#national visit your relatives day

[murderousink23]

05/18/2024 is International Day for Museums 🖼🌎, World Therapeutic Horticulture Day 🌱🌎, National Cheese Souffle Day 🇺🇸, National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 🇺🇸, National No Dirty Dishes Day 🇺🇸, National Visit Your Relatives Day 🇺🇸, Colorado Public Lands Day 🇺🇸, National Armed Forces Day 🇺🇸, National Learn to Swim Day 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️🇺🇸, National Numeracy Day 🇬🇧, World Whisky Day 🥃🇬🇧

[magics-neptunes-things]

Collide (1)

Hello everyone!

Here we are finally in the series I talk about a few days ago. After the votes you chose Leah, but I might have kept some ideas for Alessia afterwards.

I have the beginning of the story and the end, but I have not yet decided exactly what would happen in the middle, so I am unable to tell you how many chapters there will be in this story.

I hope you will like it and as usual, I gladly take your comments, requests and suggestions :) Don’t hesitate to write to me.

Happy reading!

World count : 4.8k

TW : Mention of breaking up and angst. I think nothing else but if you notice something please let me know!

PART 2 I PART 3 I PART 4 I PART 5 I PART 6 | PART 7

The news of your transfer to Arsenal was like a little bomb in the football world. You were on the verge of another contract extension with Manchester City when the London club contacted your agent, offering you a contract that you couldn’t refuse. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, you thought about it long before accepting. You asked for the advice of your parents and friends footballers perhaps a little more experienced than you. Including Ingrid Engen, one of your best friends since you started playing on the Norwegian national team.

After weighing the pros and cons, you decided to accept and say goodbye to Manchester City. Some things will obviously miss you. Starting with some of your teammates that you consider your friends and who seemed really saddened by your departure.

You quickly got along with Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi, the spanish womens taking you under their wing just arrived in Manchester. They made your life easier and helped you include yourself in the club much more easily than you could have hoped. Leaving your home country at almost 18 wasn’t easy, but if you wanted to continue to follow your dreams, you really had no choice. Norwegian football being less in the spotlight, when you had the first proposal from an English club, you didn’t hesitate a single second. Your parents and relatives encouraged you to accept this offer as well.

Your life in Manchester has been pleasant and you can’t help but be a little nervous about moving to a new city. With other people, other places… In short, to start almost from the beggining. The only thing that has changed between your settlement between Manchester and London is that you have undoubtedly developed your athletic abilities and skills in all areas necessary to be able to play football properly.

Your contract was signed just after the end of the World Cup, so you were the last to announced at Arsenal. This didn’t allow you to find an apartment in time and that is why you find yourself in a hotel room for your first nights in London. It’s a little strange, but you’d rather that than take an apartment that wouldn’t suit you. It’s important for you to really feel at home when you cross the threshold of your door and you haven’t found the one who gave you this impression in those you have visited for the moment.

You only have a few things with you at the moment, all your furniture is stored in Laia’s garage in Manchester, ready to be sent as soon as you find what suits you. Very soon, let’s hope.

********

It’s a little nervous that you leave the Uber that accompanies you to the Arsenal training center for your first day under the colors of the club. You have already made the promotional photos, so you have already met several people belonging to the staff. You’ve already had a meeting with Jonas, but you haven’t met a lot of people officially when it comes to the players.

Last night, Alessia Russo contacted you via Instagram (you didn’t even realize she was following you on social media) and offered to wait for you at the entrance to make your way together. You quickly accepted, even if you also quickly understood that it was for you more than for her. Alessia knows a lot of people on the team, unlike you. But the gesture made you happy. Alessia having played at Manchester United while you were playing at Manchester City, you might have had a bad connection with her, being clubs enemy, but that’s not the case. Leila and Laia always took you with them when they were going out with Ona and her friends and that’s how you met Alessia. From saying you’re friends with her there’s a world, but you appreciate the blonde’s personality.

Alessia is already waiting for you when you arrive and you smile at her when you reach her height.

"Hi" you say with a slight smile, responding willingly to her embrace.

"Nervous?" asks the blonde, glancing at you.

You answer with a simple grunt that makes her laugh, before you go to the conference room where you meet the rest of the team. She asks you about your Summer and you ask questions back, learning that she went in her family in Italy.

Several of your teammates are already present when you enter the room, including Jonas who greets you both with a big smile. You find yourself following Alessia around like a lost puppy in the room, but she doesn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, she introduces you to people she already knows.

You’ve come across some of them on football fields in previous games, but aside from a few words exchanged with them, there’s never been anything more. You talk to Laia Codina, whom Laia and Leila described as an adorable girl, when a new trio arrives in the room. Lia, Leah and Katie.

"Katie terrifies me" Alessia jokes in your ear before Leah spots her and leads the other two in your direction.

"Do you know Y/N?" Alessia tells Leah after they greet each other with an embrace.

"Not really" Leah replies with a smile. "Welcome to Arsenal!"

"Thank you very much"

When your eyes meet, you feel a wave of shivers running through your entire body. Nothing to do with the terror that Katie can inspire in Alessia, but what it can mean does intrigue you no less. But you quickly recover, greeting all three. You realize too that Leah’s embrace lasts a few seconds longer than the others, her hand dragging in the hollow of your back when she laughs at a joke Katie made.

Shortly after, Jonas and his assistants arrive in the room and ask you all to sit down. You find yourself next to Alessia and Manuela Zinsberger and listens wisely to what he tells you. This mainly consists of a warm welcome from the new players, a reminder of the goals set for the team this year and the introduction of new staff members. After that, everyone is invited to a brunch and you find yourself around a big round table, once again with Manuela but also with Frida Maanum, who seems delighted to have a compatriot with her on the team.

"We’ll be able to show Stina and Amanda who the real Vikings are" she told you, amusing the people around you.

The least we can say is that you quickly feel comfortable.

Finally you were wrong to fear the introduction into your new team. You haven’t trained together yet, but you feel it won’t be a problem for you to fit in here. Despite you, your eyes are a little too turned towards Leah Williamson, who has lunch at an another table. You didn’t expect the injuries one to be here today, which was stupid of you. They’re just as much part of the team as you are.

In the middle of the afternoon, after visiting the different rooms and the training ground, you are free to leave. You stay a little longer than the first ones who do though, having fun making passes with Alessia and Manuela, while Leah, Lia, Beth and Viv stay a few meters from you to discuss. When you finally decide to leave the field to go home and you don’t follow them to the parking lot greeting them nevertheless, you see Leah arching an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

"Taking the subway? I don’t have a car yet" you answer smiling, shrugging your shoulders.

"Bullshit. Someone can bring you back" Leah says, turning to your teammates.

"I’m not going to force someone to make a detour for me, Leah, but that’s very kind, thank you very much."

Something in the blonde’s gaze makes you think that if she had been fit to drive, she herself would have made the detour, but being driven by Lia she doesn’t have the opportunity to do so.

"I can" says Alessia nicely. "Where do you live?"

A new wave of surprise attacks your teammates when you give them the name of your hotel.

"You live in a hotel?" Lia wonders with her kind voice this time.

"I didn’t find an apartment for now" you shrug your shoulders."It all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to anticipate things properly."

Well, you must also say that you wanted enjoy your holiday without bother yourself with it.

"We have a guest room if you want to come and live there for a few days, the time to find something" proposes Manuela.

But before you have time to answer, Alessia suddenly resumes speaking, slapping her forhead, as if she had just remembered something.

"They’re looking to rent the apartment in front of mine, on the same floor. If it’s like mine, it’s really nice!"

********

It turned out that the apartment in front of Alessia is indeed very nice. A bright living room (Very rare for London said Katie when she was sent by Leah to come make the counter-visit with you to scare the seller in case of scam attempts), a bedroom, another room that you used as a guest room, a third to make you an office and a living room with open kitchen. You even have a small balcony overlooking the inner courtyard, separated from Alessia’s by a transparent wall. "We’ll have to do a housewarming party" several of your teammates got excited. And that’s how you end up with most of the players on the team crammed into your living room, laughing while watching a reality show chosen by Jen. You ordered pizza and a supply of beer and other drinks has been flooding your balcony since last night. But you feel good and that’s all that matters. At the end of the show, you don’t know who offers a drinking game, consisting of taking a shot of alcohol if we did more than the person says. For example, you find yourself having to drink when Lotte says "I took more than three yellow cards last season." "Katie should drink like five shots" jokes Viv towards. Katie glare at her as laughter rises around you, but the game continues. Finally, when one of them says "I slept with more than two people" you are surprised to see that finally not many of you drink. You do. "Y/N?" Manuela turns to you with a disbelieving smile. "We never said we had to justify ourselves" you answer pulling your tongue at her. A new round is quickly thrown after that, but you cross Leah’s eyes a few seconds later. She also drank, which is probably not surprising given the small reputation that precedes her.

After clearing your throat, you look away with a slight blush on your cheeks.

You regularly saw Leah, between the parties organized by the different team members and during training. If the blond doesn’t follow those in the field, she has her appointments with her physiotherapist at the same time as you play. And she now participates in strength training and physical maintenance.

You talk to her regularly, but you have a hard time staying away like you promised yourself to. Leah seems like a very passionate and kind person, but some of your former teammates in Manchester City have made you aware of her flirtatious nature. And a one- or two-night thing, are really not what you’re looking for right now.

A little later in the evening, when at least half of the squad has returned home, you find yourself tidying up a little in the kitchen accompanied by Lia, Leah, Alessia, Manuela and Frida.

"So you have more than two conquests?" teases Manuela, leaning on the central island of your kitchen.

You have the impression that Leah’s eyes will pierce your head when she hears Manu’s question.

"I’ve got like three" you says, rolling your eyes. "It’s not the end of the world"

"It’s not" Lia laughs.

Hoping to divert the conversation, you offer once again to drink to your teammates slash friends. But that was without counting on Manu’s spontaneity.

