#majalis good morning

[drmajalis]

Good morning everyone, wishing you a comfortable day

You probably aren't running enough lands in your EDH decks, fix that

Please take any meds you need to, and stay hydrated

[theeclecticwitchblog240]

~THE WITCHES HERBAL

pt 3~ {BANEFUL HERBS }

MANDRAKE EUROPEAN (Mandragora officinarum)

Gender:hot

Planet:mercury

Part used:root

Element: earth

Basic power:protection, fertility, love, health

WOLFS BANE (Aconite napellus) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:root

Element: water

Basic power:protection, invisibility

WORMWOOD (Artemisa absinthium) Do not exceed 1/2 g of the dried herb. Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:leaf

Element: fire

Basic power:psychic, protection, love, calling spirits

BELLADONNA (Atropa belladonna) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:berry, root

Element: water

Basic power:astral projection

BROOM (Cytisus scoparius) Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:flower, root

Element: air

Basic power:purification, protection, wind, spells, divination

CALAMUS (Acorus calamus) Gender:feminine

Planet:moon

Part used:root, seeds

Element: water

Basic power:luck, healing, money, protection

CASTOR (Ricinus communes)

Basic power:protection

Parts used: beans

CELANDINE (Chelidonium majus) Gender:masculine

Planet:sun

Part used:root, stalk

Element: fire

Basic power:protection, escape, happiness, legal

CHINA BERRY (Melia azerach)

Powers: luck Parts used: seeds carried as good luck charms/ bring change

CHRYSANTHEMUM (Chrysanthemum sinense)

Gender:masculine

Planet:sun

Part used:flower

Element: fire

Basic power:protection

DAFFODIL (Narcissus spp.) Gender:feminine

Planet:Venus

Part used:flower

Element: water

Basic power:love, fertility, luck

DAISY (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

Gender:feminine

Planet:Venus

Part used:flower

Element: water

Basic power:lust, love

DATURA (Datura stramonium) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:seed pod, leaves,

Element: water

Basic power:hex-breaking, sleep, protection, breaks spells,

FOXGLOVE (Digitalis purpurea) Gender:feminine

Planet:Venus

Part used:flower, leaves

Element:water

Basic power:protection

HEMLOCK (Conium maculatum) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:flowers, juice

Element: water

Basic power:astral projection

HENBANE (Hyosycamus Niger) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:flower

Element:water

Basic power:love , attract rain

HIGH JOHN THE CONQUEROR (Ipomoea purga)

Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:root

Element: fire

Basic power:money, love, success, happiness

LILY OF THE VALLEY (Convallaria majalis)

Gender:masculine

Planet:mercury

Part used:flower

Element: air

Basic power:mental powers, happiness

MALE FERN (Dryopterisfelix mas) Gender:masculine

Planet:mercury

Element:air

Basic power:luck, love

MAY APPLE (Podophyllum peltatum) Gender:masculine

Planet:mercury

Part used:root

Element: fire

Basic power:money

MORNING GLORY (Ipomoea spp.) Gender:masculine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:flower, seeds,root

Element: water

Basic power:happiness, peace

OLEANDER (Nerium oleander ) Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Part used:flowers

Element: earth

Basic power:love

PENNYROYAL (Mentha pulegium) Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:herb

Element: fire

Basic power:strength, protection, peace

POKE (Phytolacca decandra) Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:leaf, berries

Element: fire

Basic power:courage, hex breaking

SQUILL (Scilla maritima) Gender:masculine

Planet:mars

Part used:flower

Element: fire

Basic power:money, protection, hex breaking

YEW (Taxus baccata)

Gender:feminine

Planet:Saturn

Element: water

Basic power: raising the dead

** THESE HERBS ARE POISONOUS HERBS , DO RESEARCH BEFORE USING OR IN SOME CASES TOUCHING! MOST DEFINITELY DO NOT INGEST!

BB!

[lustrous-aim]

[🌸👑💖👑💀] l🐝ambrosiabee🐝l’s Flower Collection

[1] 🌹Pale Pink Roses🌹

(LO Ep17) This flower conveys grace, gentleness, joy and happiness.

[2] 🔵Forget-me-not🔵

[3] Dandelion (Taraxacum)

(LO Ep31) The dandelion symbolizes one healing from emotional pain, and sometimes physical pain as well. // It also symbolizes one surviving through all difficulties and withstanding hardships. *(LO Ep24) This was 1-2 days after Persephone was assaulted by Apollo.*

[4] “Lily of the Valley” (Convallaria majalis)

(LO Ep40) The Lilly o/t Valley symbolizes rebirth and humility, but also purity and sweetness. // Some believe that the flower brings luck in love, but also a return of happiness. [❄️And they can withstand the cold!❄️ // My English is a little broken 🤓]

[5] 🌱"Vine"🌱 (Vīnea)

(LO Ep128-129) The Vine is a plant that tries to survive on it's own. It will spread anywhere to get the stuff it needs to grow. This process symbolizes the will to live. It also symbolizes strength, connection and partnership.

[6] “Pansy” (Viola tricolor var. hortensis)

(LO Ep83) The Pansy symbolizes free thinking, but also that one should consider something (the word “Pansy” is based on the word pensee; to think/consider something). // The Pansy also signifies remembrance.

[7] “Orange Day-Lily” (Hemerocallis fulva)

(LO Ep79-80) Orange lilies symbolize warmth, passion, royalty and a satisfaction in life. It also symbolizes honor and respect for a notable person. In Victorian times, lilies represented flirtation.

[8] “Water Lilies” (Nymphaeaceae)

(LO Ep106) The Nymphaea “waterlily” signifies  innocence, pleasure, and wellness. Overall, it symbolizes one being at peace with him/herself. In Ancient Egypt, the waterlily was associated with life and death.

[9] “Morning Glory” (Ipomoea tricolor)

(LO Ep86) According to the Victorians, the Morning Glory signifies a love that is in vain, or a love that was never reciprocated. Because of the short life-span, it can also be associated with fleeting love.

[10] “Forget-me-not” (Myosotis)

(LO Ep80) The “Forget-me-not’” signifies an undying love. It symbolizes a connection that lasts through time, and a growing affection between two people. It can also remind people of their favorite memories together.

[11] “Desert Bluebell” (Phacelia campanularia)

(LO Ep8) The “Desert Bluebell” is a delicate (and poisonous) flower that signifies enduring love and gratitude. // It also symbolizes humility.

[12] “Peruvian Lily” (Alstroemeria)

(LO Ep96) The “Peruvian Lily” symbolizes understanding one another, empathy, commitment and respect. // The twisted leaves are also a symbol of bonding, stability and overcoming difficulties together.

[13] 🌸Pink-Sorrel (Oxalis Articulata)🌸

(LO Ep100) The Oxalis symbolizes joy and good-heartedness. // Oxalis can be found in the fields, forests, along the roads and in the wastelands. [As always, if this is not the Oxalis flower, please let me know 🥸✌️]

[14] 🌼“Common Daisy” (BELLIS PERENNIS)🌼

(LO Ep63) “Daisies” symbolize purity, chastity, motherhood and transformation. The “Daisy” can also symbolize security, appreciation and quiet strength.

[15] 🌹“Rose Thorns”🌹 (Spicula rosarum)

(LO Ep98) Thorns symbolize sorrow and hardship, and the Rose symbolizes love and passion. Those two together create a metaphor: After going through the pain (thorns), you’ll find the pleasure (rose).

[16] “Peony” (Paeonia)

(LO Ep112) The “Peony” represents honor, wealth and beauty that comes in all forms. The “Pink Peony” mainly symbolizes good luck and prosperity. You can also give a peony to someone who has been successful in their lives.  

[17] 🌸“Periwinkle” (Catharanthus)🌸

(LO Ep131) The “Periwinkle” symbolizes friendship, everlasting love and a beginning of something new. The “Periwinkle” also represents a blossoming friendship that is still in its first stages. And, sharing a pleasant memory from the past.

[18] “Baby’s Breath” (Gypsophila)

(LO Ep131) “Baby’s Breath” symbolizes purity, sincerity and an everlasting love. “Baby’s Breath” also symbolizes the exquisite beauty of a person and devotion in a relationship which lives an eternity.

[19] 🌸“Orchid” (ORCHIDACEAE)🌸

(LO Ep138) In Ancient Greece, “Orchids” were a symbol of masculinity. “Orchid” means “testicles” in Greek. Because of this, orchids also have a sexual meaning. The “Pink Orchid” symbolizes seduction and sensuality.

[20] “Mistletoe” (Viscum album)

(LO Ep40&152) The “Mistletoe” symbolizes peace, protection and unification. Because the “Mistletoe” can also be found in the winter, the Celtic Druids considered the “Mistletoe” a symbol of “Life in the midst of Death”. [“Oh, Look! A Mistletoe!”]

[21] 🌿“Bay Laurel” (Laurus nobilis)🌿

(LO EP141) The “Laurel” symbolizes victory, honor and one’s achievements. It’s also used to represent overcoming potentials. The leaf itself was believed to have spiritual and physical cleansing abilities.

[regnumveritatis]

Legends and Lore of Lily-of-the Valley part 1: Slavic folktales

Perhaps, one of the most prominent May flowers of moderate climate, lily-of-the-valley is rich in lore and magical uses.

Slavic cunning men used lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) in spells to preserve young girl’s beauty. Young girls rubbed its root on their cheeks to become blushy. Its leaves were used as Easter egg colorant (green). Tincture of lily-of-the-valley (often combined with valerian, motherwort, or hawthorn) helps treat heart disease. Water distilled with lily-of-the-valley flowers is very useful in eye disease – it is used just like rose water and applied to the eyes. Potions made with lily-of-the-valley were used to treat epilepsy and hydrops, remove drowsiness. An infusion of a certain kind of lily-of-the-valley called Solomon’s Seal is good for washing face.

In Slavic legends, lily-of-the-valley flowers have been associated with woman’s tears spilled out of love. A Christian legend tells of Mother Mary crying about her deceased Son. Where her tears fell, lily-of-the-valley grew. Ukrainians believed that these flowers grew where a girl spilled her tears crying about her love not returning from a distant journey. According to an ancient Russian legend, no one other than Sadko, the legendary merchant and skillful musician, became the reason of lily-of-the-valley’s appearance. Water Princess Volkhova (or Volkhva) fell in love with Sadko, but he gave his heart to Lubava – daughter of the forests and fields. Sad Volkhova came out on land and started crying, and her tears turned into lily-of-the-valley – a symbol of pure and unrequited love.

Lily-of-the-valley is a charm of loyalty and purity, but in wrong hands it may be used to make two people split up. According to a legend, aroma of lily-of-the-valley flowers collected, purchased, and given on a New Moon awakens lust in women, making them easily seduced. If collected on a morning of a Full Moon, on the opposite, it aids a high romantic love and makes loss of virginity less painful. It is believed that a man becomes gentler, and a woman becomes more passionate if they place a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley collected on Waxing Moon near their bed.

An old pre-reformed Christian legend tells that God originally wanted to breathe life into Virgin Mary, so that she would conceive, but the Devil recommended Him to hide a sprig of basil and lily-of-the-valley under His clothes overnight, and in the morning give it to the Holy Virgin, and God followed this advice. From this legend, we could see that sprigs of basil and lily-of-the-valley kept at the body overnight were believed to help the couple conceive.

Crowns of lily-of-the-valley and forget-me-nots adorned heads of those celebrating Trinity and Whitsuntide (Green Rusalii).

Lily-of-the-valley berries, if used by a poorly trained or a newbie sorcerer may make him a victim of otherworldly creatures desiring to take over one’s will. An experienced cunning man or woman may use them for contact with the spirit world.

Seeing lily-of-the-valley in a dream means innocence of your partner (in any relationship). Dreaming of a dry lily-of-the-valley means that you demand too much from life and people, and this causes you to become irritable and frustrated.

In magic, lily-of-the-valley is also recommended to those seeking to improve memory and intellectual abilities.

Lily-of-the-valley obtained on May 1 brings happiness to the one keeping it. In spellcraft, lily-of-the-valley becomes a charm for good luck, happiness, and success. A folk name of lily-of-the-valley is Molodilo (Youth-herb). It is best collected at sunrise after dew dries out, around the Full Moon (although the moon phase here varies depending on your magical goal) – June 1 is a traditional day to harvest lily-of-the-valley flowers; leaves are collected before the plant starts blooming. Lily-of-the-valley is a sacred plant of Goddess Zhiva. This plant is poisonous and should not be ingested without proper knowledge!

Much thanks to Olga Stanton for her research on this. Very appreciated

[jordanianroyals]

As Jordan Seeks to Quell Royal Feud, Allies of Prince Remain in Detention

New York Times,  APRIL 06, 2021

The country’s royal family said Prince Hamzah had now pledged his loyalty to King Abdullah II. The government banned news outlets and social media users from discussing the rare public show of conflict.

Pictures of King Abdullah II of Jordan at a frame shop in Amman, the capital, on Sunday. Credit: Mohammad Ali/EPA, via Shutterstock

Employees and associates of a Jordanian prince accused of plotting to undermine the government were still being held incommunicado by security forces on Tuesday, their relatives said, casting doubt on earlier claims by the royal court that it had resolved an unusually public and bitter rift between the prince, Hamzah bin Hussein, and his older half brother, King Abdullah II.

Prince Hamzah’s chief of staff, Yasser Majali, and Mr. Majali’s cousin, Samir Majali, were both arrested on Saturday, the day that the government claimed that the prince had been involved in a plot to destabilize the kingdom’s stability.

