#i mean we're out of vegetables at home but we still have quite a bit of food left

[donuts4evry1]

// i'm so. incredibly. utterly. tired and overwhelmed. i woke up even more tired than when i slept yesterday. i took a nap yesterday and i don't feel much better

considering i just went through a pretty catastrophic hurricane it's a real surprise to see that i'm more stressed about school than. well. the flooding and all.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Michael & Peter

Trip for two (Part 4)

The trip is something special for Michael. What he had always experienced with his father, he was now experiencing with Peter. And slowly their hunger started to kick in. "I'm curious to see how this combination tastes. Garlic, paprika and tomato…"/ "Believe me, it tastes fantastic together. And the good thing is, we'll both stink…"/ "hehe, definitely".

After the first bite, Peter wasn't quite so enthusiastic. "mh…hm, maybe we should have fished somewhere first"/ "And where? All the lakes here have practically been filled in"/ "hmm…"/ "See… Oh man, I miss our beach. We really had a lot of fun there"/ "Yes… And there was good fish"… Even though he wasn't necessarily thrilled with the taste of the roasted vegetables, Peter ate everything anyway, after all, he was hungry too.

After dinner, Michael didn't want to lie down in the tent straight away. Instead, he lay down on the blanket in front of the tent and looked up at the night sky. Peter joined him a short time later "Are you OK?"/ "mhm. It's so quiet out here. Even though there are no more cars in the city, everything is still somehow… loud."/ "It is. There's hammering, drilling, people are trying to get their houses warm for the winter".

"Do you think everything will be a bit more normal here again one day? I mean… I've got used to all the walking, it's not wrong that there are no more cars, but… there's just so much missing. In summer it was always nice to be on the beach or at the fairground…"/ "mhm. Now we have to provide entertainment here ourselves".

"I'm not just talking about entertainment. We used to be able to just go into a store with our pocket money and buy whatever we wanted. A magazine, or lemonade". Peter thought for a moment and smiled. "Or a bag of potato chips, man, that would be great now"/ "hnhn, yes, or cookies…"/ "hehe. No, they should first make sure that we all have a working heating system. You know… I think there's something going on in the background…" Peter's voice became more serious.

"Do you think…they're deliberately not giving us any help here? It's been almost a year now… They should have asked about us a long time ago. I mean… Three people came back, they found a way back here…"/ "Exactly… Actually, someone from the military or some other aid organization should have turned up here a long time ago".

"Do you think they've forgotten us? Or think we're all dead?"/ "It's possible. Certainly not forgotten… But you've experienced what happened here yourself. Maybe no one wants to look… but I still have the feeling that someone here knows exactly what's going on."

"I think … that the Altos know something. I mean… Have they ever helped us in all this time? We kids in particular should have been given better support. I don't know what I would have done if Xander hadn't turned up on our doorstep one day…" Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even if he screws up now and then, he takes care of you guys…hmm, do you think he might know something?".

"I don't know, I don't talk to him about his work and I don't think he would tell me anything. Besides, he's often pretty exhausted when he gets home, so I don't want to bug him…"/"hhh, oh man. ". Peter rubbed his eyes, he'd been up a long time and it was quite late. "Let's go to sleep now, shall we? " / "mhm."

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

While Peter and Michael are already in their sleeping bags, Xander is a little surprised that evening. "hm. You do realize that this is my bed, don't you?"/ "I know that. But if Michael's not there, I don't want to sleep alone in the room"/ "ah… OK, then… Shall I read you something again? But the three little pigs are not for the night, that's an explicit instruction from your brother"/"hm, then another story…".

A children's book, appropriate, but not quite age-appropriate. Bella has long since outgrown the level of knowledge she gains from this book. She knows that herself and she's sure Xander knows that too. But it's something light, something that doesn't strain the mind too much, but also tires you out at some point because of all the colorful pictures. "Well, and that was triangles, circles and lots of other shapes."

After the girl fell asleep, Xander was in his own thoughts. "I got used to you guys really fast. Maybe… I should go check on her after all? I'm off tomorrow… Finally. And I haven't had a chance to check downstairs to see what's going on. Nick has the key. But a locked door isn't necessarily an obstacle, hnhn. Sleep well, girl".

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

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover ☺

poses partly by @justanothersimsblog (I don't know if I have chosen the right simblr to mark, unfortunately your Sims 3 Poses download page is not accessible?)…

[technocipher]

Some may wander onto the church's balcony, never once sparing a glance at the rolling rack of plants. "They're just plants. Who cares? Doesn't Eva grow flowers over there?" Sure, there's a scant number of plants growing there. Nothing seems to support much life over there. No signs of any vegetables from those seed packets we give her, either.

(In all likelihood, the developers probably thought that few would notice that section. Fleshing out the balcony with more plants might've been deemed a pointless gesture.)

What many don't realize, however, is that many plants are medicinal! Consider that the next time you pass by the herb pots at the grocery store. Common thyme, for example, is antibacterial! It can also be steeped as a tea for sinus infections, and that's just a small fraction of what it can do!

The central shelf on the rolling rack carries rosemary, along with a plant I could not identify. Just generic, silly nonsense, right?

Wrong! Rosemary is more than just a kitchen spice. It's a fantastic herb for the brain!

It acts as a brain stimulant!

It aids with memory!

It aids blood circulation to the brain!

It aids with treating early onset dementia/Alzheimer's!

It acts as an antidepressant!

It acts as an antiviral!

It aids concentration!

It also has anti-anxiety properties!

Where the revenants are concerned, I'd say that's quite the vital herb! With the help of scavenged alcohol and some sterile jars, bottles, and lids, there's potential for the crafting-- and trading-- of rosemary tinctures! (In the absence of proper sterilization, whatever they can use to rinse would have to do. Above all else, these chosen jars and bottles would need to be airtight enough to prevent oxidization. An oxidized tincture is not desired-- it can lose a lot of those helpful properties!)

If water is still consumed by the revenant population (and if it is, I haven't seen it mentioned)... they can take these tinctures through water. A couple drops or barely a spoonful would go a long way! Some may attempt to slip these under their tongues and get quite the burn for their trouble. At Home Base's bar, there are numerous bottles of blood bead leukocytes. These could possibly handle a small dosage... if our favorite revenants can stand to hold the first sip for ten seconds.

Now, the uppermost shelf of the rack holds some decorative plants... and some parsley, growing out of a generically-labelled tea tin. Parsley? Really?!

Parsley's got quite the high vitamin content, though. I don't know if revenants require the same intake allotment for vitamins like humans have-- I've never seen it mentioned before. But if you factor in the maintenance of the host' body, vitamins are just as important! Whether or not the BOR parasite directly benefits remains to be seen, but for now, we're covering the fun stuff.

What the heck does parsley do, anyways? Well...

It's got stupidly high amounts of Vitamin K, which is not only good for your bones, but also boosts blood production!

It's full of other key vitamins and antioxidants!

It acts as a diuretic!

It also helps to keep your eyes healthy!

In the grand scheme of things, it might not seem like that big of a deal. But it could help boost a revenant's regeneration. Code Vein flip-flops a bit on how regeneration works, especially with gameplay in mind. Could parsley increase the healing amount, or even the number of times it can be tapped into? Quite possibly! It could also be circulated to the shelters, and thus assist blood donors with recuperating quicker. The diuretic properties can also be utilized to help flush status effects quicker. And as for the eye health of revenants far and wide, wouldn't that go a long way? That's a lot less stress on them, isn't it?

Though I cannot identify the other plants on the rack, that doesn't mean that they're lacking in benefits. There are some flowers that can be eaten and be used in medicine. Calendula, for example, is an edible flower that can be used to aid the healing of wounds. Besides, it's such a bright and cheery flower-- why not keep a few blooms just to look, and let them go to seed, while you're at it? (Calendula is very easy to grow-- save those seeds!)

Another one is chrysanthemum, which is another edible flower. Its primary benefit is eye health, and I believe it's even stronger than parsley in this regard. (Do not consume the store-bought ones, as they have been treated with a myriad of extremely harmful chemicals! The best way to avoid this is by growing them yourself. Remember to buy non-neotic seeds; these are better for pollinating insects and keeps you safe, too!)

And if the parts above the soil aren't safe for consumption, remember that the roots can still be used! Roots can have loads of medicinal properties! Some can be edible, while others can be dried and infused into oils! An example.of an edible root is the humble dandelion. Though the entire plant is completely edible, its taproot is a potent liver detoxifier! Should it be roasted and brewed into tea, it tastes just like coffee!

Even if revenants aren't taking these medicines themselves, consider how much it would benefit the human population living in the shelters. If we really gotta split hairs, the medicinal benefits could carry over into blood donations. Entire categories of enhanced blood could be produced by the shelters, and distributed to the revenant-occupied shelters. In times of disease where the latter is concerned, these unique products could be life-saving. Even then, the more positive trading arrangement may improve human and revenant relations-- a massive issue omnipresent within the Gaol of the Mists. This isn't just food and decoration; it's something greater.

Just a little thing that makes life a bit more bearable.

[the-firebird69]

August 8, 2024

We are very tired of them playing this type of video and posting it and haven't got something to look at this crap it's like you're boring people and Trump is a moron you don't have to sit there and prove it but you do all day is run around so fast doing so many things you don't even know what your name is or what you're doing there and we know it's true and it is a disgusting show where you're putting on and we are going to stop you it's cold shortly. A lot of people are going to stop you cold shortly and most of you will be dead very soon and we say that a lot but right now there are armies heading your way in Tallahassee because you are trying to take over and you kick the clones out and you started to attack Jason. And you committed atrocities and homicides and on the governor's people and they are going to get you out of here and they see that Tommy f is keeping you here and a lot of people are now coming for you including your own kids and your vegetable. Jason is organizing groups and arresting your dupes. Huge bunch of them too and he knows where stuff is here and he's going to go after it to fight you off up north today.

-Tommy F and his people were told they're not welcome here anymore by the people in Florida and they're telling them all over the place you don't need to live here or you don't need to shop here you don't need to get gas it's happening a lot and they're getting beat up and shot and killed quite a bit and they're going to get kicked out again and it's happening in a big way so large scale movement all over the world to get the stupid ships out of here and there's still 84 by the way they're going out and pulling out people who are clones now the sun had went to law 84 lumber and it was doing it job for his mom his special order door I took forever to get his mom was mad and said some confusing things and really it was finally in and she's like you can't even remember that's a long time it's like 3 months we're supposed to boobs put a bunch of boobs they are so they finally went there and they got the stuff it's such a hinge for something it's the right stuff it's not perfect it wasn't even customers just standard and we know what it was but it's important it has to do with these ships and he was made to do it and didn't know he was doing with the code or anything he wants you to look at it he remembers it and hardly wanted to pick it up because it took so damn long

Thor Freya

It means stay away from it and don't look at it no and what it really means is you're all dead and we can't stand you

Tommy f

We found it to mean something about what it attaches to and you're a little upset and I think you said it's not the right thing but it would work and that's what you ordered and you looked on there and it's not what you ordered and you had a fight with them came out and you were angry and you told them you want to refund this thing this said no he said this is not what I ordered how can I get a refund if it's not even what I ordered it all you're telling me what you ordered you guys face changed and finally he said we'll submit for a refunds I said thank you very much for a company just science and should not be that hard so I see what happened. And the guy was a starter because you knew that they used to be pretty big and you are concerned because home Depot and Lowe's are not going to carry their kind of weight this is yeah but usually they would help me so so kicking around and it's true too they can't do stuff and this is Trump idiot so you found him doing it starting to beat him up he's very rude and boy the second piece of s*** and that's what it was and they ended up refunding it to d and she was thankful and said what did you say to them to get them to do it explains this is what I was ordering and it came out as this and it's something different I said I didn't and I just repeated it a few times and she said that oh I see like we don't get it so they went ahead and checked on the order and all this other crap they finally found someone who ordered it is home Depot and Lowe's who have to cover it I guess if they can't do it and it ended up happening and it was these Indians doing it it's not the track it but it's tons of lumber and they're fools and they got the business and they couldn't handle it it's huge shipments of lover it doesn't matter who brokers it it's going to be the same number and these people and he's trying to tell me that they think they're going to hop on and make each lifts and warp or something because they ordered it and it's like stupid s*** like that was going on and I realize I was trying to take over other stuff they keep on abusing him and doing it now and put him through the ringer he has to sit there and fight for his Petty said boy you shouldn't get f***** up you're so cheap you can be running a program it would be nice instead you're getting us all killed

Mac daddy

Olympus

So Joe Watts laughs cuz they call him a f** and he doesn't get it he's the one dying for a hundred bucks like 100 US dollars now that's cheap life okay that's cheaper than Africa this guy next door is expendable according to himself it's not really funny you're dying to not do the job you have a plan to try and kidnap me so what everybody does and you end up dead and that's funny to me. You have a plan to try and harm me to kidnap me and you get killed all the time and you're losing all of your stuff and soon everything all your weaponry and everything that you had is going to be gone including your family and your clan and your armies you think that's funny douchebag laughing at me cuz you're making me poor you stupid slob I can't help laughing at you when you die and you get your brains worn out it's funny okay to me it's funny because you keep on harping on me and people keep on telling you no and you're so stupid you're willing to get hit in the head and you're nothing okay you're an idiot now and you still think stupid s***'s funny that you get your brains blown out for I think it's funny that you're so stupid

Zues Hera

It's not funny it says yeah it is funny you're f****** idiot asking for it right now why is it in funny douchebag why is it not funny you're so cheap you're willing to sacrifice your gray matter and really what a f****** loser you are such a f****** loser you've always been a loser Joel Watts but now this takes the cake sit there and try to push me around all the time and finally people just started to enforce the rules and you're not listening to them don't do this or we'll do this and I think it's funny that you can't even figure it out and you're getting your just dessert..... So I'm saying also just stuff about him and yeah I see it they don't want me doing it and I get hit I don't see why he's laughing at and it's funny because you say I'm really really stupid and it's supposed to this computer guy and I can't stop getting hit and we'll see in the head too once a week and that's making me smarter I got to get out of this and he says yeah you going to get out of here if you leave you will be watch so much but holy s*** you stupid you're a stupid person you going to sit there and yell at me saying I'm staying right here and that's what cause is some people want this position and I don't want to give it up and I can't get a hit he says it's funny cuz I'm so stupid it's annoying as hell it won't be forever maybe a few weeks you'll be out of here in a few months and you'll be dead permanently finally not like you're here that much anymore 75% gone that's what I was told is your brain do you think it's like the right thing to do the bother me see it f***** up and you end up dead everyday they're killing you so it's probably not worth it but I keep doing it Trump says yeah probably not worth it that's why I have to sit here and laugh cuz here's this hose back it doesn't get in any way and yeah you don't know what happens call your people to all your people and you have no plan left at all you have the events listings a long time events are logged on the beds are long gone for sure and you use them and they probably looked at it and said this is a trick and you fell for it which is funny to me you're a f****** joke a****** you shut up Joel watts and get the f*** out of here God damn moron

[inkwell-god]

Emotions are an odd thing. People always define them so simply; joy, sadness, anger, love. But I've never felt like that. Emotions are a thing only in so much as vegetables are a thing. You can point at some broccoli and say, Yep, that's a vegetable, but it's not. It's a flower. Emotions are like that. I can ride a powerboat and think, Yeah, I'm happy, but that's not quite right. I don't have the words to describe how I feel. The people around me scream with ecstasy as water splashes over them, but I, don't. The boat lurches, spins, and tosses, I'm having a good time, but I can't tell you how I feel. Is happiness the right word? I don't have my dictionary right now, so I can't look it up. Is excitement the right word?