"Oh but it wasn’t you who dated Alina Meier who play in Aston Villa? Lia’s swiss teammate?" (n/a I don’t want any problem with anyone, this girl is all invented)

You feel your stomach contracting a little bit to her name. Manuela isn’t mistaken, but you usually avoid talking about your ex. Any of your interlocutors could feel the tension emanating from you, but Lia is the fastest.

"Can I have another beer please?" she cuts the conversation with a big smile.

You willingly accept and pivot towards the fridge to dive in. Alessia takes charge of changing the topic of conversation and you sigh of relief when your hear that it works. You spend two seconds more than necessary to take out the beer, taking a large breath before leaving the fridge. Alessia puts a comforting hand behind your back and you find yourself once again stuck in Leah’s eyes when your eyes cross.

An hour later, it’s just Alessia, Leah, Victoria and you. Manuela fell asleep on the couch and you will probably find her in the same place tomorrow morning. Vic and Lessi are in the middle of a conversation about a band when you find yourself on your balcony, enjoying some fresh air.

"Mind if I join you?"

Leah. You obviously invite her to join you, despite yourself very intrigued by the young woman. You’re not stupid, or at least not stupid enough not to realize that she seems intrigued by you too. She speaks at you more often than Manu for example and behaves differently with you than with Lia or Alessia. You can imagine how much she looks about you and to be honest you’re interested about her too. But on your side it’s not only physical interest, which changes everything.

"Are you okay?" asks Leah with sincere concern. "You seem a little down since Manu mentioned Alina."

You look at her thoughtfully for a split second before shrugging your shoulders.

"She doesn’t bring back pleasant memories. But it’s ok" you finally confess, looking at the sky.

It’s difficult in London to observe the stars, between pollution and public lights lit everywhere. You miss it a little.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Well… Everybody in the football world knows, no?"

Another disadvantage of dating a well-known player, in the end. It’s impossible to keep your privacy private.

"I don’t think so?" said Leah, frowning. "I don’t, anyway." You look at her again for a few seconds and it doesn’t take you any longer to understand that she’s telling the truth. "We dated for almost a year, until I found out she had been cheating on me with someone in the man team from her club for almost four months." "Oh... I’m so sorry" A new glance in her direction allows you to understand that she really is. Frowning, she seems upset by this story. Like all the people to whom you tell the truth of your break up with Alina. You assumed that everyone knew why, but it would seem that they didn’t. It kind of cheers you up to be honored. "Jordan’s playing with her now" you say thoughtfully. Leah grunt at the mention of her ex and you take advantage of the fact that she looks in front of her to observe her. Leah is a very beautiful woman, it’s not surprising that people like her so much. You see regularly video on her in your "For you" on Tiktok. "You’re not the only one having a bad relationship with your ex" ended up sighing Leah. "Do you want to talk about it?" you ask, repeating her words from before. "There’s not much to say. She’s just, you know... gone." Maybe you shouldn’t get close to her to put your hand on her shoulder, her proximity triggering strange sensations throughout your body. You realize that the joints of Leah’s hands that are attached to the fence are white, and your hand quickly leaves her shoulder to be laid on one of Leah’s, stroking it. When Leah turns her head in your direction, you realize how close your faces are. Your breath is cut off and the infinity of the blue of her eyes makes you lose yourself. When Leah puts her hand around your waist to take you against her, you feel like your heart rate has never been so fast.

But it’s nothing compared to how you feel when her lips land on yours. One hand is automatically behind her neck and the other on her cheek. Your lips begin a passionate and sensual dance and that’s exactly how you imagined things when you thought about how Leah kiss.

The blonde takes advantage of a wimper from you to deepend the kiss and request access to your mouth with her tongue. You leave it to her, carried away by these waves of emotions and sensations that make you turn your head. You find yourself quickly having legs in jelly and you can’t tell how long this moment happened.

You need all your concentration and willpower to break that kiss, snatching yourself from Leah’s arms.

"I’m sorry" you mumble out of breath, facing Leah’s surprised face. "I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry"

With one last mumble, you hurry back inside. If the remaining guests suspect something, they don’t show it. You take the excuse to clean up a little more to mask your trembling hands and let your heart rate returning to normal. Five minutes later, Leah came back inside, excusing herself and leaving your apartment, calling it a night. She didn't even look at you and well, that's hurt. But it shouldn't, aren't you the one who pushed her away?

After kissing your cheek and saying goodbye, Alessia left you too. You throw a blanket on Manu’s sleeping body, you go to your room. It’s late, but you know that Ingrid sometimes stays up a little later than other people.

From You Are you asleep?

From Ingrid 🩵 No. are you okay?

From You Can we call each other?

You don’t get messages back, but Ingrid tries to call you while you’re brushing your teeth. You pick up, mouth full of toothpaste and greet your friend with a hand sign when her face appears on the screen.

"What are you still up at this hour?" smiled Ingrid

"I could ask you the same question" you point out to her after rinsing your mouth.

Ingrid just turns your phone screen and you realize that she shows you her living room, in which she seems to be installed with Mapi and Baghera watching TV.

"Hola Mapi!" you smile to the tattooed when she greets you with a wave of hand.

"What about you?"

"I invited the girls to my apartment to celebrate my move in" you explain before leaving the bathroom and going to lie on your bed.

"Was it nice?"

You hum for any answer, the memory of the kiss you just exchanged with Leah coming back full force. After spending years paying attention at you, Ingrid knows you very well and she realizes in the second that the reason you called her is related to this evening.

"What’s going on, Søtnos?"

Mapi being next to Ingrid, you are relieved that you started this conversation in Norwegian. Since Leah’s name is rather all-purpose, you hope that when you mention her, Maria will not realise. You never understood why there is such tension between the Spanish women and the English women, at least for some of them. But Mapi will probably never be friends with Leah.

Ingrid is a person you could easily confide in, even if there are parts of your life that you have never talked to her about. But you trust her with your life and you know that she will always be able to see things in a neutral and mature way. Which is not always your case.

You explain the situation to her, trying not to take too much time while giving her all the necessary information to have a clear vision of things.

"For summary" resumes Ingrid after your monologue "You like her, she seems to like you too. She kissed you, you pushed her away and she left without looking at you?"

"Uh… yeah"

"And you’re surprised?" laughs softly the brunette shaking her head.

"No, on the contrary. I should never have accepted that kiss in the first place, it was a serious mistake on my part."

"Why?"

"Because she doesn’t see things the way I do, I guess. Leila told me to beware of her and she didn’t want anything serious for a long time" you sigh as you roll to the side.

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"No, we didn’t have time between the kiss and the moment she left my apartment slamming the door" you laugh.

"Be careful with your bad attitude" warns Ingrid pointing at you.

But you smile at her in return. You know she doesn’t scold you for real.

"Anyway, I doubt that she will want to speak to me again after that" you sigh again.

This information shouldn’t depress you as much as that, but still. And this doesn’t escape the keen eye of your compatriot once again. She smiles softly at you.

"I like Leila and I don’t doubt that she means what she says, but trust me, you’re never better served than by yourself."

Her look from the side and you know she’s looking at her own girlfriend. You remember perfectly well that Ingrid was also told to beware of Mapi. But when you see where they are today, you tell yourself that she did well to trust her own idea.

"You have a better conscience than me to judge people" you remind her.

Ingrid answers you with a grunt and you know that she thinks about what happened previously in your love life. You make a grimace and decide to change the subject, questioning her rather on Mapi, her trainings and what she has to tell you again in her life.

Your call lasts another ten minutes before you decide to stop, promising to call you back quickly. What you usually do once a week at least, determined to keep in touch despite the fact that you are not in the same country.

It’ll be a long time before you can fall asleep that night, Leah deep in your mind. Part of you is bitterly sorry you pushed her away, but on the other hand, no one can blame you for wanting to protect you, right? No one knows your past and what you went through before you came here. But you can’t help but feel guilty, despite the little time you spent with Leah, she confided in you about her relationship with her ex and even if it was just a few words, you feel like she wouldn’t do it to just anyone. Your last wish is to hurt her, she asked nothing for it.

You will have to wait until the sky clears, heralding a new day for you to finally find sleep, long hours later. Little did you know that Leah experienced the same thing in her own bed.

********

As you have imagined, Leah was particularly cold the next time you saw her. She greeted you, but only from a distance. Her affectionate smile and the little touches if attention she offered you on a daily basis now seem to need to be evoked in the past. And it bothers you too much for your taste.

This obviously caught the attention of the girls you were closest to in Arsenal, starting with Alessia.

"Is everything okay with Leah?" she asked you one day when you ended up in her apartment after a game.

"Yeah, why?"

Thank God you were on your phone and you were able to use this pretext to pretend to be absorbed by what was on it. Otherwise Alessia would have seen the slight panic take hold of your gaze.

"I don’t know, I think she changed her behavior with you… It’s not so much in her habits"

Alessia is far too observant, but given her character and personality, it doesn’t surprise you. It's also probably thanks to this that she saw your hesitation and she got closer to you before starting to speak again.

"Leah is my friend but you are too, so if you need to confide in someone, you can do it with me ok? I know how to keep secrets"

"Even for Tooney?" you asked while arching an amused eyebrow.

You met the energetic Englishman recently, when she came to London for an interview and took the opportunity to attend a match of Alessia.

"Even for Tooney" laughed Alessia gently shoving you with a shoulder.

You laughed too and you both went back to your respective phones, but in truth Alessia’s remark began to spin in your brain.

"Thanks"

Is all you added before you letting your head on her shoulder. Alessia responded by tapping you on the top of it, without taking her phone out of her eyes. And that was enough.

********

"Your tattoo is amazing!"

Katie’s exclamation makes you turn in her direction and you smile timidly when you see her watching your back carefully.

"Thank you?" you whisper in response.

