#then the tedious part of gathering all the information i want to include about each plant and copying it into the book by hand

[two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat]

[ncitygirls]

yours - jaemin x f reader

fluff, smut, bffs2lovers, 3k

before joining you to your cousin’s wedding, jaemin had made a big deal about not being properly invited. as always, mark kept true to his habit of innocently causing trouble when it suited him. ‘i’m like family! where’s my invite!’ but it was hard to fault mark, because of course jaemin had been invited. somehow, his parents neglected to inform him that your cousin had rightfully assumed jaemin would know he was included in the na family’s invite. you said nothing though. especially when jaemin had briefly explained the reason for his displeasure. ‘we deserve our own invite, y/n. one for us together.’ which made no sense at all, because you’re just friends. you’re not together. however you had no idea you were alone in thinking that.

you see, jaemin was more acquainted with your family than some of your own relatives. he was invited to christmases, weddings, birthdays. basically any and all occasions your family saw fit to celebrate, jaemin was in attendance. yet surprisingly, even after having grown up alongside you and mark, a few of your more distant cousins were more than happy to express their displeasure with his more forward placed seat. because, like you keep reminding everybody: jaemin is just your best friend. but apparently, best friends didn’t reserve the rights to things you gave to jaemin. not in your extended family’s eyes. not that yours and mark’s family cared.

yet in the end, like most things regarding you, jaemin knew his attendance tonight had been a mistake. but not because of the petty feud his presence birthed in the lee lineage. oh no. it’s because, unlike most nights jaemin spends in your company - with your hair strewn about, mascara permanently smudged, and a lazy grin etched on - tonight, you were his least favourite kind of y/n. the one where he can’t help but follow you with his eyes, watch the placement of your feet, enjoy the shrill tone of your cackle. throughout the night, jaemin had found himself warmed by the way you drag your balled up fist over your made up eye, how you sing along to songs you don’t know the words to, how you wobble in your heels before you cling to him.

jaemin makes the mistake of enjoying you a bit too much. how you scowl as your relatives chat shit a bit too loud for you liking, how you make a scene of conspicuously covering his ears, unaware of how unbothered he is. how you try so hard to make him happy, in the smallest and largest of ways. so he drags you into a dance when you move to walk over, ready to rip your own blood a new one. “i’m gonna kill ‘em.”

“no,” he states simply, one of his hands slipping from your hand to your waist. “dance with me.”

“who do they think they are!” your voice adopts an unsettling shrillness that he can’t help but chuckle at. it even throws his head back. “why are you so happy? you should be mad!”

“because i don’t care,” he shrugs, tightening his hold on you slightly. “i’m here- you’re here. why would i not be happy?”

“you’re such a fucking leo.”

he still doesn’t know what that means, but he laughs anyway, happy that your deduction seemed to satisfy you. you eventually calm down, a peace settling over you as he spins you lazily around the dance floor. there’s some early 2000s track playing, one definitely unfitting for the way he’s swaying you. but you pay it no mind, speaking softly as he presses his cheek to the crown of your head.

“when do you wanna head up?” up, meaning the hotel room your relatives are also wound up about. it was intended for the bridal party and far travelled guests, neither of which they are. and neither of which you are. but you were your cousin’s favourite. and so was he. so naturally, you two had one reserved. even your parents had opted to stay at a cottage a couple roads over. “i think the boys are all gone already.”

he notes the guilt tainting your tone, knowing how drained jaemin grew from both physical and social interactions of any kind. so you knew well what his answer would be. “when you’re ready.”

“okay,” slipping out of his hold, you drag him over to the newly married couple. you exchange brief goodnights and grateful tidings before he excuses himself to find the jacket of his tuxedo. the search doesn’t take long, his eyes landing on the black coat a few seconds after parting. he does give himself a breather though, his knees cracking as the seat holding his jacket readily carries his weight. he doesn’t dare shut his eyes, knowing full well he’ll fall victim to his fatigue. so instead, he let’s them follow the one thing that always occupies his mind, that can keep him up all night. he finds you far quicker than he did his coat, the pink satin of your dress falling half way down your calf as you skipped over to bid some other guests farewell. he sighs happily, glad you never force him into such tedious pleasantries. you learnt a long time ago that while impossibly affectionate, jaemin’s social clock ticked a few hours faster than any one else’s. so by your timing, it had probably expired a little after the vows. it took a little bit of getting used to, but it also meant for quicker farewells and a speedier exit.

it’s only now jaemin realises this was a mistake. because before he ever gets his breather, less from you, but all the feelings that come from being with you, you’re at his side. he’s learned how not to cease up at your touch anymore. instead, linking his fingers with yours when they rest gently on his shoulder. when he peeks up at you, his eyes blinded less by the party lighting and more by your tired smile, he knows not to sigh, forcing down his body’s natural response to your attention. but when you tug at his hands, bringing him to stand, whispering a-

“let’s go home, yeah?”

he knows this isn’t a mistake. this is torture.

it’s how you pour him a tall, ice cold glass of domesticity with every meal. your hand wrapped in his as you lead him through the hotel. you slip out of your heels somewhere between the lobby and the elevator, grinning up at him as he takes them from you. jaemin even curses himself, his body responding to your needs unthinkingly. he tries to calm his beating heart by counting the floors, his eyes following the analog dial as you lean against his shoulder, fiddling with his cuffs.

“do you want them off?” you ask softly, barely a touch louder than the elevator music. he nods, though your gel nails are already picking at the gold, removing them with ease. “gimme the other one.” he inhales deeply, cursing whoever gave you to him. well, not really. you weren’t really his. but god did you act like it.

your hands slip into his pocket for the room key before slipping back into his hand. he just follows you out, caught in a happy daze as you take him ‘home’. you struggle a bit with the key card, trying it every which way before he leans into you, wrapping his arm around you as he reaches for the card. “the arrow’s pointing this way,” his thumb nail presses on the black arrow indicating the direction you have to push it. he doesn’t see you roll your eyes, but he guesses you do. so he presses his lips to your temple in apology. “you’ll get it next time.”

“piss off,” you laugh, pushing the door open when it clicks. he throws the heels and jacket on a chair by the door before collapsing onto the adjacent couch, his body ready to succumb to his dire need for rest. he can just about hear you rustling through the bags in the bathroom, your feet padding around on the linoleum. when it muffles slightly, he figures out immediately what you’ve returned for when you stop between his thighs. “thank you,” you sigh, his fingers already pinching at the zip on your dress. it sits low at the base of your spine, the back of the dress leaving you completely exposed. he’d taken to placing his hand there all night, his fingers gliding up and down the skin whenever he got the chance. when it’s down, his eyes linger on your hips, the top of your panties peeking out before you slap his knee.

“what?”

“the necklace,” your back is still turned, hair blocking his view. “please?” you add, hand smoothing over the skin of his knee.

“come here,” he pulls you down to sit between his thighs, his legs parting to make space for you. you land with a huff, quickly realising you haven’t sat down all night. jaemin realises this too, your neck craning a bit further to the side than necessary as he tucks your hair over your shoulder. “you okay?”

“mhm,” you hum, squeezing his thigh. “just a bit sleepy.”

“a bit?” he laughs, a little breathless as he gathers the chain he got you one christmas. “i think you’ve earned a good sleep.” he surmises, hands squeezing your shoulders gently. “but you know you were a guest today, right? not the planner?”

“yeah?” turning onto your knees, you glare down at him. “someone had to sort my uncle out, he was steaming!”

“yes, true,” he laughs. “just make sure you’re not doing that at my wedding.”

you feign surprise at that, “i’m invited to your wedding?”

“of course,” his hands squeeze yours earnestly before he whispers, “can’t have my wedding without the bride, can i-”

“fuck off!” his cackles chase you out the room. while you wash up, he makes quick work of his tux, throwing his slacks over the back of the couch, his thumbs slowly unhooking each of his buttons. a true man of leisure, he’s in all but his socks and draws when you return. “all done!” you sing, throwing the dress down as you reappear in an oversized t-shirt. he recognises it almost immediately from uni. it’s his soccer team’s jersey. it has his number on the back.

“finally,” he whines, pushing you aside as he makes his way inside, quickly locking the door to avoid your attacks. he goes to reach for his wash bag just to find the reason he did already waiting unpacked. in a small cup on the side is his toothbrush, resting sweetly beside yours. he ignores the hygienic implications of this and skips right to the romantic. because, while jaemin thinks and often dreams of placing your first name with his last, and while he spends most of his free time with you, and while he would take any number of bullets for you, he still can’t for the life of him figure you out. even after he bombards you with affection, praise, teasing, flirting, kisses. you’re still just you. making him just him.

and that’s fine, if that’s what you want. but he’s not sure he truly knows what it is you want. and this gets him thinking about the little things. how his hand is seldom empty in your presence. how you never think of him second, always first. how you want to be with him always. moments like now, when he returns to find you hanging his tux on its hanger, encasing it in its protective sleeve. his arms slip around your waist, pulling you flush against him. and you melt instantly, resting in his embrace. “thanks,” he mumbles, lips pressing gently to your shoulder.

“‘is okay,” you hum, hanging it over the back of the door before resting your hands over his. see, hands never empty when you’re near. he sways you back and forth, his heart beating gently into your back as you lean into him. “did you have fun?” you ask, squeezing at his forearms, “i know we probably stayed later than you’d like-”

“it was great.” see, always putting him first. “did you want to stay longer?”

“not without you.” see, how you want to be with him always. he wonders how you don’t see it. how you don’t see you’re killing him. “come on,” you mumble, shutting off the light as you blindly drag him to bed. jaemin has an annoying habit of following you in, his body shuffling in after yours, rather than separating and meeting in the middle. it doesn’t allow you much room, by the time you reach your side, he’s encased you in his arms, legs, even his head, his chin slotting itself in the crook of your neck. “nana?”

“hm?”

“i’m sorry about today,” the apology doesn’t shock him, but rather your disappointment. “you’re more like family to mark and i than they ever were. tonight was just proof of that.”

“it’s okay,” he squeezes you a touch harder, trying to decipher whether your words harm or soothe the growing hole in his heart. “i can’t say i don’t see where they’re coming from.”

“what d’you mean?”

“i dunno,” he starts, thinking as his lips press to the back of your neck. “i guess i’d be confused by us too,” he mutters against your skin.

“how so?” you press, turning in his hold, gazing up at him. his eyes are more than used to the dark now as he gazes back down at you. you’re tucked right up to him, the covers strewn over your lower halves. he rests his temple on his palm, elbow pressed into the mattress as you fiddle with his fingers. “what’s confusing?”

he shrugs as best he can, watching his hand in yours. “i dunno,” he repeats, grinning when you huff. “i just- i think it’s hard for people to get that i’m your friend,” he tries, “just your friend.”

“what else would you be?” what else? what else?!

“i dunno,” he repeats for the third time, though he knows exactly what you’d be. but you don’t need to know that. not when you seemed so happy, so satisfied with how things are already. and that’s what’s most important to him. your happiness. and jaemin couldn’t exactly say he wasn’t happy with how things are either, he just knows there could be more to you both, more to this. more to him than being your best friend. but maybe it’s for another night. like he tells himself every time you push a topic you’re not remotely ready to breach. “let’s forget it-”

“no,” he flinches, just preparing to settle down for sleep. “am i missing something? if i am, just tell me.”

“i-” he drops his forehead to yours then. he’s so close, your eyes have to cross just for you to see him. it’s only when he rises you see a change in him. a nervous jaemin isn’t one you’re use to. it’s one that you would rather never see, it truly worries you. especially as he agrees, a small “okay,” leaving him before he kisses the tip of your nose, his lips barely puckered as they meet the skin. he grins as he does, his teeth gleaming in the moonlit room, his eyes open just wide enough to see you. his lips drop to your cheek, warming as your skin does. he hovers there as your hand tightens on his arm, clinging to him. he daren’t move, afraid the slightest jolt will wake him, drag him right out of this sleepless dream. when your grip loosens, he drops his head until he’s right by your mouth, his lips daringly puckering before he presses them to the corner of your lips. he stills as yours do too, your soft lips, now embalmed in his memory, pressing there ever so gently before he rises once more. he waits a second, watching the smallest of shivers rack through you before he dips again, lips falling to your neck. he smiles against your skin, overjoyed as you subtly crane your neck. his teeth drag over your skin as he journeys down the column of your neck, your hands gripping onto him a touch harder when he stops.

his fingers glide along the skin of your side, thumb pressing into the dip of your waist. he stops short of your chest, locked mid motion as he watches you breathe. there is no haste in his movements. no need to rush anything. no need to hurry. all there is, is a beat. a steady one in his chest. one that holds him here, one where he can’t move, can’t bring himself to test the waters you’ve just dared he enter. not even as the pads of your fingers glide along the warm skin of his neck, nails dragging through his nape, silently daring him to move. he pants over your chest, a lazy grin pulling at his mouth as you ask him again-

“what else would you be, jaem?”

he moves unthinkingly. as his dampened lips meet the hardened nub through your t-shirt, sucking on you through the aged material. his rolls his teeth gently, his fingers at your side finding your neglected nipple as you whine out for him. he feels himself slipping into delirium, caught somewhere between a dream and reality, unsure where exactly he’d rather be. he decides it doesn’t matter, not when you’re there. here. with him. letting him touch you in ways he never really thought possible. ways jaemin only ever imagined, only ever let himself surrender to in the dead of night. in the solitude of his own shameful company. he never thought of this. not really.

he had hoped, maybe even prayed, but never truly believed he’d have you whimpering for him. your fingers falling in the gaps between his own, pressing his open palm harder against your thinly veiled heat, your hips rolling against it. jaemin never thought he’d hear your whines, the sound cutting through him like knives, like ice shooting through his veins. he never thought you’d want him. not like this.