The Majali family, which comes from one of Jordan’s main tribes, said on Tuesday that the two were still being held in an unknown location, less than a day after the royal court released a statement that quoted Prince Hamzah as saying that he had pledged his loyalty to the king.

“Every time we call someone, they say we will get back to you,” said Abdullah Majali, Yasser’s brother, in an account corroborated by a second senior member of the Majali family. “We still don’t know where they are.”

Prince Hamzah’s whereabouts was also unknown as of Tuesday morning. And the Jordanian government issued a gag order on Tuesday that barred Jordanian news outlets and social media users from discussing the case.

The developments are the latest twists in a royal feud that exploded into public view over the weekend, upending the family’s reputation for discretion and the country’s image as a rare haven of stability in a turbulent region.

Jordan is a key partner in regional counterterrorism missions, a base for American troops and aircraft, and a major recipient of American aid. Bordering Syria, Iraq, Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, it is considered an important interlocutor in regional diplomacy — and a linchpin of any potential Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Over the weekend, the Jordanian government arrested several of Prince Hamzah’s staff members and associates, and accused the prince himself of working with a former senior royal aide and cabinet minister, Bassem Awadallah, to undermine the country’s stability.

The government’s statements hinted that those arrested had been involved in a foreign-backed coup attempt, but stopped short of using such direct language.

Prince Hamzah fired back with two videos in which he excoriated his brother’s government, but denied involvement in any plot and said he was being held under house arrest — an allegation the government denied.

By Monday night, tempers seemed to have calmed, as the royal palace released a statement written in the prince’s name in which he pledged to “stand behind His Majesty in his efforts to protect Jordan and its interests of the nation.”

But the uncertainty on Tuesday about the whereabouts of the Majalis and the prince himself suggested that tensions had not completely dissipated.

The government’s narrative was also placed under question on Tuesday by the leak of a recording of a conversation last week between the prince and the head of the Jordanian military, Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti.

In the recording, which was obtained by The New York Times and other media outlets, the general appears to acknowledge that the prince had not personally moved against the king, but had instead attended social gatherings where criticism of the government was made by others.

With coronavirus-related deaths on the rise in Jordan, the prince’s allies say he had attended more wakes and funerals than usual.

“During these meetings, there was talk about the government’s performance and the performance of the crown prince,” General Huneiti said, according to the recording.

“This talk came from me?” replied Prince Hamzah.

“No,” the general said. “From the people you were meeting with. We both know, sir, this crossed the red lines. People have begun speaking out more than they should. Therefore, I hope his royal highness abides and refrains from attending such occasions.”

The Majali family expressed doubt that any relatives were ever even in a position to support a supposed plot to destabilize the kingdom.

Samir Majali had met just a few times with Prince Hamzah for lunch, in his formal capacity as a tribal elder, said Samir’s cousin Hisham Majali.

Yasser had been convalescing at home after a heart attack followed by a bout of the coronavirus, and had not been to work in several weeks, his brother, Abdullah Majali, said.

Neither man had a connection to Mr. Awadallah, their relatives said.

“They don’t even know him,” said Abdullah. “It’s unacceptable that they would link their names.”

Many Jordanians also believe that Prince Hamzah himself and Mr. Awadallah would be unlikely co-conspirators. Prince Hamzah is closely tied with Jordan’s Indigenous tribes, like the Majalis, while Mr. Awadallah, a former head of the royal court, is one of the many Jordanian citizens from families of Palestinian origin.

The pair have different views on economic and political policy. And while Mr. Awadallah was often a target of government critics while he was in office, the prince presents himself as a proponent of good governance.

[pessimisticlatte]

Glass Roses ~ Chapter 18

Adrienette ~ Tom x Sabine ~ Mama Nathalie <3

The last two days had felt like the longest days of Adrien’s life. He’d been in Alsace with no one but Nathalie and the Gorilla for company while his father did god knows what. At least there hadn’t been any akuma attacks for the last couple of weeks as things led up to Adrien’s 18th birthday, the party he hadn’t wanted but that he’d gotten regardless because his father hadn’t planned it for Adrien, he’d planned it for himself. Adrien wasn’t going to complain about Nathalie’s company, he didn’t really have a reason to, but each time they ventured into the grounds surrounding the Agreste family estate (an actual fucking castle) he found himself missing Marinette more and more. She would be awed by the sheer beauty of the estate and the amount of people it took to keep the grounds looking as perfect as they always did, despite the fact that Adrien and Gabriel hadn’t been to the estate in years those gardeners still worked tirelessly to make sure the place looked perfect even if it’s masters might never return.

“Look over there,” Nathalie pulled Adrien out of his reverie as she pointed to a small patch of white, bell-shaped flowers. “I’d forgotten about the convallaria majalis that your mother had tried to grow here years ago now. It never seemed to take to the soil for some reason but now here it is! Growing!”

“Convallaria majalis?” Following Nathalie over toward the flowers, Adrien furrowed his brow in confusion. 

“Lily-of-the valley. The flowers are incredibly poisonous but also beautiful and one of your mother’s favourite plants to paint,” Adrien could feel Nathalie’s sorrow as she spoke of Emilie, the emotion so tangible and real that it made him ache for a woman he barely knew. “I could have watched her paint for hours.”

Unsure of what to do or how to act, Adrien reached for his old tutor’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, reassuring Nathalie that a part of the woman she’d loved so much was there with her. 

“She used to hate it when I used the latin names for things,” A small, sad smile began to tug at Nathalie’s lips as she remembered all the times she’d begun talking of botany and plant species only to have Emilie joke about being bored half to death. It hadn’t been until after Emilie had fallen ill and become comatose that Nathalie had realised that she was joking about hating how Nathalie could categorise almost every single plant they walked past with a mere glance. There weren’t many times in Nathalie Sancouer’s life that she felt like an idiot but being completely oblivious to Emilie’s rapture when she spoke of things that she loved was one that she would never live down. “Your mother used to joke that I should change my name to ‘Thesaurus Sancouer’ because I knew too many words for my own good.”

“The Painter and the Dictionary, seems like a good title for if I ever write a story of how you and Maman met,” Squeezing the older woman’s hand again, Adrien’s voice was joking. “Not that I ever would write a story about that, there are too many things I want to write about already.”

“I think that Emilie would be very proud of the man you’ve become, Adrien,” Turning to face him, Nathalie pushed her fingers up under her glasses to wipe away a single tear that was threatening to slip down her cheek. 

“I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person I am if you hadn’t been the one raising me, Mum,” The word felt so natural on his tongue as he spoke to Nathalie. She’d legally been his mother for the last two weeks and, though neither of them would admit it, knowing that they were legally bound as family for the rest of their lives made them both giddy. All Adrien had ever wanted was someone to love him unconditionally, in the past he’d wanted it to be his father so he’d crossed his own boundaries to be the son he thought Gabriel wanted, and now he had Nathalie, he’d always had Nathalie, who loved him for who he was and didn’t want her son to be anyone other than himself.

“I’m still very overwhelmed at being your mother. I know I’m the one who raised you but it’s a strange sensation to know that you are my son and to hear you call me ‘mum’,”

“Hey, I’m still blown away by the fact that you’d want to adopt me seeing as I’m almost a legal adult and all,” Releasing Nathalie’s hand, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

“Well, there wasn’t an option to adopt a talking mouse named Stuart so I guess you’ll have to do,” Ruffling the blonde boy’s hair, the two collapsed into a fit of laughter.

There was so much laughter that night that by the time Adrien climbed into bed, his sides hurt from how much of the laughter had come from him. The Gorilla had joined in too, occasionally, cracking jokes with Nathalie and Adrien that had the both of them in stitches not just because of the jokes but also because neither of them had thought him capable of making one. If this was what a normal family was supposed to be like, then Adrien hoped that, when he woke up, he could live this day all over again until Marinette arrived and his life would finally be worth living.

~~~~~~~~

Woken by a warm body crashing on top of him, Adrien blinked the bright light streaming through the windows out of his sleep gunked eyes and arched his back up off the bed, sending the girl sprawled across his back into a fit of giggles that rung like a symphony in his ears.

“Good morning,” Yawning, Adrien rolled over and rested his hands on Marinette’s shoulder blades. “When did you get here?”

“Twenty minutes ago,” Snuggling into her sleep warmed boyfriend, Mari rubbed the crown of her head against his chin in a cat-like gesture that would’ve made Plagg proud. “Nathalie said I could come wake you up while Maman and Papa got set up in the kitchen. Which is huge, by the way, have you seen how massive the kitchen is here?”

“Yeah, it’s gigantic, isn’t it?” A smile played on Adrien’s lips as he pressed a gentle but firm kiss to Mari’s head and squeezed her against him. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering in this moment as Marinette prattled on about the kitchens and the grounds and all the things she’d seen in the short space of time she’d been at the estate; there were flashes of lazy mornings with Marinette snuggled into his side, of her in the kitchen keeping an eye on him as he cooked, of the wind ruffling her hair as they looked out over Paris as Ladybug and Chat Noir, of a small girl with Mari’s heart shaped face framed by riotous golden curls riding the pinkest bike he’d ever seen in his life as Marinette’s laugh filtered in from somewhere beyond his vision. The smile appeared, fully fledged, on Adrien’s mouth as his heart raced at the thought of them having a future together and of that little girl. Their little girl.

“You should get out of bed now,” Hands on either side of Adrien’s head, Mari supported herself on stretched out arms and looked down at her still sleepy boyfriend with sparkling blue eyes. He had such an overwhelming urge to kiss her in that moment. “As much as I’d love to stay up here all day, Maman and Papa want you to help us get started on the food for your party tomorrow.”

“Your Mum and Dad actually want me to help with the cooking?” Adrien was perplexed. “Don’t they remember what happened last time?”

A light giggle left Marinette’s lips as she leant down and pressed a kiss to Adrien’s forehead. “Papa says that you’re not going to get better if you don’t practice and I’m going to be in the kitchen with them today so it’s a good excuse for you and I to hang out today,” Sitting up, Adrien nuzzled is nose into Mari’s shoulder as the two of them remembered the disastrous brownies Adrien had produced last time he’d attempted to cook with the Dupain-Cheng’s. Marinette had tried to eat them to make him feel better but they’d ended up making her sick for three days and it’d done the exact opposite of making him feel better, it’d made him feel worse because she’d gotten sick from them. “We won’t be doing anything too hard, or you won’t be anyway, maybe just a bit of decorating,” Voice lowering to a whisper, Mari looked up into Adrien’s eyes with an angelic smile. “Maman and Papa know that you’re not a big fan of huge parties so they wanted to throw you a little surprise party in the kitchen with just us, but you need to act surprised when we get down there because I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

“Mari, your parents are absolute angels, I hope they know that,” Grinning broadly, Adrien pushed a lock of Mari’s hair behind her ear before she climbed off him so he could get out of bed. “I’m going to have a shower, I’ll be five minutes max.”

Nodding, Marinette smiled at him before he crossed the room and disappeared into the ensuite. 

Once he was in the shower, hot water streaming down his body, Adrien rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes with a giddy grin. She was finally here, it’d been two whole days without her and it had somehow felt like an eternity but now she was here and Adrien felt that his little family unit was almost fully complete. Almost complete because Mari had said something to him before he’d left for Alsace about him and Nino being like brothers, and it had gotten stuck in his head in a way he hadn’t been able to shake free. If Nino was his brother then Chloe was his sister and that made their girlfriends family too, which meant that his family wouldn’t be whole until everyone was here, even if it was for a big party that he didn’t even want to have in the first place. Towelling off his golden hair, Adrien slipped into a pair of dark jeans he’d laid out in the bathroom the night before and a plain, heather grey t-shirt that somehow made his green eyes look even brighter than they already did.

Emerging from the bathroom and depositing his pyjamas in the hamper on the other side of the door, Adrien saw Mari sitting on his bed with a small, brightly coloured box in her hands as she played with the silky ribbon wrapped around it. Crossing over to the bed so he could sit down beside her, Adrien saw a shy blush creep up Marinette’s pale cheeks.

“What’s this?” Looking at the box, then up into Mari’s eyes, Adrien cocked his head slightly and allowed a cheeky half smile to curve onto his lips. Holding the box out to him with a slightly shaking hand, Marinette’s lips formed words that he couldn’t hear. “I can’t hear you.”

“I wanted to be the first person to give you your present, I know your birthday isn’t until tomorrow but I couldn’t wait,” Taking the box from her hands, Adrien leant forward and kissed Marinette’s cheek, then her nose, then her lips. “Open it.”

Tugging the ribbon free from it’s bow, Adrien carefully opened the box and moved aside the blue tissue paper to find a small pendant nestled within.

“I know that it’s not a big thing for guys to wear necklaces but that’s dumb and I think you’d look so good wearing this one. It’s a metatite stone, they’re meant to be for luck, and I made the pendant myself,” Lifting the pendant free, a glittering chain unraveled from beneath the layers of paper. A coil of golden wire passed through a tiny hole drilled into the stone and wrapped around the curved top in a delicate nest that held the loop that the chain was passed through. “It’ll bring you luck and I really like giving handmade gifts but I didn’t want to give you another scarf-.”

“Another scarf?” Adrien was confused. Marinette hadn’t given him a scarf before, she’d made him presents in the past for his birthday and for Christmas too but he couldn’t recall her ever having given him a scarf.

The colour on her cheeks deepening as she tried to hide her face, Marinette toyed with the edge of her skirt.

“Mari,” Hooking his finger under her chin, Adrien lifted Mari’s face so he could look into her eyes. “Come on, tell me.”

“T-the scarf your father gave you a couple of years ago...was actually from me...but I saw how happy you were at the thought of it being from your dad and I didn’t want to ruin it for you by saying that it was actually from me,” 

“Oh, Marinette, you’re too sweet for your own good,” Pulling his girlfriend into his arms, Adrien smothered her in kisses and squeezed her against him until she was laughing so hard tears sprang to her eyes from how his fingers were tickling her sides. “I love it.”

“I’m glad, now come on, let’s head down to the kitchen for your party,” Grabbing her boyfriend’s hand, Mari tugged him off the bed and toward the door. “Now you’re gonna have to lead me there because I’ve already forgotten where I’m going.”