Even if you prefer showering at home, this is not the first time you change in front of your teammates. So you don't know it Katie have never dared to ask you about it or if they have never really make attention the tattoo you have on your back. Yet it’s hard to miss. Drawn on all your right shoulder blade, it goes down to the hollow of your hips and shows up to your right shoulder.

"Wow, invite the girl on a date before" jokes Manuela when Katie advances towards you, without detaching her eyes from your back, her head slightly tilting on the side to have a better view.

"Sorry, I already put an option on it!" Caitlin exclaims at the back of the locker room, causing a general laugh.

Katie rolls her eyes, but you realize that she has been joined by Lia and Leah, all three of them carefully observing your tattoo. Your gaze lingers on Leah, who seems to resist as much as possible her desire to come and look closer. She stands behind Lia and when your eyes cross she silently observes you for long seconds before shifting her attention to your back.

"Sorry about the invasion" Lia smiles gently.

"It makes me think of a painting" Leah thoughtfully made next to her.

"By Van Gogh yes. The Starry Night. It was my grandfather’s favorite painting. Well, it’s a modified version obviously, but the inspiration is there"

The surprised look of Leah doesn't escape you. Lia is watching you silently and next to you Katie and Manuela have started a conversation about tattoos. As for Alessia, she finally emerges from the shower after her eternal routine of care.

"Do you like painting?" Leah asks carefully, looking at you with the same apprehension as if your gaze could ignite her alive.

"My grandfather was a painter, not very well known but he introduced me to this world" you answer by shrugging your shoulders.

"What she paints is incredible. She has a room dedicated to this at home, behind her bedroom" Alessia intervenes.

You turn in her direction, frowning. It's a part of you that you don't really want to share with everyone, fearing their jugement. You don't think you're a great painter, but you like painting. It's sort your mind. Your glance is quickly captured by your friend.

"What? It’s true" she mumbles, shrugging.

You roll your eyes and turn around to finish dressing, putting on a t-shirt and a sweatshirt to accompany your ripped jeans. The little troop that surrounded you has dissipated, but Leah’s gaze remains thoughtfully on you. You cross it when you glance in her direction and you blush slightly.

The effect that woman has on you… It might be a good idea to talk to someone about it again instead of thinking desperately about her every night before you fall asleep.

[wordbunch]

dad Boromir headcanons

a/n: more specifically this is girl dad boromir!! purely self indulgent and based on my personal fantasies. oops. still hope u think it's cute and leave it a nice comment/reblog/sth... 🥰💌

for a few days after she is born, Boromir just walks around on the verge of happy tears

needless to say he is wrapped around her pinky finger from the very first second of knowing her

nobody except you, him, Faramir and your fellowship friends are allowed to hold her (maybe don't let Merry and Pippin babysit immediately)

his protectiveness grows tenfold, both of you and your daughter

"now i have two queens of my heart"

my headcanon is that Gondor hasn't had any princesses born in a loooong time so historically it would also be a very exciting occasion!

Boromir is 101% hands-on and very quickly catches onto many tips and tricks for caring for an infant, all courtly protocols be damned! that is his babygirl and his wife and just you try keeping him away!

no matter his obligations and plans, if she falls asleep on him, or clutching a strand of his hair, his finger, ear, clothes, anything, you can bet he isn't moving anywhere

he covers her tiny ears if he hears anyone nearby uttering what he deems inappropriate words (his standards for inappropriate words also changed significantly)

comes up with the best stories and changes his voice to fit different characters

if your daughter's first word is anything close to 'dad', he will all but proclaim a national holiday complete with a feast istg

aunties Éowyn and Arwen love love having their little girl time with her and will teach her different, but amazing things respectfully

Boromir does his very best to openly express love and affection towards your babygirl - lord knows how he grew up

you know sometimes he isn't sure what to do or how to say something, but your heart swells while watching him give his best

your love for each other deepened as you watched each other grow into the new phase of life

for real, he was nothing but loving towards you before, but now...

he becomes so attuned to your needs it blows your mind

little appreciation gifts are a very common occurence

while you try to keep the bath time relatively tidy and not cause a flood every time, Boromir makes it his mission to make it as fun and chaotic as possible

the little princess of Gondor has the cutest clothes and toys imaginable

especially when she starts to express her wishes, Boromir will do anything to make them come true

"my love, don't you think she is a little too young for a pony?"

"but she said she wanted one!"

"...she was talking in her sleep, Boromir"

"see, it is her dream to have a pony!"

luckily you win and she doesn't get a pony at the ripe old age of barely 2, but you partially cave in and say she can feed and pet ponies when you visit your friends in the Shire

those family outings are always so much fun and some of your favorite memories

everytime your girl is being very stubborn, and your husband is exasperated, you like to remind him she's his daughter through and through

when she grows up she will take no shit but will be so kind and warm and interested in so many things

truly the best of combinations, Boromir and you almost congratulate each other on doing a splendid job

tagging some friends just because

@lady-of-imladris

@sotwk

@starladyy

@queenmeriadoc

@fenharel-enaste

@entishramblings

@coraleethroughthelookingglass

@shirefantasies

@asianbutnotjapanese

@ironmandeficiency

@glorf1ndel

@aidansloth

[hindahoney]

If you want to code-switch so often that you are nearly incomprehensible to goyim, here is a list of my favorite and most-used Jewish terms:

Schvitzing - Sweating. (Ex: "I'm schvitzing so much it's showing through my clothes.")

Schlep - A tedious and long journey, depending on usage it can mean that you were carrying something. (Ex: "I had to schlep all the way across campus, my backpack was so heavy." Usually denotes a long walk, but other forms of transportation are acceptable too. "You drove all the way to New York from Florida? That's quite the shlep.")

Shtati - Something really cool. (Ex: "I visited my friend's place and they had a shtati mezuzah!")

Neshama - Soul. (Ex: "Mazel tov on your conversion, you have such a strong Jewish neshama!")

Balagan - A big mess, chaotic, confusing (Ex: "Moshe forgot to bring challah for shabbat dinner, and it turned into this big balagan")

Achi/Achoti - "Achi" literally means "my brother," but can also be used like bro or dude, "achoti" is the feminine equivalent meaning "sister"

Yalla - Come on, let's go (Ex: "Yalla yalla, you're going to make us late again")

Mishpacha - Family. Doesn't have to be literal blood relatives, usually a sign of warmth or friendship. (Ex: "I care about every Jew, they're all my mishpacha.")

Pshhh - Interjection sound, to express respect or agreement with what someone is saying, but can also be playfully poking fun at someone taking themselves too seriously, can be used sarcastically.

Achla - amazing, awesome, great, the best (Ex: "You graduated from university? Achla!")

Sheina Punem (Shayna Punim) - Pretty face (Ex: My bubbe kept pinching my cheeks and calling me a sheina punem) Can be used ironically, in which case it means "a disgrace."

Ahavat Yisrael - to love your fellow Jew (Ex: "I firmly believe in ahavat yisrael, even if it's hard sometimes.")

Schande - Shame, dishonor among the nations, meaning a Jew who represents Jews badly, a serious insult. (Ex: "He's a schande, he feeds into antisemitic stereotypes.")

Schmutz - Dirt, stain. (Ex: "Use your napkin, you've got schmutz on your face.")

Amalek - Any enemy of the Jewish people. ("[Fill in blank] is the modern Amalek, they hate the Jews.")

Lanceman/Landsmen - Two jews from the same place, a point of connection between two Jews who now live far away from their hometown. (Ex: "Your grandma is from Crown Heights? Mine too, our grandparents are landsmen!")

Goyisch - Something not Jewish (Ex: "I don't listen to Taylor Swift, her music is too goyisch for me.")

Goyischekop/Goyische-kop - Goyisch head, a jew who thinks/sounds like a non-jew. (Ex: "How could you say about your fellow Jew? Do you have a goyische-kop or something?")

Kindaleh/Kinderlach - Little children (Ex: "I passed by the school and saw the kindaleh on the playground, they're so cute!")

Chamud/Chamuda/Chamudi - Sweetie, cutie, usually aimed at children, but can be a term of endearment between a couple. Can be condescending when said rudely to another adult, like "Sweetheart" can be in English. (ex: "Goodnight, Chamudi. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.")

Daven - to pray ("Are you going to join us for davening?")

Frum - A religiously observant Jew. ("He's frum, he davens three times a day.")

Treif - Unkosher, generally something not good, doesn't have to literally refer to a food. ("I trained my dog to stop barking when I say 'treif!'.")

Bubkis - Zero, nothing, nada ("Moshe got a gift from bubbe and I got bubkis.")

Kvetch - To complain ("I'm just kvetching, I'm not that upset about it.")

Kvell - Extreme pride. ("I heard your daughter made it into her top school, you must be kvelling!")

Mensch - A good, admirable person. ("He volunteers every week, he's a mensch.")

Chillul HaShem - Disgracing God's name, someone who does something that makes Jews look bad.

Kiddush HaShem - Something that sanctifies God's name, brings honor to God. ("I love seeing you wear a kippah, it's a kiddush HaShem!")

Bubbe meise - Little white lies ("He told his teacher a bubbe meise about his dog eating his homework.")

I should acknowledge that these are mostly Yiddish words, as my experience is primarily with Ashkenazi Jews. If you would like to add common slang from your community (like Ladino phrases, Judeo-Arabic, Italki, etc) I would love to learn about them!

[breelandwalker]

Harvest Moon - September 17 2024

Grab your canning supplies and your favorite cider mug - it’s time for the Harvest Moon!

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. It does not matter whether the moon occurs before or after the equinox or in which month it falls. In some years, this means the Harvest Moon may occur in October, in which cause the September moon might go by the name of Corn Moon or Rice Moon, depending on where you are.

In 2024, the Harvest Moon falls once more in the month of September and this year, it's also a supermoon! However, in 2025, the September moon will come early in the month, making it a Corn Moon. The Harvest Moon that year will be in early October.

