight, I had no clue what was going to happen next at all times. I was absorbed, and between the crazy story, the environments, and the action system that’s been refined through two prior games (and years of experience), I had very little downtime. It’s pretty much everything an action fan could want.”

Read the full review here.

GodIsAGeek - 9/10

“As action games go, let’s pull no punches: Bayonetta 3 is an exceptional time, and up there with the very best there is. Compelling from start to finish, there’s very little reason I can think of to say anything other than it was well worth the wait. Yes, it could look better, and sure, it could be a bit less sexy, but really there’s just nothing else out there like it, and it deserves to sell gangbusters, and be celebrated because ultimately, Bayonetta 3 itself feels like a celebration of the medium. Bloody hell, what a ride, but maybe don’t make us wait another eight years for the next one, please.”

Read the full review here.

Scoring high across the board with plenty of other reputable review sites echoing the sentiment, there’s still time for you to pre-order Bayonetta 3 for Nintendo Switch, right here at The Game Collection!

You’ll earn an extra £5 rewards points too...

-Jack

[jimimn]

Hi! This might be a weird ask, but I really need advice from someone who is also in the fandom :( Do you think buying the photobooks worth it? I really want to buy Tae's, after seeing Namjoon and Jungkook's concepts, but I also have so many cons for it... My country is in a really bad economic situation/condition and everything is getting more and more expensive, so saving as much as money as I can might be a smart idea instead of spending it. I also live in Europe, and shipping here is so expensive it's almost ridiculous (it's usually 2 or 3 times more than the item +/- tax) . I'm not struggling financially since I still live with my parents and I try to help them with money in any way I can, but I'm still not sure if I should spend this much on a book, which I'm not even sure if I'll open again after getting it. This might have sound bad, but I'm not trying to say anything like that. I actually do this with every book if mine: I read them once, get so obsessed with them, but when they are over, I almost never reread them, so I'm not sure buying his book just to look at it once, twice or maybe a couple of times is worth it. On the other hand, I'm young, I'm living through so many things now, a pandemic, an economic crisis, global warming etc and yet everyone keeps telling me to enjoy live, travel, do things while I can... And I would want to do this, but I still feel neutral? guilty? for spending this much money on something. The past couple of years really sucked the life out of me, as they did for so many people, and I'm trying to find little ways to enjoy life again, and maybe if I could get his book, I would feel a little happier. But I'm not sure what to do. I think about this all the time, and since he was born late in the year I know I have a couple of weeks still to decide, I just have no idea what to do. Oh, and also I have really bad anxiety and I know the tannies' stuff sells out ridiculously fast, I'm not sure if I want to deal with that stress of trying to buy one. And I don't even understand how a pre-order can sell out? Isn't the point of pre-order to see how big the demand is and produce that many items? There are a couple of things that would make me feel really guilty about buying one (if I can) but there are also things that would make me happy... I think I wouldn't feel too bad if I couldn't get one, since I know everything sells out even before they actually go on sale, maybe I would be a little sad but then I would move on? And I'm just really confused about this, and I'm sorry if this sounds like a ridiculous problem, I don't mean to make it into a big thing, because I know there are people who deal with much worse every day and I'm just stressing over buying a book..

Hi. First of all I'm sorry it took me so long to reply to this. Secondly, please don't feel guilty about anything. The cost of the books is ridiculously high and plus the shipping cost and the entire anxiety surrounding the pre order really doesn't feel worth it to me. For me, the dollar rate in my country is at an all time high right now and I really can't buy even one book. The only things I've desperately wanted to buy ever were either albums or the self designed merch that they had put out (and i still couldn't get it because they felt really overpriced to me idk 😭😭😭) I'd rather save that money for future concerts you know? :( Ofcourse having the photobook with me would make me happy but I think that being practical about it is also important :( i might be sounding like a real buzzkill rn but I have a lot of things that I want to do like travel and stuff so I want to save as much as possible for it. and it's not like we'll never get to see those pictures either right? there are so many kind armys who upload scans so we are able to see it anyway. This in no way means that I'm saying that people shouldn't spend their money on this stuff. If they can spend then why not? But I know that given my future plans and my situation, I'd rather not spend so much. Especially when the shipping price is so damn high 😭 So if you're not buying it, please don't feel guilty or anything. Weigh all your options and do whatever makes you feel comfortable both financially and anxiety-wise ❤️

[erikandariel]