How do you even define an emotion? Each one is so different. I know there are hormone and chemical processes involved, so would you use an equation? This much, mixed with a little bit of this, equals happiness? But how would you check it? Would I need to do a piss test when I want to know how I feel?

I can tell when I'm feeling something I've seen someone feel. Like right now. I can empathise with whatever movie character that is from whatever road trip movie, looking at trees flying by, music playing but not being listened to. That's an emotion. I've felt it, but I don't have a word for it.

And what about inorganic emotions? Writing this out fills me with the same contented togetherness I felt when I read @diamonds456 post a few months back. We're all here, we're all feeling things, but what are we actually feeling? I mentioned a feeling just now, contentment. It's a word that means so much to me, but I couldn't define it. Well, I could, but "the state of being contented" is a shit definition. That doesn't convey the depth this word holds for me. 

Contentment is sitting next to an open window, watching a candle flame while listening to the rain, snuggled deep into a beanbag, covered in a handmade quilt, talking online with someone scared of storms, and just chatting, laughing through the night, joking about soup, taking about nothing and everything. 

Contentment is the feeling I get when I sit down with a good book, and just exist.

 Contentment is when I trade puns with some friends. 

Contentment is when I'm waiting for my coffee at the Bond and Bevel, and I settle down onto the soft leather couch, enveloped by the warmth and smell of my favourite shop.

A single word shouldn't mean so much, but still be indefinable.

Nervous is a word. When I was learning to drive, they asked me if I was nervous. I said no, because nervous was the wrong word for what I was feeling. I hadn't been behind the wheel before, but I understood the mechanics of the task. I knew what pedals did what, and what all the different levers were for. I knew what to do. So I wasn't nervous. But I also wasn't confident. I hadn't been behind the wheel, and so I didn't know how to drive. When I messed up turns, I would get, flustered? My heart rate would increase, and my ability to make decisions would worsen. I would make a mistake, leading to more heart racing leading to more mistakes. My instructor didn't think flustered was the right word, and insisted I was nervous. His insistence annoyed me , leading to me being distracted and making mistakes. And the cycle would repeat itself. 

Is joy eating a bowl of ice cream while standing in the rain?

I don't know where this is supposed to be going. 

I'm two hours away from the ocean. I'll probably feel things there. Awe, wonder, contentment, anger, annoyance, joy, eagerness, and humour. Is humour an emotion? When I laugh at or make a joke, am I feeling humour? That's not the right word. The situation may be humorous, but that's not what I'm feeling. 

The difference between a maintained forest and the glorious wonder I'm passing feels important. Miles and miles of trees, all taller than my home stacked on itself. Green needles on the outside, facing me, the road, and the sky, but bare branches inside, winding together to form a space separate from people, safe for animals and underbrush. Conifers intermingled with deciduous trees, forming something so different from forests I passed a while back. I grew up going through the same section of forest four times a year, and so I thought I was tired of seeing conifers. I thought they were so boring, but they're beautiful. The same forest, when spread across hundreds of miles, has shown me so many different faces I was never aware of. DEER. A mother and two babies walking along the highway. 

Rocks are something, aren't they. Do you know what a batholith is? There are giant slabs of rock under the earth that used to be magma chambers. Over time, they rise up due to tectonic movement and push through the surface. I'm over parts of a batholith right now. The basalt sometimes peeks through the soil, and I can just stare at the gorgeous grey stone. It's so different from what I've always known. Iron oxide has always been a defining feature in the large rocks I see. Red mountains, red canyons, heck, even a red lake (It even dyed my shirt red.)

Stopped at a deli for a sandwich. An hour to the ocean. Saw a river and some goats. Off the freeway now. Fewer trees, more grass. There's the river again, beautiful. A lovely cottage, red walls, dry yellow moss on one side of the roof. Over the river again. 

It's summer, but the trees on that hill have orange leaves. The conifers have green needles. 

Factories are beautiful. I know this one exists to destroy the beauty around me; that's why the trees are dying on that hill. But it's still pretty. Piles of dark mulch, clean, industrial lines, utilitarian construction. Nothing wasted, every inch serving its purpose.

New hills now. Prairie grass and towering deciduous trees. A sprawling vineyard. An empty field. Another deer. DEER. Interesting.  Autocorrect thinks I should yell about the deer. DEER. An old grey pickup. A lone red house high in a hill. Trees slowly creeping back toward the road.  A slow creek. A hill covered in young saplings. 

I've gotten pretty far from emotions, haven't I? I want to keep writing, but I don't have more to say. Lincoln beckons from the floor, but I don't want to return there yet. 

I feel old. My bones creak and ache, my spine crackles when I move, I can't ever quite get comfortable

Green grasses now, and larger trees. An abandoned property with a bright blue pickup. A little greenhouse. A white sheet metal wall hiding nothing. Magenta flowers covering a hill. Back on the freeway. A clear cut hill. A gravel embankment. A basalt canyon, formed by men, carving a path across the land. Two dozen brass gnomes on a bench in a field.

I can see where forests were removed for lumber and then replanted. Swathes of land, with only a hint of growth, of recovery. 

A bear told me the air is clean today. We're not on fire yet, and the view is amazing. I can see so far. A beautiful boulder, a riveting riverside cliff wall, more miles of forest than I could ever hope to traverse. More magnificent magenta flowers. An anarchy flag flying in a clearing. The trees are taller here. Towering from the river bank six metres below, up a dozen more overhead. Another babbling brook. A town called Remote out here in the middle of nowhere. A country fiddle. 

Another forty miles to go. More magenta. 

I should stop staring at this screen and open my book, Lincoln is waiting, but I could think of something to say the moment I open the page. If I wasn't writing, you would never know about the fire coloured barn or the continuation of the magenta flowers.

What would you call that feeling when a song comes on, and the first few notes fill you with more joy than can be attributed to the song? It's not a special song, not something you remember well from your past, it just was there, an ordinary song you've heard many times before, but something about it just hit you like a truck, and you're left grinning like an idiot for the few minutes it takes for the song to end. But when the same song plays a week later, you feel nothing. You sang along to the words, but it was only for those three minutes, that one time, that this song took you somewhere else.

A rock farm, ripe for the harvest, a hillside cemetery, a field of cows, a yellow-daisy covered road, a lone crow. A lumber pond, filled with logs larger than semi trucks. A flat plain several miles long. A lumber yard. A beautiful abandoned factory, white sheet metal pocked with rivulets of rust. Nature is so grand. Even the areas that make me think of the Lorrax hold so much grandeur. The drama, the mystique, the feeling that I am so small in comparison to this mass of trees that existed before I did, and will continue to exist after I'm gone.

Well, I've arrived at my camp site. Still one mile from the coast, but I need to stop writing.

Walked down to the coast. The ceaseless grey waves slamming into miles of grey shore are amazing to behold. I picked up a rock. It's small, only slightly larger than my thumb. It's smooth and black, but not completely. There is a crevasse on one side that's the same size as my nail. Following the crack around the back, there's a burst of grey streaks. It's slightly oblong, but still turns easily in my fingers. It's a nice rock. I dropped it just now, and it closed my writing app. Maybe it's not such a nice rock after all. 

It's night now. I long to be down on that beach, strong, cold gusts of salty wind pushing me back, stars peeking through the clouds overhead. I could gather some driftwood, and after clearing any flammables from my vicinity, I could start a small fire, just bright enough to read by. I'd settle in, and work through this anthology. It's been pretty good so far. The first story was 120 pages long, and discussed what would happen if everything that could think got suddenly smarter. The one I'm on right now is about what would have happened if Lincoln hadn't died. 

Well, I should get some sleep, so this is the real end of this document. It's already 1800 words anyway; I won't be able to type here for much longer. Goodnight y'all.

[reporterleroux]

The Hybrids Society

Characters: c!hybrids x gn!striderhybrid!reader (/p)

A/N: Yet again suggested by my friend my ideas are on a low rn lmao

UPDATE AFTER WRITING:

I have been made aware that Ranboo is uncomfortable with x readers, I am trying to privately save any to find things that may possibly be uncomfortable for him in the future and avoid them, however I cannot do that with asks. This can be read as a friendship if you please, I personally don't think it's weird for friends to hold hands, but if youre uncomfortable please scroll.

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

The hybrids of the SMP always seemed to be pretty innocent, doing their own things, living their own lives. But behind the scenes there was a secret society for them. A society away from normal humans. A society built for them. It simply went by the Hybrids Society, that's all. It was a group for everything, from healing and support, to meetings for when it came to more serious times. When it came to meetings, everyone had to attend, but otherwise it was open for any of them to stroll in and get what they need any time. The main people you would normally see there would be Ranboo, Tubbo, Fundy and Phil, Techno and Foolish would appear from time to time when needed, but otherwise the others were barley seen at all. It was content, quiet enough for them. They had all the support they could need, right where only they could find it. It was only these lot, until you came along.

It was just a normal day for you, strolling around the lowest points of your home on the lava, checking in on all your friends and family, even if they were full Striders and not Human hybrids. That was until 2 people saw you.

"Uh, Phil? That's a person, right?"

Ranboo asked Phil. They were out looking for some Quartz, it would usually be Phil and Techno or Ranboo and Techno, but he was busy today, so the 2 of them went instead. Phil looked awfully confused, so Ranboo pointed in your direction, both seeing you playing with the smaller Striders in the middle of the lava pool.

"Oh yeah mate, it looks so. How are they not burning?"

Phil said. Ranboo just shrugged in confusion. They stood in silence, careful to be aware of their surroundings, watching you trying to figure out how you weren't burning.

"Why don't we go down and talk to them?"

Ranboo suggested. Phil took a moment to look in his inventory for cobble, if they were going to head towards you, they needed enough.

"Got any spare cobble? I think I'm just slightly short of it."

Phil asked Ranboo. You didn't have to ask him twice, as he pulled out all the cobble in his inventory and passed it to Phil. You could tell he was excited to meet you.

It wasn't long until they were at a suitable level and started bridging towards you. About halfway through their bridging, you noticed them, and decided to walk towards them to help them save resources. They somehow didn't notice you, not until you started talking to them.

"Hello."

You simply stated. The bridging blonde was taken by surprise and fell from the shock. If it wasn't for you catching him, he would've fallen into the lava.

"Sorry about that, here, pass me that, I'll help you."

You said as Phil passed you the cobble, and you began to build a bigger platform for them to stand on.

"Thanks... Wh-whats your name?"

The bi coloured boy asked, clearly nervous about meeting you, now that it was happening in person.

"I'm Y/N, how about you guys?"

Ranboo looked at Phil, and Phil looked at Ranboo, both clearly confused on who's answering first.

"I'm Phil, and this is Ranboo."

Phil finally spoke up, pointing at Ranboo as he said his name. He waved in response.

"Nice names! Would you like to stay and chat for a bit? Obviously if you're not busy, it's just nice to talk to someone since noone here speaks English."

You said. The 2 looked at eachother, remembering what they came for.

"We gotta get some Quartz, but you can come with us if you can walk on land?"

Phil asked. You thought about it for a moment. You'd never been on land before. Would you drag them behind their schedule? Striders are infamous for walking slowly on land, is it the same with you?

"Yeah, sure! I'm not sure if I'll slow you down though, I've never walked on land before."

You answered, excitement dying down slightly in the second sentence. Ranboo looked at you in slight disappointment of your excitement dying down.

"Don't worry kid, it's fine. There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

You nodded in responce, and Phil held out his hand to pull you up, as the platform was one block above lava level. You placed your bare feet on the cobble. It was cold, rocky. But nice. It was different, you liked that. Phil started walking back, Ranboo behind him and you behind Ranboo, surprising you as you were walking at the same speed as them.

You were next to Ranboo, the 2 of you walking behind Phil, talking while he looked for Quartz. Ranboo would unconsciously stop talking at times to study you and your hybrid features. You had pale red skin, dark red hair, and wore a raggy shirt and trousers.

"So,"

Ranboo began.

"What other hybrid features do you have?"

You thought for a moment. The issue is you didn't really know. You never went outside the lava, never tried something new before today.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I've never left the lava before today. All I know is that I like mushrooms, it's the only edible vegetation here for me and it's quite nice."

Ranboo let out a slight laugh at your honest opinions, which made you smile. You didn't know what you did or how you did it, but it felt nice.

You were all there for a while, you got to know Ranboo quite well and he got to know you quite well. You got back to the portal, kinda upset that it was time for them to leave. They both looked at you, before looking at eachother, and back at you again.

"Would you like to come with us? Y'know, like live in the overworld with us, meet out friends?"

Your eyes visibly lighted up.

"Yes! I'd love to!"

You called out. Ranboo offered you his hand so he could help you through the portal, which you excitedly took. You all stepped through the purple swirls, and before you knew it, you were somewhere you've never seen before.

It was indoors and decorated like your home, granted, but you cod tell it was different. You felt scared. You gripped Ranboos hand tighter, he looked over to you confused until he realised how scared you looked.

"Hey, it's ok, it's a nice world out there, trust me."

Ranboo told you with a smile. You smiled back but still didn't let go of his hand fully, you just released your grip a bit. It was all fine until you got to the exit of the building. It was pouring down with rain. Phil looked over at Ranboo and handed him a coat. You looked confused.

"He's an enderman hybrid, so he can't go into the rain. Wait, since you're a hybrid from the nether, does that mean you can't go out into rain?"

Phil said. You shrugged before you stuck the back of your hand out into the rain. It only took a single drop for you to pull your hand back in pain. You could see where it landed, it was physically sizzling.

"Ah. In that case, wanna get under with me?"

Ranboo asked, lifting up the coat so you could get under. You edged closer to him, as he released your hand and rested it across your back and looped his hand to hold onto your stomach. You reached up for his hand with one of yours, the other pulling the edge of the coat down. It wasn't overly comfortable, it wasn't the biggest coat, and Ranboo had to bend down to your level due to his height. But it was whatever it took for you both to be safe. The issue is you assumed you were running and didn't know where to go.

"Uh, Phil? I guess we're running, right? I have no clue where were going."

Phil looked at you, before looking at Ranboo and turning back around.

"Don't worry, Ranboo will show you. Now, ready? Let's go!"

Phil said before running into the rain, the 2 of you close behind. Ranboo held you close, making sure you weren't hurt at all. He was used to this by now, but was aware you were new to rain, and wanted to make sure you get back in one piece.

You finally reached where you were heading to, and Ranboo stood at his full height, letting the wet coat fall off both your backs. Phil was aware of why you both didn't touch it and picked it up for you. You followed Ranboo into the place.

"This, Y/N, is what we like to call the Hybrids Society. It's a place open for all hybrids whenever they need it. It's hidden away from the non-hybrids, so please don't tell them about it."

Ranboo said. You nodded when he said not to tell the non-hybrids, as you both approached a corner. You tugged on his jacket to grab his attention.

"I'm not sure about this mind..."

You said nervously. Sure, you were excited to meet hybrids like you, but it was also nerve wracking.

"Don't stress, you'll be fine."