The September moon is particularly beloved by farmers in the Northern Hemisphere, as it rises earlier and shines brighter than other full moons due to the relative angle of the Earth in relation to the moon during the equinox, which is helpful for lighting up the tail end of those long work days. In addition, the Harvest Moon may also appear full for multiple nights, providing additional illumination for labor or evening strolls. As such, while the peak of the Harvest Moon will occur at 10:34pm EST on September 17th, it may also appear to be full the night before and after.

Other North American Indigenous names for the September moon include a number of variations of the aforementioned Corn Moon (used by numerous nations), such as Corn Maker Moon (Abenaki), Corn Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Corn Is Harvested Moon (Zuni). Other names refer to seasonal changes or animal behavior, such as Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), and Rutting Moon (Cree). Some European and modern pagan names for the September moon include Barley Moon (Old English), Singing Moon (Celtic), and Fruit Moon (general).

What Does It Mean For Witches?

As autumn begins, we continue to reap what we’ve sown over the course of the year. It’s a time to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished, let go of any unnecessary burdens we’re still carrying, and focus on taking care of hearth and home for the cold months ahead. Now is a good time to do one last clutter purge or finish those repairs you’ve been putting off all summer!

Change is in the air as well, and transformations begun earlier in the year will burst into vibrant life. Just as the flowers bloom in spring, the leaves turn in the fall, and those of us who come alive in the autumn will start to fell that zing coming back.

Community also comes back into focus during harvest time, both because of the sharing of resources and the accompanying start of the school year. Take a moment to reinforce positive and supportive connections with friends and neighbors, or reach out to your local or online circle to strengthen existing bonds.

This a time of great abundance, especially with the supermoon full in the sky, so if you’ve been meaning to draw any kind of increase into your life, take steps to do so now. Harness that Harvest Moon energy to help carry you through the lean times in comfort and plenty.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

This is the time for feasting, bonfires, and outdoor gatherings. September and October will give us a few more warm weeks before the weather turns cold and rainy, so make the most of it! Have a potluck supper with a menu made of everyone’s favorite seasonal recipes. Visit a local farmer’s market and bring home that fresh seasonal produce. Thank the earth for the bounty it provides and renew your promise to be a good steward of the land where you live.

Technically, this is the second “harvest” moon of the year, since the harvest of most seasonal crops began back in August with wheat and corn and late summer fruits. The harvest of corn and grain continues into September and is joined by additional late-season fruits and vegetables, the most iconic of which is the annual apple crop.

Apple-picking is easily my favorite autumn activity and it’s fantastic way to get outdoors, get some fresh air, and come home with tasty produce for uses both mundane and magical. From cider to applesauce to pies, apples are delightfully versatile. They also feature in a number of folk traditions and party games which double as divination rituals.

Continue your preparations for winter by canning or preserving fresh foods, hanging harvested herbs and flowers to dry, or refreshing your stocks of moon water and magical oils. Make your own magical brews using a stock pot as a cauldron and soups, stews, punch, cider, and mulled wine as your potions. Kitchen witches, your time is NOW!

Wear the colors of the season boldly and revel in all the gifts you’ve received and joys you’ve experienced so far this year. If you’ve been particularly blessed, pay it forward to share the bounty with others. Reflect on everything you’ve accomplished, celebrate your progress, and maybe set one or two small goals for the end of the year.

And since the decorations are already appearing in stores, start stocking up for Halloween!

Happy Harvest Moon, witches! 😊🍎

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts

Secular Celebrations - Autumn Equinox

Harvest Moon, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

What Is The Harvest Moon?, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

September 2024 Harvest Full Moon: Secrets to Seize Its Magic, The Peculiar Brunette.

Full Moon 2025 Calendar, Full Moonology.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

Image Credit - Plantura, Red Moon Apple.

[sleepynoons]

kaeya x gn!reader, sfw

cw: n/a

notes: cross-posted from my ao3 (with some minor fixes). i don't usually write in past tense, so don't get used to it lol. the day genshin returns to mondstadt is the day i return to the game LMAO

KAEYA ALWAYS ran cold. it was natural, being a cryo swordsman and all. but his “cold-bloodedness” – as you like to call it – proves to be a problem in the height of monstadt’s winter.

mondstadt is a small nation. everyone knows each other, and secrets and rumors spread like wildfire. the whole population is like a large family, with the shopkeepers as nosy aunts and the older hunters the boisterous uncles. while this proved to be quite problematic at times (the only reason you and kaeya got together was because your mother’s friend’s daughter had revealed your crush to the blue-haired knight, but that’s a story for later), it did help you save kaeya.

kaeya is a renowned cavalry captain under the knights of favonius. though he has a flirtatious attitude and is quick to delegate all of his responsibilities away, when he is sent on a mission, he is determined and sets his life on the line for his comrades.

right before the beginning of mondstadt’s annual winter festivities, kaeya and a few select knights were sent to handle some fatui agents on the southern shore of dragonspine. the trip would take a week in total, and you spent your days cleaning, helping out at your mother’s bakery, and picking out presents for close friends and relatives.

this year, you decided to gift kaeya a cream muffler and a set of glass earrings made from frostshield potion. kaeya required extra layers during the cold, and as much as you admired the fur and leather he routinely donned, it was not enough to keep him warm. the earrings would be the first pieces of jewelry from you to him, so what better reason to get them?

it wasn’t until two nights before kaeya’s designated return did you rush out of your house to visit dragonspine.

as you were wrapping kaeya’s presents late at night, there were a series of knocks at your window pane. turning around, you realized those knocks were actually pecks. a messenger hawk was perched outside, gripping a small, crumpled note in its beak. the crimson ribbon tied around the note indicated not only the sender but also the urgency of the message.

after sending the hawk away with a small snack, you unfurled the paper and skimmed it.

how you made it through dragonspine was no surprise. as a teenager, you were an up and coming knight, and you trained in the same cohort as jean. recognized for your speed and agility, you were supposed to become a leader for younger outriders, such as amber. but after a gliding accident that hospitalized you for several months, it was impossible to regain your former strength and become a full-fledged knight. regardless, you knew what you were doing.

given kaeya’s descriptions in prior conversations and the details listed in the letter, you navigated across the snowy plain and steeled past hillichurl camps. along the way, you noticed remnants of kaeya and his team’s trek across dragonspine, such as the occasional tent branded with the knights' crest and unlit campfires. as long as you followed these traces, your path was bound to intersect with theirs.

you reached the camp a little past sunrise. a large campfire was set up in front of a damp tent, and the knight on watch was sifting through a notebook. you approached the knight, and after explaining the situation, he led you into the tent.

on the ground, sleeping, was kaeya. you sighed as you knelt down and opened up your backpack.

as you brought out some medicine and additional blankets, you ordered the knight on watch to hurry back to the city to fetch a few horses.

“i told you to wear more.”

kaeya’s eye fluttered open. “ah, but darling, you know i can’t sacrifice style.”

“you need to rest. you have a fever.” placing a warm towel over his forehead, you brushed his bangs behind his ear and tucked him in. you whispered, “just a few more hours, and we’ll be right back at home.”

you slipped your hand under the covers, gripping his palm when you found it. kaeya let out a breathy chuckle and said, “we could've gotten home faster if you brought some horses with you.”

you smiled in response. “i was too worried about you to think things through.”

–

by the time you and kaeya arrived home, his fever had worsened. you stuck close to his side, despite the possibility of falling ill yourself, and focused solely on him. after all, kaeya was often away, and it wasn’t common to see him with his guard down.

“please, continue to admire me. i know my face is enchanting,” he remarked through a fit of coughs.

“with your inflating ego, i’m sure your cold will be gone soon.” you checked his temperature only to see it had risen. “i’ll go make some more soup.” but before you could stand up, kaeya wrapped an arm tightly around your torso, dragging you back to your seat. even though kaeya’s eye was closed, the slight tremble in his body gave way to his embarrassment.

“just ask next time,” and you removed his arm before repositioning your body to face him.

you don't know when kaeya fell asleep. nothing, from his facial expressions to his posture, changed. even though the two of you have been together for years, many aspects of him are still a mystery to you. but you’ve never gotten annoyed or frustrated. rather, you appreciate the gradual build-up and find it fun to learn more about your partner every day.

so the next morning, before you entered kaeya’s bedroom with breakfast, you witnessed for the first time a child-like glee on his face as he examined the muffler and earrings you put on him in his sleep.

[kaeyas-beloved]

Character: Childe

— he’s hopelessly in love with you <333

CWs: spoilers for Childe’s real name, gn!reader (no pronouns mentioned), not proofread!

a/n: snatching this format that I’ve seen around Tumblr because I like it and it fits here. Will I use it again? Not a clue!

hopelessly in love ajax who introduces you to his family relatively quickly and with little to no hesitation. childe feels with his whole being, love is no exception. so, when he can see a future with you, no matter what form that future may take, you meeting his family is the first step forward.

hopelessly in love ajax who’s all talk unless you make the first move. he can kiss you over and over and over again, teasing you along the way, but the moment you pull him forward and plant your lips on his face before he can is the same moment it’s all over for him.

hopelessly in love ajax who buys you gifts often but they all have sentimental value to them. he’ll but you flowers, handing them to you with the confession that he bought them because his love for you was too much to keep in his heart and no amount of words would describe what he was feeling. childe would also purchase your preferred jewelry - watch, ring, necklace, earrings, a bracelet, whatever you liked, as long as you promised to wear it whenever you went out. “so you’ll always have me with you!”

hopelessly in love ajax who refuses to let go of you once he has you in his arms. he acts like he might perish if he loses the warmth and love you radiate in your embrace! it’s not that he hasn’t received a hug in years, he gets plenty when he visits home, but there’s just something different in your hugs and cuddles that regular holds don’t have. a certain feeling they lack.

hopelessly in love ajax who grabs your wrist if you’re ever helping him take off his scarf or fatui mask, allowing his cheek to rest in your palm. you’ll find he nuzzles into it much like a cat would, but unlike a cat looking for warmth or to scratch an itch, ajax does it because your touch is one of the few things that soothes him after a long day, his mind instantly at ease.

hopelessly in love ajax who tries to impress you in any way he can. it starts simple enough, trying to flash his strength on the battle field and such, but the more he falls for you the more creative he gets. balancing a spoon on his nose, his (slowly improving) chopstick skills, leaping over decent sized creeks, anything to rouse some kind of pleasant response from you.

hopelessly in love ajax who flips between drowning you in whatever fancy dates his money can buy and the more simple, quieter date ideas. it’s never bad to change things up, he reasons, childe’s favourite being to take you out on walks through the nation’s scenery. whether it’s the snow dipped forests in snezhnaya, the golden mountains of liyue or even the green fields of mondstadt, as long as ajax is around, he’ll make sure you enjoy your time with him. (he certainly will be, because when dates like this happen is when he truly gets to connect with you!)

hopelessly in love ajax who’ll sometimes just stare at you. could be while you’re cuddling or sat at the table for a meal, his pretty blue eyes are on you, taking in all that you are. he’ll think how gorgeous you look, how luck he is someone like you loves someone like him, the darker sides of him and all. he thinks about how it’s now his mission to spoil and love you for the rest of his life, because anything less is a crime punishable by life behind bars.

