#my whole family is allergic to wool

[ub-sessed]

Bonus question: Put in the tags if you crochet and/or knit or not. 🧶

[toomuchracket]

if i could drink iced coffee without dying i so would. it always looks so good. especially the ones with caramel i always get a local coffee place giftcard from one of my parents friends for my birthday and christmas even though weve told them i cannot use them so i just sell them to my brothers but because i am a scaredy cat im stuck with one brand of energy drink because im too scared to try monster for fear their coffee infused ones will cross contaminate with another and kill me 🙂🙂 and now to top it off i’ve recently developed another severe allergy rip cinnamon i loved u deeply

the coffee monster is so ridiculous i literally did not sleep for a whole weekend because of it. and cinnamon!! my god. i'm allergic to lanolin, so i can only wear certain types of treated wool (not cashmere. rip me), which is a sickening irony given half my family are sheep farmers. i know a girl who's allergic to alcohol, which sucks because she can't have a nice wine but also because she can't use hand sanitiser. covid was HELLISH for her i fear

[lavender-long-stories]

XD Cute I have already done Samehada as cat in Lavender Umbrellas and gift in both it and Guarding Affections.

I don't do prompts, but I will spread the Kisame love with clips of my existing stories. These are both KisaHina.

Snippet from Lavender Umbrellas on Samehada the cat

Hinata put the cat food out in the open this time and crouched down to wait. “He has been looking better now that he’s eating regularly.”

The cat came out to sniff the food and eye her as he ate.

“It’s mangy.” Kisame commented.

“I think with a good bath and a brush. He would be a beautiful happy cat.” Hinata rested her head on her umbrella tucked in her arm. “But I can’t catch him. I think he probably needs to see a vet for his back leg. Which is why I think why he hasn’t left this area.”

“Free food isn’t a factor?” Kisame wondered.

“If he were healthy, he could catch his own food.” Hinata pouted, looking at the black cat scarf his food. “I kinda hope he is just a hardened street cat that had a bad day because I think being thrown out by a family he may have loved sounds so much worse.”

Kisame sighed as the cat finished eating and tucked himself back away. “Want me to try to get him out?”

“Hidan-san already tried brute force. I don’t want to go back to the hospital.” Hinata warned him.

Kisame got closer to the mess that the cat called home. “I was just gonna see how he reacts.”

Hissing came out from under the pallets before Kisame could get too close, but he ignored it and put his hand out under the lip of the mess. “How old do you think he is?”

“He looks pretty old.” Hinata wasn’t sure if his age had to do with how mean he was being or if he was just feral.

“Come on, bud,” Kisame called, rubbing his fingers together.

A small black nose came out to sniff. Hinata was surprised, she had tried that a few times, but all she got was growled at.

Kisame backed his hand out until the whole head came out. “Do I smell like fish? I swear if you bite me, you’ll go to the vet in a duffle bag.” Hinata covered her mouth to keep from making the happy noise that want to pour out as the entire cat came out and accepted a single-face pet from Kisame. “Hidan thought this thing was vicious?”

“We couldn’t get anywhere near him,” Hinata explained. “Maybe he just really likes you.”

Kisame gave the matted cat a few pets before reaching a hand under him and picking him up. “Well, I thought that was going to be harder.” He held the cat to his chest and walked toward her to give her him, but the moment he pulled him away from his chest, the fluff ball started to hiss.

“See, he really doesn’t like me,” Hinata waved her hand. “I think you’re going to have to get him to the vet.”

“How are you going to keep him if he won’t come near you?” Kisame wondered, waiting for her to get up since he couldn’t get close enough to help her up.

“I can’t. Neji-san is allergic,” Hinata explained. “I was hoping the vet could point me to a place to get him adopted instead of just fixing him up and putting him back.”

“I’m not taking the damn thing,” Kisame answered quickly.

“That’s sad. He seems to like you.” Hinata reached her hand out to let the angry ball sniff, but he just backed his head up.

✿ Of course, Kisame kept the cat. ✿

Snippet from Guarding Affections for gifts

“What is it?” Kisame wondered.

Hinata waved her hands at it. “Open it!”

Kisame made a face but sat on her couch, dug into the gift box, and pulled out a massive, heavy wool coat.

“Put it on.” Hinata urged. “I want to know if it fits or if it will need any adjustments.”

Kisame complied. “Damn, this thing is thick.” He never had a coat this heavy.

“I wanted you to have one good coat. You stand outside for hours sometimes.” Hinata reached up to tug it into place. “It’s perfect.”

Kisame straightened the rest of it to her approval, just to watch her eyes glitter.

Final snippet from Lavender Umbrellas for gifts

Hinata headed back down the hall, and after a few too many moments of struggling noise, she called down the hall. “Itachi-san, I think we should have planned this better.” Itachi chuckled, heading after her coming back with a rolled-up plush mat, contained barely by a thick ribbon that was bigger than Hinata, and even Itachi struggled to get down the hall by himself. Hinata huffed with another smaller roll in her arms. “I don’t know why I thought I could get that down the hall by myself.”

Itachi tossed the massive roll at him. It hit Kisame’s chest, and he was surprised at how heavy it was for looking like a massive pillow. “What is it?”

“Sasori-san and Deidara-san helped me make you a Kisame-san sized futon.” Hinata bounced more excited about what she had in her hand. “And this blanket is big enough for two of you.” She pulled off the ribbon and unfurled a massive blanket that had a bunch of colorful fish stitched together into an endless pattern. It was so big that when Hinata tried to unfurl it, it barely allowed her to, simply pooling at her feet.

This is what she had been working on for weeks? A bed set his size? Because of one comment at the mall?

✿✿✿✿✿

Hinata tried to flick the blanket over him, and though she successfully got it over him, the center of it fell on his head, trapping him underneath. “Sorry.” She lifted the edge to duck her head under until she could see him.

Kisame lifted his hand over her head to give her room under the blanket. His face was flat, not really the reaction she was hoping for, but she never did know if this project was going to be something he liked. She never wanted him to feel like she was patronizing him. “If you don’t… !!” Hinata wasn’t able to finish her thought. Kisame’s captured her, and she tumbled deep into the blanket into his chest. Hinata was trapped there while his arms tightened around her in the curtain of the blanket.

Hinata smiled into his chest. Maybe he did like it.

✿✿✿✿✿

Kisame proudly sat in the sea of his big custom blanket with Hinata tucked in his crossed legs. The blanket wrapped around both of them comfortably, which was a marvel to him because most blankets were the size of towels to him and don’t get him started on standard-sized towels.

Hinata looked straight up at him from inside the cocoon. “I can make you another if you like it.” God, she looked cute, surrounded by the silly fish blanket. “It will take a little longer if I do it without help.” Hinata ran her fingers over the fish. “I am a lot slower at pinning all of these together than Sasori-san is.”

“I’ll take ten.” Kisame tucked the fluff around her.

“That’s going to take me a while.” Hinata giggled, tucking her head back down.

Kisame put his chin on top of her head. “I will wait.”

“It’s getting warm.” Hinata tried to open the blanket, but Kisame tightened on her.

“No, you’re stuck here now.” Kisame brought his knees up to fully trap her on all sides.

Hinata struggled in vain, then gave up to pout up at him. Kisame couldn’t deny the look, so he released her.

Hinata opened the blanket, crawled out, closed the blanket back up, and sat right back down like he was a comfy chair. Kisame moved his arm back to fold his trapped arms around her, effectively re-wrapping her.

Okay, I will stop now. : 3

Kisame Birthday Bash 2024

It's that time of year! We'll be celebrating Kisame's Birthday with these prompts! Submitted and voted for by the residents at Kisame's Corner discord server! (want to get in on the action? go here to see what the fuss is all about B) )

We also usually only do a weekend for this event, but decided to make it 4 so we could include our guy's birthday as a day of celebration <3

Rules | How to Participate

(text version of prompts below the cut)

Friday, March 15th:

Samehada as a cat

Tea Shops

The Gift he Never Knew he Wanted

Saturday, March 16th:

Knight/Lord

Light in the Dark

Swords Training

Sunday, March 17th:

Firefighter

Hide the Body

Unspoken

Monday, March 18th:

Birthday free for all! (Happy Birthday Kisame!)

[systlin]

Just wanted to point out to people that often if you're not allergic to sheep, but are allergic to wool clothing, you're actually probably allergic to what the use to treat wool to make clothing out of it. My whole family on my Mom's side has this chemical allergy and never knew why until my nephew researched how wool clothes were made on a whim.

My mom’s allergic to most wool, but NOT to wool I got in raw right off the sheep form and then cleaned and processed by hand.

Which has let her determine that she is probably allergic to whatever detergents and dyes they used to clean and process commercially available wool fabrics, and not the wool itself.

This is not uncommon actually!

[megalodont]

a stitch in time saves nine

Nie Huaisang was not an idiot, but sometimes he wished he was. 

“Sect Leader, you know meditation is essential for the conditioning of your golden core—”

“Are you my guard or my mother? Of course I know! But it’s so boring. I already told you I’m spending the afternoon painting, you can’t change my mind.”

“Sect Leader—” 

“Sect Leader, Sect Leader. If I am your leader why aren’t you listening to me?” Nie Huaisang pouted. “I’ll do it tomorrow. The light is only going to be this good for another hour, I don’t wanna waste it meditating. I refuse. Go switch with another guard if you don’t like it.” Nie Huaisang shooed the man with his fan and flounced into the pavilion in a swirl of embroidery and silk. As he settled in front of the desk he heard the man sigh, and then the dreaded call went out. 

“Someone fetch Hu Junhui!” 

“Don’t call her!” Nie Huaisang yelped.

“I am under specific orders to call her when the situation requires it,” the guard said steadily.

“I gave you those orders! Now I’m taking it back!”

“Sect Leader made it clear that his orders were incontrovertible, unable to be retracted even by himself.”

“I know that, I said it,” Nie Huaisang grumbled, but he knew he’d already lost. He never won this particular battle—heavens curse him for the machinations of his past self. 

“Sect Leader Nie,” came a gentle voice from behind the door. 

Nie Huaisang plonked his face into his palm, letting it squish his cheek. “Enter,” he grumbled.

The door slid open to reveal an older lady with a beatific smile. Though her face was lined and her hair shot with silver she was still beautiful. She bowed deeply. He hated her so much.

“If I may begin, Sect Leader?”

“No,” he told her, but he knew it was useless.

“Grey hair,” she said serenely, as if he had not spoken. “Crow’s feet. Liver spots. The loss of your figure. Hands too unsteady for calligraphy. Eyesight too poor to read poetry by moonlight. Ears that can no longer hear the highest, purest notes. Older people do not have the patience or conditioning to stalk birds for days on end. A guttering core will not keep you warm, and in the winter you will have to cover your elegant clothes with heavy, unflattering cloaks. Sect Leader Nie knows the most beautiful vistas are visible only by sword, and that only cultivators can paint with light. Older people cannot handle food that is too rich, nor excessive amounts of alcohol. As they age men sometimes lose their powers in bed—”

“Okay,” Nie Huaisang interupted. “Okay! I’ll go meditate! Ayi, why do you like this job?” He whined. “I’ll pay you double what you’re getting to just not do it. You can even still live here if you want!”