~~~~~TAGLINE~~~~~ @lady-charinette @hnbutt @beauty-and-her-books @camelliaflwr @a-star-with-a-human-name @mochegato @nifflerstorm @aussie-lesbian @imgaydontshoot @maniic-pixie-dream-girl @katieykat513

[marshmallowprotection]

Convallaria Majalis

Pairing: SaeranxOC 

Warnings: This is Self-Insert type story. This is not beta-read, and constructive criticism isn’t wanted. It’s written purely for own my amusement. I’ve been posting his story on AO3 and FFN for a while, but I figure there an audience here on Tumblr that could warrant me posting here as well. There are some mature elements that should be taken with care, it includes warnings for Anxiety, Depression, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and PTSD. This story contains spoilers for Ray Route, and V Route, as well as elements from the Secret Ends. 

Word Count: 12,169. 

AO3 | Fanfiction 

Chapter One 

L I L A 

I.

"Awake."

"Error, again?" I stared at the phone with disdain. "Really? Why is it that everyone else can enjoy the DLCs and I'm stuck with an endless error message? I guess I could prowl forums until I find an answer."

Mystic Messenger was the height of Otome games on mobile platforms. For a long time the only quality romance games that you could play were desktop based, so when I found out there was a good one for your phone, color me stoked. I had been playing nonstop since my sleeping schedule was shit and I needed the affection from something. There wasn't any answer to be found, I scowled after checking a few pages. It wasn't like I hadn't already finished the deep routes, but I wanted to complete the Christmas DLC to one hundred percent. So much for that, ugh. It was too early in the morning for me to consider crawling out of bed just yet but I didn't have any more apps that I could refresh but - if the game wasn't going to be working for me, again! - I would just have to sit here in the quiet and think about my life. Poor choice, really, but I wasn't going to venture into the cold of my apartment until I had to do it.

"Then again, I can just check my to-do list." There was my sloppy but carefully taken dribble as I opened the app. I flipped through my notepad and did a mental run-through of what needed to be done for work and the house. I had to finish my report before I submitted my updated proof for my supervisor, make sure the fridge had enough for the rest of the week, and I needed to do a head-count on my paint supplies before I marched out the front door. All and all I would be home before noon if I didn't want to do anything else. I set my phone down and decided to shut my eyes for a few minutes.

My alarm clock began to sound not even five minutes after I dug my head back into my pillow.

Sometimes you happen to have a chance encounter that might change your life. Sometime you might just wake up and things are out of your control, or maybe you wake up in a different room then the one you're used to... either way, there's a day when things change direction and I know firsthand that these days can come out of left field. Something that you find yourself comfortably living every day until a new normal finds you. For a long time, I would wake up, crawl out of bed and begin my work in the kitchen after splashing water on my face and brushing my teeth, and keep working until I got hungry. It had been like this for a couple of months already, and the lingering scars in the mirror couldn't bother me as long as I kept to myself and did what I needed to do. You see, only a few months ago, you could have found me doing a stint in the hospital for my poor health habits. I had a hard time taking care of myself when it came to sleeping and eating, it wasn't exactly a trait that I was proud of, but it was something that had been with me since my teen years.

Whispers and murmurs behind my back about my appearance from my classmates and even my parents had destroyed my confidence and by extension, I had hurt myself to make others like me. I'm not proud of it. Every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I would feel disgusted and look away. Dysmorphia had a way of crawling up your spine like a spider and waiting for the moment to jump out and take a bite of you when you could do nothing but try to push it away - but fail.

Today wasn't all that different.

I got out of bed and hastily did my morning routine. I just had to go out of my apartment to run some errands instead of going straight to work, that was normal for a Wednesday. I had a list of this and that, that and this, but it shouldn't have broken too much time in the rest of the day as long I as get myself together in this good mood. It started as a better morning, really, I found it in me to fix my hair back and put on one of my jumper dresses. The reflection didn't make me feel as bad as it might have another day.

Hopefully, that would last.

How wrong I was, I realized when I slung my bag over my shoulder and opened my front door to see someone standing in the way. I gripped the door handle hard, and grit my teeth. "It's nice to see you again, Mom."

There she was standing in the doorway, my Mother, with a vase of sunflowers and the most unnerving smile. She had her hand raised as if she were about the knock the front door but couldn't when I opened the door instead. Of course, when I said that it was nice to her, I didn't mean it. We had never had a close relationship and it was only strained at this point. She didn't agree with my choices that I had been making over the last year, although she was the first one to say that she was proud of me on social media for the attention and sympathy. "Hold the pleasantries, Lila. I know you wouldn't have opened this door if you weren't on the way out."

I stepped to the side, and let her into my apartment rather than deal with an argument. "Is there a reason why you stopped by this morning?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my daughter?" She countered without even blinking, sauntering into the living room and setting her flowers down by the kitchen table. "I happened to be in the neighborhood."

"You live five blocks from here, you're always in the neighborhood." I returned. "I'm kind of in a hurry, Mom. I have a lot of errands to run before my appointment with Karen."

The ever-present smile was a little troubling. Mom turned back around to face me after looking at the canvases and makeshift art studio that my kitchen had become in the last couple of weeks. "Ah, yes, your therapist. I hope that's going well. All of my friends are concerned about your well-being after that mess in April." That mess in April that she was referring to had amounted to a situation where my Grandparents caught me in a lie, and I passed out in their home from malnutrition, and partly exhaustion. It occurred just three months after I had broken up with my abusive boyfriend after six months of terror, and five months after the loss of my father. It had a been a long and grueling year for my family, not that we never had a time where we weren't living some kind of lifetime drama film.

"And?" I braced myself.

"It's almost been a year since... the accident. Your sister has been living her life while you've been couped up, locking yourself in this apartment without even trying to make a difference." She started, walking back over to me. "Everyone is concerned that you're wasting your life here, it's one thing that you've been trying to waste your life painting, but now everyone is starting to pity me because my depressed daughter is unable to help herself. You need to stop wallowing about your father and get out there, date, have fun."

I started to talk back, "I'm content the way I am, Mom." but she cut me off and began to talk louder, to talk over me.

"And look where that's getting you, dear, you need to take a hard look in the mirror and get yourself together." She rested a hand against my shoulder, nails digging into the skin. "I expect you to stop embarrassing me before the holidays. I don't want to see you crying and making a fool of yourself in front of everyone again." That hung over my head like a weight. There it was again, the attitude that I couldn't just wash off. My Mother wasn't one to be trifled with if you decided to openly disagree with her methods and while it had been alright when I was a little girl; It was unbelievably too much for me to bare these days. It might have been because I was the only target of this thinking. We had been going back and forth like this for months because she wanted to be the one that was right in the end.

I didn't have the energy for it.

I shook head, just pretending to agree with her words. "I don't want to argue. You can do whatever you want to do, but I'm heading out."

"Wisteria, how are you feeling today?" Her hand was firm against her pad of paper as her pencil began to jot down the little things. Where we could improve on my function and how I could live my day to day without letting my impulsivity control me. This office smelled of disinfectant and cleaner. It wasn't something that bothered me much but it was all I could focus on this whole session. It was one thing that my day had started like it would be alright, but when my Mom came over and soured the whole thing, my mood had shifted and I think she could tell. She started and ended every session by asking me how I was feeling at that moment. I wasn't in the mood to talk about what had happened, so I carried on as if it were any other session.

The clock on the wall read a quarter past three and that meant we were coming to a close for this meeting.

"Huh?"

"I said how are you feeling? You've been a little distracted today. I've been doing most of the talking, and I'm curious where you're thinking today."

"It's already been a day and it hasn't even really started." I leaned against the table in front of me. My hand sinking into my chin as I closed my eyes. "I'm alright. I have had some alright days this month. I haven't felt... acted on the need to purge since my release. Sorry I didn't mention that at the beginning... I've been following my meal plan that we worked out to a tee thanks to my family. It's been a long couple of days, but I'm feeling a little better about my control when it comes to my dysmorphia. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night, that thunderstorm kept me up for a while."

"I'm glad to hear things are going better for you. You've been doing an excellent job lately at keeping up with that. Has there been any change in your mood? In regards to what you were struggling with about your father? You seemed upset during our last session but are you ready to talk about it?" She asked, the quirk of her eyebrow lifting just enough that it caught my attention. She always tried to pull that topic up but I wasn't ready to deal with it, we had mentioned it here and there, but it wasn't something that could come out yet.

My shoulders lifted into a shrug. "Let's give that a little more time, Karen. I'm doing that on my own right now - there's still a lot I want to think about before I open up about that. It's not bothering me as bad as it was before because I've been focusing hard on getting my physical health better, along with my job and affairs. I just don't want to deal with that can of worms right now."

"That's understandable, but you know we'll have to deal with that eventually. Just think about how we can better address it for next time." She reminded me, as she set her pen down against her desk. "Let's meet again in two weeks to discuss any more changes... but in the meantime, you can call me whenever you need to talk about anything."

That was therapy for you. I had been making some progress since we had started the meeting, which I was grateful for, but my mind had been other places during our session. I wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but I had been spending my time doing more than working and listening to a meal plan. My phone indicated that while I had been in my session I had missed a few things. I pilfered through what I missed, this and that, that and this but cleared them all out until I got to the most recent notification. I had missed a chatroom deadline on the game that I was playing. An Otome, Mystic Messenger, one of those exciting games where you could pick anyone you wanted and romance the.

"Huh, I guess I missed another chatroom." That wasn't the worst thing in the universe. I was trying to go through the Christmas DLC on Mystic Messenger at that moment, and I had enough hourglass to spare for one uncounted chatroom but I probably wouldn't waste it knowing the whispers of extra content coming very soon. I had already done a run-through of the different routes and now I was trying to get the DLCs entirely done before any more were released onto the game. There wasn't anything else left to complete with all of the RFA's routes done on my application. I was a little desperate for the interaction with my fictional friends so I settled for this.

I booted the messenger but it errored out.

"Please?" I begged, silently.

It errored once again when I attempted it open it again.

"Goddammit."

This had been happening a lot lately when I tried to play the game and it didn't seem to be happening to anyone else. It forced itself out at various times of the day and I couldn't fight it. Nobody else had this problem when I cruised the blogs and pages about it. I just mounted it to my luck. It was just a weak signal or maybe a bug that needed to be corrected. Little did I know, but there was a reason why my game was lagging and it wasn't just a chance of bad luck, and it would stem back to an encounter that I had put in the back of my mind.

I could always play some of the other Otome games that I had on my PC in the meantime if this was going keep happening. "Really? I can't believe this, maybe there's some traffic on the servers or something. Ugh, I was hoping to finally get Unknown after clearing everyone else." I grumbled, stashing my phone back in my bag as I headed into the cafe across the street from my therapist's office. It had been another meeting, uneventful and we didn't make a lot of progress. I was a lot more comfortable with her lately, which was good because she didn't treat me poorly if I slipped up and made a mistake. It was much better than dealing with what my Mother thought was the right way to handle the situation. She wanted to throw me to the dogs, so to speak. She wanted to make me work with her at her salon so she could make sure that I didn't embarrass her with my health problems. Fortunately, my older sister and Grandparents advocated for me and I got into the proper programs to help me piece my life back together.

The door jingled with alarm as I entered.

"Hi, Lila!"

"Oh, hey," I greeted the girl behind the counter with a weak smile. She knew my older sister but I hadn't ever caught her name. I think it was Samantha, so let's just go with that for now, I never would be able to work up the courage to ask that since she assumed I knew. "I'm looking for my usual, I need something to pick me up for my next project."

Samantha raised an eyebrow, "Another all-nighter?" she asked.

That was a jab at my poor working habits. I was already well aware that I had a beautiful little ring of purple underneath my eyelids for how hard I had been working these past few months. It was my choice to get involved with the projects that I was working on, it was so much of my own choice that I could work as long as I wanted and was physically capable of doing so, that I didn't mind if I was awake at three in the morning. It was my choice and nobody else. It had been only a year and some change since my choices weren't my own - since somebody told me what to do when to do it, and how to do it. I was beyond that life now and living how I wanted to, and I was managing my own life much better than I had been once before. Six months ago was my breaking point and I was forced to deal with the lingering haunt behind me; The remnants of that relationship had left me with self-loathing and the inability to look into a mirror for even a moment.

My dysmorphia was a ghost that lingered in my shadow and it would always haunt me from just beyond my peripheral vision. It was all that was left of that failed relationship and it stuck to me even now, it was a daily struggle to combat but I made due. Some people would look at me and call me brave for fighting - fighting a monster that had been created out of my fear and someone's else's control - but I didn't see it that way. I wasn't some knight fighting for my own life in battle, I still sometimes saw myself as the fearful princess in the tower.