Tag list: @spoopy-fish-writes // @that-enby-alien // @xenuuu // @mariposa666haruka // @quackquackmfs // @saishin-michiyoshi // @ajaxstar // @genshin-impact-writings // @ventisweetheart // @lordbugs // @lemontum // @akiria12167 // @ari-the-wr1ter // @dontmindmebeing // @xiaos-wife // @irethepotato // @milkwithspiceyicecubes // @stygianoir // @stage-lucida

. . .

Wanna be tagged in future works? Consider filling out this form! And if you want to be removed just DM or send an ask into my inbox!

[koenigami]

Knight!Kunigami x Queen!reader vol.1 synopsis : beautiful, stubborn, and powerful. she didn't need him, yet her heart craved him so desperately. strong, protective, and brave. he has never known fear, except when it came to her well-being. tags : royal au, fem!reader, fluff, slight angst, mentions of death, misogyny (not from kunigami) wc : 1.9k a/n : probably going to turn this into a series but updates will be very slow .. જ⁀➴ masterlist

“Sir Kunigami, as the captain of the knights, your duties are limited, as your title already implies, to the supervision of the knights. And those unmistakably have nothing to do with my own duties.”  

You could very well be talking to the cold, unmoving walls since this kind of conversation with your recently recruited captain of the royal knights was nothing new. Whether it concerned the safety precautions of the castle or of the entire kingdom, or the tactical decisions regarding your troops. When you said left, he said right. And under other circumstances, you would never allow someone to contradict you, especially not in the way that he did it.

The way that everyone else did. As if doubting your authority as the lone ruling head of this kingdom, and that solely because you did not have a king by your side. Ever since your husband’s demise after a short, gruesome illness, you were constantly faced with disapproval and criticism, most of it stamming from your own family. Distant relatives who claimed that the passing of your husband had an impact on the legitimacy of your title, who reminded you countless times to look for a suitable partner.

Your sole comfort and strongest pillar was your advisor, Noa. At a young age, he had already been assigned to the role of the captain of the knights, had served your father and the kingdom with nothing but utter devotion until a grave injury had left him no choice but to retire from his position. He was as well the reason why you tolerated Kunigami’s importunate behaviour since he had been the very first person who had come to Noa’s mind to replace him and step into his shoes. Now, there was no denying that Kunigami Rensuke fulfilled the tasks of his newly assigned role formidably. A strong man, a patriotic citizen, a skilled warrior, a trustworthy leader, and a loyal subject of the queen. So loyal that he could not seem to stop interfering in your affairs. 

During the visit of your uncle, the duke, earlier that day, a small disagreement between you two had swiftly escalated, leading to Kunigami drawing his sword and pointing it, yes, at the duke.

Your uncle had come with a, in his eyes, formidable message from a neighbouring kingdom whose king had apparently declared himself ready for possible negotiations about an arranged marriage from which supposedly your own nation would benefit a lot. Nonetheless, you had not let your uncle explain any further and interrupted his detailed explanations and excited rambling with a simple No.

“In a world ruled by men, I will gladly be the exception and demonstrate that my gender does not determine my competences. My father-” “Your father was a fool just like you, child!” your uncle had called out, the anger and frustration evident on his reddened face. He had always been of short temper, however something about your refusal today had unleashed a kind of anger inside him that you rarely got to see. So when he had taken a step towards your throne, the discussion had immediately been interrupted by the sound of a sword being unsheathed. 

“I want everyone to leave.” you had ordered as soon as the duke had left, gaze not drifting away from Kunigami for even an instant. He had clearly understood that your command was not addressed to him, and cautiously approached your throne. Once he had deemed himself close enough, he lowered his head and dropped on one knee, staring at the carpet beneath him. It was rich in ornament. Golden floral patterns adorned the red velvety carpeting, an incredible piece shipped in from a continent afar. Just like the dress of yours.

Though in your case, it was not the gilded designs and motifs that made the gown look so magnificent. Layers upon layers of skirts, of course only the finest materials, and long elegant sleeves that accentuated your arms in the most flattering way, bodice clinging to your skin and hugging your waist perfectly; Kunigami swore he had never been so envious of a piece of fabric. 

“Threatening my uncle-” you shook your head in disbelief, not daring to imagine how the situation would have ended if it weren’t for you. “Under different circumstances, he would have ordered decapitation upon you. This shall be your last warning. If you won’t cease to meddle and intervene in my affairs, despite there not being any necessity for it, you will be stripped of your title as the captain.” 

“Your highness, may I have a word, please?” 

“You may.” a defeated sigh left your painted lips, while you were ready to be wrapped around his finger as per usual when it came to Kunigami Rensuke. Yes, you tolerated his missteps for Noa’s sake, yet there was no use in denying that you were doing it for the underlying sympathy that you held for the knight in front of you.

“I understand your discontent, and I truly apologise if my manners were out of place.” he lifted his right clenched fist to his chest right over his heart. “But you must understand that I’m merely trying to fulfil my duties by looking out for you. It’s my responsibility to ensure your safety, as well as the peace inside of our homeland-” 

“By disregarding my commands and decisions?” Despite the irritation seething inside you, you spoke calmly, leisurely standing up, leaving the throne behind you as you walked step by step towards Kunigami, your long gown sliding along the carpet. “By threatening a family member of mine even though I had everything under control?” 

During your discussion with your uncle, Kunigami had been scrutinising the duke and assessed his every move as if even a single eye twitch of his could cause you harm. Once he had witnessed his outburst, he had not hesitated to draw his sword as a silent warning. And he would do it again if necessary.

“I see, you’ve trained your guard dogs well. Though, mark my words. They will not always be able to protect you.” your uncle’s words still lingered in your mind, like the plague infesting and not leaving anytime soon.

“Do you also believe that I need a male companion by my side? Is that why you keep meddling in my business? Because you don’t deem myself capable enough to rule our homeland by myself?” He would neither be the first nor the last one to doubt you. “Because I’m not strong enough to-”

“Because you’re a woman!” 

Ever since joining the knights as a youngster, Kunigami had witnessed you overcoming all possible miseries that could fall upon someone. From a marriage of convenience with barely any love, to the loss of your parents, and lastly even your husband’s demise. The strength and confidence that you carried within you were remarkable, yet not enough to come up against the kinds of people that you had to face in your world. It was not common for a woman to rule without a king. Women like you served merely as an asset, as another trophy for greedy and conceited men to show off their properties. So when Noa had informed Kunigami about his promotion, he had seen it as his obligation to shield you from any further hardships.

His impulsive words bounced off the high walls, echoing through the hall while his eyes finally met yours. Regret. That is what you could immediately discern in them as soon as he looked up at you, silence filling the room and engulfing the both of you in a veil of suffocating tension. 

“You’re implying that my femininity is a weakness, Sir Kunigami?” He swallowed at the sound of your sweet, calm voice, like a siren luring him into the deathly depths of the sea. “Your Highness, that’s not what I-”

“That me being a woman would put me at a disadvantage while facing a man- No, pardon. A male?” He had failed to realise that you were approaching him with each tentatively uttered word, as the space between you progressively got smaller, the intoxicating smell of your perfume wafting through his nose. “Now pray tell me, Sir Kunigami. If you would not take my status into consideration, would my womanhood make you superior to me?”

“O-Of course not, Your Highness. I was merely trying to say that men can be unpredictable beasts. Amidst their violent immorality and unscrupulousness, my priority is to protect you.” His steadfastness was one of the many things that you admired about him. Even while being at your mercy, he never hesitated to state his honest and principled opinion, whether you liked it or not. It was his compassion and sense for righteousness that made him stand out from other knights. From other men. 

“Is that so? Then what about you?” 

“I beg your pardon?” He swallowed, nervosity slowly setting in. 

“If men are, like you worded it … beasts, who’s protecting me from you, Sir Kunigami?” 

“I would rather die than allow myself to be any form of danger to you, Your Highness.” The heaviness of his phrase settled on your chest, making your breath stagger as you looked into his face. Not an ounce of doubt was visible on it, the fist on his heart clenched tighter as if he were about to rip it out of his chest just to show you the place from which his words stemmed from. 

Another moment of silence passed with neither of you saying anything. As if waiting for the others next move, as if hoping for a sign, as if praying that this internal burning was mutual. You were not sure when it was that Kunigami had gotten up because you only realised it once you felt the warmth of his hand brush along your cheek like a warm ray of sunshine, and tuck a loose strand of your perfect hair behind your ear. 