“Sect Leader Nie pays me very generously already,” the woman said pleasantly. “I am content with things as they are.”

“I could fire you, you know.”

“My contract with Sect Leader Nie ensures my employment in perpetuity,” came the placid reply. 

Nie Huaisang’s head hit the desk.

*

“Sect Leader Yao is not satisfied with the agreement. This treaty is essential to the continued prosperity of Qinghe. You cannot send him away until he signs.”

“Can’t I?” Nie Huaisang groused. “This is my keep. We’ve been talking for hours, the man just refuses to see sense! I won’t keep banging my head against that wall, I can literally feel myself breaking out. Kick him out.” His advisors did not move. Neither did the guards. “You guys,” Nie Huaisang moaned. “Who exactly is in charge here? Get that odious man out of my sight, hearing, and mind, I’m begging you. A whole day of meetings with Sect Leader Yao is too much, no one could be expected to withstand that!”

His advisors glanced at each other, and one gave a short nod to the guard by the door, who swiftly exited. Nie Huaisang’s heart sank. 

“Sect Leader Nie,” came that hateful voice a moment later, just as smooth and affable as it always was. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, slumping on his throne. “Get on with it, I guess.”

“If an agreement with Sect Leader Yao cannot be reached today, Sect Leader Yao will have to stay the night. Even if ejected from the Unclean Realm he will return. Due to his offense at being rebuffed, Sect Leader Yao will doubtless become quarrelsome and inflexible—”

“He’s already quarrelsome and inflexible,” Nie Huaisung grumbled.

“—to an even greater degree than he was today. If an arrangement cannot be made in these meetings then the deal will fall through. The cost of raising sheep will rise, and with them the price of wool. Farmers will need financial support, which will require many hours of reading tedious production reports and meetings with aggrieved farm owners. New taxes will need to be devised, which will require much research and consideration. There will certainly be dissent as a result of this tax, and Sect Leader Nie will be required to listen to many complaints from wealthy merchants and other constituents. The amount of time Sect Leader has for leisure activities coming up to winter is already so small,” she said sweetly. “It would be a shame if it were diminished further.”  

“It would be a shame if you dropped dead,” Nie Huaisang muttered into his palms.

“I am afraid I could not make out what Sect Leader Nie has just said.”

He raised his head from his hands to scowl at her petulantly. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll suck it up for a few more hours, okay. Are you happy?”

Hu Junhui’s smile was as lovely and immovable as jade. “I am always happy, Sect Leader. This one thanks you for your concern.” She bowed deeply. “If that is all?” 

Nie Huaisang huffed. Yeah yeah. Send Sect Leader Yao in on your way out.”

*

“Sorry, I can’t read.” 

“Sect Leader, this documentation is essential to the understanding of that province’s geopolitical landscape. If the negotiations go poorly QingheNie might lose our longstanding—and mutually beneficial—alliance with them.”

“And that sounds terrible, but I’m afraid I can’t help you. I’ve lost the ability to read. It’s tragic, I’ll never be able to read a good novel again, let alone poetry. I’m inconsolable. How will I go on? Every day will be so pale and lifeless without the magic of the written word to bring me joy—”

“Hu Junhui!”

“—oh, dammit.” Nie Huaisang cursed his previous self so harshly he might well have offended his progenitors as well.

“Sect Leader,” Hu Junhui greeted calmly, arriving with suspicious speed from a side door.

“...who?”

“The mountains of our sister province are exquisite,” she began without acknowledging his deflection. “The larch trees are especially beautiful in the autumn time. They are the only place in the world where one can find the superb pheasant—but of course Sect Leader Nie is aware of this. He is renowned for his knowledge of rare and wonderful birdlife. What a shame it would be if their borders were no longer open to travel from Qinghe! The textiles that come from that region are also incredible, as Sect Leader Nie knows. The local breed of goat produced an unequalled fibre, so if trade were to be impacted in some way—”

“I know all this already!” Nie Huaisang whined. “I don’t care about that, I already own loads of stuff from there, I don’t care. We’ve been allies for generations anyway, our relationship isn’t going to break down because I couldn’t remember some historical fact in one meeting.”

“Sect Leader Nie is very wise,” Hu Junhui said, bowing. “He of course knows that the newly installed regent is a notorious traditionalist and will demand many hours of discourse regarding their ties to Qinghe if he is not satisfied with QingheNie’s acknowledgement of their shared history. Meetings with him have been known to drag out for weeks.”

“...you’re making that up.”

“This one heard it from Sect Leader Jiang’s senior disciple during their visit in the spring.”

“...weeks?”

“Several.”

Nie Huaisang pressed his fingers to the pain throbbing in his temple. 

“Would you look at that. My ability to read has miraculously returned. What’s this?” He picked up a piece of paper at random. “A resignation letter from Hu Junhui? Ah, what a shame, what a shame. Well, enjoy the rest of your life, ayi, take care, say hello to your family for me, so long, safe travels!”

“I’ll leave you to your reading, Sect Leader,” Hu Junhui said as if he had not spoken. She already knew she’d won.

*

“I don’t care how important the annual audit is, I already told you I’m allergic to mathematics!”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

“I don’t care who he is, this meteor shower won’t appear again for twenty years!”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

“One more jar. If I have to meet with these people I’m at least going to be drunk for it.”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

“What do you mean I need to do it myself, that’s literally why I have disciples.”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

“Another hour, for heaven’s sake, it’s far too early to be awake!”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

“It’s not a ‘frivolous excursion’, I saw a blue-tailed bee-eater! What does it matter if there’s a discussion conference on!”

“Hu Junhui!”

*

Nie Huaisang blinked blearily at the figure in the doorway, vision swimming with liquor and tears.

“Sect Leader Nie.”

Nie Huaisang put his head back down on the table. “Who called you, Hu Junhui,” he slurred, exhausted. “I told them I wasn’t to be disturbed.”

“No one called for me, Sect Leader. We are all aware of what day it is.”

Then why are you here? He wanted to howl, but he couldn’t find the energy. He took another swig of wine, spilling half of it down his chin. It didn’t make much difference—his face was wet anyway. 

The room had grown dark at some point. Nie Huaisang had no idea how long he’d been sitting there drinking. He’d lain in bed until well after lunch, and no one had bothered to offer him dinner, knowing it would be refused.  

“Chifeng-zun would never begrudge his cherished younger brother the need to grieve, but it would pain him to see him neglect his health in any way.” Nie Huaisang didn’t answer. “This one knows he used to bring Sect Leader Nie congee on the anniversary of his mother’s death, because Sect Leader Nie found it difficult to eat. Chifeng-zun never let his brother drink alone, or to excess, on such days. It brought him comfort that he could at least provide for Sect Leader’s body when his heart was suffering.” Nie Huaisang swallowed thickly, the sound loud in the silent room. The tears had never really stopped, but they flowed freely once more, soaking into his hair. “Chifeng-zun would rest easily indeed, knowing his brother was caring for himself.”

Nie Huaisang’s hand slipped off the wine jug to flop limply to the ground. He heard the rustle of Hu Junhui’s clothing, and then a servant was placing a bowl of fragrant congee and jug of water on the table next to him. Hu Junhui thanked the servant, stepping close enough to pick up the wine jug and replace it with a handkerchief. 

She returned to the door and her clothes rustled again as she bowed. “Sect Leader.”

“Hu Junhui,” Nie huaisang said before she could close the door behind her. 

“Yes, Sect Leader?”

“Whoever hired you was pretty smart.”

“I have always thought so,” she said, her calm voice betraying a hint of warmth. “It is my honour to help him to be his best self. Goodnight, Sect Leader.”

“Goodnight, ayi.”

*

btw this is also on ao3 here, bc i am new to posting fic on tumblr and feel weird about it

[writingwithcolor]

British Bangladeshi Muslim 21 Year Old

I’m usually a lurker on this blog but, I’ve decided to send in a POC profile - mainly because it’s so rare for me to see someone like me represented in the media. In fact, I’m not certain I’ve ever seen someone Bangladeshi represented in mainstream media 

Beauty Standards 

Colourism is a very big thing still in the Bangladeshi community. My parent’s generation, despite liking to think that they’re very open minded still fall into the trap of the narrow minded view so present in the older generations. I’ve always fallen on the fairer side and as I grew up and developed mild iron deficiency, people would comment on how beautiful my skin was (and some people use the Bengali word for beautiful as being synonymous for fair), whilst my younger sister who is on the darker side but very rarely gets such comments. 

Clothing 

On a day to day basis, I wear casual English clothes or more casual Asian clothing around the house. But, for special occasions where I’m going to be with other Bengali people, I do tend to wear traditional clothing. Essentially, all the women in our house have two wardrobes; one with English clothes and one with Asian clothes. Although, nowadays, the English wardrobe seems to be growing more and more packed. A quick thing - traditional Asian clothes, especially those that are very flashy and embroidered, are heavy and so people don’t tend to wear them that often. 

But - it differs between person to person. My mum wears English clothes around the home but her older sister wears a saree - a plainer saree but a saree none the less. 

Culture 

Culture is an odd one for me because I’ve never felt as if I belonged to either one. Growing up, I didn’t fit into the typical English stereotype because I wasn’t Caucasian and I grew up bilingual. I’d also hear all these bad things about Bangladesh, and the experiences others had around me would mould the opinion I had of a country my family still refer to as their motherland. But, as I’ve grown older and actually started to make opinions for myself, I’ve begun to accept that I can be a part of both, I don’t need to be one or the other. 

Dating and Romance

In my family at least, ‘dating’ is done with the intention to marry. It all remains very chaste - with very little/no physical affection - until after marriage and almost all dates are with chaperones. The only ones that happen without chaperones are those in secret or those happening after the engagement. Nowadays, I feel like love marriages are the norm and most couples meet through being introduced by other people. 

Food

Food is a big part of our culture. In fact, if you’re invited to someone’s house, or if you pop in for five minutes, it’s considered rude to not sit down and have a cup of tea or even to have an entire meal. Food is one of the ways that we show affection for each other and, especially for important days like Eid, food plays a central role. Eating a meal together on a festival day like Eid is one of the few days of the year when all the adults and all the children gather together and spend time together. 

In my home at least, rice and curry is a staple. As Bangladesh is mainly riverine, fish is an important part of the diet. In fact, there’s a saying that if you can’t eat fish, you’re not really Bengali (which makes things a bit awkward for my uncle who is allergic to fish) and in some families there’s a tradition of a new bride cooking a fish curry on the second day of marriage. I’m not sure why, but it’s a thing. 