I was a graphic designer who ran on her hours most of the time. When I wasn't creating websites and pamphlets for people, I would pour myself into my real passion which was painting and illustration. It was what I loved doing the most but it wasn't easy to do it and getting paid for your passions was next to impossible in the eyes of many of my family members. Alas, that's how I ended up where I was. I disregarded her tone and I shook my head. "It's not for work this time around. It's for the baby," I explained. "I promised Lucy that I would have my gift for the nursery done before the holidays and it needs a few more touchups."

"Oh. I can't wait to see what you're doing then, at least I can trust you to show me how it'll be. I can't count on Lucy to answer my texts lately. I haven't seen your sister in a few weeks, could you remind her that I know she sees what I'm saying but she doesn't reply? I know she posts about being too busy to do anything but I beg to differ." Samantha rang up the register and retrieved my drink from the back.

She handed me the cup and I smiled back at her with a little shrug. "No promises."

I decided that I needed to clear my mind that afternoon. I had all of my supplies with me on purpose, I made sure to leave my apartment that morning with everything that I might need to keep my mind occupied out of the house for a while. And for once I was glad that I grabbed everything that I needed before I opened the front door, I might have never been able to get out of dodge so fast this morning if I hadn't done that. My apartment was inevitably going to be cleaned up thanks to my Mom but it was going to be the kind of clean that she was fond of, it meant that a lot of things weren't going to be out of place. I lived in an environment that could be called controlled chaos; Nothing looked like it made sense to an outsider but for me, I knew where everything was that I needed and I liked it that way.

It didn't matter if anybody else liked it, it was my home and that meant I could have it the way I liked it. When I finally moved out of my childhood home a few months ago after the accident I made sure that my new place would be everything that I couldn't have there.

I knew I needed to get back and finish the project that my supervisor needed the final proof of, but I wanted to have at least an hour to work on something that for me, not just for some company. There was a creative control over my work that I couldn't entirely show what I wanted because I had to do what the client wanted, not exactly what I might have liked to do. When I was painting or trying to do something for myself, I could do anything. So, I walked to the park after I left the cafe, I would have to walk through it to get back to my apartment anyway. This place was a place that held a lot of good memories and bad memories; The good ones outweighed the bad ones in my opinion, and I wanted that comfort of the pleasant times in my mind instead of the pain that lingered from the present.

It took a few minutes, but everything poured out of my bag and I started to take work the moment I found a spot that caught my attention. It was a shaded tree close to the overpassing bridge, a patch of roses planted by the city not too long ago had taken root and the striking red color stood out against the sea of greens and browns.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I didn't turn around but I hear someone stir from behind me. The voice wasn't familiar, so I chalked to a stranger that had seen me painting from afar and wanted to learn more or even see what I was doing. "You don't see people painting out in the open like this, forgive me for being forward but I like what you've done with the flowers."

My little laugh left my lips. That wasn't a new experience. People had watched me before so it didn't bother me too much when someone wanted to see or make a little comment. It was nice to hear something positive after the morning that I had. "Thanks for saying so, but it's not precisely representational of the scenery. I took the liberty of adding some more native flowers to make it feel a little more striking."

The man leaned a bit closer, not enough that I wanted to flinch but enough that I could feel his presence. "Yes, the dogwood gives clarity to your canvas. It holds many meanings, but might I guess that you mean to use it as a sign of rebirth or hope?"

"Regret," I murmured. "Actually."

"Interesting, I wouldn't have expected that to be your choice." The man commented. "You don't seem like the type to have experienced that kind of a pain in your life."

My pencil continued to rake across the paper as I added a few details, making sure to note things my eyes might miss when I was to begin painting. I pursed my lips. "That's the funny thing about people you pass by every day. You might not know anything about that person but they're going through something you wouldn't believe. It's like that flower there," my eyes fell on the bud that yet to bloom. "It hasn't bloomed like the rest of its friends for a number of different reasons, but it'll sprout it leaves one of these days and be just as beautiful as the rest."

"The other flowers are blocking it from receiving the adequate amount of sunlight. It might not ever bloom without a delicate hand to guide it to its full potential. " He said.

I set my pencil down and took a closer look. "Oh, wait, you're right. If they trim back some of the tops it'll reach it a lot better right now. I can't believe that missed that and I call myself a girl with a decent green thumb, hah. I come to this spot pretty often because I can't go out to the Lancelot Gardens every day, have you ever been?"

"No, but I've heard a few things about it," the stranger replied.

My smile widened at the thought of getting any more strangers to visit the place. I was always advertising for my Grandparents when I got the chance and I wasn't about to stop doing that just because I didn't see them as often as I would like anymore. "Oh, you really should if you ever get to the interstate. They're just right of it down a clay road. I grew up on those gardens and they still never fail to take my breath away. I'd be pressed to say that there isn't another place like it in the world." I could see it in my mind when I shut my eyes. "There's just about anything you could imagine down there, but there are sprawling fields of Wisteria out there. Some people call it invasive but lemme tell you, seeing it cover the landscape and treetops is awe-inspiring. It's a page right of the storybooks."

"I could show you one better," He began to say. "But hearing you speak so fondly of the flowers makes me wonder what you might think if you could see the spot I often visit."

"And where might that be?" I asked, curious.

When I turned around to see the man he was gone. I thought for a brief moment that I had just hallucinated the entire encounter but left on the ground was unrest in the dirt, a footprint impression on the ground told me that there had been somebody these speaking to me that time. It was odd to just some idle conversation with someone and then just disappear before it could be finished. I hadn't had such a calm conversation with someone about the flowers since I ran some of the tours back at my Grandpa's gardens. I almost felt a little sad I couldn't ask him his name. My phone was sitting on the ground behind me as well, I raised an eyebrow at the sight. I thought I had set it in my bag. Why was it sitting on the grass?

It would be a few nights later that I would realize that that chance encounter would change my life forever.

"What would you do if I told you that sometimes growing up feels like you're burying your childhood and kicking it for good measure?" The phone was on speaker so I didn't need to put the effort into holding the device in my hand. The moment that I got out of the rain and back into my apartment I collapsed onto my bed in a crumpled heap. Another week of mindless work, sleeping when I could find the time to do it and working when I wasn't sleeping. It was just another day in the life. My phone started ringing at that very moment as well, and while I might have usually just ignored the sound and just laid there something told me that I needed to check who it was. Lucy had such a lot going on lately in her life - and I did as well, that meant that we couldn't just talk to each other like we used to be able to do.

While I felt like this was a heavy weight upon me - I never expressed it to her completely... not when she had a small child on to tend to.

On the other end of the phone, she let out a small scoff at the question I inquired. Typical for Lucy, she had a clear head on her body even if she sometimes seemed like the world's biggest goofball. "Have you been binging Disney movies while you're feeling the height of your depression again? That's kind of a weird way to deal with all you're going through right now, but if it's helping go for it." This was her attempt at trying to tease me - to make me feel better about myself.

I rolled my eyes. "There's nothing wrong with indulging in fairy tales as long as you know how to separate fantasy and reality. Life is a little different than being a Cinderella, where your misfortune can lead you to something better you weren't expecting along the way, but hey, I can dream. I might digress, but I have been painting a lot of castles lately."

"And I'm still dreaming I can fly." Lucy retorted. It was always great to know her sarcasm was holding up ever since she had her daughter - as if I could ever believe that it was going to go away just because she had a mini-me in the making. I could only hope that her daughter wasn't going to turn out like her because if she did, I might start losing my hair well before my time. There could only be one Lucy, after all. I hoped. I grumbled under my breath and she just laughed at me.

When her laughter quieted, she got serious. "What's got you feeling like that anyway?"

"Oh." There wasn't going to be one little thing that made me feel this way. With a little sigh, I admitted to her just a little bit of information. "A little of this, a little of that... you know the deal. It's just one of those days, Lucy. There were some good things and there were some bad things, it's hard to say what pulled me back into this rut."

Lucy gave a soft hum in response. "How's everything holding up other than that?"

"I've been rocking a killer headache today, but I just took some painkillers that might be able to knock it down just enough that I can get some rest later if I try. Other then that it's been kind of a decent week if you ask me over." I grimaced as I remembered the one point bad point of my week that I wanted to forget. "Mom did drop by earlier this week, but that's not worth mentioning."

"Oh." Lucy didn't have to say much else about that.

It was coming out like word vomit. This feeling that Lucy had heard something from the woman that I already knew. "If she told you that I hadn't cleaned up the place, she's exaggerating like always. I left her in my apartment for a few hours and when I came back everything was out of place because she has her system that she thinks we should follow." I paused as my eyes darted around the living room of my apartment with a grimace. "A few magazines on the floor is enough to start World War Three in her opinion. You know how that goes."

My eyes lingered on the flowers that sat on the corner table next to my lampshade when they reached them. It was a simple pot and a big array of flowers that my Mother preferred. They were a shade of yellow that I wasn't fond of, they reminded of something that I wanted to forget desperately, however, no matter how hard I glared at the floral arrangement it would spontaneously combust. My Mom didn't listen whenever I told her not to drop by flowers if she wasn't going to remember the ones that I couldn't stand. "You know what kind of flowers she dropped off when she visited though? I've told her time and time again that I don't want to see them."

"Sunflowers?" She asked.

I rolled over on the couch so I wasn't facing the vase. "Who do those flowers think they're fooling? They can't be as bright as the sun and make me happy as they do her." I said. "I just don't think they're all that great." There was a pause on the other line for a moment. Lucy sounded like she was shifting something in her hands and then set it down onto something like a table from the clank in the background. "Well, you can get a decent snack out of them if she got them from Grandpa's gardens, so that's a good bedside treat. I'll try to remind her to pick up something different if she wants to bring you some next time. alright?"

"Much appreciated, sis," I told her with a weak smile crossing my lips. The light from my phone diminished into darkness. I would never have the heart to tell her that those were the flowers that Dad would get for Mom on their anniversary every single year and they just reminded me of a man that I used to know and who was long gone. Someone who was once impossibly light - once who bore the universe, the sun, the stars in my eyes - turned into a withered bed of thorns and a face that I could no longer see behind who he had become in the process. I couldn't stand that thought - and our Mom would never understand how much I hated to see something once great turned into something that left a sour taste in my mouth. I wouldn't be able to sleep if my brain wouldn't give me some reprieve from the nightmares.

I crawled out of bed and decided to go for a walk.

The only place that I could go to think was the bridge in the park that Father had often taken me throughout my life. It was surrounded by the rushing water and some plants overcast from the trees nearby. It was nice to see, well, it might have been nice if it wasn't for the thick dense fog that had brewed before morning twilight. I tried to keep my thoughts together and just feel lighter than the nightmares that haunted me. For a while, I just stood there and tried to feel something. The flowers were out of my reach but I could see the roses from my spot. I hadn't yet begun to paint the piece that I had started a few days but the red flowers reminded me of that strange encounter.

I wonder if I'll ever meet that guy again. They do say people run into others for a reason and the thought of a place prettier then the one I knew still left a little curious. Oh well, I decided. I'll leave that one to fate. The chill air against my skin reminded me that I should turn back head for my apartment. I counted the cracks in the pavement as I headed back - when I counted the last crack, I lifted my head and looked around to see if the dense fog had begun to clear just yet.

"Huh?" I couldn't recognize my surroundings at all. The morning fog was strong enough that I couldn't entirely make out the surrounding buildings but they were not the ones that should have been here. Now, I had experienced periods of fatigue and confusion that left me confused about myself or my environment at times, but this was a different feeling that I was experiencing. This wasn't like my town. I pinched myself and that proved that I was awake and - yes, this was happening. "I guess I should have slept some earlier because I can't even recognize my park. Oh my God, Karen was right about deprivation."

Grabbing my bag, I tore through it to find my phone. When I looked down at my phone I noticed an application was installing. My apps usually updated by themselves during the might when I slept, but this one had a name I wasn't familiar with... Against my better judgment, I decided to see what it was. It opened on my screen and gave me the option to input some reasonably necessary information and then it gave me one more option.

I plugged in my alias as the nickname.

The application didn't give me any option but to enter a mysterious looking chatroom.

Wisteria has entered the chatroom.

Unknown: Hi! Finally, someone to talk to!

I stared at my phone screen uncertain if what I was seeing was real, had I accidentally opened Mystic Messenger and started a new game? The static of the background reminded me of the first I didn't remember doing that... Might my phone be on the fritz? I thought. The background of the chat room was of data and code but it wasn't exactly like the one that I had put to my memory. Something about it made my stomach churn with butterflies. Why was this appearing here of all places?

I clicked the dialogue box.

My keyboard sprung open... and the line flashed as if it was waiting for my input into the box. It didn't give me a choice. It wanted me to input something as a response... Nervously I began to type a message.

Wisteria: Oh... hello?

Unknown: I hope I didn't surprise you. Don't be nervous I'm just an "ordinary person".

Wisteria: Usually when someone says that, they are anything but ordinary, Mr. Unknown.

Unknown: You're funny lol I can't say that I'm extraordinary when I'm introducing myself. Shouldn't I be humble and modest?

Wisteria: I suppose I might have cracked a joke too if I was introducing myself to somebody for the first time too. I can understand the sentiment you're going for. I think. Who are you, exactly? Um, how did this even open? I don't remember downloading any apps.

Who are you, indeed. I clicked out of the chat for a moment to see the name of the application.

RFA...?

It was called RFA Messenger. That was suspicious enough for me to wonder what was going on. It didn't say Mystic Messenger despite looking damn-near identical to the platform with some minor visual differences. Why did it appear so much like it? I wondered. Was this one of fake versions that appeared on the app store? I didn't remember downloading anything like that - I certainly didn't put one on my waitlist. So... What the heck? Sometimes I would download something interesting if it caught my eye but I couldn't remember clicking anything before I left my apartment. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that I did do it.