You grabbed Ranboos hand and walked behind him as he walked around the corner. Phil had already walked ahead.

"Hey Fundy, Tubbo, Techno! Were back!"

Ranboo said as he walked in. You hoped his tall figure would hide you since you were considerably shorter than him.

"Hey Ranboo! Why's your hand behind your back?"

Fundy asked, as Tubbo nodded in agreement to his question. Techno was looking through chests for potion ingredients, not paying attention to them. Phil was in the corner smiling, looking for some clothes for you to wear. Ranboo looked at you, as you looked back up at him. He smiled at you softly.

"Remember what I said, it'll be fine."

You slowly poked your head out from behind him, before showing your whole self, waving at them nervously, still holding Ranboos hand.

"This is Y/N. They're a Strider Hybrid and we met them in the Nether earlier."

Ranboo introduced you. Techno perked up at the fact you were found in the Nether and finally looked at you both.

"Hello Y/N! I'm Tubbo, I'm a Goat hybrid!"

Tubbo introduced himself as he waved at you excitedly. You smiled and waved back.

"I'm Fundy, a Fox hybrid. Nice to meet you."

Phil had finished looking for clothes by now and was watching you all. He could see Techno looking at you in curiosity as to your hybrid abilities. He made his way over to him and nudged him.

"Go on then mate, introduce yourself!"

Phil whisper-shouted to Techno.

"Uh, yeah right, sorry. I'm Technoblade, but you can just call me Techno."

He said in a monotone voice before turning back to what he was doing.

"Y/N, here, go put these on, it's probably more comfortable than what you're wearing now."

Phil said as he handed you the clothes he picked out, baggy jeans and a red shirt. You took them before Phil pointed towards where you could go change. You walked off to go change, while the others continued the conversation.

"So, about you guys,"

Fundy began with a smirk on his face. Ranboo instantly cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

"Were just friends. They were nervous about leaving their long time home, and I don't blame them. We talked alot during the trip so I suppose we got quite close and they started clinging to me for safety? I'm not sure, we'll just see how it goes."

Ranboo said. It was a simple response, with a simple theory, he just didn't know if it was correct.

You later walked out of where you were changing in your new clothes, happy with the selection.

"These are nice, thanks Phil."

You said. Phil simply nodded his head slightly.

"Hungry? There's some mushrooms over there if that's what you fancy. They're overworld ones though, not ones from the Nether."

Ranboo asked. You headed towards where Ranboo pointed and looked at the mushrooms. They were way different to ones you were used to, they were beige or red and white spotted, rather than blue and orange. You looked back over as if to say "Are these safe to eat?" and they all nodded. You simply shrugged before taking one of each and trying them one after the other.

"Mm! These are nice! Different from the usual, granted but it's nice that they are different."

You sealed the approval of the mushrooms.

You hung out at the base of the Society for a bit longer, meeting more hybrids and getting to know others better. It was getting late, and there was just one problem. You didn't have anywhere to sleep. You started getting tired, and they all noticed.

"Hey, we got beds here, want us to stay here tonight and we'll find you somewhere to sleep tomorrow?"

Tubbo asked, praying the others wouldn't mind what he put them up to. All you could do was nod, before you physically went out cold.

"Damn, they are tired, huh. It's been a long day for them I suppose."

Phil said, while Ranboo picked you up before taking you to one of the beds and staying until you felt comfortable.

"Goodnight Y/N. See you tomorrow."

He said before walking out. It was a different life, of course it was, but it was going to be a nicer one for you, with more people to talk to, and a best friend you would trust with your life.

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

A/N: a place for them would be nice where they just do stuff yeah

[mistahgrundy]

home owner boringness

our garbage disposal stopped working so we're replacing it. Lots of easy to make whoopses on our part since we've never done this before (nothing major just keep forgetting to buy stuff needed for the project causing delays). during this I realize that the base of the kitchen cabinet super needs to be replaced. it's not moldy or rotten yet but it's bowing in and there's clearly been some water leaking this week from our monkeying around. also someone cut a rectangular hole in the board long before we moved in, I have no idea why, there's nothing under the base, just concrete, no pipes. so after we get the disposal all squared away and replaced and I know there's no leaks I'm gonna rip that particle board out and replace it with pressure treated plywood instead, since that holds up better to moisture. people who build houses just use the cheapest shit they possibly can get away with, hence why there was particle board under there...

still need to get our roof repaired. we apparently need to whole new roof! that will be fun... and expensive... and weird to do since we don't technically own the whole house. It was left to my husband and his sister so we have to like coordinate on big stuff and also we have no idea about the houses insurance yet, it was being paid out of the estate, and we only recently got all that squared away so it's still a lot of ???? for us

also my husband quit his job so big stuff is on hold for a little bit. It's fine we have a good amount of savings. I'm not worried about that. More glad he can have a little vacation for a bit tbh since he's having all these blood pressure problems.

Another project I wanna do, later on, is a patio in the back yard. I've been watching a lot of videos on that and it seems like very hard work but if you do it yourself you can save quite a lot of money. and the patio area I want isn't nearly as big and grand as the videos so I think it'll be fine. But at least now I know the basics of what goes into it. Jeeze how did people do stuff before youtube? Is this why my parents were CONSTANTLY watching This Old House? (Maybe THIS week they'll go over the problem I have right now ;_;)

We bought a grill, we're very excited about grilling. Don't have a patio yet but we bought a fireproof mat that goes under the grill in the mean time to be on the safeside.

Other things I wanna do: have an actual garden. the backyard is completely a blank slate. It's empty. an empty backyard is fine if you have kids or a dog but I don't have either, I want plants and statues and a little rock garden and shrubs and vegetables and herbs U_U I want a fire pit and a nice place to lay and read

still sucks that the only way I could have a house was someone dying

[terubakudan]

This may be an old article from 3 years ago, but these cultural aspects/observations still apply even today. And though this is strictly a Chinese perspective, a lot of these everyday life bits are observed in Overseas Chinese communities in countries such as The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. as well as countries heavily influenced by Chinese culture like Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

I've always liked learning about other cultures and making comparisons between how things are done East vs West. Which probably stems from growing up with two cultures and Mom raising me on American movies xD

So the irony is if you asked me how many Chinese, Taiwanese, or Hong Kong actors I know, chances are I know as much as you do xD Like Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, and that's about it. But if you asked me about Western (specifically American and British) actors, then I have a useless brain dump of movie trivia and who was with who in what movie xD

Hmmm, both Taiwan and the Philippines are two distinct cultures but both look up to a certain country and are fascinated by that. In Taiwan's case, Japan and the US for the Philippines. In both cases, this is due to being under the rule of those countries in their history. Taiwan being under Japan for 50 years, and the Philippines being under Spain for 300+ years, followed by periods of American and Japanese rule. To put it simply though:

Taiwan is "mini-Japan with a very Chinese culture".

The Philippines is "former colony of Spain with lots of American influences".

But unlike the author, I've never set foot in any Western country, so my understandings are strictly what I've observed in media, which while it can be accurate, doesn't compare to actually experiencing the culture.

Some further elaboration on most points:

#1 We quite literally use chopsticks for everything. We use it to pick rice, viands, vegetables, fruit, smaller desserts, almost all the food you can think of.

But where do you put your chopsticks when you're not using them? Just put them on top of your bowl or flat on your plate. But do not ever stick them vertically. It's taboo, since it looks like incense sticks, which we use to pray for those who have passed, like our ancestors or during funerary services.

#3 The majority of Asia is obsessed with fair/white skin. In my time at the Philippines, I grew up watching all these Dove Whitening commercials and my classmates often commented on how fair my skin was, how they envied it etc. In Taiwan, girls often say they don't want to 變黑 (biàn hēi) 'become dark'. Japan and Korea too are not innocent of this either (if their beauty/skin products weren't a dead giveaway).

People here at Taiwan often mistake me for being from Hong Kong or Japan (as long as I don't speak Mandarin with my heavy accent xD). A Taiwanese classmate of mine joked that she often gets mistaken for being from Southeast Asia due to having a darker complexion. And while I laughed it off with her at that time, looking back, I now realize she was lowkey being racist. xD

And believe me Filipinas have mentioned literally being told 'your skin is so dark' here in Taiwan, or being given backhanded compliments like 'you're pretty despite having dark skin' and...*facepalms*

My point is, beauty is not exclusive to skin color. People who still think that are assholes.

#5 Not to say we don't have salt and pepper, but yes soy sauce and vinegar are the classic condiments you see on the table, be it at home or at a restaurant.

And if I may add, Taiwanese love their pepper. xD If you ever get to eat at a night market or a smaller "Mom n' Pop-style" restaurant here, some dishes/soups tend to add quite an excessive amount of pepper. Not like anthills, but quite liberally and way more than average. Enough that you see traces of pepper at the bottom of the food paper bag or swirling in your soup. xD

#6 I know this all too well from personal experience. In my years of studying at Taiwan, I always had roommates. 3 in my first school (I graduated high school in the Philippines pre K-12 so I had to make up 2 years of Senior High), followed by 2 in college, with the exception of 1 in freshman year.

My college did offer single person dorms but at around 9000 NTD ($324) per month compared to around 6000 NTD ($216) per semester. Because I wanted to save, the choice was obvious for me xD. But ah, this doesn't mean I don't value personal space, in fact I love having the room to myself, and since both my roomies would go home to their families every weekend, weekends were bliss for me xD

And you don't have to be friends with your roommates (that's an added bonus however), you just have to get along with them. I was quite lucky to have really great roommates all throughout my schooling years.

#9 In the Philippines, we do. Owing mostly to American influences and maybe being predominantly Catholic? xD

#10 *sigh* Chinese parents and parents from similar Asian cultures tend to put too much emphasis on grades, so much that kids could get sent to cram school as early as elementary. This is because what school you get into could literally affect your future job opportunities, and while that's not exclusive to any particular country/culture, I feel it's especially pronounced here in Asia. I'm really lucky my own parents weren't that strict about it. However, if your parents don't point the mistakes out to you, chances are you'll do it yourself, if you're an Asian kid like me anyway. xD It just becomes a habit.

#11 My family is an exception to this. xD We do say 'I love you' directly, but complete with the 'ah eat well ok?', 'don't scrimp on food', 'sleep well' and similar indirect words/actions of affection. We were doing 'Conceal, Don't Feel' before it became popular. xD

#13 I'm kind of confused about this but this has sort have changed over the years in which eye-contact is now more encouraged. But don't stare, especially at elders and authority figures. Sometimes it's just shyness though. xD And I've observed this with my own Taiwanese friend, especially when I'm complaining or ranting to her about something. xD I'm a person who likes to express my opinions strongly, which tends to scare/alienate some of the locals here, as doing so is kind of frowned upon. Thankfully, she does listen and offers her take on things.

#14 Ah this. xD In the Philippines, this is a common greeting known as beso-beso, and I freaked out too when an auntie did that to me. xD Needless to say, Mom lectured me later on what that was. ^^"

#16 Along with #3 another crazy beauty standard. In my view, people always look better with a little meat on them and when they're not horribly thin. Asia still has a loonng way to go with accepting different types of bodies if you ask me. This combined with modern beauty standards has made the pressure for women especially to 'look beautiful' higher than ever.

I know many people love them but please, starving yourself or glorifying eating disorders is never OK just to get this kind of 'ideal' body. I'm not part of the Kpop fandom, but even I think when idols get bullied just for gaining the least bit of weight among other insensitive comments, that's really going too far.

#17 'If you want to make friends, go eat.' <- I couldn't agree more. In the Philippines we have a greeting: 'Kumain ka na ba?' (Have you eaten?) . Similarly in Taiwan, we have 吃飯了沒? (chī fàn le méi), both of these can mean that in the literal sense but are often used as greetings instead. By then which invitation to having lunch/dinner together may or may not follow. Food really is a way for us to socialize and to catch up with what's going on in each other's lives. Not to say we don't have regular outings like going out to the mall, going shopping, etc. but eating together is a huge part of our culture, be it with family or friends.

And while I'm at it, some memes that are way too accurate good to pass up xD

Parents, uncles, aunties alike will fight over the bill xD

Alternatively:

You just space out until your name is called xD

My parents are guilty of the last one. Logic how? xD

#18 True. xD I like giving compliments out to people but I have a hard time accepting them myself, though I've learnt how to accept them much more now than before. We're kind of raised to constantly downplay ourselves so we often say things like 'ah no no' or 'I'm really not that good'. The downside of this of course is that it can come off as somewhat fake. xD

Again from personal experience, that same classmate who made the lowkey racist remark, she was good, she was on the debate team, was a honor student, knew how to mingle with people, but she downplayed herself way too much, while praising me but I honestly thought that she never really meant it from how she treated me. She wanted to keep me around her yet make backhanded compliments at me and she didn't want me socializing with my other classmate who is now my friend. *sigh* It was only after discussing this with one of my roomies did I realize how this 'excessive downplaying' might come off to people like me who more or less grew up with a more 'Westernized' mindset. I'm not saying brag about your achievements but don't be overly humble about them either, which can also be a turn off.

#20 We do tend to be a lot more realistic on how we view things, neither entirely optimistic nor pessimistic. We try to think of things practically and often analyze things on pure logic. A downside of this however, is that Chinese people can be overly practical. Taiwanese for instance don't like to 'find inconveniences' and generally keep to themselves, meaning, they won't help you in your hour of need even when they do have the capabilities. Sounds really harsh I know, but in my 6 years of living in Taiwan, while this doesn't apply to all the people, a lot of them really do only find/talk to you when they need something.

So for some people saying Taiwanese are 'friendly', that's BS xD If you ask me, Filipinos are infinitely more friendly, and again while not all, generally make more of an effort to help you when you need it. I really felt more of a real sense of community during my years growing up in the Philippines compared to Taiwan.

#21 Children do tend to stay with their parents well into college and adulthood, since Chinese families are indeed very family-oriented, in a lot of cases, grandparents often live under the same roof as us as well! And it really does save a lot of money. I see there's a real stigma in the US when it comes to "living with your parents", but that's starting to change especially because of Covid and having more and more people move back in with their parents.

Housing unfortunately is pretty much hella expensive no matter where you go, and Taiwan is no exception. Steep housing prices and the very high cost of raising a child (schooling + buxiban fees, etc.) contribute to a very low birth rate and thus an aging population like Japan. It's not uncommon to see both parents working in Taiwan.

#23 I'm an overthinker myself, but I totally agree with the author that the best is to strike a good balance between these two. Which I guess is why I love drawing or any other related creative attempts, it helps me be more spontaneous or well, creative! I like to remain intellectually or artistically inspired.

#24 Is French high school really like that? xD My friend did watch SKAM France and more or less got a culture shock from what was depicted on the show. I can confirm however that most high schools both in the Philippines and Taiwan require students to wear a uniform, only in college is everybody free to wear casual/civilian clothes.

#26 Ah this is part of our Asian gift-giving etiquette xD We always open gifts later after the event/meeting and in private. Never open them in front of the person who gave it to you or in front of others. This is to prevent any 'shame/embarrassment' that may result both to yourself and to the gift giver. I know this may come off as something weird since some people may want a more honest response or immediate feedback when it comes to gift-giving, but that's just how it is in our culture. You're always free to ask us though (in private) if we liked the gift or not ^^"

#28 I want to say the same goes to drinking, partying, and drugs however xD Those are things which are still frowned upon in our culture. And to be honest, whenever I see those in movies, it does kind of turn me off xD It doesn't mean that we're "uncool" or "boring", we just think that there are much better or healthier ways of "having fun".