How We Met: 3/3

Part 1 | Part 2 

Length: 6,091

Tuesday arrived more quickly than I wanted it to. This was partially because I never liked slogging through finals, but mostly it had to due with hanging out with Erik and Ariel that day. The three of us had agreed to meet up in the parking lot by my dorm a little after 11:15. Although I hadn’t told them that the dorm that the lot was next to was the one I lived in. I was honestly a bit proud of myself for thinking to have that extra layer of security in case things went badly. But before I went to look for them and their car, I stopped off at my room to switch out my book bag for my camera. Ana was sitting at their desk working on their last essay for finals. They were still sleeping when I left for my pre-test breakfast that morning, but now they were dressed and presentable as far as clothing and washing their face and such. I could tell that they were thinking hard when I entered the room because they looked like a human pretzel. They sat on one leg that was folded beneath their body and their other leg was bent and resting on the chair so that the knee was up by their shoulder. “How’s it going?” I teased. They transferred the pained expression that they have for their laptop’s screen to me. I partially mimicked the look in sympathy but said with some enthusiasm, “I believe in you!” “Thanks,” they sighed, already back to staring at their laptop. “Try not to pass out today, ya?” I rolled my eyes in mock annoyance. “You almost pass out all the time and then I go and do it once and you won’t let me live it down!” “Yup,” they snorted. And the important word there is ‘almost’.” I made a face to the back of their head as I set my book bag down. Then I grabbed the tube of sunscreen I had strategically placed on my desk and doused every inch of exposed skin with it. Then I put it in my camera bag before putting the bag’s strap over my head and on my shoulder so that it laid across my body. “Well I should get going and let you get back to work. Bye!” I made my hands into a heart shape and pointed it in their direction. Without looking away from their essay, they responded in kind. I giggled to myself as I headed out the door. As I walked down the steps from the 4th to the 1st floor, I checked my phone. It was 11:13 so I figured Erik and Ariel weren’t on campus yet, but would be soon. Knowing the people in our age group, I guessed it would be at least another five minutes. Which is why when I walked out the dorm’s front door I was surprised to hear an excited voice yell, “Hey Ken, we’re over here!” from the lot. Never mind. Apparently they showed up to places early rather than late. Ariel bounced up and down and waved at me from next to the passenger door of a silver convertible. The top layer of her long, wavy brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, with the smaller, lighter sections of it blowing somewhat in the light breeze. This time she was the one wearing a crop top. It was light blue with a flower design in the middle of the front. She was wearing some sort of high-waisted denim pants. Although they could have also been shorts. While she easily stood two to three feet taller than the cars still in the lot, I couldn’t see where the leg cuffs ended. The top of the convertible was down so I could easily see Erik sitting rigid in the driver’s seat and staring straight ahead through a pair of large dark sunglasses. Well on a normal sized person they would have been large. On him they were actually a little too small. The space he had in the car was a similar situation. It looked like he had the seat all the way back but he still seemed cramped. The theme of things being slightly too small for him continued with his white T-shirt. It clung to his body to the point where I could easily see all of his form beneath it, including individual muscles and… his nipples… He also wore his hair up, but at least on the side of his head that I could see, it looked like he had a thin ribbon or braid going from his temple to where the rest of the hair was collected in a ponytail on the back of his head. Since he seemed to be ignoring me, I tried to ignore him to and focused on Ariel. I tried to give a genuine smile as I returned her wave and walked over to the car. “Hey!…” “Do you want to sit in the passenger seat or in the back?” she asked quickly. I still wasn’t used to her and Erik’s accent so it took me longer than usual to parse what she was saying. “And if you do sit in the back do you want me to sit back there with you or no?” “Uhh…” I’d never ridden in a convertible before. Mostly because I other than these two, I never knew someone with a convertible, but I also had a slight aversion to them. I always figured that with the top down I’d end up with a lot of bugs smashing into my face and holy shit do I hate bugs. Also glasses don’t exactly come with mini wipers to clean them off. I didn’t want to be a bother and ask them to put the top up though. 1) Because I barely knew them. And 2)Since I didn’t know if either of them could have fit underneath it. “…I’ll sit in the front I guess?” I said, choosing to hope that the windshield would keep me mostly bug-free. “If that’s okay with you guys of course…” Ariel looked quizzical. “Why would I offer to let you sit there if I wasn’t okay with you choosing it?” “Well… um… good point… I guess I just wanted to make sure?” “Don’t worry, you can sit there,” Ariel said with a smile as she opened the passenger door for me. I slid in and quickly buckled up as she vaulted over the edge of the car and into the seat behind me. It was a 2-door car though, so normally someone would have to fold the front seat forward to get back there. But she’d easily made it back there in one jump with the only jostling being from her landing. I didn’t think about this at the time though because I saw how many various buttons were on the console and dashboard. There was even a touch screen. I am easily distracted by technology. Erik turned the car on and as he went to grab the stick to go in reverse, I noticed he wasn’t buckled. As much as I wanted to I didn’t say anything about it because I didn’t want to seem rude like I had at the petting zoo where we met. I must’ve had some sort of look on my face though as Erik glanced my way before quickly grabbing the seat belt and clicking the buckle into place. “Oh. I forgot I took it off while we waited for you,” he mumbled. I heard Ariel buckling herself behind me. “Safety first!” she said enthusiastically. “Yay!” I responded, turning around to giver her a thumbs up. She quickly did the same with a very excited grin. Erik grumbled something as he threw the car into reverse, out of the parking spot, then quickly shifted it into gear and sped out of the lot. I grabbed onto my door and clutched my camera bag to me for dear life. Over the roar of the wind in my ears I heard Ariel yell something at Erik. We slowed down some and when we turned onto the highway we didn’t accelerate quite as fast as before. I loosened my death hold on the car door. “Sorry,” Erik said, not sounding apologetic at all. “I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.” “I noticed,” I mumbled under my breath. He stayed silent for the rest of the trip. Meanwhile Ariel tried to ask me multiple questions, but it was hard for me to understand her over the wind until we were on the road leading to the zoo. It was a nice day, but the place wasn’t very busy; with it being a weekday and kids still in school and all. Before we walked into the zoo’s main building I did sort of try to protest against them paying for my ticket again. I always felt awkward accepting this sort of help and even more so if I didn’t insist it wasn’t necessary until they finished the transaction. “We said we would pay for you and we will,” Erik snapped at me. I shut up at that point and tried to look interested in the landscaping. After we made it inside, Ariel immediately laced her arms around Erik’s left one. “So what do you want to do first?” she asked me. “Food?” “Oh, it is time for lunch, isn’t it?” she replied. My stomach rumbled in agreement and she laughed. I tried to see what Erik’s reaction was from the corner of my eye, but he seemed to not be paying attention and staring straight ahead like he had in the car. Granted, it was a bit hard to tell since he was still wearing his sunglasses… even though we were inside. If he’d been anyone else I knew I would have teased him about it. But that didn’t seem to be his cup of tea so instead I readjusted my bag’s strap and took a step in the direction we needed to go. “The food court’s this way,” I explained. “Okay!” Ariel said as she and Erik started after me. “Do you know what you’re going to get?” I changed my pace to walk next to her. The hallways in this building were wide and with hardly any other guests around I figured it would be find to walk three-across. And if it did get crowded I figured I’d just move behind the couple. I was more comfortable being the last person in a group anyway. I quickly realized that despite my plan, I might have to walk behind them anyway because in order to keep up with I had to take longer and faster strides than I normally did. “A hamburger if they have ‘em. What about you guys?” “We ate before we left for your school,” Erik said curtly. “Oh.” “Well I’m still hungry,” Ariel said and I noticed her elbow him sharply before she turned back to me. “Do you know what else there is to eat here?” “Well we’re almost there…” I pointed to the sliding doors where we could see some tables and the first few stations on the other side. We stopped once we were in the food court to see the answer to Ariel’s question. I quickly picked out the grill area where it turned out they were actually selling hamburgers. There was also a sub shop, a place for Chinese food, vegetarian only area, and of course a spot just for ice cream. I tried to act casual while the couple talked quietly to one another in their native language about, I assumed, what she was going to get and if he was going to get anything. Near the end of the exchange it sounded like they disagreed about something and I hoped it didn’t have anything to do with me. At that point I’d realized that Erik really didn’t seem to like and that he also didn’t want to be there. However, I noticed him grudgingly give Ariel his credit card before she looked back at me with a grin. “Okay! I’m going to go the