“jaem,” he’s with you in seconds, his spit slick lips an inch above yours. he watches patiently as you grind up against his hand, feeling his fingers prod at your desperate heat.

“you wanna know what else i could be?”

you nod. “please.”

“i could be yours.”

[avversiera-writes]

touch your heart [senju tobirama/you] - chapter 2

Summary: Hashirama might go down as the worst matchmaker in history, but he thinks he might be on to something. Tobirama sees through his brother's schemes and is determined not to fall for it. Or fall for you.

Word Count: about 4k

AO3 LINK TO TOUCH YOUR HEART

AOR SERIES LINK TO ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART

[<<<CHAPTER ONE]

The due dates that Tobirama gave you are more reasonable and flexible than you thought. You try to find something to complain about so you can relay it to Madara later and earn a small smile from him, but no, there is no reason to complain about it. The only thing you want to complain about are his so-called rules. Tobirama is not about leisure or lightening up, though that is not a bother to you if you are going to be honest. Planning to mess with him a little is just an attempt to wipe off that serious face of his. You want to know him based on what you see from him, not from what other people have told you.

However, you also do not want to mess things up. You are determined to work as hard as he does for this project because it is special to the village and for the children that are going to be attending the Academy. 

Also because you know you’ll get paid for it. You have been running low on money these days ever since you bought your own place. 

 Now that you are older, you wish you had the proper education to be a shinobi. You have to learn most of your skills along the way and apart from your family who had basically banished you, and even now, you are still learning as there are a lot of things that you missed. 

 Now, the children that are going to grow up here have something better for the future. They have more choices and bigger chances to become good shinobis. 

You get settled in your bed, which is literally the only furniture your place has. It is your dining table, your workplace, and also your resting place. Your weapons are littered on the floor, and your swords are leaning against the wall in one corner of the room. The books and the scrolls given to you lay open or stacked near your bed where you can reach for it. Some clean laundry you have yet to get to sit on the foot of your bed, and the space you are currently lying on is the only space your bed can make for you at the moment. 

 Quaint, but it has a lot of potential. 

Your new home, which is situated just at the edge of the village and newly built, is a home for civilians and also other shinobis who are not part of a clan, or those who rather have a place for themselves. This is a sign that the village is growing, and more and more families are becoming involved with it. 

You force yourself to go through the many materials that you need to read and study up on for the rest of the night until midnight, and you begin to write your suggestions after going through the material once again. You are good at absorbing information, but at the same time, you have trouble keeping still for a very long time. Sometimes you have the unfortunate ability to memorize the wrong things because your mind zeroes into whatever your brain wants to obsess over. 

 However, you have made it this far. You can adjust. 

You hope. 

//

You are pretty sure that Tobirama is sending you around the village in a goose chase just so that he can work on the curriculum himself. It’s obvious he did not want you near him with all those rules about preserving his boundaries. The said goose chase sounds reasonable enough–talk to the members of the clans, the ones who are the keeper of their knowledge and history and write them down. He did not even look you in the face when he sent you away, he just gave you a list of what to ask the clans residing in Konoha and a blank notebook and a scroll for you to record all of the information in. 

 This whole ordeal occupied you for the whole day and it also happens to bleed through the next day, in which you are convinced Tobirama has completed at least half the work. 

The thought does not make you happy. You want to do something, damn it. You feel like your life depends on it. 

Another day passes, and this time, Tobirama has you looking for artists, merchants, inventors and other skilled people in Konoha and recording their name and the location to find them. This part you understand well because you know that Hashirama wants to expand on other skills, but it feels so tedious and it makes the day longer. Not to mention, you do not really know anyone since you have been busy polishing your skills with Madara. Now that you think about it, you spend an awful lot of time with the man, ever since you came here. 

 Before you know it, you are breaking into a run towards the Hokage mansion. 

 Tobirama cannot be left to his own devices. You will not let him take this from you. 

You find the white-haired man seated on his usual spot, hand poised elegantly over a sheet of paper and eyes moving along the lines of a book he is reading. 

“Finished already?” Tobirama says in a very flat tone. 

 “Yeah, of course, I already know the people to put down.” Okay, that was a lie, and you know Tobirama had caught that because he glances at you briefly with narrowed eyes. 

You walk up to him and you lay out the information you gathered today. 

“Where’s your family from?” Tobirama straight up asks you without any preamble. The expression on his face does not change though you can feel that he is bothered by you. 

 You are taken aback by a beat, but you have no problem answering it. You have memorized the lines that you have to say that it begins to feel true. “They are a little far north from here, but they’re just traders, merchants, skillsmen.” 

 “Of what?” 

 “With the right amount of money, anything.” You say in an even, but casual tone. “They don’t like shinobi, so I left to make a living of my own.”

You can tell Tobirama did not like your answer. He puts his pen down and you feel him scrutinizing you. 

 "You have any friends?" He immediately follows up. 

 However, you have long mastered the skills of deflecting and only letting people know certain things about you. They always see what they want to see in you, never bothering to put two and two together that you are just painting a pretty picture for them to look at. 

 "Too many," you reply vaguely. 

 Tobirama sighs, and his eyes narrow. 

“I cannot trust you if you continue to evade me. This is integral to this village and its future, and I cannot have, no, I cannot afford to waste time or make mistakes,” Tobirama says and he meets your eyes. 

“I can promise you, I am ready to work just as much as you so let's not get personal,” you lean back and cross your arms. “And after this, I will get out of your hair forever. You wouldn’t even have to hear from me.” 

 Tobirama rolls his eyes, but you can tell he is satisfied with your answer. “Oh please, with a village this small, and me, holding an important position in the said village, you cannot guarantee that.” 

 You smirk and you pull out the chair across from him. “Touché, Lord Tobirama,” you emphasize the lord with a mocking tone. 

Tobirama grits his jaw visibly and he grabs his pen almost angrily. You are starting to think that maybe this is what Tobirama generally looks like. 

 “Get to work.” 

 “What is it this time? List the several types of drinks the people in this village make? Investigate the best type of fabric to wear for each season?” You prompt, unable to keep the grin from spreading across your lips. He just let you get away with calling him lord. 

 Adding a title to someone’s name is supposed to be a sign of respect, but the way you say it makes it sound derogatory. Like you’re cursing him. 

Tobirama looks about ready to yell, and part of you wants him to take the bait. You lean closer to gauge his reactions and you watch him immediately school his expression. It is like watching a magic show, one moment something is there, the next, it disappears. 

“Well, if you wanted me to make up more tasks for you to do, you should have just asked,” Tobirama deadpans. 

You watch him, intrigued. “Wow. Are you trying to be funny, or are you trying to insult me?” 

 “Please stop talking when I am working,” Tobirama does not sound like he is pleading. He hands you a stack of books to go through. “I want you to compile a list of necessary skills that you deem important, and I will do the same. We can discuss and vet on which skills are required to learn for each grade level right after.” 

You let out a breezy laugh, and you note how Tobirama seems to twitch at the sound. “Right, right, fine.” You pause. “Have you looked at my notes?”

“Of course I have,” Tobirama huffs and he shoots you a distasteful glare, and to you, it looks like he’s tired of talking. “I will make my own notes on where you’re lacking and then you revise it.” 

 “What do we need those for?” You ask, genuinely curious. “What else are we in charge of making?” 

“The reason I had you seek out artists, writers, bookmakers, and the like, is because we will commission them to make textbooks,” Tobirama explains. “We just need to get the information together. Meanwhile, I would also like to fill this library and another public library with other kinds of books.” 

You tap your chin. “Your brother tells me you like to invent things and all that. Are you going to include your research and your inventions in the library?” 

 Tobirama sighs, visibly withering at the statement that his brother talks behind his back, but he revives himself enough to get back to his work. “Depends on what my brother approves of.” 

You let out an involuntary chuckle. Here are the two most powerful known shinobis in the world right now, and they argue over mundane things. 

 Tobirama raises an eyebrow at you and you shake your head. 

He takes that as a sign to keep on working, so you decide to keep to yourself. 

 Surprisingly, you are starting to enjoy this. It’s not as bad as you imagined. 

//

Perhaps you spoke too soon, because here you are at the crack of dawn–no not even the crack of dawn because the surroundings are still dark blue. You yawn as you arrive, and find Tobirama waiting in the middle of the training ground in a different outfit you have not seen him in. He seems to only have one color palette; he wears a navy wrap-around jacket that has a collar in a lighter shade of blue. The sleeves are short, showing off his muscles, and all of this is tied with a light yellow-green belt around his waist. A sword is secured to his belt, and it hangs on his side ready to be drawn. A happuri guards his forehead and the sides of his face, and for some reason, this makes him look more authoritarian and older. A mesh armor peeks through the space between his collars and even in your sleepiness, you note a defined torso that you keep to yourself. 

You do not even see an ounce of sleepiness in him and you huff.  

 Tobirama merely glances at you, but every time he looks at you, it feels like he is already exasperated. 

 “Is it just us?” You try not to sound too whiny. “Also I ate breakfast, I’m not falling for whatever it is you have in mind.” 

 “And what do you think is on my mind?” 

 “I don’t know? A test of survival, starving us for days in the forest with only the surroundings as our resource?” You rest a hand on your two swords–an uchigatana and a wakizashi, both the same in appearance and made from the same metal. 

“I said not to eat too much breakfast, I did not discourage you from it.” Tobirama lets out a sarcastic sigh–something he can really pull off well. “I am not that cruel.” 

 You hear an excited gasp behind you and you turn to find Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo walking towards the two of you. 

“Tobirama-sensei!” Hiruzen calls enthusiastically, at the crack of dawn. “I hope you don’t mind, I brought my friend again!” 

You glance at Tobirama and you see his face visibly soften at the sight of his student. 

“And I didn’t know Y/N-sensei’s joining us!” Hiruzen bounds up to you and you reach up to ruffle his hair. He turns to you and points at Tobirama. “He’s a really cool sensei! Really cool!” 

Tobirama suddenly looks constipated and you laugh out loud. 

 “We’ll see, kiddo,” you tell him. “We’ll see.” 

Two more kids come, and the girl, Utatane Koharu, somehow looks pissed, which you can suddenly relate to. The boy beside her, Mitokado Homura, looks more calm and composed as he adjusts his glasses on his face. 

Tobirama nods, and then he breaks off into a light jog. Obediently, the kids follow after him and you grudgingly follow behind them. They must be used to this. 

 After a few rounds, the kids start to stretch and you do the same as well, and everything has been pretty calm. You watch as the kids do sets of push-ups, sit-ups, calisthenics and you are impressed at their stamina. They’re barely twelve, but then again, if you are training under Senju Tobirama, you can tell that you will be pushed to your limit. 

You feel a pang of envy from these kids for a moment, but you push it away. There is no reason to look back into the past and feel bitter about how things worked out. 

“So what’s next, sensei?” Hiruzen inquires. You can see how much these kids admire the man. 

 “Sparring,” Tobirama replies. “Since Danzo’s here, you guys are evenly matched. Last man standing gets to fight me.” 

 “What about Y/N-sensei?” Danzo interjects. 

 “Yeah, what about me?” You smirk, and you lighten your voice so that it sounds more childish. 

You can feel Koharu rolling her eyes. 

You narrow your eyes at him and let out a small stream of breath through your mouth. “I see.” 

 Tobirama slightly raises his chin haughtily. It suits him. He does not need to speak to dominate the atmosphere. He shrugs, and it sparks something in you. 

 “I’ll still try my best,” you smirk, but underneath your facade, you are starting to get annoyed. Which is new, because you are generally a patient person. 

