Everyone who lived on Baker Street had come out from the fog to eat Nanni’s dinner. This made perfect sense; Nanni was one of the few people in the park who knew how to cook meals using ingredients and an oven.
When the park was still open, Revati's home was a coffee shop called the “Mad Hatter Teaparty.” The walls were painted in eye-watering clashing shades of neon pink and green. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling were all giant velvet top hats. The booths were giant flower teacups with tiny chairs and tables inside.
"Was there some sort of drug in the pineapple?" Revati heard Brigadeiro ask. Revati just ignored him and instead walked past each of the booths, collecting tributes; nobody ate Nanni’s for free.
The Paprikas sat in the blue and gold teacup, their neon orange hair clashing with the paint. The Paprikas were two brothers and their sister who had found themselves trapped in the park as children. Their parents had been vaporized by a towel-warming rack. Now they were in their mid-twenties and worked for Revati as hired muscle for free dinners.
"Who's the new guy? He's actually clean and good-looking," the youngest brother Brie asked Revati. "His name is Brigadeiro Bun; he's an off-world tourist who stupidly went to the wasteland," Revati said. "I was trying to find crystal roses," Brigadeiro smiled helpfully.
"Bridgadeiro huh? So your parents were Goup worshippers then?" The sister, Juniper, asked curiously. Revati vaguely knew that Goupism was a popular religion on other colonies. Over a thousand years ago, there was once a woman who apparently traveled the earth gathering the best health practices needed to be “happy.” "A white woman, and she stole most of her ideas from our eastern religions," Amma, who was a staunch atheist, had snapped with annoyance when Revati asked her to explain the Paprika siblings' religion. Still, despite her thievery, at some point, she had become a god. They firmly believed in things such as “psychic vampires” and “color-balancing therapy.” They also all had peculiar food-related names, mainly because the goddess had named her daughter Apple.
"Yes, they were. They insisted on coming here for a Wellness Day holiday," the eldest brother, Croquette, growled. "I miss mama's Wellness Day Avocado and chocolate cookies," Juniper sighed sadly. "It's not the same, but here I have a couple of factory-made ones in my pocket," Brigadeiro said, crawling into the booth. The Paprika siblings gasped with astonishment as he pulled a packet of cookies wrapped in gold paper out of his jumpsuit's gigantic pocket. "They got a bit crushed when I was kidnapped, but they're still good," he said, opening the package and placing it on the table. The Paprika siblings stared at the cookies, their mouths slack with shock. Croquette slowly shook his head, completely snatched the package, and began to serve the crushed crumbs amongst his siblings. "You need to keep this one forever," Juniper said firmly, and Revati just shook her head, moving onto the next table.
The next table consisted of the elderly Gupta couple. "You adopted another kid? If you want more water for him, we want more dried apples," Mrs. Gupta said, a small scowl on her wizened face. It was Mr. Gupta who had figured out how to gather and purify water from the atmosphere. It was Mrs. Gupta who managed and recorded all the water they collected, rolling it out like a tyrannical dictator. "Fine, one extra package of dried apples per week," Revati said before swishing grandly onwards.
Amma was sitting in the pink cup, her new partner Dusk Brisbane. Dusk Brisbane was a teacher from Titan, who, along with their students on a field trip, found themselves stuck in the park. Like all people from Titan, Dusk had inherited the ability to rapidly change biological genders. Titan had also inherited a name that meant a time of day and a gender. Dusk’s remaining students were sitting with Dityaa on a large cat-shaped sofa. When the invasion began, there were twenty-three of them. Now there were only five nineteen-year-olds left. Dityaa was holding court over all of them, sitting on a couch shaped like a giant grinning beast. "Your sister said you had an interesting night," Amma remarked as Revati sat down next to her. Nanni had laid out a plate of aloo mushroom curry. Revati picked up a piece of hardtack and dipped it into the sauce, refusing to talk. "So you're not even going to bother telling your side of the story?" Amma asked as Revati swallowed. Nanni always moaned that her cooking was so much better before the war. Years ago, Nanni worked in the city as a professional meal prepper for wealthy families that wanted to eat real organic food.
