#buy chestnuts online

[buyinturkey]

Honey is also known for being one of the oldest medical substances. Honey has always held a special place in Turkish culture.

Join us as we embark on a journey through the enchanting world of Turkish honey, exploring its benefits and various types.

Read More : https://www.buyinturkey.com/en/blog/post/the-health-benefits-of-turkish-honey-and-its-diverse-types

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[dduane]

What are your thoughts on companies like this that offer 'coaching services' for hopeful unpublished novelists?

This smells of scam to me but maybe I'm just a cynic:

Publishing Your Book

Query Letter Coaching/Editing – $550 per book (this includes two passes)

Synopsis Coaching & Editing – $750 per book (this includes two passes)

Proposal Coaching & Editing – $1,500 per book

Traditional Publishing Coaching – $200/hour (finding an agent, crafting your proposal, etc.)

Indie Publishing – $1000 (distribution to all platforms for optimal international exposure, guidance on pricing, blurb-writing, logistics, and keywords)

ISBNs for Indie Publishing – $150 per book format. Free if publishing through [the company selling these coaching services]

Briefly: before I got involved with any such operation, I'd want to talk to (multiple) people they'd worked with previously and find out what kinds of experiences they'd had. And in line with this, I'd be extremely cautious about any operation that wasn't run by professionals with a verifiable track record, and which wouldn't offer verifiable examples of feedback from people whose reality as non-sockpuppets could also be confirmed. And whom you could contact without having to go through the company in question.

On other issues: I'm looking kind of askance at some of those prices. (Here adding the disclaimer: I know people who do this kind of work out of a grounding of significant expertise and in good faith, and I'm not clear on what they're charging because I haven't really looked into it... not particularly needing it myself at this late stage in the game.)

At least part of the problem I'm having with the prices being charged in your example is based on the knowledge of how very much information of this kind is available free online. And yeah, there's the old chestnut about "The advice is worth what you've paid for it"... but that has sort of an unspoken negative corollary: "Except when you've paid for it and it nonetheless turns out not to have been worth much."

The trouble with the non-independent-publishing suggestions is that all of them deal with imponderables. Even if all the advice you purchase from those people at all those varied prices is absolutely right on the money, there's still no way to guarantee that any of it is going to lead to success in getting query letters, synopses or proposals actually looked at. Which puts this whole concept squarely in the nature of a gamble.

Not that luck doesn't have a role to play in a professional writing career. Sometimes you're just standing in the right place at the right time with a manuscript in your hands. But getting the idea that you can depend on that luck for any reason is unwise... as divine Fortuna is anciently famous for wandering all over the room, blowing on other folks' dice. (And if this makes me sound like I fall well down on the "Fortune Favors The Prepared" end of the spectrum: yeah, that.)

My advice would be to spend a good long while online, thoroughly researching all the free sites that have info to offer on all the traditional-publishing-facing topics. Then, after exhausting the available possibilities, if you still think you need to engage paid professional assistance... make inquiries among as many verifiable professionals as you can non-invasively query, before parting with any money at all.

As regards the indie-oriented fees: I'm finding those pretty steep. The prices for ISBNs in particular bother me. (Especially since in many places you can routinely buy packages of ten for about what these folks would charge you for two.) Yes, they're free if you publish with them: that sounds lovely. But publishers would normally buy many of those packages of ten. Or packages of a hundred: the more ISBNs you buy at once, the cheaper they get. And if you're paying the company for other services, who cares about the ISBNs? They're making money off you in different ways. Possibly equally overpriced ones.

So to finish: this is very much caveat emptor territory. There will inevitably be scammers out there, claiming their rates to be less than "bigger companies" are charging, but still too much. Therefore... advance only with utmost care.

...And adding this: @petermorwood glanced at the price list over my shoulder and said, "I wouldn't touch any of those with a barge pole."

At any rate: HTH!

...And now a word regarding our regrettably fickle non-sponsor, via Ol' Blue Eyes. :)

[flowering-thought]

「 IV 」

Long ago, in a rigid and harsh kingdom, lay a poor prince.

Unable to indulge in his interests and express what he wanted to express.

Till he gained freedom, but the world can be cruel and cold, such a rigid world could never accept the prince.

Perhaps fate may lead to a light on his road of crumbling stones and flowers...

Ivan, the name of a boy who loved things.

What kinds of things? One might think a boy would like scary things, creepy crawlies, and ghost stories that send chills down your spine!

But the things the boy loved were not of the sort. He hated bugs and stories that would plague his mind.

He enjoyed plush animals and watching his mother paint her nails. How such a simple act of painting a nail would make her look so elegant and change how her hands looked completely.

And while he enjoyed the pastel blue his parents had painted his childhood room, he was always drawn to the pastel pink bows his older sister would wear.

He liked the dolls with big eyelashes and the roses his father would buy his mother. The sound of piano playing in the distance when they would make a little picnic spot outside in the yard.

And childlike wonder has no bounds. He asked for pink polish to paint his nails, the one his mother used on his sister. But upon the request, he saw her features turn into an emotion he hadn't seen before.

And very quickly, he realized the small world he had known in his seven years of life was not as it seemed.

As he grew, his interests kept to himself, a rapid ache that would plague his mind and leave a stone in his stomach formed. His peers often say what a man should and shouldn't be.

But why? He loves being a man but why can't he wear what he pleases? Why can't he paint his nails and wear colors he adores?

Why do pieces of fabric and accessories have gender attached to them despite anyone being able to buy them and wear them?

And one day, when everyone was out of the house and he had saved up enough money, he bought the first ever pair of shoes he would come to adore.

In his favorite color of pastel pink, a light shade that looked nice against his pale skin and chestnut-colored hair.

The shoes with a strap around the ankle and a slightly raised heel. A small bow adorning the heel. With his door locked and a few nerve-wracking breaths, he finally fit his feet into the shoes.

He had a problem finding a size that would fit so he went online and had it shipped to a different address, one of those places where they kept the package for you till you could pick it up.

It was a perfect fit.

He could feel his heart filling the moment he stood up. And when he looked down at his feet he was so happy.

He loved how it felt and started walking around his room, getting used to the shoes and the slight heel.

He was a little above average in height, around 5'7, being around 17 at this point but he didn't care. He would get used to heels and wear whatever he wanted one day.

So he swore to himself to leave. To a city where he'd be accepted and where he could finally gain peace.

And one day he did.

A lovely city that reminded him of romance, the canals reminding him of love stories and rose petals.

He found a good job and let his hair grow, ignoring calls from his parents and deciding to live as he wanted.

He got a job working with clothes but it wasn't enough. He didn't want to just work with clothes he wanted to make them, ideas in his head wouldn't stop bugging him so he learned through YouTube videos and random tutorials online how to sew.

It was a slow process, lots of pokes and blood drawn on his fingertips but when he made his first ever dress, a small one made for a doll as he wanted to start small, he found himself just as happy as when he tried on his first pair of pink shoes.

He grew from there, eventually getting better ideas, and soon made his first full-bodied piece for himself. And how he adored it.

He would share his progress on social media, gaining a following and gradual commissions.

The money he gained was enough to live off of and eventually get his friends with shared interests to help procure materials.

And eventually, those in fashion would support him! Ivan had finally found a group he belonged to. The people who found interest in him would reach out, eventually collaborating with others and making friends in fashion that interested him.

Soon he was known under the name Alina. And while no one knew his face or who exactly he was, they knew his artwork and his pieces would make it to small runways, bringing him enough money to be comfortable.

He wore clothing with different colors of lavender, pink, green, and blue, all pastels but he never liked bold colors.

Sometimes, stares would bother him, but he had grown used to it. Especially when he wore extra frilly dresses some would make comments and sometimes it bothered him.

Occasionally a child would get so excited, feeling like they found a princess and he delighted in that innocence as it made him feel normal.

His sister knew of his interests, as she was always more in touch with how people felt. And luckily she never showed disgust or malice towards him for it. Even asking if he could make her some things as she did love lace and sheer poofy clothing.

But his parents never knew. It's why so far no pictures of him and his artwork together were online. He made sure no one did as the fear of his parents' reactions would break him.

He never felt like he wanted to be a woman.