Tobirama takes Hiruzen and Koharu while you take the other two to coach during their matches. You stand in between Danzo and Homura, watching their small faces study each other. 

“Don’t kill each other,” you advise, and you start their match. 

 The two go at each other, with Danzo throwing the first punch. You back off a little to make sure that you can see their stances. 

 Homura whirls around and his foot juts out, with his heel aiming towards Danzo’s head. Danzo ducks down, and kicks at Homura’s stomach the moment he regains his posture from the kick. 

Homura staggers back, and now he is on the defensive, blocking Danzo’s hits and kicks, barely dodging them as he keeps backing away. You notice the hits and misses from each boy.

 “Homura, don’t back away!” You yell out. “Get closer to him!” 

Homura does as you say, and Danzo is unable to land a hit on him, limiting his movements unless–

 Danzo jumps back to get away, and kicks Homura on the chest. 

 “Nice!” You cheer. 

 “Sensei, whose side are you on?” Homura complains and his hand comes up to rub his chest. 

You laugh. “Neither!” You glance at both of their faces. “Okay, you two, come here.” 

 Danzo and Homura face each other again. 

 “Save your movements, don’t be so generous with them,” you tell them. “Don’t punch just to punch. Again!” 

The two boys come at each other and you stand back to watch them again. This time, you do not offer any more suggestions. You glance to where Tobirama is at, and he is squatting on the ground, his eyes trained on the students’ footwork. 

 You hear him call out that Hiruzen’s feet are too far apart. 

You snap back to the two boys just in time to watch Homura flip Danzo on his back. 

You walk over and you peer at Danzo. “You okay?” 

 “Yes,” the boy wheezes out. 

“Alright, you’re done,” you chuckle and you look at Homura. “You win, then. Good job. Help him up.” 

You glance at the other group, and you see Koharu sock Hiruzen straight to his face and Tobirama jump up to his feet. Hiruzen gets to his feet, and you see a trickle of blood coming out of his nose. 

When Hiruzen gets closer, you ruffle his hair affectionately and you laugh as he grimaces. 

 “Not funny!” He whines nasally. 

 “Keep your hands up next time!” You taunt even though he may already know this. 

Tobirama puts a hand on his shoulder and steers him towards a rock so that he can sit. “Sit up and lean forward,” he tells his student. 

 The rest of the kids walk towards him to watch and poke fun at Hiruzen. 

 You stay back and cross your arms to watch them. You know that there is no place for you to be there. 

 Once Tobirama is finished attending to his student, he turns to you. “Koharu, you’re the referee.” 

You size him up, your eyes travelling from his face and down to his waist. What was one of his rules again? 

 Anticipation builds in your core, and your hand rests on the scabbard of your sword, your thumb playing at the hilt. 

“Are we including tricks today?” You inquire. 

 “If you want,” Tobirama curtly replies. 

Koharu starts the fight, and Tobirama wastes no time coming at you. 

 His first hit is heavy, and you block it with both of your forearms and brace yourself by stepping back one leg. You are quick to grab his wrist as you twist your arm and you step forward, meaning to put your leg behind his, but he breaks away from you and disturbs the momentum that you were going to use against him. 

 You are quick to back away because he comes at you without stopping. 

 He is fast, and he is heavy with his hands. You notice his open hands, ready for grappling. His stance is lower, and you know that it will be hard to knock him off balance, and the effects of kicking at his head will go to his advantage. 

You need an opening. 

 You launch yourself at him, and as he prepares himself to grab you, you drop to your knees and slide in between his legs, hitting his knee as you pass him by. He turns to your direction, and you quickly use his bent knee to step and kick towards his head. He blocks you and you see him almost grab at your ankle.

 You do not give him a chance to gather himself, and you swing again at him, this time using his shoulder to propel yourself around him and using his weight and yours, you are able to lock his head with your legs. Just as you are about to go for another twist to bring him to the ground, Tobirama counters by catching you and launching you off of him. 

 “You fight like an assassin,” Tobirama says as you roll to the ground and to your feet. 

“Are you impressed?” You grin at him, half jokingly. 

 Tobirama does not answer you, but it looks like he is about to say something worse as he charges at you. 

You step closer to him so that he does not follow through his movement, and you grab the hilt of his sword and then you strike your palm at his chest to send him back. You whirl around to brandish his sword in the air. 

 What was one of his rules? You suddenly remember.

  Do not touch my things, unless I give them to you. 

For a moment, everyone freezes. 

You study the blade in your hand. 

 “This is a very nice sword,” you muse, and you strike at the air and flip it, testing the weight. You run a finger on the blunt edge of his sword. “Well-balanced and thin, but very sharp. Excellent for accurate and fast hits...and conducting lightning.”

Tobirama’s face grows stormy. His fists tighten. 

 You twist blade with a slight twist of your wrist, and you hand it with the hilt towards him. “Sorry. I was curious.” 

Tobirama takes his sword and quickly sheathes it. You note a minuscule change in his expression, but it quickly passes and you are disappointed for not being quick enough to note it. 

“So, is this a tie?” Koharu asks, uncertain. 

“Yes,” Tobirama grits through his teeth. 

You watch Tobirama’s tense shoulders and decide to leave him alone. You probably went too far today. 

“Well, that was fun, but I have to go,” you say, even though the rest of your day is pretty much free. "I have some friends to meet." 

 Tobirama suspects that you certainly do not have any friends to meet, but he does not say anything more. He’s probably eager to make you go. There is nothing he would want more. 

“Aw!” Hiruzen cries out. His nose bleed has stopped. “Thanks for coming by, sensei!” 

You wink at the kids, and you make your exit, your hand still remembering the feel of Tobirama’s sword. It is oddly familiar, and you wonder if the craftsmanship is similar to your own blade. 

You can feel Tobirama’s stare behind you and it burns the back of your neck as if he is shooting laser beams at you, and just when you glance back to regard it, he is turning away and conversing with his students about hand seals. 

Though it was just a joke and a way to catch him by surprise, you can’t help but feel that you just stomped over the thin olive branch that he was handing out to you. 

You note to yourself to make it up to him tomorrow. 

.

.

.

[CHAPTER THREE >>>]

[saiilorstars]

Dare To Forget Me

Ch. 16: Facing the Beast

/ Previous Chapters /

Fandom: Law & Order SVU

Pairing:  Rafael Barba x Original female character

Warnings: Due to the nature of the series’ plots, I do have to rate this as ‘mature’ for constant mentions of rape.

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ` 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: The trial against William Lewis begins and despite her best efforts, Montserrat is succumbed by the fear of her own demons of the past.

There were few employees left in the SVU bullpen by 7 pm. It was one of the rare slow days that many employees heard of but only few actually saw. Montserrat was one of those.

She gave a light knock on Olivia's office door and walked in with a few papers in hand. "I'm ready to go but I wanted to drop these off first."

Olivia pulled her glasses off and put them on her desk. She seemed wearier than usual. "Thanks. What were those again?"

Montserrat approached the desk and discreetly saw the papers Olivia had in front of her. Though she meant to be discreet, what she saw left her visibly surprised.

"Those papers…?" Olivia called when she noticed where Montserrat's gaze was.

The detective blinked back to the present and handed Olivia her papers. "Paperwork on the Jenson case. Tedious as was Jenson but it is all done." Montserrat offered a smile that became a bit too teethy.

"Can I help you with something else, Novak?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, her seriousness going over Montserrat's head.

"Please don't call me Novak - you sound like Rafael," Montserrat rolled her eyes. "I'm just curious as to why a sergeant is wasting time going over an old case that's good and closed."

"Because this case is not completely closed," Olivia admitted and since Montserrat looked confused she added, "One of the children I found is still being moved through foster homes."

Montserrat continued to be confused until it donned on her what case Olivia was talking about. "Is it baby boy Doe? The baby you found from that couple who went around 'adopting' unwanted children?" Olivia nodded and leaned back against her chair. "I read about that on the news. The other kids were returned home, weren't they?"

"Yes, but this baby doesn't have parents nor next of kin," Olivia wearily rubbed her forehead. "He's gone through 3 foster homes in the last 5 months. It's like none of these parents want to take care of him."

Montserrat tilted her head at Olivia, clearly questioning where Olivia got this knowledge from. "Who do you have on the inside?"

Olivia playfully rolled her eyes. "I've been going to his hearings in family court. It breaks my heart we can't find the right home for this baby."

Montserrat was quiet for a minute as she thought. "Well...sometimes bad things happen in order for something exceptionally good to happen."

Olivia smiled but only briefly. She reached for her glasses on the desk and started to gently tap them against the wood. "Well I'm waiting for that exceptionally good thing to happen. He has another hearing next week so maybe it'll be then. But what are you doing tonight? Sitting with the boss and talking about cases? Go home, Montserrat."

Montserrat only agreed because she had set up an appointment that she couldn't miss. She bid goodnight to Olivia then walked out of the office. She made it all the way to her desk and looked around to see the few detectives left with her.

"Go home you old men," she said to Sonny and Fin. "Take a leaf out of Amanda's book and go have a drink or something."

"Same can be said for you," Fin quipped within the next second.

"And I'll have you know that I'm actually going out on a date in about…" Sonny's eyes widened in alarm after seeing the time on his watch, "...crap! Now!" both Montserrat and Finn burst into laughter while they watched Sonny scramble to get his things from his desk.

"Kara is going to kill you! And then finally my horror of this dating thing will end!" Montserrat calmly went to gather her things.

Sonny threw her a sharp look for her words. Little did she know that his date was actually a trip to visit the place where Kara had planned her surprise birthday party. And that's the thanks I get? He planned on getting a real date with Kara after this. It was only fair.

"Where you headed, then?" Finn asked Montserrat once Sonny had left (ran).

"Oh you know... Here and there, not really sure yet," Montserrat tried being nonchalant about her plans. "Have a good night."

"You too," Finn called once she got going.

~0~

Each week that Montserrat visited her therapist she felt as if things were getting better for her. And in reality, they were. But, her birthday was nearing. It meant it was almost a year now that her life had changed.

"It's not even the fact that I'm turning 30 - usually that's the bit that upsets you - but...turning 30 is the least of my problems," she spoke quietly but there was a shakiness in her voice Dr. Weslin detected. "In fact I'm pretty sure Kara doesn't get the memo that I don't want anything to do with my birthday."

"Have you told her why?" Dr. Weslin inquired even though she knew the answer.

Montserrat shook her head. "Telling her why means I'd have to tell her what happened. I don't think I can do that."

Dr. Weslin studied Montserrat fidget in her chair. "Montserrat, have you ever considered attending an anonymous abuse meeting?"

The detective seemed startled by the question. She drew some hair behind her ear then gave her therapist a curious look. "Those exist?"

Dr. Weslin briefly smiled. "Yes. It's just like alcoholic anonymous group or a gambler's anonymous group. You are doing phenomenal but...I think the fact that you don't feel comfortable to disclose to anyone else, including your closest friend, might be hindering a part of your recovery. A meeting like this would be completely anonymous. You can share what happened to you without having to face anyone that you know. Does this sound like something you would be interested in?"

Montserrat couldn't answer straight away, mostly because she wasn't sure. The only people who knew about her rape were Casey and her old Queens precinct Captain. She couldn't muster the courage to tell anyone else, not even her own family.

"Montserrat?" Dr. Weslin brought the woman back to the present. "Should I give you locations?"

There was a silence over Montserrat that couldn't be waived.

~0~

The following work week brought the awaited trail Olivia had been waiting for a while now, and when she meant a 'while' she really meant months and months. And though it finally came, she still felt as if there were loose strings that couldn't be tied up now.

When Montserrat arrived at the precinct, she came to see only Sonny around. He was blatantly staring at Olivia's office. Though the office was closed but she could see Rafael talking to Olivia, Amanda, Fin and Nick. "What's going on there?" she dropped her purse on her desk.

Sonny glanced at her with a small smile. "Trial we're not exactly part of."

"Which one?" Montserrat made a face.

Sonny turned his chair to face her. "The Lewis Williams trial. It starts tomorrow."

Montserrat wasn't as caught up with Manhattan's SVU cases before her time. There was hardly a need, and even then she had taken a look at some of the more bigger ones...and perhaps that one may have shown up. "Lewis case…" she repeated quietly while she tried to remember. She drew in a breath when she came up blank. "I'm going to sound so unprofessional but what case is that?"

Sonny barely got to raise an eyebrow when they both heard the office door opening up. Rafael had led the rest of the squad out and when he walked, he made a purpose to head for the two detectives who were out of the loop. "You two, keep your mouths shut. Don't talk to anyone, got it?"

There was a mutual confusion between Montserrat and Sonny.