"I saw one of those before but... this looks too legitimate to be a fake," I mumbled as I inspected the screen further with scrutiny. "What the heck?"

Another message came in. I continued walking down the path but the bridge seemed much longer than usual for some reason, and for a moment when I knew that I had to look back down at my phone, I stopped just at the second to last pillar.

Unknown: I'm sorry if I surprised you out of nowhere.

Unknown: I'm the developer of this app. What do you think of it? I was hoping you would like it... I'm excited. Because you're the first one to come in, Wisteria! I was worried that no one would come in while I was making the app.

Wisteria: I'm not sure I'm made up my mind on my opinion just yet. This interface looks a simple so props for that concept. I guess I must have downloaded this without entirely reading through it. It's been one of those days. Though, I'm flattered the developer wanted to talk to me directly. Is there something that I can do for you?

Unknown: Oh! I'm so glad you asked! cuz there is a favor I want to ask of you. Though, it is kind of much to ask from a stranger. There is something I want you to help me with.

Wisteria: I guess I can. But I'm still a little wary. Sure!

Unknown: You already decided without hearing me out? My heart's fluttering... I'm so lucky that you came here. This app isn't just a messenger app, it's a game messenger app. I wanted to ask if you could test it.

Wisteria: Why you couldn't you test it yourself? Oh, are you so focused on putting it together that it's hard to look for bugs? I guess it would be easy to overlook something if you've been looking at it for a while. That happens to me sometimes when I'm drawing something and another opinion is always a good thing.

Unknown: You could say something like that I also think an outsider's opinion like yours would be a massive benefit to my game, though as well.

Wisteria: Hm. Well, I can't lie and say I'm busy because I'm not. What's the premise?

Unknown: This app... lets you chat with me but also good-looking AIs. I may be a good looking guy too. But that's for you to decide - The chats aren't everything. There are also hidden stories... Amusing stories that will stir your imagination. All you would need to do... is to play the game and tell me your honest opinion.

Unknown: These are the characters that come out of the game. They're not real people but characters created with AI. What do you think? Don't you think it will be fun?

If I had been holding my breath at that moment it broke past my lips into a gasp. That image! He had sent an image was of the... It was the original title screen of the game when it debuted in the app store! Somebody must have been playing a clever trick on me. Except... Nobody that I was close to knew that I had been spending a lot of time playing Otome games, be it Mystic Messenger on my phone or the few of them that were on my laptop. The only person that might have known about it was my Dad - given he was still around when I started playing in the hospital.

So that couldn't be the case. It was bizarre... yet, compelling. Even if it was some kind of joke, I felt like I should go along with it. Against the feeling in my stomach, once again, I decided to see what would happen if I were to agree to this. I didn't have anything to do except paint and submit my work to the publisher or the writer this week. If this was a joke or a game it would end soon if I just agreed with them.

Wisteria: Alright, sure, I'll help you out!

Unknown: Did you find a pretty face that you like on the poster? If so, you are genuinely fascinating lol

Unknown: I've studied hard to make this messenger game. I hope you enjoy it. I think it will be better if we talk over the phone about the details. Let's talk over the phone. Don't freak out when you see an unknown number pop up, okay?

Unknown has left the chatroom.

The chatroom fizzled into darkness and disappeared from my view.

What had just happened? It was like I was walking through a replica of the game model down to the letter! This was going to end with me looking up and seeing the crew from Punk'd despite it being off the air for more than a decade and a then phone was back to normal so I took what should have been the next few steps off the bridge to the path that would take me home but my feet didn't hit the dirt, they hit concrete instead. I spun around to look at the bridge behind me. It wasn't the same one that I had just stepped off of at all... and the strangest thing was, I thought I saw a stream along the fog that looked like something had warped the space around the bridge.

What I thought was my eyes playing tricks on me at first turned out to be something different entirely.

As the fog cleared up and the sun began to overtake the sky above me, that was when I knew that things weren't as they should have been with a new sense of clarity. This wasn't my neighborhood. These weren't the streets that I knew like the back of my hand. These buildings were just as ordinary as any old city would have but they weren't the ones that should've been here. Nothing was written in English either, the characters seemed familiar but I couldn't gauge them given my panic. I had walked a few blocks ahead to see if anything might have struck a nerve in my memory but it was no use. I could feel the anxiety and panic budding in the pit of my throat. This was not the ideal situation but I needed to stay calm.

I counted to ten... then took a deep breath. I looked at my phone and at whim, opened my Map app just to confirm the theory of my proximate location - the app surged to life and began to search for me, it dinged when it was finished and scrolled out to find my answer. I was... This wasn't home. I was somehow a million miles away from my home, in South Korea of all places. That's not how travel works. How I just traversed the seas and lands in a matter of seconds startled me to my very core.

My phone started to vibrate and I fumbled with it in my hands before pressing the answer button. My breathing was uneven but, I managed to squeak out a little bit in response. "H-Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, it's me, the one you were just chatting with." He said.

"...Unknown?" Were my hands shaking? Was my voice quivering? What was happening right now? I was at the park one moment now I wasn't sure I was in Kansas anymore, Toto. Korea, South Korea of all the places to somehow wind up. I wasn't registering the connection yet because my brain wasn't going... This wasn't my town. My mind was whirling around at a hundred miles an hour and I didn't know what to do. I needed to talk. What did I say? My nervous laugh escaped my lips. He said he would call, right? This is him. The guy pulling this ruse on me. "Oh. You told me not to be frightened but I have to admit the sudden call startled me."

"Yes, that's me. I hope I didn't startle you too much... Your voice sounds so cute over the phone, I can't wait to meet you in person." He paused for a moment. Unknown was someone that a lot of people didn't understand. Well, I could guess his motives and what he doing from what I knew about him from Seven's route but it wasn't enough. This game he was talking to me about wasn't a game, not if I was standing smack dap in the middle of South Korea right now. That was beyond reason and I was struggling to even know what to say to him to make this end well. I could gauge whom he was and how he got there, but why he was tricking me like this was beyond me. "As I said in the chatroom, I called you to explain this app. And I thought talking to you like this would make me sound more, credible. There's a tutorial in the game that can explain everything to the player but it's still being modified, you see... Do you remember those characters I showed you?"

Did I know them? Yes. The five members of Rika's Fundraising Association that were accessible when I played the game. Yoosung Kim, Jaehee Kang, Hyun "Zen" Ryu, Jumin Han, and Luciel "Seven" Choi. The whole point of the Otome was centered around those characters and they were the components of the game. But did he know that I did as far I knew? No. "I do," I said.

"Yeah, that image I sent you of the game consists of the characters that I've been developing. Those will your chatting partners... All five characters in the image are members of an association called the R.F.A." Unknown explained away his plans. He believed that this was a game that he had made, or was this some kind of ploy? These were real people, right? "R.F.A is a closed organization with the purpose of holding fundraising parties... You've been set as the party coordinator, in charge of inviting guests. Just think of it as you being the one in charge of choosing who attends the party."

His voice sounded very familiar. Although, I wasn't sure if Unknown was who I honestly assumed he was just yet. It could just be a coincidence. It couldn't be Saeran Choi, no, no, it couldn't be him and this was just some dream that I was having after a lousy night. I couldn't just gauge by his voice through my cell phone. I wouldn't know until my eyes were on him and I couldn't be sure that, that was a good option. I focused on talking about this game he was telling me about instead. "Whomever you invite as this coordinator will probably gain you more affection points with certain characters, right?" I said. "Though it would depend on how well you can pick up which answers are right and wrong."

"You pick up pretty quickly." There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. "It would be pretty boring if all you had to do was just that, though, wouldn't you say? You will find out more of their secrets by chatting or calling with them. It would be faster to learn by playing it if I'm honest." So what did he want me to do? He wanted me to test his game that wasn't a game. These were real people with real problems and lives. That was the primary purpose of Mystic Messenger from my world. You play the game and solve the problems for a character. Unknown leading MC to Rika's apartment was the only scenario I was aware of that lead her to the RFA.

This wasn't like that.

I was somewhere that I didn't know the lay of the land and I had no way of finding my way back home. Mystic Messenger was set in South Korea and that was leagues away from where my home was. This wasn't what I knew. I couldn't exactly refuse what he was offering If I did, that might run the possibility of something worse then being on the streets of a country that I didn't entirely know. If I was really in this game right now than I could cause a bad ending by doing something wrong. That didn't leave much of an edge room to make any other answer than the one I had to. Was it possible this was a parallel reality to Mystic Messenger where Unknown was just trying to make a game? That would be too easy of a theory to believe in. Something was going on right now that I couldn't be sure of. His intentions have to be similar to the regular story...? He wants me to get the RFA on my side, so they could be lured to Mint Eye one by one for his savior... Rika.

How would I be able to do this, under the guise of an Otome?

It didn't entirely make sense given what I know.

I had no choice but I decided that I would stick with it.

My silence might have left him nervous about what I was planning - but I brought myself out of my head and gave him my answer. "Sure, alright, I'll do it for you. You've been nothing but polite to me so far. I see no harm in doing something that might help you feel better." Was I going to be in trouble if I went along with him? My memory of the sad endings flashed in my head. He wasn't a bad person, but he had been twisted into something by someone who wanted him to be a pretty pawn. We had that in common. But he was my only choice given my situation. I didn't know where else to turn to but to him now, hopefully, it wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass.

"Thanks! I was worried you would refuse." His cheery response caught me off guard. I didn't remember Unknown coming off like this... He was supposed to brash and calculated. He didn't put up the pleasantries because that was too much effort for him. Unknown seemed different than the one that I had come to know playing the game. "Right, but the game hasn't been released yet and it cannot be revealed to the market. So, to perform the tests, you have to come over here." He said.

Come here? He couldn't mean what I thought. Was he intending to bring me straight to Mint Eye?

"Where's here...?" I asked him.

"You probably won't know even if I told you. It's in the mountains and hard to see from Maps. To maintain confidentiality before the release, it's being developed in a sparsely populated area... Of course, you don't have to come here by yourself if it's too troublesome. I'll send a car over to you if you tell me your address. You could hop onto that and head this way." Well, that answered that question. This was the kind of thing that your mother and father would tell you never to do when you're talking with strangers. It wasn't like I could get his location and head there myself.

I doubted that that sort of liberty was ahead of me. "You're not ridiculing my sense of direction, are you Mr. Unknown? I'm competent, you know. I'm sure I could find my way around."

"Oh, of course not! It would be easier for you is all I'm saying, and it keeps everything tied to the game confidential." Unknown was quick to reassure me of this. "This just saves you some headache, Wisteria."

"Well, I guess if you put it that way. How - How can I refuse?" I gave him the address. I knew my hands were shaking now, I was aware that this was becoming too real for me. If I was going to find out how I got here and understand the situation at hand - It meant that I was going to have to throw myself into the unknown. That meant standing in a place where the root of unrest and fear lived ahead. There was a trickling fear crawling up my back and I wanted desperately for him to take it all back.

"I'll send a car there right now. Please be there. Keep in mind that the road there is confidential, so just do as I tell you and it'll be alright. I should hang up now. I need to get ready." He hung up.

"Wait, tell me this was just a prank!" I cried out, at last, the dull end of the other line of the call was silent.

Unknown wasn't going to answer me. This wasn't a joke anymore, I wasn't playing a game, this was real. I was living and breathing this game now. The morning air seemed thick, just as thick in the bile in my throat. I was left with my thoughts and the jarring realization that I didn't know what was to expect ahead. What had I just gotten myself into? I signed myself to the devil more or less, in a country that wasn't my own and a fear that I knew too well. This city surrounding me wasn't familiar to me and what was worse was the colors of this city seemed muted, not as lively as it should have been. At first, I thought it was my eyes adjusting to the sun once again... But, I now realized this wasn't normal.

I rubbed my eyes.

Everything was blocky, and in a sense, two dimensional. Why was that? The streets were barren for this time of day and I wouldn't be able to confirm my growing thought until the car arrived. My theory was confirmed when a driver appeared a half an hour later, with a blindfold in tow and the appearance of a two-dimensional person.

The driver drove for a period that I couldn't gauge, the roads twisted and turned so much that I would never have had a chance to make a mental map of the roadway if I wanted to do it. It was well outside of the residential area that I had once been in. It was at least an hour away from anything at most - no wonder it took so long for anyone to find out what they were running here. This was somewhere out of the way and out of sight of the average person. "We have arrived." The driver informed me when the car finally went silent and died down and was swallowed by the noise of nature. "You'll need to wait here for a moment, and place the mask back on." I did as I was instructed to do.

It was a few minutes before the driver spoke up once more: "Mr. Ray has arrived." The door opened to my right. "Welcome. I've been waiting. Welcome to this wonderful place. It wouldn't have been an easy decision to come here... Thanks for trusting me."

It wasn't that I trusted him - this was the only thing that I could accept at the moment. I knew better than to say his name, his actual name if it were him, instead, I opted for: "Unknown?"

He seemed to be pleased that I could it was him. "You knew who I was just by listening to the sound of my voice?" He laughed that off. It was the voice that I knew it to be from my time listening to him in the game. There was little no doubt left in my mind that this was him. "Yeah. It's me, username Unknown. Didn't you think Unknown was a funny name? It was a default option because I didn't set up a username in the first place. No special meaning. My name is Ray. Thank you for coming all this way."