He didn't want a figure like a woman or anything that differentiated the sexes. He is a man and he's sure of that. He just likes different things than the gender norms allow. He loves Jfashion and he loves all sorts of pastel colors and those cute little characters and farming games where you can romance cute girls on a farm!

He knows who he is, he just doesn't know how he would live if his parents rejected him.

One day Ivan dressed models in his designs, he himself dressed in clothes he also designed, wearing a face mask covered with a certain pink bunny character.

He was happily adjusting and making sure no thread was out of place. He let the models walk, the late night and bright lights making a lovely contrast at the show.

But like the sound of piano strings breaking, he was called back to reality when a hand roughly placed on his shoulder and the angry face of his father looking down at him, his mother behind him, tears in her eyes.

And a fight ensues backstage, his father screaming obscenities that he hadn't raised Ivan that way, that he didn't raise a sissy and such a delicate man. His mother asked where they went wrong, and why he would do these types of things.

His father grasped a ribbon in his shoulder-length hair that he had nicely curled for the occasion and tore it out, his hand having a bit of Ivan's poor chestnut hair intertwined in his fingers.

And his father's face dropped a bit when he saw the expression of pure despair on his son's face.

"You don't understand!! I've always liked these things! I liked dolls and frills! And the look of pastel pink bows that Ava always wore! All I ever wanted was to wear cute things and live life as I wanted!" He yelled, tears falling from his blue eyes, makeup slightly smearing.

He grasped his skirt in his hands, trying to find a semblance of control but all the words trapped in his heart kept spilling out, "It's just clothing! Clothing that you feel is not man enough but who decided that? Who cares if I wear what is considered girly! I'm still a man! I'm still a man if I like pink and frills! I'm still a man who loves women and womanly things! Why do you not understand!?" He yelled, the onlookers trying to get security to escort his parents away, some of his friends coming close to try and support Ivan.

His father had grown quiet, trying to hold onto his foolish thoughts, and the last sentence was enough to break Ivan completely despite his parents coming to a realization. The words had slipped through his father's mouth, "It's just not natural.".

And with that Ivan ran, he didn't know where to go or where to run to.

He had run for so long that his ankle slipped and he fell, the strap of his favorite shoes breaking and one falling to the floor, the sound of water running through a canal filling his ears as the pain brought him to reality.

All he could do was sob, slowly getting up, his tights torn through and his knees bleeding, his skirt and petticoat covered in dirt and grime and his mask under his chin so he could breathe.

He wanted to die. He knew rationally his parents would never understand. He knew it deep down. But he never wanted to hear it. He never wanted to know it. He wanted to be in denial.

As he grabbed the stone rail, intricate carvings of the bridge, standing oddly as his shoe that made him fall and hurt his ankle was about a foot away, one shoe still attached.

He noticed the water below. And the thoughts that he normally could keep at bay, the thoughts that only showed up as little periods of time that took his all to get through, the thoughts that now flooded his brain made their way out into the open and his hands gripped the rail.

And it was all too comforting to just want to fall, so he ignored the adrenaline wearing off, his knees bleeding all over his pink-colored tights.

But a hand shot out, your hand that gently grasped his wrist, and that action caused his foot to drop back down on the ground. He looked over and saw your eyes. Your concerned eyes looked straight at his.

He noticed your distraught look, your parted lips as you let out a small sigh of relief, and a bag of groceries fallen right by his shoe.

He couldn't even speak, his Adam's apple bobbing as he started to sob, his shoulders shaking as you enveloped him in a hug and rubbed his back.

Eventually, he sniffles, and you let go slightly, holding his hand as you lead him away from the bridge.

"Come with me for a bit. It's late and you're hurt. So why don't we fix you up a bit hm?" You suggested, your tone soft as you didn't want to startle him.

Ivan nodded, and you led him to the fallen groceries, picking up the bag and contents, and grabbing the shoe.

You eventually brought him inside your home, letting him sit on the couch and setting the shoe down on the floor against the couch.

You put your groceries away and started the kettle, looking at the man in your living room and then at your tea section. You picked up a simple earl grey and once the time was done you let the leaves soak.

You poured a little bit of milk inside the cup and then set the tea in front of Ivan who was still a bit dazed at how fast everything was going for him but also at how slow everything went.

But the small heat that emitted from the cup of tea helped him come back from his haze.

He gently lifted the cup, taking a sip and letting the warmth of the tea warm him up from the cold night.

He didn't notice you go to get a first aid kit, coming back, and moving your coffee table a bit to make room for you to sit.

You sat cross-legged, opening the box where you kept a simple first aid kit.

You grabbed a cotton swab, pouring a bit of rubbing alcohol on it, and looking at his knees you carefully dabbed, noticing how his legs twitched at the sudden sting.

You smiled a bit and gently did the other knee. "You like My Melody right? Your face mask is really cute." You commented.

"I've always loved Sanrio but I've never been quite stuck on one character. They are all so cute I can't choose." You added, taking a bit of pain cream and dabbing a small bit to the wound, knowing it would help with the sting of an open wound.

You looked through the kit for the big band-aids, noticing them at the bottom when Ivan spoke, "I like how Melody is pink and always soft looking." He mumbled.

You chuckled as you undid the protective layer on the bandaid and stuck them to his knees, "That's very true she does look soft. Though I think Pompompurin has a jiggly soft look to him that I like." you state.

You stand up, noticing you're missing something from your first aid kit, and go to the stairs, "Hold on a moment I need to grab something."

He could have run, could have left. You could have been a murderer going to grab an object to murder him with. But he would stay.

If he would get murdered by anyone it would have to be you. You were kind. So kind it hurt.

He felt tears fall from his cheeks again, his heart aching as he held his hands together.

Why couldn't he have met someone as kind as you sooner? Someone to make him feel whole? Why did meeting you make him feel so complete?

Was it how you tried to distract him from his feelings? The warmth from the teacup you gave him?

He didn't know, but he knew his heart ached from the sheer kindness you gave him and it hurt.

You came back downstairs, a roll of thick gauze in your hands and what seemed to be a My Melody plush.

You plopped it in his lap before sitting back down.

He looked started as he wrapped his hands around it, looking back down at you as you unwrapped the thick gauze and gently grabbed his foot, giving him a slight warning before positioning his foot comfortably and wrapping the gauze tight enough to keep it in that position.

The gentleness of your hands, the softness of the plush, everything made his heart ache and he wanted to kiss you at that moment, all his feelings so jumbled together into one big pile that he didn't know what to do or say.

You sat there for a moment and tried to find the words to say till you just decided to say whatever, you were me very quite good with your words when it came down to it.

"I won that plush a while back. It never quite fit with my other plushes but I guess it was waiting for someone like you huh?" You say, keeping a soft smile on your face as you stand up.

"I'm going to head to bed okay? If you need anything tell me. You're free to stay the night."

With that, you left him. He sat downstairs for a solid five minutes, eventually curling up, the small plush in his arms as he curled up on your couch.

He couldn't sleep, but he finally felt comfortable. His parents' words were long forgotten, and even if his knees and ankle hurt, he felt whole thinking that you cared enough to stop him. It had to be fate right?

It felt just like one of those stories! Those fairytales he would read with his sister. You were just like a knight, his only knight who was blessed by a goddess to save him.

A light blush formed on his cheeks at the thought and he sat up, deciding he needed to get better. He couldn't be a helpless damsel in his own story!

So with his new prized possession, he made it back to the runway, seeing his sister there with a concerned expression. When she saw his state she quickly hugged him, looking him over carefully, "Are you okay?? Oh God, I didn't know they would hire a private investigator cause you were distancing from them. I'm so sorry I only found out when they called me asking if you went to my place to hide." She said, everything about how his parents found out clicking in his brain.

But he didn't care anymore. They didn't care about him. They didn't care about the real him. So he smiled at his sister and held the plush tight, "It's okay Ava. I probably shouldn't have kept it a secret so long. I think I'm okay if they don't love me anymore. I won't change myself and I can't change their minds.".

He could see his sister grow sad but probably cause she knew their parents were too stubborn to change. He could understand the conflict of still loving his parents but hating who they were.

He eventually made it back to his home, several of the models who wore his works had sent messages to cheer him up and he finally felt lighter.