vede- veze- … vegetarian area!” she said. “Erik’s going ta go with you so you can get your hamburger and he can get himself something to drink.” And with that she gave us a small wave and left us where we were. I nervously looked at Erik. He’d partially crossed his arms and looked deflated with his shoulders hunched forward. It made him look like he felt awkward instead of angry like I would’ve expected. He flourished a hand in the direction of where we needed to go so I hesitantly led the way. We were the only ones in line at the grill station so after another cautious glance in his direction I stepped up to the cashier. “Hi. How can I help you?” they asked halfheartedly. “Hi, uh… I’ll have a double hamburger, so no cheese! And only mustard; nothing else on it.” I waited for them to punch in that part of my order. “And a bottle of sweet tea, please.” “’Kay. You can grab the tea over there.” They pointed towards a cooler a few feet away from me and which Erik was standing next to. “Anything else?” “Uh… yeah. Whatever he’s having.” I gestured at Erik while I took a step back so he could take his turn. He gave me what felt like a nervous look before taking a step forward. A single step. With his height it was a long stride, but he was still like three feet away from where most people would stand. “I will also have a bottle of sweet tea,” he said slowly. “Grab it over there.” The cashier pointed at the cooler again. I was thankful that they didn’t seem phased by his size or his accent. “Is that all?” “Yes,” he replied as he took out his wallet. “Your total is $10.74,” they told him and then nodded at me. “Your burger will be ready in a couple minutes.” I nodded back. Before flipping through the surprisingly large amount of bills he had, Erik pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head. I wasn’t sure if it was the light from the station’s heat lamps or what, but it looked like he had a slight yellow color to his eyes. There was an awkward second as the cashier and I waited for him to hand some cash over. He looked down at our total on the register’s screen, then back to his wallet before he straightened himself back up to his full height and flipping again through the bills. I could feel the frustration radiating off him. The cashier cleared their throat and I saw that they were beginning to look nervous. “Uh… sir?” He turned his glare on them and they took half a step back. “Just a sec!” I told them and sidled over to Erik’s elbow and extended my hands toward his. I paused for a second as I realized what I’d done, but decided I was committed at this point with being so close to him. I also just wanted this to end for the poor cashier’s sake. “Here, I can help,” I whispered. I refused to look up at his face. He sighed and I felt the breeze from it in my hair so I knew he was looking at me. He shifted his stance to be angled more towards me. Then he held the wallet open wide with his right hand and offered the closest end of it to me. “Please,” he said in an exasperated tone. I reached up and lightly pulled the wallet down so that I could actually see in it with being this close. It turned out that Erik’s natural waistline was right about at my eye level and so while it may have worked just fine for him to hold the wallet at that height I would need to stand on my tip toes and I am in no way a ballerina so that wasn’t going to happen. Thankfully he had things organized by amount so it was easy for me to find a $10 bill. “Do you have any change you want to use?” I asked, still keeping my voice quiet. “What is change?” he asked, matching my volume. “Uh, coins; pennies, dimes, quarters…” “No,” he huffed. I quickly grabbed a 1 and offered the two bills to him. He hesitated before slowly reaching for them with large left hand and carefully taking them from me. The cash looked like they should be toy money when compared to him. He took a short step forward before shoving his hand at the cashier; who I noticed was now sweating a fair amount. They quickly grabbed. “Um. Out of $11…” they mumbled as they punched the amount in. Before the drawer fully opened they quickly put away what Erik gave them and grabbed his change. “Here’s 26 cents.” Erik glared at their awaiting hand. I edged around him and offered a palm to them in his place. “Can you grab the tea please, Erik?” I asked, hoping that I didn’t sound too nervous. He gave a grunt but put his wallet away and then stepped over to the cooler. H easily grabbed both bottles with one hand. I stepped off to the side to wait for my hamburger and he came over and stood slightly behind me. “Here,” he said flatly as a thing of tea suddenly appeared next to my face. “Thanks.” I turned a little to take it with my free hand and then held out the one with the change. “Do you want your coins back?” He forcefully pushed his sunglasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “You can keep them.” “You sur-” I remembered our interaction on our way into the zoo. “Thanks,” I said instead. I hastily opened my camera bag to put them away in my wallet. He grunted in return and I figured whatever moment had happened when we were ordering was over. As I made sure my bag was securely closed, I noticed him shift his weight from one foot to the other. “Thank you,” he said. I glanced up at his face but from the angle of his head it was clear he wasn’t looking at me. “For helping me pay with… paper money.” I caught myself smiling but before I could say anything Ariel appeared between us. “I have my food!” she announced. “What are you two waiting on?” “Uhh… ma’am…?” I heard the grill cashier say. They pushed a tray with hamburger on it towards me. I tried not to wrinkle my nose at getting misgendered. After all they obviously couldn’t know from just looking at me that I was non-binary, but it still always bothered me when it happened. “Thank you,” I said instead. I quickly put my tea on the tray and grabbed it. Then turning to Ariel and Erik I asked, “Where do you guys want to sit?” “We don’t have a preference!” Ariel replied for the both of them. “Uh… okay…” I surveyed the tables near us, then at some by the large windows on the other side of the room. “How about over there?” The air conditioning was making me a little cold so I led the way to one of the tables that was somewhat in the sun. The two followed. I put my camera camera bag on the floor between the window and the seat I was sliding into. The window looked out on a tree-shaded plaza, beyond which I could see some of the zoo’s elevated walkways. Erik and then Ariel stopped next to the table instead of sitting down. “Isn’t the sun in your eyes there?” he asked hesitantly. “Won’t you get too hot?” she added. “Nah, I’m good.” I shrugged and started to unwrap my sandwich. “I’m a little cold and the sun is warm so I’ll live.” Ariel examined the table before saying something to Erik and nudging him forward. He took a deep breath in and out before taking off his sunglasses and handing them to me. “Here.” Instead of looking at me he squinted out the window. “Oh, no, I’m good!” I repeated. Pointing to my own glasses I said, “Mine sort of turn into sunglasses if there’s enough UV.” He glanced at Ariel. She said something to him before pointing at the spot across from me with one hand while easily balancing her tray with the other. He put his sunglasses back on then moved next to the chair she’d indicated. I just stared as he pulled it back far enough to touch the one behind him, then gingerly sat down. His body made a wall between me and the sun. He didn’t move his chair any closer to the table and I figured part of it had to do with his knees being almost as tall as the top of the table. Ariel put her tray down and took the seat next to me. She had her chair at a normal distance from the table, but I was pretty sure it was due to her folding her legs neatly to her side, almost as though she were riding a horse side-saddle. They both stared at me. “Aren’t you going to eat?” she finally asked. “Um, sure…” I snapped back to attention and took the top but off my hamburger to make sure there weren’t any offending vegetable on it. It was clean so I picked up the entire sandwich and took a bite. They seemed to take this as a signal that they could also start eating, or rather drinking in Erik’s case. They both took smaller samples of their stuff than I expected. He seemed surprised by the tea’s flavor while Ariel looked thoughtful for a moment or two while she processed the taste of her wrap. Then they caught me looking at them and I realized they were also watching me. To try to cover up the fact that I’d been staring at them, I took an unnecessarily large bite. Almost mechanically, they had a little more of their own things. Ariel started to say something when I discovered that the bite was a little to big for me. I hurriedly tried to open my tea. Like I didn’t have anything stuck in my throat, it was just that uncomfortable feeling I would get when I tried eating too much at once. Thankfully this was the case because my first attempt failed. “Ken, are you okay?” she asked as I changed my grip a little. “Just thirsty,” I grunted as I tried again. The lid didn’t move. So I grabbed the bottom part of shirt and held it against the cap to see if that would improve my odds. And another failure. “Let me do it,” Erik said and suddenly one of his large hands appeared over my hamburger. I passed the bottle to him. “Thanks…” I said sheepishly. “I like always have problems opening bottles…” Leaning a little over the table, he turned the cap with what looked like no effort and there was a satisfying crack and hiss as he broke the seal. He laid the lid on my tray before offering the bottle back to me. As I greedily took it from him, I accidentally brushed my fingers across part of his warm hand. I paused and briefly marveled at just how much bigger it was than mine. A shiver ran up his arm and I quickly shoved my tea into my face. I took a couple large gulps as if that would somehow make up for just how awkward this day was. Instead I almost literally inhaled it. “Don’t choke!” Ariel gasped, standing up. Erik quickly followed suit and even leaned over and placed a hand on my shoulder. I heard the table behind him move as he pushed away from his chair. “I’m good,” I tried to assure them between coughing and trying to get air in my lungs. “Just give me a sec. My body’ll calm down.” Erik tightened his grip to where it started to hurt. I looked up at him in surprise but at least it stopped my diaphragm from freaking out for a moment. He stared at his hand as though he was also surprised by how tightly he held my shoulder before quickly pulling it away. He dropped back into his chair, crossed his arms, and glared out the window. I coughed a few more times before taking a cautious sip of tea. Ariel still stood over me. She looked like she was ready to fight the bottle if she needed to. It was honestly very intimidating. “I’m fine!” I said again. I patted the air in the direction of her chair, trying to get her also sit down again. She narrowed her eyes at the offending drink but did plop back down beside me. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked seriously. “Yeah! This kind of thing happens all the time…” I said, hiding my mouth behind a hand. Erik snorted. I swallowed. “What?” I asked. I sounded more defensive than I meant to. “Okay so I know that like since we met I seem like a helpless baby, but I’m not!” Ariel studied me with suspicion. I tried to ignore her stare by taking another bite and pulling out my phone to see if I had any notifications and what the time was. After a few moments she turned back to her own lunch, only for her to say something angrily under her breath. I followed her gaze to between our chairs where her wrap laid on the floor, its contents spilled out under our chairs. “Welp. I can get some napkins to help clean up,” I offered. “No,” Erik said firmly before I could bolt to the condiment bar. “My friend and I can manage this. You finish eating.” It took me a second to realize that his “friend” meant Ariel. “No, really, I don’t-” He held up a hand to silence me as he stood up. “Eat.” I did as he said and watched him leave. Ariel knelt down behind her chair. The top of her head came to my shoulder but her long hair still almost reached the lettuce covered floor. “Ken?” she asked. “Mm-hmm?” “How exactly do I… do this.” “Pick up your wrap?” “Yes.” “Just put it on your tray? Then you can just throw it all away in the garbage before we head out.” She smiled at me and started doing so. “And hey, if you want you can go get another wrap if you want. I don’t mind waiting for you to finish eating.” She shook her head no. “Nah. Like Erik said, we ate before we picked you up so I’m fine!” “Okay… Well then, let me know if you want me to help you pick this stuff up?” She shook her head again. “Then tell me if I need to move to another seat or get my legs out of the way?” “I will!” Erik came back a second later with two large handfuls of napkins. Not just like normal person large handfuls though; his huge fists were stuffed with them. He joined Ariel on the floor and I nervously watched them work, moving my legs around or holding them up out of the way as needed. She used her bare hands to grab all the larger chunks, while he used the napkins as make shift gloves to clean whatever she missed. When they were done he tried to give her the remainder of the napkins so she could wipe her hands off. But instead she either didn’t see or didn’t care and just rubbed them on her capris as she stood up. He sighed and used them himself before putting them on her tray with the rest of the garbage. I finished my sandwich right about then so I quickly rolled up its empty wrapper, grabbed my things and got up too. “There’s a garbage can over there,” I said and started walking towards it. I saw the grill cashier standing warily about 20 feet away from our table with a broom and dust pan. I wondered how long they’d been standing there as they waited for us to leave before making sure we’d fully cleaned up our mess. The can I went to had two others next to it. Erik went to the one on my right and just… threw the entire tray into the can. Like not just the remains of Ariel’s wrap and the napkins he used and the tray liner. He dropped the actual tray in. I stare at the can and then at him. He did the same to me. Then slowly he reached into the can, grabbed the tray, shook off anything still stuck to it, then reached past me and set it on top of the one I had put on the nice little shelf above the can that was meant for holding the used trays. I tried not to giggle as I gave him a thumbs up. He looked confused at the gesture but he did start to mirror it. Suddenly Ariel appeared on the other side of me and held my free hand in hers. She was definitely not as tall as her significant other, but her hand was still a good deal larger than mine. “So what animal do we want to see first!” she asked. I looked down at our clasped hands for a moment. Partially because I hadn’t expected it and didn’t really notice the difference in our hand sizes earlier, but also because I had to marvel at how long and nice her fingernails were? I played piano growing up so I couldn’t stand it if my nails went much past the ends of my fingers. I felt her grip loosen and she started to pull it away. “Sorry! Do not want to hold hands?” she asked with much more concern than the situation called for. “No! I mean yes! I mean-” I slid my hand back into place in her palm and held it. “I like holding hands.” She smiled brightly. “Okay!” Then at the same time she and I each offered our other hand to Erik. All three of us looked surprised by this. After a beat Erik hesitantly held his own hand out near mine. “I… like to hold hands too.” I carefully took it and he gently moved our hands to his side. “Do we want to start at the petting zoo?” he asked us with a stiff smile. “I promise not to yell at either of you if we do,” I said and hoped both of them could tell I was joking. Ariel laughed and started us towards the doors leading out into the zoo-proper. “I promise not to stick my fingers in any cages!” she said, giving my a light squeeze. “And I promise-” he paused mid-sentence with a thoughtful look on his face. “You should be Ken’s shade tree!” she supplied. “To keep them from getting too hot this time!” He hesitated in his current stride until I was slightly ahead of him and he was able to block the sun. “Yes, I promise to do that.” I rolled my eyes. “That was one time!” I pretended to protest. “And anyway it’s cooler today, and I made sure to wear light colored clothes, and I’m even wearing sunscreen!” “What’s sunscreen?” Ariel inquired. “It keeps the sun from burning me.” They pulled me to halt. They both looked at me as though they thought I was going to randomly burst into flames. These mini-crises were starting to get old. “You know… cuz my skin is so light? I get sun burnt really easy? Like I don’t tan? My skin just goes straight from ghost white to red if I’m out in the sun for too long…? And I guess you’ve never had a sun burn since your skin is so much darker than mine?” “Should we leave and come back on a day when it’s cloudy?” she asked with genuine concern for my safety. Erik took another step towards me as though he were trying to keep any sunlight from reaching me ever. “No! I’m  wearing sunscreen! And it’s the really good stuff too; it’s SPF 75!” The two literally started talking over my head at each other. Exasperated, I let go of their hands and started digging in my bag for my bottle of sunscreen. “Here, look!” I first shoved the bottle into Ariel’s face and then Erik’s. He took it from me and carefully began to read the front under his breath. She shuffled next to him to try to read it too. When they were done they exchanged a few more words before handing it back to me. “We believe you,” she said as I stowed the sunscreen away again. I sighed with relief. “I thought Erik said he was going to be my shade tree anyway.” I said with a forced giggle. I did not like confrontation one bit and we’d had more than enough for one day; probably two. “And I really want to see the sea otters!” “Yes, I did say that,” he said, a small genuine smile appearing. “Good, cuz you promised!” His smile quickly vanished and he looked dead serious. “I always keep my promises,” he said solemnly. “We both do.” Ariel sounded like she was somewhat offended. So much for no more confrontation! “No! Sorry! I was… just making a joke…” I stared at the ground. Despite the temperature and Erik being between me and the sun, I could feel myself getting warmer. “Oh… Oh! We’re sorry!” she said, sounding worried again. “We’re just not used to your kind of humor…” “Yeah…” I agreed. And then my anxiety kicked in and I suddenly felt like crying. What the fuck emotions. “Ken…!” She quickly cupped my hand in both of hers and then Erik did the same with my other one. I made myself take a slow, deep, somewhat shaky breath in… and then out. “Fuck… I’m sorry…” I whispered, still trying to focus and control my breathing. I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to look at them. “Sometimes my brain just overreacts and I’m fine. Just give me a sec…” They both let go of me, but I could tell from the—surprising amount of—heat radiating from their palms that they held them only a few inches away. I took a few more deep breaths before forcing a smile and opening my eyes. Both of them had bent down a little so their faces were closer to mine. I didn’t know if they were trying to make themselves look smaller or if they were trying to get a better look at me or what. “Okay,” I said, trying to reassure all of us that I really was fine. “Okay.” “Do you want to go to the sea otters first, Ken?” she asked softly. “No, we said we were going to the petting zoo first so let’s go to the petting zoo.” I bumped my hand into her hand that I’d been holding earlier. Thankfully she understood that I wanted to hold hands again and took it. She closed her eyes, smiled, and gave me a small squeeze before standing upright again. Then I turned to Erik, who was already standing straight and tall. I moved the hand by him closer to his own and tried to ask with my expression if he wanted to hold hands again too. He accepted my offer and even though I’d noticed that so far he seemed careful about any physical contact we had, his actions seemed even… more calculated? I smiled up at my two, new, large, friends and pulled them in the direction I thought we needed to go. “Ken…?” Erik said after only a couple of feet. “The petting zoo is this way.” And he gave me a gentle tug in his direction. I looked at the nearest directional and yup. He was right. I changed course. “To the petting zoo!” I said over-enthusiastically. Ariel laughed and Erik sighed as we made our way down the path.