"I wanted to show you around," He continued. "I prepped up this and that while waiting for you." Show me around? This was news to me. The Unknown that I knew didn't play around like this. He wouldn't have asked he would have just done it. My fingers lingered against the edge of the mask. I wanted desperately to confirm his identity - the voice wasn't enough for me to accept my situation - I wanted to be entirely sure that this was real. "Oh, don't take off the mask just yet. You can't take it off until you reach your room." He said.

"My room?" I echoed him. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of that. That meant that there was somewhere in this place that I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. He seemed intrigued by how well I was playing into this on the surface. "Yes, I prepared a comfortable space for you while you're here... I mean, while you're testing you have to stay here. I was worried though since I didn't know what you liked... I hope you'll like it." He said. "I'll hold your hand on the way down from the car."

I took his hand. "Thank you."

"Oh, no thank you. You are doing what I tell you to do." Ray said. Something about that kind of praise didn't make me good. He leads the way into the building and I stayed close by his side. Ray, as he told me, didn't say much at first until we had been walking for a while around the jungle that was this massive building. This was no different than the roadways that lead to this place. You couldn't try to know how you were turning if you wanted to do it. An escape plan wouldn't be possible yet. "You have no idea what a relief it was when you said you'll help. What a relief, thanks to you. You'll be a big help."

I looked in his general location. "Well, you didn't give me any reason not to trust you," I told him even if it was only half sincere. "You seem like a nice guy, I honestly don't mind helping you if it means it'll do you some good." It was better to be on his right side. I didn't know how to predict his movements - I liked Saeran, as much as I liked anyone in the RFA, but I wasn't sure what to expect from him when I wasn't trapped in Rika's apartment. Everyone was hurting to some degree and I couldn't bring myself to be with ill thoughts. He was acting so pleasant and cheery compared to the twisted persona he had garnered from this place.

This response seemed to be good enough. "That's very kind of you," Ray said. "I'll do my best to make you happy while you're here for your diligence." He stopped in his tracks right then as his footsteps died down "Oh. We're here, come I'll remove your blindfold." My eyes readjusted to the light and he came into focus at last in my vision. It was Saeran, it was him. Why was he referring to himself as Ray now? Was it just another alias? He was dressed much differently as well, the tailored coat was bright and he was looking at me with green eyes filled with hope.

"This would be our first time seeing each other face to face, right?" He was smiling. It wouldn't be for me, I thought. This was my first time seeing him in a light different than the dark demeanor and look he had as Unknown, the sole hacker against the RFA. Ray was much softer in appearance somehow - Ray wore a magenta overcoat over a grey vest and white button-up, a striking blue flower was pinned to the lapel of his overcoat. It was a change to the leather and ripped clothes. If he noticed any hesitation in me, I couldn't be sure.

"I suppose it is." I murmured when I found the use of my voice. His character was one that had a lot of struggle. I could relate to his pain on many levels but seeing him in the flesh made me very... wary. It wasn't a good idea to trust someone who lied to you like this. I did want to like him. I just needed to think clearly as I moved forward. "It's nice to put a name to a face."

He returned that with a solid nod of his head, Ray gestured around the room where we were. I just noticed the environment for the first time. This was the kind of room that walked out of a princess fantasy. It was impressive at its grand scale and I had to give them credit for keeping up with the theme like they did. "This is your room. I did my best to prepare everything in here to your liking... still, let me know of any inconvenience. You have full access to this floor of our headquarters, but you'll have to let me know before you go anywhere else. The reason... you know why, right?"

"Because it's strictly confidential like you said," I echoed his words from earlier. "Right?"

"Correct. You have a great memory... I don't hate smart people. I get the feeling you'll pull this off quite well." He said. There was something in his tone that left me feeling like there was more to this then he let on. If the RFA truly were real as Ray was, what did that mean for me? "We still have some time left, I'll explain a bit about the game. As I mentioned before, the purpose of the game is to hold a party with the RFA. All of the characters are the AIs that I have designed. There's one problem as I've tried to make it super realistic with the AIs."

Super-realistic? Was he just trying to downplay how they were really... real people? "They aren't self-aware, are they? That would be a concerning bug to deal with." I cocked my head to the side. "Science hasn't exactly figured out how to perfect them just yet so if you cracked the code, color me impressed, Ray."

He had a small chuckle escape him at my inquiry. "Aha... it's not like that per say. The AIs become just super suspicious when a new person comes in. Your concept is that someone hacked into your messenger and that's how you got into the RFA messenger. Quite suspicious, isn't it?"

I pursed my lips. "Oh. Yeah, that would be cause for alarm."

"Exactly. That's the setting of the game, it's not fun when everyone likes you from the start, is it?" Ray nodded, clearly pleased with my assumption. "They'll ask you about this hacker, of course. But you can't answer them because you know nothing. They will try to pry information out of you though, like your location and this hacker, and they might even try to get information about the creator, me." He continued. "At that, you can't reveal the truth. You must keep the secret until the end. Can you promise me that you won't reveal what we've been talking about to the AIs?"

"It would be game-over otherwise, right?" That look in his eyes told me my answer. "I'll do my best, Ray. That's all I can promise." I told him.

I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to able to keep that promise, however, I would be doing my best for everyone.

"Thanks! I'm so happy that you're so cooperative! Meeting you might have been... fate. Just remember to avoid a game-over, okay? Everything up until now is a secret, and who I am, the fact that they're AIs is a secret too. Be careful, if the game goes through a forced shut-down, you have to start all over again from the beginning. Slight differences are depending on how you talk to them... but even if they don't accept you from that, just tell them: Someone called Rika sent me to hold the party."

"Rika, huh?"

The savior of this place.

"She's a character. The other characters will tell you what kind of character she is, but simply put, she's the one who founded the group in the game. And as I mentioned over the phone, your role in the game is the party coordinator. Depending on how you talk to those potential guests means whether they will attend or decline." He nodded his head. The run-around he was giving me had my head spinning. It was like he was trying to drill the information into my skull over and over to make sure that I understood him. "The number of party guests is also dependent on whether or not a good end is reached, right?" I asked.

That was how it worked, after all.

He nodded his head, pleased. "That's a good guess. It'll spoil the fun if I tell you in advance, if you wanna find out, you'll have to play. Inviting the guests is crucial, try to invite them with whole-heartedly. Don't forget that there will also be interesting events beside the party, within the RFA itself, depending on the choices that you make. You'll have to tell me what you think as you play... even the smallest things are okay. Tell me everything, how the party went, what those characters said to you... That way, I'll know how well the game is going... Your role is important."

I nodded my head and reaffirmed my words. "You can count on me."

My gut told me if I didn't do what they asked I would be in trouble.

"You're very confident! I'm also getting more confident thanks to you. I'll work even harder making his app. It was worth waiting for a tester." That last comment seemed to be more for himself than for me. He outstretched his hand towards me with a lift of his right hand. "Here, hand me your phone, I'll add the app for you."

"Here." I lifted the gadget from my bag and into his waiting hands.

"Thanks, it will only take a few minutes!"

I was being used for something.

Rika's sick little game with her former organization couldn't be stopped quickly.

"Do you have any more questions about the game?" He asked.

There was something I was curious about. "I'm a little more interested to learn about you, Ray." I inquired. "I mean, this is your creation after all. The more I know about you the more that I can understand your game and give you feedback worth listening to, you know." The more that I understood about him the more natural it might have been for me to understand my environment. What was going on in Magenta? What year was it? What was the RFA going through if Saeran was like this? The boy in front of me was much softer than the Unknown I knew. As we looked into each other's eyes, I could see something in them that I often held.

Ray seemed startled by the admission. "Me? Hahaha... You're more interesting then I thought. Though I'm not a character inside of the game. I've always dreamed of someone who's a good listener to what I say. My voice is quite small... Most people don't seem to listen very well. Oh, I know I keep emphasizing this but... don't forget to keep the secret, alright? Don't ever... try to get game over easily, promise me that, please?"

"Of course." I didn't want to face something grim.

He handed my phone back to me with a smile. "Thanks a lot! I want to talk to you some more, but I have to get going now, Wisteria. I want you to give it your best, party coordinator." Ray made the move to head to the door after this. I turned around to watch him take a few steps towards the door and when his hand touched the knob - the words left my lips before I could stop myself.

"Wait."

He didn't move.

"My name isn't Wisteria."

"Oh?" Ray was staring at me from the corner of his vision, he didn't say much else when I spoke. I'm sure he had his theories if he hadn't found out already by going through my phone. "Is that so?"

"It's not safe to give out your name over the internet so easily you know. That's why people use usernames in the first place, sometimes you chose something you like other times you just let the default stick as you did with Unknown." That was a layer of protection, be it chosen or not. Nobody wanted everyone to know who they were, it was easier to pretend. I wanted to trust Ray because I knew he could be good. Anybody else with the right mind would have refused him and called the police about the operation. That was the realistic option. But if I dropped the line and did that would it solve the problem of me being a different country by myself? How would I know that that was going to do it? Even if I said no to him in the first place, was somebody watching me while I was on the phone with Ray? Would they have gotten me if I didn't?

What was even a stronger thought was: I couldn't be sure that I even existed in this reality. There was a massive possibility that any attempts at searching for me would be filled with confusion and endless error screens. If nobody knew I existed here, then there wasn't a chance of getting out of the situation unscathed. I didn't have any records. No one could come looking for me. I guess it didn't matter if I gave my name or not. The only traces of who I was were with me. It wouldn't hurt me if Ray at least knew my first name.

"Is there a reason why you chose that one?" Ray asked, breaking my train of thought.

"I guess you could say that, or it could no different than how you accepted Unknown as yours," I said. "It's just one of those things you learn the truth of after you've been friends for a while." I wasn't sure why I felt compelled to be honest with him. Somewhere inside of me, I knew that Saeran wasn't intentionally a villain in this story, he had been coerced and deceived by Rika for a long time and it took its toll and twisted him into someone he was not. I wanted to trust him, or maybe I just wanted him to trust me. "And - And if we're going to working together from now on, then, then I would like us to be friends someday."

I lifted my head and looked at him. "It's Lila."

"Lila, huh?" With those words in his mind, he exited the room and went back to who knows where in the building. This was different then the Mystic Messenger I had been playing, the last route I had completed was Seven - It had seemed to be the route that explained everything and cleared up all the answers that we learned along the way in the other routes with the RFA members.

The fact that I was standing here meant there had to be something more to the game or this was some kind of alternate universe. The moment Saeran- no, Ray left me to my thoughts was the first moment that I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I had to do a double take on my reflection. "It's me...?" I raised my hand to the mirror - my fingertips brushing against the edge of the cold glass. It looked like me, but at the same time, it didn't seem like it was me. It was as if I were me, but I wasn't me.

As if it wasn't jarring enough to my vision for the world to appear two dimensional- it appeared as though I had been changed to match my surroundings. My eyes and hair were the same color as always, brown as always. My features were much more subtle here, I almost wasn't sure this was me. I was wearing the same dress that I had on when I left my house this morning, my hair was tucked back with the black bow I always pulled it in when I wanted it out of my face and a reassuring pinch lets me know this was more than mere fantasy. My figure was as thin as it had become... I knew underneath my clothes there was the body I hated and yet it still belonged to me. It was like I had become a drawing in my own notebooks and not in a good way. My heart pounded in my chest at a resounding rate.

"It is me."

My phone went off in my hand. I lifted it into view and saw the notification alerting me to an open chatroom that I could enter. That meant that my game had officially begun.

Wisteria has entered the chatroom.

[drmajalis]

Good morning everyone, I hope the day treats you well

Do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part of you that cringes

Please take any meds you need to, and stay hydrated

[officialleehadan]

Goblin Armor- Chapter 1

Okay peeps, I promised you a new novel, and here it is! Return Again is wrapping up, and Goblin Armor will begin posting for my $2 patrons on November 20th!

https://www.patreon.com/LeeHadan

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“My daughter, it is time that you joined me on the council. Our people should learn who you are, before you are queen, and must lead them.”

-Bramble, king of the Faerie Realm, to Snowbell, just after her coming-of-age.

***

Snowbell could see the Shadow Wold from the window beside her desk. The line of trees-towering over the Faerie Realm in the distance- always drew her eyes when she looked east. 

The home of the Goblins, and a growing threat to the faerie Realm.

Snow read through the morning reports between sips of flowery tea. Another noble- this time a renowned Elvish duchess- had been found murdered in her bedroom with a goblin blade in her heart.

She was the third in less than a month, and the twelfth in the last year, despite their efforts to track down the culprit. 

Courtiers were flooding Boulder Castle, terrified of the danger on the eastern border and a killer no one could catch.

“Time to dress,” Teasel said from Snow’s closet. The experienced maid appeared with her arms full of delicate pink satin, embroidered with trailing jasmine vines down the hems. Used to her princess’ morning routine, Teasel braided up Snow’s hair while she worked, to save them both time. “The council meeting is in less than an hour.”

Together they got her into the heavy gown. Snow lifted her wings out of the way and Teasel laced her in tightly. A glittering belt puled the whole thing together neatly. 

“No jewelry today,” Snow decided after examining her appearance in the mirror. “It’s just the council. I don’t need court-jewelry for it.”

“Are you sure?” Teasel asked, running a perfectionist’s eye over her charge before nodding once, firmly. “You are sure. Well, you’re as lovely as I can make you. Go and do battle.”

“It’s a council meeting, Teasel, not a war- and we have them every other week. But have my sword ready, I might need it before the end of the day.” 