He carefully cleared an area on top of the shelf above his desk, moving aside the first-ever pair of shoes he bought and placing the melody plush next to them. And with the melody plush, he placed the shoes he was wearing when he fell, slightly scuffed, and a broken ankle band but he didn't care. Those shoes led him to you.

He then started to design some things outside of his usual lolita or j-fashion, having you in mind as he sketched out the pieces.

He spent weeks thinking about you and searching online maps for your house, finally finding the right street and the bridge.

He looked up the bridge itself, finding that it's a place many who want to end their lives make their way to. But he also noticed an article on how those high numbers of suicides went down in the past year or so.

It made him curious. And he wanted to see you again. He wasn't confident enough to try to talk to you but he just couldn't help but want to see you.

So he dressed in normal clothes, none of his usual fashion present as he didn't want you to notice him. He tied his hair back and put on a hoodie, no makeup or any accessories just sweatpants and his phone in his pocket, the cute phone case he had taken off so he wouldn't be noticed by you.

And after that he walked to your street, finding a bus stop with a bench that he could sit on with the view of your house. He brought a random book with him, not wanting to look suspicious.

Surprisingly no one bothered him, he noticed how quiet your house was, one of the curtains was open wide and he could tell you either weren't in there or awake.

He noticed some movement around noon, watching as you came down the stairs looking tired, shuffling around in your pajamas. Ivan brought out his phone, looking through the lens as he zoomed in on the camera, finding your frame and trying to get the best pictures he could.

He watches as you carefully go through your routine, and in the late afternoon, you head out. Your shift at the bar needed to be prepared for and he took note of the way you went off in. But as much as he wanted to follow you he didn't have enough confidence for that.

He's not a stalker! Or that's what he tells himself as he makes his way to your home, carefully finding a window on the side of your home in what looks to be a sunroom in the back open.

There were so many plants and little pots with mini signs written on them of what seemed to be the names of herbs. He takes off his shoes, carrying them with him so he won't leave any dirt on your floors.

Through the sunroom he makes it to the living area and to your front door. He didn't even notice the sunroom the last time he was here. He places his shoes next to the shoe closet by the door and then heads to the stairs that lead him upstairs.

He notices that to the front of the house after you make it upstairs you have a sitting area with lots of bookshelves, pillows, and blankets strewn about the place. A corner with a small couch that held all sorts of stuffed animals sat next to another shelf.

He couldn't help but grin at the sight, smiling as he looked through the shelves before coming across the door to your room.

He opened it, finding that you had quite the normal room, soft colors, and an unmade bed, a long-necked lamp with a clip held onto your headboard for what he assumed was late-night reading or for whatever your interests were.

Next to the headboard, he noticed a folding door, opening it he found a small room with windows, your clothes hanging from the hangers, and small furniture pieces with drawers that held what he assumed were more clothing.

It was exactly what he wanted, slowly he went through what was hanging up, finding the sizes and examining where things differed. He noticed what was more worn out and what wasn't, the type of fabric, and the colors you chose the most.

Ivan kept everything in mind, pulling out his phone to take some notes and a few pictures for reference before leaving your home the way he came, except he closed the window shut so no creeps would get inside your house.

What he did was research! He wasn't stalking or breaking in! He didn't even take anything or look through the drawers! He wanted to make something for you as appreciation. He didn't have any sinister intentions.

And so with the information he gathered, he practically ran home, looking through the fabrics he had before deciding he should design some stuff before deciding on fabrics and patterns.

He brought out a sketchbook, looking through some old designs before deciding to start a new one, quickly getting started on dresses and other things that he thought you'd look so cute in. Maybe some cute pants with a nice blouse? Or a skirt with pleats and a sweater? His mind raced with ideas before he received an unknown notification from his phone.

The text was from an unknown number, his eyes rolling as he opened it, wondering what kind of scam was after his bank details this time.

Only this time it wasn't a scam.

A picture of him entering your home and an address left with instructions to come over.

His heart nearly stopped at the scary situation. He nearly threw his phone but he stopped himself. There's no way you sent this! If you knew what he did you'd probably just call the police or something. So then, who was it?

The next day he showed up at the address and the meeting he attended at that fancy building in the city would change his life.

Ivan after that became more famous not just in the typical group who adored his style of fashion but also due to more light being shown on his works by outside forces.

Meeting people who had been thrown into their fate with you had made him feel less alone. They held the same ideas and same notions as him, that you led people to their fate and that fate is you! You belong on top of a throne that only they can admire.

And with a better standing in society and the chains of fearing his parents' emotions finally broken, he was free to be who he wanted to be and be loved for it.

And in a room in a certain grand mansion, many dress form mannequins with different outfits to your exact measurements and a wall filled with cloth rolls and a beautiful glass cabinet in the middle.

A prince named Ivan happily dusted the cabinet, his first pair of shoes next to the shoes that led him to his fate, and a plush my melody in between just to display itself among the other items that showed a turning point in his life.

Ivan closed the door to the intricate glass cabinet, locking it with a key on a chain, the chain slipping behind his blouse and a happy smile spreading across his cheeks.

"You'll be here soon. My lovely goddess of fate and life. Oh, how I can't wait to worship your form dressed in the softest of silk just as you deserve."

「 The Theophany of Hestia 」

[chaosfairy18]

For day 9 of @newsiesficchallenges poly ship week: Headcanons for Snowpike

Jake loves animals in any AU

In modern he'd likely want to study Biology/Zoology if he can or just work in a Zoo

In canon era he found a tiny kitten in a cold night (it is called Harold, he insists, no matter what the gender of the cat might be) and brought it to the lodge

Also in canon era he loves roasted chestnuts and Snoddy and Pie will buy them for him if they can

Pie Eater is good friends with Toby the candy butcher who works for Medda, so he sometimes can sneak some candies for his sweethearts (which is very fortunate as both love sweets)

Modern Pie Eater has been in a relationship with Hotshot before they (mutually) broke up and no one really knows how he survived that when they find out

He also likes photography which is very fortunate because

Snoddy knows Sarah through Blink's band (Sarah plays drums, he plays bass) and he volunteered to model some of her clothes for the online shops where she sells them

Pie Eater might not be the best with words but he is definitely the best at gifts, be it great pictures he took of Snoddy and Jake in the butterfly garden (Snoddy was wearing something butterfly-themed that Sarah sewed) or sweets

[therealbadegg]

Hello, may I ask a little bit one Tahlia? Like I want to learn about her because she seems nice

YES ALWAYS

My beloved Talia has beautiful brown eyes, the colour of chestnut. So so gorgeous, she makes me weep. I learned how to braid hair so I can style her hair. The hair is brown, a little bit darker than her eyes. She tells me she cuts her own hair, so talented. I cannot wait to run my fingers through it as I whisper in her ear about how much I..

Ahem. Sorry.

Talia is now 19 (her birthday was last month) and she has been promoted. She and I are now saving to buy ticket for her to come to Canada because of.. uh, the current state of Ukraine.. ah, anyways.

We facetime lots and watch Saw movies together. She insists that Saw III was the best one which makes us fight. Then we make mad passionate love online and we no longer rage. Saw V is still best movie.

Talia tells me about her family. They do not like me very much but they do want her to be safe so they help with saving money. She likes to paint and is very good at it. When we first met she made fanart of me from one of my first rap videos. Was beautiful (just like her)…

So so beautiful.

Я тебе кохаю, my Talia. Я обожнюю тебе і поклоняюся тобі. Твоя краса незрівнянна, я здригнуся від думки побачити тебе особисто. У всьому нашому болю та стражданнях я клянусь зробити вас настільки щасливими, як це може бути.

[moorishflower]

For your prompt plea, and because I'm watching Nailed It: Hob absolutely botches baking something and Dream, very bravely, attempts to eat it?

In Hob's defense, he hasn't tried to bake anything in years.

But being locked inside during a worldwide pandemic changes a man. Makes him start contemplating things like kombucha and tiling bathrooms. He's judged that trying his hand at baking is a safe enough place to start -- he remembers, in faint and hazy smears, his mother waking early in the pre-dawn light to collect eggs from the hens, tucking them into her cotte and disappearing for a while to the neighbor's. She did this a few days a month, and each time came back with a pot of barm enough to keep them in bread for weeks. It had been such a staple part of his childhood that now he struggles to recall the texture, the flavor. He knows that nothing these days is quite right, but he's hard-pressed to be able to say in exactly what way it's wrong.