#31 Is this true in France?! Man I would kind of prefer that instead of people being on their phones all the time xD This kind of goes with #20 in that Chinese are overly practical or logical, and don't read fiction as much as nonfiction. My Taiwanese friend is an exception though, she's a bibliophile who loves the feel of paper books compared to e-books, and it's a trait of her that I like a lot. Both the Philippines and Taiwan however have a huge fanbase when it comes to manga and anime though.

I'm all for reading outside of "designated reading" at schools especially. Reading fiction improves your vocabulary too, and can be quite fun! It helps you imagine and really invest in a world/story, and if you ask me something that I feel Westerners are better at, they're more in touch with their emotions and creativity, and are thus much more able to write compelling or original stories. Believe me, I've seen a fair amount of Chinese movies that rip off Western movie plotlines xD

#33 Nothing much to add on here..except that since I'm a "weird" person, Mom often jokes that she got the wrong baby from the hospital. xD

#35 True. While I agree with the care and concern that your fellow community can give you, the downside of this is we tend to only hang out with our own people, e.g Chinese with Chinese, Taiwanese with Taiwanese, etc. I've seen too that it's especially hard to make friends in Japan and Korea as a foreigner. Not only is there the language barrier, but the differences in culture too. In a way, Asians can be pretty close-minded on getting to know other cultures or actually making friends with people from other countries. I know this all too well being half-Taiwanese/half-Filipino, being neither "Filipino" enough nor "Taiwanese" enough. xD It's more of people here being too used to what they're comfortable with.

#36 Oh this is something I feel that Chinese students and other students from similar cultures should really improve on. xD How will people respect you if you don't speak your mind?

I felt bad especially for my Spanish teacher in college, granted it was an introductory course (Spanish I and II) but the amount of times that our teacher had to prompt a student to recite/speak even with clear hints already made her (and me too) extremely frustrated. The thing is, these are college students, I personally feel they don't have any reason to be so shy of speaking and technically by not doing so they're slowing the pace of the class too much and a lot of time is wasted.

Unfortunately you can't always be very vocal with your thoughts and opinions in most Asian cultures. I would say strive for that, but at the same time, play your cards well, especially if you're in a workplace setting.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading and here's a cookie! 🍪 I'm not perfect and there's bound to be something I missed so please let me know if you spotted anything wrong. Feedback/questions are very much welcome and please feel free to share about your country/culture's differences or similarities!

[starshiningsirius]

Lone fae (Yandere Malleus x reader)

To my favorite lonley dragon fae happy birthday!

Malleus had been told about a fae living in a town of humans for quite some time now. At first he had become angry seeing as he was King and someone would dare ally themselves with the enemy. He'd punish them himself. As if any traitor could stand against him and live was a mistake that'd cost them their lives. He told his advisor and guardian Lilia that'd he'd be back after dealing with said traitor.

Only to get to said town and notice a woman with pointy ears, beauty beyond belief, picking berries within the forest that surrounded the town. At first he kept his composure watching for a moment maybe a bit longer considering she acknowledged his presence.

"Ah, hello sir."

She didn't know who he was? That was surprising literally everyone whose anyone knew the Fae King and would tremble at the mention of his name. Yet this naive little fae knew nothing about who she spoke to. How cute.

'A fae in the village? How strange do they not know about our hatred towards humans?'

"Hello." He had his arms crossed and came out into the open.

She noticed the ears and instantly became curious.

"Our ears are similar." She murmured it under her breath, but Malleus still heard it. She noticed his horns too and realized that she must have been a bit different since she lacked them.

'So she hasn't met her own kind before?'

That was how their first encounter went. They chatted for a little while exchanging names as Malleus wanted to test if she knew him by that but got no reaction. Malleus watched her go back all the way to her house in secret of course. From high up in the air. As soon as he saw where she lived he went back home.

'This so called "traitor" would require a bit more inquiry.'

* * *

He decided to find out himself, her background by asking a different question to gain some information.

"Y/n do you have a family?"

"Hm? I have a little brother named Aiden at home but that's about it."

"What about your parents?"

"I can't recall when I was kid all I remember was waking up in an alley with Aiden crying in my arms. There was a- .... lot of blood about the place my dress that was once white had been stained. Anything before that isn't anything I probably want to remember considering that scene alone." She trembled for a second before continuing to pick herbs and berries from bushes. Malleus sided eyed her reaction feeling slight guilt towards it.

"I see, my apologies for bringing up troublesome memories." Malleus wasn't hard of hearing considering how she paused as if she didn't want to recall the gory scene. Yet still she smiled without much effort it was small but it did make him feel some what relieved.

"It's fine your the only person I've told. No one else talks to me in town and I'm not ready to tell Aiden yet with his innocence, I'd rather not taint. He's all I've got and I don't want to lose him."

* * *

He understood quite a bit now pertaining to their situation. He had to admit though, he had become fond of the female fae. Someone so innocent and docile couldn't be a traitor. Lilia saw that the situation was taking longer than expected and decided to accompany Malleus this go around.

He wanted to see for himself if Malleus was being fooled, though he doubted it. Not only that but for the sake of his own boredom in the castle and to satiate his own curiosity.

"Y/n this here, is a comrade of mine." Malleus stood next to his comrade, a short cheerful looking child with bright magenta stripes of hair under the black side. Two pointy ears stood on the side of his head too.

She was happy to say the least to know two new similar people to her at the very least. Today happened to be the day Malleus was going to meet Aiden. She didn't mind Lilia tagging along of course.

"Lilia Vanrouge, Ms. a pleasure." He looked rather young in her opinion but his voice signaled to not be fooled by his appearance. She shook hands with the male who brought a pleasant atmosphere with him.

* * *

"So your Malleus huh? My sister speaks very fondly of you sir. She's been talking about you for centuries!" The little boy exaggerated making Malleus's eyes widen and at first he felt an overwhelming amount of happiness with how he had made a good impression.

Both him and Lilia chuckled to themselves as the girl who had been in the same room blushed furiously from embarrassment. Taking her brother by the arm she glared at him.

"Aiden you know that isn't true, you asked where I had been and I answered." She strained her voice to try and put emphasis on her truth only to receive laughter from the boy.

Lilia came up to him patting his head with a smile.

"Fondly and centuries such large words for a child so young." Lilia had felt a slight connection to the energetic youngster. He thought it'd be fun to get to know him better.

"Sis is teaching me to read and write words from the dictionary! I'm very ingenious!" He was smug about the new words he was learning with a proud smile causing Lilia to laugh.

Malleus had a smile on his face small and affectionate but a few other thoughts came up to his mind upon thinking about the boys words. He looked toward his sister who was now in the kitchen making dinner.

"Aren't there schools about here he could go to?" His concern for the child was showing.

"There are but with his ears, I'd rather not take chances until his hair grows out, not to mention his abilities are still uncontrolled, and we're kinda barely keeping this house, so school isn't much of an option at the moment." She looked down chopping vegetables but was still focused. Until her brother spoke again.

"Look I can do magic!" He was so enthusiastic, but the dread look on his sister's face said it all.

"No! Don't you dare we can't hope to fix the ceiling!" She yelled but Lilia stopped her seeing as she yelled she covered her mouth in realization.

"Worry not my dear, let me see this young lad do magic. I'll make sure he doesn't damage anything." He was calm and collected which was shocked her but she let him do as he wished.

Aiden whose excitement had been on the rise at the thought of showing someone else raised his hand and emitted a large slew of green flames rising fast. Of course it actually shocked both Lilia and Malleus to see the color itself and how big the flames he conjured were.

Lilia had regained his composure for a split second and created some wind to dispell the flames before they could reach the ceiling and burn a hole. Malleus and Lilia looked at each other knowingly for a moment before Lilia showed a smile toward the young boy with his fangs gleaming in the light.

"I see the problem your letting out all of your mana at once young one, still your mind and channel the flow to ignite a single flame." He advised carefully with hand on Aiden's shoulder.

Malleus felt as if he was watching a younger version of himself seeing his guardian teach another. The young fae had followed Lilia's teachings to a tee and a small green flame became lit in front of him.

"Sister! Sister! Did you see I got it! I did it!" He was jumping up for joy at his achievement.

"Yes I see thank you Lilia. You thank him too Aiden." She was happy to say the least, it was as if good fortune was brought with them to have met these two.

"Thank you Lilia!"

"Your welcome dear child you can learn with me anytime. You have a lot of potential that shouldn't be wasted." That made his eyes light up in pure unadulterated excitement.

"Sister did you hear that!"

"I did." She was just relieved someone could teach him besides all her past failed attempts.

"So does that mean you can use magic too then?" Malleus had wandered closer to her without her knowledge it made her flinch. Seeing the anticipation of her answer in his eyes, she answered him.

"Yes though mine's is a bit more controlled. I can conjure wind and green flames. As well as levitate a multitude of things toward me at once but that's about it. I haven't had too much time to practice." She waved her hand with a slight glow and brought a couple of ingredients in cupboards down on to the counter letting them shut on their own again.

Holding put her hand she conjured a small green flame that wouldn't cause any damage over the palm of her hand.

"Seems like your well taught." Lilia mentioned.

"That's only because before we got this house we lived in the forest and magic made things a bit easier, but otherwise while we live here we don't have a use for it. Aiden still wants to learn but my teaching can only go so far as I don't know much on the subject." She looked somewhat frustrated at her own uselessness. Malleus could tell she wasn't lying about what she could do that's for sure.

* * *

After dinner both fae left the home walking out but saying goodbye to the siblings. At first they walked away from the house, but soon to prevent from being seen by any late night walkers they teleported to the castle.

"A pair of fae with royal blood is rare. I do wonder how the both of them ended up in that human village though." Lilia started off by saying.

Green flames were the insignia to regal blood for fae even Malleus knew that fact. Known to be the most powerful of all faes. Yet two were living in a human town right within the heart of the enemy and neither knew.

"Yes but from what I've been able to tell whoever had taken care of them is probably dead. Slaughtered by humans most likely. She said she wasn't able to remember anything before that. I'm assuming her and her brother come from some line thought to have been killed when the war against the humans started." Malleus recalled all he learned about her over the past few weeks he came to know her.

"Such a shame those two don't even know their own kind. Living their life in solitude as outcasts when they could be a lot more free if they lived here." Lilia did actually feel pity for the pair of souls having grown an attachment toward the younger sibling as he had taught Malleus when he was young as well. Those days were reminiscent for him. Aiden just happened to be similar to young Malleus in that regard.

"Malleus, if any humans discover royal fae over in that village they'll be killed. It's only a matter of when." He stated that matter of factly considering he was a general during the aforementioned war and many fae had been chased out of human villages. The ones left had been unfortunate to be victims that were sacrificed.

"I know, I won't let them lay a finger on either of them. Get Silver and Sebek have the staff prepare two rooms in the castle for our guests." Malleus walked away from Lilia without a second thought after saying what he wanted done.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Seems you've gotten attached to her in a different way. Ah, I'm so glad to see you chasing after someone, it feels like ages since you've been small so long ago. I'll have little Aiden to teach all the stuff I once taught you. What a joyous occasion to think someone will finally sit on the throne next to you." Lilia smiled feeling eager and chipper at the future ahead.

He went to go get the two knights that would always await orders from their master. Skipping down the halls all the while humming an unknown tune.

* * *

Something has been different with Malleus as of today. He was fiddling with his fingers a bit more often than usual. He didn't want to meet her gaze at the time either.

"Malleus is there something wrong?" Worry laced in her tone for the man sitting next to her.

"Yes." He replied rather swiftly but ended it there.

"Would you like to tell me what about?" She at least wanted to try and comfort him however she could.

That's what made her different than most fae, most feared him, she didn't of course she and that oblivious little head of hers didn't. Before she could even grasp how much power she could have held it was taken from her.

Malleus had turned his head and looked her directly in the eye.

"You."

"Me?" She was surprised and confused about what he meant by that, lowering her head for a second to think.

Of course it didn't last long, as Malleus directed her chin to gaze at him instead of the forest soil.

"Y/n, my alluring little darling, would you do me the honor of staying with me?"

He said with a gentle smile. The proximity and his words had her face red within seconds. She still had to give him a reply and sadly she didn't want to upset him but she didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm sorry Malleus I can't. This place is all I've ever known. Going somewhere else with all that could happen, ... It's not that I don't like you but my own fears are holding me back." She was trying to come up with the right words so he'd hopefully understand.

It stung, it truly did. The rejection wasn't something he hypothesized but it was still an option. It was fine though, all would be well. That sheltered mindset of hers would just have to broken a bit. She'd come to rely on him, she'd have no other choice afterall.

She hadn't experienced much of human cruelty, he'd just have to show her how cruel they could really be and then she would have to seek his aid.

* * *

Everyone in town today had been on edge it seemed. She left Aiden at home sound asleep, while she went out to go and buy veggies and meat she couldn't get in the forest. As she walked toward a thrifter many people side eyed her. She was the only person to walk with a hood on. In fact many people generations before this one too when asked had seen her.

As she got up to the vegetable thrifter the man in front of her had scowled. She saw this but just thought he was having a bad day. That's when someone came behind her and pulled her hood down abruptly.

"A fae! A fae in the village!"

"She's the one who cursed the crops! If we kill her the curse will end!"

"Someone grab her!"

Before she knew it she ran, someone did lay a hand on her but she pushed them away with wind magic. It wasn't on purpose, but fear overtook her person and magic required self control.

She wanted to run back to her house but with how fast the mob was chasing she couldn't put Aiden at risk like that. Maybe just maybe if she went back to the forest, he'd be there. He could help her, or Lilia either would do.

* * *

She didn't see him. Maybe her words struck a cord. She should have agreed. A stupid decision on her own part, he could've probably taken them somewhere where people like her were accepted. Where magic was used and no worries to be had.

She just narrowly dodged an arrow fired at her. It seemed the mob had caught up. Turning her attention back toward their screeches, what could she do?

In a last ditch effort attempt she called his name.

"Malleus!" The crowd closing in on her arrows knocked and aimed. So this was it huh?

Suddenly something slithers around her body, her waist to be more precise and holds her in a vice grip.

A tail? Of long reach with a purple scales of a dark pigment.

Before it pulled her into the darkness of the forest behind her. Until she felt a chest that placed her gently to the ground freeing her from the grip the of the tail that had once gripped her tightly.

She saw a light emitted from where she had once been, green flames took its place in her stead.

"I do hope you'll accept my offer to stay with me now, my love." Malleus's voice brought her out of her stupor, a frown seeing her in such fear. He didn't want to go so far but he would rather have liked her to willingly agree to living with him as his Queen. She wouldn't have any worries should she live her life on the throne worshipped by everyone.

"Wait! Wait! Please let me bring Aiden I can't leave my brother behind!" She had gripped his clothing turning around desperate tears spilling.

Speaking of said boy who popped his head from behind the fae that stood in front of her, smiled and ran to hug his sister.

"Y/n! Malleus let me up on his shoulders he was so tall! Wait why are you crying?" Her brother's happiness went away for a moment at the tears he saw from his older sibling.

