#ooo apple orchard

[weezord-leezords]

Via

[vanfleeter]

Picking Apples - Dad!Jake blurb

Instead of pumpkin picking this year, you and Jake opted to take Tommy and Lily to the nearest orchard and pick some apples. You had plans to make apple pie, apple crisp, anything apple. You also had to reassure Jake that you indeed were not pregnant again when he gave you the look.

"Boots?" You hear Jake talking downstairs.

"Check!" Tommy responds.

"Rain coat?"

"Check! Oh, wait.. Daddy.. You forgot Lily's boots." Tommy says, followed by Lily's giggles.

"My apologies sweetheart," Jake says. "Would you like your pink boots or your yellow boots?"

"Pink!" Lily exclaims.

"Pink it is." Walking downstairs, you find the three of them seated on the floor by the front door as Jake helps Lily into her boots. "Left foot done, now your right foot." He says. "Okay!" He sighs as he drops his hands onto his thighs. "Now I think we're ready."

"Don't forget your coat too, Daddy." Tommy says.

"Right, right.." Jake says as he turns around only to find you standing there and holding his coat. He smiles and kisses your cheek before taking his coat from your hands. "Thank you baby. Whatever would I do without you?" You smile and pay his back as he slides on his coat. "Alright matey's! Are we ready to go find ourselves some sweet and delectable fruit?"

"Aye aye!" Tommy exclaims, throwing up his hand in the air and bending his index finger to be like a pirate hook.

"Then let's board our ship and sail across these treacherous seas in search of this fruit!" He bends down and picks up Lily, swinging her up in the air and placing her on his hip.

Arriving at the orchard and grabbing some bags from the workers, the four of you make your way through the rows and rows of trees in search of the perfect apples to pick.

"Can we get the green ones?" Tommy asks as he tugs on your coat. "I really like the green ones."

"Red ones are better," Jake states as he shrugs his shoulders.

"Are not!" Tommy quips.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are you really going to argue with a five year old?" You say.

Jake looks down at Tommy and winks. "We'll get both." He says.

"Yes!" Tommy exclaims. "Let's go!"

The four you find the red apples and begin to scour the rows for the best apples. "Ooo! Ooo! Up there!" Tommy exclaims as he points to the top of one of the trees. Jake bends down and hoists the little dude on his shoulders and brings him over to the tree.

"Alright, you have to stretch. I can only go so high." Jake says as he pushes himself up on his toes.

Tommy stretches out his arm and grabs hold of the apple that he spotted. "Got it!" He exclaims as he plucks it from the branch and hands it down to Jake who drops it into the bag. "One more!"

"Oh boy.." Jake groans as he shifts Tommy on his shoulders. He's definitely going to regret this later.

Eventually all four bags are full of apples and it's time to pay and head home. Dumping the bags on the counter, a few roll out of one of the bags and Jake quickly catches one as it rolls off the countertop.

"Woah, spiderman.." Tommy whispers.

Jake smirks and shoots Tommy a wink before placing the apples back inside the toppled bag.

"I'd say today was a pretty good day," You say as you lean over to kiss Jake's cheek.

"Beats pumpkin picking.. I didn't have to carry twenty pounds of pumpkin inside the house." He chuckles and kisses you back. "And less of a mess since we won't be carving anything this year."

"Remember last year when Tommy flung the seeds and gunk all over the kitchen?"

Jake rolls his eyes. "I was scrubbing the walls for days."

"Well now you can sweep up apple peelings for days."

"Oh joy.." Jake chuckles. Hearing a crunch behind them, Jake peers over his shoulder to see Lily sitting at the kitchen table and munching on an apple. "I don't think we'll have a problem if she eats them all," He chuckles. Lily looks up at you both and grins with a mouthful of apple.

[ezdotjpg]

forgive me if it's been asked before but alt. hobbies for your bonus links?? would guess mage has a thing for gardening and fishing because of his uncle's apple orchard with a nearby pond but i'm curious!

ooo I like that for mage! he also spends a LOT of time reading. Like anything he can get his hands on. He’s reading the driest tome abt the history of hyrulean property taxes ever put to paper

ok I have more some of these might be repeats sorry

Loft really loves woodcarving but he hasn’t been able to do it as much since he has tremors in his right hand now. he’s getting better with his left though! I feel like he might have also liked other crafts like knitting or crocheting but encounters the same problems with those. do death-defying stunts with his loftwing (safe for the loftwing, batshit for him) count as a hobby. he jumps off cliffs for fun. if u asked him what his favorite hobby is he would say it’s sleeping

Mask loves fishing too! for some reason I feel like he’d also be good at like. idk. weaving shit out of grass. he’s basket weaving. he’s making bracelets. he makes flower crowns for the cows. I like to imagine he and malon come up with a lot of games to play together with their own elaborate sets of rules. does that count as a hobby

Wolf likes to bake! he also reads a lot tho I love the headcanon that it’s like. 95% garbage romance novels. love that for him. Also fishing! I think he would also like gardening

War dances! Mostly only when he’s by himself if it’s not in formal setting like a ball. He has no other hobbies <- desperately needs them

Mini builds machines out of garbage. most of them are harmless. sometimes he’s an evil mastermind. I think he’d like sculpting things out of clay too

Mirror makes jewelry but that’s more of his profession. He’s taken up drawing and painting! noting the irony lol. he always has a sketchbook on him. i think he likes watercolors. He really likes fashion! He can sew and embroider.

Spirit also invents contraptions but that’s also his job. Knowing everything about trains is also his job. I think maybe he does not have many hobbies that aren’t also his job. Hm. Actually he really likes playing his flute I think he makes up his own songs on it. If u asked him I think he would also say his favorite hobby is sleeping

I think. Wake likes to collect weird stuff he finds in the ocean or on beaches lol. Like salvaging? It’s weird seashells. It’s cool pieces of driftwood. It’s rusty swords that wash ashore. it’s objects from another time. He taught himself to play the trumpet. He loves to sing and he’s so bad at it. If he spots a piece of rope he’s tying an elaborate series of complicated, artful knots

I think Slate really likes climbing. Like yeah he does it to get around but sometimes he just climbs giant cliffs for fun. Lots of active stuff like shield-surfing and sandseal racing! He treats riding horses as more of a hobby than a means of travel. He loves hearing stories from ppl a stables, if that counts. Game nights w the locals in Hateno. He grows different plants he finds in hyrule in his room in Hateno and Zelda does experiments with them when he’s not home lol.