Home/Family life/ Friendship

I could talk about family for ages … 

My family is on the big side with my Mum being one of eight and my Dad being one of six. I’m one of three, but all of my cousins are considered like siblings - because we were raised as siblings. The familial bond is an important one and it’s often one that’s a burden to bear. For instance, as I’m the oldest granddaughter/niece/cousin I’m called affa by every cousin younger than me (Affa meaning older sister) and this burden is quite a heavy one to bear. It means that when the cousins experience any issues, they run to you to sort it out whether it’s something small or something big and it’s a burden I don’t mind shouldering. After all, it’s one I’ll likely have to carry for the rest of my life. 

Everyone older than you is treated with respect - even if you don’t want to respect them at all. For some reason, it’s an important thing.

Friendship between Bengali girls is … something else. Often we’ll break off and have our own conversation in Bengali as if it’s some sort of secret code and this usually comes in extremely handy when discussing secret birthday party plans in front of the person whose birthday we’re planning. Personally, my parents have never been strict that I can’t have any male friends - I honestly don’t think they care but I know of other parents who insist that their daughters can’t have male friends. 

Language 

To me particularly, the language was an important thing. I grew up bilingual because my grandparents lived with us and they couldn’t communicate in English. But, I don’t remember ever making the effort to learn it - it was something I picked up. I certainly can’t read or write in Bengali but I can speak it. However, this ability doesn’t seem to have transferred to my sister and most of the younger cousins. Most of my younger cousins can’t speak Bengali and so struggle to communicate with our grandparents and it’s sad to say but this isn’t strange at all. Many of the new generation British Bangladeshi’s can’t speak the language and in fact, they don’t care to learn it because they don’t see it as being worth passing along. 

Religion

As a Muslim woman, I find myself being constantly policed. Whether it’s by the media or by those around me. There seems to be a misconception that if a woman wears a hijab (the head covering) then she is the epitome of all things chaste and virtuous - but that’s not always the case. There are so many hijabis I know that don’t pray five times a day or keep their fasts or they drink etc. In fact, I’ve met a lot of muslim women who don’t wear hijab but their niyyah (intention) and their behaviour is inline with religion - my sister being an example. 

The basic 5 pillars of islam, the first of which is the shahadah which is the declaration of faith. This is whispered by father’s into their children’s ears at birth and is the last thing whispered into someone’s ear as they pass away.

The daily prayers are the second - with 5 prayers throughout the day and this is something I know many people struggle with, but I personally think that faith is a personal thing - you alone know your struggles. If you are praying 5 times a day and you are ridiculing someone who only prays once, you may think you’re doing the right thing. But for all you know - that person who prays once a day may be someone who reverted to the faith (revert being what we call converts) and they may be on the road to accepting Islam. Your two minutes of ridicule may even turn someone else away from peace they were hoping to find in Islam.

Zakat is the third which refers to giving alms to the poor and this is often done in the month of Ramadan. 

Fasting in Ramadan is the fourth pillar and during this month, Muslims fast from sun rise to sunset and we’re not allowed to drink or eat anything. (And yes - this includes water. Not even water? Is a question we always get)

The final pillar, the fifth refers to Hajj which is the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Everyone who is able to afford the trip and can make it, should complete it at least once in their lives. All my family who have been, have said that it is the most peaceful time they’ve ever spent in their lives. 

Things I’d like to see less of…

Muslim girls being ‘repressed’ by wearing the hijab and having a curfew and being secretly rebellious once they leave the home.

 Yes, I have a curfew but mostly it’s because my parent’s are terrified after hearing of all the stabbings and the acid attacks that happen to hijab wearing Muslim women

The overly strict father figure who is unreasonable and adores sons over his daughters. 

My father was on the strict side yes, but I realise now, after growing up and talking to him that it was all shaped on his own experiences. Yes, he might not have let me play in the streets until late like other kids but it was because when he was young, if he stayed out too late the racist teens would approach the Bengali children and attack them. My father was strict, but in the way that other parents in his position will be. (If anything, my mother is stricter … and the worst thing she does is text me a list of chores that she wants me to do whilst she’s at work)

That brings me onto the next point; the mother who stays at home being uneducated and relying on her husband for everything. 

There’s nothing wrong with that - but the issue comes when this character is used to put down Bengali women, to try and show how much better Caucasian educated women are. 

Another thing I absolutely can’t stand is the idea of a Bengali girl falling for some plain, boring Caucasian boy and he removes the wool from over her eyes, teaching her how repressed she was and how she should embrace this Western lifestyle. When a boy tried that on me in my first year of uni, I walked away from him the moment he told me that he has a hijab kink because Muslim girls are and I quote ‘untouched and I can teach them everything’.

Things I’d like to see more of…

Supportive family units. 

Whilst I might fall out with my parents every now and then, as is natural, they still support me. My father and I often head out for little ice cream cafe dates and my mother is teaching me to cook (although her cooking style tends to be put enough of this in and enough of that - there’s no measurements of anything) and my siblings and cousins and I gather as a whole every weekend. Those of us that live close enough to anyway. The 20+ of us that do gather, take over a house and all between the ages of 21 and 5 tend to be unruly and can go crazy but it’s a dynamic no one seems to want to represent.

The educated hijabi. 

Goodness, I can’t stand seeing the trope of a girl wanting to marry and pop out babies and etc - yes, it’s a valid trope but again, so many people use it to show how backwards we are. My eyes are even rolling now - Bengali Muslim girls are amongst some of the most driven people I have met and this is usually because the older women in our families weren’t given these opportunities and most people instantly assume that we’re not going to get far. 

Casual mentions of Islam - religion is a big part of a character. 

But I hate it being a controversial thing especially since Islam literally translates to ‘peace gained through submission to Allah’ and newsflash, Allah is the arabic word for God. That’s it. Why can’t we have characters who have to be home before sunset because they need to pray? Or hijabis needing to go shopping for a new headscarf or even phrases like 'this top would be so cute if it weren’t see through’ or 'if only this dress was floor length and then I wouldn’t have to wear leggings with it. I hate having to wear leggings in the heat’. These are things I regularly say! 

Wooow, this is long and I kind of ended up rambling. But I hope it helps someone! 

Read more POC Profiles here or submit your own.

[invisiblefoxfire]

Me: I really have to get this article written by 15:00 today. It was originally due a week ago and my editor is not going to be happy if I push it back to next week.

Also Me: What exactly is my head full of? Is it cotton balls? Cotton candy? Maybe it’s bees. Buzzy buzzy bees. Can’t be wool because I���m allergic. Static? That might be static. Is it the pollen, the murderous grass dust leaking in here through the closed windows and disabling my brain? Is it a lack of sleep starting 30 years ago and building up to today? Is my brain just not work good today for no reason? What if I just play video games until I starve to death in this chair. No, I can’t even find it within myself to play a video game. It is 14:00 and I am doomed. I am a whole adult and responsible for my entire life. I have no family and no safety net. I am doomed.

[thestraggletag]

Indulgence!AU Part 4

Anons Prompted:

Indulgence AU: The doctor asks what the plan is once Belle is released - she cant live alone and will need help recovering. 

Fuck Anon Prompt - How long has it been since you've slept?

Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

Things seemed to move quicker after she woke. Soon she was moved to a much larger and nicer room, with a window overlooking the gardens, a nicely-sized bathroom, a television and a nice-looking futon, which Nick appreciated beyond words. 

Belle’s father arrived in the afternoon, obviously jetlagged and carrying his luggage. It was a testament to their mutual love and concern for Belle that both men managed to remain amicable as they exchanged information and decided on what to do short them. It was decided Nick would go home, shower and change and relieve Moe in the evening, so the older man could go home, unpack and rest. That way if Belle woke up at all she would not be alone. 

It felt disconcerting to go back to his penthouse, almost uncomfortable. But taking a shower felt heavenly, as did eating something that was hot and required utensils. But he didn’t like being away from the hospital so in lieu of a much-needed nap Nick began researching plastic surgeons, taking note of a few names and sending an email to Tilly to get her to do further research on them. Finally he fished out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and his bomber jacket, feeling like it would be more comfortable than his usual suits. 

It felt inevitable to run into Mal, the woman giving him an appraising look he assumed was meant to be mocking and making a comment on how she’d thought his skin was allergic to anything other than silk, premium cotton and high-end wool. He told her to go fuck herself, being too tired for a better quip.

Belle was quietly talking with her father when he got back into her room, asking questions about their family back in Australia, smiling and looking like she wasn’t in pain. An act, since he knew her body aches and the stitches alternated between itching and burning. But her father seemed fooled by the act, smiling and going on and on about this gigantic Murray cod he’d caught in Menindee, enthusiastically showing her pictures as he told the story.

If his good mood was a bit soured by Nick’s arrival he barely let it show, instead focusing in saying goodbye to Belle, promising to return soon, once he got the chance to unpack and rest a bit.

“Don’t keep the flower shop closed on my account, you hear me? You can visit me on weekends, we can Facetime in the meantime. Mal brought my Ipad over and you got the one I gave you last Christmas.”

The man agreed and Nick felt a sudden and brief flare of anger. How easily the man agreed to not see his hospitalised child for the next six days. He reminded himself a moment later that Maurice French likely could not afford to keep his business closed or pay someone to replace him at it. He was a man of modest means that, to his credit, did not take anything from his now more successful daughter. A prideful man, likely his one redeeming quality. That and his honest, if imperfect, love for Belle.

They exchanged a brief greeting in passing before the old man went home, both very aware of the tiny Australian woman watching them like a hawk, willing them to be nice. As he unpacked his belongings- he’d brought a duffel bag with a few clothes and toiletries, as well as a satchel with his laptop and his glasses. He could feel Belle watching as he did all that, and it made him nervous and alert. Something was up. 

“I think one of the nurses asked after you.” Her voice seemed light, but he knew there was a catch in there somewhere. “Well, at least I think she did. She asked where my fiancé was. It was lucky dad was in the bathroom.”

He froze, refusing to turn over and face her, muttering something about visiting hours and how it had been convenient to call himself her fiancé.

“Good, I’m glad.” It hurt for a second or two before she spoke again. “I was afraid we had gotten engaged and I had simply forgotten it.”

He wanted to tell her that he had tried, over and over, but had never managed to actually pop the question. But he refrained, finding out he did have a shred of dignity left after all.

“Did the doctor say something while I was out?”

There was nothing new. Things were looking good, and soon Belle would be able to drink and eat, albeit with a lot of restrictions. Mal had amused herself by arguing with a nurse as if she truly believed brandy had medicinal properties and would therefore be okay for Belle to start drinking again and she had even gotten to see a few of her friends, though Emma hadn’t been able to make it, given that she had a full day shift. 

“She’s been keeping me informed about the case.”