She was shocked, since when had he been here. He was asleep before, she was sure. It didn't make any sense.

"Aiden how, ... why are you here?"

"Lilia offered to teach me more magic! He said it was dangerous to teach me inside the house so we came out here." For a second she thought it was a dream. A bad dream turned good.

"Were you worried? Sorry, I'll tell you next time I promise." Aiden hugged her after finishing his sentence trying comfort his sister from her state of fear. It worked a little having her shoulders relax.

Malleus had stroked her head to sooth her worries as well. A small smile graced his lips at the scene before him.

"Worry not my dear, I'll accept all parts of you. Of course I'd never forget your dear brother. Will you accept my proposal now?" He was awaiting an answer, the same look in his eyes akin to when he asked if she could use magic.

"Yes I do, it was my mistake for denying your offer in the first place. I'm sorry Malleus."

He was happy that the situation had caused her to regret her answer. Of course he didn't outwardly show it. But he was internally pleased. His new queen and energetic little brother would make a wonderful addition to the Draconian line.

As they disappeared instantly to where their new home would be, Malleus left behind some what one would call fireflies by the looks of it. They were just traces of his magic to other faes. It was a calling for someone else though.

The town the two faes once called home was being destroyed as soon as they left. Screams upon screams could be heard one after another. Flames of red and orange to destroy and have no one alive to recall the prescene of two royal clan faes.

All done by three, one wise fae, and two knights that served to do everything their master asked of them. It would all be gone while Malleus would help them settle into their new lives, the one they deserved from the beginning, if humans hadn't taken it from them.

Masterlist

[khaleesiofalicante]

Ok imma be honest, this chapter moved me to tears and not the sad sobbing but the more inspiring kind. This chapter means the world.

She had told them her dreams were about ducks – since there were the only equally horrible thing she could think of.

Uncle Magnus had given her an odd look then, as if he knew she was bullshitting them. But he hadn’t said anything.

DUCKS AREN'T THAT BAD! HAVE Y'ALL EVER BEEN CHASED BY A GOAT?? I WAS CONVINCED I WAS GONNA DIE

Lexi would be royally pissed if this turned out to be some stupid pointless dream.

YUP

Even though she was only 7 minutes older than Lexi, Selena always acted like she was 7 years older.

That's so cute though

People looked at her pastel-coloured aesthetic immediately assumed she was the soft and sweet Fairchild twin. People saw Selena in her red leather jacket and thigh high boots and assumed she was in the infamous troublesome Herondale twin.

SMH THE DAMN STEREOTYPES

Why Selena hadn’t killed her in her sleep yet, Lexi doesn’t know.

BYE THAT'S EVERY SIBLING RELATIONSHIP EVER

The meals at the Academy were to die for – quite literally. Last week two students from the warlock fraction had almost killed each other over a blueberry muffin.

Oh how times change...they will never know the dreaded soup

NO ANJALI HAS BEEN GONE FOR OVER A YEAR???

IS JAIME OK?? PLEASE BE OK! HE CAN LIVE WITH TREATMENT SO I REALLY HOPE HE'S OK

Selena’s was Idris of course. She was kind of obsessed with it.

Max loved the shadow markets. Lexi thought they were very cool too.

Rafael loved his father’s office – which was weird. There was nothing to do in that room other than ponder about shadow world problems. Besides, the place still weirdly smelled like the tangerine perfume Anjali wore, even though the girl had left New York almost a year ago.

David loved the New York Institute – especially the library.

Gigi of course loved the dining halls.

Dining halls, kitchens, food trucks, vending machines - if a place had food with it, Gigi loved it.

It's so amazing how they all have their favorite places...(same David same)

“You’re supposed to pour the syrup on the pancakes not into your mouth,” Lexi chuckled as she sat down next to her.

“It ends up in my mouth anyway,” Gigi shrugged.

True enough.

AWW ROMAN MAKING GIGI PLAYLISTS!!

Someone make me a playlist.

“His parents fell in love in Rome when they were in Rome,” Gigi pointed out even though Lexi already knew. “I think it’s actually romantic.”

I had forgotten that-

Roman was nice. But not nice enough for Georgia. Lexi didn’t think there was anyone good enough for her parabatai – who was the most perfect person in the world.

Me @ anyone who tries to make a move at my best friend.

AWW GEORGIA LIKES HIM TOO!!

When's the wedding?

(you're telling me you didn't believe you were gonna marry your childhood crush? Liar)

“I like being his friend,” Georgia said. “I like spending time with him and all of that. But I don’t know if I like him…in that way. I feel like I need more time.”

Demiromantic??? YES GIVE US THE REP

Lexi sometimes thought life would be so much simpler if the world was full of women and everyone was a lesbian.

Ikr?? Life would be so much easier.

Lexi says Roman is too-nice-sus

Well well well

The kind of love that cheated death.

The kind of love that sustained memory spells put by princes of hell.

The kind of love that changed the world.

Trust me all of our standards are very high

Lexi successfully survived the class without falling asleep.

Me during English.

Ok who's the blond?

Lexi I thought we weren't gonna fall this soon-

Oh the girl's straight...sigh we've all been there.

which meant they had to hold hands. Kinda.

Lexi was a little scared of that.

Me.

Goddamnit, Alexandra. Get your gay together!

THAT'S SO RELATABLE LIKE?? YES

OH MY GOD IT'S EMMA AND JULIAN'S DAUGHTER GEIDIDHDOHDJSKSJSKGXJDHSODHKDGDDGDJHDJDGDJDGJDHD

Lexi knew Olivia liked boys. She hadn’t dated anyone officially of course. All the boys were kind of terrified of her father.

She could be bi or pan or omni. WE GOTTA HAVE HOPE

vegetable loaf... David I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

Lexi then decided not to do any of her homework over the weekend because she was not coming back to the academy. She was not going to survive the sleepover and whatever else Olivia had in mind.

Bestie...why is this me when I make eye contact with my crush.

“Good stuff?” Max snorted. “Rafe literally ran away from home cause shit got too intense.”

“I didn’t run away!” Rafael rolled his eyes. “Stop telling people that!”

“But you have rumours and shadowhunters getting thrown into silent city and cohort drama and all that exciting stuff!” Liv pointed out.

I-

Liv-

True though.

“Wasn’t there a serial killer when your parents were young?” David asked.

“And didn’t your uncle do necromancy?” Max said biting into a chicken wing.

True and true

“Sorry, Chouchou!” Lexi winced. “I, uh, sensed a mosquitoe on your leg.”

“Girl, your angel powers are weird as fuck,” Max laughed.

MAX LANGUAGE

“I don’t know,” the girl shrugged and threw her a wink. “I wouldn’t put anything past Lexi.”

Lexi looked at Gigi. She was one more compliment away from screaming.

But Gigi of course knew her struggle and therefore quickly stuffed a bread roll into Lexi’s mouth.

I need someone to stuff bread into my mouth when things get like this

There were rumours about David – and how Daddy had an affair. Lexi was yet to find those asshats and shove a witch light down their throats.

When you find them lemme know too.

“Or maybe it’s because you don’t need rumours be interesting,” David pointed out.

Max turned around, looking surprised at that. His cheeks turned purple. Lexi didn’t know why he was surprised. David only ever spoke fondly of Max.

JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY OH MY GOD

“Oh. Oh! I did hear something a long time ago!” Gigi said suddenly. “Olly, is it true you were conceived at the beach?”

“Georgia, you can’t just ask people where they were conceived!” David sounded horrified.

That is very much possible.

“I heard you were conceived in hell?”

“Oh my god,” Selena looked horrified. “That’s not true! It must have been about Max!”

“Y’all I am adopted!” Max was shaking with laughter and then stopped. “Although our dads could have definitely had sex in hell. I wouldn’t put it past them.”

Oh yes. Both clace and malec.

Then they had of course continued to discuss that cursed topic until Rafael had threatened to tell the Consul about it.

LMAO

Lexi turned around and saw Liv waiting for her. Nope. She wasn’t going to talk a walk – a fucking stroll! – with Olivia all on her own.

“You are coming back to the institute with me or I will un-parabatai you.”

You know there being an un-parabatai ceremony would solve a lot of shit

What if their hands accidentally grazed or something? That shit was lethal.

RIGHT????

She is just trying to be nice. That’s what friends do. They are nice. And they give each other pretty dresses and say they would like to see them in it.

Honey that's gay.

EVERYONE ASKING HER OUT IM DEAD

Selena: Ugh boys

Selena: When I win back Idris, we are leaving all the men behind.

Lexi: Except Magnus? Lol.

Selena: Obviously.

Is that even a question Lexi? Duh.

ALEC LIGHTWOOD THOUGHT SHE WAS STRAIGHT? THE SHAME!

OH MY GOD IM CACKLING

Not everyone can kiss their partner in the Accords Hall. Some people didn’t have access to the Accords Hall.

And most important, some people didn’t have partners!

We're getting a lexi and Alec talk someone hold me

“I’m going to tell you something,” Uncle Alec said. “It might sound simple. It might sound ridiculous. But it’s the truth. So, you must believe me. Can you do that?”

Lexi gave him a small nod.

“It doesn’t matter what other people think,” Uncle Alec said. “Not when it comes to your future. Not when it comes to your identity. They don’t get to have a say in who you are and why you are the way you are.”

Lexi bit her lip.

“Alexandra, people will always tell what to do. But you shouldn’t let them. Never let anyone tell you what to do with your heart or your body. Neither belongs them. It only belongs to you.”

THIS RIGHT HERE MADE ME START CRYING BECAUSE DAMN YES!

“Yep,” she groaned and then hesitated for a moment. “Uncle Alec…Can I ask you something stupid?”

“Can I say no?”

“No.”

“Then go ahead.”

I love her so much

“I feel…I feel it’s something we have to bear, Alexandra. The fear of rejection. It’s something we have to accept as an inevitable part of our lives. Because no matter how much love we have around us, we will always be afraid of people not loving us – simply because of who we are.”

Yeah...

“Besides, they named you after me,” he pointed out. “I don’t know what else they expected.”

EXACTLY! Did they really expect a straight child after naming them after Alec?

“I do like shouting,” Lexi wondered out loud. “That’s good advice.”

“I didn’t mean it literally!” Uncle Alec looked alarmed.

“No, it makes total sense!” Lexi grinned. “Some of these people can be tone deaf. Gotta shout it out. Loud and clear. Awesome advice! Thanks, Uncle Alec!”

DO IT

“Hey, Lexi. I was wonderin-”

“MOVE, I’M GAY!” she yelled as she shoved him aside and kept on running.

ABSOLUTELY ICONIC

“I prefer she/her,” Lexi answered. "But sometimes I prefer she/they. But you can use she/her because some of y'all already shit at grammar."

That's exactly what I tell people when they ask for my pronouns. Istg people are shit at grammar.

alright girl im here to give you a lecture on how someone's dressing doesn't describe their sexuality

OH MY MY GOD THERE WAS A GENDER AND SEXUALITY CLASS IN THE ACADEMY ARE THEY RECRUITING???

One of the boys who had complimented cleared his throat. “So, uh, you don’t like boys?”

“That’s literally what I said,” Lexi rolled her eyes. “I’m gay. I’m very gay. I’m gayer than the Consul. Okay fine, that’s not true. No one gayer than the Consul. But I’m still pretty gay.”

Does the boy have hearing problems?

ALSO YES NO ONE'S GAYER THAN THE CONSUL

“Sexual orientation and gender expression are two different things,” she explained now, remember what Uncle Magnus had taught them. “Sexual orientation refers to who I am sexually and romantically attracted to. Gender expression is how I want to express my gender identity. Those two are not connected. Just because a woman wears feminine clothes it doesn’t mean she is straight. Just because a man embraces femininity, it doesn’t make him gay either. Does that make sense?”

“Ohhh,” the girl nodded. “Yes, it does. Thank you!”

“What I wear does not reflect who I like. It reflects who I am and what I like to wear,” Lexi explained. “And regardless of my sexuality, I like pretty things.”

Exactly.

“This doesn’t change anything. I hope you know that,” he told her. “I mean I have to change the pronouns in my shovel talk. But that’s not a big deal.”

Awwww

Also – my good friend Raziel told me that homophobia is a sin.”

“You mean homosexuality is a sin?” an older man asked.

“No, homophobia is a sin,” Lexi repeated. “That’s what Raziel said.”

“But that’s not-”

Someone cleared their throat. When he spoke, it was in the Consul Voice.

“Are you saying know better than Raziel?” the Consul asked.

Listen to Raziel you dumb shit

“Sure. Let me just call the Lesbian Alliance,” Lexi rolled her eyes.

Ugh I wish

OH NO NO NO NOT THE FAKE DATING. JUST CONFESS AND DATE FOR REAL

“Alexandra, I have a fucking undercut and I have pink highlights and I cuff my jeans and I literally walk around with a sword and I can quote Lady Gaga to perfection! Why would you ever think I was straight??”

Lexi your gaydar is broken bestie.

Don't do this omg this is gonna be a mess

Gigi: THIS IS A BAD IDEA. ABORT! ABORT!

Lexi: Relaaaax. It’s going to be fine!

Gigi: I’ve read enough fanfiction to know the fake dating trope never ends well!

Lexi: I’ve told you to include the ‘angst with happy ending’ tag!

LMAO

Also Gigi which fanfiction do you read?

Jace omg...

That's so him though.

“How about my peeps? It sounds very hip.”

“It does not,” Lexi replied. “Please don’t refer to us as your peeps under any circumstance."

IM SCREAMING ASHSKHSIDBSHSHDH

Her father chuckled at that. “Sweetheart, you’re a Herondale. Being problematic is what we do.”

EXACTLY

Daddy opened the notebook again. “I need names.”

Grabs flamethrower names

“Besides, the Lightwoods and Blackthorns have been hogging the gay genes for too long. Now it’s our turn. I say you gay it up.”

“Gay it up?” Lexi laughed.

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Go for the highest possible level of gay.”

DO IT

He blinked for a second and then it hit him. “OH MY GOD YES! DOES EMMA KNOW??”

Lexi laughed. Yeah, he can never find out it was a fake dating situation.

Hopefully he won't have to because it won't be fake :D

“To love is a privilege and to be loved is a blessing.”

THE GROWTH OH MY GOD

This chapter literally means so much to me. I don't even know what to say. I hope I too can one day have the courage to shout it in front of everyone and not be scared. See ya on Tuesday!

It means so much to me that this chapter meant a lot to you. I hope you find all the courage, strength and support you need. You are amazing.

And here. I made you a playlist.

You can find it here on YouTube. I hope you like it :)

[notwiselybuttoowell]

We're Stewards of Our Land: The Rise of Female Farmers

'I was always fascinated by getting things out of the ground’

Sinead Fenton

Grows vegetables and edible flowers at Aweside Farm, East Sussex

Sinead Fenton is on an early lunch break, hiding from the sun. “It’s ridiculously intense, so I think we’re going to call it a day and crack back on in the evening,” she says. Fenton and her partner, Adam Smith, have been putting in beds and getting ahead on groundwork for next year. This year, there will be no commercial crops on the couple’s 4.5-acre plot.

They signed the papers on their farm last November and moved onto the land in March. Around the time they needed to make decisions about how they’d manage their first harvest, lockdown happened. With restaurants and florists – their main clients – out of action for the foreseeable future, they made the decision not to sow seeds but concentrate on opening up the land. “We were going to do it over three or four years, so we’re squeezing three years of work into this year, so we can focus on growing next year,” Fenton says.