[nobedofroses]

October 21st

pairing: Marcus Moreno x fem!reader

warnings: fluff, allusions to spice

words: 1.5k

a/n: Prompt for today is "painting a pumpkin date night" from this list by @novelbear. Ooo Marcus and reader are really getting somewhere!

Directory, previous Marcus blurb, Day 20

🎃🎃🎃

About a week after going to the apple orchard, you were over with Marcus and Missy again, this time to paint pumpkins. You had been accosted as you got out of the car after grocery shopping one day and Marcus took over taking in your groceries while Missy went over the finer details of the plan with you. Since you weren’t busy and did want to spend more time with the two of them, it was an easy yes. Especially when Marcus came out of your house, biceps extra prominent after carrying in your reusable bags, and asked if you were going to join or not. 

They had asked you to come over early for pizza and you had brought a salad and garlic bread for sides, which were both greatly appreciated. Then the three of you got started, Marcus bringing out three stained aprons for you to put on so you wouldn’t dirty your clothes. 

“These are our craft aprons, we have other ones for cooking,” Missy informed you seriously. Then she brightened again, “Can you tie mine?”

“Of course,” you told her, slipping yours over your head so your hands were free and tying it in a neat bow. 

You were reaching behind you to tie your own apron strings when your hands bumped into Marcus’ hands that were already holding them. He leaned forward to murmur in your ear, “Got yours, sweetheart.” 

Dammit if his low voice and the brush of his breath against your neck didn’t give the shivers. But then he was moving away and saying, “Alright, kid, you’ve gotta tie mine now.”

Missy made a big show of tying his, doing it too tight at first and looking over at you with a grin and mischievous giggles. 

As you painted, Missy explained that while they had made their jack o’lanterns a while ago, one of her friends had shown her pictures of a purple glitter pumpkin, which had given Missy the idea for a pink and blue cotton candy glitter pumpkin, and so she had begged Marcus to get more to paint until he gave in. Then she stage-whispered to you, “He gives in super easy.” 

Marcus scoffed and threw a pom pom at her, which only served to make her smile bigger and laugh harder. He rolled his eyes but the two of you shared a fond look over the tops of your own pumpkins. 

You ended up staying late, helping them clean up, then watch an episode of Missy’s favorite show while you had ice cream for dessert. You would’ve left then and given them family time, but Missy wanted to show you her room. Which turned into you promising to come back soon so you could race her pink RC cars. Then you really would’ve left so she could get ready for bed and Marcus could have time to himself, but while Missy was busy brushing her teeth, he told you that he’d really love it if you were able to stay. So you said goodnight to Missy and went back to the living room to wait. 

And then you felt too awkward in there alone and went to the kitchen to make sure there was nothing else you could clean up for them. There wasn’t, so you just looked at your pumpkins that were drying on some newspaper on the kitchen table. Missy’s glitter cotton candy one was super cute, you had opted for one with many eyes painted on, and Marcus had done a pretty detailed rendition of Frankenstein’s monster. 

Before long, Marcus joined you in the kitchen, turning off some of the lights as he walked in, making the light more cozy. 

“Want anything to drink? I was thinking something warm, it’s getting a little chilly tonight,” Marcus asked, reaching for two ceramic mugs from his cupboard. 

“That sounds nice, what do you have?” 

“About six kinds of herbal tea, hot chocolate, hot buttered rum (which I can also make virgin), and apple cider I can heat up,” Marcus offered. 

You laughed, “How can I choose from a list like that? Whatever you want, it all sounds great, honestly.” 

Marcus chose but made sure you were really okay with it and then started making your drinks, telling you to wait in the living room and how to turn on the electric fireplace if you wanted. 

A little fire sounded perfect, so you headed in there and followed his directions, only putting it on low because you wanted it more for the coziness than the warmth. 

Marcus joined you a couple minutes later, commenting on your seat on the floor by the fireplace instead of on the couch, “Not making it easy for my old man joints, I see.” 

You laughed, “Oh please, you’re only a couple years older than me and I’d say in very good shape.” 

It was hard to tell if there was a bit of a blush on Marcus’ cheeks or if it was the firelight, but he did quietly thank you for the compliment. 

He had grabbed a tray so you had somewhere to put your drinks and you set yours there after taking a sip and declaring it perfect. 

Conversation lapsed for a moment as you didn’t know exactly what Marcus had wanted you to stay for. You had gotten to know him a lot better last week on the drive back, but by now you were used to Missy filling in the gaps when you were together. Who was he and what did he want with you besides a father indulging his daughter’s friendliness towards a new neighbor? 

You figured the best way to find out was to ask, even if it was awkward. But after yelling at him over Halloween decorations, you figured this couldn’t be more embarrassing. 

“So… you wanted me to stay?” you prompted, perhaps it wasn’t as easy to be forthright as you thought. 

“Yeah, I did,” Marcus said. And he was looking at you head on, but he still seemed distracted. 

“Okay. Why?” 

Marcus’ gaze drifted down to your lips and then back up to meet yours. You felt your body get warmer, not from the fireplace. 

“I wanted to ask you on a date,” Marcus said plainly. Your eyebrows went up in surprise. He continued, “I haven’t mentioned it to Missy and didn’t want to ask you in front of her because one, her friendship with you should be separate from anything with us, and two, if she was there, she’d invite herself along. And as much as I love spending time with her and you, I’d love to spend more time with just you.” 

His explanation was so thoughtful for you and Missy both that your heart ached a little in your chest that there was such a sweet man and dad right in front of you. You smiled softly, “Marcus, I’d really, really like that.” 

Marcus’ relieved smile was the most endearing thing you had ever seen and he was so handsome when he smiled too that you couldn’t help yourself and leaned in to kiss him. He was caught off guard, but quickly kissed you back, his arms wrapping around you to hold you close to him. His lips were soft and plush against yours and when you teased your tongue at the center of them, he parted them willingly. However, you suddenly realized that you were on his living room floor and his daughter had only gone to bed twenty minutes ago. 

You pulled back, “Sorry, I guess we shouldn’t be doing this right here, right now.” 

Marcus shook his head, his eyes already dilated and looking at you with an eagerness that made your blood run hot, “No, it’s okay. The hallway has the creakiest floor in the world, we’d hear her.”  

You thought back to when you were walking to see Missy’s RC car collection and had winced at a particularly loud creak right outside of her bedroom door. Seemed like good enough insurance for right now, at least. You threw caution to the wind and kissed Marcus again. 

It gave you such a delicious, heady feeling. The drag of your tongue against his, his big hand cradling your jaw, how it felt to nip at his full lower lip and hear his moan. Not to mention something stiffening between you. 