[nelvana]

In which some preparations are done around town

First: In which the human is transformed Next: In which the team completes their first mission Previous: In which an application is filled out

    The walk to Pokemon Square was not terribly long, but definitely the longest they had walked in the past couple days. However, it certainly wasn’t boring, they managed to keep a conversation going throughout the half-hour long trek, and the sights were gorgeous; at least in Nelvana’s opinion. Keahi had seen it enough times to grow accustomed to it. Finally, they saw a small dome house in the distance.

    “See, over there! That’s the house we’re going to buy for our team base!” Keahi exclaimed, pointing over at the stone building with zir wings.

    “Yeah, I see it!” Nelvana replied.

    “C’mon! It isn’t too far now!” Keahi said and hurried off towards the house.

    They arrived at the house in only a few minutes. It was a beige stone, dome-shaped house sitting on a pretty green lawn with a few flowers growing here and there. The house had a couple visible windows, actual windows and not holes, unlike in Keahi’s old room, and a thin chimney sat on the roof, signifying that there was a fireplace inside. A grey mailbox with a red flag stood at the end of the pathway leading up to the tall door. A sign with ‘For Sale! See Ludicolo for more details!’ written in bold letters was posted beside the mailbox at the front of the lawn.

    “This… is a really nice house!” Nelvana commented.

    “Yeah, it looks pretty cozy. We might want to renovate it if our team gets big enough, but for now it’ll do great!” Keahi agreed.

    “So… how do we, uh, buy it...?” Nelvana mumbled.

    “Oh, well it looks like we’ll have to find Ludicolo and talk to them about it,” Keahi answered, “c’mon, they’re probably in town!”

    The duo walked away from the house and across a small bridge that took them over a calm river. Pokemon Square was bustling and colorful, and Nelvana couldn’t decide how to react. Many unfamiliar pokemon were walking around, all chatting to each other in slightly raised voices. Keahi gave her an encouraging smile before heading into the fray.

    “Okay, I’ll give a more detailed tour later but here’s the short version,” Keahi began explaining, “right here is the Kecleon Shop, down over there is the Kangaskhan Storage, if you follow that path up north then it leads to Whiscash’s pond, and if you follow it south then it leads to the Makuhita Dojo. Over there is the Persian Bank, and down there is Spinda and Gulpin’s Café. Oh, and of course, if you take the path to the east, it leads to the Pelipper Post Office and the mission board.”

    “This is a pretty busy town,” Nelvana commented.

    “Eh, not really. There are some places that are bigger, at least so I’ve heard. This is the only one for miles, so I haven’t been to any other town before,” Keahi replied, “anyway, we should try and see if we can find Ludicolo so we can talk to him about the house.”

    “Couldn’t we send the application first?” Nelvana asked, holding up the letter in her left hand.

    “Yeah, but Ludicolo should be around here somewhere…” Keahi mumbled, “oh wait! I see Lombre, maybe he knows where Ludicolo is!” zie exclaimed suddenly and dragged zir friend off.

    They approached the grass-water-type pokemon, who was talking with a bellsprout. Luckily, they didn’t need to speak up since Lombre noticed them as they walked over.

    “Well well well! If it isn’t Keahi!” Lombre greeted, “what brings you to Pokemon Square?”

    “Hi Lombre! We’re actually looking to buy your cousin’s house, have you seen him around lately?” Keahi replied.

    “Ah, you just missed him actually. He got bored of waiting for someone to buy the house and left it in my care so he could go explore or whatever it is he’s running off to do,” Lombre explained with a chuckle, “you can still buy it if you want, I certainly have no use for it.”

    “Great! How much are you selling for?” Keahi asked.

    “You know what, I have no use for it, it’s a bit shabby, and I know you’re a good kid. You can take it for 5000 coins. Sound like a deal?” Lombre bargained.

    “Sold!” Keahi chirped and gave him the money, proud to have gotten the house at such a cheap price.

    “It’s nice doing business with you kid,” Lombre hummed, putting the money away in a small bag he was carrying and tossing Nelvana a key before turning to the bellsprout to continue their earlier conversation.

    “That was easier than I thought it would be,” Nelvana told Keahi.

    “Yeah!” Keahi agreed, “but I’m not complaining. A house for only 5000 coins is a very nice deal.”

    “So… Pelipper Office then?” Nelvana asked, already starting to edge in the direction that her friend had pointed out a few minutes earlier.

    “Yup!” Keahi said and they walked off on the east pathway.

    It was a short walk before they could see a large building that had an eerie resemblance to a pelipper with a tall sign covered in different shaped, sized and colored papers beside it. All of this stood on a cliff, and the crashing waves from down below could be heard from even up where Nelvana and Keahi were standing. Strong gusts of cool wind blew by, bringing the scent of the sea with it.

    “Woah…” Nelvana gasped, clearly in awe of the view.

    “Pretty, right?” Keahi hummed, “anyway, that’s the message board. Once we’re a team, that will be the main place we’ll get missions from. And, of course, that’s the Pelipper Post Office.”

    Nelvana nodded, and they headed inside. Indoors, there were a couple pelipper at the front desk, and behind them were many baskets, pre-made newspapers, and stacks of letters. An open window could be seen in the roof, presumably to allow the workers to easily fly in and out without needing to use the door each time.

    “Hello Pelipper!” Keahi greeted, and the pelipper to the left looked over at zim.

    “Oh, hi there Keahi, long time no see!” Pelipper said.

    “Does everyone know you by name?” Nelvana whispered.

    “Yeah, pretty much. It’s a small town and I’ve visited enough times,” Keahi whispered back before turning zir attention back to the water-flying-type. “We’re here to deliver a letter to the guild!”

    “You are, eh? Making a team I see?” Pelipper asked.

    “Yup! This is my partner, Nelvana,” Keahi introduced the cubone, who handed Pelipper the letter.

    “Good for you two! I’ll get that sent as soon as possible. We’re a bit busy right now so it might be a while, sorry ‘bout that,” Pelipper told them, “actually… if you don’t mind, we have an apprentice working here. I think sending your application would be good experience for them.”

    “Oh, we don’t mind! Right Nel?” Keahi said, and Nelvana nodded. “We can wait though if it’d be better to get them to do something else...” zie added.

    “No, don’t you worry about it! They’re only big enough to take a few letters at a time right now, and no one is heading out in that direction anyway. It’s actually an awful lot more convenient for us if he takes it. I was just checking if you were okay with it, this letter is pretty important, after all,” Pelipper explained.

    “They can take it,” Keahi agreed.

    “Good, I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear it,” Pelipper hummed, “hey Peaky! You’ve got a delivery to handle!” he called out.

    A young spearow fluttered in hastily only a few moments after being called for and sat on the desk.

    “Really?” Peaky chirped excitedly.

    “Yep, take this over to the guild,” Pelipper told them.

    “Okay! Thank you! Have a nice day!” Peaky said and flew off again with the letter firmly in their talons.