She and Smith cut their scythes at Audacious Veg, a 0.1-acre plot in Hainault, at the end of the Central Line between Essex and London. Shortly after volunteering at the allotment in 2017, they heard the project was about to finish: “Naively, with about three weeks’ worth of growing experience, we decided that we’d take it on and get the produce to chefs.”

Smith worked in insurance accounting and while Fenton most recently worked in software and food policy, her background was in geology. “I came at farming from an activist point of view,” she says. “I was always fascinated by getting things out of the ground, but that is a destructive industry. Farming is nicer because I can do something for the system instead of taking everything from it.”

There was a lot of insecurity around the project. Land is contentious, especially in London, and land law is difficult and expensive to negotiate for those with no farming background. “Adam and I are both from cities – I’m from London, he’s from Essex. We’re from low-income families, and we had no access to farms growing up,” Fenton explains. “It’s basically impossible to get on the land, because it’s so expensive, or passed down through generations.”

They got the land for Aweside through the Ecological Land Co-op, which buys fields designated by Defra as only being good for arable crops, then splits them up to create smallholdings. Aweside is neighbours with a veg-box scheme, and waiting for others who’ll transform what once was a 20-acre maize field into a cluster of small farms rich with biodiversity. Now Fenton and Smith have a 150-year lease, and no worries that what they create will be taken away.

It’s not yet a permanent home. Fenton says they’ll be living in a caravan for a few years: “Another part of land law in the UK that makes land inaccessible is that if you want to live on your land you have to go through five years of proving your business is profitable, viable and that there is a functional need for you to live there.” Having livestock is an easy way to pass the test, but because Aweside is a vegan farm, Fenton and Smith need to cultivate and show they use every bit of plot.

It’s daunting but Fenton is excited about having a blank slate to work with. “There’s so much more to food than what supermarkets tell us to eat,” she says, explaining that they’ll grow varieties at risk of extinction, or that aren’t commonly grown in a mass market food system. “Seed diversity and plant genetics are serious issues.”

The three principles the couple work to are: more flowers, more trees, thriving soil. They’re working no-dig, putting compost directly on the ground and letting the soil life mix everything over time. They’re pesticide-free and are counting on the fact that the more diversity they have in the system, especially with a high proportion of flowers to pollinators and insects, the fewer problems they’ll face.

“Socially, economically and environmentally, something needs to change. Things have been done the same way by the same people for a long time,” says Fenton of the farming industry’s need for greater diversity. “I learned to grow on an allotment site where there are lots of different things growing at once. Bringing that approach into sites like this is needed – the industry needs it to keep itself relevant.”

'I'm hoping this will be seen as quite a cool career… even if it’s not’

Abi Aspen Glencross

Head of grains at Duchess Farms, Hertfordshire

It was, Abi Aspen Glencross was well aware, an odd, even inopportune time to launch a crowdfunding campaign. In June, with the country still locked down, Duchess Farms asked for support to buy dehulling, cleaning and milling equipment. The Hertfordshire farm needed about £16,000, and the money would go towards boosting the production of ancient and heritage grains for making flour.

“A lot of crowdfunders have been for charity or ‘please keep our restaurant open’,” says the 28-year-old Glencross, head of grains – or “senior flour nerd” – at Duchess Farms since 2019. “We felt a bit bad, but we lost a lot of our business overnight when all the restaurants closed and we were like: ‘God, we hope we don’t go under.’ It was quite a scary time for everyone.”

Still, if we have learned one thing from Covid-19, when times are hard, British people get baking. Perhaps inspired by countrywide shortages of flour, maybe invigorated by a new interest in left-field, older wheats such as einkorn and emmer, Duchess Farms sprinted to its target. “We’ve just done some ordering of equipment this morning,” says Aspen, when we speak in July. “It’s been a tough time for everyone but it has cascaded into some beautiful things and we’re just so thankful.”

Glencross’s path to farming was circuitous. She studied chemical engineering, but while her classmates were heading off for jobs at ExxonMobil and Procter & Gamble, she was more of “a hippy at heart”. She decided she wanted to learn more about soil and its role in food production. This led her to Blue Hill Stone Barns, Dan Barber’s pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in the Hudson Valley, north of New York. She spent four months working on the farm and in the bakery, receiving a crash course in ancient grains – an obsession of Barber’s. But the moment Glencross knew she herself wanted to farm came in 2016 in a field in Hertfordshire. She was with John Cherry, who was showing her around Weston Park Farms, 2,500 acres of land he maintains with minimal fertiliser use and zero tillage.

“We were walking around the fields of wheat and I just said: ‘Where does all this go? There’s so much of it,’” Glencross says. “And John goes: ‘Oh probably for animal feed. It’s a consistent market, they’ll take it, it’s easy, even if we don’t earn that much money from it.’ And I was like: ‘This is crazy.’ And that was the beginning of me getting on this grain bender because I was like: ‘Why can’t we grow these grains organically and not feed them to animals?’ So I realised I’d have to start a business, because there were not very many people doing that.”

Heritage grains can be harder to produce in vast quantities – einkorn, especially, is “a bitch to harvest” – but they do have advantages over conventional wheats. They typically have deep roots and grow tall, which means they shade out weeds and do not require chemical sprays. The end product is more nutritious and then there’s the taste. Since 2017, Glencross has run a roving supper club called the Sustainable Food Story with Sadhbh Moore, and Duchess Farms has worked closely with bakeries such as E5 Bakehouse in east London and Gail’s, and restaurants including Doug McMaster’s Silo. “Heritage grains are delicious: when you stop growing for yield and you start growing for quality the flavour is insane,” says Glencross.

Learning to farm from scratch has not been straightforward, but you sense that’s a big part of the appeal for Glencross. “There’s all these decisions the farmer makes throughout the year and why he sprays and why he doesn’t,” she says. “You realise that most people get up, sit at a computer all day and if they press the wrong button, they just delete it. When you’re a farmer, you plant at the wrong time of year and tomorrow it washes away your whole crop.”

Glencross acknowledges that it is almost unprecedented for women to run arable farms. She struggles to name a single other example in the UK. She also notes wryly that men dominate all the farming conferences, saying: “They have a wife but it’s always the men who have written the book and given the presentation.”

With more role models, Glencross hopes things will change. “I’m not cool in any way, but I’m a reasonably young lady,” she says, laughing. “And so when people say: ‘What do you do? Oh, you’re a farmer. Maybe I could do that …’ So I’m hoping that it might become seen as quite a desirable, almost cool career.” A pause: “Even if it’s very much not cool.” 

[writingforyourpleasure]

WE'RE NOT BEST FRIENDS.

Relationship : Remington Leith x reader

A/N : Sorry I know, not what you expected. It's be complicated lately and I wanted something shorter then "ON THE ROAD AGAIN" and on someone else. But next will be either a new chapter of OTRA or a short fix either on Gerard Way or Frank iero.

Warnings : None 

You were just in front of your best friend’s door trying to calm your nerves. Before you could even process it the front door opened and a smiling Emerson was facing you warping you quickly in a warm hug. This bastard truly gave the best hugs, maybe it was the reason why you hang out more with him. It was a sunny afternoon and Emerson was dressed very fashionable as always, he always stood out from the other kids even before finding his own style. You entered and soon enough his mother Stephanie was hugging you lovingly. Staphanie and your mom were best friends since college and that how you meet the boys, you were six month older than Emerson, you grew up with him basically. First off when you were four until Sebastian got to middle school you and the boys were having sleepovers at least 3 times per weeks and were inseparable, then when Sebastian did go to middle school he started to pass more time by himself and his new friends since he thought playing with you three was not of his age anymore. But you, Emerson and Remington didn’t mind all that much since you still got each other to play with, some things were more difficult though, since you were now a trio there was some kind of imbalance inside your group and disputes tend to happen more than before but nothing alarming since it was always for stupids reasons and when Remington got through adolescence the arguments got bigger and next thing you knew it was just you and Emerson. But everyone was still close to each other It’s just that you had now a certain routine with Emerson and got comfortable in it. You also didn’t want to bother the guys by asking if they wanted to join. Also Emerson seemed happy to have you for himself and have a little time with someone else then his brothers, sort of. Emerson had friends beside you of course but you didn’t talk much to those, they were nice but you weren’t one to party, you considerably preferred to stay at home watching a movie, TV show or play video games or some else worthless.

« Well A/N, the boys must say their hello wait I’m gonna call them downstairs. » Said Emerson’s mom, it was something she always said and did when you were there.

« Really there’s no need. I’m sure they’re occupied and busy, you know. I don’t wish to disturb anyone Stephanie as sweet as it is. »

« You’re way to polite hon’, don’t worry I think they can move their legs once in a while. BOYS COME SAY HELLO A/N’S HERE ! »

Emerson was puffing behind his mom’s back, you on the other side just stood there awkwardly. While you heard stumping upstairs, you took in the delicate features of Emerson.

He had a dark navy blue beret which was quite rare and a white shirt open widely on the collarbone and to his chest it was a lightly transparent, he wore around his neck maybe dozens of necklaces which you bought him for the most part and a simple black skinny Jean. You often wished you had the same wardrobe than him.

The stumping was now very loud and close which meant the guys were in the staircase so you turned your head around just in time to see Seb coming to you and putting your head in his arm and ruffling your hair to annoy you. Well for sur now you’ll be walking around for all evening with wild hair but hey what’s new ?

« Let the poor girl be would you, Sebastian ? »

« Well she’s used to being annoyed since she comes here to see Em, anyway. » Said Seb with a dickhead grin splattered on his face.

« Well fuck you, I happen to be very interesting mind you ! »

Em wasn’t one for a reading. You sighed rolling your eyes to the sky, done with thoses two, while their mom was repremending them, mostly Em since he swore.

« If she ever gets bored it’ll be by you two arguing dummies. » Said Remington arriving at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes then falled on you and a huge smile stretched itself on his lips, soon enough he had you in his arms.

« God Y/N what have you done of my boys ? »

Rem was still hugging you, yeah he tend to do that quite a lot and you never got used to it since it was a little bit awkward with everyone around you. The first hundreds of times Seb always teased him, while Remington was complaining. But you guessed that it had became like a ritual now.

« Well I wouldn’t pride myself in this since I honestly don’t think they need me around to act like that. » You joked once Remington decided to let go.

« Guess will never know since they won’t without you in our house for less than one week. » Laughed Stefanie.

« More like , Emerson, won’t let her be for less week. » Said Remington. Making his mother smile and Sebastian laugh.

« Whatever, c’mon Y/N. »Emerson took you by the end to go upstairs to his room.

You popped down on his bed looking at the fluorescent pink stickers up his ceiling. While he unplugged his Drum speaker.

« How was rehearsal ?

« It was okay we didn’t do much to be honest. »

« But didn’t you told me that you’d finished the album already ? »

« Well we just need one more song and then it’ll be finished. »

« Well don’t worry about it I’m sure it’ll be a great one. » You said cuddling him from behind making him fall into the bed with you.

« Putting pressure on me much ? »

The two of you laughed at that still cuddling on the bed.

« But I’ve got to say I’m not hyped not to hang out with you guys once you’ll go on tour. » You’re best friend held you more strongly than before at your words. Silence filled the room.

« Maybe you could come and visit us ? » Asked Emerson in a small voice.

« Could I ?! » You said looking up at your friend.

« I mean I don’t see why not ? »

You got off the bed starting to dance excitedly and fist bumping happily into the air while Emerson was laughing from the bed.

« But…. Wait a minute ? Isn’t it girlfriends that are allowed to visit you ? » You asked stopping right away fearing it wasn’t gonna happen.

« Well usually, yes it is, but I think I can play it off. Plus if you do think about it we already are an actual old married couple. » You all laughed your ass off at this knowing very well how you to were looking while argumenting.

Not long after that Emerson had to go to the toilets and you took advantage of it to go ask Stefanie if she needed help with dinner. Emerson find It’s way into the kitchen not long after that.

That how you found yourselves peeling potatoes while joking around.

Hearing you laughing Remington join you guys down hoping up the counter, not helping whatsoever.

« You guys are so loud I can’t even hear myself think anymore. »He said with a devilish grin.

« Silly you of course you can’t Rem ! You never thought about something with that beautiful brains of yours, since you don’t have one ! » He glanced at me with a deathly look while Emerson was coughing his laugh away.

« But you’re saying nonetheless that I’m beautiful right ? » Emerson rolled his eyes while Remington winked at you.

« Well looks gotta make up for that stupidity of yours I guess. «

« But you admit that I’m beautiful ? »

« God Remington I never knew you’d suffered from so much lack of love during you’re childhood hon. »You said looking at your potato with a wide grin, with Emerson discretely laughing in front of you still peeling off the skin of his potato.

« But that does make me Belle and you the beast. So I win. »

« Well if you want to lie to yourself love go on, I won’t stop you, but remember that I ‘ll be Beast who’s got a big brain. »

Emerson made a face of disgust at the nickname. You got up and went near the counter, on which was seated Remington, to wash your peeled potatoes.

« Yeah But I’ll be Belle who’s got a big - »

« REMINGTON !!! »Yelled Stephanie making Emerson explode in laughter and pride was taking over your features.

« Since you seem to be quite a talker today go peel the rest of the potatoes of your brother, while you Emerson’ll put on the table in the dinning room please. »

« What does this have to do with peeling potatoes anyway ? » Whined Remington still going over his brother ‘s place getting to work.

« Young man don’t dig yourself deeper, I’m warning you. Now less talking and more peeling. »

You hide your laughing while you returned to the table where was Remington to cut the vegetables.

He glance you a glance that you supposed was meant to be scary but didn’t work out.

« I’m hate to say but Belle wouldn’t be the scariest psychopath for an horror franchise. »

« Wish I could dig YOU deeper. » He muttered between his theets.

« And I wish I could dig you. » you Whispered to yourself, blushing instantly realizing what you said and looking over to meet a blushing Remington.

Safe to say you cutted the rest of your vegetables are in silence as Remington did the same with the peeling.

Soon enough you all were dinning around the table that put on Emerson. You were sitting by Emerson side on his right, while Remington was in front of you and on his right was Seb asking if he could go to a party tonight at his mother who was seated in the end of the table. He excitedly thanked his mom when she agreed.

« By the way could Y/N come visit us on tour ? » Interrupted Em looking at his two older brothers.

A silence took place during several seconds as both of Seb and Rem eyebrows shoot to the roof looking really surprised, you didn’t really understood why before Seb started talking with a huge smile.

« FINALLY ! You guys I was starting to think it’ll never happen you know ? »

What ?

You were really confused right now, was he still talking about you visiting ?

If it was the case why did Remington seemed so hurt ? And even if he was talking about something else why would Rem be hurt anyway ?

« Huh well It’s only if you guys wants me to be there of course ? » Even to yourself you sounded pretty unsure.

« When did that happened anyway ? » Asked Remington pretty coldly.

« What ? » You ask really confused now.

« When what happened ? » asked Emerson apparently as confused as you were.

« Ho c’mon you guys ! Don’t be shy ! I always knew it’ll happen it really was about time. »

What. The. Hell

« Huh well Emerson asked me when we were up in his room a few hours earlier ? » You responded truly still very unsure about this, but figuring they were asking about when did Em bringed up the idea ?