"...you know, you could just say 'good morning' like a normal person," Montserrat quietly said and looked away before she could meet Rafael's deadpanning look.

Rafael rolled his eyes as he assumed she was being sarcastic - which was too early in his opinion. "Do you understand, Novak?"

Montserrat helplessly glanced at Sonny then at the others coming out of the office. "I wish I did but I don't. I don't know what's going on."

"That makes two," Sonny's agreement helped her out in that she wasn't being rude this time.

In fact, it seemed as if it re-directed some of Rafael's annoyance towards the others. He looked back at the rest of the squad with disbelief. "You haven't caught them up? Are you serious!?"

"It didn't seem pertinent," Olivia was the one to answer, even though it revolved entirely around her.

"What didn't?" asked both Montserrat and Sonny, making Rafael nearly slap his forehead with deeper irritation.

"You two," he dropped his hand only to point at them, "Get yourselves caught up. You're the only detectives allowed to be in the trial from beginning to end. But your strength is also your weakness: your absences in this case make you easy preys for the defense. They will try to weed out any information from you so be on guard."

"With all due respect, councilor, I think Montse and I know what we're doing," Sonny leaned back in his chair. "But it wouldn't hurt to discuss more about this."

On that note, Rafael agreed. He glanced at the rest of the squad with a warning glint in his eyes. "Do it. Better safe than sorry." He took off but briefly stopped next to Montserrat. "And good morning," he greeted her with one of his usual smirks.

A smile came to Montserrat's face when he took off again. It was short lived after seeing the grimness the rest of her co-workers carried with them. "Okay, seriously, someone tell us what's going on?"

~ 0 ~

Montserrat wished she would've never asked.

She seriously meant it.

To learn what her sergeant - and more importantly her friend - had gone through with the animal that was Lewis Williams was terrifying, and heartbreaking. Montserrat couldn't believe that someone as strong as Olivia Benson had the misfortune of crossing paths with Lewis. It definitely made Montserrat look at Olivia in a new way.

So, on the first day of trial Montserrat presented herself at the courthouse earlier than the others would. She walked through the crowds of people down the hallway until she spotted Olivia sitting alone on a bench. As she got closer, Montserrat could see the distant look on Olivia's face that was really a cover up for all the nervousness she must have been feeling.

"Here," Montserrat offered Olivia the coffee cup in her hand. Olivia was, of course, surprised to see Montserrat there so early. Montserrat just continued to smile and motioned Olivia to take the coffee.

"Thank you," Olivia quietly said before taking the cup. She hadn't been able to eat nor drink anything that morning - she didn't think she could stomach it.

Montserrat still felt at a loss for words. In her experience, nothing anyone could say helped her get through her trauma. "When you were looking at the Baby Boy Doe case the other night...were you thinking about...this?"

Olivia pursed her lips together, letting the warmth of the coffee hit her lips from the inside. She gave a slight nod of her head in the end.

"I did notice you were...a little more distant but I didn't imagine it was because of this," Montserrat sighed. "Liv, I don't even know what to tell you. I'm sure whatever I do say it won't be enough."

Olivia still offered the detective a thankful smile. "Your presence is appreciated. And trust me, I didn't think it was important to burden you nor Carisi about this. You weren't there anyways-"

"-but we're your friends, Liv. And I don't mean that as a 'you should've told us something' because it doesn't entitle us to anything. I just…" Montserrat sighed again and moved to sit next to Olivia. She licked her lips with a new sense of nervousness, as if something she could say would tip Olivia off that she was speaking from a similar experience.

Olivia studied Montserrat, much to the detective's luck, and got the feeling she was holding something back. It reminded Olivia of the early days when they'd hired Montserrat. Every now and then, Montserrat would become cryptic with her words and she would exhibit odd actions and expressions. She hadn't seen it in a while, actually.

Montserrat released a breath and shifted a bit to better face Olivia. "Do you think that if you would've told me or Sonny about this...it would've made you feel any better about this whole thing?"

Olivia tilted her head as she tried to understand what Montserrat wanted to know. "Well, it wasn't much of a secret to begin with. Everyone else saw what I went through...what...happened…"

"I know, I know," Montserrat made a motion for Olivia to stop so she could better explain, "I meant like...everything Lewis did to you, it's traumatic no doubt. Would talking about it to someone, someone besides a therapist, make you feel better about it? Like, if you sat down with one of us and just...let it all out?"

Olivia admitted that she never considered talking about the four days with Lewis with anyone but her therapist. Sure, the squad had been witness to the crime scenes but she'd never actually talked with any of them about what went on during those days. She didn't feel ready for it, and when she'd finally gotten to a better place...she didn't want to tell anyone else. Her therapist was helping her anyways. What was the point in poking holes in her recovery?

Just when Montserrat thought she was about to get an answer, the rest of the squad arrived. She did her best to hide her disappointment, but maybe she didn't do a very good job in those first seconds because Olivia kept giving her strange looks.

"Looking strong, Olivia," Fin offered the Sergeant an encouraging smile.

"You all came," Olivia was truly surprised they'd go to the trouble of coming all together on the day that each would testify at different hours.

"We got your back, Liv," Nick reminded her.

Rafael emerged from the trial room and was thoroughly confused to find the whole group there. "What are you people doing here? You know you can't watch the trial. You're all witnesses."

"We're here for moral support," Amanda assured him they knew the rules.

"And Montse and I are going to be there for all of it," Sonny gestured to himself and the ginger still sitting on the bench. His words of support weren't as good since said woman seemed to be staring to the side.

Her mind had gotten to somewhere else.

"Montse?" Olivia was the one to bring Montserrat back to the present. The sergeant rose from the bench and held a hand out for Montserrat.

Realizing she'd lost reality for a second, Montserrat cleared her throat and got on her feet. "Sorry, yes. Ready?"

Olivia slowly nodded and glanced at the others to reiterate she was alright.

"Counselor, don't mess this one up," Fin told Rafael, as if the latter was thinking of it.

"I was gonna tell you the same thing," he quipped then shot the rest of the squad a sharper look. "Remember why we're here." His look lingered on Montserrat for her obvious unresponsive self.

Least she wasn't a witness this time.

~ 0 ~

As far as Montserrat could see, Lewis William was a manipulative, calculating man. He had a terrible scar that curved the left side of his face - a scar that Olivia had allegedly left on him. When Lewis would walk - because oh yes, as a last way to taunt Olivia he had decided to defend himself - he would purposely make a bigger limp than what it really was. He didn't fail to mention the fact the NYPD Had a vendetta against him while he interrogated Finn and Amanda.

By the time Lewis got to cross-examine Nick, both Montserrat and Sonny had learned that he was a conniving man hellbent on making it look like the NYPD was framing him and covering up that Olivia was the one to initiate a relationship with him.

"So, it's impossible to know conclusive who actually shot that officer, isn't it?" Lewis knew very well he had murdered an officer but the jury didn't, and as far as he was concerned they would believe Olivia could've had a hand in it.

Nick was barely holding himself to just glare at the man. "Oh, there's no way she did it. She was duct taped, lying on the car floor."

"Again, that's what she told you?"

"Yes,"

There was a moment of silence that passed by before Lewis would ask another question. "Do you remember the first time that you and detective Benson interrogated me? How would you characterize her demeanor? was she physically close? Flirtatious? Did she seem aroused when I spoke to her?"

Nick despised Lewis even more at that moment, because no matter how he would answer it would make Olivia look bad. "She may have acted provocatively, but that was for your benefit. During an interrogation, you role-play."

"Is rape considered a sexual act amongst SVU detectives?"

"No, it's not about sex. It's about power, control, humiliation…"

"So why, in your opinion, when your partner was questioning me about rape, did she sexualize the interrogation?"

"It's a technique to find a way to connect to the suspect," Nick answered almost through gritted teeth.

"Well, I would say it worked," Lewis turned in time to see Rafael practically slam his pen on the desk in anger. With a smirk, Lewis said, "Withdrawn."

As soon as the trial was finished, Montserrat was the first to get up to go. She felt revulsion for that man, sick to her stomach, so she knew how Olivia was feeling at the moment.

"You should go home," Montserrat advised Olivia once they were in the hallway. For the case's benefit, the rest of the squad except for her and Sonny had departed the moment they were finished testifying. "Try to do something to get your mind off this for a bit."

"Not gonna tell me to get some rest?" Olivia asked since that was what everyone always told her in the early days after the kidnapping..

"No, that never works in the beginning," Montserrat said far too quickly and too matter-of-factly. Olivia once again felt there was something this detective was keeping back. It felt as if Montserrat knew what she was talking about.

"That was awful," Sonny was telling Rafael as the two walked out of the trial room.

"But fixable," Rafael said with utter confidence. He expected such manipulations from Lewis but he was confident that he would outsmart this man no matter what. "Liv, you should go get some rest-"

"-don't tell her get rest, it won't work," Montserrat all but practically snapped at him. She looked mighty distressed for someone who'd only sat in on the trial.

Olivia placed a hand on Montserrat's arm and nodded at Rafael. "I will try, but...you know it'll be difficult to sleep for the next couple of weeks."

"Just try," Rafael persisted. "And Novak, maybe you should consider it too since you're all riled up."

Montserrat momentarily glared until she realized he was right. It wasn't her place and it certainly wasn't her right to be upset. Olivia was the one who needed all the support right now. She was the one who would have to face her attacker soon, the one who would have to talk to him...look at him…

The moment her face went pale was instantaneous. Now she truly looked sick. "I'll see you. Take it easy Olivia," she said in a quick blue before turning to leave.

There was mutual confusion as well as concern between the remaining three.

~ 0 ~

The last thing Casey Novak was expecting that night was for her cousin to knock on her apartment door.

"I need you," Montserrat uttered the three words nearly in tears.

Casey might not have had the context she needed to figure out what led Montserrat to her door, but she was pretty sure what it was ABOUT about. She brought her cousin inside and took her to the living room where Montserrat opened the floodgates of her problem for the day.

"And I know it's not my case, it's not my trial, but it's making me remember what I went through last year," Montserrat spoke rather fast but Casey was used to the speedy relaying of information.

The two cousins sat on the couch, Montserrat draped under a blanket Casey brought for her. It was their comfort blanket each had held in their worst moments.

"It's Olivia's case and I should be a better friend who puts aside their trauma to help them," Montserrat drew in a shaky breath. "But I can't. It's literally against me. It's been almost a year, why is it still affecting me like this?"

"Well-" Casey tried to answer but Montserrat wasn't finished rambling.

"I've done everything right. I've moved cities, I've found new friends, a new job. I got a therapist and I've gone to each of my sessions. I've tried being happy and making better, new memories so why is this happening?" by the time Montserrat finished her question, new tears had spilled down her face.

"It's a long, long process Montserrat," Casey spoke in a gentle tone. "I've seen victims take years to fully recover, but even then there's always going to be a wound."

"So I'm just going to relapse every few years?"

"What you're feeling doesn't mean that you're undoing all of your progress," Casey first said to make sure Montserrat understood she wasn't doing anything wrong. "You were violated and that is a traumatic event that will, on occasion, cause these moments of pain. It's normal. You're human, Montse."

Montserrat sniffled. "I'm a detective, I can't afford these moments."

"As a lawyer, I advise you not to bottle it up. It's good that you're talking it out with someone," Casey offered a kind smile for her cousin.

Montserrat thought back to her therapist's suggestion and even when she'd asked Olivia her thoughts about talking with people. "But I'm supposed to be supporting Olivia right now."

Casey understood what Montserrat meant, and even though she loved Olivia she had to think about her family first. "Maybe you can support her outside of the trial room." The suggestion didn't seem to sit well with Montserrat. "It's obvious that this Lewis case is bringing up memories and feelings. If Olivia knew about this, she would understand. But even without the knowledge of your rape, she won't be upset if you don't show up to the trial."

Montserrat brought a hand to her forehead. "I'm supposed to be her moral support. Now I'm becoming the one who needs the support?"

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Montserrat," Casey said in a sharp, almost warning, tone. "You need your time too. And let me put it in a way that might get me to understand: if you're not at your best, then can you really support Olivia?"

Well, that she understood.

~0~

While the trial continued, Montserrat listened to Casey's advice and stayed away from the trial for a few days. She decided there was perhaps another way she could support Olivia.

She rarely visited Family court and it was honestly not a place you wanted to be at so much. It just brought back too many memories, too many decisions that she would rather forget. but this was a better way to support Olivia without harming herself in the process.

She took a seat in one of the empty benches and listened to the hearing of Baby Boy Doe.

A social worker was giving her rendition of a finished investigation concerning Baby Boy Doe, and it seemed like things could be getting better for this baby. "Your Honor, ACS have thoroughly conducted an examination of a new Foster home for baby boy doe. It is our belief that baby boy doe would be well cared for by these Foster parents."