Nanni was proud of her ability to create one hundred percent sand-free meals using the most exotic ingredients. Nanni would bemoan to everyone that her meals were now a mess, that her spices were too basic, and that she never had enough salt. Revati, however, who had never tried anything else, thought her food was delicious. "I'm hungry! Besides, what's the point in telling my side? I'm sure Dityaa's story was more enthralling," Revati replied. "Every story needs both sides and the truth," Dusk remarked. As they spoke, their features shifted from a feminine middle-aged woman's face to a man's face with a beard. "You're not my creative writing teacher, and you're not my parent," Revati pointed out.
Revati knew deep down she didn’t dislike Dusk; Dusk was a perfectly decent person. Not to mention Amma had been so lonely until Dusk offered to help her teach the feral children a year ago. Still, it was a lot to get used to.
“True, but your mother did ask you a question, and I think she deserves an answer," Dusk replied in that same mild diplomatic voice. Revati deliberately ate another mouthful of curry before wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her dress. "Dityaa got attacked by some lady at the ball; the chutiya had A.I. eye implants! They must have switched on somehow," Revati explained. "Mind your mouth, Revati! There will be no swearing at the dinner table," Amma scolded her. "Her implants switched on? That's so odd; one of my students had AI tastebuds, but they stopped working the second we walked into the park," Dusk remarked, their face shifting back into a woman's as they glanced at one of their students. The student in question, Basil Paris, was sitting next to Dityaa, licking their hand. Dusk was right; in order to create true "historical authenticity," the park was surrounded by massive mirrors. The volcanic Martian glass blocked the "AI" life stream. "And what did you do?" Amma asked in a quiet, nervous voice. "I threw a glass of vodka at her face, and her eyes fried up," Revati replied.
"Can you take the children's sign language lesson tomorrow morning? I need to check the mirrors around the walls," Amma said to Dusk.
"Of course," Dusk replied, and Revati rolled her eyes.
"You don't need to do anything, Amma! I'm the elected leader of Baker Street! This is my job," Revati said firmly.
"You're only seventeen!" Amma protested.
"Almost everyone voted for me! Well, apart from Mrs. Gupta, who voted for herself," Revati said, and mother sighed.
"Fine! But you're not going to leave well after the sun rises, and you're not taking Cora and Laila! You can take Vivienne and Jay Jr.," Mother replied firmly.
Nine minutes past midnight.
Revati's eyes snapped open in the blue-glowing darkness. Slowly, she sat up, taking in the familiar shapes of the kitchen's walk-in freezer. Dityaa was sleeping next to her on the souvenir pillows Amma had sewn together into a makeshift bed. In the corner, the feral children slept together in a nest made of old soft toys. Nanni was snoring on one of the plastic shelves that had long ago stored ice cream. Amma insisted on them all sleeping behind the massive metal doors. To anyone who lived near any other planet, it would have been freezing, but Martians had evolved to withstand the cold.
Revati stood up and glanced down at Dityaa. Dityaa had worn her new dress to bed, ignoring the stains. The blood on her dress looked shiny black, her face shadowy blue. She looked just like Princess Savitri in the family book of fairy tales. Revati, on the other hand, had changed into her pajamas, which consisted of a long-sleeved men's shirt three sizes too big. The red fabric hung to her knees, and the words "Olde Landon Halloweenfest 3544" had been printed across the front. Revati picked up her blanket, draping it around her shoulders. Sleep wasn't going to return any time soon. Revati reached underneath her part of the mattress until she found the stories.
Outside the metal doors, Revati could hear distant voices, and carefully she slid the door open. Amma and Dusk were sitting together on the cat-shaped couch, murmuring to each other over tea.
"I don't see how they could know..." Amma began, and then she trailed off, spotting Revati.
"Insomnia again?" She asked gently, and Revati nodded, walking past the two of them.
"If you're going up to the greenhouse, be quiet; I made a bed for the boy up there," Mother replied.
"Really, Amma? You couldn't give him a bed?" Revati asked, opening the front door.
"He would freeze in the fridge, and he said he liked plants," Mother replied.
Outside, the fog was still shifting, and Revati moved ten spaces to the right.