This time when you broke apart, you were both breathless and panting, and it was because your grinding was threatening to turn into something a whole lot riskier. You climbed off of his lap, sorry to leave him and yourself high and dry, but at least it was a short walk home to your bedroom and toys. 

Trying to keep from getting pulled back into you by his desire, Marcus changed the subject. Not that you had been talking. “So, what do you want to do for our date?” “I don’t know, but I think you should get a sitter that can stay late. You know, just in case,” you said with a sheepish look. You lifted your mug to take a sip and hide your face. But it wasn’t what you were expecting, “So much for warm drinks, these are fucking ice cold.” Marcus just smiled and laughed, reaching out and entwining your free hand with his, “Don’t think I’ll have to worry about feeling cold now, sweetheart.”

🎃🎃🎃

[ghostfrog28]

My Greasefire Life as TikTok Sounds

This isn’t going to be like my DennysVerse posts where there are multiple Denny’s, it’s just the Denny’s character in general. Also, not all of these will be exactly like they are online, some or most will be edited.

~~

Lexi: The PH in the soil is too high, I’m afraid I may die!

Denny’s: Fuck yeah, concrete!

~~

Denny’s, who may or may not be drunk: How the hell you spell shofur?

Ashley: Chauffeur

Denny’s: Ooo fancy pants rich mcgee over here! Fuck you 🖕!

Ashley: …

Denny’s: Spelling-bee ass

Thad, also drunk: He gonna give me the definition next

~~

Thad: Honestly, whatever I’m down for whatever

Denny’s: We could go see a movie

Thad: We could get lunch

Denny’s: We could kill someone…

Ashley: …

Thad: Or, the apple orchard!

~~

Denny’s: Let’s fucking go, baby!

Thad: (Elegant music starts) Let’s go~

~~ Denny’s calling Ash after a graveyard shift: Excuse me, I need your help. You need to kill me.

~~

Denny’s and Ash after finding out Thad is Bi: Hope everyone is having a great Pride Month! Shout out to…The Gays🏳️‍🌈✨

~~

Denny’s before she did Ash’s hair: Who the fuck did your hair?!

Ash: (Turns around) what??

Denny’s: No, I’m on the phone, I’m on the phone

~~ 

Denny’s: On a scale of one to ten, my friend, you’re Fucked✨!

~~

(When they saw the mob of angry hippies) Ash: We cannot escape!

Denny’s: We cannot come out!

Both of them: MAMA?! (Thad)

~~

Denny’s, drunk as hell: It’S wIzArD TiME, MoThEr FuCkEr! (Throws Molotov cocktail at Lexi) FiRe BaLl!

~~ Ash: Denny’s, when was the last time you got any sleep?

Denny’s: I don’t know, two-three days? Not important! I don’t need sleep, I need answers! I need to determine where in this Swamp of unbalanced formulas squat is the toad of truth?!

~~

Duke, extremely high: You ever seen a ghost?!

Ash, trying to plead his case to the police: I was over on the bench. I was over on the bench. I was over on the bench. I was sitting over on the bench. I Was Over On The Bench!

Brady: I made a salad with Craisins!

Thad, trying to bail Ash or Denny’s out of jail: Hello, I’m Chip Mulaney, I’m your father!

Duke: But sometimes, he would be gay~

Denny’s, drunk: Ever been to the goddamn zoo?!

DJ Cookie: I used to smoke crack!

Denny’s, either sleep deprived or hungover or both: What’s yesterday??

Denny’s: Shut up! You’re all gonna die! Street smarts!

Denny’s with the thermos: (Something loudly being set down! Boom! Orange juice! That’s life!

Lexi: Now I’ve thrown him off his rhythm!

Denny’s, Ash, and Thad: Give us some money!

Denny’s beating up Lexi: Stay down on the ground! Stay down on the ground, you motherfucker!

Denny’s or Ash: Do my friends hate me, or do I just need to go to sleep?!

Ash, finding a cover story: But why don’t we just tell our relatives, that I’m a four year old boy?

Denny’s: Hey, do you want me to kill that guy for you?!

Ash after his Mitski meltdown in episode 4: I am now gross!

Brady: But what’s this! PEPPA!

~~ That is all for now! I have a lot more and I’ll probably make another soon!

[manicplank]

two questions; pizza tower characters' opinions on spring and autumn/fall?

Ooo now we'll have all four seasons covered!

Spring and Fall!

Peppino:

(Spring): Loves the spring! The warm weather makes him finally come out of his seasonal depression. However, spring showers put a bit of a damper on his delivery service.

(Fall): Thinks the autumn is beautiful, but begins to feel a bit glum as he knows his seasonal depression is once again coming back.

Gustavo:

(Spring): Loves the spring! He loves watching the trees and flowers come back to life after the harsh cold. The rain makes him a bit sad at times, but he appreciates it.

(Fall): LOVES the fall! Likes going to pumpkin patches, sunflower fields, loves hiking and seeing the colors of the leaves. Thinks the transition from summer to winter is beautiful.

Mr. Stick:

(Spring): Likes the spring but hates the inconsistency in weather. Rainy and cold, then warm and humid for a few days. Back to rainy and cold. Not a fan. But the flowers are nice.

(Fall): Loves the fall. Similar to Gustavo, he loves all the usual fall activities. He specifically likes apple picking at the orchards, it makes him feel like a kid again.

Pepperman:

(Spring): LOVES the spring. The weather is finally getting warmer, and the most beautiful scenery of blooming foliage is his muse. He will even go out and sit in the rain for a while.

(Fall): Doesn't really like the autumn. It means winter is coming, and he's not haply about it. He thinks fall colors are bland and predictable.

The Vigilante:

(Spring): Doesn't like spring all that much. All the rain makes the farm muddy and soggy. All the livestock get dirtier than usual, and all the hay gets wet. It makes his life a bit inconvenient.

(Fall): Likes the fall. Opens up the farm for guests to go apple picking, pumpkin picking, and even opens the petting zoo. It's his most profitable time of year. Seeing the farm so busy makes him happy.

The Noise:

(Spring): Likes the spring. He likes seeing the flowers bloom. His seasonal depression gets washed away. He loves playing in the puddles that the rain brings, but almost always gets sick from it. This does not dissuade him from doing it again.

(Fall): Is ok with the fall. He loves the colors of the leaves, but that only means that the cold winter is coming. His seasonal depression comes creeping back.

Noisette:

(Spring): LOVES the spring and everything about it! She loves Easter. She and The Noise hide eggs for each other to find. She gets to start her flower garden again, too! She likes to play in the rain, but oddly enough, never gets sick from it.