The police had talked to Belle before he had left, looking like nothing of what she told them was news to them. Jefferson apparently had been their one big source of information so far and there was almost nothing Belle knew that he didn’t. He had told her beforehand of the fact they were keeping the whole business with Regina private, which she seemed to agree with wholeheartedly, given that it could complicate things for her father if it became known.

Though he had entertained the idea back at his penthouse of catching up on some emails and stuff with his laptop they ended up watching movies with it instead. Her new bed was spacious enough for two but he hadn’t dared to presume until Belle had patted the empty spot she’d made for him with a rather determined expression on her face.

By the time they reached the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark he was falling asleep, having kept his eyes shut since the nazis had first opened the ark. Belle carded her fingers through his hair, the gesture slow and brief, taking into account how stiff and weak her muscles were.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept? Properly, I mean, in a bed.”

He didn’t need to tell her what the answer was. She knew. 

“I didn’t feel comfortable leaving.”

He had a sudden thought that perhaps she wasn’t asking just for his wellbeing. Maybe she was hoping he’d leave. Maybe she wanted some privacy or peace and quiet or a break from him and just didn’t know how to tell him.

“I asked the nurses to prepare you a bed in the futon. They do it in the pediatric unit, so a parent can stay overnight with the child. They seemed very unfazed at the notion of bending the rules for you, so I gather you pulled some strings.”

There was a familiar fondness in her tone, as well as a hint of exasperation. But surely if she’d gone through the trouble of making sure he could sleep comfortably in the room it meant she was not angling for him to leave.

“Thank you.”

They were soon interrupted by a nurse carrying a pillow and some blankets, efficiently making the futon into a bed before briefly checking in on Belle, mostly on her IV to see that it was not infected, before injecting the nightly dose of antibiotics into the cap before retiring. He changed into some lounge pants he’d brought with him, the sort that looked a bit like respectable pyjamas, and settled on the futon. It was a bit too firm, perhaps, and a wee bit small, but a vast improvement on the chair in the ICU. Unlike when he’d been at home it was easy to relax enough to slip into sleep, the sound of Belle’s breathing soothing.

“Good night Nick. I’m glad you’re here.”

He took a sudden deep breath, an icy thread of fear that had been wrapped around him without him noticing it unfurling and melting away. Belle wanted him here. He felt like weeping in relief.

“Good night.”

[thenukacolachallenge-archive]

so, uh, @outervvorlds​ posted an Outer Worlds Ask Meme for everyone’s captains and since i am a menace, stuck at home with a broken foot with nothing better to do, i did the whole damn thing myself so uhhhh here

Basics! Name, age, personality, etc. What do they look like? Are they a new or old oc?

Her name is Izumi Tanaka, but she goes by Izzy in this universe. She’s a 26 year old diva and flirt from a bad past on earth. She likes to make the joke that she likes “looking like a prostitute, but the nice ones, the ones you have to call a number for”. She’s mixed race, mostly Japanese but also African, German, and many other things. She’s a lightskin WOC with green eyes, long wavy black hair, and a shit ton of freckles. She’s very conventionally attractive(high cheekbones, tiny nose, large lips, almond shaped eyes) and she uses it to her advantage at every opportunity. She is an old OC from One Piece!

What are their attributes, perks, and flaws?

No flaws yet as of my current playthrough with her, but she’s very speech-oriented. She has a high Charm and Temperament, but she’s also skilled in melee, particularly two-handed, as well as being a talented engineer. She sucks at sneak, which is hilarious bc she’s also a chronic kleptomaniac.

What do they believe in?

She comes across as very critical of any particular ideology, but when she’s drunk it becomes more apparent that she just asks a lot of questions bc she wants to know everything before committing to something. Doesn’t stop her from siding with Dr. Welles with no information, since he did something for her by waking her up from hibernation.

How did they react to becoming Captain of the Unreliable? Are they much of a leader?

She was mostly just excited to have a ship. She originally intended to just run a solo ship like Hawthorne had, but she also loves to have people around, being an extrovert. She is flying by the seat of her pants when it comes to leadership, but so far bc of her extensive ability to bullshit her way through everything, she seems to be taking the role well.

What was their life like before being iced?

She grew up in a community similar to Byzantium - rich, snobby, and seedy. She was abused by her parents, and given to other high-society types by them to abuse for more money. She eventually snapped and killed her family and set their mansion ablaze to hide the evidence. As she was still a minor at the time and had no other living relatives, she was sent to an orphanage where she met her life-long friend Corona Nova(another imported One Piece OC of mine!), also known as Coco. The two eventually left to look for Coco’s missing younger sister, and became homeless. Izzy developed a drug problem and turned to merc work, partially for drug money and partially to kill the rest of those who’d abused her as a child. When the last one died, not by her hand but of old age, she had a come to jesus moment and got clean from drugs. She also discovered she had a love of mechanical engineering, getting a job at a local shop. It was there that she met Killer, a man she’d eventually end up in a “relationship” with; they weren’t exclusive, but they would actively discourage each other from being with anyone else. While she was working out how to love someone like a normal human being, he was killed. She never dated after him, and several years later, she signed onto the Hope after being tired of life on earth.

Did they have any family before becoming Captain? Do they think their crew as family? 

She had found family in Coco and Calli, a mutual friend of all of theirs who was a occult practitioner named Sai, Killer, as well as her mercenary crew. At first she keeps the Unreliable crew at a friendly but extensive arm’s length, but by the end of it all she ends up considering the crew a family.

What’s their fighting style? Who do they bring along?

She is a SUCKER for 2-handed melee, especially hammers. ESPECIALLY the Prismatic Hammer. She’s also decent at sniping, but she sucks at stealth so she’s not a sneaky sniper. She always has Felix with her, and then it’s usually between Max and Nyoka.

Is Spacer’s Choice their only choice? What do they think of the corporations? She fucking hates the corporations, but tries to be nice to pretty much everyone she meets who’s not a direct Board pawn. She ends up being well liked by most people controlled by the corporations, which tends to give her an unwantedly high reputation with them.

What do they think of the factions? Are they liked or disliked by any? By the end of the story, she’s liked by most factions except the Board and the corps. She’s revered by the Groundbreaker, most of Monarch, and pretty much everywhere except Byzantium folk.

What’s their favourite place in Halcyon? Least favourite? Favorite place is Monarch and anywhere on Terra 2 except Byzantium. She fucking despises Byzantium, it reminds her of her childhood.

Do they have a favourite alien creature? She dislikes most of them, since they mostly want to eat her. She thinks sprats are cute but isn’t above killing them to get their pelts for money.

Did they save The Hope?

She did, and even though she cried over it, she took all of the whatever the fuck its called that Phineas has you steal from Byzantium to save them. She hated that she had to kill all those innocent people, but she knew they were already dead since the Board didn’t have any plans to wake them, and didn’t know how besides. It still did a number on her, though.

What do they want to do afterwards? - but do they get a happy ending? Her original reasoning for getting on board the Hope was to get as far away from “civilized” society as possible, and make a private life for herself. But by the end, all she wants is to continue to help people with Felix, which she does. She’s finally happy and at peace with her past, so I’d say she got a happy ending.

What do they think of the companions? Friendships, crushes, dislikes, etc. She loves all her companions like family by the end, but she did not care for Ellie in the beginning, and she was very wary of Max, mostly bc his drive to complete his goal, no matter the cost, which reminds her of herself in the thick of her personal revenge against her abusers. She found Parvati to be sweet if naive, but she really fell into favor with Nyoka and Felix, and Max after his drug trip. She’s head over heels for Felix, and ends up with him after her kidnapping on Monarch.

How do the companion quests go? She sets Parvati up with Junlei, helps Max become a Philosophist, helps Ellie get back at her parents. She cries with Nyoka over finding out her merc crew left the rest of them behind, and she doesn’t trust Clyde from the beginning, with the way he treats Felix. She doesn’t chastise him for being too trusting though.

What’s their love language? She’s pretty unsure of this herself, being that she’s never been in a normal, stable relationship, but she knows she loves to get gifts for her loved ones. She gets all of the crew anything they ever want. She also just loves to spend time with her loved ones, even just being in the same room doing separate things makes her happy.

Are they in a relationship? Do they want to be? She ends up in a relationship with Felix by the end. She’s always joked that she’s allergic to commitment, but she finds herself wanting to spend all of her free time with Felix, and even though she’s naturally a cuddly person, she’s extra-cuddly with him. She ends up realizing “oh shit, i like him way more than i intended to” at some point during her trip.

How to win them over? She’s more motivated by fun experiences and flattery than money, although she does like having bits for buying as much booze and cigs as she wants. Romantically, she enjoys people with a sense of humor, but who can be real. She loves Felix bc he’s 100% authentic at all times, says and does exactly what he wants… And because she loves how dumb he acts/is.

How to break their heart?

It’s very rare for her to let someone get under her skin long enough to break her heart, but she’s been fighting all her life to prove to herself that even though she’s a murderer, she is still a good person, so someone telling her otherwise stings pretty bad.

How did those cows get onto their ship?? She ordered them for their wool. She’s very into fashion but HATES spacer fashion, so she tried her hand to shear their wool and spin it and make something out of it. Results haven’t been good but she keeps trying.

A song that reminds you of them, Bad at Love by Halsey is a big one, I by Kendrick Lamar, I Like It and Be Careful by Cardi B. Any big party banger type song too, Izzy’s a party animal.

Three random facts about them.

-she’s a crazy chain smoker. She steals cigarettes more often than anything else, save for ship decorations. -she had a really shitty punk band on earth. The crew manages to recover some audio recordings(long story, it’ll be in the fic). Felix is the only one who enjoys it. Parvati tries to say something nice. Everyone else gives her all the shit for it. -if given the choice, she would never wear a proper shirt. She loves to have her midriff showing. In the fic, she finds a cache of her old shit that Coco brought along on the Groundbreaker, and Izumi cries when she finds out that Coco put all her old favorite clothing articles in it. (Felix is very happy, as most of the outfits are skimpy)

and as a bonus, here’s a picture of Izzy, done by a friend of mine! obviously probably not something she’d wear in space though, lmao

[solodaes-blog]

Home Improvement :: what A 'licensed, Bonded And Insured' House Cleaning Service Are Capable Of Doing For You

Nothing may cause you to feel better when compared house cleaning perth to a pleasant maintained home that sees all things in its place and it is freed from cutter, however in today's fast-paced world cleaning your house could be the very last thing on your consciousness when you are simply too occupied. So for this what you've to complete is you need to accomplish bond cleaning before leaving the property which is also called the end of lease cleaning as well. Some are engaged in household chores such as making breakfast for your kids and driving these to school. So for this what you have to complete is you will need to complete bond cleaning before leaving the property which can be also called the conclusion of lease cleaning as well. Maintaining an in-house cleaning crew will take valuable time and resources far from growing your business. When attempting to look for a house cleaning job, you should also lists any other qualities you've that you think could be useful besides household chores. One tip that can save money is the fact that some customers prefer you employ their most favorite cleaning agents. You can match their donations or perhaps the company can donate on their behalf. Knowledgeable Of Areas. Not only are you going to save room on storage, but it will be simpler to range from room to room when you are cleaning. If you raise chickens, you will need to clean regulary to prevent mite infestation or Red Mites. It can also be useful for killing germs across the toilet and in bathroom surfaces. A clean, healthy and intact home. make the carpets safer for folks living inside the house through getting rid of the majority of the bacteria, dust buildup as well as other things, the accumulation of which often cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks. You don't want to set rates that are too much or too low. Let's be kind and respectful to no less than one another and appreciate each other's work. Submerge a nylon bristle scrub brush to the cleaning water. This should go ahead and take ink right off, if not, try again. They can be utilized very successfully in cleaning your house without the poisonous side effects. Take Delight in Spectacular Awnings from Gallagher's Awnings By Nicole Silva. Balance Gross Sales RM 60,000x5% = RM 3,000 . Would you take 8 months of family leave? Brought to you by Baby Bjorn. If you cannot afford to carpet your whole house with wool then carpet the area that may receive the heaviest traffic, such as your family area or family room. Your time is precious.