It's something to do with the wheat, he thinks. His mother never used only wheat, that had been a richer family's prerogative, but she'd put other things into the mix that, at the age of thirteen, he had never paid much attention to. There had been peas, of course, oats, chestnuts when they had them, sometimes dried fruits, but when he tries to recall the ratios his mind stutters. Focuses only on the dim memory of his mother's hands kneading the dough in heavy, rolling motions, a little bowl of water at her elbow, into which she'd dipped her fingers, some unknown and holy rite. How she'd flicked water droplets onto the sticky mass, and slowly, slowly, under her strong hands it had taken form.

There had always been bread. If the hens died, if the crops failed, if the goats didn't give milk, it didn't matter. Somehow, there had always been bread, dark and sour-sweet, studded through with the toothsome bite of oats, the tart decadence of dried apples, the savory smoothness of ground peas.

Sourdough is an easy enough place to start, he thinks. You can buy all the things you need for it online these days, which is just as well, seeing as he can't go to the shops -- everything's delivered, now, and he's glad for the innovation, but he is going a bit stir-crazy. All of his lectures are taught on Zoom, which doesn't even necessitate that he wear trousers so long as he remembers to turn the camera off before standing, which means that Hob hasn't spoken to an actual real, live, present human for about...two weeks, by his reckoning. He's about to go, in gentle honesty, absolutely insane.

Hence, the sourdough. Something to do with his hands. A way to try and remember that has nothing to do with the faded film quality of the images in his head, but everything to do with the feeling of wellness he tucks in his chest whenever he smells a loaf of bread cooling on a counter.

And now he beholds the fruit of his labors. The bread of his labors. Whatever. It's an absolutely gorgeous loaf, deeply golden-brown on the top fading to a more genial light toast along the sides, a crust on it that feels like tapping his fingers against plaster, crisp and bright. He's even gotten the decorative slashes all right, three middling scores into the top that have baked with crumbling raised edges and a soft, tannish-cream interior. It smells familiar, yeasty and sweet; he's added salt, this time. He can't remember them ever having salt for the bread before, but now it's in bloody everything, and he thinks, why not? Why not live a little?

"Moment of truth," he says, and Dream, lingering at his kitchen island like a broken umbrella, rail thin, all ribs and floating black cloth, watches him take the breadknife and cut the first slice.

Hob frowns. He's not sure the crumb is supposed to be quite that dense. Dare he say, compacted.

"You used too much water," Dream says, sagely. Hob points at him without turning around -- he feels where his lover stands without needing his eyes, some untold sense of pressure and space that hovers around Dream like planets circling a whitehot sun. Hob drifts in his orbit, content in the knowing that he is on a circular path, one as set in stone as the pulse of the universe, that will always bring him 'round to Dream again.

"You don't know how to bake bread either."

"People dream of baking bread. There was a time when they dreamt of little else."

"Yeah, my time. Shit. I haven't made bread, I've made a brick." He picks up the slice and gamely takes a nibble. It is, indeed, like trying to gnaw through a piece of terracotta. The crust is still lovely, he thinks, feeling a bit glum. And he has plenty of starter left, if he can only figure out where he's gone wrong -- he steadfastly refuses to believe that Dream, comma, of the Endless, comma, Lord of Dreams and King of Nightmares, et cetera, knows more about the baking of bread than Hob, who definitely remembers that bread was a fairly important staple of his life pre-immortality. And for a good portion after it, too, now that he thinks about it.

A hand reaches into his vision, pale and lovely as new spring shoots. It gently takes the slice from him, and Dream contemplates it in the way that he contemplates everything: with the whole fullness of his attention, the heft of his regard like a neutron star, a physical weight that, when it is cast upon him, Hob feels like the comfort of a well-loved coat. It hangs on him, drapes in all the right places, heavy but not smothering. A pressure that soothes.

Dream blinks, and before Hob can stop him, takes a delicate bite. He chews. Hob grimaces a bit. Dream, also, looks like he is regretting his choice, but after a tense moment in which Hob thinks he's just going to spit the mouthful out, propriety be damned, he purses his lips, and he swallows.

"Too much water," Dream repeats, and Hob, caught in the sway of him, in the arc of his gravity, in the denseness of his love, leans down and kisses him, and tastes yeast, and rye, the dark sour-sweet of his childhood.

"There's plenty of starter left," he murmurs. "And we've got all the time in the world to get it right."

[suckitsurveys]

What type of milk do you like to drink? I don’t typically like to drink milk on it’s own but sometimes if we buy milk for cooking (usually whole) I will drink it with something chocolatey or a PB&J so it doesn’t go to waste. I will typically use oat or coconut milk in coffees though.

Do you have a first aid kit at home? Not really a “kit” but we have most of the components that would go in one in our cabinets.

What’s the absolute bare minimum in terms of facilities when you’re camping? I need at least a somewhat comfy place to sleep and some electricity and somewhere to go to the bathroom.

How many places have you lived in your life? I’ve always lived in Chicago.

Are your parents dog or cat people? Is that different or the same as you? My mom was an animal lover in general and my dad was the stereotypical “get these damn animals out of my house” but then ended up loving them kind of dad. He was more-so that way with our dog Cosmo my mom brought home when I was 17. He was a shih tzu and my dad called him a little rat but then they became best friends and when Cosmo passed my dad bawled like a baby. He’s been talking about getting another dog but is afraid to commit to it because it’s been getting a little harder for him to walk.

What’s your favourite flavour of potato chip? Potato? Kettle cooked jalapeno. Chips in general? Salsa Verde Doritos.

What’s the longest your hair has ever been? How long is it now? Mid-back. It’s just a little shorter than that right now.

What video games remind you of your childhood? Super Smash Bros.

What does your body wash or soap smell like? It’s like ocean scented or some shit.

Are there are sounds that bother you on a visceral level? Metal scraping against metal sends me into a rage.

What was the last thing you bought online? I just ordered a new bra.

Name something you always have in your fridge. Water.

Have you ever had to hire a lawyer? Why? Nope.

Have you taken a walk today? Did you see any dogs? Nope.

What vegetable do you really hate? Are water chestnuts a veggie?

Does your family have any traditions or rituals? Oh yeah, mostly centered around holidays and birthdays, of course.

If you could learn any language, what would it be? Spanish.

What was the best thing that happened today? Something that seems minor can still be awesome. They just posted a “first look” at the new Saturday Night movie.

Have you ever donated money to a charity? Which one? A bunch to the ASPCA and I have a monthly automatic donation to a charity for abortion rights.

Did you have a large circle of friends in high school? No.

Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone? I have 5 tattoos that match with other people: heart shaped sunglasses with Ellen, a tree with some red birds on it with my sister, and Snoopy, BoJack, and Brendon from Home Movies with Sarah.

What time do you usually go to sleep? 10pm-11pm on work nights.

Do you have a job? Yes.

What colour are the plates in your kitchen? They black and white.

What was the last gift you received? Ellen sent me a Kuchi Kopi (Bob’s Burgers) cookie jar for my kitchen but for some reason it didn’t come with a lid.

What is your Chinese zodiac animal? Snake.

Are you inside right now? If you’re home, what room of the house are you in? I’m inside at my job.

Are you good at remembering faces? Yes but bad at names.

What will you do after this survey? Maybe another. I’ve been on a kick lately because I’ve been locking myself out of social media during the day so now I’ve been distracting myself with this instead of working hahahahahahah.

[raptorsaurusmelain]

Let me show you... Youtube - chapter 12

Little chapter by chapter, the story is following the game. (Am I reading the manga in parallel to be sure I miss nothing ? Yes.)

Anyway, today I pre-ordered Vil's figurine, I can't wait to be in december and receive it.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

After her day, the brunette went to the school store to prepare for the overblot after care.

She was browsing through the shelf of the shop when Sam interpelled her. “Hello Dr Devi ! What can I do for you today ?”

[Of course he knows. But time to lie.] “Hello Sam, I am preparing for… My periods.” She said, whispering in his ear the last part.

Sam was a little embarrassed (as if it was possible). “I do not have everything prepared for ladies hygiene… Do you wish to order ? Like this I will have stock next time !”