(Fall): LOVES the fall! She loves going to Vigi's farm and doing all the activities! She drags Noise with her to go apple picking, sunflower picking, and petting the animals! She always gets lost in the corn maze and needs to be rescued.

Fake Peppino:

(Spring): LOVES the spring! It's when frogs are at their peak! He loves singing with the spring peepers. You'll hear him croak a lot. He likes to bask in the sun and the rain. He also rolls around in the mud a lot.

(Fall): Doesn't like fall too much. However, he does enjoy the dampness of it. He likes hiding in leaf piles and taking naps. The fall means the cold is coming, so he tries to enjoy what's left of the warmth.

Pizzahead:

(Spring): Absolutely loves the spring! All the pretty colors and even the rainstorms, too. However, he has a suspicion that Noisette is still gardening despite him telling her she's banned from it after growing a mutant plant that almost broke the tower.

(Fall): Loves the fall! Goes to Vigi's farm and does literally everything! He has to be watched carefully, though, as he's tried to steal a calf.

Pillar John:

(Spring): He doesn't typically enjoy the spring, specifically because of the rain. Sooo much rain. The humidity makes him feel sticky and gross, and the added warmth only contributes to it.

(Fall): Enjoys the fall. Likes seeing all the little animals at the fun farm. He's usually the one who has to rescue Noisette from the corn maze since he's tall enough to see over it all.

Gerome:

(Spring): Doesn't really like the spring. He ends up cleaning SO much mud off the floors of the tower. It makes his job a lot harder than it needs to be. He does enjoy the warmth, though.

(Fall): Likes the autumn, it's okay. Mot too fond of the farm, but he enjoys seeing the leaves change colors. It's less muddy than the spring, so he's not constantly mopping his life away.

[magmacannon]

odds 20-30 and 42 for yarrow? :]

oOO thank you sm!!!

21. What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

Yarrow isn't a staunch supporter of any cultural norms that would limit the expression of someone's appearance to maintain 'proper' form, thinking (correctly for sure, given the city he's currently living in) that this is a way to 'other' people who do not fit within a narrow range of arbitrary categories of dress/mannerisms/etc. He's also incredibly versed at navigating appropriate dresswear for all types of events and while he can blend in with proper clothing for different situations, he tends to knowingly dress Up.

23. What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

Yarrow is 243 years old and remembers (/regrets) things he's done with other people that have since died of old age. The biggest of those that the least people likely remembered when they were alive is saying "I love you" sincerely in situations where it wasn't returned. However, Yarrow tries to live with as few regrets as possible day-to-day now that he's gotten better at handling his emotions, meaning the number of things that dwell in his mind (of late) has gone down. For sure he'll get too pissed off and put his foot in his mouth sometime soon though! He'll likely think about it extensively even if the person he snapped at has moved on (and try to fix it if he's able to do so, or eventually move on with his life if not)

25. What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

Yarrow knows a WHOLE lot about the cultivation and crossbreeding of apple trees! It bears no merit to his current life in any possible way but he genuinely could start an orchard if the fancy ever took him! He also has extensive knowledge about how to braid flower crowns together in very complex ways, knows the inner workings of worship of the Seldarine, knows mid-tier medical knowledge (he can absolutely perform effective sutures with a bit of practice beforehand), and a variety of other things that don't come up in his day-to-day life.

27. What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

I had to think about this one for a quite a bit but the three worst gifts (for different reasons) that Yarrow ever received were a well-made but lacey blouse from his father when he was young (extremely not Yarrow's style and not the first lace-based gift his dad had given him), a locket containing crystallized blood in the shape of a heart and a braid of (his and the gift-giver's) hair serving as the lines for said heart (from someone he was having a short fling with, WAY too soon to give a gift like this), and a dildo that was of such bad quality that he was genuinely hurt by it. In all three cases he got extremely angry and vicious for a while, vowed never to speak to that person again (in his father's case, this was temporary), and then made a deliberate attempt to not be in that position again. (In the case of the dildo, he started making sex toys.... origin story)

29. How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

Yarrow believes himself to be extremely knowledgeable about a whole lot of shit (he is, but he can also be really annoying about it - or seems to be above it just with how he looks/acts which is really infuriating) and gives advice nearly at the drop of a hat, so this happens a lot lol. If it's a serious issue he'll try to appeal to emotions to help whoever he's trying to advise, but if it's lower-stakes stuff or someone he's annoyed with he'll scoff at them for not listening/believing that he has useful info about whatever it may be. Yarrow is also really good at lying so if he is fibbing, his acted-out Hurt is nearly indistinguishable from genuine disappointment.

And 42. If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

There are... literally so many options but I'll go with "How to survive falling in love ten thousand times" as a title and the topic is how to navigate into higher emotional maturity, how not to get consumed by heartbreak and despair at relationships/the world, and how to find as much joy as possible in every day of life pff

[crossover-enthusiast]

Ooo yeah!

Maybe Skid and Pump end up seeing an old black and white photo of Grace standing with a younger Bob at like a cookout or an apple orchard—

OOOOOO

"Ms. Grace! You knew him?"

"Oh, yes! He was such a nice little kid, I wonder what he's up to now..."

*Skid and Pump share a look*

[allthingssoulful-garden]

Oooh I like these! Thank you for taking the time to put this together :)

How was your gardening season?

It was okay-ish. Wasn't a bad season overall, got enough out of it, but it was by far the worst I've had in the last few years.

Did you plant vegetables? How did they turn out?

I did. The variety was not as great as in the past, mostly grew common things. Maybe half turned out good and the other half did poorly.

Did you plant flowers? How did you like them?

Yes and I loved them. Added a few more varieties of dahlias, it's only my second year growing them, but I'm enjoying it. Also planted a mix of spring bulbs that turned out very pretty. My dog's been discreetly digging in that bed now and then, hopefully she didn't destroy them and I'll get to see them come up again soon.

Did you plant trees or bushes? How are they?

Yes. Besides the usual replacement of some plum and apple trees, I also planted a nectarine I'm very excited about. Looks pretty healthy so far, grew quite a bit for the first year (not even that, I planted it in late spring). Looking forward to seeing it bloom next spring. Also planted a couple more blueberry and honeyberry bushes to help with pollination for the ones I already have. Ooo and a pink currant. They all look good.

What was your biggest project? How did it go?

I can't say I had any gardening projects this year. Just did my usual planting, added a tree or bush here and there, but I didn't work on anything big. I had too many projects going on in other areas of my life, so I took it easy in the garden.

What did really not work this season?