    “Heheheh… they’re such an enthusiastic kid. Learns fast too,” Pelipper chuckled warmly.

    “Yeah,” Keahi agreed, “well, we should get going now. Still lots to do today!” zie added.

    The pair left the building and headed back to the main area of Pokemon Square.

    “Okay, we should stop by our house first to see what furniture we should buy,” Keahi said.

    “This is going to be a lot of back and forth, isn’t it?” Nelvana asked, and Keahi nodded.

    They went back over to the house, now their house, and went inside. The interior gave off a warm and cozy look right away. An empty fireplace stood at the back of the one-roomed building and an oak wood shelf was posted not too far away. There were small window planters on each of the four windows, all facing inside, which were currently growing some violet petunias. The flooring was simply some light-colored tiles.

     “Alright! This is it!” Keahi exclaimed.

    “So… I don’t think I’ve ever decorated a house before...” Nelvana mumbled.

    “That’s okay! Neither have I, actually. I don’t think it’s too hard though,” Keahi said, looking around a bit. “We’ll need beds, that’s for sure. Do you like nests, or hammocks, or...?”

    “I’m indifferent. Whatever’s cheapest, I guess,” the cubone, who was now examining the flowers, replied.

    “Okay then… two nests… a, uh, maybe a table? Then some chairs…” Keahi walked around, mumbled to zirself as zie walked around. “Okay! I think I have an idea of what we should get! You ready to do some shopping?”

    Nelvana nodded, and off they went again. Keahi stopped a few feet away from the Kecleon Shop.

    “Tour time!” zie chirped, “alright, so this is the Kecleon Shop. The Kecleon brothers run it, yes, they both go by Kecleon, and they sell pretty much anything. Anything they don’t have, they can get for you within the day. It’s great. Apparently, they’re retired explorers and are really strong. Sometimes one of them will still visit a dungeon and sell some wares for any teams passing through,” zie explained.

    They approached the stand and were greeted by the cheerful brothers. They ended up ordering some galaxy-print accessories for the team, and they bought some blankets, pillows, a couple books Nelvana was eyeing, a bean bag couch, a fold-up table, and some general team supplies such as berries and seeds. After going back and forth to put everything in the house and organize things, it was time to head over to their next stop.

    “So, I’m thinking we should head to the Kangaskhan Storage to store our extra mission supplies,” Keahi said.

    “Sounds good to me,” Nelvana agreed.

    “Great! So, Kangaskhan Storage is pretty much the same as it sounds. Kangaskhan will store any items for you for free. We should be able to store most of our stuff at the house, but some extra team supplies should go here just in case,” zie explained as they walked over to the building.

    Storing things went quicker than the shopping, and Kangaskhan was super nice. It didn’t take long for Nelvana to learn that the normal-type liked calling people nicknames like “sweetie”, “hon”, and “dearie”. Keahi quickly dragged her friend over to their next stop, which Nelvana remembered as the bank.

    “This is the Persian Bank. Basically, the same as Kangaskhan Storage except with money,” the torchic told the cubone, “also Kangaskhan is nicer,” zie added.

    Nelvana giggled at the last comment but had to stifle it as they approached. They put in almost all their money except for a little extra that Keahi said was for “a treat”. She didn’t have to ask what the treat was going to be since right afterwards Keahi brought her to their last stop for awhile.

    “This is Spinda and Gulpin’s Café!” Keahi announced.

    “…café?” Nelvana asked.

    “Yeah, like a small and cozy restaurant,” Keahi explained, “they sell mostly drinks and sweets and sandwiches. Small treats like that,” zie added after realizing that zir friend was still confused.

    “Ah,” the cubone hummed.

    When they entered, they were immediately greeted with sweet scents and a warm atmosphere. A few customers looked up from their spots at some round tables, but otherwise the quiet chatter didn’t waver upon their arrival. Keahi lead Nelvana over to the front counter, where a spinda was bouncing in place.

    “Hello! Welcome to Spinda and Gulpin’s Café! What can I get for you two today?” Spinda greeted cheerfully.

    “Just two smoothies, thanks!” Keahi replied, “does pecha sound good to you?” zie added to Nelvana who nodded.

    “Okay! Two pecha smoothies coming right up!” Spinda exclaimed, “oh wait, did you two bring your own berries for the discount?”

    “Not today,” Keahi told them.

    “Discount?” Nelvana asked.

    “Oh yes! We have a discount here, where if you bring your own berries we’ll cut the price a bit!” Spinda explained.

    “It’s a pretty nice discount, if I do say so myself,” Keahi hummed.

    “Thank you!” Spinda chirped, continuously dancing in place.

    After a few moments, they were given their smoothies, which they promptly paid for. Keahi took a sip before even sitting down, and Nelvana followed suit.

    “These are really good!” Nelvana said.

    “Thank you!” Spinda chirped.

    “Thank you too!” Keahi replied, and the pair found an empty table to sit down at.

    “These are really good,” Nelvana repeated after they sat down.

    “I know, right? It’s just a nice place to grab a snack and relax for a bit,” Keahi agreed, drinking some more of zir drink from zir pale straw.

    “So… now what?” Nelvana asked.

    “Now? We relax for the day. We have to wait to be accepted before doing missions, so that gives us some time to refresh and relax before the work starts,” Keahi told her.

    “Sounds good,” Nelvana hummed, “I like the idea of relaxing today.”

    “Yeah,” Keahi agreed, “me too.”

[ravensloane]

there’s a first time for everything

for @hurloaneweek​ !! day 1: firsts / pre-canon

read on ao3!

...

“You’re free to come over any time, you know?”

Hurley’s words had been echoing in her head ever since their garage date last week. The way she turned away shyly after realizing what she said was already enough to send Sloane’s heart into palpitations, not to mention the softest smile she had had the fortune of seeing after that. She didn’t even remember how the topic came up. Something about Sloane’s place being a mess maybe? God, it didn’t even matter.

What did matter was trying to work up the courage and actually go over. She knew what days Hurley had off from work so that wouldn’t be a problem. Sloane’s schedule was usually pretty clear unless a big race or heist was coming up. Should she bring a gift? She could buy food because god knows what would happen if she tried to make it herself… Or would that be too much just for a visit? Flowers could be good. She could get some from the marketplace before heading over to Hurley’s apartment…

Oh god, she was so nervous.

And she knew she had no reason to be. It was just Hurley. And her home. And the absolute awkwardness that could ensue if Sloane was going to be an idiot about everything.

She banged her head against a nearby wall as if to punish herself for the thought. Confidence is key. If she could face the most deadliest of battlewagon races and risk her life over and over again, a home visit would be no problem. So why was she still anxious about it? She let out a frustrated groan as she fell back on her bed to stare at the cracks in the ceiling. She couldn’t keep thinking about this forever. The longer she drew it out, the worse it would be.

“Fuck it!” she spoke aloud suddenly. “You know what?! I’m going today! Fears be fucking damned.”

And with a quick grab of her coat and keys, she headed off to the marketplace.

---

The crowd today wasn’t as bustling as it usually was, which unfortunately meant she couldn’t go around and steal some flowers from a stand or whatever. That was fine though; she wasn’t really planning on being a thief today anyways. She knew that Hurley would never accept flowers if she found out she took them without paying. Even if the person selling them was a sleazeball with their customers, she thought, glaring at a stand nearby. Walking past it, she looked around to see if there were any other florists in town today.

Just as she was about to call it quits, a voice addressed her.

“Excuse me, miss?”