The judge herself seemed rather relieved this was the case. She looked over her copy of the paperwork the social worker was reading from and gave a conclusive nod. "Let's hope so, Miss Carlisle. This would be Baby Boy Doe's fourth home in the past 5 months. I grant the motion to place Baby Boy Doe in the care of the Walkers." The judge slammed her mallet over her desk and adjourned the court.

Montserrat rose from her seat and moved towards the social worker before the latter could leave. "Excuse me, I'm detective Novak," she flashed her badge then put it away, "My sergeant, Olivia Benson, sent me in her place today to see how the case was going."

the mention of Olivia's name seemed to ease the social worker. Clearly, they knew each other. "Sergeant Benson, yes we've talked. Is she okay?"

"Um…" Montserrat was surprised that the social worker didn't know about the ongoing trial, but she wasn't going to tell her either. "She just couldn't make it. She's very attached to this baby."

Miss Carlisle agreed with a nod while she finished packing her things. "Yes. She's the one who found him."

"I heard. So is this new home really the best one for this baby? I just heard from Olivia that he's been moved quite a lot for the few months he's been in ACS custody."

"Yes," Miss Carlisle side. She moved around once in awhile and started walking towards the accident the room. "we've had to move him for safety reasons. There was one home that was already housing more foster kids than we realized. Then there was another one that wasn't as safe as we thought. The third one actually gave him a fungal disease so we need to immediately get him out of there."

"Poor baby," Montserrat said. She followed Miss Carlisle into the hallway. "Listen, I don't know if usually do this...but because Olivia wasn't here I was wondering if you could give me the new address of this baby."

Miss Carlisle offered a nervous smile. "I'm not sure that's really in protocols."

"Well, it's just as you said...my sergeant was the one who found this baby so she's pretty attached to him. I'm sure it would make her really happy if she could just visit the baby. Unless if you think the Foster family wouldn't like that…"

"No, no, I don't think they would mind. It's just not really seen as much…"

"My sergeant isn't like the others," Montserrat subtly insisted.

Miss Carlisle looked around the hallway that was pretty empty save for them. "Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt anyone. Would you have time to come by my office?"

"Of course," Montserrat smiled and gestured for her to lead the way out.

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 130: In Plain Sight (Transcript) - 25th November 2019

tw: none

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

In early winter of 1822, Captain Samuel Barrett Edes became a hero. He was sailing in the south-east Pacific when he and his crew encountered a Dutch ship that was in trouble. Edes managed to save every single one of the Dutch soldiers, and then headed for the city of Batavia, known today as Jakarta, to drop them off and see if a reward could be collected. While he waited, he did some shopping. Now, Edes wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, but he owned a small portion of the ship he sailed and of course, he was expecting a handsome reward for his heroic efforts. With this in mind, he kept an eye open for something unusual and conversation-worthy to take home, and that’s when he saw it. It was a mummified mermaid. It was over two feet long, had the curved tail one might find on a fish, but the upper body of something much more human in shape. It was brown from the preservation process, wrinkled with age and entirely addictive to look at, and Captain Edes knew instantly that he had to own it. In late January of 1822, he did something bold. He sold the ship he did not fully own and used the proceeds to buy the mermaid. Then he found transportation back to London and put the odd creature on display, because just about everyone who saw it believed that it was real.

Of course, there were those who could see through the hoax. Captain Edes had been fooled by a clever craftsman who had sewn the torso of an orangutan onto the lower half of a large salmon. Elements were added to the face and hands to give it a more humanlike appearance, but those with training in natural science and anatomy could spot the hidden clues that gave it all away. That didn’t matter to most people, though. The idea that mermaids could be real had been around for centuries, so when something as powerful as a mummified specimen floated into their world, they were blind to its flaws and impossibility. They wanted to believe, deep down inside, that the hybrids of folklore actually existed. Today, we know a lot more about our world than we used to, but if we were to go back in time and live through a less learned age, we would be amazed at the stories that await us, tales of creatures that sit at the very edge of our imagination, living things that defy logic, and monsters that inspire wonder. Our hearts want to believe while our minds are ready to move on. Instead, what we tend to feel is a mixture of deep curiosity and primal fear, and if the tales from the past are any indication, there’s a good reason why. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

 When we talk about the natural world, the very first thing we need to do is gain some perspective. Today, we live in a technologically rich society. We carry supercomputers in our pockets that are more powerful than the ones that sent the first humans to the moon. We can walk past an intriguing part of our neighbourhood, pull out our phones and look at a satellite map or do a search for more information. We’re still hungry people, curious and drawn to unanswered questions, but rather than starving in a house with little food, we feast each day on a never-ending buffet of answers and information. Today, if you want to know something, chances are good you can learn about it in an instant, but hundreds of years ago, that was an impossibility. Not that people didn’t try, though. 2000 years ago, a Roman named Gaius Plinius Secundus attempted to gather everything knowable into one place, and he did an admirable job considering the world he lived in. Gaius was born into a wealthy Roman family in the year 24AD and followed a path of privilege all the way to the top. He was well educated, well connected, and when he entered the Roman military, he quickly rose to the second highest level possible – the equestrian order. Once out of the military, he served as a lawyer, before being assigned various governorships around the empire, and towards the end of his life, he had the privilege to serve as advisor to two different emperors. Today, we know him as Pliny the Elder, but in his day, Gaius was a success story.

Looking back, his biggest legacy was his 37 volume collection of knowledge called Natural History. It was possibly the world’s first encyclopaedia, gathering everything known about a whole array of subjects, from farming and botany to geography and anthropology, but the most influential contribution, filling up volumes seven through 11, were his writings on zoology, the study of all living creatures. But here’s the thing – Pliny the Elder, like everyone else in his society, lacked the proper tools to dig deep and apply hard science to every creature he wrote about. He also lacked the ability to travel and see each animal he described, so he relied heavily on others, like Aristotle’s Historia Animalium and the writings of Eratosthenes and Hipparchus, and that meant his collection was less than perfect. How so? Well, his work on zoology included such amazing animals as dragons, mermen, and even something called a blemmyae, a race of hairy, human-like beings who literally had no head on their shoulders, with eyes and a mouth right in the middle of their chest. Pliny was thorough, for sure, but not very discerning with his source material.

But what his work did do was give birth to something a lot of people have heard of, a type of book known as a bestiary. It took a while for their availability to spread, but by the early middle ages, bestiaries were a common enough resource. They were, at the basic level, books about known animals, typically with colourful drawings to help the reader visualise the specific details of each entry, and over the centuries, some editions became more popular than others. One of the most famous is the Aberdeen Bestiary, an illuminated manuscript that dates back to the 12th century. Aside from being a beautiful example of medieval artwork – and I mean that, you should seriously do an internet search for sample pages – the Aberdeen Bestiary is also a powerful example of just how popular these books really were. It’s filled with images of all sorts of animals, along with rocks, fish, trees and even worms, and a lot of the entries in the manuscript include notes about the nature of the thing in question, making it a valuable reference tool for any budding naturalist. But these bestiaries did more than that – they inspired the popular culture of their day.

England’s King John, who reigned from 1177 to 1216 was said to have a copy of Pliny the Elder’s Natural History in his personal collection, and John’s son and successor, King Henry III, even used images from it to decorate one of the chambers at Westminster. As their popularity spread, more and more writers got in on the tradition. The Norman poet Philip de Thaun wrote a bestiary about a generation after William the Conqueror invaded England, and it became a gift for King Henry II’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Even Leonardo da Vinci made one. It seems if you were an intelligent person in the middle ages or the Renaissance, making your own bestiary was practically a rite of passage – and let’s be honest, colourful manuscripts filled with unbelievable creatures and animals that defied logic couldn’t not be popular. Humans have this innate desire to look at curious things. We’ve always been rubberneckers, straining to take a long, hard look at things that sit outside our normal experience, and the spread of bestiaries is proof of that. But those ancient books and manuscripts also teach us something else about ourselves. Human beings are creative creatures. When faced with a mysterious gap in our knowledge, we’re more likely to invent something to plug the hole than to leave the question unanswered – and what we’ve come up with is equal parts entertaining and downright terrifying.

 I mentioned earlier how the internet and the accessibility of powerful devices has given us an edge over our predecessors, and in a lot of ways that’s true. Yes, we have access to a huge majority of our collective knowledge, but not all of it. In fact, there are still things we don’t know. For example, scientists today believe that there are roughly 8.7 million animal species on this planet, and yet 86% of the ones that would live on land still haven’t been discovered or studied, and it’s even worse inside our oceans, where over 90% of life is still a mystery to us. We know a lot, yes, but our world is massive and diverse, and that makes the learning process slow and tedious. Some animals are also a bit harder to track down, they’re less abundant or more shy, and so it’s made studying them more of a challenge. A good example is the platypus. For a very long time, scientists thought the descriptions of it were nothing more than a hoax. I mean, it was rumoured in 1799 to be a hybrid of a duck and a water rat, part mammal and part bird, with venomous spurs that could kill a dog, and while we’ve learnt more about them over the years, the platypus is still an allusive creature. A recent documentarian was able to get what he considered to be a goldmine of actual footage of the animal, amounting to about 30 seconds, and when only half a minute of film is something to celebrate, you know the animal is hard to study.

Of course, while we’re searching for new species, the ones we do know about are slowly dying off, which doesn’t help. Some estimates place the number of species on the edge of extinction at around 20,000, and more get added to that list all the time. For the medieval writers of bestiaries, this would be their worst nightmare. All those creatures belong in their books, and yet they keep slipping away. But at the same time, not being able to see an animal never really stopped those ancient writers from including it in their catalogue of life on earth. In fact, there are a lot of entries that would cause most people to scratch their heads, because while, yes, we’ve grown in our understanding of the world around us, these bestiaries serve as a time capsule of our gullibility. As far back as Pliny the Elder’s collection on natural history, we can see those less believable creatures pop up. He once wrote that thousands of sea-nymphs known as neriads had washed up on the shores of what is modern day France, and that they looked just like the nymphs of the land, except that they were covered in fish scales. He also wrote about that fiery bird of legend known as the phoenix, which was known to burst into flames before re-emerging from its own ashes. And of course, I’ve already mentioned his fascination with mermen and blemmyae. It seems that Pliny the Elder had an obsession with gathering all known creatures, whether or not he had witnessed them with his own eyes.

Other historians added their own contributions to those mystical lists as well, and if I ran through it for you now, it would sound like a recap of the Harry Potter series. Hippos and elephants shared the same space as hippogriffs and mandrakes. There were dragons and tritons, giants and sea monsters. Honestly, it sometimes seemed that if a young child could draw a picture of it, that was good enough to get it included. Of course, some creatures were more popular than others, and that popularity varied from culture to culture. In Europe, one of the most talked about creatures of all was also one of the smallest, but don’t let its size fool you, because there was nothing safe about the basilisk. Our old friend, Pliny the Elder, wrote about it 2000 years ago, describing it as a serpent with legs that was no larger than a foot in length. But what it lacked in size, it more than made up for with attitude and special features. A basilisk was said to stand tall on its back legs and had a crown-like plume on top of its head. And they were dangerous, too – according to the stories, basilisks were so poisonous that even looking at them could get you killed. Other creatures avoided the like the plague, and wherever they chose to make their nests, the plant life would die and wither away. One description I read said that if a man on horseback stabbed the basilisk with a spear, the poison was so powerful that it could climb up the spear, kill the man, and then kill the horse as well.

Of course, when something is that powerful and deadly, it eventually becomes the centrepiece of tales of valour. It’s said that Alexander the Great once killed a basilisk, and like many of the other legends about him, he did it in a way that proved not just his might but also his intelligence. It’s said that he polished his shield until it was like a mirror, and then approached the creature holding it outward. When the basilisk saw its own reflection, it fell victim to its poisonous gaze and instantly dropped dead. We can find images of the basilisk in just about every bestiary in existence, most of which look like a cross between a snake and a rooster. There’s a statue of one in Vienna, commemorating an 11th century hunt, and there’s even a church in Sweden with a carved relief showing St. Michael stabbing one with a spear. So popular was this creature that people sold powders that they claimed to be ground-up basilisk, something that most people purchased for use in alchemy, but more than a few used as an antidote to poison. Everywhere you look through the middle ages and earlier, the basilisk is waiting to rear its poisonous little head. You can see society’s attraction to it in their folklore and superstition, a mixture of fear and fascination, of wonder and disgust. For centuries, it popped up in stories whispered all around Europe, like a well-loved character in a popular book series. But if one account is any indication, it might not be a work of fiction after all.