Quite a few things and they're the same as past years, so it's getting pretty frustrating. Tomatoes mostly didn't do well. Neither did brassicas (probably 3rd year they do horrible), cucumbers, carrots, corn, pumpkings. Also I think this was the year I finally accepted that the weather at the orchard is simply not right for some trees. Planted again some cherry, apricot, pear trees and some already died while the rest don't look too good. I've been trying for like, 10 years, so no more.

What worked really well?

Mmm, I don't know. My new strawberry variety, Clery, maybe. It surprised me how well it did and also how long they can be preserved after picking, which makes me love it. Berries in general did well. Also engligh cucumbers! And beetroots. And celery (currently drowning in celery roots that await someone to process them. Won't be me).

Did your garden surprise you?

Not really. We've been working together for too long, it rarely surprises me anymore :)

What was the biggest challenge?

Drought and a cold late spring/early summer. Can't decide which one did more harm.

Anything else you want to talk about?

Was just thinking I should plant more flowers next season. Annuals mostly, as I don't have any space for perenials, but I think more flowers scattered around veggie beds will look pretty (taking inspo from your city garden @fcktaken). Also more peonies, I don't have nowhere near as many peonies as I'd like.

And just to put it out there, even though it'd be a very irresponsible decision, really horrible on my part, there's a tiny, slight possibility of getting a bit more land in the city and all I can think about is building a glass greenhouse and planting some trees I can't have at the orchard (apricot, saturn peach, quince, persimmon, sour cherry). Ha, a girl can dream.

Favorite picture?

Two, because they go together.

Part of the berry varieties from this year. I keep trying to take a picture with them all, but their ripening times are too different.

End of Year Gardening Asks

How was your gardening season?

Did you plant vegetables? How did they turn out?

Did you plant flowers? How did you like them?

Did you plant trees or bushes? How are they?

What was your biggest project? How did it go?

What did really not work this season?

What worked really well?

Did your garden surprise you?

What was the biggest challenge?

Anything else you want to talk about?

Favorite picture?

[cowboyjen68]

Rotten Apples & Frontier Justice

 Rotten Apples and Frontier Justice

By CowboyJen

My best friend Kendra had a small overbite that she grew into but there were a few boys who liked to tease her about it. One very hot summer day we were riding our horses in the old apple orchard down in what was soon to become a rural suburban development dubbed Woodland Estates. The two brick walls with cement lions on them already graced the entryway of our riding trail. 

I was around 11 and she was 10. A few of the boys were riding their bikes up and down the paved road which had been a dirt path a few weeks prior and the novelty of having blacktop was too much to resist. They basically rode up and down back and forth and the speed bumps were great to “get air”.

We ignored them, they ignored us, the way it was meant to be. One boy, and we will never know why, and perhaps he didn’t know either, suddenly  felt pretty brave and breached the unspoken boy/girl wall.  Maybe having his friends nearby to back him up or maybe to prove he was “a man” or If you believed my mom, it was “his way of showing us he had a crush”. No matter his reasons. He waited until we had dismounted to feed green apples to the horses Beau and Gypsy and veered off the smooth black top.  He stood on his pedals to gain speed as he approached and  he was bent forward over that K Mart bike’s handlebars as he got closer and closer. We saw him coming and sort of just watched the on coming flurry of feathered hair and Starsky and Hutch T shirt. 

This boy, thinking to spook the horses and cause us trouble passed us as close as he could and yelled “Bucky the Buck toothed Beaver!” 

Kendra was unphased and so were our seasoned mounts. She took the apple that was meant for Gypsy and hit the boy right in the back of the head from about a 12 foot range. The rotten part splatted in his dirty blonde hair but the solid part made an audible “thud” as it connected to his thick skull. He screamed in pain “shit.. ouch!” and slid his bike sideways in the grass, staining his Sears Husky jeans no doubt.  He paused a second on the ground, probably debating if pretending to be really hurt might save him or hoping  his friends were on the way.  No luck either way so he stood  up, picked up his bike and faced us with green grass stains and what was likely sweat, apple juice and tears on his face. 

Before he could turn to mount his bike I took my shot. Wham, right in the knee, not as accurate as Kendra but it got his attention. The look in his face was that of a man who suddenly realized he had severely underestimated the enemies he decided to create. Kendra already had two apples in hand and I reloaded while she fired off another shot. One missed, hitting his bike as it dropped to the ground. The other caused him to holler out “stop!” when it hit him in the stomach. 

Two tween girls, who both had their own baseball gloves and killed long summer days throwing rocks at trees and golf balls at tin cans are formidable foes. Poor kid realized the error of his ways too late. There was no time for him to formulate a plan. The onslaught of rotten green apples put him squarely in survival mode and he ran to the nearest dwarf apple tree. He hid behind it and tried bargaining. “Stop it you guys!”  One, two, three apples whizzed by him and one hit the tree causing a satisfying splatter pattern. “Come on guys.. stop!”.  A few more hits and we began to flank him. Our horses calmly grazed the shaded grass and we loaded our arms and moved to flush him from his barrier. 

In a moment of what I am sure he thought was brilliance, he grabbed a low branch and swung up, taking a hit to the seat of his pants and one to the back. A hard, well aimed hit in the soft part of the small of his back. I heard it and Kendra said “ooo  nailed him”.

Like a squirrel in Traxx Tennis shoes he moved around the tree and climbed up to a more covered branch forcing us to back away to see him better. Kendra seemed satisfied that he was out of range and I followed her lead to walk backwards to the horses. She started to pile up apples and he yelled down “Knock it off you Ass holes, i need to go home”.   We bit into and chewed the bitter green apples while sitting on the ground next to our ammunition pile. The other boys had dropped their bikes by the Lion topped brick walls and were sitting on it, watching. The trapped boy noticed them and pleaded “Guys.. come help”.  They only responded with “they are just girls” but none of them jumped down to aid him. 

It was getting to be suppertime and he decided we had grown tired of watching him. He slowly descended but as he hit the last branch before the ground we pelted him with the squishiest apples we could pick up. The splatter was satisfying but watching him scramble back to his perch was even more so.

We ate snacks from our saddle bags and waited. He tried a few times to make an escape.  Once even jumping to the ground and trying to make a run for it. He was not fast enough nor tolerant of pain enough to get more than one step before  swiveling and scratching his way back to his previous perch.  The funniest attempt was when he tried something he had seen in the movies. “I will come down with my hands up” and as much as we wanted to see that Kendra and I bombarded the tree trunk.  Every time he would try the pain of the projectile apples kept him in his place.  

In the final stages before the street lamp came on (we had one now) he begged “I’m supposed to be home now. Mom is going to be really mad”.  We sympathized slightly, knowing the mom wrath of those kids late for supper or not home right after the darkness triggered the light to come on. But I guess he shouldn’t have hurled that insult. . 