[Actually… It wasn’t a bad idea.] She thought. Her basket was mostly full with cakes and chocolates, but she didn’t think about what would happen if she really needed pads or tampons. Damn, what a clever lie. What a smart woman.

That’s how she was at the counter, with a catalog on feminine products. She was very entertaining to watch, her face morphing from a simple surprise to an horrified expression reading the list of products that could be purchased.

She gave her list to Sam, with the brand and quantity on it. She also purchased wax stripes and razors because she was doing a chase of body hair. She added a headset to listen to music while doing her job. It was a Wony wireless sh-1000-xm5 with active noise balance, like the one she had on Earth.

Sam did a little chit chat with her, to get to know her better you know ? “So you have a thesis in artificial intelligence ? You should speak with the Ignihyde little imps, they would be thrilled to have a young woman understanding their craze for technology !”

She smiled “I know I should speak with them, I need to buy a gaming computer and some games !”

Sam’s eyebrows rose. “You are a gamer ? What a woman ! You will become popular with the boys.”

The woman pondered. “Well, I hope it is not masculine toxicity here too. I had a lot of misogynist men when I played online… Plus I am an old lady for them, I doubt they will be a ‘Victoria’s fanclub’.” She laughed at the second part.

Sam dared to ask. “How old are you ? You don’t look a day over 22 !”

Victoria's laugh doubled. “Oh boy, I am 29. Don’t flatter me too much !”

Sam was astonished. “What’s your beauty secret ?”

She winked. “Anti-aging cream, moisturize, sleep and not have infants. The holy quartet, my dear.”

The man laughed. “I love you already.” 

With her order ticket and her aftercare basket she went to the dorm. She prepared a dish of bolognese pastas with parmesan on the side, since she didn’t know if Yuu liked cheese. While waiting for her children, she finished setting up the old TV to see if it was still working under the eyes of the 3 ghosts. She cursed a lot seeing that the rats had eaten the alimentation cord. Well… Tomorrow she will order a new TV apparently. She needed a source of information and with this the children could watch movies and series on the weekends. They needed to blend like they could so they wouldn’t be bullied.

She was cut in her thoughts by a “We’re home ! We have a gift for you Victoria !”

The woman was surprised. “Oh ? What it is ?”

Yuu opened a box and revealed a slice of Mont Blanc tart. “Tadam ! We made them earlier !”

Victoria, put a hand on her heart, melting from the cuteness. “Ooooh Baby, you shouldn’t have…”

Grim interrupted the moment. “So I can eat it ?”

Victoria answered in 0.5s. “No, it’s mine. How was the afternoon ? The supper is ready.”

Grim began his eventful story of how they went to the dorm that morning with Deuce, met Cater, had a meal with Trey and Cater, met Riddle, got to gather chestnuts and…

“And we made the tart with magic !! Aren’t I cool ?” Finished Grim.

Victoria clapped “You are the best Grim. You will be a great mage if you continue like this.”

Grim puffed out his chest. “Of course, my underling. I won’t forget you !”

The Child finished their pasta. “We can get dessert now… Tell us if it tastes good !”

The woman could see that Yuu was borderline praying for it to taste good. She took a bite and hummed. “It is very good ! Very chestnut-y ! I like it.”

The adolescent exhaled, cheered up. “Trey did most of the baking but..”

Victoria placed her finger tip on Yuu’s lips. “Shhh, you participated in the baking and it is enough for me. I hope tomorrow will go well.”

Even if she knew it wouldn’t go well…

Tag : @boba-tea-fish @hipsterteller

[factorydefaultlu]

Character Bio

Demographics

Faceclaim: Zoe Colletti

Full name: Hope Nicole Jones

Birth date: June 16, 1999

Age: 25 years old

Zodiac: Gemini

Ethnicity: White

Nationality: American

Spoken Languages: English, non fluent French

Height: 5'3 / 160cm

Weight: 160 lbs/ 73 kilos

Eye Color: Hazel Green

Hair Color: Chestnut Brown

Identifying Marks: Freckles all over her body, most prominent on her face, arms and shoulders. A small black stick n poke butterfly tattoo on her left hip. Pierced ears.

Scars: A few she got on accident from falls and such, a large scar on her left calf from being tripped down the bleachers in high school. Small self harm scars on her thighs that have been healed for a few years. A long thin scar down her middle torso from her clavical to navel, as well as scars on her knees and elbows, courtesy of her kidnapper.

Occupation: Pharmacy Technician

Gender Identity/Pronouns: Female, she/her

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, though she's on the ace spectrum due to trauma.

Backstory

Hope grew up in a small town in Indiana USA. Her father wasn't around much and her mom basically raised her on her own. Her brothers are both nearly a decade older than her and she was the only child in the house by the time she was 9.

She's always been interested in movies, theatre, musicals, and modeling. She'd beg her mother to buy her the magazines on the rack at the grocery store just so she could look at the pretty women.

Despite having such a high regard for herself at a young age, she was still relentlessly bullied in grade school. By the time she hit high school she became a bully herself, often talking down to others and developing a superiority complex.

Hope did have a few friends though, and doesn't consider her experience in school to be that awful. She says it could have always been worse.

She graduated on the honor roll and was class president of her senior year. Despite being able to get a free ride scholarship to Indiana University she turned it down to pursue acting. She tried online college but eventually dropped out.

She remained at her job at the local movie theatre and started to promote herself on social. This brought the attention of a Canadian man, Jonathan Weaver. Or at least that's what he called himself.

He easily manipulated her, making promises of getting her into a modeling career. He began teaching her French and would send her money to buy specific clothes to model for him. Eventually he convinced her to move to Canada.

Hope's mother begged her not to go, but of course Hope didn't listen.

When Hope stepped out of the release gate at the airport, she met the man she'd been talking to for nearly a year. He looked like how he did in the photos, and acted like how he did online.

Unfortunately for her, he drugged the bottle of water he handed to her. He led her back to his apartment, chained her to a radiator and held her captive for 2 weeks. Dressing her up, photographing her, and raping her.

Hope was able to break a pipe and get free one day while Jonathan was out of the apartment. She ran from the building begging for help, barefoot and half naked.

Something in her broke that day and while she was being questioned by police, she lied and gave them false information. Hope wanted revenge on Jonathan, and not the kind that jail time could provide.

Along the way, she started becoming interested in the websites and forums she was posted on while in captivity. Her mind further broke, and she wanted to inflict that kind of pain on others so she wouldn't have to feel it herself.

Hope began making her own content, with any poor girl she could find. She started branching out and soon began to kidnap men.

After some research and digging she found out that a man named Jonathan Weaver didn't exist; At least none that looked like the man that tortured her. The apartment she was held in was abandoned and owned by the local government. There was no trace of her kidnapper.

She remained in Canada and got her citizenship, hoping to one day run into 'Jonathan' and give him a taste of his own medicine.

She works at a shady pharmacy in a downtown area and gets away with stealing small amounts of narcotics. She's gotten good at drugging people inconspicuously and is very active in the nightlife of her city. She's a regular at most of the bars and clubs.

Personality

Good personality traits: Ambitious, confident, friendly, intelligent, loyal, persistent, imaginative, bubbly, cautious

Bad personality traits: argumentative, stubborn, perfectionist, obsessive, spoiled, deceitful, untrusting, anxious

Sense of humor: 'dark', sarcastic, and dry.

Character’s greatest fear: going through what she went through all over again.

Life philosophy: We cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever - Haruki Marukami

Greatest strength: Her intelligence and quick wit.

Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Her desire to be loved and her desire for revenge.

Biggest regret: Letting herself be manipulated by a man she'd met online and allowing herself to fall victim to him. She considers herself smart, and felt so stupid when she woke up in that apartment.

Character’s darkest secret: her apathy towards human life. She tries to seem compassionate but in reality she couldn't care less what happened to most people. Hope assisted her friend in committing suicide the summer before their freshman year of high school. She helped string the rope up, and pushed the bucket from under her friend's feet. Hope then cut her down and held her until she turned blue. She has had an odd relationship with death ever since.

MBTI: ENTJ (Commander) is a personality type with the Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging traits. They are decisive people who love momentum and accomplishment. They gather information to construct their creative visions but rarely hesitate for long before acting on them.