 The people of Warsaw had a problem on their hands. They were two decades into a new political structure known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and while it gave a lot of freedom to the wealthy and elite, it left the lower class in a constant state of fear and oppression. Life in the city was challenging for many people, but that was the new normal. In 1587, though, something happened to put the people of Warsaw on edge. Livestock in the area around an old, ruined building had begun to turn up dead. Even a few of the neighbouring residents had been found poisoned in their beds, washing over the community with a wave of grief and loss. And in the midst of all that confusion and pain, two of the neighbourhood children disappeared. Well, disappeared might not be the right word for it. Folks had seen the two young girls playing near the ruins, they had watched them laugh and skip and revel in the freedom and joy that came with childhood, most likely muttering quiet prayers that it would last as long as possible. The neighbours knew what sort of hard life awaited those girls once they were old enough to work and carry their own weight. Their joy must have been bittersweet.

And then someone watched them step inside the ruins. That was the first reason to worry. Folks avoided the ruins for a good reason – it was dark and dangerous, and the cellar beneath it had been a den for all sorts of animals. So, whoever it was that watched them disappear into the shadows most likely headed over to warn the girls’ parents. When everyone arrived at the ruins to call them out, though, they were no longer visible. While there was a good chance they had simply moved on to a new playground, someone decided to peer inside the dark cellar, and there, laying on the broken stone floor, were the sleeping forms of both girls. So, one of the older women stepped inside to wake them. A moment later, though, she collapsed into a heap beside the girls, sending the growing crowd into a panic. They didn’t know what was causing the people inside the cellar to lose consciousness, but they knew there was something dangerous about the dark space, so they sent for a fire hook – a long pole with a metal hook on the end – and then reached in and pulled each body out into the light. All three of them were dead, and not just dead – they were bloated and dark, as if they’d been dead for days. Most frightening of all, though, was that their eyes seemed to be protruding from their sockets. No one could be sure, but it almost looked as if they’d been frightened to death.

Wanting answers, they sent for Benedictus, the king’s very own physician. If anyone would have the skill to identify the danger, it would be him. And, sure enough, after taking a long look at the trio of bodies, he brought them a definitive answer. All of them had been killed by a basilisk. In an instant, the atmosphere around the old ruins changed. Newcomers came to watch, while leaders gathered to form a plan. Something had to be done, and just like the stories all of them had grown up with, it seemed that a basilisk hunt was in order, but the trouble was no one wanted to risk their lives by entering the cellar to kill it – not even Benedictus, who seemed to know the most about the creature. But they had an idea. A group of leaders from the community quickly headed to the local jail, where two men awaited execution for various capital crimes. Each man was given the same offer: come kill the basilisk, and you will receive a full pardon and your freedom as a reward. It seemed like an easy choice, too – inside jail, there was no chance of survival. Outside, though, there was at least the possibility they might survive. It made sense to everyone.

The first criminal declined the offer, but the other one, a man named Johann Faurer, agreed to help. He was escorted from the jail to the old ruins, where Benedictus awaited him with tools and instructions. The townsfolk had quickly gathered dozens of small mirrors and sewn them onto a pair of leather pants and a coat. I imagine Johann gave the old physician a sideways glance at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but at the same time, he would have known the folklore just as well as everyone else. Alexander the Great had defeated a basilisk using a mirror-like shield, so why would it not work for him? With a crowd of over 2000 witnesses watching, Johann began to carefully walk into the ruins, where he entered the cellar. He had a long rake in one hand and a torch in the other, to light his way, and as soon as he stepped into the darkness below, he cried out that he could see it – a long, serpent-like tail, with a head that resembled that of a rooster, right down to the crown-like plumage. Benedictus called out instructions to the man. “Grab it with the rake,” he told him, “and then carry it out here into the light.” Johann shouted back that he understood, and the entire crowd began to shift and rumble. If a basilisk was going to be dragged out of the ruins, no one wanted to be around to see it, so they all ran for cover and hid their eyes. When Johann emerged, he held the writhing creature by the neck in one of his gloved hands. They daylight somehow made it weaker, and that gave Benedictus the courage to step closer and examine it. It looked exactly like the bestiaries of old had taught him – the body of a snake, four long legs and a head that looks very much like a rooster.

But sadly, this is where the account of the basilisk hunt ends. Whoever had been recording the events had most likely been in the crowd, and when Johann had begun to emerge from the cellar, they had followed the crowd into hiding, which leaves the ending a bit of a mystery. Who killed the creature, when all was said and done, and how did they do it, knowing the risks the old legends spoke of? What we do know is this: the Warsaw basilisk hunt of 1587 was the last time the creature was reported anywhere in Europe. Maybe it had been the last of its kind, and its death marked its extinction, or perhaps the few that survived had a knack for staying out of sight – like the platypus of Australia. Either way, all that was left from that moment on were legends and stories. Like so many creatures that have once walked the earth, the basilisk – if it was ever real to begin with – has slipped into the shadows of the past, and it’s never been seen again.

 There really is something delightful about the bestiaries of old. Their colourful pages and evocative descriptions were beyond sensational. In a world without television, radio or easily accessible works of fiction, those catalogues of natural history were the closest most people could get to travelling the world. Of course, the things most authors chose to include in their bestiaries would probably never make the cut in our modern times. After all, headless tribesmen with eyes on their chests, unicorns and sea nymphs all feel more like characters in a fantasy novel than entries in a study on the world’s flora and fauna. And yet some of those expectations have been broken over the years. For centuries, sailors told stories about the kraken, enormous sea creatures that could reach out and drag an entire ship underwater with its long tentacles. King Sverre of Norway recorded its description way back in 1180, and for hundreds of years people claimed to spot them in the waters of the ocean. Then, in 1853, the carcass of a giant squid washed up on a Danish beach, giving the legend new life. Over the century and a half since then, scientists have determined that there is indeed a giant sea creature that fits the ancient descriptions – give or take a few sinking ships, of course – and while they’ve been challenging to catch on film, we now know they exist. And those mermaids of old might have roots in actual animals as well. Many scientists and scholars now believe that old reports of mermaids could very well be mistaken sightings of an aquatic mammal known as the manatee. As is so often the case, our misunderstandings had given birth to frightening legends, only to have science bring a bit of clarity to the tale. Sometimes the monsters of the ancient world turn out to be real, and sometimes legends inspire new discoveries.

In the part of the world that stretches from Mexico to South America, scientists have been familiar for over a century with a lizard from the iguana family. It’s not the largest reptile around, but it can grow to around 2ft in length, and it can run at amazing speeds. Some scientists refer to it as the Jesus Christ Lizard because of its strange ability to run across the surface of water. But its most common name is based on other features, like its tendency to run on two legs and its serpent-like body – a body that’s topped with a head and plumes reminiscent of a crown or a rooster, which is why its name is both logical and a bit of a throwback. They call it the basilisk.

 There’s something enticing about the mysteries that fill the gaps in our knowledge of the world around us. Looking back at the bestiaries of the middle ages, its clear humans have had a lot of fun filling those holes, and the creativity of the past has continued to inspire stories today. But there’s one more creature I want to tell you about. Stick around after this brief sponsor break to learn all about it.

[Sponsor break from Bombas, Casper and Fracture]

They had fallen in love, and it was something that would change their destiny forever. At least, that’s how the legend tells it. Long ago, a young man lived on a small island surrounded by deep blue seas, and in the process of hunting one day, he encountered a beautiful young woman. But the hunter quickly learned that there was more to her than he could see with his eyes. The woman, it turns out, was a fairy. In fact, she was well known to the locals there, who referred to her as the Dragon Princess. Despite their differences – him, a normal human being, and her, a magical fairy – the two of them fell in love and were soon married, and that helps this tale become on of those happily ever after stories that we all love so much. The couple went on to have twins, a boy and a girl, and just like their parents, they were an odd pair. The boy was just like his father, a human with no magical powers of his own, while the girl took after her mother, and because of that, both parents decided that the children should be raised in separate places to help them fully become who they were meant to be.

According to the legend, it was many years later when the son was out hunting, just as his father had taught him. He was creeping through the forest, his spear balanced in one hand, when he spotted a deer. He quickly threw the weapon, which found its target, and a heartbeat later the young man was carefully making his way over to collect his prize, and that’s when the dragon stepped out of the trees. It was enormous and frightening, and it clearly wanted to take the deer that he had just killed. The young hunter spoke to it, begging it to leave his future meal alone, but the creature ignored him and proceeded to move toward the deer, so he lifted another spear and got ready to take aim at the dragon. Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the shadows of the forest and stopped him. It was his mother, the fairy princess, who he had not seen since his childhood, and as she approached him, she spoke a word of warning. “Do not throw that spear”, she told him, “for that is no ordinary dragon. That is your sister.” Instead, she taught him to live in harmony with his sister, and according to the legend, that fateful meeting set the destiny of their entire community on a new path. Even today, if you were to visit the place where they lived, the people there would tell you that they are descended from dragons, illustrating how that harmony has continued.

And of course, this story is just one of many tales about dragons that fill the pages of folklore. In fact, most of us would be hard pressed to find a creature mentioned more often than those magical beasts, from the 11th century legend of King George and the Dragon to the fantasy novels and television shows of our modern world. They really do seem to be the king of monsters. Dragons are also one of those nearly universal creatures. It seems just about every culture around the world has had some version of them in their folklore. The ancient Egyptian god of chaos was Apophis, represented as a giant serpent. The Babylonians had their own god of chaos called Tiemat, and in Arcadian mythology there were not one but three dragons on display. Norse mythology features a giant serpent who gnaws at the roots of the world tree. In Ukrainian folklore, there is a dragon with three heads, while images of dragons can be found all over medieval heraldry. And of course, few cultures on earth hold as tightly to their dragon mythology as the Chinese, who have been decorating objects with images of the creature at least as far back as the Neolithic period, and we could speculate why, I’m sure. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see how the accidental discovery of dinosaur bones might spark fear and wonder in the minds of humans thousands of years ago. The places where stories of dragons are most common are also places where such fossils have been uncovered, so it does make sense.

So, when Europeans arrived on an island in the Flores Sea, just south of Indonesia, they probably didn’t think twice about the local stories about dragons. In fact, those tales were probably a bit old hat, as they say. Dragons lived in caves, breathed fire, were vicious killers and could fly when necessary – nothing about all of that was new. What was new, though, were the things they saw there. On an island surrounded by deep, blue sea, an island full of people who believed they were descended from dragons, mind you, they discovered a creature that brought all of their legends to life. It lived in the caves along the shore, it was an enormous killer, and it sometimes even followed its prey up into the trees. It ticked all the boxes. These were 300lb serpent-like monsters that could bring down a half-tonne water buffalo. When they licked the air with their bright red tongue, it looked as if they were spitting fire, and they even dug into the graves of the dead looking for treasure. Of course, that treasure was always food, not gold. And they’re still there, crawling across the sandy beaches of the island, living in harmony, more or less, with the people who still call the place their home. They might not have wings or piles of golden treasure to curl up on, but they are the largest lizard on earth, measuring in at over 10ft in length, and they’re deadly. Sometimes the tales of the past stay shrouded in mystery, and other times we manage to crack the riddle and shed new light on the shadows that once frightened us. This living, flesh and blood dragon seems to offer a fresh answer to an ancient question, however incomplete it might be, but at least we now know that there really is one place in the world where that old cartographer warning is actually true: Here, on Komodo Island at least, there be dragons.

[Closing Statements]

[gittetj]

Beginner’s guide to surviving Pathologic 2

Pathologic 2 was released just a few days ago and if you’ve played the original game it’s based on you probably already know your way around the Town-On-Gorkhon, but if you’re new it can be daunting to get started.

For anyone unfamiliar with it, the basic premise of the game is that you’re a doctor stuck in a small, isolated town while a plague breaks out. You have 12 days to try to keep yourself and everyone else alive and find some way to deal with the plague.

I think it’s an important aspect of Pathologic’s gameplay that you learn how the game works on your own, but I’ve already seen a bunch of people say they want to quit after day 3 or 4 or that it’s impossible to get any further. Having to start over, especially if you’re not sure how to do better, is an understandable reason to never want to look at the game again, so I wanted to gather some tips that might help you to at least not get off to a terrible start. I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as I possibly can.

First things first: Pathologic is a very difficult game. It’s designed to keep you on the brink of death most, if not all of the time, so if that happens to you it doesn’t have to mean you’re doing a bad job. Pathologic is also designed to be frustrating and tedious, even boring and unfair - it’s all part of the game. You’re supposed to be fighting the urge to quit; that’s normal and expected. Whether that makes for an interesting and meaningful experience is up to the individual I suppose, but that’s the basic concept you’re going to be working with.