« Ho so It’s really recent still ? » Said Seb.

« Huh well that’s why were asking if it’ll be cool with you two ? » Answered Em fidgeting at the end of his shirt.

« Unless you’re not comfortable with it Rem ? » Everyone’s eyes landed on him waiting for his answer.

« Why would you hit on me if you’re with my little brother exactly ? »

A huge silence landed across the table and your eyes almost blew out of your skull.

« What ? »You asked in a small voice a little embarrassed of him telling everyone what happened earlier.

« If he trust you enough to be his girlfriend don’t try to hit on his fucking brother just a few hours after it ! » He said getting up in one second before just hurriedly walking up the stairs at a fast pace. While you just stood there your mouth hanging.

What did just happened and… wait were they thinking you and Emerson were a couple ? HO they were, well shit.

« Huh… just to put it out there me and y/N are Friends, nothing more. »Said Emerson looking at his mom and older brother.

But He did not looked at you.

« Ho well… shit. Sorry about that Y/N It’s me who directly started to think you two were together, I mean I though so because the people that usually visit us are our girlfriends or boyfriends. I see that I was wrong now, I’m really sorry. »

« It’s okay Seb we don’t mind. » You said sadly and deeply humiliated, you were guilt tripping for something you didn’t do. How sick was that ?

You exited the table without a word to go upstairs, walking til you were facing Rem’s door. You were hesitant, you needed to tell him but maybe It’s more up to Emerson after all ? And why would he listens to you of all people you must be the one he wished could go away probably now.

You took a deep breath before knocking on the wood with precaution.

«What ? » Said a weak voice on the other end of the door. Ho no was he crying ? What the fuck did you put yourself into ?

« Can I come in ? »

« Go away. Maybe you still got your chance with Sebastian ? »

Ouch.

« Mister Remington you may not slut shaming me. » You responded trying to be funny but as the silence took place between you you figured it wasn’t.

« Look, Rem, I think it is all just a misunderstanding, please let me in so we can talk ? »

You waited two long minutes fixing the wood of his door before this one moved to revel a red eyes looking Rem, the sight really guilt tripping you.

« How could you do that ? To your childhood best friend ? »

All of it was giving you an headache.

« Are we still talking about Em ? Or is it about you ? » You asked raising an eyebrow.

« forget about it. » He said moving to re-entering the room and closing the door, but you stopped him taking his left arm in your hand.

« Wait. I really do think It’s just a big misunderstanding, I am NOT em’s girlfriend. » You said the fastest you could.

The big frown on Remington’s face was wash over by a surprised look.

« But you guys said- »,

« we didn’t say anything because you didn’t even let us say more than 1 word. Sebastian assumed and I guess you then assumed that we were. But you’re both wrong. »

Remington’s brain seemed to be runned a mile per minute.

« But Emerson was talking about you visiting on tour.... »

« Yeah as friends dumbass, I ‘m not obligated to fuck someone on it to be on it am I ? »

Your arms crossed on your chest you waited in front of the tall man.

« I-I-I am so very sor-rr-ry…. I… I mean if you want to scream at me you’ve got every right to do so… » he said with a sorrowful expression.

« Don’t worry if I’ll ever feel like screaming at you, I won’t bother asking your permission love. In all seriousness now, maybe just go apologize to Emerson later okay ? »

« Ho fuck ! Everyone heard me right ? Ho what have I done It’s embarrassing as fuck. »

« Yeah from the looks on their faces I’m pretty convinced that they all heard you pretty well. »

«…. That means that I’ve just told everyone that you hit on me when you actually did it as a joke and for no reasons… » Blood was leaving his face at a fast spead and he was becoming more livid by the second.

«Yeah you did. But if that can make you feel better I didn’t do it as a joke. But please next time wait til we do take it to your room to tell everyone. Never guessed you as a kiss and tell but meh we learn something new every day ! »

« You didn’t… ? »

« No I wouldn’t hit on Rem big brother as a joke that’d be a lack of humor to do something so awkward. If I ever wanted to hit on one of you as a joke I’ll choose Em I’ve much more material on him anyway. »

« I….But last year at Seb’s birthday party when I finally muster up the courage to ask if I could kiss you, you said no… ? » Both of you were now a little closer to each other at the point where your chests were almost touching.

« Yeah well pardon me to have refused to kiss you when you were completely drunk AND in front of your two brothers looking at us. Poor souls They’ll still be on medication now if it happened. »

« But then why would you it on me now -»

« Can I kiss you ? » You asked to the tall bleached hair guy. He was blushing so much you were scared that the poor fool was about to explode.

« Why-hy no-ow ? » He asked lowering his voice looking at you expectingly.

« Because I feel like fucking my brother’s best friend. No more seriously I just… ‘I’ m not really talented for all of this but I really like you and I do have a crush on you since several months. Like each time you hug me It’s like I become numb and every problems since to find a solution to itself. »

Remington wrapped his hands, sweetly, around your neck, looking at you with tenderness.

Both of you closed the distance between your lips, it wasn’t sweet or hungry but just a little spark fading as soon as his tongue and lips left yours.

« Y/N… I-I have a crush on you since years but you never noticed me, Emerson always fought to be alone with you and to be the one closest to you. I… never told him because I really thinked you’ll never see me like you do with him. »

« You’ll never take the place of Em. He’s my best friend. But you can take the vacant place of boyfriend. But if you’re jealous of Emerson It’s not gonna do it for me babe. »

« What no ! I’m not…. I… ‘I swear just I wanted to let you know that I was struggling to find a way to get your attention. »

« You don’t need to, coz’ you already have it, you were just to blind to see. »

« ….Y/N.. I love you…. »

« I’m pretty sure that I ‘ll be able to say so in just a few weeks. » You kissed him one last time before going to Emerson’s room and getting in bed with your friend even if you wished to cuddle someone else tonight you didn’t want to seem impolite to your friend.

Emerson vaguely waked up from his sleep to whisper to you once you made yourself comfy between his arms.

« Did you tell him ? Did you guys made up ? »

« yes we did don’t you worry Em. » you said with a happy smile on your face, of course he didn’t meant it like you did but this discussion is left for tomorrow this time.

[kingof-spades]

Hi! I'm Hana, call me H. (if this is a thing) I'm a halfling. I watch both anime and "normal" shows! I don't write but I do reblog to show some love. Here's some stuff about me <3

If I have sent a request and it's specifically for your mutuals or if I sent a request that made you uncomfortable, please DM me or if you're too shy know that I'm sorry! I don't mean to offend anyone in any way <3

(hi to any person i sent to for a match-up. if it helps my #me - h has a few people's opinion on who they think i'd be best with, so you can look at that if it helps!)

damn, now i want a character anon lover 😔

Status: Offline

Updated: 12/26/20

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝙷

Name: Hana/H

Age: 19

Birthday: February 12th 🙃

Zodiac: Aquarius

Pronouns: She/Her

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight - girls are hot though

𝙴𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚘

Favorite Drinks: Boba, Soda, and Coffee

Favorite Food/Snacks/Candies: Fruits, Fruit Snacks/Gummy Bears, Twizzlers- :), Altoids(wintergreen), Lollipops

Likes: Music, Anything/Most things Vanilla, Leggings, more to be added

Dislikes: certain Vegetables(sorry, i cannot stomach them), Jeans, my Voice, People watching me eat, more to be added

Height: 150 cm - 4'11

My Kinnies: Mary Saotome, Aisaka Taiga, Suna Rintaro,

Words To Describe Me: Complicated, Confusing, Sadistic, Indecisive, Extra :), ditz, etc.

My Love Language: Quality Time + Acts of Service

When I Made This Account: October 15th - Though I'm not new, just lost my old account :(

Current Songs I Love: Blueberry Eyes, Quarto de Hotel, Gotta Love the LOV, and any song from Melanie Martinez :)

Favorite Haikyuu Ships: Kagehina, Bokuaka, and Asanoya 🥺

Favorite Haikyuu Team: Karasuno

𝙷𝚘𝚠/𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝙸 𝚊𝚖/𝙼𝚢 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢

I'm shy at first but get to know me, I am a whole different person. I can be quite blunt but I know when to shut my mouth. If my man likes someone else, he better tell me instead of cheating :( I don't stand cheaters. I'm not the type to "forgive and forget" I'm pretty bitter(sorry), only sometimes though.

A pretty negative person, not gonna lie. I'm a foodie/snackie and also insecure. I am clingy... but I still need/want my freedom and space. I have a tattoo on my knee that says "everything" in the shape of a question mark, and a skull for the dot(y'know, the . at the bottom).

Absolutely not into "perfect" things or people, only sometimes though. I prefer those who has demons. I absolutely CANNOT handle people who can't admit when they're wrong, I can't find it in me. Into chill dates or exciting one or just chilling(ex. Like in the bathroom brushing our teeth while vibing to some songs <3) Loves a good comfortable silence. I bite the inside of my cheek... good or bad thing, I dunno. It relaxes me though.

I get what I want because I'm nice, but sometimes I don't because I can be a b*tch at times :/ I have dry lips because idgaf, sorry :(( I need a man that can get me the snacks anytime and anywhere because I need them. Or one of my favorite drinks, either one and I'll be nice/fine! :p I tend to suppress my own feelings and needs so I need a guy who knows me(im also selfish...). I need a honest guy who also loves me for me and would never judge me because I hurt pretty easily :((

I'm one to ask people to do my homework... and hope they do :) I'm pretty boring so my friends, etc have to be the fun one. My friends consider me bossy, I am, in a good way. I'm sensitive so people trying to teach me things will make me cry, only my teachers/professors can teach me stuff. You have to be someone I trust and is really special to teach me. I'm clumsy. I don't like compliments because I feel like I don't deserve them. If I run out of clothes I will wear others with no shame :) ahem, im sensitive. I like being a exception because it makes me feel special.

My best subject is English, but I don't think I'm good at it :/ I'm very cat-like :) Take me on a roller-coaster and I will throw up or cry and scream. Also a scaredy cat. On the outside I seem very crazy or whatever but at home I just chill. I'm a normally cool person. Please, I have so many issues and mental problems. I'm picky, yet I'm not? I can be easily entertained, sometimes. Like I can play with a string of yarn or a stick and not fall asleep from boredom. I have random hyper moments as well :)) Respect my privacy, thank you. Give me someone who doesn't mind me being weird, we can be weird together~

I wasn't raised properly. I learned most things a kid should know as a teen and also did everything myself. So I get embarrassed to do everything or anything in public/in front of someone. Practically slow and clueless :) I also don't really know myself :/

How my friend describes me: "You seem pretty straight forward and confident but at times you can be kinda shy you can also come off mean to some people but you dont realize youre being rude because thats how youve always talked. You can be generous and yes you are annoying and pushy. You also like money or expensive things." My friend kins me with: Akaashi, bit of Kenma, Nishinoya, Kageyama, Bokuto with the emo stuff

Took @shoutas-kitten info and added/changed/deleted a few things, with Luna's permission! (sorry im just not creative enough :( but i tried adding a few thing)

I hope we can be friends! Just know we're not gonna talk a lot because I'm pretty dry :( but I'll always support you <3 (also im not the brightest person, legit)

[manunkinda]

So, I wrote the first chapter for a RK1K (Markus x Connor) fic. I’m not happy with it at all, but oh well. To be fair, it is my first DBH fic and I tend to have some troubles writing the first chapter for anything, It’s an AU. It’s called Dirty Blues.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101882/chapters/47616835

Chapter One: Smoke And Vinyls

Shit!”

Markus stepped down hard on the gas, his hands gripping the wheel until his knuckles turned white. He was late. His bandmates, mainly North, were going to be pissed at him being late to the venue. Hell, he was pissed at himself. He didn't care if he was speeding on the highway, he just needed to get to his goddamn location.

He knew that sirens were going to tail him. He pulled over with a frustrated groan. He rolled down his window, watching the officer approach from the side mirror.

"Sir?" Markus was suddenly confronted with soft, brown doe-eyes. "You're aware that you were going 62 in a 40 mile zone, right?"

"Uh, yes..." He replied, trying to be as patient as possible given the situation.

The officer pursed his lips, as if he was thinking about something. "Why were you in a rush?"

"Gig."

"May I check your trunk?"

The driver nodded, tapping his fingers against the wheel. He glanced at the mirror as the officer opened the trunk, discovering a guitar case. He opened the case and inspected it for a minute before closing the case. He then closed the trunk and walked back to Markus.

"Nice guitar. Sorry, the department have been pulling over cars with Red Ice stashed away."

"It's fine. I understand."

"So, where's this gig?" The officer asked, thumbs hooked in his belt.

"Magic Stick. It starts at eight-thirty. My band's a regular there."

"Ah, okay." The man unhooked his thumbs and pulled out a notepad and pen. "What's your name?"

"Markus Manfred." He told him.

"You're a lucky man, Markus. I'm deciding not to give you a ticket. However, if you speed again, ticket. Got it?"

Markus smiled slightly and watched as he wrote his name and license plate number on paper. "Got it."

"Great." He put the pad and pen away. "I might see your band at the Magic Stick tonight."

"You don't strike me as someone who enjoys rock music."

“I’m full of surprises,” the officer grinned. “See you there?”

Markus could feel his face heat up, and he nodded in return. “Yeah, see you there.”

The nameless officer got back into his police cruiser and Markus started his car, integrating with the others on the highway.

The hard case felt heavy in his hands as he entered the venue. His bandmates were already setting up.

Simon lifted his head up from tuning his guitar, spotting his friend. "Guys, Markus is here."

North rushed out from backstage, holding her bass. “Where the fuck have you been?!" She demanded loudly, clearly angry.

"Cool down, I was pulled over on the highway. No big deal. I'm sorry." Markus countered, walking towards the stage.

"No big deal?" She looked at Simon and Josh, who seemed to be neutral. They knew that not agreeing with North would make this even messier, but Markus had a point.

"Yeah, seriously. Calm down, save the energy for the show." He got onto the platform and went backstage to take his guitar out. As he stepped back onto the stage with his instrument, North threatened to hit him with her bass guitar.

After doing the sound check, the band waited backstage and had a couple of drinks. Markus eyed the clock.

Eight-thirty.

It was time.

Markus found himself in the light in front of the mic, his friends also on stage. He was previously nervous, but all his fright had disinagrated away. "For the returning folks, welcome back. For first-timers, we're Jericho." He glanced at his bandmates to see if they were ready. "Josh, hit it."

The familiar harsh kick of the drums invaded his ears, and the rest of the band joined in, including him. North's bass could be felt from the speakers, and Simon's lead work added little intricacies. His voice was introduced to the wall of sound as they all played their part, yet remained in synch.

Pause.

And the sound shattered silence once again.

The show had ended and people were leaving. Markus was chatting with his friends, discussing tonight and joking around as they got ready to leave. While Carl was doing okay, he wished he was here, and he knew that Carl wanted to come; but he would be able to tell him all about tonight when he got home. He turned when he heard his name.

It was the officer from earlier. He almost didn't recognize him out of uniform.

"Oh hey," he smiled. He didn’t see him in the small crowd, but he suspected that he must’ve been hanging out in the back of the room. "Like the performance?"

The man ran his fingers through his hair, beaming. "Yeah, it was fun. You guys did a good job."