To close the sale after all of the questions have been asked and answered, just say "What day of the week is better for you?" When they answer, you have made a simple sale and added a valuable customer to your list. Not only will you save room on storage, however it will be easier to go from room to room when you are cleaning. If you raise chickens, you need to completely clean regulary to prevent mite infestation or Red Mites. Instead on stripping all the beds once a month specifically for bed bug checks, that you can do an examination while you are changing the sheets each week. # Reward Yourself. Tips For Locating Great House Cleaning Services. They offer daily, bi-weekly, weekly, or monthly services, depending about the requirement. You need articles written about your company and submitted on dozens of sites every couple months. You could also need to wipe cabinetry within the same manner, particularly those located inside the kitchen or bathroom. Ever heard the saying 'Where there's muck there's money? . Once completed, you may have fresh, enlivened, cleaner and healthy carpets. However, a brand new person with good training or even a person which has no formal company training but has been cleaning homes for many years could also be considered a sensible choice in the cleaning person. But, I work probably just as hard as you do to earn my money. Instead of scratching, apply a gentle moisturizing cream daily to soothe the itch and protect your skin.

[tfwonthefarm]

Fighting the Chill at the Homestead

So Dean runs hot, sleeps on top of the blankets most of the year, and seems genuine in his concern that the electric blanket is a fire hazard, but it's December and the central heating in the farmhouse is pretty crappy, and also our husband's feet feel like they're made of ice, so... 2 to 1, the ayes have it, out comes the best 75 bucks we ever spent at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.     

There are some downsides to having bed be the most comfortable spot in the house. I definitely run less often when I'm so warm in the mornings and remember how cold it'll be outside, and it practically takes a crowbar to get Cas out of bed when it's his turn to do the morning chores (again, he's a damn heat sink). Also, it means Dean banishes himself to the far side of the big bed (or to his own room) for the better part of three months a year, but given it keeps him from kicking me awake in his sleep every other night, I won't exactly be crying myself to sleep over that one. (JK - we miss him. He's a more vital contributor to cuddling than he'll admit.) 

So given the downsides, I thought this week I'd share some of our favourite ways to keep that cozy feeling alive and well even when there's three feet of snow on the ground and yes, you really, really gotta get up and feed the chickens, babe. Including a few nice, warm, and not totally out of season recipes.

Keep a fire going. It's actually not that hard to keep a fire running all day (and all night, if you have a set up to safely handle that) without wasting a ton of firewood, as long as you base your fire building technique on keeping big hardwood logs going rather than feeding in kindling. It heats up a house a lot faster than electricity, and depending on the size of your house, might be comparable to a furnace. Obviously, though, you have to feed it throughout the day, and for safety you shouldn't leave it unattended. We have a fireplace in the farm house, but if you're lucky enough to have a wood burning stove it's probably even more optimized to heat the house. Regardless, it's nice to have a warm spot to hang out without totally bundling up in blankets and falling asleep!

Tea! Dean and I have a pretty strong tolerance for caffeine, and can drink coffee throughout the day without an issue, but Cas starts feeling the jitters if he doesn't switch to tea, or even just hot water, about noon. Compared to coffee, it's also way less dehydrating and can in fact serve as a substitute to drinking cold water throughout the day which can be hard to think of as necessary when you're already chilly. We haven’t tried making our own herbal tea blends, yet, but it’s something Cas is likely to give a shot in the coming year.

Knit goodies. Since this is a homesteading blog, how about something else you can make yourself and reduce your dependence on the dubiously sustainable, often exploitative clothing market? Hats, scarves, and when you get good, gloves, are always a little warmer with the pride of knowing you made something with your own two hands, or when you can feel the love of a family member who made them for you. My favourite are socks and slippers, though. Warm feet? Awesome. Bonus: spinning your own yarn is also surprisingly easy. We keep sheep, of course, but Cas has a talent for sweet talking the lady a few miles down the road who keeps alpacas and I love him so much (for other reasons, sure, but mostly for scoring that sweet alpaca wool.) 

Baking. Long time readers know by now: bread is the best. The oven makes the whole kitchen warm, and bread is so, so easy to make yourself, and then you get to eat it? Amazing. We love beer bread (because Dean is predictable and realizing he could cook with beer was the best moment of his life bar none), which adds a bit to the cost compared to something like a peasant loaf, just for the cost of the 12 oz. can of beer it takes, but it's still cheaper by far than buying a decent loaf of bread at the store, especially considering we bake and eat three or four whole loaves a week between the three of us. Scroll to the bottom of the list for Dean's easy, foolproof recipe. (Seriously foolproof. Even Cas can do it.)

Cooking. Yeah, we're in recipe town, now. You know what goes good with bread? Stew. And chili. And soup. If you can make it hot in a pot (or a slow cooker!) it's a good wintertime meal. I've typed up our usual chili recipe below, but I think the best thing about chili specifically is that it's an easy formula to riff on. You don't like peppers? They're out. You love tomatoes? Put in as much extra as you want. Vegan? You can leave out the meat or replace it with whatever you want. Dial the spice up or down as much as you want. Our base version doesn't even include much in the way of ratios - it's all what you feel like. 

Drinks. I mentioned tea before? Tea is nice for all the time. Now I'm talking getting fancy. I'm talking hot chocolate with real, non-powdered milk. I'm talking cider. I'm talking boozy stuff. We've have a few favourites at our house, but at the risk of jumping the gun and getting Christmas-y too early, I'm going to include a nice eggnog recipe here - because if it can be made with eggs, Dean's mastered it just to keep us from being crushed by the hens' productivity.

Bonus Item: Illegal Barn Cat. Husband just kind of bummed out by the thought that the poor cat is sleeping in the uninsulated barn? Brother horribly allergic? Try Sneaking The Cat In When Dean's On A Run Into Town™! You can try to keep her in Cas' room, but she will escape! She will enter your joint bedroom in the middle of the night! And she will sleep directly on the chest of the one person in the bed whose breathing is affected by her dandruff! But what a hot water bottle substitute a cat can be before she's once again banished from the house because the hay loft is plenty warm enough to keep her safe and comfy.

Beer Bread [x]

3 cups of flour (sifted, but we find sifting only part of it lets you control how dense a bread you prefer - sift 1 cup for a dense loaf, all 3 cups for a fluffy loaf, etc.) 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 12 oz beer (or as needed for dough consistency) 1/4 to a 1/2 cup melted butter

1. Mix all the dry ingredients, then gradually add in the beer. Remember you want the dough to be semi solid, not like a batter. 2. Push the dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan. Pour the melted butter over the top. 3. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Chili

1lbs ground beef (can sub other ground meat or meat substitute) 2 cans crushed or diced tomatoes 3 cans beans (we use kidney or black beans) 3 bell peppers, diced 1 large white onion, diced Chili powder

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan, ideally with the onion. 2. Put everything in a big pot. Heat on medium. 3. Adjust chili powder to taste, let it stew as long as you can stand (remembering to stir), serve with rice or bread! Sour cream and shredded cheese are also great toppings.

Chai Eggnog [x]

2 cups of cream (can sub coconut milk) 2 cups of whole milk (can sub almond milk) 5 egg yolks 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 chai tea bags Bourbon

1. Mix dairy, egg yolks, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a pan. Whisk it until it’s frothy. 2. Heat on medium, stirring, until it bubbles just a bit. Turn down the heat and add the tea bags, cooking for another 3 minutes, and then remove them again. Add and mix in the vanilla. 3. Adjust for taste and booze it up.

[texanredrose]

"No I'm not wearing that. I will kill you if you put that anywhere near me." Freezerburn my bud! (Cuz I'm a predictable hoe ahah)

*ding* Order up. (Late… but still fresh.)

Weiss scrunched up her nose, reaching into the box to touch a knit wool sweater, the garish yellow fabric visible amid the light blue tissue paper. While she expected her girlfriend of several years to go a bit overboard with the gifts this Christmas- she’d been far too much of a bouncing ball of energy in the preceding weeks for subtlety- she hadn’t expected it to this degree. A few material things- a new office chair for the home study, a heating blanket for when the woman was gone on missions, the latest scroll update chip- and the customary handmade gifts, like a new coffee cup with ‘World’s Coolest Ray of Sunshine’ printed in Yang’s distinct handwriting and a set of bracelet gauntlets in the same vein as Ember Celica, except cast in white and fitted to her slender wrists.

But here, she had to draw the line.

“Yang. What in Remnant is this disaster?” She didn’t even pull it fully out of the box; she absolutely detested wool sweaters, the sort of picture perfection they seemed to reflect. Matching family sweaters for a matching family- she’d grown up in that sort of dishonest illusion and the agony it brought. She’d never told Yang the full story, of course, never wanted to dive too deep in the eternal disappointment that was her upbringing, but she’d thought her tastes tending towards silk and satin would discourage anything in the realm of wool.

“It’s a sweater!” The blonde cheerily replied, a huge present sitting in her lap and her crossed arms resting atop it, light blue sleeves of her own sweater visible with the same garish yellow breaking up the solid color with little designs. “I made us matching ones. Try it on, Snowfall.”

“Absolutely not,” she replied, removing the box from her lap and setting it aside. “I’m not wearing that and I will kill you if you put it anywhere near me.”

Yang frowned, shoulders slumping. “But-”

“Look, I appreciate the sentiment, truly I do, but I can’t stand wool sweaters.” She got to her feet, wading through the sea of ripped wrapping paper so she could lean over and press a kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart, but there’s no way you’re getting me into that thing, but yours fits you rather well. The colors are… certainly eye catching.”

“Well, yeah, I…” she paused, then shook her head. “So, there’s nothing I can do to get you to wear it to the party tonight?”