The large double doors creaked, and before anyone entered, Kunigami had already taken a few steps back and put some respectful distance between the both of you as if burned by the sole touch of your skin. A broad figure appeared, marching towards you and carrying himself with a confidence and gracefulness that you would usually only see from blue-blooded individuals. Kunigami felt his former superior’s icy gaze scrutinise him from head to toe before Noa lowered his head, greeting you politely. 

“Your Highness, I just saw the duke off. I believe-” Again Noa’s eyes travelled from you back to Kunigami before continuing. “We might need to discuss some matters. In private.” 

The gentle nod of yours was Kunigami’s cue to leave, though as he excused himself, you called out to him one last time, your demand stated with firmness. “I expect your presence at my chamber after dinner time.” 

“Yes, Your Highness.” Without wondering or questioning, Kunigami withdrew with a final bow, leaving you alone with Noa. Despite his calm and composed exterior, you could tell that your advisor was keen on hearing about your argument with your uncle, as well as your discussion with Kunigami. Nonetheless, Noa had to admit that your last request had particularly caught his curiosity, wondering what the reason behind it may be. 

Though as you watched the back of the current captain of the knights become smaller with each step that he took before disappearing behind closed doors, you desperately hoped that the reasons behind your palpitating heart weren’t what you thought they were. 

[murderousink23]

05/18/2023 is Vyshyvanka Day 🌏, Father's Day (in Germany) 🇩🇪, International Day for Museums 🏛🌏, Ascension ✝️🌏, National Cheese Souffle Day 🇺🇲, National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 💉🇺🇲, National No Dirty Dishes Day 🇺🇲, National Visit Your Relatives Day 🇺🇲

[dallasgallant]

Time period post: 1960s Thanksgiving

Going to make some time period stuff for holidays as they pop up as it’s fun to look into and I knew a few people are like me time period wise and want to look into it. I also make posts like this on request so if there’s something you want to know about let me know! Anyways,

Homemade-

Now, while people did bake and cook their food largely from scratch back in the day it’d be dishonest not to point out that post ww2 saw a rise in premade. Not entirely but canned soups, box mixes, jello and ingredient stuffs etc. However, for the large part people did cook on their own at least certain recipes. Now Oklahoma is a sort of middle ground to where it’s “located” so …. Cornbread or rolls on the thanksgiving table? Answer me that lol.

I mentioned this in a food post before but a lot of new recipes were coming out during this time with the rise in product availability, surviving the war and well a lot of drugs. Some of it is stunt marketing or to look nice at parties, others become stables! Green bean casserole which is a staple on thanksgiving in a lot of homes would’ve still been a novelty, new and exciting as it’d only been made in 1955!

Tradition-

Thanksgiving is perhaps the most tradition heavy holiday, especially in the 1960s at its peak. Your family started doing it this way X years ago and it will stay that way.

Who carves the turkey (maybe with one of those new electronic serving knives), who does the wishbone, who’s helping mom and grandma in the kitchen?

Kids tables, arts and crafts, playing some pre dinner football, dinner at 3 etc.

Macys thanksgiving day parade! It’s been around since the 1920s but was first nationally televised in 1947.

Football games, if your teams playing.

Everyone’s different but I’m rattling off a few as they’re prevalent ones.

Home for the holidays-

Just figured this one out/was told it but the “holiday season” was more of a defined thing back in the day. Relatives visiting would sometimes go from Thanksgiving-new years — if someone was hosting all the way through anyway. As sometimes it’s split between houses.

A tradition that springs from this is Putting up the Christmas tree! This was surprising to learn about but back in the day (and some families today) you’d put it up after dinner, with the usual fanfare and family help as it’s a hectic time of year so having it up and family around is a good deal.

Formality-

Sort of a hold over from the 1940s where you’d dress up just to eat dinner(usually middle-upper class) you dress up nice for holidays even if you’re staying home with family all day. Not black tie or anything but you dress nice. This has begun to totally dissolve in the last 10 years or so.

Usually you’ll get the nice china and actual silverware, table decor is HUGE.

Dinner is usually both cooked all day but also eaten early usually 3-4 but like traditions it greatly depends on the family.

Going out and class-

I thought about this a bit as the gang are poor so I’d wanted to take that into consideration on how it could affect holidays. Sometimes I think they’d fully cook a meal, not nearly as massive as a soc or fancy placement and china (as Soc’s are rich rich.) but quaint and nice.

Sometimes I think they’d go out to eat such as:

(Seriously I cannot overemphasize how huge Howard Johnson’s were in the 60s and it could probably be a post itself)

Where you can get a nice ‘traditional’ holiday dinner for cheap that also works well when you have to work etc. There was also generally a trend of “resteraunting” (?) among more middle class families for thanksgiving, occasionally and it depends on who you are - most people would go the more traditional route.

Leftovers! Again time of ‘let’s try shit’ while new staples were being added to the thanksgiving meal so were how to deal with leftovers.

Story of thanksgiving-

Slight bit more of a focus on the Thanks giving part of the holiday, being thankful for friends, family, good fortune etc. Maybe you’d tell the myth of it to kids or have some sort of tradition of saying what you’re thankful for or do something symbolic.

Though I think in the 60s (even the decades prior) there was more of a shift towards it being the “food and football” holiday even then! As it’d already far secularized as a holiday and was just a nice warm, comforting time of year and time with family etc. you’d remember snuggling with grandpa on the couch for a nap far more than some old story told before you can eat, you know?

[qurbanjaan]

Polish (white) woman here. I must admit something really uncomfortable to speak loudly of (at least on the English speaking Internet, I told that to several people irl): I feel like travelling made me more "racist". Are men in Poland misogynistic? Absolutely. But they are also brought up with some fear of consequences that stops them from some actions. Most of them won't dare to touch you, follow you, catcall you in public (especially sober). That includes the biggest migrant minorities in my area too (Ukrainian and Belarusian). Obviously, in neither of those three nationalities, that fear stops men from domestic abuse and rape.

But I remember travelling to London and staying in a district where basically no women spent their time outside. I remember my relative's coworker and the way he punishes his daughter for his son's misbehaviour. I remember travelling in the heights of migrant crisis, and having to move in large groups, because the migrant men would try to intimidate the teenage girls. I'll always support women from everywhere. But men? Sorry, but being more careful around men from countries and cultures where violence against women is public and unpunished? That's just common sense. All animals can bite us, yet we are more scared of big animals we don't know that small animals we don't know, right?

Exactly what I try to make people understand! You will never see an afghan woman, for example, creating trouble in other countries. But you will see afghan men doing it because they don’t know in some places they have limitations to what they can do to us.

As you said, European men will do the same if given the chance, but they’re a little more restricted than men from other countries because of laws and better conditions and trying to convince women from developed countries that they’re being racist by being wary of those men is just telling them to put themselves in danger otherwise they’re monsters.

People who support this talk are siding with the males instead of the women who suffer in developing countries and the risk men from those countries may represent. When women from developed countries say that you are racist for being wary they’re just being white saviors instead of siding with their sisters. Go ask a woman from Afghanistan how much she trusts afghan men, they will say the same as me.

Thank you so much for interacting with my blog and feeling like this is a safe space to expose your ideas. I’d love to visit Poland one day!

[satubby]

Memories of a love

|Warning: This is narrated from Sunjae's perspective. I am not responsible for what you read, and there may or may not be errors in his personality and/or events, it is for the good of the plot.| Status: unedited

The time we shared together, though brief, seemed eternal; I longed for it to stay that way. I know I'm not selfish, even if sometimes I'm forced to be because of how I was raised, but when I met you, maybe for an instant I wished I was. We were teenagers, and although I wanted to give myself to you, my shyness and hesitation prevented me from doing so at the time.

I still remember that day in the rain, when I forgot my umbrella while I was working delivering packages. You came running up, laughing as you ran away from your brother, and we accidentally collided, falling to the ground on the porch and getting soaked. You apologised as you helped me up, and that moment is etched in my mind; our lips almost brushed, and your blue umbrella rested nearby, reflecting the sound of the rain.

During the summer, I used to visit you in secret. I wanted to get to know you better, so one day I decided to go to the shop where you worked. I pretended to look for something on the shelves, but I really just wanted to see you. I picked up a random VHS, but it turned out to be from the XXX category. That didn't matter though; all I wanted was to spend time with you. You ended up falling asleep on my arm without even looking at me.

I also remember when you ran away from the dean and some annoying girls, and I can't help but remember the times we almost accidentally kissed. Those were beautiful and unforgettable moments.

When we started high school, we each made new friends, but you always greeted me with a smile. You came to watch me compete as an Olympic swimmer and celebrated my victories, no matter if I won or lost.

You were by my side on the day of the accident, when my dreams of becoming a national swimmer faded. I kept everything to myself and even though you tried to comfort me, I rejected you, being stupid to push you away.

I even ignored you for 2 weeks, even though you were stubbornly coming to see me and I never left my room.

It hurts me to see all those moments together fade away. At 19, we were still friends, but I felt that was changing. I wanted something more, but you fell in love with someone else, and that distanced me even more from you. Although some time later, you came back to me, apologising for something you hadn't even done.

I admit I was selfish at the time. I wanted to be when it came to you. My jealousy grew every time I saw you with other men, and in the end I confessed all my sorrows and fears to you. You were understanding, you hugged me and let me cry in silence.

However, a bitter pill poisoned our lives. That night, you were alone on the bus, but I couldn't join you because I was working in my father's restaurant. I deeply regret that. We had promised to go to karaoke that night, but we could not.

When I got your call that rainy night, I heard your trembling, anguished voice, begging me to save you from someone who was chasing you. I ran faster than I had ever run in my life, but I was too late. I saw you hurt, scared, and my heart stopped. I fought your attacker, even if he hit me, it didn't matter.

Even while you were crying over the sock, you couldn't stop whispering my name. "Sunjae, Sunjae"

Even though he was arrested, the damage was done. You lost a lot of blood, you had fractures. I took you to the hospital, and your relatives arrived quickly. They thanked me for my help, but when you woke up, you didn't remember anything.