The other boys had left, we were bored and. in desperation, and wishing he would not have hogged so much Kool Aid he yelled. “I gotta pee really bad guys.. come ON!”.  He had two choices, unzip and pee from the tree, which would expose him just enough that we would have future ammo about “what we saw” or well, not unzip. His body made the decision for him. Enough was enough and we rode past him with a final  apple lobbed over his head. We never spoke of that again. Not to him, not to each other, no one. He had done his time. Frontier justice had been served. Lesson learned. 

Lessons: Don’t be a bully. If you drink too much Kool Aid and decide to take on two tween girls, it  is  best to have an exit strategy. Girls can’t always throw as hard as boys their age but their accuracy can be scary good. Girls have more stamina and patience in a stand off than you want to test. Straight girls can and will take it to the next level. 

[britishassistant]

Love your villain AU! Can we get origin stories for the first years? How they found the seven villain lairs and what motivation they have to join them?

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

And ooo, that’s fun! Well for out best first year boys:

Ace

Ace was a bright kid, who felt very assured that he’d get a job once he got out of school, because he knew he was smart. Who even cared about grades anyway?

As it turned out, quite a lot of employers. Ace managed to land a good job in sales for a business oriented company, but every day he felt like his soul was being sucked away as he called more and more people, and recieved a dial tone, or worse, for his efforts.

Still, he persevered through spite if nothing else. He refused to let other people be the reason he went down, even if he dreamed of a more exciting life every time he closed his eyes.

And then one say, one of the people on his regular call list goes quiet after his regular spiel, and asks him, “Like, have you ever thought about a job change?”

And the Ace of Hearts gladly cleared out his office that same day.

Deuce

Deuce worked hard to support his mom and clean up his act after middle school.

Unfortunately, as a kid from a lower income neighborhood with an established “reputation” for bad behavior, everything was set against him from the beginning. It never seemed to matter how much he tried to style himself as an honor student, he was always passed over even when he felt sure he’d be selected for scholarships or other opportunities.

He managed to get a job at an automobile dealer’s on the outskirts of the city due to his love and experience with Magiwheels, but he was similarly passed over for promotions, even when he drastically outperformed his coworkers.

And then one day, a young doctor came into his dealership, and Deuce was determined to sell him the perfect car! This time Two of Spades would be recognized for sure!

And he was…even if it wasn’t by his superiors.

Jack

Jack grew up in a happy family, with two younger siblings. He was happy, but always pushing his limits, seeing how far he could go both in his extracurriculars and his academics.

But you know what they say: the tallest poppy will soon find themselves cut down. And some took offense to his refusal to compromise his personal principals to go with the flow.

He was potentially slated to be recurited into the RSA. But he got into an argument with the examiner over morals, which “blew” his chances. Jack honestly couldn’t care less about that, but he did find it perturbing when jobs he applied to after that would turn him down mysteriously halfway through the interview process.

And through all this, the only ones who seemed to stand free of this discrimination were the supervillains who were beginning to emerge. Jack couldn’t help but respect King in particular, for his cunning and leadership skills regarding the Hall of Fame heist.

And then one day, on his way back from a failed interview, he ended up caught in a heist situation…and catching the supervillain who orchestrated it’s eye in the process.

Epel

Epel grew up outside of Twstopolis unlike Ace, Deuce, and Jack, in a village famed for its orchards.

He always dreamed of making it big in the city, where no one would make fun of him for his pretty looks like plenty of his peers did in his village.

He heard of King initially, and was starry eyed when watching his heist of sports trophies when he first became a supervillain. From there, Epel dreamed of becoming part of King’s gang when he moved to the city.

Unfortunately, he caught the eye of Poison Queen not long after moving to the city. And then was compatible with the “Poison Apple” transformer.

He’s been plotting a change in career for a while now.

Ortho

Once upon a time, Idia had a brother.

And then Chapter Six came out and disclosed the tragic backstory that lead to the creation of Ortho (XD)

After Ortho’s creation, he grew worried for Idia. Even as those outside of his brother’s social circle made pointed remarks about his interactivity with the world around him. And Idia seemed to shrink in on himself, even as he made breakthroughs in his inventions. And Ortho didn’t know what to do.

And then one day, Idia ended up slamming down on hisprototype freeze ray when a potential sponsor was being too agressive. After the man was frozen, Ortho watched a grin spread over his brother’s face. And from then on, Hermes knew his life would never be the same.

Sebek

Sebek grew up as a playmate of the most honorable Malleus-sama!

He was very proud of being Malleus-sama’s bodyguard and friend! He was prepared to dedicate his life to protecting his lord!

But then Malleus received a letter that had been missent in the mail…

Sebek was not sure where this event would lead, but he was prepared to follow Malleus-sama to the ends of the earth, even as Banshee if need be!

[fatesdesign-archive]

  — [sender] and [receiver] go apple picking

@riidcr|| Autumn starters

Spending any time with Eugene of his time off was amazing, but sharing the day with an activity, a memory, that held a special place in her heart. She sat in front of him, leaning against his chest as they rode Max out into the open areas of the outskirts. "An apple orchard?" she wondered, looking across the rows of apple trees, the cosy colours of autumn calling them in.

We're going apple picking.

She gasped, looking around at him and kissing his cheek. "Really?!" she grinned, eager to get down and to walk in the little forest of apples. Rapunzel had never been to pick her own fresh apples. This would be a whole new experience for her. "Ooo I will make the best apple pie later" she waited for Eugene to reach up and help her down from the horse, her hand gripping his as she without the bounce in her step.

[uniquevoidflowers]

"This is my Hyrule. I'd recognize this path anywhere." Legend calls to the chain.

"Ooo finally!" Wind cheers.

Legend waves the sailor's remark off and looks into the distance. "We should go to the orchard first, and then the castle. Just to check in with someone."

"Well this is your Hyrule, vet. Lead the way." Time urges.

The veteran walks along the path, never straying from it much to the traveller and the cook's disappointment. A smile forms on his lips as he thinks of home, and all the memories he has there. The others seem to notice, because all of the sudden they are in a really good mood. Hyrule looks excited. Eventually they arrive and Legend makes a move to open the door but the door isn't there.

A hand yanks him away and he finally sees the problem. The roof of the house is burnt to a crisp, but tiny flames still dance across it. The house has collapsed in on itself, leaving it beyond repair. The orchard is gone as well, all of it ashes on the ground.

No...

Nononononononono

I swore I would keep the orchard safe, healthy, do anything to help it thrive...I'm sorry Uncle.