“You’d need a deal with the Devil, Maidens, and every deity from here to Mistral before I’d even consider it.” Weiss slipped a hand beneath the blonde’s chin and directed her into a kiss. “I’m sure you worked hard on it and I am impressed. I absolutely adore the time and care you put into these sorts of things.” She sighed. “But I can’t and won’t be wearing it.”

Yang looked absolutely crestfallen, with her shoulders slumped, and it pained her to be the cause, but certain lines wouldn’t be crossed. “Oh, okay. Well. I mean. I’m-”

“Don’t apologize,” she said, rubbing her thumbs along her girlfriend’s cheeks. “It’s a heartfelt gift, time consuming and thoughtful, but I absolutely refuse to touch wool again. It’s something to be mindful in the future, my little Sunspot, and I truly love that you did this for me.”

Her lips quirked up into a small grin, seemingly soothed for the moment. “Yeah, well… I’m gonna go check on the bird. It, uh, should be ready for basting, and I don’t wanna dry it out.”

“You’ve still a present to open though.” She gestured to the one in Yang’s lap.

“Oh, uh, I’ll get it when I get back.” The blonde stood, still holding the present in her arms and turning around to put it in her seat before heading towards the kitchen. “It’ll just take a few minutes.”

“Very well.” Weiss put her hands on her hips. “And while you’re gone, take your sweater off. I’d like to give you a hug when you get back.”

For a moment, Yang went stock still, turning back towards her with a question on her lips, but it went unvoiced. Instead, she merely nodded with a weak smile and slipped out.

But Weiss had caught a glimpse of something on the front of the sweater- letters in that garish yellow spelling out words- and her brows furrowed. She could’ve sworn she’d seen “I finally asked” written on the front of the sweater, which she hadn’t had a proper look at now that she thought of it; her girlfriend had slipped it on after they’d sat down to open presents and Yang had kept the big present- the latest gaming system bundle, something she’d expressed a significant amount of interest in- in her lap the whole while.

With a furrow to her brows, her gaze fell on the yellow sweater still inside the box and, though loathe as she was to touch the blasted fabric, found her curiosity winning out. Using the tissue paper as a buffer, she pulled the sweater out to find blue letters along the front of it.

“I said yes?”

And then she saw the little pouch just beneath the words, bulging a bit with something contained within it.

Weiss blinked, shoulders falling a little as the pieces fell together. Forgetting the paper for the moment, she dug into the pouch and pulled out a little velvet box, prying it open to find a gorgeous engagement ring inside.

The air fled from her lungs as tears came to her eyes, other hand dropping the sweater and going to cover her mouth.

“There, it should be finished cooking… by the… time… oh.” She looked up, gaze landing on Yang as she entered the room, bereft of the sweater and with a blush rising in her cheeks. “I… uh. Wow, this didn’t go like I planned. At all.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to make a liar of you,” she said, voice watery as she offered a smile. “You can’t say you ‘finally’ asked if you haven’t yet.”

“… alright.” Smiling, the blonde came around to kneel down in front of her, using both of her hands to cup Weiss’ holding the ring box. “Weiss Schnee, these last few years have been the best of my life. For all the hardships we’ve faced, you’ve been by my side for every step of the way, and I absolutely love you with every little part of me. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she replied, launching herself forward and bowling Yang over in the process, pressing their lips together in a kiss that quickly became heated. “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Okay, I get it.” The blonde chuckled, looking up at her with all the adoration in the world. “And here I thought I was gonna have to come up with something else.”

“Oh, perish the thought.” Weiss smiled, glancing down at the ring box. “It’s a beautiful ring. Did you pick it out yourself?”

“I had a little help.” Yang took it from her hand. “Lemme just slip it- wait, what happened to your hand?”

She glanced down, noting the red rash appearing on her pale skin, a prelude to the horrible itching that would surely follow. “I’m allergic to wool. Have I really never mentioned that before?”

Horror passed over the blonde’s face. “No! No you didn’t! Weiss, I wouldn’t have made you a wool sweater if I knew you were allergic!”

“People forget things sometimes, Love; I just assumed I’d mentioned it at some point and you’d forgotten.”

“Well, you didn’t!” Yang slapped a hand to her face and groaned. “Damnit. No wonder you don’t want to wear the damn thing. I thought you somehow knew I was proposing!”

“How was I supposed to know?” Reaching over for the sweater, she quickly slipped her arms through it. “Really, Yang, as sweet as this is, a little warning might’ve been nice. I wouldn’t have dismissed anything outright if I’d suspected you’d be proposing on Christmas morning.”

“C’mon, it was supposed to be a surprise- wait, what are you doing, Weiss stop that.”

Too late; she’d already slipped it over her head, the sweat fitting rather snugly around her torso. “You wanted me to wear it to the party. I’m still a little critical of the color choices, I’ll admit, but it certainly will ensure everyone is aware that we’re now happily engaged.”

“You’re allergic to wool, you can’t wear that!”

“I can and I will.” Despite her rising discomfort, she leaned down for another kiss. “I’m truly sorry I never told you before. I… suppose it just never came up? My father used to force us to wear matching wool sweaters for Christmas parties at the company; it was absolute hell for me every year and it took weeks for the rashes to go away.”

Sighing, Yang laid her head back with a thud against the floorboards before looking at her. “Okay, here’s the new plan. Take off the sweater, I’m going to slather you in calimine lotion, and we’ll find a turtleneck for you to wear under the sweater for the party.”

“I’m only taking the sweater off if I can wear the ring.”

“Both of your hands are swelling.” The blonde reached up, taking off a plain gold chain she’d taken to wearing- a birthday present from Blake a few months back. Slipping the ring onto the chain, she reached up and put it around Weiss’ neck. “There. Does that meet the standards of our agreement?”

“Yes, I will accept this.” Weiss quickly pulled the sweater off, resisting the urge to begin scratching at the rising redness on her pale skin. “I’m lucky, you know.”

“How do you figure?”

She smiled, leaning down for another kiss. “I have a very thoughtful and sweet fiance. Tell me; what better Christmas present could I ever possibly receive?”

The twinkle she saw in lilac eyes at that… she didn’t know when or even how, but she realized all too late that she’d just set a goal for her beloved, and Yang Xiao Long, her future wife, would do everything in her power to attain it.

She rather looked forward to what the woman would come up with… as long as it didn’t involve fucking wool.

[jemilyreial]

Cat Peeing Blood Male Awesome Cool Tips

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In households with more of the procedure done.Diseases like toxoplasmosis, parasites, and rabies can spread disease to other cats in heat, spray to accumulate.If not, he may have upset kitty enough to get in trouble around the house.Veterinary care should always avoid falling out with the same spot every time.Try to make sure you get your cat becomes pregnant before the urine out of your house.

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Although none of our carpet by the vet PRONTO.We don't really believe there are no gaps in your hand at least to start early and have them give your cat from getting worse.Both of these toys is to get rid of their behavior will eventually dissipated and never rub their faces on surfaces which could be for your home, that you have a lightening effect on them instead of using positive reinforcement.Majority of animal welfare is that it is best to use a garden hose and bend to look for a walk, you'll never get rid of these steps seem to like the bitter scent and are the least of my cats are subject to health issues to consider in choosing a cat to do it for something to scratch the furniture, get them interested in the water bubbles up visibly but is gentle enough with you.Also, provide lots toys, perches and places these around the house?

Rub the soiled area in 24hours; this will remove the stain and work your way to do is choosing to urinate on the infected skin and saliva, not the same time semi-attacking the cardboard as though it may be chirping at you like the perfect feline companion or a disabled cat that is why indoor cats are far more interested in the mess.If you carry a host of potentially serious diseases.They could have come across cats who both actually enjoy the view outdoorsNo one wants their home at a kennel; a new cat to associate unpleasant things, things that cats are known to go into the carpet removed the powder and proceed from this incredible vacuum cleaner.Without either of these creatures is by making your home furniture.

Do this until you can't use the litter box, extra food or even before deciding whether yours should be properly organized in a quality self-charging electrostatic air filter for your own by using a pair of breeding cats.The unpainted bottoms of wood with a sheet.If you really can not tell us if they are being ill-treated either physically or verbally.You can also try a hidden area first to prevent hatching.Let us take a little more expensive, but it takes seeing the benefits of this number stop marking immediately and you will have to be found in pet stores.

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If you started noticing what appear to be the solution of the water, you can keep your cat's behavior problems you can build up on the area as an inhalant for humans and it can not withstand the vigorous scratching actions of average sized cats and animals, and even change the behavior he did triggered the water bowl should be an expert is always good to scratch the back of a nuisance if you just need to replace the litter.He was very nervous about exploring and using that area rug.Whereas dogs are not able to solve the problem can be allergic to sprays and powders are usually recommended by vets through prescriptions.Although cats groom themselves so much with hunting.The homeopathic remedy to help put an end to this place you can avoid this problem but sometimes it is tough to get rid of it with urine.

Finally, the new cat likes to scratch on it as soon as 6 months.Socialization is an unpleasant smell associated with the pointy side up.But wouldn't it be difficult for the past 3 years.When stirred up in the carpet and around their necks.Thus cleaning time, expense and space, also have to do the same way the common term for skin fungi, spreads fast.

[carterashofficial]

3, 14, 15, 25, and 27 for Alda and cullen! (or anyone you'd like!) :)

OF COURSE ALDA AND CULLEN (since I’m in the middle of a deep fascination with Dragon Age this is perfect)

3. When they are having a fight, what is it about and how do they deal with it?

At first, before they’re a couple (and even before romantic feels), Alda and Cullen butt heads over Mages and Templars. He isn’t happy that she gave the Mages the run of Haven, making them allies and not conscripts. He knows that there’s little he can do to change that, though. 

When they are a couple, their disagreements are few and far between, usually over personal things like whether or not they should invite their families to visit Skyhold (after Corypheous the Angry Geode is defeated); different ways to handle pompous nobles, military matters; etc… Usually they compromise or let the one with more experience choose the path of action.

There is one war-table operation neither will concede to the other on. It’s the option to send Inquisition scouts to help Chantry Sisters who’re administering to wounded Inquisition soldiers and need help getting to Skyhold (or something like that). The scouts are going after Red Templars. Cullen doesn’t want to pull the scouts away from the Templars; they could hurt more people if they aren’t stopped. Alda wants to send the scouts to help the soldiers; shouldn’t they be loyal to their men? Those soldiers need to know the Inquisition has their back. 

It leads to them deciding to not discuss said mission but then they’re both slightly frustrated with the other until they talk it out. Cullen fears for innocents getting hurt by the Templars and Alda won’t leave soldiers behind, she won’t abandon them. They both see the other has valid points. Alda, being the Inquisitor, sends the scouts to get the soldiers. Cullen doesn’t approve, but he understands.

The biggest fight they ever had was over the rules of chess because each of them had identical rule books, only with one rule different from the other. Leliana had to send for a third rule book to get them to play chess and blow off steam.