"Who's this, Markus?" Josh asked. Simon and North were curious as well, trying to figure out who the hell this stranger, who seemed to know their lead singer, was.

"This is... Uh..." Markus snapped his fingers a couple times. "I don't think you've ever told me your name."

"Connor." The doe-eyed man responded, straightening his jacket.

"This is Connor. He's the officer who pulled me over for speeding today."

North glanced at Connor, then Markus, then Connor again. Her expression could only be described as mischievous, a playful smirk tugging on her lips. “You know, Markus... You did tell me that you were pulled over today, but you never told me the cop was cute.”

Markus bit the inside of his cheek and Connor cleared his throat quietly as his friends laughed.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Connor.” Josh said. “Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“Yeah, we gotta pack and get home. We all have work or class.” Simon added, wrapping up some cords that were in his hands. “Hope to see you around more though.”

"Markus, you should take Connor to our grub hub for dinner." North suggested.

Markus shrugged. "I mean, it's up to him. Do you want to go eat?"

Connor looked hesitant. "Uh, sure? I was thinking you could come over and we could order takeout instead."

"We can do that." Markus agreed, ignoring North's teasing look. "Just let me put my stuff away and then we can go."

Connor nodded and waited near the door. “I can text you the address.” He told Markus as the other man neared the entrance with his guitar case.

“Sounds good. I’ll just put this in the trunk. I'll see you guys later.” Markus told his friends. He gave Connor his number and went to his car, putting away his things. His phone dinged, and he glanced at the screen to see an address.

Markus parked in the driveway of the small, one-floor home. He stopped the vehicle and got out, closing the car door afterwards.

The yard was relatively clean, although it was desperate for a cut. The grass was not quite long, but was getting there. He figured that he was too busy with his job to mow his lawn.

The musician approached the door, climbing up the steps. He pressed the doorbell, and after a couple of seconds, the door opened to reveal Connor who invited him in.

The first thing that Markus noticed were the shelves of vinyls, CDs, and cassettes that were on display in the living room.

Damn.

The second thing he noticed was that there were no pictures of Connor’s family as far as he could tell. The atmosphere of this home was a whole different vibe compared to the large, colorful mansion that he and Carl lived in.

“So, any ideas?”

Markus was forced out of observation. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Takeout.” Connor repeated. “Any ideas?”

“Uh, not sure. Just pick whatever.”

The host nodded and took out his phone. “Thai then?”

“Sure. Vegetable Pad Thai please.”

Markus’ mismatched eyes travelled to Connor’s left arm as Connor dialed a number and turned away, his back facing him. Crimson roses, cerulean plumerias, and wicked thorns adorned his entire limb from the shoulder to his wrist.

He was in awe at the complexity of the ink.

Connor ended the call and turned back around. “You know, you can take off your jacket and make yourself comfortable.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.” He quickly took off his jacket and hung it up on the coat hanger. “Your sleeve tattoo is beautiful, by the way.”

He swore he saw Connor blush. “Uh, thanks. It was just inspired by a family friend’s garden.” Connor slipped his phone back into his pocket. “The food should be here pretty soon. Want anything to drink? I’ve got beer in the fridge.”

“A beer’s fine.” He sat down on the sofa as Connor went into the kitchen, coming back out with two beer bottles, one in each hand. He handed one to Markus and sat down.

The food arrived, and the two men dug in, chatting as they ate. After finishing and cleaning up, Connor decided to put a record on. “You know Bambara?”

Markus leaned back on the sofa. “No, actually. Never heard of them.”

“It’s a good band to get stoned to.” Connor said, rather casually.

Everyone had vices, regardless of their lifestyle. Still, he hadn’t taken Connor for a smoker. Usually, Markus was able to read a person correctly, but Connor was an exception. He would be lying if he said that the man wasn’t intriguing. “You smoke weed?”

“A little.” He replied, guiding the needle to the vinyl and turning up the volume. “For anxiety. As long as it doesn’t interfere with work, I’ll be fine.”

Markus watched as Connor opened a drawer on one of the end tables and took out a small sandwich bag and lighter, sitting back down. The music was already playing.

Connor noticed Markus watching and looked at him, opening the bag. “Want a joint?” He asked the taller man.

Markus shook his head. He personally didn’t like to smoke, but he knew people who did. He wasn’t unfamiliar. “Nah, thanks though. I’ll just stick to beer.”

Connor nodded and rolled up a joint before lighting it.

Neon glowing in the night,

Red words: Red Tide,

Shining in your eyes.

Smoke twirled in the air, the smell of burning paper and pungent leaves invading the room.

A gunshot cracked,

And streaming blood fanned out around its kicking feet.

Dead eyes staring,

Dead eyes staring.

Two bottles multiplied into four, and then eight.

“No one really leaves,”

Jimmy says through a cloud of smoke.

”Where would he go anyway?”

The sun is up and the birds are pecking

Pecking at something lying in the dirt.

Markus was sitting on the floor, lying against the sofa as he listened. Connor was draped on the sofa on his back, his legs hanging over the arm of the furniture. His red eyes stared straight at the blank ceiling, like there was something up there, or perhaps a mural. He noticed the sparse speckles of small moles, or maybe they were freckles, that were scattered across Connor’s face, neck, and hands.

Let’s make something huge and full of rust,

Rebar ‘round my handsome bust.

Broken glass like jagged flowers,

Climbing up a twisting tower.

Markus lost track of the time, zoning out and drunker than he intended to be. How the hell was he going to get home? Carl was going to lecture him on being responsible; he just knew it. The coffee table was almost covered in bottles and Connor was tired.

The town kids smoke meth and drink

Behind the scrap metal heap.

The guesthouse lies hidden...

He would figure something out.

[gaylittlelasagna]

there's this eid thing here so we're getting biriyani and the best part is they're parcelling it so i can sit on my bed and do science and still get biriyani at home and yayy

my dad has gone down as a representative of the fam, istg he's the social butterfly of our family, he's gonna bring the parcels

although they don't make proper biryani here, i miss Bangalore ka biriyani so much it used to be my favourite food, when i came here and discovered that these ppl don't believe in raita i weeped

ok in some places they do but it's still not the same, that's why ur mom's one is so close to my heart sksksj

anyway, i get biriyani tonight yay

oh yes you also got the mehendi for that right...bro i mean i don't live in an apartment complex and we don't celebrate eid or anything but we did order subway yesterday if that counts lol

bro so was it kolkata style biryani or hyderabadi but i am assuming its kolkata (i actually like both of them ngl)

oh you can get that biryani here as well..there are so many good places especially biryani by kilo..that's our favourite place, we always order biryanis from there..they give you raita and they also serve mirchi ka salan with their hyderabadi biryani and yea you should order from there oh plus there's much less oil in it and yet the taste is phenomenal

ok this became an advertisement but yea lol... hope the biryani turned out to be good..also you could always make yourself some raita..just beat the yoghurt with a little bit of water and salt and put vegetables in it if you want :)

bro yeaa her biryani is really good but she stopped making it i- lol... she never enjoyed cooking and now our old cook quit the job and we got this new cook and she actually knows how to cook shit so my mother is relieved that she doesn't have to go to the kitchen anymore lmao-

anyways hope u enjoyed your little meal :)

[swldx]

Radio New Zealand Int. 1355 7 Feb 2021

6115Khz 1259 7 FEB 2021 - RADIO NEW ZEALAND INT. (NEW ZEALAND) in ENGLISH from RANGITAIKI. SINPO = 55334. English, bellbird int. until pips and news @1300z anchored by Adam Cooper. More than 100 feared dead after Himalayan glacier bursts in India collapsing a damn and causing a flash flood. A former Pullman Hotel guest who had been isolating at home in Hamilton for a week tested positive for Covid-19 but the Health Ministry said the case was most likely historical. Dunedin City Council providing free fruit and vegetables during blood tests as lead water contamination scare continues. West Auckland is on edge after a man was taken into custody today after allegedly firing two shots into the air during a fight due to possible gang activity. @1304z trailer for "9 to noon" program. @1305z Weather forecast. partly cloudy in the south. north island mostly fine with occasional showers. @1306z "all night program" music DJ'd by Adam Cooper. he mentions a message from "Steve" describing the "magical" coast road of NZ. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 100kW, beamAz 35°, bearing 240°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 12912KM from transmitter at Rangitaiki. Local time: 0659.

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Rodney Johnson 

Date: Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 3:16 PM

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Hi Adam,

Aaron was inspired to draw a picture of his experience this morning and I have attached it. Also, if you are interested I made some phone video recordings of your show this morning if you care to hear some airchecks from almost 13000Km away! The youtube links below:

https://youtu.be/SEitD4VTfCs

https://youtu.be/cu6D10WUE2w

https://youtu.be/A40qAFWXagc

https://youtu.be/ro9lN3R_lms

Oh and I don't know if you know it but at 1259 GMT (1:59am your time, I believe) the 6115kHz frequency signs on with a bellbird interval signal before the top of the hour pips followed by the news. Both Aaron (6 years old) and Leonard (4 years old) loves the sound of that bellbird and here's a rendition of it by 4-year-old Leonard:

https://youtu.be/hsGLfwLeKDQ

Thanks again for the shout out! Aaron is still beaming about it!

-Rodney, Aaron, and Leonard

Hide quoted text

On Sun, Feb 7, 2021 at 8:38 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Great photo Rodney, thanks for sharing! Must have been a bonus catching a nice clear sunrise in the middle of winter!

 

It brings back plenty of memories from my road trip down that coast. In fact that image suddenly made me think of the Bixby Bridges further south which were a highlight when I did the trip.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Kind regards

Adam

 

From: Rodney Johnson

Sent: Monday, 8 February 2021 3:26 AM

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Subject: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

 

Once again with the photo!

 

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Rodney Johnson 

Date: Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 8:24 AM

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

 

Hey Adam!

 

Yes we heard you mention us on air! You should have seen the smile on Aaron's face! Thanks so much, you made our day! And yes, very could here, the coldest day so far this winter by far! Thanks for warming it up a bit for us.

 

Thanks for mentioning the coast road in the pacific Northwest. Indeed a very rugged and beautiful place! I've attached one of my favorite winter sunset photos I took during a trip back in the 80s. It was at a place called Cannon Beach in Oregon.

 

(Sorry for all the typos, I'm all thumbs when trying to type on the phone!)

 

Have a great day, and enjoy your summer there. We're certainly missing it here!

 

-Rodney and Aaron

 

 

On Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 7:37 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Good morning Rodney and Aaron!

 

That has made my morning to know you are tuned i. It’s great to have your company!

 

Yes, the West Coast road is quite a special road in a remote part of New Zealand’s South Island – they even have signs up telling you to fill up with gas as there is quite a distance between gas stations. Quite rare for a small country like ours! The land and geography actually reminds me of the Pacific Northwest road through Oregon and California which I assume you’re familiar with Rodney – the rugged coastline, harsh (but beautiful) sea conditions, and the occasional spotting of a seal or whale if you’re lucky!

 

I had a look at the weather forecast in Plymouth out of interest – MINUS 2 is your high today?!?! Goodness me, that is cold. (That translates to minus 19 Celsius in the way we measure temperature) – I cannot quite believe that after a day at the beach on New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast, just north of Wellington, where our high today was a very enjoyable 75 Fahrenheit.

 

I trust you’re keeping warm, and great to hear from you over the other side of the Pacific. If you keep listening, at about 0250 NZDT in about 10 minutes I’ll pass on my best regards to you both on air and share your note with our listeners.

 

Thanks so much for your continued correspondence.

 

Adam

 

From: Rodney Johnson

Sent: Monday, 8 February 2021 2:12 AM

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

 

Hi Adam!

 

Aaron and I are Listening to you right now on the all night program! Great to hear about your memories traveling the magical  coast road in NZ!

 

You sound quite cheerful, keep up the good work!

 

-Rodney and Aaron!

On Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 4:33 PM Rodney Johnson <rodneyj44@gmail.com> wrote:

Greetings from Minnesota, Adam!

 

Aaron and I were listening to RNZ on Shortwave this morning at 1300GMT (2 am NZST), and the signal wasn't as good as it has been, but I thought we heard Johnny Blades reading the news, maybe you were on the hour before? It is noisy shortwave, so I certainly might be mistaken! Yes, Vicki and John have been so nice, and Aaron treats all of this correspondence like gold because he's just learning to read. This reception report and letter were certainly the first correspondence he's written, let alone getting such a warm response. The whole thing has been a great experience for him and definitely gets us both up in the morning!

 

So you stayed in British Columbia, Canada? I grew up in Eastern Washington State near a town called "Pullman" about 100km south of Spokane and about 500km east of Seattle. When I lived in Seattle (for about 12 years starting in the late 80s) I often make the trip to Vancouver BC for the Fringe Festival there. A very beautiful city!  I'm glad you had the chance to experience what we call "The Pacific Northwest". It really is a wonderful area. My reading about your trip makes me think you might have seen more of the country than I have! For Instance, I have never managed to make it down to New Orleans. I'm afraid we just moved to this area myself and between work and kids were just starting to explore Minnesota when the Pandemic hit. We have been meaning to make it up north to Duluth and what they call the "North Shore", we've heard a lot of good things about it, so you might try there. Also, if you enjoyed Yosemite (I have gone backpacking there a couple of times during my time living in San Francisco California from 2000 to 2015), You might also Try Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (and also the Grand Tetons, if you find the time) and Glacier National Park in Montana. Both of these Parks are along the Rocky Mountain range featuring the continental divide (one side all rivers flow to the Pacific, the other side the Atlantic!). 

 

Great to hear from you Adam. We'll be listening for you on the air!

 

Cheers!

 

- Rodney, Aaron and Leonard!

 

 

 

On Mon, Feb 1, 2021 at 5:47 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Kia Ora Rodney, Aaron and Leonard!

 

Adam Cooper here – one of the fill-in presenters on the ‘All Night Programme’ – I’m on this morning, so your message has come to me. Vicki actually mentioned your correspondence to me when I was out working in the newsroom the other night when she had received your message – it’s so nice to know you’re turning in all the way from Minnesota. It’s quite amazing the global community we have tuning into RNZ, either via traditional radio or online. I know when I lived overseas, in British Columbia, Canada, that RNZ was a perfect way for me to keep in touch with everything that was happening back home – and to of course remind myself what the New Zealand accent sounded like!

 

Vicki is on her rostered days off but I have saved your latest message for her so she will see it when she returns to work a bit later in the week.

 

I hope all is well in Minnesota – I have a real love of the United States, which culminated from a six-week road trip a friend and I did in a hired 25-foot long RV in the summer of 2016 – starting off in California, and going up and down the country across many states, and finishing up in Chicago (which would be the closest I’ve been to Minnesota) – before flying to Washington DC then catching the train up to finish in New York. It was a magical trip and everywhere was just brilliant. My highlights were the pristine Yosemite National Park in California and the vibrant live music scene of New Orleans. I managed to see a lot of Washington State and Oregon too when I lived in Vancouver Canada for two years between 2018 and 2019.  Once this nasty pandemic dies down, exploring more of the US is top of my list again – I’ll happily take any recommendations of “must-see” places around the Midwest or Great Lakes area!!

 

Thanks again for your note, it really is great to know you are keeping us company from the other side of the Pacific.

 

Take care,

Adam Cooper

RNZ All Night Programme