From that moment on, I knew you would never be the same. I visited you in the hospital, but you hardly recognised me. Your voice didn't come from those beautiful lips, and that saddened me deeply.

I stopped seeing you after that. I don't know if I was a coward for not being able to bear to see you in that state or if I simply resigned myself to not confessing my feelings to you. Still, it pains me to the core. Even when I returned your umbrella to you on the bridge, your disbelieving eyes reminded me that you no longer remembered who I was. Your friend came and took you away.

That same night, I received news of a car accident that claimed two lives: yours and your friend's. My heart stopped, I no longer cared about the party or the concert. I stayed in the hotel, staring into the void.

My mind is in chaos, and I just wish I could stop regretting it. I know you'd be angry for not answering your calls and for not keeping our promise that rainy night.

The wind blows, and I feel lost. My memories with you echo in my mind. And then, I let myself fall into the water. My hair blows in the wind, and I don't know why I do it, I just know I could never forget you. My life without you is meaningless.

Honestly, I just know that I've been longing for something that was never possible. I wish I could have saved you that day.

Greed and sorrow

Go through the abyss of time

Seas are on fire

And the moon's falling down

So I'm playing my lyreIn the last rays of sun

Be mine

When the world ends and skies tumble down

WhyIs the water so soothing to drown?

Hug me tight

You're lighter than feather... This second of life

Feels like forever. WhenTruth sounds like lieWhen you and I are buried in the ruins of EarthI'll be by your side for what it's worthIf we face the gates of Hell, mmm

Seas are on fire

And the moon's falling down

So, I'm playing the lyreIn the last rays of sun

Be mine

When the world ends and skies tumble down

WhyIs the water so soothing to drown?You're lighter than feather. This second of life

Feels like forever, hmm-mm

This world has failed us, oh

Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn...

So let it burn

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Nuanced Foil Lena AU Pt 3

After Lena's mic drop outside L-Corp, CatCo is aflurry by the time Kara arrives. During the morning's pitch meeting, James wants an official interview as soon as possible. Half the room turns to Kara, but she remains quiet, saved only by Nia volunteering herself as tribute.

"I'll reach out to her team," she offers. "Any particular angle you're looking for?"

James shakes his head. "We'll let her guide us on that-- make that clear to her people and it might get us in the door faster."

"On it."

---

To Kara's surprise, Lena accepts the interview offer with Nia almost immediately, and more than that, agrees to a fully televised interview at CatCo HQ. On the day of, Kara doesn't need to be there-- in fact, she's sure Lena would prefer if she wasn't. But she lurks in a corner of the studio with a handful of other reporters, watching as the finishing make up touches are made and the mic packs are given their final adjustments.

Her heart beats loudly in her chest as the room quiets, and the countdown starts.

"Thank you for being with us tonight, Miss Luthor." Nia's tone is rich and professional, betraying nothing of the relatively friendly conversation they'd shared before the cameras started rolling. "As I'm sure you can imagine, a lot of people have been asking questions following your comments earlier this week."

Lena smiles self-deprecatingly. "Of course-- Has another Luthor lost their mind? More at eleven."

She chuckles at herself, but where others might have seemed disingenuous in doing so, it only serves to make Lena more approachable. Nia's responding grin is a testament to that, with some of her first-big-interview jitters easing off, allowing her to relax just a little.

"But can you blame them? A Luthor speaking out against a Super certainly carries some heavy baggage."

Lena nods. "It does, unfortunately."

"So let's get the big question out of the way, shall we? Are you, Lena Luthor, denouncing Supergirl?"

"No, not at all," Lena delivers, her smile still in place. Historically, Lena's smiles in public interviews are a little too perfect to be real, but tonight the one she wears is warm, gentle, and humanizing.

"Yet you claimed Supergirl was a burden," Nia digs a little.

"I did. I do. Since her first appearance three years ago, National City's infrastructure has been overbudget to the tune of 1.6 billion dollars overall. That's a lot of money that the city simply doesn't have. It's money that its *citizens* don't have."

Nia nods thoughtfully. "But as a scientist, wouldn't you agree that corellation doesn't always equal causation?"

"Sometimes that's the case, and it can absolutely be said that equal or greater damage wouldn't have occurred without Supergirl in the mix. I'm certain studies are currently taking place to determine the true relationship, but really, the whole thing simply sheds light on the greater issue at hand."

"Which is?"

"Tell me, Miss Nal-- if you step out into the street and get hit by a car, what happens?"

Nia's eyes widen slightly. "Go to the hospital, hopefully!"

There's a laugh in her voice, and Lena joins in, waving her off. "Yes, of course! You're fine, maybe a few broken bones. But it's still an ER visit, maybe even an ambulance ride to get there. So who pays for all that?"

"My insurance, I would think. Or theirs."

"Bingo." Lena leans in, suddenly more intense. "Now let's say it wasn't a car that hit you. A hero pulls you out of the way, breaking your wrist in the process. They don't mean to, of course, but accidents happen. It may not even be a result of their speed or strength, just the wrong amount of pressure applied the wrong direction. What happens then?"

Nia blinks. She doesn't respond right away, which gives Lena the opportunity to continue.

"Do heroes have insurance that would cover medical bills? Could you take a hero to court and sue for damages?"

Kara's stomach clenches, and she has to fight every urge she has to not to interrupt, to rescue her protegee from the offensive Lena is suddenly on.

"What if Supergirl is investigating a crime, and believes there is relevant evidence inside your home. Do heroes have the burden of obtaining a warrant before entering your residence? If she gets the house number wrong, and enters an entirely different home by accident, what recourse do those homeowners have to get repaid for property and emotional damages?"

The studio is so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. But where everyone else seems stunned, Nia looks thoughtful.

"Are you saying that heroes shouldn't do what they do to help protect the public?"

Lena eases back in her chair a little bit, shaking her head. "I think it's clear by now that without heroes, National City wouldn't be here. It certainly wouldn't be the same city it is today, at the very least."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Oversight. Legislation. Regulation." Lena shrugs. "Think about it-- every other position within our judicial system, as flawed as it is, requires demonstrable qualifications. Lawyers have the bar, police officers undergo months of training... to what standards do we hold a hero?"

"It's sounding a little like you're calling for registration," Nia hedges.

Lena lifts her hands. "I understand that's a slippery slope when it comes heroes, or really anyone with special abilities. I won't speak to that. And honestly, I'm not claiming to have all the answers. I'm just asking the questions."

Shifting in her seat, Nia glances at her notepad. "And what would you say to those concerned that you're following in your brother's footsteps? As you say, it can be a slippery slope."

Taking a deep breath, Kara watches Lena consider her answer. For a moment, Lena's gaze unfocuses as she thinks, looking inward, before sharpening with resolve.

"I would say... you're right to be concerned. I certainly was, making the decision to say anything on the matter. In a lot of ways, I don't feel like I have the right to ask these questions. But if not me, then who? Who has the platform or the privilege to ask and actually be heard?"

"So you have responsibility."

Lena smiles again, close-lipped and sweet.

"I'd say we all do, don't you think?"

[m1d-45]

(what about me?)

summary: even gods get lonely, it just takes them a bit longer than most. but when it hits, it hurts, and hard.

word count: 1.1k

-> warnings: major spoilers for mondstat archon quest, mentions of wine, little guy is sad and alone about it :(

-> gn reader (you/yours)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay

< masterlist >

starsnatch cliff is empty more times than it isn’t.

it was a common destination for couples, the silence a welcome break from the bustle of the city of freedom. the stars up above were unblocked, bright, the full rotation of constellations visible by just tilting one’s head to the sky. two majors, twin sets of stars, the three minors orbiting, staring down, watching. the same form, night after night, a bard in green driving away the aspiring couples often enough they learnt to stop trying. a body is there, physically occupying the space, but with how little is being done, the cliff still feels empty. the stars watch, seeing all, as the same body comes and sits, as the same eyes turn to the sky, vacant with memory.

venti didn’t know which constellations were in rotation—he did, that was a lie, he knew every single one and their owners—nor how long they’d be up—liar, liar, liar—but he watched the sky anyway, spinning a cecelia in his hand. the stem was worn, some of the juice clinging to his fingers, but he didn’t set it down. to the left, to the right, the six petals twisting outside of his field of view.

the god of freedom found himself coming back to the same cliff every night, sometimes leaving the angels share earlier to get there quicker. he walked, picking a cecelia as he did, and sat in the same spot at the peak of the cliff.

was he truly free, he wondered, if the stars kept calling him back?

(he knew he was. it was his choice to return, his choice to stay until the sun rose, to take naps in the afternoon to make up for the sleep before coming back, back, back, night after day after night)

the galaxy streaking its way across the sky, blue and purple and greens mixing and blurring, broken only by the bright shine of stars. planets, all locked in their own orbit, worlds he’d never be able to see, all within his sight yet all out of his grasp.

his eyes fell on a star at random.

who lived there, he wondered? what was beyond the atmosphere he knew? how far was the next planet? was there even intelligent life? surely, there must be—you wouldn’t create only one planet with life on it, right? you’d create many races, aliens he couldn’t imagine, all created to thrive on their world and serve under you.