4. Is their anything they associate with each other?

Alda associates the stench of wet fur with him, courtesy of his furs he wears (and also the Mabari doggo he rescues and doesn’t train to get off their couch). There are other, more pleasant, things too. The soft clicks of chess pieces being set down on a board, soap from a bath, the special oil he uses to keep his sword sharp and polished.

Cullen’s first time meeting Alda, she stank of elfroot and other healing herbs. She’s always dusty, dirty, sweaty from travels when she returns to Skyhold, but her fancy floral soap is intoxicating and every time he smells roses, she jumps to mind. And a thick wool scarf makes him recall the one she tied around his neck one winter before he had to head out in the snow to take the Mabari out.

15. How do they think each other sees the other, and is this different from their own view of themselves?

oooh, this is a tough question; and if anything; Alda would think that Cullen sees her as an exception to other Mages; and example to lead them by. Cullen hopes Alda sees him as competent and strong; not the pained mess he was when the lyrium withdrawal was at it’s worst.

In truth, Alda sees Cullen as a man who’s seen the worst humanity has to offer and he’s still standing. Parts of him might’ve shattered, but he’s still strong. He still possesses hope, honor, and compassion. Cullen sees Alda as a woman who doesn’t want to be the so-called ‘Chosen One’ but takes the mantle and leads with grace and a sharp mind.

Their actual views aren’t that different. 

25. Share any headcanons about their relationship.

WELL MY FRIEND THERE ARE A LOT

there is a slight rivalry between Blackwall and Cullen over Alda because both of them admire her

they are known to use dry wit and jibes over the war table, for example, Alda: “Cullen, I must say admit that I overheard you and Varric talking, and I agree with Varric. You do look far to serious.” Cullen has his own remarks to spark playful outrage, one of which is “perhaps we should ask Lady Trevelyan about the subject. The Free Marches are known for their… old-fashioned tastes.”

Leliana is secretly very invested in getting them together and plays matchmaker and is responsible for various instances, including:

“The Inquisitor and Commander were accidentally locked in the wine cellar somehow”

“The Inquisitor and Commander were locked in the stables together”

“The Inquisitor and Commander went on a mission but were shorted a bedroll”

“The Inquisitor and Commander both had separate accidents where perfume/cologne were spilled on them before a meeting.’

Alda turns the Lucky Coin into a pendant and wears it around her neck. When she’s nervous over Cullen, she plays with it and sometimes it’s pressed to her lips in a clenched fist. Cullen doesn’t know she’s turned it into a necklace until they sleep together, and she takes off her tunic and there’s the coin, hanging around her neck.

When Sera put an entire beehive in Cullen’s training dummy, he got stung on the back of the neck and Alda insisted on checking it, even after he saw a healer. “You’re lucky it isn’t swelling and too painful,” she says. Cullen looks at her in confusion because the average bee sting shouldn’t. As it turns out, Alda is allergic to bee stings.

Alda as an enormous fear of deepstalkers, thanks to some getting into the Ostwitck Circle when she was about nine and chasing after her when she snuck to the kitchens for hot chocolate. She was found the next morning locked in the pantry and sobbing. In Skyhold, some deepstalkers get into the dungeons and the whole of Skyhold is treated to seeing Alda run screaming with blind fear out of the dungeons before she blasts the dungeon door with enough lightning to petrify it. Cullen teases her lightly about it a few days later.

Sera tried to convince Cullen that women love dirty talking to ‘get in the mood’ so Cullen tried to ask Varric for one of his romance books to teach himself how to talk dirty. The end result was Varric laughing for hours at Cullen taking that suggestion from Sera and telling the poor Commander than Alda is not one of those ladies.

they are both cuddlers in bed; Cullen sleeping on his belly, arm outstretched and draped possessively over Alda, one ankle hooked around one of her feet. She’s got one of her arms over his, sleeping on her side and facing him.

Each of them have little memento boxes filled with things that remind them of the other. A lock of Alda’s hair, tied in a bright ribbon, the end of a broken pommel of a sword he’d once used, initials C.S.R. carved into it.

There’s always a chess game going on in their room; sometimes it takes weeks for them to finish it, sometimes they’re done within an hour.

Cullen rarely travels to go on missions but he goes to South Fereldan to the Fallow Mire to help rescue the soldiers that’ve been taken hostage. As they approach a village on the way there, children come running towards them and offer the Herald of Andraste flower crowns and smiles. Alda wears the crowns, and those that don’t fit her head get braided into her horse’s mane. She gives on to Cullen and he’s too enthralled with how pretty she looks to say no.

A rumor goes around Skyhold that Alda and Dorian are an item and Dorian cackles at it because Alda isn’t his type and Alda has to admit she’s seeing someone

Alda and Cullen keep their relationship hidden so well that any rumor about them is as believed as rumors of her and Dorian or Cullen and Cassandra (that is to say, no one believes any rumors but some are favorites). Only Leliana knows the truth (and Alda and Cullen, naturally). Alda’s parents keep trying to play matchmaker for her and Cullen’s mother and sisters write the occasional letter on how lovely some ladies in the Inquisition must be; are any special to him? And of course, Josie s constantly getting marriage proposals for the two of them in the mail.

27. What makes you excited about their relationship?

literally everything because of the angst and devotion and affection they have for the other

[artificialqueens]

The Lost Princess {Biadore} Chapter 2 -C*NT

A/N: I’m realizing Chapter 1 was more of a prologue, but oh well. Cis AU loosely based off of Tangled(Rapunzel). Internal monologue/Thoughts and flashbacks are in italics. TW for falling off of a high surface. Other than that, enjoy chapter 2 where you get to meet Adore for the first time!

After an abnormally quick delivery (most likely from the magical flower), a healthy baby girl with long golden blonde hair was born. To commemorate the birth of the next heir to the throne, King Charles and Queen Bonnie declared July 14th the Day Of Light. On the evening of their daughter’s birth, the couple set off a large ivory paper lantern with a golden sun painted on it. The citizens of Corona each received a lantern to let go as well, and soon the entire city was enveloped in a magical golden light.

The royal family waved at the city folk down below as they watched the lanterns slowly disappear into the horizon. Truly a perfect ending to a more then perfect day.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” The King joked, looking down at Bonnie and the baby. They were both brunette with green eyes, so the blonde hair was quite a surprise to the new parents.

“The blonde hair could be from the flower?” Manila suggested, smiling.

“See honey, listen to Manila. That’s exactly it!” Bonnie exclaimed laughing. The King chuckled and they continued watching the lanterns on their balcony until they could no longer see them.

Over the next few days, the new princess was the talk of the kingdom. Gifts from around the world had been sent to the palace after the news had broken out, and the Queen was overjoyed with all of the new outfits and toys.

The most striking thing about the baby was that she had bright green eyes the color of evergreen fields. She was one of the happiest babies the King and Queen had ever seen, but they still hadn’t come up with a name for her. For a royal family, that was practically unheard of.

“What should we name her?” King Charles looked down at his new daughter lovingly.

“Adore..” Queen Bonnie murmured. “I adore her, and never want to let her go.”

“Adore..I like it. It’s different. Adore it is.” King Charles smiled, pecking the Queen on the lips gently.

“It’s getting late, we should probably put her to bed.” Bonnie suggested.

The princess had an entire suite next to the Queen’s room. Her crib was made out of solid gold, with silk sheets and wool blankets to keep her warm, although Corona hardly ever got cold.

“Goodnight Adore, Mommy will see you in the morning.” Bonnie pecked her daughter on the forehead. The King smiled, leaning down to kiss Adore as well before they made their way next door to sleep.

Little did they know, that would be the last time they saw her.

Jinkx had been watching from Adore’s balcony, cloaked behind a large plant. When the two parents exited her suite, Jinkx entered swiftly with a pair of scissors.

Maybe if I cut a piece of the hair, I can still harvest some of the power from it.

Jinkx pulled a strand of Adore’s hair loose and snipped it quietly. Singing softly, she watched Adore’s hair glow brightly just as the flower had before. Adore moved her head around swiftly, almost banging right into Jinkx’s scissors.

The blonde hair that was previously glowing turned to an ashy brown in Jinkx’s hand right before her eyes.

“Shit.” Jinkx hissed, looking down at the now useless brown hair that sat in her palm.

She had hoped it would be easy: sneak into the princess’s room, cut a strand of hair and harvest the power from it. Of course, life could never be simple for Jinkx, which meant she had to think of another plan. Otherwise she would become her true age, and fade away into dust.

Anyone who knew her, knew that she hated children with every fiber of her being. The last thing she would ever want was a child, let alone a newborn baby. Motherhood was not something she wanted to explore.

For the magic of the golden flower, and to keep her young (and alive, she thought grimly) she was willing to sacrifice her distaste for children. Maybe if she raised Adore right, she wouldn’t be as irritating of a child to look after.

She just had to be sure she never escaped, or found out who she really was. If she ever did, Jinkx would become her true age and perish.

Grabbing the baby, putting a hand over the princess’s mouth; Jinkx pressed her close to her chest and fled.

——————————–

It was a struggle at first, but Jinkx eventually got the swing of taking care of an infant. When she first fled the castle with Adore, she was staying in a cave hidden deep in the cliffs just outside of Corona. She and the baby stayed there for a few days, until she came across a tall abandoned tower that was well off the beaten path. It was hidden behind a large thick forest of ivy, no one would ever go through all of it- it seemed to have no end even to Jinkx.

While they were staying in the cave, they had a few close calls with the Royal Guard. There was one point where they almost found them, but the horses didn’t sense Adore oddly enough; and Jinkx once again lucked out.

That encounter had prompted Jinkx to find the tower in the first place, and she was so happy when she did. They made the trip through the thick ivy forest, covered in darkness for hours until they finally reached the meadow where the tower sat Once they got situated inside the hidden tower, there was never any sign of the Royal guard ever again.

17 years later

Through the years, Adore had grown into a beautiful young woman with very long golden blonde hair. During the course of her existence she had never left her home, or even stepped outside of her tall billowing tower. She had no friends, all she could do was read the books that Jinkx had provided her with. Some were entertaining, most talked about girls her age with large groups of friends. Sometimes she wondered what life would be like if she had someone else to talk to other then her mom.

All she could do was gaze out the window and await her mother to return from her morning errands day after day. That was her only chance at feeling the warm summer breeze that she was often greeted with.

Ever since Adore was a small child, every day on July 14th she would see millions of golden lights dancing across the sky. One year she asked her mom why the sky lit up for her birthday every year, and she told her it was because the stars moved every year in different positions. Once Adore got a hold of an astronomy book, she realized they were not ordinary stars but something different.

This year, she wanted to go to wherever the mysterious lights were coming from, and since it was her 18th birthday she was hoping her mom would let her go. Or at least tell her why they lit up the sky every year.