Character Alignment: Chaotic Neutral- A chaotic neutral character is an individualist who follows their own heart and generally shirks rules and traditions. Although chaotic neutral characters promote the ideals of freedom, it is their own freedom that comes first; good and evil come second to their need to be free.

Enneagram Type: Type 4 The Individualist- The Sensitive, Introspective Type; Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental

Family and Friends

Hometown: Orleans, Indiana, USA

Current Residence: Canada

Pets: none but she'd love to have a cat, and maybe some chickens.

Mother/Relationship with her: Amazing when she was a child but once she hit high school it became somewhat strained. Hope always thought she knew what was best for herself and would ignore her mother or start small arguments over things.

Father/Relationship with him: Nonexistent. He was never around and eventually went missing. No negative feelings, just no feelings at all.

Siblings/Relationship with them: 2 brothers James and Brian, 8 and 10 years older than her. It's a pretty decent relationship with both but there's such a large age gap that they don't have much in common and don't talk outside of pleasantries and catch ups during holidays.

Spouse(s)/Relationship with them: N/A

Children/Relationship with them: N/A

Likes and Dislikes

Favorite Color: Pink, green and purple

Least favorite color: neon green

Favorite Music: pop, indie, and r&b

Least Favorite Music: Post modern country, dubstep

Favorite Food: strawberry cake, cheeseburgers, sesame chicken.

Least Favorite Food: any kind of leafy green. She is adament that she's not a rabbit. She tolerates spinach but only if it's in something like a dip or sandwich. Salads are off the table.

Favorite Genre: Romcoms, documentaries/nonfiction, horror/thriller

Least Favorite Genre: Action, sci-fi although there's exceptions to the rule. She enjoys Star Wars but doesn't like superhero movies.

Habits

Hobbies: reading, shopping, playing dress up, drawing/painting, dancing, jigsaw puzzles and watching movies

Smokes: She hates the smell of cigarettes and weed and is quick to preach the negative effects that smoking causes. She does smoke socially if it will get her close to a new victim though.

Drinks: Hope holds her alcohol well and it takes a few drinks for her to start feeling it. She really likes rum and coke, peach margaritas and lemon drop shots.

Other drugs: She steals half empty vials of morphine from her pharmacy and finds that's the only way she can sleep nowadays. She's done cocaine and molly on occasion with potential victims, but doesn't like that they skew her perception.

Nervous tics: Twirls her hair, bites her nails and picks at her skin when she's anxious or deep in thought. If she's wearing a long sleeve shirt or sweater she'll often pull the sleeves over her hands and pick at the threads.

Traits

Optimist or pessimist?: She tries to be optimistic, but sometimes all she can see is the negativities.

Introvert or extrovert?: Mostly extroverted, but she really likes her alone time too.

Daredevil or cautious?: She was always cautious, and then the one time she decided to take a risk it ended badly, so she's back to walking on eggshells again.

Logical or emotional?: She'd say that logic rules her, but she's quick to fly off the handle if she thinks someone is using her or making fun of her.

Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: There is a method to her chaos. It appears messy but it's definitely not dirty. She knows where everything is at and hates when people try to help her clean up.

Prefers working or relaxing?: Hates working unless it's something she wants to do. If it doesn't strike her interest then she wants no part in it.

Confident or unsure of himself/herself?: Acts confident, though there is a little insecurity deep down. Especially about her place in the world. She always trusts her intelligence though.

Animal lover?: Yes, she loves all animals especially cats.

[bakersstreetirregulars]

The Baker’s Street Newsblog: A Proper Introduction

🌰 Hi everyone! Welcome to the Baker’s Street Newsblog: a Cookie Run news blog operated by Cookies, for Cookies and anyone in between! My name’s Chestnut Cookie and we’re a small operation managed by a small group of Cookies and one mod you can call our Editor. We hope you’ll stay a while and enjoy your stay!

Blog Status: Determining Reasonable Schedule

Ask Box Status: Open

General Tags

#baker’s street irregulars - A general tag for any relevant news we post

#baker’s street reblog - A general tag for relevant (usually CR-related) reblogging we do

#bundle of free stuff - Posts to alert people about free stuff, usually to claim from the mailbox. Usually either promotional or compensation

#cookie run / #cookie run ovenbreak / #cookie run kingdom / #cookie run witch’s castle, etc - Visibility tags to say “this post is about Cookie Run” or a specific game within the series

#coupon code / #coupon codes - Posts containing coupon codes that can be redeemed for free stuff

#extra shiny presents - Posts to alert people for free stuff of unusually high value like- say- a few thousand Rainbow Cubes or a free Legendary Cookie

#new update - A general tag for new monthly updates and content

Major News Tags

#castle headline - An overview of a new update in Cookie Run: Witch’s Castle

#hot off the press - Breaking News from within the Cookie Run community, sometimes involving certain parts of the community or game-breaking fixes

#kingdom headline - An overview of a new update in Cookie Run: Kingdom

#major breakthrough - Notice of incoming content or quality of life fixes that is assumed to be long-term or permanent

#ovenbreak headline - An overview of a new month’s update in Cookie Run: OvenBreak

#patch notes - A detailed report from Devsisters on an incoming game update. Can be copy/pasted or shorthand-retyped.

#preview briefing - Teasers and previews for an incoming update

#the detective’s recap - End-of-Update reviews posted shortly before/after the new one releases. Primarily reviews unique/main events of the month, lore, and Cookies released. Will only briefly mention repeating events. Only covers updates where I was primarily on-scene.

#tower headline - An overview of a new update in Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures

Minor Organization Tags

#banner showcase - Showcasing the featured contents of a gacha banner and a personal discussion of its worth

#cookie feature - Reviewing a new or relevant Cookie, what they can do, and how they interact with the update’s stories

#discussion of the relevance of the meta - Analyses of the standing meta in multiplayer according to personal experiences, online resources (IE YouTube), and discussions in smaller communities

#documenting review - Old content worth mentioning again to catch up on because of newfound relevancy, interest, or incoming updates

#expedition reports - Deep analyses of relevant/new Story Mode and Special Episode content

#gift calendar - Daily gift schedules. Everyone loves free stuff.

#kingdom pass - Discussion of “battle pass” content with paywalled “premium” content and whether it’s worth buying

#keeping it seasonal - Season-based mode updates, usually signaling the start/end of a larger season

#pet feature - Reviewing a new or relevant Pet, what they can do, and how they interact with this update’s stories

#same day posting - Articles posted the same day the content is announced or released

#side event - Secondary events in an update which aren’t the main showcase of the month

#title event - The update’s main attractions

#treasure feature - Reviewing a new or relevant Treasure and its relevance in gameplay

Studio Tags (WIP)

#cookie kingdom studio - Covers ALL relevant news pertaining to the Cookie Kingdom, its residents, its immediate services, and adjoining regions such as the Hollyberry Kingdom, Dragon’s Valley, and the City of Wizards.

#dark cacaoian studio

#moontide republic studio

#pancake tower depot outpost - Covers news across ALL relevant routes in the Pancake Tower, AKA our Tower of Adventures project

#parfaedian studio

#vanillan studio - Covers news from central to northwestern Crispia, including the Millennial Forest and southern Candystick Archipelago. Acts as a relay channel for the Crepe Archives and the research (almost) single-handedly conducted by Strawberry Crepe Cookie and some of the adjoining staff.

#witch’s castle forward excavation outpost - Covers all research and similar activities in the Witch’s Castle with assistance from the Time Balance Department to ensure analysis of materials uncovered by any and all excavations and operations are accurate.

#west yogurcan studio - A content notice regarding content hailing from Yogurca or similar regions, operated by an anonymous staff line trained to handle sensitive information. Content from the region will be outsourced to another facility in Yogurca, free from the commentary of our affiliated staff. (We chose to make this tag because Devsisters mishandled Middle East and SWANA culture in the past and- as a result- caused unrest in the community multiple times. Filter content out from this tag if you want, as this is our current CW tag for this subject.)