After a moment’s confusion, Sloane turned to find herself facing an old human woman. “Do you mean me?” she asked, pointing to herself as if her question wasn’t clear enough.

The old woman laughed. “Yes, you! Is there anyone else out here dressed in all black in such hot weather?”

Sloane ignored the jab at her (absolutely valid) fashion choices and continued the conversation. “Sorry, I’m kind of in a hurry, did you need me for something?”

The old lady just shook her head. “What’s the rush for, dear? No time for a grandma like me?”

Sloane held back a sigh and took a look at her stand to see what she was selling before answering.

Her annoyance quickly disappeared when she finally realized what she was staring at. “Oh! You sell flowers!” she grinned for probably the first time that day.

The old lady nodded as she gave a toothy smile in return. “You have a big date coming up, miss? Is that why you’re in a hurry?”

“Yeah… Do you happen to have any sunflowers in stock? I’d like a few.”

The old lady nodded again. “A nice choice! Are those your date’s favorites?” she asked as she bustled around her stand to get what she needed.

Sloane only shrugged. “Not necessarily… She’s just… a very warm person. Sunflowers remind me of her.”

The old lady cooed, which Sloane pointedly ignored, slightly embarrassed. She was a cheesy person, okay? As long as no one else ever found out about it, she’d admit it.

As she took her leave, the old woman wished her luck.

“You’ll be fine, dear. I can already tell.”

---

Sloane took her sweet time on the way to Hurley’s apartment anyways. Apparently each staircase up had twenty stairs each, except for the one on the fourth floor. That one only had nineteen. An interesting fact that her girlfriend was sure to enjoy once she had the nerve to actually walk up to her door.

She eventually managed to force herself in front of her apartment, and the moment of truth finally arrived. She knocked before hesitation could strike again, like she was ripping a band-aid off as fast as she could.

Oh god, did her knock sound desperate?

Before Sloane could dwell even further on this, a muffled voice coming from inside interrupted her thoughts. “I’ll be there in a minute!”

She could hear small footsteps coming towards the door, an unlocking, and then there Hurley was with a smile that rivaled the evening warmth of the sun.

“Oh shit, hey! You decided to come over!”

Sloane could feel her shoulders relax just from seeing her. “Hey! Yeah, I thought it was about time,” she chuckled. What was she so nervous about again?

“Well, come on in!” Hurley said, gesturing towards the inside of her apartment, “don’t keep me waiting!”

Sloane laughed again as she stepped inside, before remembering the gift she was holding in her hands.

“Oh fuck, hold on, I got you these.” And with a flourish, she held out the small bouquet she had bought earlier that day.

Hurley’s smile widened at the sight. “Aw what! Babe, how’d you know I liked sunflowers? These are wonderful.”

“Thief’s intuition, I guess,” she answered nonchalantly with a wink.

Hurley shook her head, but continued to grin as she placed them down on the counter. “I’ll find a vase for these in a second. Come on, let’s get you situated or however you’re supposed to treat a house guest. Are you hungry?”

“Starving, actually.”

“Good. I just ordered way too much fantasy take-out, help yourself to it. It’s by the couch! I’ll be right there.”

Sloane nodded and took a deep breath once Hurley disappeared down a hallway. She felt okay. There was still some jitters here and there, but most of them had dissipated by now. She knew she was being nervous over nothing, thank god. Hurley always seemed to help, even if didn’t know she was doing it.

Feeling decidedly better about everything, she headed over to the couch and glanced around the place. It was so much neater than hers. She even had a little hanging plant by the window sill. But her observations halted once she saw all the food on the table.

Before she could even react, Hurley was next to her again, looking embarrassed while holding a vase of sunflowers. “Sorry, I kind of maybe lied about accidentally ordering too much. I actually had this feeling that you might come over today so…”

“Hurley? Have I ever said how much I love you?”

“Oh, stop it! I’m gonna go put these down by the window, go on and sit already.”

Sloane grinned as she followed her instructions, waiting on the couch for Hurley to join her.

A minute passed before Hurley spoke again. “There we go! Thanks again, sweetheart.”

“Of course! Now come on and eat with me so I don’t feel bad,” Sloane said as she piled food onto a paper plate. Hurley just rolled her eyes as she plopped herself onto the couch with her, grabbing another paper plate from the table without a word. Before they could dig in though, Hurley gently squeezed her arm, making Sloane stop to look at her inquisitively. She was giving her another one of those prize-winning soft smiles, the ones that left her face feeling so warm.

"I just wanted to say... I’m really glad you came over, you know?”

Sloane hoped her grin said more than she could. “Yeah. I am too.”

[backlink4-blog]

Minced garlic to cloves

How much Minced Garlic is in a Clove?

  Numerous plans will call for "1/4 cup of minced garlic" or "3 cloves of garlic" however it isn't in every case simple to sort out quite numerous cloves are in So as to help make cooking simpler we did a few analyses to help disclose to you precisely the number of heads of garlic you have to purchase.

To answer the number of Minced garlic to cloves in a 1/4 cup we went to the store to look at the vegetable area. In the wake of studying the produce we chose 1 medium head of garlic that gauged 2 ounces for our number of garlic bulbs in a cup testing tests.

The quantity of cloves in a head relies upon the size and assortment of the garlic. Anyway as a beginning stage, the normal sort of garlic conveyed in your neighborhood market generally contains 10 to 12 cloves.

When minced, 1 little clove of garlic yields around 1/2 teaspoon and 1 huge clove about 1.5 teaspoons. One medium stripped garlic clove delivered 1 adjusted teaspoon slashed, anyway when finely minced, the amount drops to marginally under 1 teaspoon. So for a 1/4 cup estimation you have to dice around 12 to 13 medium size cloves.

For enormous amount cooking, 1 pound of entire stripped garlic contains around 50 cloves which measures around 3 cups.

  Next time your formula requires a 1/4 cup of diced garlic you'll feel certain recognizing what you need. You can likewise utilize our change tool underneath for any custom the number of Minced Garlic to Cloves, estimations you need.

 How to Mince Garlic

  An eruption of the blissful flavor with the famous delectable smell – garlic cloves are best utilized with explicit cuts, yet actually, I like my garlic cloves fine. That is the reason I accept that realizing the correct abilities like

How to Mince Garlic to cloves

is basic and could transform any home cook into a flexible culinary expert.   I find minced garlic a helpful fixing in a large portion of my suppers. I regularly use garlic cloves to uplift the smell of my dishes. In the event that you feel that mincing is difficult, at that point I'm going to slip you into the possibility that it could likewise be a pressure delivering action. Thus, how about we become acquainted with our garlic clove somewhat better.  

Health Benefits of Garlic and clove

  Garlic has been commended the world over for its phenomenal medical advantages. From old occasions to the advanced time, garlic has been essential for solid eating regimens and scrumptious culinary magnum opuses.   As a portion of the fixings we've talked about previously, garlic is likewise a supplement thick food. It has elevated levels of supplements yet low in calories. Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Fiber are only a couple of the advantages of this wondrous plant. Dynamic mixes in garlic can likewise lessen pulse and forestall ongoing heart infections, for example, cardiovascular failures and strokes. The medical advantages of garlic can be clearly observed when taken in high measurements. This is uplifting news for all the garlic sweethearts out there. Perhaps the best advantage of garlic is that it helps battle disorder and fortify your insusceptibility against the normal cold and seasonal influenza. Garlic is anything but difficult to adore particularly when utilized in the correct dishes. Along these lines, remember garlic for your eating routine and let it assist you with having a more advantageous body.  