"Link, breathe."

In

Out.

In

Out.

Once he's breathing properly Ravio tells him to list things he can see, smell, hear, etc. Legend sobs after. "Mr. Hero, please calm down! Zelda has already arranged for you to get another home, so you don't have to worry about that!"

The vet shakes his head and continues to sob. "Oh. This is the place where you and your Uncle lived, right?" Ravio murmurs. Legend nods shakily. "And now all those memories a-are destroyed." The veteran whispers.

Ravio hugs him and says, "As long as you remember, those memories will always be with you."

"It's not the same though! There was pictures of me and him, ones that I'm already starting to forget, and the apples! He showed me how to grow them, and he always said the apples I grew were the best...I put so much effort into growing the sweetest apples, Rav, and now they're gone." Legend's distraught voice cracks at the end.

"I'm sorry." Ravio mumbles.

"What even happened?" Legend asks once he's ran out of tears.

"A monster attacked me and I uh...tried to escape and get my hammer from the orchard but suddenly I smelled smoke and there was fire everywhere." Ravio explained, guilt flickering in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Legend asks.

"Oh, yeah, the villagers helped me out before I could get hurt. They're...still trying to get the fire out." Ravio winces.

Legend gives a small sigh of relief. "You said Zelda's got a new place?"

"Well...yeah, but I left a few important details out of that. She has a space bought for you but we still have to build the house." Ravio explains sheepishly.

"We can help with that." Time rumbles.

"Really?" Legend's eyes widen in surprise.

"Yeah. Right, guys?" Warriors turns to the rest of the chain.

"Yeah." They all echo.

"We have been offered a space in the castle until the house is built." Ravio says.

Legend sighs. "Let's go then."

He starts to walk and he sees the chain hovering around him. The youngest are beside him while the others are close behind him. Tears gather at his eyes but he rubs them away.

I thought of a fic idea and i think i hate myself for it but i really wanna see this written (i would not be able to write it well myself)

The chain lands in Legend's hyrule and travel a few hours to his house. When he gets there, his orchard is on fire, and still burning but most are burnt to ashes and the only remaining ones are still on fire. Ravio has escaped ages ago with no injuries and has been trying to put it out (along with some nearby villagers) but it's too late

Ravio says how a monster had set the orchard on fire (Maybe the house gets set on fire too)

And Legend is distraught because it was his uncle's orchard and house, and he swore he would keep it safe and healthy. He adored that orchard and put all his effort into caring for it, producing the sweetest apples ever and every one reminded him of his uncle, and now all of that is destroyed

[bellatrixobsessed1]

From Chin To Yon Rah (Part 41)

I typed this chapter on mobile so it might have more typos than usual and I, a responsible fic writer, do not proof read.

Warmth. There is a sense of community in warmth and trying to stay in a state of it during the colder months. Wujing makes a celebration of doing so. And that is how she finds herself seated around the largest fire she has seen in the Earth Kingdom. She is their go to women to keep it lit until the festivities are over.

They seem to rather adore her fire and on nights like these she yearns to display a vivid blue. Perhaps one day. One day after she tells Hajime who she is. Though she isn't sure when she would tell everyone else. She hopes that everyone will take just as well to her fire when it burns blue. Perhaps if she is lucky, they will enjoy it more.

Until then she adds more orange to the blaze while Atsu shifts his weight in her arms. "My turn, Atsu!" Caihong declares.

"No-o." Atsu shakes his head, "she's my mama, go by yer dad!"

Despite the boy's protests, Azula lifts the blanket and let's Caihong crawl under it and next to Atsu. Hajime steps away from the fire and returns to her side. "I'd say that this is a promising way to start the winter."

"We've had a productive year. We have more than enough to get the Wujing through the winter." Seukhyun notes.

"No thanks to you, boy." Ojihara jests.

"I did most of the work ol' man!"

Listening to the father and son go back and forth is one more constant in her life. A thing that wouldn't feel right if absent.

Azula, to the best of her ability with to little beasts in her lap, moves closer to the fire. "Hey!" Atsu shouts, "I was com-fera-table!"

"I wasn't." Azula shrugs. Truth be told her legs are tingling from having held the same position for so long. "I need to stand up."

Neither of the children takes the cue so she tells them both to stand. She doesn't know why she expected to be met with anything other that a, "no, Rikka! We're cozy!" And an agreeing not from Atsu.

"Hajime, hold these things." She sets Atsu and then Caihong in his lap.

"These things are called children, Rikka." He laughs while Atsu folds his arms and pouts.

"They're more like chittering toad-squirrels if you ask me." She stretches her arms and then her back with a contented sigh. She makes her way even closer to the fire.

"Cider?" A man offers. She recognizes him from the market square, a clothes salesman she thinks. She can't quite recall his name but it could be Poying or maybe Poyang. The man is quite fond of telling everyone that he has a tinge of Air Nomad blood. Azula isn't the only person to take this with several grains of salt.  But he is an honest man otherwise do she takes the glass with a thank you.

"Gimme'a sip, gimme'a sip!" Caihong makes a jump or two for Azula's cider.

Poyang chuckles, "aye, lil' one we got plenty more, ya don't have to snatch Rikka's."

"You don't have to take me." She repeats smugly, holding her glass just out of Caihong's reach. The girl sticks out her lower lip, folds her arms across her chest, and gives her foot a stomp--making sure to rumble the ground for good measure.

Hajime gives her a little nudge. "Aww don't tease Cai."

"She's gonna get her drink anyways." Seukhyun dismisses just as Poyang comes back with more cider.

"Poyang has the best stuff!" Atsu declares after his first sip.

"Cause his brother's the apple man!" Caihong declares enthusiastically.

"One day we'll have to visit his orchard together." Hajime offers.

"We have a lot of one days to get to." Azula points out. But she supposes that they will have a lifetime to do them.

"It's nice to have a lot to look forward to, isn't it?" He slings an  around her waist and pulls her closer. Hot cider splashes onto her shirt. She crinkles her nose, "thanks, Hajime."

"You said that you were getting cold. I thought that I'd help you warm up."

"Won't be so warm when this cider freezes…"

"That's what you get for not sharing it!" Caihong declares smugly. That impish little earth gremlin…

That day she learns that there is a special bond, a sense of community, that comes with the seeking of warmth.

.oOo.

She hadn’t expected to outlast him, but her demise comes as a surprise all the same. And maybe it is because she had wrapped her topmost parka around him. Maybe it is because she had stripped off her remaining glove to keep a fire going for him. For the both of them.