"Evening, boss," Juniper's voice called, and she suddenly appeared holding a jar filled with glowing mushrooms.
"Any problems?" Revati asked.
"Nope, it's been a pretty quiet night!" Juniper said.
"Good, make sure your brother takes over your shift! We don't want you fainting from sleep deprivation again," Revati replied.
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Cottagecore kiddo masterpost
Nicknames your cg can use on you!
buggy, buggo, snail, lil’ snail, lil’ bug, buddy, inchworm, little mushroom, shroomy, bud, petal, sproutling
Nicknames you can call your cg!
Mumma, momma, dadda, papa, big bug, bubba, sissy, etc!
Some things you might like!
comfy, little soft cottage dresses! Sunhats! Little black slides!
A moodboard for you!
Some activities!
play fairy teaparty by inviting your stuffies into the forest/yard and set up a teaparty!
Hunt for frogs and bugs and snails!
Look around and take a walk!
play fun littlr games!
make dandelion crowns
Make little terrariums
some games
cats & soup - pocket frogs - gacha club - kitty life - mouse simulator - roblox - minecraft
songs
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My fictional caregivers:
(Please understand that I am fully aware these are fictional characters and not real. This is just in my imagination to help me cope)
Fuyu
Fuyu takes good care of me. He's a bit strict, but I know it's because he cares. He always makes sure I drink water, eat, and brush my hair. He even does my hair up sometimes if he can get me to sit still. He let's me snuggle in his tails when I'm cold, and he draws with me too.
Captain Yami
He's big fun! I think it's funny when he teases me! He definitely scared me at first, but he's learned to be a bit more gentle. Not to say I don't enjoy running away from him when I "accidentally" annoy him a bit. It's all in good fun. He thinks it's funny when I'm sassy to rude people. And he laughs when I make up funny words or show him ugly plushies that I like! He's so much fun to be wif!
Tfp Optimus Prime
It took me a minute to understand him, given he doesn't show emotions, but I think we have a good understanding now. He always appreciates my drawings, and he makes sure I'm okay. He shows affection in his own way, and that's okay.
Gajeel
Another big fun guy! He's like a fun uncle to me! We like sharing our music tastes, and he lets me be adventurous! He also lets me be sassy to rude meany people. And he protects me from scary people. Ofc he does make sure I'm okay and that I'm taken care of. He is always there for me when I feel overstimulated. And doesn't mind watching little kid shows wif me.
Chuuya
Chuuya is nice because he lets me vent to him. He lets me play with his hair and put cute clips in his hair. And he wears the bracelets I make him. He loves Bluey just like me! We color together all the time, and he makes sure my bottle is filled. He buys my cute clothes and snacks! He very nice ❤️
Hisoka
Okay, I know this one is a bit sus, and I'm not sure how to justify this one Imma be honest. But he's pretty SFW around me (probably because I'm weak and he's into power). I like going shopping wif him! He pays for my crippling stuffie addiction lol. He thinks my gremlin behavior is funny, and he lets me bite his arm. He just laughs. Ofc I don't bite too hard. He also play pretend wif me! My fav game to play wif him is Cats Vs. Dogs! And we have teaparties and bake togefer! He's lotsa fun!
Goemon
Basically, me bodyguard. He refuses to let me out of his sight. Doesn't mean I won't try heehee. He's definitely a bit more awkward with my regression, but that's okay. I think it's funny. He always makes sure I eat, sleep, and drink water. I think he secretly likes Bluey, though he'll never admit it lol. He takes board games very seriously. It's funny to watch. He's a good guy and is always trying his best.
Sundrop
(Art is not mine)
This man was literally built to be a caregiver! He's my arts and crafts buddy and always tells me what a good job I did! We decorated a plant pot togefer! It turned out great! He cut out star shapes for me. I like putting stickers on his face lol. He's such a good caregiver 💛☀️🌻
Rottmnt Raph
He makes me feel safe. And he gives the BEST hugs! He takes me to Build a Bear and plushy hunting at Goodwill. He watches little kid shows with me, too. My fav to watch with him is My Little Pony Equestria Girls. He always, and I mean ALWAYS, makes sure I'm taken care of. He's so sweet. ♥️🖍🍎
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