Personalized Cookie Report Tags

#⚙️ crepe performs a new analysis - An in-depth study of something in the games, spearheaded by Strawberry Crepe Cookie. Could be a new Cookie, an anomaly that people often misinterpret, or even just a really hard level… but frequently shares information with @crepearchives

#the detective’s travelogue - Perspective logs with personal lore based on ongoing/upcoming CR events, written from the perspective of Second Floor Detective Heavy Cream Cookie

Bulletin Tags

#baker’s street lore drop - Casual posts with “lore” behind this blog or others I own, not so much being accurate to canon

#open board meeting - Polls regarding decisions on what you guys might want me to make on this blog and any associated resources I operate. These polls last one day and are planned to be held weekly every Tuesday afternoon EST.

#studio memo - Updates regarding the studio behind this blog over the past week

Casual Interaction Tags

#baker’s street break room - Random posts involving anyone on our Cookie staff roster (listed under the break)

#baker’s street polls 🗳️ - Posts with polls for you guys to vote on. These polls last seven days.

#editor response- Interactions with me- the Editor- via asks

#errand collections - Interactions with the staff via asks

#reblog for fun - Reblogs posted to this blog that aren’t related. Sometimes intentional, sometimes accidental. Might keep them here or delete them later…

#subscriber’s request - Posts expedited or processed due to a request made via the ask box

Mod Tags

#blog maintenance - Self-explanatory. Posts about upkeep on this blog as a whole.

#editor’s desk - Mod posts from the Editor. Sometimes personal or a blog update.

#editorial - Long personal reviews about something in the games

#editor’s random moments - Random posts from me. Mostly jokes and stuff but nothing really important.

#quarterly reviews - Master posts with links to everything posted within one season of the year. Next report: Fall 2024

Quarterly Record

These main posts highlight key points of our coverage in the current quarter and are subject to editing as information is made available over time, so reblog with caution.

CRK: 6/24/24 - Dark Resolution’s Glorious Return Patch Notes (6/19 and 6/24)

Under the break is the staff list and some other side ventures that I have planned.

(go back to the previous pinned post?) 📌🔗

Staff Roster

These are the Cookies that work in the studio to any extent. Ask them stuff in the ask box!

—————Board of Directors—————

❓ Pomegranate Jam Cookie - Director of the Cookie Herald and Baker’s Street Newsblog by extension, Pomegranate Village Relations, Perspective Examinations

—————Board of Directors—————

🔮🐦‍⬛ Radish Raven Cookie - Lead Field Reporter, Transportation

🌙🐦‍⬛ Night Raven Cookie - Head of Interdimensional Relations, Tactical Magic Research

🍫🔧 Choco Eclair Cookie - Head of Timeline Reporting, Magichanical Operations, TBD Relations

☁️ Lemon-Lime Meringue Cookie - Editor’s Clerk & Representative, Earthbread Research & Archival Assistant, Interdimensional Relations, Emergency Lightning Magician, Lead Camera

❄️🦊 Heavy Cream Cookie - Building Owner of the Studio’s Branches in the Cookie Kingdom, Parfaedia, and the Dark Cacao Kingdom, Lead Detective Operating from the Second Floor in those Buildings

🏙️ Caramel Choux Cookie - Cookie Kingdom’s Town Square Studio Consultant

⚙️ Strawberry Crepe Cookie - Lead Earthbread Researcher & Archivist, Magichanical Technology Development & Maintenance, Vanilla Kingdom Relations

—————General Staff Team—————

—————Primary Studio Staff—————

🌰 Chestnut Cookie - Lead Studio Reporter, Newspaper Deliveries

🍮 Pudding Cookie - Part-Time Studio Reporter of Good News & Fun Times, Newspaper Delivery Assistant

🔎 Walnut Cookie - Part-Time Studio Reporter of Incidents, Associate Detective, Confusion Clearance

💎 Roguefort Cookie - Part-Time Studio Reporter, Treasure Examination, Theorist of Perspective

🐦‍⬛ Black Raisin Cookie - Studio Reporter, Vanilla Kingdom Relations, Earthbread Research & Archival Assistant

—————Part-Time Staff—————

🥕 Carrot Cookie - General Assistant, Food Supplier

🎯 Beet Cookie - Studio Backup, Ranger

🪄 Cinnamon Cookie - Stage Management, Magic Supplier

💫 Cream Puff Cookie - Advanced Magic Research, Disaster Management

🦊☕️ Coffee Marshmallow Cookie - Abroad Investigation, Deliveries

🥭 Mango Cookie - Abroad Travel Guide

🕯️ Candlelight Cookie - Treasure Examination, Treasure Maintenance & Research

Personal Side Task List

Advertise/Revive CRK guild on the Pure Vanilla server

Work on a new icon and banner for this blog

Update aged parts in an inactive Discord server to reassign it to a CR research role, where data collected will be published by the Crepe Archives, then revive and advertise

Advertise and work on personal/guild server

Editor’s Side Ventures

These? These are just my other active blogs right now. I might work on some other ones depending on how things go.

@crepearchives - Cookie Run informational archive blog, personal side project to make a resource similar to the wikis accessible as a Tumblr blog

@timekeepertwister - TBD AU blog, mainly writing as of now

@derpytoad - My personal main miscellaneous/reblog blog

[balkanradfem]

Seeking medical advice (or shared experiences!) regarding a damaged neck muscle

So, I’ve noticed recently, that I struggle to walk long distances, without my neck starting to hurt. Later on, I realized I also can no longer carry heavy bags (anything heavier than 2kg), or even run, because every time my feet hit the ground, the impact hits my neck with a wave of pain.

I figured it’s possible the neck was damaged while I was collecting and selling chestnuts, because I sometimes carried 12kg in my hands, because my back is also very bad and I can’t carry heavy stuff around on my backpack. After that foraging season ended, my back and neck hurt for a long time, but I just thought it was a bit of inflammation and muscle ache, because I strained them a lot, and I thought nothing of it, just waited for it to pass.

Now the pain has escalated to the point where it hurts at all times, I can only walk for 20 minutes at a time, I can’t sit for more than 10 minutes. I also can’t do most neck exercises, because they hurt too much to do (I can do a few simple ones).

I called my doctor, told her whats up, and she said the neck muscles could still be inflamed, and recommended me a gel that treats damaged and inflamed muscles, to be massaged into the painful place every day. She also told me to get a medical neck straightener, to immobilize my spine.

I got the gel and it was crazy expensive to me, but when I asked about the straightener, it was not only expensive but the pharmacy didn’t have one. I looked online for some used ones to see if anyone is reselling, but they’re doing so at the same high price! I don’t want my neck getting worse (and it’s getting worse every day), but I’m also unsure if I would even be able to wear the straightener because I can’t stand anything being wrapped around my neck, like I can’t even wear shirts that have collars that come close to the neck area, I immediately feel like I’m suffocating and dying. I’m worried that if I buy this thing, I’ll immediately realize I can’t possibly wear it, and it’s a lot of money so I’m feeling lost and confused about it.

The gel is helping only marginally, the pain stops for an hour, then comes back. It’s also giving me a lot of prickling and cold sensations and I’m unsure if it should be like that, it feels like it’s both cold and on fire at the same time.

Did anyone experience a similar neck damage, and if you did, what helped? I’m starting to feel down because I can no longer do a lot of things, and if I don’t fix this, I won’t be able to do most of my planned life, which would suck.

Also is it possible do diy a neck-straightener safely? It looks like something I could put together myself, but I’m worried that if I mess it up I’ll make things worse.

(my fingers are not going numb and I can turn my neck in all directions, so it’s not an injured bone)

(also this might be completely unrelated and unnecessary to mention but I did have an accident a few years ago where I fell off of a tree directly on my spine just under my neck and my head hit a brick and I fainted but I was in so much shock at that time I never got checked up, also I could walk normally again after a week and after a month nothing hurt anymore so I believed I was fully recovered, I wonder if that situation made this situation worse =_=)

[katiajewelbox]

Happy National Tree Week in the UK!

Can Black Friday be green? It can if you go on a shopping spree at @jurassic_plants ! The average tree absorbs around 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of atmospheric carbon per year, so planting many trees on your property can add up to an positive impact on reducing your carbon footprint in the long term.