Now. The tips:

Quests and objectives

It should always be your main objective to keep yourself fed and healthy. You can’t help anyone if you’re dead. Even if you mess up everything else, staying alive for 12 days is an accomplishment in its own right.

If you manage to complete every quest on a given day then you’re having a very, very good day. Most days won’t be that good and you’ll have to prioritize and drop some quests so you have time for others.

It varies how long quests stay active, but usually, you’ll have at least one main quest per day that needs to be completed before midnight. It isn’t always obvious which are the main quests, but if it’s something that drives the plot forward then that’s a good indicator. Failing to complete a main quest will have consequences.

It’ll be near impossible to keep all the major, named characters alive; sometimes you’ll have to make hard choices and pick someone to give up on. Early in the game, you’ll get a list of people who are especially important to you - always put their wellbeing first, they’re the ones who will help you later on.

Not all quests are worth doing, but it can be hard to predict which are. If you feel like a quest is going nowhere or costs you more resources than it’s worth then it’s fine to drop it halfway through.

Time management

Time is a very limited resource! Save time however you can - Run as much as possible, use the ferry to get around, plan your routes so you don’t have to take too many detours or double back all the time.

The map is your friend, trust the map. It shows every shortcut you can take and if the map says there’s a wall or a pile of rocks or whatever you can’t pass through, then you really can’t.

It’s unlikely you’ll ever have time to freely wander around, you should always be on your way somewhere.

Bartering

You should focus more on bartering with people on the street than buying supplies from stores. Store wares are very expensive, so try to save your money.

Loot constantly! Scavenging through trash cans and dumpsters is crucial. There are no items that can’t be used for something, so pick up everything you can cram into your inventory.

Each type of NPC you can barter with have their own set of items to offer and will also accept different things as payment (many of which you can get by scavenging). Spend some time speaking to NPCs to check out what they have and what they want - it’s like a whole separate economy.

Some of the items you can barter for are worth a good price in stores. Find out which and stock up on them for when you have to buy stuff.

Resources and keeping yourself alive

On day 1 your first priority should be stocking up on food as much as you can. You’ll be thankful later.

Hunger will almost always be a concern since the hunger meter fills up quite fast. Buy or trade for food whenever you have the chance.

Fresh meat and milk can expire so eat that first if you have it in your inventory.

As soon as the plague sets in your next-biggest concern is immunity and keeping down infection. Buy or trade for medicine as much as you can, too.

Stay hydrated! Thirst will lower your stamina, meaning you can’t run or fight as long. You never know when you’ll need to run away. It’s best to drink from water barrels and pumps when you pass by them - don’t drink your bottled water unless you don’t have another choice, you have more important things to use that for.

The meters for hunger, exhaustion, etc. only have repercussions when they’re maxed out (or depleted in immunity’s case). Don’t let it stress you out too much when you have a red meter on your screen, just prioritize doing something about it soon.

It’ll start draining your health if hunger is maxed out or you get really sick. It’ll probably be difficult if you’re out of food or medicine, but it’s still possible to survive and turn the situation around.

If you get infected do your best to keep that meter under 50% and it won’t affect you too much.

If you die you won’t just go back to your last save, but rather be revived and given a punishment for dying that’ll make the game even harder. So, obviously, avoid putting yourself in situations where you’re likely to die.

Interacting with people

Talk to everyone! Random NPCs often have useful information and can lead you to quests you otherwise wouldn’t have known about.

You can’t have the same conversation multiple times. When a conversation’s done it’s done and if there was a thing you didn’t get to ask then too bad.

People will sometimes say things that are misleading or downright untrue. Don’t trust everything you’re told.

Sometimes even small actions can come back to help or haunt you. If you treat people with respect, keep your promises and so on, you’ll often be rewarded for it later on.

Really consider whether it’s necessary before doing something that’ll make people dislike you - this includes fighting and killing people, performing autopsies, breaking into houses, and stealing. It’s hard to get rid of a bad reputation and if people in one of the districts don’t trust you they won’t trade with you and might even attack you on sight.

If you do end up with a bad reputation, you can redeem yourself by giving medicine to the sick and money or food to anyone begging for it.

Fights

Maybe more of a personal opinion, but unless you’re really good at fighting I’ll say fights are a bad investment and should be avoided. If you have to fight, at least come prepared.

For one, don’t get into a knife fight empty-handed. It’s probably best if you don’t get close to anyone who has a knife at all.

Worms are slow but hit very hard, so be careful with them.

You can attack and kill anyone, but only adult men will fight back.

If you attack someone who isn’t a knife-wielding bandit, any men standing nearby might come running to attack you.

If people on the street try to attack you and you want to avoid a fight, run to the nearest building where you know you can get in, such as a shop or the home of a major character. NPCs are randomized and will be reset once you go back outside, freeing you of the attacker(s).

Other tips

Don’t expect the game to do anything for you. There are no autosaves and oftentimes practical knowledge isn’t recorded anywhere. Take notes if you have to.

When looting, right-clicking an item will automatically add it to your inventory. Saves you some time.

If you need to gather herbs it’s easiest to do at night since the plants will glow slightly so you can see them from a distance.

Finally, some moral support

Don’t give up! Even when things are at their very bleakest, unexpected help might be right around the corner. Until you’re irreversibly stuck in a loop where you keep dying, you haven’t lost yet! Remember, surviving each day is a victory even if you’ve failed your other objectives.

That said, it’s okay if you have to start over. If by the end of day 1 you’re already wondering how you’re supposed to survive another day then I’d even encourage it. It’s tedious to have to play through everything again, but take some satisfaction in the fact that you’ll be wiser than in your last run and will probably do much better.

As the developers usually say: Have fun suffering!

[fullmetaldevil-blog]

Stitched AU Short: Cookie Time

YAY~! Knocked out another little short ( got like 4 more XD ) for the little demon boys. I write theses shorts on my phone at my job during my lunch breaks when I’m not doodling.

Summary:

Allison and Benny were invited over for tea and cookies by Linda. The hostess had the idea of having their little demonic ‘children’ help them out with making the cookies. After all, you eat, you work.

On with the show~!

Benny happily swayed from side to side in his seat of the car while he and Allison happily sang songs on the radio. Linda had invited Allison and Benny over for tea and cookies, and since Tom was off at work it was a perfect little outing. So both of them cheerfully drove down the road into the valley singing songs all way. Benny bounced in place happily thinking of all the cookies he could possibly eat. His mouth watering at the thought as he hummed to himself.

Linda heard the small rumble of an engine from the front of the house and strode to the window peering out. Sure enough it was Allison and Benny whom arrived a touch early, but all the better. She knew she didn't even have to inform Bendy that Benny had arrived, the little toon somehow being able to sense the other. She approached the door and opened it to greet her cherished guests, and with careful precision she stood off to the side clearing a path to the outside. Like clockwork a small black blur went barreling out the home and slammed into Benny who had braced for impact, but still couldn't withstand the blow. Both toons rolled around in the grass laughing as they briefly wrestled with each other before hurrying back into the home. Neither toon could contain their excitement at seeing the other.

Allison could only laugh as she stepped away from her car and up the walkway towards Linda who was also laughing in the doorway. "It's always funny to see how energetic both toons are. Benny is never this energetic unless Bendy is around."

Linda smiled at her friend "We'll they are toons, Bendy has an infectious level of energy."

The younger actress chuckled as she was welcomed into the home with a warm hug from Linda. "That he does."

The two older women happily chatted away as they entered the kitchen, noting that both toons were already at the table waiting and chatting with each other.

Linda placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot gaining both demons attention before looking at both toons dead in the eye. "Oh no you won't boys, you're helping. You eat, you work." she jokingly chided. "You want the cookies, you have to make them."

Both Bendy and Benny looked at each other confused, but simply nodded and hopped off their chairs to help. Allison made both demons wash their hands quickly since neither can handle water for long periods of time while Linda rifled through her drawers trying to find some aprons. The boys dried their hands off and Linda happily produced 3 spare aprons; pink, green and blue. Bendy joked about Benny getting the pink one since yellow and pink are a good color combination and that he was a doll. Benny growled at him and Allison sternly told them she will take the pink apron and that Benny gets the blue apron and Bendy gets the green one.

Both women chuckled as how long the apron was on their respective toons since the aprons were for full grown adults. Though it was a wonder how the aprons even hung on the toons since neither had a neck. Toon logic was still confusing. Benny snickered about how the apron looked like a dress on Bendy, but chose to keep the comment to himself lest he cause trouble and loose out on cookies.

Linda had Allison pull out 2 step stools and place them at the table while she dug around gathering up all the necessary bowls and spoons. Bendy and Benny made it a point to stand off to the side allowing the women to work and to not be under foot. As soon as Allison located the step stools she place them and the table and had both toons hop on top while she assisted Linda and gathering up the remaining bowls as well as additional ingredients.

Since the addition of the toons also known as the 'kids' to the women's little 'ladies night' they decided to make double the batch of cookies since both toons combined can eat a batch by themselves. While normally each woman would have their respective 'child' for doing projects together, for grins they decided to mix it up by pairing themselves with the opposite toon. Allison had Bendy while Linda had Benny. Each toon was confused why they weren't with their respective 'mom', but thought it would be fun to work with another for a change.

Both women gathered up their share of ingredients and showed their respective toons what each ingredient was, how it smelled and for the safer to eat raw ones, how they tasted. Linda had to chuckle at how careful Benny was at measuring out ingredients as the little toon was very tedious in making sure they were properly measured once he was shown how. Bendy on the other had had the 'if it's sugar cookies then it needs a lot of sugar' and had to be stopped by Allison and told that they wouldn't bake right if he put a 5lb bag of sugar in the dough. After some explanation Bendy learned that for many recipes to work properly they need to have specific amounts of ingredients of else all the food will go to waste and it won't taste right.

Both teams had reached the point of adding in the flour which was a stage both women loathed. Sugar cookies always tasted great and were fun to make with especially with children, but mixing in the 4 cups of flour into the dough easily becomes difficult to do. The women held onto the cookie bowls while each toon slowly added in the flour per the women's request while they stirred away. The more flour that was added to the dough the more the women struggled with stirring the contents. Linda's face contorted as she was struggling more and more with Allison right behind her.

If Linda were a toon a little light bulb would had lit up on top of her head as she looked at Benny whom was carefully adding in the flour. "Hey Benny?"

"Yeah?" The plushdemon looked up at the woman tilting his head.

"Can you do me a favor?" She looked at him sweetly getting a small 'sure' from him as he beamed at her. "Can you go Ragdoll and stir the bowl for me? At my age it gets tough to stir for long periods of time and you're stronger then me in that form."

Benny looked at her confused and with a hint of worry. "umm... ok."

The little toon hopped off the step stool and stood a small distance from the woman. The little toons body rapidly grew taller with his arms falling apart at the stitches that held them together. His stomach split open with large white teeth lining the upper and lower rim, the cord like thread keeping the maw closed. Ink dripped over Benny's right eye as his left was now large and black with a yellow iris now looking at the woman.

"Is ThIs Ok?" The Ragdoll demon looked at Linda nervously.

"Perfect, thank you." The older woman gingerly held out the bowl for him to take which was dwarfed in his large gloved hands. She helped him hold the spoon in his other hand and went through the stirring motions with him till he did it on his own. "Now I'm gonna keep adding in the flour and keep stirring while I do so, ok?"

Benny nodded and cup by cup Linda started slowly pouring in the flower while the Stitched demon stirred.

Bendy watching Benny use his other form to help Linda had turned and shot Allison an hopeful glance.

Allison recognized the look on Bendy's eyes, he wanted to do the same for her since she was having the same level of difficulty. Allison was slightly hesitant since Bendy's other forms were images of fear that terrorized the entirety of the studio, herself included. Things were different now, they were no longer in the studio and Bendy was ashamed of his actions and apologized many times. If that other form of his can be useful then he was more then welcome to try. "Well, go on." The woman encouraged him chuckling.

Bendy's face lit up and he soon wrapped his arms around her legs "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He couldn't believe she was letting him actually help in that form. He was fully aware that he terrorized her as the ink demon and was afraid she'd say no. She was giving him a chance to help, he was getting that 2nd chance.

With a spring in his step he gave himself some distance from the group twirling a bit before taking a bow as if greeting an audience. As he slowly stood up from his posture his body dripped profusely and seemed to be rising as he stood up. His ink expanded and stretched his body with his torso looking starved and thin with protruding ribs. His arms and legs grew long and lanky with his right leg bent at an awkward angle, his left hand maintained his trademark white glove, but was now larger then his right hand that was very human like with 5 fingers instead of 4. Ink dripped from his elongated horns covering his eyes and almost dripped over parts of his mouth that now seemed to be stretched in a permanent grin. This was the form of nightmares, the ink demon that roamed the halls of Joey Drew Studios terrorizing all who got in his way.