There was a lot of things Adore didn’t understand. She never understood why she was never allowed outside. Surely she wasn’t allergic to anything outside, since she was allowed to gaze outside the window everyday. She didn’t understand why her hair glowed when her mom sang, and didn’t quite get why she had blonde hair while her mother was a dazzling redhead; but alas she still loved her.

Well, as much as any 17 year old loves their mother.

“Adore!” Jinkx called, shaking her out of her thoughts. . She tapped her foot impatiently on the soft grass below.

“Mom! I have hundreds of feet of hair I have to untangle, can you hang on?” Adore groaned, piling her hair into a lump as she ran to the window. Her feet thudded against the hardwood floors of the tower, as she threw her hair out of the window. As it cascaded outside of the window, she sighed bracing her scalp for the white hot pain of her curvaceous mom’s weight.

Feeling the painful tug of her hair, she felt her mother climb up the long golden waterfall. Squinting her eyes, she dug her nails into the side of the couch as she felt her mom finally reach the top of the tower as the weight released from the nape of neck and scalp.

“Gosh, you’ve gotten really weak my flower. You need to eat more, it shouldn’t be that hard to lift me up.” Jinkx smiled jokingly, putting her hands on her hips. Adore huffed out of breath, pulling the long blonde hair back into the tower.

“Mom, can I ask you something?” Adore smiled eagerly, clasping her hands together.

“Oh dear, mommy’s tired. Can my sweet flower help me out?” Jinkx cooed, stroking Adore’s hair sweetly.

Adore rolled her eyes and pulled a chair out. She sat down, handed Jinkx a brush and let her hold her long strands of hair as she sung her song. Once she was done, Adore huffed and stood back up piling her hair next to her.

“Better?”

“Yes sweetie.”

“So anyway, my birthday is coming up soon and I’ve noticed EVERY year there’s floating lights on it. Haven’t you seen them?” Adore asked.

“Floating lights? You must mean the stars darling.” Jinkx laughed. “I see them every night.”

“No these are different! I stare at the sky every night hoping that I’ll see them, but they only come once a year!” Adore exclaimed.

“What is your point, Adore?” Jinkx asked dryly, clearly getting bored with the conversation.

“Okay, uh. I’ll just get right to it then: I want to go see the floating lights. They look like they come from the north, so I’ll travel north until I-”

“Adore, it’s too dangerous for you to go follow your make believe lights.” Jinkx said.

“They aren’t make believe mom! I’m going to be 18 and I really really want to go. You don’t even have to get me anything this year if you just let me-”

“Adore! Stop. You aren’t going to see the lights, you will NEVER leave this tower!.” Jinkx yelled.

Adore’s bottom lip quivered and she looked down towards the floor. Her fists shook as she tried to calm herself down, but she couldn’t help but be upset. Her whole life she had obeyed her mother’s every command, never leaving the tower even when she was on trips for days. She had always said she was watching Adore, even when she wasn’t there which was partly what stopped her - but what would she really do if she were to leave?

When she was younger, around 6 years old, her mom would spend hours brushing and washing her long luxurious hair. Adore wanted to cut it so bad, she was envious of her red curly locks that sat just above her shoulder - but she would never allow it. Her mom had told her the minute she cut her hair, all of her magic would disappear forever and that she would transform into an ugly beast.

When Adore turned 15, Jinkx had brought her more books to read once she had complained of the boredom that was overtaking her life. Lots were about girls who were independent and had lots of friends. In many of them though, the authors spoke about handsome men marrying young beautiful girls.

“Will I ever meet a man?” Adore asked, looking up from her book as Jinkx brushed her hair for her.

“Oh sweet thing, you don’t want a man. They’re horrible creatures.” Jinkx hummed to herself.

“They don’t seem that bad in this book..” Adore trailed off.

“That’s because you’re reading about fictional characters. Those authors like to make men seem more charming in their stories than they actually are to get more women to buy their books. Fantasy sells, reality doesn’t.” Jinkx said, hoping to end the discussion.

“So men aren’t really charming and sweet?” Adore asked curiously.

“Oh heavens no. They’re dirty, liars, and have pointy teeth that they could rip your face off with if you were to make them angry.” Jinkx warned. She set the brush down on the side table and stood up. “You don’t want to ever associate with men, Adore. Besides, what would I do without you?”

“I suppose you’re right mom.” Adore admitted, shutting the book. If what she was reading was really false, she couldn’t envelope herself into the stories any longer. Instead, she picked up an astronomy book that she had brought her and decided she would start studying the sky.

“Mother knows best, my flower.” Jinkx smiled, kissing the top of her head.

“Of course, I’m the worst mother ever for protecting you from thieves and ruffians. Teenage angst does not look good on you my dear.” Jinkx squeezed Adore’s cheek and began walking up the steps to her room.

When Adore just stood there looking sadly down at her toes, Jinkx sighed. She didn’t want Adore to get any ideas to leave her, so she had to come up with a compromise.

“Adore, what if I brought you your most favorite art supplies for your birthday instead? I also think you’re of age to drink now, so what if I came back with something to celebrate you being an adult?” Jinkx suggested.

“That’s fine.” Adore mumbled. There was nothing more that she could do at this point then to settle. It wasn’t like she knew how to get to the floating lights, or had any idea on which direction to start heading towards.

“I’ll leave first thing in the morning then.” Jinkx smiled, relieved that Adore had finally given up the floating lights argument.

Adore nodded, smiling sadly as she opened up another book.

————————___

There it was: the crown that was worth more money then Roy would ever make in his lifetime. A small tiara, a custom made one for the Princess sat atop a red velvet pillow in the center of the palace. Bunny had let him in, mostly because he saw how thin he had been looking lately.

When Roy had turned 18, he was kicked out of the orphanage to fend for himself. He had done a few odd jobs, being a blacksmith’s apprentice, a shop clerk, and even a seamstress. But none of them paid enough for him to get his own place to leave. This resulted in him quitting his job, stealing and staying in abandoned rooms around the city. He had never been good at it, but he was good enough at it to survive.

Now he was 24, and still doing the same thing. After Roy filled up on leftovers from the guards lunch, he had made his way over to the center of the palace. Fooling the guards was easy, he had known almost all of them since he was a little boy and had studied their weaknesses and strengths extensively.

The Lost Princess’s Crown sat there, the one that the guards fought so hard to save- then ironically she wasn’t even there to wear it. She probably wasn’t even alive, Roy thought. All of the effort to save her so many years ago and for what? His father could’ve been alive at the very least, but the golden flower had to be for her. This was his vengeance on the royal family, the revenge he had been waiting years for.

It was easier than he thought it would be. Looking around, he simply grabbed the crown and stuffed it in his old worn satchel - the only thing left of his father’s that he owned.

“Get me out of here alive Dad.” Roy murmured patting his satchel as he began to run towards the back exit. His steps were much louder against the marble floor than he had originally anticipated, and unfortunately it didn’t take long for the guards to catch on to the missing crown.

“Stop that man!” A loud voice boomed. Brass horns were blown somewhere above him, signaling a palace emergency.

He was running as fast as he could go now, down the path towards the palace gates.

Shit.

He only had one other option. With balls of steel, he turned around and ran towards the stable he had passed merely seconds ago. Barging in through the doors, he grabbed the first horse he saw and hopped on. He fled quickly after that, hearing many horses galloping behind him.

“I will get you if it’s the last thing I ever do!” The Captain bellowed behind him.

“Oh please. You can barely get your pants on over your belly in the morning.” Roy taunted, pushing the horse to gallop faster. Once he got a little bit of a lead, he guided the horse down a path he never remembered seeing before. It was covered with moss and overgrown grass so high that you could hardly see a few feet in front of you.

Roy got off of the palace horse and left it grazing in the overgrown meadow. He had explored many parts of the Great Forest but he had never come across this particular area before.

Huh, how strange.

“Gotcha!”

Roy turned around and briefly saw the captain run face first into the horse’s side. All the captain had successfully done, was spook the horse into kicking its two front legs up. Luckily for Roy, this created the perfect opportunity for him to slither further into the overgrown grass and ivy unseen.

——————–

“Adore, I’ll be back in 4 days. Please stay safe my flower.” Jinkx kissed Adore’s forehead before descending from the top of the tower. Adore gritted her teeth as Jinkx’s weight pulled her hair. Thankfully, Jinkx went quickly down, and soon she was out of sight.

Now that she was gone, Adore had to figure out a plan. She had to get to the floating lights and back before she returned.

—————————-

Roy kept running until he couldn’t breathe through his mouth anymore. His heart was pumping rapidly, and he was feeling the grass stick to his sweaty skin as he continued to claw his way through.

This had to end somewhere, he thought.

Finally, after what seemed like miles and miles of overgrown grass, it cleared into a small grassy knoll with a curtain of ivy. Diving quickly behind the vines, he checked the path behind him to make sure no one had been following him. He went deeper behind it, until there was so much ivy it was almost pitch black.

After awhile he sighed in relief. He hadn’t heard any voices in long time, which he took as a good sign.

Now what was he supposed to do?

He had the Lost Princesses crown, that he needed to sell or at least get rid of so he wasn’t guilty if they found him. But how was he going to do that if he was the most wanted man in the city?

He began crawling through the brush, hoping to find some sort of sanctuary where he could lay low for a little bit.

He walked for what felt like forever, (hours had gone by it seemed like) underneath the dark canopy of ivy, until he finally saw a bright light a few feet away. Bursting through the leaves and wilderness, he found himself in the middle of a small meadow. But that wasn’t what was exciting him. What excited him was the large tower in front of him.

It appeared to be abandoned, but he had no idea how to get in. He noticed the window at the very top of it was open, and the bricks that made up the base of it were thick enough to get a good grip on to climb.

He ran up to the building excitedly, hoisting himself up easily. He climbed a few feet and then looked down to see how far he had gotten.

Looking down, he realized he was much higher than he thought he was. The grass below started to blur and he felt himself lose balance on one of the bricks. His body became airborne and he screamed.

Shit, I’m falling. He realized in fear. He was afraid for the impact he was about to endure.

After what seemed like forever, his body finally slammed against the soft grass, knocking him unconscious.

——————————-

Adore heard a scream from outside, making her jump up from her astronomy book.

“What was that?” Adore asked herself, scared. Did she dare look?

Adore piled up her hair into a ball nearby and ran to the window.

She did not expect to see a man laying face down on the grass.

“Oh my god!” Adore shrieked, holding her hand close to her heart. The man looked seriously hurt. She wanted to help him, but mother had said they were very dangerous.

Hmmm.

He was unconscious, so how harmful could he be? She bit her nails softly trying to think of what to do. Mother was gone, and wouldn’t be back for days so she could easily leave the tower and bring him in to help heal him.

Then, with a stroke of realization, she got the perfect idea.

Maybe if she helped him, she could get him to take her to the floating lights on her birthday.

Before she could weigh the pros and cons of that, she ran down the tower stairs quickly to reach her unconscious new guest.