“You’ve never held a sword a day in your life, and they’re blowhards- the lot of them,” Teasel responded pointedly. She was a head of a noble family herself, and knew the counselors as well as anyone could. “Except Rowanwood. She’s got some sense.”

“We could always put you on the council,” Snow suggested mischievously and laughed when Teasel’s expression twisted with distaste.

“Don’t you dare,” the orange-winged faerie told her, and shooed her towards the door. “Get. His Majesty passed me in the hall when I brought your tea.”

“Thank you, as always,” Snow said, and took her tea with her when she swept out the door towards the family dining room. As she expected, her sister was there before she was, ready for the day and cheerfully telling their father, Bramble, the Summerking of the Faerie Realm, all about the dream she had that night. 

“And then the caterpillar said-” Tansy bubbled, and looked up when Snow walked in. Her expression morphed to one of delight. “I saw it on you during fittings, but it was only half-finished,” she said, her blue eyes- a match for Snow’s own- dancing over the gown with appreciation. “Oh good, you already have tea. I don’t suppose you ate as well?”

Snow smiled and kissed the top of her sister’s head as she passed.

“Teasel brought me breakfast earlier. You look lovely, Tansy,” she said in return. Her sister’s hair fell loose in golden waves confined by little emerald clips that matched her simple, green gown. “Your work is stunning, as always.”

When Snow joined their father on the council, Tansy took charge of her wardrobe, and made sure Snow didn’t go about in rags- for which Snowbell was endlessly grateful.

“How was the dawn shift?” Bramble asked, fond eyes lingering over his eldest as she took her seat at his right hand. The king was tall and stout, with a little paunch from years of good living and peace. His face was care-lined, but his blue eyes were kind. “Anything I need to know?”

“Sad,” Snow told him as she refilled her teacup. She hated to give him bad news first thing in the morning. “Duchess Wintergreen Canarina.” 

“Damn,” Bramble said grimly, and settled back into his favorite chair, the sun on his monarch-orange wings filling the air around him with a warm glow. Like her, he was dressed for a council meeting, regal in deep indigo that made his wings seem even brighter. “The same as the rest of them?”

“A goblin dagger, like the others.” Snow tried to be delicate about the details. Tansy was pale already, and didn’t need the details. “No sign of a struggle, and her guards never heard a thing.”

“I’m going to have the council evacuate the border,” Bramble decided, and got to his feet. “The few who haven’t already left, at any rate. Shall we?”

“Better to get this over with I suppose.” Snow tucked her hand into the crook of her father’s arm. The hallways of Boulder castle were elegantly carved with murals of summer flowers that made good use of the crystal-studded granite, and the floor had been polished by centuries of Faerie feet. “They’re frightened.”

“We all are. Good morning, my friends,” the king  raised his voice upon entering the soaring council chamber. The ancient throne was carved from a single piece of glowing maple wood and polished until it shone, and Bramble took his seat with practiced ease. 

The huge, oddly-shaped table was carved with a map of the kingdom, and each council member sat at his or her slice of land with Guildmasters between them. While not the highest-ranking nobles in the faerie Realm, they were responsible for the matters that needed a more personal hand than the king’s.

“How fares the kingdom?” Bramble asked when everyone was seated and drinks brought in. “News from the west?”

“An anthill has been discovered not far from Seafoam,” Lady Rowanwood Acorus was a serene Elvish noble and had been the Counselor of the West for three centuries. Of all the council, Snow liked her best. “We sent soldiers to burn it out. If we need Crown aid, I will request it formally.”

“Don’t hesitate- I am always willing to send aid if you need it,” Bramble told her earnestly. “I would like a formal report once the matter is settled. News from the North?”

“Nothing of note,” Lord Myrtle said lazily. As always, he munched on a handful of dandelion seeds- his favorite snack and the reason the old faerie was too fat for his own yellow-and-black wings to carry him. He often wore black to try and disguise his bulk. “The harvest looks good this year. We’ve started pulling blossoms early for wines.”

“Medicines as well?” Snow asked, drawing his gaze. The oldest of the councilors, she struggled to overcome his memories of her as a child and the inadvertent disrespect that came with it.

“It is barely Spring, Princess,” Myrtle chided her fondly, and she hid a sigh. Bramble was working on him, but every council seemed a step backwards, as the old faerie resisted the idea of his princess being the king’s right hand. “Our stores will be bountiful by the time Autumn comes in.”

“All the same,” Bramble interjected before it could become an argument. “If we have more than we need, all the better. Put up all that you can. News from the South?”

“A hawk has been sighted high over the mountains,” Duke Fireweed Majalis was the highest-ranked councilor, and from one of the oldest families in the kingdom. The pixies ruled themselves for the most part, and small wars between their Duchies were not uncommon. Every few years, Bramble flew out with his generals to settle the fiery pixie Dukes. “We’re watching to see if it hunts over the mountains or our hills before we do anything about it.”

“You will call for us if you need flyers?” Snow asked him, careful not to let her tone take on any hint of doubt. Pixies could be sensitive about their wings, which were rarely large enough to carry them in true flight. “A hawk-“

“We know we can always call on the crown for aid,” Fireweed assured her smoothly and sat back in his chair. She had a tentative truce with him- mostly due to her childhood friendship with his son, Sagebrush, although she hadn’t seen the younger pixie in years. “We will report if we see it again. More importantly, I believe Lord Alder has news we all should hear.”

Which meant he already heard it, Snow thought sourly. He loved to corner the nervous counselor for news before these sessions. Of course, Alder had every reason to be nervous. He stood for the East- and the border they shared with the Goblins.

“As you saw in my report this morning, Lady Wintergreen has been found dead with a goblin dagger in her heart,” Alder stuttered as he stood to give his report. He bobbed a little bow in Bramble’s direction as he spoke, always overly formal. “She is one of many, and I request Crown Assistance for my people.”

“You have it,” Bramble promised him sincerely. “Evacuate your people, counselor. Boulder Castle will take them until the danger is ended.”

“Thank you,” Alder took a sip of his tea to brace himself and squeezed his eyes shut. His green wings twitched frantically with his nerves. “But that is not- Sire, it’s the border.”

“What about it?” the thin Faerie suddenly had the king’s full attention. The last time there was word from the border, it was the beginning of a short, brutal war. That was well before Snowbell’s time. Bramble, however, remembered it all too well. 

“It has been cleared, Sire,” Alder fumbled, one hand clutching his cup and the other twisting anxiously in the red hem of his tunic. Deathly silence swept over the table. “Ten minutes- flight from the border, all the way from the mountains to the sea- it’s been cleared overnight, and there are watchers in the trees.”

There was silence for long minutes, and then the room thundered as everyone began to shout their questions, each clamoring to be heard. 

Overwhelmed and at the very last his nerves could bear, Alder fainted dead away with a crash of shattering porcelain. 

Snow watched the chaos though a haze.

Cold dread filled her heart and pooled like a knot in her stomach. The Goblins were moving on the border, and that could only mean one thing. 

War.

+++

If you like this and want more, check out my Patreon! New chapters every Monday!

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[goarticletec-blog]

Olympic 'kingmaker' Sheikh Ahmad leaves to handle court case

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/olympic-kingmaker-sheikh-ahmad-leaves-to-handle-court-case/

Olympic 'kingmaker' Sheikh Ahmad leaves to handle court case

TOKYO (AP) – The corruption case involving a powerful IOC member promised to sow confusion as 206 national Olympic committees – known by the acronym ANOC – started two days of meetings in Tokyo on Wednesday.

It did just that and offered some good theater.

Sheikh Ahmad al Fahad as Sabah, known as the “Olympic Kingmaker,” had stepped down temporarily earlier in the week as the president of ANOC. He said he needed to fight a criminal case in Switzerland, and was also reportedly pressured to step aside by the International Olympic Committee.

Because of the corruption case, the Kuwaiti sheikh last week also suspended himself from his 26-year IOC membership.

The sheikh is accused by Geneva public prosecutors of forgery in an alleged faked arbitration case involving four others. He is also a long-time ally of IOC President Thomas Bach. Many credit him with swinging votes to get Bach elected in 2013.

The sheikh was up for re-election to the ANOC presidency – unopposed – but asked the membership on Wednesday to leave the post vacant while he fights his court case.

In the end, that’s what happened with no date set for the presidential election. In the meantime, senior vice president Robin Mitchell of Fiji will be in charge.

In a lengthy debate, dozens of members urged him to run, defying the wishes of Bach and the IOC, which has been embarrassed by recent corruption cases.

The sheikh told about 1,400 delegates of his wishes in the morning, clenching his fist to make a point, or waving a finger for emphasis.

But he had to return in the afternoon to make his case again.

“You missed me, I missed you,” he quipped to start his second address.

“I will be there for you all the time,” the sheikh told delegates, hinting he’ll still be running the show. “You will see this face, you will never miss the face. Don’t worry. I request you accept my position.”

They finally did in a voice vote. It’s unclear when an election will be held.

Sheikh Ahamd has developed a solid power base since taking over ANOC as the interim president in 2012.

His power rests on smaller countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Many of those delegates rose to his defense on Wednesday in a cavernous meeting room in a central Tokyo hotel.

No ANOC members from North America or Europe spoke publicly on his behalf.

His supporters – from Morocco, Sudan, Iraq, Peru and Papua New Guinea, to name a few – said his court case was a personal issue. And they also pointed out he’s innocent until proven guilty.

“You must have the presumption of innocence, and we do not believe what is happening right how is fair play,” said Nasser Majali, the general secretary of the Jordanian national Olympic committee. “Sheikh has our respect and friendship for the excellence he has brought to ANOC.”

Maxwell De Silva, general secretary from Sri Lanka, asked the sheikh to stand for re-election, then step aside if he wanted to. He said ANOC “was a dead body” until the sheikh took over.

“This is a personal issue, it has nothing to do with sports,” De Silva told fellow delegates. “He has done a tremendous job in raising the profile of ANOC in the world.”

The IOC has published a document from its own ethics commission written last week assessing the forgery case and a possible five-year prison sentence.

The sheikh’s trial is expected to start in the first half of next year.

The IOC’s ethics commission is also under scrutiny.

The commission is chaired by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Meanwhile, the Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens has an IOC employee on his board – IOC director general Christophe De Kepper.

The Ban Ki-Moon center is also reported to be receiving its funding from the governments of Kuwait and Austria.

Ban has recused himself from the Sheikh Ahmad case.

ANOC’s general assembly also viewed presentations for the 2026 Winter Olympic from Stockholm and the Italian partnership of Milan and Cortina. They are the lone candidates after Calgary withdrew earlier this month.

The IOC will choose the venue next year.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC.

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[gethealthy18-blog]

Nadia Khan Diet & Weight Loss Secrets For Ramadan -Healthy Diet | Ramzan 2018 Fasting Diet Tips Urdu

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/healthy-diets/nadia-khan-diet-weight-loss-secrets-for-ramadan-healthy-diet-ramzan-2018-fasting-diet-tips-urdu/

Nadia Khan Diet & Weight Loss Secrets For Ramadan -Healthy Diet | Ramzan 2018 Fasting Diet Tips Urdu

Glam Glow's Lips Plumper Will give you the perfect pout without any filler injection and the winner is Hira Gulzar and watch today's video carefully because I am about to give you in this month of giving Amazing Becca Highlighter What is the question? for that Happy Ramadan!! and Welcome back We are going to chat about What is my routine like during Ramadan What I eat or drink I will tell you everything After all during Ramadan you can't lie so there's nothing I can hide I have to tell you everything

On thing which is really like my best friend throughout the year -11 months and if I don't see it first thing when I wake up in the morning My day just won't start What is that thing

and after those 11 months and this one month -The month of Ramadan I hide it from my viewinside the closet or even locker I just hide it

guess what is that? and this is the thing can you see it I throw this thing out this month How much I gain weight Usually I am really obsessed even gaining two pounds got me to freak out So during this month

I don't check my weight I don't count calories I eat whatever I feels like Even though I craved for few things But I have craving for same thing daily This is a Ramadan craving I have since childhood That I want to eat Samosas I want to eat chaat no matter what Slightly

how I try to keep my craving healthy along with this what are all those (shabat-afshan) exquisite drinks Ashan-There's was this soap that use to come to TV It was a very good show- Afsha So sharbat-Afsha (exquisite drinks) That I take both at the dawn and the sunset I am going to show it to you in a while then you will know what I am talking about I will share the recipe So, we will start from breaking of the fast Instead of the starting of the fast I think

the day actually start with the breaking of the fast! After breaking your fast with a date I usually am feeling very thristy at that time This is my exquisite drink I put Basil seed in it Seed are very small and they get quickly plump in Seed swell up so quickly when the seed is swell up I put half low fat milk and half water to swell the seed

you have to put them in slight hot water take it in small quanity otherwise you will have too much Then I add RoohAfza or Jamm-e-Shireen I don't like it with plain water I take it with Milk and Basil seed The more the basil the better I drink little bit of that I don't just break my fast with water After that I am in love with Somoasas and Chaat and I eat this daily you might be thinking

Somoasas is fattening but I take four small ones When I was a kid

I used to have 12 12?? At that ageone have less wisdom

and don't really gain weight But 12? But now I just cut it down to 4 and I have one great bowl of yogurt Plum-chatni Aliya used to make the paste from me I took it with me Aliya my friend I put crunchy thing what you call it? Dahi phulki ? I don't put the soggy one I put the crispy crunchy one and there's these samosas Apart form this if there's some Dinner A lot of families

have dinner so if there's dinner I take little bit of this and that and even if I go out I request them to bring me some spicy yogurt and somosas- type thing and now the Sharbat-e-Asha After having this I offer my prayer I take the nap Kitchen will get clean in little while don't worry Put the tape in kids mouth and tell them strictly