Always Get Fresh Garlic

I generally state that the best dishes utilize the freshest fixings. Concur? Albeit a great many people feel that garlic is simply garlic, I have a couple of basic stunts to see whether your garlic is as new as the Prince 1.   Just by taking a gander at the bulb of garlic, you wouldn't have the option to tell the garlic is new on the grounds that the external skin of Request an example of the clove (if not yet showed), if the clove is more yellow than white it's presumably terrible and it won't give any extra flavor to your dish. Pick a garlic clove that is whiter and which implies it’s fresher. 2.   New garlic radiates a rich, sharp, and zesty fragrance. Since smell is 80% taste, smelling the garlic clove is a decent indicator. In the event that it radiates that notorious garlicky smell, at that point you're one fortunate lady. 3.   With respect to some different foods grown from the ground, solidness is an incredible factor for newness. You'd need to feel a full and firm clove. This implies that you're touching a decent piece. On the off chance that it's soft, its best to evade it.  

  Crushed vs Minced Garlic

  You may contend that how you plan garlic doesn't generally make a difference whether it's squashed or minced. To respond to that question we should investigate each type.

Squashed Garlic

, in the most straightforward way, are garlic cloves at first broke or leveled with the goal that you could without much of a stretch strip off the skin. The squashed garlic is best utilized for singing and embellishing. One mainstream approach to utilize this is to broil it alongside cooked rice for garlic singed rice or while burning a steak. The final result generally takes after a pale surface best utilized in enhancing ground meat and making sauces. In certain pieces of the world, minced garlic is utilized as an extra flavor and as an additive. Garlic bread is one famous formula you can make with minced garlic.

 What is the best way to mince garlic? 

There are unit methods to mince a clove however I in person like prim the standard way. It provides ME a sense that I’m virtually putting in place effort in my food.  However if you’re during a hurry, you'll use room gadgets just like the ones that I’ll be showing later.

Crack the complete bulb in order that you'll simply peel the annoying skin away. You’ll try this by victimization the flat facet of your knife to reveal all the cloves within. Every clove can have a skinny layer of skin, you'll take away this an equivalent manner.

Simply prolong the clove with the flat facet of your knife and slowly apply pressure till it cracks and simply peels away the dry components. A neater thanks to try this is to easily stop the basis a part of the bulb and peel away. From here I will show you 3 ways to mince garlic.

Using a Knife

The first thanks to mince garlic is by victimization you’re sure knife. Begin by removing the exhausting root half as a result of this isn’t edible. Then fastidiously cut the clove into skinny slices. Don’t worry if you have got super skinny slices, we wish it that manner. Once you’ve done this, cut the slices crosswise till you finish up with tiny bits.

The reason why you ought to take care during this step is that:

1. You wish the finished product as swish as potential thus you have got to avoid huge chunks.

2. You’re employing a knife, continuously take care with knives.

Now you'll begin the particular prim. Hold the sharp finish of the knife down with the sharp edge facing your garlic bits and begin creating a quick chopping motion with the handle of the knife. The key to prim is to create certain that the sharp fringe of the knife doesn’t leave the board. Keep doing this till you finish up with a paste-like consistency. You’ll currently apply this to your favorite staff of life direction or combine it in dumplings or sausages.

Using Garlic Hand Press

If you have got a fast day ahead, attempt employing a Garlic Hand Press. It’s a comparatively new cooking invention that might build your prim life easier. Simply lay your garlic on your board and press the sharp a part of the grater-like tool on your garlic cloves with all of you may. And you’ll have minced garlic in no time.  

Using Mortar and Pestle  

This last technique is my favorite, victimization Mortar and Pestle. Though these tools were discovered manner back pre-history, it still remains relevant these days for any dish and spice you have got to organize. Merely smash the garlic cloves victimization the tool. Since we tend to area unit aiming for a paste-like consistency, we’ll got to keep smashing the garlic bits for a bit whereas however I assure you it’s all attending to be worthwhile.

Now, you would possibly notice that if you set whole garlic cloves during this tool, you’ll get tense ingredients and may simply build a large number. There area unit 2 ways that we tend to may approach this downside.

1. First, we will cut the cloves into slices before we will begin crushing the bits.

2. The opposite manner is to press the garlic till its flat. Slowly squish each bit with a slow and grinding motion till the garlic cloves area unit flat. Then you'll begin smashing.

What I really like regarding the last half is that, though it takes up a number of additional minutes, you'll try this activity to unharness some stress. So, if you have got robust feelings regarding one thing or something for that matter, mince some garlic!

Of course, it might be higher if the {emotions the sentiments} area unit positive as a result of each emotion you set during a dish would continuously translate into the flavor.

Proper Storage of Minced Garlic

Minced garlic is usually, and will be, hold on in associate airtight instrumentation, this itself makes the garlic last longer. However if it’s frozen or cold it might last a great deal longer.

Some businesses sell bottled minced garlic submerged in no flavored oil or oil. These typically have a best-before-date written round the packaging. For natural minced garlic, the common period of time is 18- twenty four months. You will conjointly use this system in conserving your own homemade minced garlic simply ensure to completely clean and dry your airtight instrumentation.  

Medical benefits of Cloves

Flavors won’t to be very valuable, and cloves were no exemption. Cloves square measure the dried blossoms of the clove. Native to the island near to China, cloves unfold at some point of Europe and Asia throughout the late middle Ages as a big piece of neighborhood food. Today, cloves keep a big flavor that offers varied dishes that uncommon kick.

Cloves may be utilized entire or ground. People frequently incorporate ground cloves in zest blends and full cloves in plans to feature profundity and flavor to a large assortment of nourishments. These very little dim earthy colored cases square measure utilized to zest up curries, season meats, enhance sauces like Worcestershire sauce, and even flavor spiced heated merchandise. You can minced garlic to cloves they both are best ingredients for your health. They to boot offer some noteworthy medical benefits.

Medical benefits

Cloves square measure an unprecedented wellspring of carotene, that helps offer them their made earthy colored tone. The carotene cluster of shades square measure important cancer hindrance agents and provitamins. Carotene shades will amendment over into nutrient A, a big supplement for keeping your eyes solid.

Some outstanding medical benefits of cloves include:

Decreased Inflammation

Cloves incorporate varied mixes that square measure connected to calming properties. Eugenol is that the most vital of those mixes. Eugenol has been seemed to reduce the inflammatory reaction within the body, decreasing the danger of sicknesses, as an example, joint pain and aiding with overseeing symptoms.

Less Free Radicals

Eugenol is likewise a strong cell reinforcement. Cloves square measure loaded with cancer hindrance agents. These mixes facilitate your body to battle free extremists that hurt your cells and may prompt wellness. By eliminating free revolutionaries from your framework, the cell reinforcements found in cloves will facilitate decrease your danger of making coronary wellness, diabetes, and bound malignancies.

Diminished Ulcers

Cloves will facilitate defend your abdomen from ulcers. Most ulcers square measure led to by decreasing within the layers of humor that guarantee your abdomen lining. Primer examinations show that cloves will thicken this humor, transferal down your danger of making ulcers and serving to existing ulcers recuperate.

Improved Liver operate

Cloves could likewise advance higher liver capability. A couple of preliminaries have incontestable that the eugenic found in cloves will facilitate decrease indications of liver cirrhosis of the liver and greasy liver infection. It’d likewise improve general liver capability.