Here is my haul from the Black Friday sale at Jurassic Plants, one of my favourite online plant shops in the UK. Late autumn is a great time to buy seedling trees since the deciduous species are less likely to be damaged in transport because they have already shed their leaves and are dormant. In addition, the trees can be planted in larger pots so they are ready to start growing as soon as they break dormancy in spring. In a plant biology context, dormancy is a temporary period of slowed growth which usually coincides with the winter season. Dormancy can also occur in plants living in environments with designated dry seasons or other times of the year that are generally unsuitable for growth. For most deciduous trees, the trigger is falling temperatures and shorter day lengths.

This year, I welcomed the following species to my ever-expanding family of trees: Castanea sativa - Sweet Chestnut Acer sterculiaceum - Himalayan, Pungent Maple Zelkova serrata - Japanese Zelkova Zanthoxylum piperitum - Japanese Pepper Tree Vitex agnus-castus - Chaste Tree Toona sinensis - Onion Tree, Chinese Cedar, Chinese Mahogany Sorbus domestica - True Service Tree, Sorb Tree Liquidambar styraciflua - Sweet Gum Tree Ginkgo biloba - Maidenhair Tree Cydonia oblonga - Common Quince Cornus mas - Cornelian Cherry Cercidiphyllum japonicum - Toffee Apple Tree, Katsura Tree Cephalotaxus harringtonia - Japanese Plum Yew Aesculus glabra - Ohio Buckeye Aesculus californica - Californian Chestnut Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala - Amur Maple Acer monspessulanum - Montpellier Maple Acer cissifolium - Ivy Leaved Maple

[deepautumncolors]

💅🏻 ~Manicure Monday~ 💅🏻

Hi everyone! I decided it was time to add another brown to my stash, so I did a little research online and ordered a shade called Cliffside Karaoke from the Malibu Collection that OPI released for Summer 2021. Most of my OPI polishes are from older collections that came out a really long time ago, so it’s nice to have one that’s fairly new.

Now that we’re getting into the colder months towards the end of the year, the sunny days will be far and few between. But I’m lucky that the sun was out today so that I could take some pictures of my nails at least one more time before the winter! I also took advantage of some leaves on the ground by using them as my background during my walk today.

Sunlight:

Shade:

This color is a chestnut brown that reminds me of hot chocolate and s’mores in the fall, and my husband said it reminds him of gravy - lol. My other brown that I’ve worn for Thanksgiving is darker and shimmery with reddish undertones that make it lean towards purple, whereas this one is a crème polish with warmer undertones that I prefer. Some browns also lean towards gray or taupe, but this one is just a good old regular brown. Finally, a true brown with no other colors hidden in it!

One of my sisters has to work on Thursday, so we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with her this past Saturday. I wanted my nails to go with the outfit that I wore that day, but I also want them to last until the real Thanksgiving later this week, so I put the first coat on that day and the second one this morning in order to help make it last a little longer. The first coat was fairly patchy and some spots of my nails were still visible, so you definitely need more than one. The formula went on easily, and it was able to self-level very nicely. The pigmentation is rich, and I think the color looks good with my skin tone. It complements my features because my hair and eyes are dark brown. It can be a little risky to buy a beauty product online without trying it on in person first, but I am very pleased with my purchase and will definitely wear this polish again sometime!

🍁 Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

[crosseyedcricketart]

Downtown Chattanooga: Travel Guide

Original post link / Original post date: September 25 2023

Chattanooga, Tennessee is a beautiful location packed with things to do. Something that I have implemented on the trips I’ve gone on would be having a day for certain areas: you have a day for downtown, for shopping, for Lookout Mountain, and a day for anything else. This keeps the flow of the trip going nicely. Today, I’m discussing a downtown day in Chattanooga idea, for any sort of references you would like to have for your own trip or wanderlust Pinterest board.

My picks: Tennessee Aquarium, iMAX, Creative Discovery Museum, Hunter Museum of American Art, Moonpie General Store, and Rocket Fizz.

As always, make sure to research these areas further to ensure they are what you would like to spend your time doing, or actually fit the wants of your party. I would highly recommend if you intend on doing all of this, to break this up into two days. I also have another post covering Chattanooga in a broad-stroke, and I have that linked here for any reference you might need. 

Tennessee Aquarium:

Website / Address: One Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37402 / Contact: 800.262.0695  Hours:  Sunday-Friday: 10 am – 5 pm.  Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm.  Closed Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day / At the time of writing, the Aquarium is closed on 10-22-2023 for a special event. 

Located in downtown Chattanooga on the Tennessee River, this is a location that takes about 3 hours to fully get through; it is within walking distance of the iMAX theatre and tickets are available for both locations at the same location, either online or in the Tennessee Aquarium ticket office. This is a walking location, so make sure to dress yourself and your party accordingly. This is an easily accessible aquarium so there aren’t awkward elevator locations in relation to the layout of the aquarium. There are two gift shops, so be warned. You will want to buy a dumb octopus thing.

iMAX Theatre:

Website / Address: 201 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37402. / Contact: 423.266.4629

Located a short walk away from the Tennessee Aquarium, this is dependent on the length of your film viewing, but can be anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours. Make sure to plan accordingly for the film you want to see and double check the time slot for the film. Year round, they have films relating to wildlife and ecosystems in connection to the Tennessee Aquarium, but it still does function as an iMAX so there will be other films too. A fair warning for those who are not too equated with iMAX: if you or anyone in your party has sensory overstimulation issues, vision issues that can cause migraines, or are migraine prone, I would be wary of attending the iMAX theatre.

Creative Discovery Museum:

Website / Address: 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37402. / Contact: 423.756.2738  Hours:  Thursday-Tuesday:10 am – 5 pm  Closed on Wednesdays through the spring at the time of writing, 09-25-2023. 

When I was a child, my parents broke up the two days for downtown Chattanooga so we could attend both this museum and the aquarium. I think that is best if you want to start in the morning. Aside from that, the children’s museum is located just down the street from the aquarium. You can comfortably walk there if you parked in the Aquarium’s parking lot. The length of time you spend here will be dependent on any little party members you have, so just make sure you account for that.

Hunter Museum of American Art:

Website / Address: 10 Bluff View, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37403 / Contact: 423.267.0968 Hours:  Tuesday: Closed Monday, Wednesday-Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm Sunday: 12 pm – 5 pm

This museum is located on the Tennessee River, west of the Tennessee Aquarium. I would recommend driving there and getting your parking validated by the museum. This museum is wonderful and as it is self-guided, you can take as little or as much time as you would like. If I had to give you a time, I would say 1 1/2 hours. This is another walking museum but it has a lot more places to sit and stare as opposed to the aquarium. This museum is a wonderful, inside, break and it’s so nice to just be able to walk around.

Downtown shopping- Moonpie General Store & Rocket Fizz:

Moonpie General Store: Website / Address: 429 Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37402. / Contact: 423.877.0592 Hours:  Monday-Wednesday: 10 am – 7 pm.  Thursday-Saturday: 10 am – 8 pm.  Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm. 

Rocket Fizz: Address: 411 Broad Street #105, Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37402 / Contact: 423.777.5699 Hours:  Monday-Thursday: 10 am – 9 pm.  Friday-Saturday: 10 am – 10 pm. Sunday: 11 am – 9 pm. 

There is a small downtown area where there are local shops and such, and these three would be the ones I think are nice to go to. I would recommend coming to the area for the afternoon of your day in Chattanooga. The Moonpie General Store is really a Moonpie store, but it’s very cool to go in. Plus these are the freshest moon pies you could buy. Rocket Fizz is a soda and candy store with a fun collection of niche sodas and hard to find candies. There are a lot of niche and local shops in this area that I haven’t personally visited, but I would encourage you to have a look around.

Loose extra thoughts: the downtown Chile’s is very nice. I know it’s a chain, but a good chain restaurant is reassuring to have, so I do want to make sure that I keep up with letting you guys know if there is a good chain restaurant as a safety net. City Cafe is also in downtown Chattanooga and they have some pretty darn good deserts.

That is my loose itinerary idea for a day in downtown Chattanooga; feel free to use this as a basis or general idea of what you would like to plan for your own trip! There’s a lot to discover in Chattanooga so I’ll make sure to update this if there’s any new ideas I have from any trips I go on.

Aside from that, make sure to take care of yourself sometime today, and treat yourself with gentleness, All in all- Happy travels! – Annie, the crosseyed cricket.