But she is weak and grows weaker as the cold burrows into her wound and seeps deeper into her bones. She looks at the teeth marks with much hatred. Could those have been prevented?

“Azula?” Sokka murmurs. It is the first sound that he has made in a while. And she could cry. Maybe both of them will die, but at least she won’t have to watch another lover do it before she succumbs for herself. She is so terribly cold, she can’t imagine that it will be much longer now.

"Yeah?" She answers.

"What happened?" He slurs.

"First we got caught in a blizzard and then we we got attacked by wolves…"

"Where's dad?"

Azula grits her teeth. "We couldn't find him, remember." They might have fared better against the wolves if they had. As things were they had taken a good chunk out of her arm before being struck down by Sokka's boomerang. The man best appreciate her taking those teeth for him instead of focusing on her own fight. On the grander scheme of things she supposes that it doesn't matter at all. They had done more damage than even that in shredding Sokka's parka and stealing one of her gloves. If they hadn't, she might not have had to spare one if her own.

Agni, she isn't built for this weather. She isn't adapted to withstand it. And it hurts so terribly. Everything stings and tingles. Her face and toes especially. Her fingers had tingled  it that has subsided to a more than alarming nothingness. She sniffles, if only to remind herself that she still has a nose. Her cheeks are so red and she feels as though they have been slapped repeatedly. In a sense, they have. The winter slaps them with a force that a human hand couldn't possibly manage.

She had never realized just how much the cold could burn. Very resentfully, she thinks that the cold might just be higher than even her fire.

She huddles closer to Sokka, rather she tries to do so oh to find that they are as close as they can possibly be. And there is nowhere near enough warmth between the two of them.

"Take your parka back, Azula." Sokka says.

She shakes her head.

"Azula, you need it more, you're not…"

She shakes her head, "no." She won't be the weak one here. She can't allow it. She can't allow it especially if it means watching another lover die. "No."

At least now she can say with conviction that she does love him. Very much. Just as much as she loved Hajime. And more than enough to let herself succumb to the cold to give him a chance.

He tries to remove his parka anyhow so she rolls atop him, he is too weak to shove her off. Which is good because she would have been too weak to resist if he had.

The bite marks on her arm flare. She closes her eyes and shudders as another pang passes through her. How long have they been out here like this? Long enough for the blizzard to pass.it occurs to her that she and Sokka are half buried.   The realization come with a jolt of panic--a queasiness in her belly and a spinning in her head. She doesn't want to be buried in a coffin of snow. She doesn't want to be buried at all. The panic is fleeting when she recalls that she has already unburied herself in putting her body atop Sokka's. Though that isn't to say that more snow won't come to cover them up, she hopes to be hours dead by then.

"You know, I always thought that I would die in combat." She mumbles, pressing her ear to his chest so that she can hear his heartbeat. So that she can be sure that she isn't alone. "That would have been more glorious than this."

"You're not…"

But she isn't done lamenting, "but I also always thought that I would be alone when I died. So I guess that this is better." It's certainly better than dying alone and dehydrated in a grassland.

"We're not going to die."

"We're in the middle of nowhere and the rest of the village didn't expect us to venture this far out to the glacier. We've been out here for hours, my arm won't stop bleeding…"

"Yeah." Sokka's expressions darkness. "Looks pretty grim doesn't it." He is so cold that his breath no longer comes out in puffs. He is quiet for a very long while. "Katara, Aang, Toph, and I were once lost in a desert with ver little water. You made it out of several situations like this…"

"Yes, Sokka and it was mostly luck. How many times can I keep getting lucky?" She doesn't have the energy for shouting. For changing her tone and diction at all really.

She feels Sokka's hands patting her hair. "Hopefully every time."

.oOo.

There is no worse feeling than watching Azula go limp and mostly quiet. For the last several minutes, the oh sign of life was an occasional wimper. Her body is still trembling but not as violently as it had been. She is shutting down. And she still won't take his parka.

"I'm so cold, Sokka." She whispers, her voice sounding so pathetically small. But she is afraid. He can tell, if only because he is terrified too.

"Yeah, me too, Azula."

She rubs her face against his chest. She gets no warmth out of it because there is none left in him. He looks to the sky. To the glimmering cosmos above. Maybe he'll be reborn as one of them…

Azula clings to him with what can oy be the last very last ounces of her strength.

"It's okay, Sokka." She tries to smile though her face is too stiff with the cold. "I told you on the first day that I came back that I had more waiting for me in the Spirit World…"

"Don't say that." He squeezes her tighter.

"It's okay." She says again. "I think I that he wanted me to do a bit more exploring but he'll be happy to know that I got this far."

He wonders if she is thinking of Caihong at all. He wonders if that will do her any good anyways. He doesn't want to say it, especially not to her. But she is right, she is dying. He doesn't think that she will last the night even of he does force her back into her parka.

He hugs her as tight as he can. And then he rolls her onto her back. She murmurs some sort of protest, some sort of distress. But there is something that he wants her to see. Something that he needs her to see.

"Look up, Azula. Open your eyes." He gently slaps her cheeks and her eyes flutter open. They are unfocused and mostly vacant. He slaps her cheeks again until he has her at least a little more alert. “Look at the lights, Azula.”

He thinks that she might have smiled. "That's nice, Sokka." But her eyes close again and the moment is good.

She doesn't cry. She doesn't bargain or beg. She simply squints and, to the best of her ability with blackened, numb fingers and clumsy daze, touches his cheek. And then her hand falls and her eyes close once more. No amount of slapping gets them to open again.

In the distance he hears barking. Sprits, he prays that the wolves aren't back. He squeezes her hand if only to feel her slowing pulse.

[grannysmith-apple]

I brought you a rock.

Ooo, why thank ya kindly, Miss Pie! I bet it'll look real nice in the apple orchard!

[phdmama]

For the cottage core asks, 10, 14, and 22? 🌻

Thank you darling!!

10. picking apples or strawberries

Well since I did just answer this one with strawberries I'm gonna go the other way and say apples!! I do really love both (and I am so amused at the whole white people thing of paying to pick fruit but I live in New England so it's really a thing). We have like 4 awesome orchards right near by, so it's the "do I want to go to the one with the donuts? or the one with peach trees?"

It just occurred to me that peaches are neither apples nor strawberries but peach picking is truly amazing as well.

14. trimmed hedges or overgrowth

Trimmmmmmmed I think. Overgrown hedges make me a bit anxious.

22. hanging baskets or pots

Ooo this is tough. Since I do always do hanging baskets in the summer, I'll go with that! I love to them but I have the black thumb of death with plants so it's not always a great outcome.