No one going to make noise Even though you don't have to But Not more nor less it has to be 45 min nap Put the alarm

because if you over slept you feel start to feel bad As soon as I wake up I am sorry to say thisBut you really can't make espresso at home For this you have to work hard If you have good machine at home then you can make it I go to costa which is 20 or maybe 15 mins away from my home When I go there my double shot of espresso is already ready I make the gesture the girl there know me You try it yourself

I am sure you will be like "Nadia you help me wake up I don't take Red bull or other vitamins It is called espresso shot and the single shot is this much and double shot is this much And when they freshly made coffee right there It's equal to nearly five kicks – you felt you got at the back Not one but you keep getting the double triple kicks After that I I come come relax

I pray after that I am awake till very late Butsocializing with people having chit chat before dawn I do that little bit We called this Majalis (gathering) here A lot of time men go to men only majalis (gathering) Girls sometimes gathered at one place then there's couples's get together After this between 11-12 am I have one full bowl of fruit chaat I don't add sugar in it it has banana in it

peaches, pomegranate, mangoes, and there's some orange juice in it salt, little bit of chaat masala After eating this I will have my pre-dawn meal One day by mistake I had shake shack burger in my pre-dawn meal Honestly it hurt here it hurt very strongly here I can't able to sleep whole night felt like someone was suffocating me after having pre-dawn meal and after offering my prayer

my condition started to get worse and I take an oath to not have burger in my pre-dawn meal ever again I realised that day

your pre-dawn meal what you eat The food you take your whole fast depends on it and it determine how's your overall health going to be Eating heavy meat having burgers Even the oily breads and the things which dries your mouth you should not be having them Especially- just forget about burgers What I prefer for pre-dawn meal is yogurt with more fruits and on the top of it little cereal like granola and put walnuts and have full bowl at pre-dawn meal I have these for 4 days only day 5 and 6

I have some oily bread and nihari Home-made nihari home-made nihari don't have fat the one I make at home be it any curry available at home I avoid lentils

because it makes me thirsty Overall something really lights for 4 days and for 2 days even if I have something heavy it really doesn't matter and after this

third day is left in which I can be little careless like I did last time and lastly after meal I have my sharbat-e-Afsha (exquisite juice) Basil seed Apart form this whole time from breaking of the fast till pre-dawn meal I finished two bottles – like these Don't forget to drink Water Most of the people

forget to drink water Drinking water is very Important I hope you like today's video I am going to ask you a question now Most of the people usually men who keep fast and later they scold and insults their wife and kids let their frustration out at offices starts to yell at the traffic and curse at the cars passing by and what is the use of their fasting? So be careful even when you get angry A lot of people have asked me about highlighter in my previous video and the highlighter is of Becca and I will ask you a question tell me what you think what is the one thing that we have to eat or drink so that we don't gain weight yet it keeps you and it should be nutritious and good what might be food or drink- which is like that? share it because when people will read comments they will learn something so that there's interaction between us

so that our connection builds up Wouldn't it be better and you guys are so smart and learn so much I should learn something from you guys too and how is your preparation for eid is going? Shaadi season is coming tell me who among you are getting married soon? They should get some special gift too from outstyle

[windycityparrot]

Good, bad & ugly woods & plants for birds.

i have some drift wood that my grandkids collected from a creek way out in country wanting make bird perches to put in bird cages. what do i have to do to wood or is this safe. i soaked in tub for 2 days putting new water on 2-3 times a day. can i use or should i throw away do not know what kind of wood catherine says: Driftwood is not recommended for bird cage perches as it may contain toxins, insects, plus you cannot identify the original wood. Some are toxic to birds. It would be better used for reptiles who would not consume it. mitchr says: ​we are not big fans of using random pieces of outdoor wood for bird perches even if it "safe wood". As well as the issues Catherine stated we can add biohazard, from migratory birds, undetectable molds, parasites and danger you shouldn't chance on passing to your bird (Allegedly) Safe Wood for Perches What is safe for toys and perches? (Some trees you might not ever see or use.) Purportedly Safe:   Acacia Almond Apple Arbutus Ash Aspen Bambo Beech Birch Citrus Cork Oak Cottonwood Crab apple Dogwood Elm Fig Fir Fruitless Mulberry Ginkgo Grape Vines Grape Palm Guava Hackberry Hazelnut Hibiscus Hickory Ironwood Larch Lilac Liquidamber Madrona Magnolia Manzanita Maple Mediterranean Laurel Mesquite Mimosa Mulberry Norfolk Island Pine Oak Palm Papaya Pear Pecan Pine Poplar Ribbonwood Rose Sassafras Spruce Sweet Gum Sycamore Thurlow Tree Fern Umbrella Tree Vine Maple Walnut Wilow Allegedly toxic: Apricot Bis d'arc Cherry Eucalyptus Horse Apple Nectarine Peach Plum Prune Sequoia Sitka cedar Yellow cedar Unequivocally toxic: Box Elder Crepe Myrtle Chinese Popcorn Chinese snake tree Chinese Tallow Hemlock Holly Laurel Pitch pine Redwood Sumac (Rhus/Toxicodendron) Yew Conflicting information Oak is bad because of plant tanins but parrot toys made of leather tanned with plant tanins are good. Fruit such as red grapes are good in the diet but red grapes contain plant tanins. Ethanol is toxic but is present in ripe/over-ripe fruit. Parrots like fruit and it's good for them. Can anyone sort this out ? I ask the question, are grapes bad for your bird? here Some people would have you believe that the only chemical nasties in the world are man made and anything 'natural' is automatically safe. Not so! Many plants wage violent chemical warfare on each other and on the animals that might eat them. This can make it tricky finding suitable materials for toys and perches. The whole issue is fraught with difficulty and conjecture. For one thing, many sources of information are from north America where the species of trees are different from those found in Europe.   Another problem concerns the loose use of common names which may mean different things to different people.   On top of that, how good is your botany - are you sure you have correctly identified your target tree ? Conflicting information Oak is bad because of plant tanins but parrot toys made of leather tanned with plant tanins are good. Fruit such as red grapes are good in the diet but red gapes contain plant tanins. Ethanol is toxic but is present in ripe/over-ripe fruit. Parrots like fruit and it's good for them. Can anyone sort this out ? For making wooden toys you may find the information on the right, culled from searching the internet a handy starting guide. While the wood from these trees may be considered to be chemically non-toxic, spines, wood fibres and splinters may pose a physical problem. Bamboo (which is actually a grass, not a tree) can have very sharp edges. Branches gathered from the countryside may carry fungi or parasites in bird droppings and need to be washed. We advise using a nail brush with antibacterial washing up liquid and/or avian disinfectant. Personally I cut fresh tree branches rather than use windfalls: hopefully this reduces the probability of mycotoxins.Do not to use wood from Prunus spp. trees because it contains cyanogenic glycosides. Such trees include: apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, prune and plum but the Birdsafe site reports no confirmed bird deaths. Oak is reputedly dangerous because of tanin content but confoundingly, tanin levels are much higher in other foods eaten by birds such as some nuts.  In both these cases it appears to be the bark, foliage and sap that is the problem so the dried and debarked wood may be OK but best avoided to be on the safe side. The chinese snake tree, pitch pine (from which turpentine is made) and yew are all to be considered highly toxic, as are most laurels. Unfortunately, while there is a lot of assertion on the internet that this or that is/is not safe and only a little balanced assessment, it seems very difficult to find authoritative substantiation of the claims. It would be nice to know: what active principle(s) in the wood are responsible for the toxicity; what dose level is considered toxic; what differences there may be between species, sizes and ages of parrot; who did the toxicologic analysis and where was it published. Without this, there is a danger that some of the things that are said to be toxic may not be all that bad and worse still, some of those that are allegedly safe may not be. It is surprising, for instance, to see willow widely regarded as safe but it is a rich source of salicylic acid (the Latin name for Willow is Salix) and is used medicinally to good effect. However, in man anyway, salicylates can cause gastro-intestinal bleeding).   Toxicity is not a simple matter of what but also involves how much and how often: you can kill yourself (and your parrot) with organic carrots if you really want to. A good choice of wood: Apple and beech, occasionally spruce or ash. Always check before you buy new wood.  Toxic plants for birds:   Acokanthera – Acokanthera spp. (all parts toxic, except ripe fruit) Amaryllis – Amaryllis spp. Angel’s Trumpet – Datura spp., (leaves, seeds, flowers) Apricot – Prunus armeniaca (pits, leave and bark) Apple – Malus spp., (seeds, leaves, bark) Avocado – Persea Americana (pit, leaves, unripe fruit, stems) Azalea – Rhododendron canadenis Balsam Pear, Bitter Melon – Momordica charantia Baneberry – Actaea rubra, A. pachypoda Belladonna – Atropa belladonna Bird of Paradise – Poinciana and related spp. (seed pods and flowers) Bittersweet – Celastrus spp. Black Locust – Robinia pseudoacacia Boxwood – Boxus spp. Braken Fern – Pteridium aquilinum Buckthorn – Karwinskia humboldtiana and related spp. Burdock – Arctium spp. Buttercup – Ranunculus spp. Caladium – Caladium spp. Calla Lily – Zantedeschia aethiopica Catclaw Acacia – Acacia greggii (twigs and leaves) Caster Bean – Ricinus communis Cherry – Prunus spp. (pits, leaves and bark) Chinaberry – Melia azadarach Clematis – Clematis montana and related spp. Coral Plant – Jatropha mutifida Crocus (autumn) – Cholochicum autumnale Cycad or Sago Cycas – Cycas revoluta Daffodil – Narcissus tazetta Daphne – Daphne mezerum Death Camas – Zigadenus venenosus and other related species Delphinium – Delphinium spp. Devil’s Ivy – Epipremnum aureum Dieffenbachia (dumb cane) – Dieffenbachia spp. Eggplant – Solonum melongena (unripe/ripe fruit, leaves) Elderberry – Sambucus mexicana (roots, leaves, stems, bark) Elephant’s Ears or Taro – Colocasia spp. Euonymus – Euonymus spp. (filit, bark, leaves) European Pennyroyal – Mentha pulegium Figs – Ficus spp. (sap) Four o’clock – Mirabilis jalapa Heliotrope – Heliotropium spp. (leaves) Henbane – Hyoscyamus niger Holly – Ilex aquifolium and related spp. (leaves, berries) Horse Chestnut – Aesculus hippocastanum and related spp. Horse Nettle – Solanum carolinense Hyacinth – Hyacinthus orientalis Hydrangea – Hydrangea spp. Iris – Iris spp. Ivy (Boston, English and some others) – Hedera spp. Jack-in-the-Pulpit – Arisaema spp. Jerusalem Cherry – Solanum pseudocapsicum and related spp. (leaves, seeds and flowers) Jonquil – Narcissus jonquilla Juniper – Juniperus spp.  Lantana – Lantana camara Larkspur – Delphinium spp. Laurel – Kalmia spp. Lily-of-the-Valley – Convalleria majalis Lobelia – Lobelia spp. Locoweed – Astragalus spp. and Oxytopis spp. Lupine – Lupinus spp. Marijuana – Cannabis sativa Milkweed – Asclepias spp. Mistletoe – Phoradendron villosum Mock Orange – Philadelphus spp. Moonseed – Menispermum canadense Monkshood – Aconitum spp. Morning Glory – Ipomoea violacea (seeds) Mushrooms – Amanita spp. And many others Narcissus – Narcissus spp. Oak – Quercus spp. Oleander – Nerium oleander Peach – Prunus persica (leaves, pit, bark) Pear – Pyrus spp. (leaves, seeds, bark) Peony – Paeonia officinalis Periwinkle – Vinca minor, Vinca rosea Peyote – Lophophora williamsii Philodendron – Philodendron spp. and Monstera spp. Plum – Prunus spp. (leaves, pit, bark) Poison Hemlock – Conium maculatum Poison Ivy – Toxicodendron radicans, includes T. rydbergii Poison Oak – Toxicodendron querciflium and T. diversilobum Poison Sumac – Rhux vernix Poinsettia – Euphorbia pulcherrima Poppy – Papaver somniferum and related spp. Pokeweed – Phytolacca Americana Potato – Solanum tuberosum (sprouts, leaves, berries, green tubers) Pothos – Eprimemnum aureum Primrose – Prmula spp. Privet – Ligustrum vulgare Ragwort – Senecio jacobea and related spp. Red Maple – Acer rubrum Rhododendron – Rhododendron spp. Rhubarb – Rheum rhabarbarum (leaves) Rosary Pea – Abrus precatorius Sage – Salvia officinalis Shamrock Plant – Medicago lupulina, Trifolium repens, Oxalis acetosella Skunk Cabbage – Symplocarpus foetidus Snowdrop – Galanthus nivalis Sorrel – Rumex spp., Oxalis spp. Spurges – Euphorbia spp.  Star of Bethlehem – Ornithogalum umbellatum Sweet Pea – Lathyrus odoratus Tobacco – Nicotiania spp. Tomato – Lycopersicon esculentum (stems and leaves) Tulip – Tulipa spp. Virginia Creeper – Panthenocissus quinquefolia Vetches – Vicia spp. Water Hemlock – Cicuta spp. Waxberry – Symphoricarpos albus Wisteria – Wisteria spp. Yew – Taxus spp.   Click to Post

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