(were they treating you better? had you exited your resting world already, and found another planet to keep you occupied? was teyvat not enough for you? you… you’d tell them if they weren’t doing enough, right? you’d say? you wouldn’t just leave them in the dark, right?)

he wondered how far away you’d gone. he remembered you—of course he did, your visage was engraved in his mind, miles deep and never to erode—and your last moments on teyvat, how you’d promised the archons that you would return soon. that you wouldn’t be far.

of course, ‘far’ was relative. and what was time to a god? how long was ‘soon’ for you? how long would it be until he could be blessed with your presence again? the little of your aura that bled through your vessels wasn’t enough- it wasn’t, and he was horribly selfish for thinking so, but it wasn’t. not when he’d been able to lay his eyes upon your true form, not when he’d felt your skin beneath his as he led you through mondstat for the first time. the small glimpse of you that seeped into the air around your vessels may be enough to rest weary souls, but for a god?

you were the shining light of teyvat, always everywhere. traveling from nation to nation, occasionally visiting off-world but never for long, never, he never had to go without you for more than a year or two at a time, he never had to feel erosion start to sap at his life-

the stars grew blurry, and venti hastily wiped the tears away, continuing to search the sky.

he knew he was eroding. every god was. memories, resilience, patience, all of it fading. mortals (part of his mind flinched, but he was right, he was mortal, he could die) weren’t meant for the power of the divine, the gnoses grating against the walls of their soul. it was never a problem before, not when they had you, you to temper the flame of creation, you to brush your hand over a wayward god and breathe life back into their heart, you with your endless compassion, to accept what felt like overwhelming and discard it as trivial.

barbatos was eroding without you. every god was. the ley lines were acting up, the abyss growing stronger, the eons without your presence turning teyvat into a hollow husk. and yet, the pathetic little he discarded from your vessels had begun to heal it anyway.

why did you use vessels? you had to know it was easier to descend yourself, right? to let flowers bloom in your wake and the breeze brush grass from your clothes, to tuck ei’s hair behind her ear and let empathy back into her mind. your vessels did a lot, but they could not manage all- murata, focalors, the tsaritsa and her wretched fatui- you could fix it all, all with a blink and a smile, a gentle hand across the earth to sew it at the seams.

he was being idealistic. he knew he was. and yet, he could not help but to wish—wish, he wanted to laugh at the irony—that your return ‘soon’ would be within his lifetime.

he wanted to see you again. he wanted the scars across his soul to heal, for his empty, cracked cup to be filled with you. he wanted to go back to how it was, when ei could smile freely and the tsaritsa wasn’t so cold, when the wind blew softly, carrying the sound of laughter. time only turned one way, yet he wanted to reverse it, to force the universe in rewind, to when his greatest worry was which song to play you at lunch. he wanted to bring a bottle of dandelion wine and watch as morax insisted upon osmanthus, as rukkhadevata rolled her eyes with a smile and suggested how about tea instead, it’s barely noon.

he was selfish. every god was, to an extent, but he…

as venti looked up at the stars, he couldn’t help but pray that one of them was you.

[breelandwalker]

Harvest Moon - September 28, 2023

The summer heat might be hanging on, but it's time to get excited for autumn shenanigans all the same. Grab your canning supplies and your favorite cider mug - it's time for the Harvest Moon!

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. It does not matter whether the moon occurs before or after the equinox or in which month it falls. In some years, this means the Harvest Moon may occur in October, in which cause the September moon might go by the name of Corn Moon or Rice Moon, depending on where you are.

In 2023, the Harvest Moon falls once more in the month of September. The same will happen in 2024, when the Harvest Moon will also be a supermoon! However, in 2025, the September moon will come early in the month, making it a Corn Moon. The Harvest Moon that year will be in early October.

The September moon is particularly beloved by farmers in the Northern Hemisphere, as it rises earlier and shines brighter than other full moons due to the relative angle of the Earth in relation to the moon during the equinox, which is helpful for lighting up the tail end of those long work days. In addition, the Harvest Moon may also appear full for multiple nights, providing additional illumination for labor or evening strolls. As such, while the peak of the Harvest Moon will occur in the wee hours of September 29th, it will appear to be full on both the 28th and 29th.

Other North American Indigenous names for the September moon include a number of variations of the aforementioned Corn Moon (used by numerous nations), such as Corn Maker Moon (Abenaki), Corn Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Corn Is Harvested Moon (Zuni). Other names refer to seasonal changes or animal behavior, such as Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), and Rutting Moon (Cree). Some European and modern pagan names for the September moon include Barley Moon (Old English), Singing Moon (Celtic), and Fruit Moon (general).

It's also worth noting that our Jewish friends and neighbors will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah this month, so remember to share your apples and honey and wish them Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year)!

What Does It Mean For Witches?

As autumn begins, we continue to reap what we've sown over the course of the year. It's a time to pause and reflect on what we've accomplished, let go of any unnecessary burdens we're still carrying, and focus on taking care of hearth and home for the cold months ahead. Now is a good time to do one last clutter purge or finish those repairs you've been putting off all summer!

Change is in the air as well, and transformations begun earlier in the year will burst into vibrant life. Just as the flowers bloom in spring, the leaves turn in the fall, and those of us who come alive in the autumn will start to fell that zing coming back.

Community also comes back into focus during harvest time, both because of the sharing of resources and the accompanying start of the school year. Take a moment to reinforce positive and supportive connections with friends and neighbors, or reach out to your local or online circle to strengthen existing bonds.

This a time of great abundance, so if you've been meaning to draw any kind of increase into your life, take steps to do so now. Harness that Harvest Moon energy to help carry you through the lean times in comfort and plenty.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

This is the time for feasting, bonfires, and outdoor gatherings. September and October will give us a few more warm weeks before the weather turns cold and rainy, so make the most of it! Have a potluck supper with a menu made of everyone's favorite seasonal recipes. Visit a local farmer's market and bring home that fresh seasonal produce. Thank the earth for the bounty it provides and renew your promise to be a good steward of the land where you live.

Technically, this is the second "harvest" moon of the year, since the harvest of most seasonal crops began back in August with wheat and corn and late summer fruits. The harvest of corn and grain continues into September and is joined by additional late-season fruits and vegetables, the most iconic of which is the annual apple crop.

Apple-picking is easily my favorite autumn activity and it's fantastic way to get outdoors, get some fresh air, and come home with tasty produce for uses both mundane and magical. From cider to applesauce to pies, apples are delightfully versatile. They also feature in a number of folk traditions and party games which double as divination rituals.

Continue your preparations for winter by canning or preserving fresh foods, hanging harvested herbs and flowers to dry, or refreshing your stocks of moon water and magical oils. Make your own magical brews using a stock pot as a cauldron and soups, stews, punch, cider, and mulled wine as your potions. Kitchen witches, your time is NOW!

Wear the colors of the season boldly and revel in all the gifts you've received and joys you've experienced so far this year. If you've been particularly blessed, pay it forward to share the bounty with others. Reflect on everything you've accomplished, celebrate your progress, and maybe set one or two small goals for the end of the year.

And since the decorations are already appearing in stores, start stocking up for Halloween!

Happy Harvest Moon, witches! 😊🍎

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts

Secular Celebrations - Autumn Equinox

Harvest Moon, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

What Is The Harvest Moon?, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Harvest Moon 2023: The Spiritual Meaning of September's Full Moon, The Peculiar Brunette.

Full Moon 2025 Calendar, Full Moonology.

Rosh Hashanah, Wikipedia.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[scotianostra]

Ooh, what’s Edinburgh like? Moving there next year hopefully, from Africa, and after a few quick trips I can’t say I’ve gotten too much of a sense of the city :(

I'm kinda biased, but it's a good place, quite small and easy to get around, the main bus serice is Lothian Buses, for a flat fare of £2 you can get from ato b on one bus, for £5 cash you can hop on and off, the best value is paying by debit card , what they call TapTapCap from as little as £4.80 per day and £22 per week, so if you are one 3 or more buses in one day it caps at £4.80, and £22 is the most you will pay fr a week. The bus service is very good and I use their bustracker, find it on Google Play "My Bus Edinburgh" The vast majority of Museums and Art Galleries are free, only charges tend to be if there are special exhibitions, like The National Museum of Scotland had a Doctor Who exhibition last year. There are two main train stations, Waverley and Haymarket, and several small ones and stops.

Most people don't realise that Edinburgh and the surrounding areas have some great beaches, Portobello is the best in the city, ad has plenty of places to eat and drink at there. Cramond Beachis a mecca for dog walkers, there is a Causeway there where you can explore Cramond Island, just watch the tide times. There are plenty of parks and green spaces, the city is officially the greenest city in the UK, with almost half the city (49.2%) being classed as 'green space'.

If you are relatively fit there are plenty hills to climb to get great views, some are very easy, Calton Hill, Corstorphine to name but two. Arthur's Seat offers different routes to the summit of varying difficulty, but you can actually drive so far up and just make the easy climb to the top, there are three man made "Lochs" around Arthur's Seat, if you're lucky you will see Otters at Dunsapie, Duddingston and St Margarets have plenty swas and ducks. For more serious walkers the Pentland Hills are a great place to explore, there is even a herd of oor Highland "Hairy Coos" up there. If you can ski, there is a dryslope on The Pentlands, the longest in the UK.

Pubs and clubs are a plenty, I have no idea of your age as you have decided to remain anon, but many places cater for students, prices vary, I pay between £2 and £4 for my drinks, although the touristy places will charge you up to twice this amount, over £6 for a drink is not unusual.

Of course we have the Festival, well there are several throughout the year, Edinburgh gets the tag of Festival City at times. The main one is in August and the population of Edinburgh is said to double in the time, licensed premises are automatically given an extension to their opening hours, some open to 5 in the morning.

It's a safe city  with a low crime rate, but as with other places you have to be aware of your own safety. If you plan on taking in the paid attractions The Castle wil set you back about £20, as will The Palace of Holyrood House. Opposite the Palace is The Scottish Parliament, you can visit thisfor free and sit in while it is in session. If you are planning on venturing around Scotland and like your history I recommend a membership of Historic Scotland, again I don't know your age, but prices start at under £3 a month and are less than a fiver for adults over 24. National Trust of Scotland also offer meberships from £3.35 to £5.80.

Can't really think of much more to put for now, perhaps my followers can make suggestions, or ask questions?

Oh and pack your umbrella get a waterproof jacket, even in summer we can get some heavy showers, naturally you will be aware it can get cold as well, invest in a decent winter jacket and layers to keep warm.

I hope this has been helpful.