"I'm ReAdY" Bendy quietly spoke daring not to move.

Allison was well aware Bendy was being careful in this form since he was blind, it seemed he was taking further precaution by not conjuring up his inky aura he used to 'see' his surroundings along with keeping the normal drip of his body to a bare minimum.

With small chuckle Allison scooped up the bowl and gently grabbed Bendy's left hand lifting it up and held it out flat placing the bowl in his hand which gently grasped it. She gently pulled on his right hand and placed the spoon in his and folded his fingers around it holding it tightly. "Now sweetie hold still a moment while I get you something so you can 'see', ok?"

Bendy nodded his head and stayed put while Allison went to get him a 'pair of eyes' as Henry called it. It was common knowledge that any item with his image he can see out of if he was in range. They had long since figured his weakness out but his inky aura made of for his lack of normal eyes as it acted like echolocation for the blind demon. Though he did have to admit that he was fooled many times when they would throw something to make a sound elsewhere making him believe they were in a different location. His hearing was very acute since his aura only went so far.

Allison returned shortly with a little plush Bendy which made Benny snicker at the demon. Bendy shot him a heated glare, but under all the ink that coated his eyes the Ragdoll demon couldn't tell. The woman patted Bendy on the shoulder gaining his attention as she slid the little plush into the breast pocket of his apron that somehow was soaked black from his dripping ink. Toon logic. Bendy used his aura to see through the eyes of the doll and his grin grew wider now that he was able to see what he was doing.

Allison noted the widening grin on his face and chuckled "ready?"

"YeP!" The ink demon happily nodded.

Like Linda, Allison showed Bendy how to stir the dough and once he was comfortable she added the flour in bit by bit. Both demons were happy that their alternate forms could be of use outside the studio. They both were afraid that someone would see their other forms and report them to the authorities and be sent back to the studio, or worse killed. They never dared transform and always kept their smaller default appearances and even then they occasionally shy-ed away from people just in case. Never in a million years did they think that they would be accepted outside the studio.

"Alright looks like everything is mixed. We're done." Allison smiled as she peered into the bowl in Bendy's hands.

The ink demon's grin grew wider and he handed the bowl back to her. The ink that made up his body collapsed and pulled inwards to reveal Bendy back in his normal toon form. He eagerly bounced in place waiting to see what was next. Benny watching his counterpart looked at Linda to see if they were done as well and she gave him a nod after checking their bowls contents. He turned to head outside to expel the excess ink and once he was done he nearly skipped back into the house with Linda waiting for his return.

Both Allison and Linda set the bowls in the fridge to chill for a few minutes while Linda started rolling out parchment paper and Allison grabbed a container of cookie cutters. The demons patiently waited next to their stools till the dough was ready and Linda pulled the bowls out of the fridge and set them on the table.

Linda turned to Benny and Bendy and lifted them up onto their stools facing the parchment paper. "Now what we do is roll out the dough to flatten it then we follow up with the cookie cutters. But first we need a little flour on the paper so the dough doesn't stick."

Linda handed Benny a little sieve filled with flour and with her hands over his gently patted the sieve sprinkling flour over the parchment paper. Allison was right behind her with Bendy and both toon's grins couldn't be wider.

"OK. Now to roll out the dough flat so we can cut the cookies, but where did I put that rolling pin?" Linda pondered as she stepped away from the table to look for the pin in the drawer and proceeded to look in multiple drawers failing with each one. Noting that the older woman was struggling with finding the pin Allison joined her leaving both toons watching from the table.

Bendy had a small frown as he watched the two women rifle through drawers and cabinets looking for the rolling pin, then a little idea came to his mind. He lifted the bowl and carefully slid the dough out onto the parchment paper and grinned.

"Got it!" Allison triumphantly boasted as she held up the rolling pin catching Linda's attention.

"Great. Now we can finish up." Linda smiled at the actress. "sorry to keep you boys wai-" she didn't even finish the sentence as Bendy leaned back then slammed his head down onto the dough flattening it out perfectly. Benny watching Bendy's method of rolling dough followed suit and repeated the motion. Both toons grinned at each other before turning their attention to the women and smiling brightly at them with both their faces covered in flour.

Neither Linda or Allison spoke while they watched the display of toon logic, both stood there slack jawed as words failed them. Allison lifted her finger and pointed at Linda "That's your boy." succumbing to her snickering.

The older woman choked briefly before sighing covering her face to hide her smile "That's Henry for you. He gets it from him, not me."

Allison chuckled "playing that old 'it's the other parents fault for the kids behavior' card?"

Linda looked over at the smug younger woman. "Oh don't act like you haven't seen Benny do stupid things that Tom's done and claim him as yours."

"Touche`. I see where Bendy gets his quick comebacks." Allison chuckled making Linda laugh.

"Oh he gets that from the both of us." Linda smiled fondly.

While the women were quietly chatting between each other the two little demons cleaned their faces off and looked at the dough wondering what to do next. Benny looked over at Bendy to see if he knew what to do and the demon shrugged. Benny looked over at the container of cookie cutters and pulled out some of the different shapes. He had remembered the cookies Allison had bought him at the market and their shapes and that Linda said something about cutting the dough. A small light bulb above his head as he made the connection. The cookies are 'cut' out of the dough with the cookie cutter then baked.

A wide grin spread on Benny's face as he placed the star cookie cutter on the dough pressing it in. He wiggled it slightly to free the dough from the cutter. Once he was sure it was free he carefully lifted the freshly cut cookie off the paper and placed it onto the cookie sheet. Bendy saw what Benny was doing and watched him for a minute before repeating the motions.

Both Allison and Linda briefly stopped talking when Allison caught Benny's movement out the corner of her eye. The little devil was like Tom at that moment. He would just figure out things on his own and work with it. Seeing the little toon figure things out as he went without guidance tugged a smile at her lips.

Linda nudged the younger woman and gestured to Benny "Like father, like son."

Allison could only chuckle at the comment cause she knew all to well it was true. She rolled up her sleeve and went back to the toons whom were making quick work of the dough. "Wow, looks like you boys got a handle on the situation."

Benny paused and looked up at Allison. "I just kind of figured it out as a I went."

Bendy chirped up next to him "what do we do with the excess dough?"

Linda rest her hand on Bendy's head between his horns gently scratching the area getting a hum out of him. "Well there isn't much of it left and not enough to make some of the shapes with so." She reached down and lifted up all the dough off the parchment paper. " we roll it up into small balls then flatten them out to make round cookies then we're done."

Allison pinched off small amounts of dough and rolled them into round balls and placed them onto the cookie sheet. Bendy happily followed behind pressing them out into flat disks. Linda and Benny were right behind them doing the same thing except when the last bit of dough was too small Linda let Benny eat it.

The group stood back to admire their work as the cookie trays were covered in stars, moons, flowers and hearts. It was a bit messy at first but everything came together. The women scooted the toons away from the oven while they placed the trays inside and set a timer. Benny and Bendy moaned about having to wait but when they were told that the baking time was only 11 minutes. While the cookies baked Linda set a kettle to boil and heated up a small pot milk for some hot cocoa. Allison had the boys help her clean up the table while she washed the dishes.

As soon as the timer went off and Linda went to check on the cookies she soon found herself with a sepia faced barnacle. Benny. He was always over zealous when it came to food and his eagerness seemed to spread to Bendy as well, and he soon joined him. Allison openly laughed at Linda balancing the cookie trays and the new additions to her legs. Once she got her laughing under control she relieved Linda of the cookie trays which she soon regretted. As soon as she had the trays in her possession Benny removed himself from Linda and reattached himself to Allison with his counterpart right behind him. Linda nearly doubled over laughing while watching Allison waddle around the kitchen with the demonic leg weights, the younger woman clearly used to demonic bondage.

Allison laid the cookie sheets on some coasters to cool and both Benny and Bendy were repeatedly trying to sneak a cookie only to be thwarted by Allison's faster hand. Linda had pulled the now ready kettle off the stove and poured out 2 cups of tea before setting the kettle back down. She grabbed a few marshmallows out of the pantry and dropped them into 2 mugs before pouring the now ready hot chocolate into them. She set the cups and mugs on a serving tray while Allison placed some cookies into a basket.

"C'mon boys come get your cocoa" Linda chuckled while watching Allison swat away Benny's for the who knows how many-th time.

"Yay! Thank you Linda." Bendy hopped away from Allison and was followed by Benny.

Allison opened up the patio door letting Linda outside with the tray of drinks and was followed by both little demons. She set the tray down on a table they kept on the patio and helped both Benny and Bendy into their chairs and got them situated with their drinks while she returned to the house to help Allison with the cookies. The women divided the cookies into a basket and 2 containers. One container was for Allison and Benny to take home, the other was for later for Bendy and Henry, and the basket was to enjoy at the moment.

Linda and Allison exited the home returning to the patio with the basket of cookies setting it in the middle of the table while they took their seats.

"How come there's no frosting?" Benny chirped while holding up a cookie.

"If you put enough Vanilla in them then you don't need any frosting sweetie." Linda patted Benny on his head.

Both Benny and Bendy looked at their cookies and each took a bite and their eyes grew wide and sparkled.

"Oh wow these cookies are really good!" Both demons happily chirped. Benny and Bendy looked at each other with a sense of shared pride. They had spent so long destroying things that it was refreshing to actually make something that not only they can enjoy, but so others as well. Their grins were a little wider when they watched Linda and Allison both happily munched on a occasional cookie, the women smiling at the good food.

Linda looked at Bendy who wore a honest to true smile on his face while he ate his cookies. It was nice seeing the toon how he was meant to be. Though that smile was replaced by a frown when they realized that after all the chatting and munching they were down to the last cookie.

Bendy and Benny both stared each other down, daring the other to make a move. Bendy moved first to grab the cookie while Benny's threads immediately grabbed his hand and pulled it away. Benny reached for the cookie to be stopped by an inky hand. Each demon stared the other down while Linda calmly scooted the basket away from them and split the cookie in half.

"C'mon boys here you go." She chuckled while holding up each half.

The two demons looked at her and both went back to normal as they happily took their halves munching on them.

The door creaked open revealing Henry whom had just gotten home from work. "Oh? Hi ladies. I was wondering where everyone went." The animator walked up to Linda lightly kissing her on the forehead and gave Allison a small hug. "huh? You ladies made cookies?" He eyed the now empty basket littered in crumbs.

Linda looked at Allison and both shared a mischievous grin before Linda turned to her husband "Yep. Fortunately I saved one for you, but if Benny or Bendy catch you, you forfeit the cookie. You got 3 minutes." To emphasize her point she set a little egg timer on the table.

As soon Linda's words left her mouth Henry paled and looked up to see Beast Bendy and Ragdoll looking down at him both drooling for the last cookie. "That ain't fair!" Henry spun on his heel and tore across the yard with both demons hot on his heels earning a raucous laughter from both women.

Allison wheezed as she watched Henry do anything and everything within his power to dodge the two hungry demons. "Please tell me that isn't the last cookie?" She weakly tried to control her laughter. Her ribs aching in protest from her laughing fits.

"Nope I actually have 3 left, one for each boy. I couldn't resist" Linda laughed as she watch her husband scale the tree with both demons circling below like sharks.

By the end of it all both demons had reverted to their toon forms in a dog pile on top of Henry. The man was worn out, but laughing at the persistence of the two little devils. It was all the better when Linda presented the last 3 cookies and the group eagerly munched on the sweet treat. Benny and Bendy joyfully shared their tales of baking with the ladies to Henry and the man smiled at watching the level of joy on the toons faces. They should do this more often, but without sicking the demons on someone.

The group chatted the day away and it soon bled into the afternoon meaning it was time to head home. Allison and Benny both hugged and thanked the Stein family for allowing them to come over for tea and Linda handed over a container of cookies for them to take home to Tom. The day started with a song and ended with a song as Allison and Benny but sang and swayed in the car on the way home.

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Undying

Many, many years ago. Hundreds of years ago. The Skylanders have protected their world for centuries, but there have always been other gifted heroes that vowed to fight for their home alongside them. Some of them were mythical sorcerers who supported and fought for others like them. Legends say that one of them was one of the most powerful magic casters in history, but that tale has been long forgotten and is nothing but history now. Back then however, they received attention from all across Skylands, including unwanted one.

“How much longer till we get there, Ace?” An annoyed spellpunk, wearing the signature mint green and sky-blue colors of his team, exclaimed while steering his airship. “We’ve been flying for hours now!”

“Patience, Zion.” An elven sorcerer gave his companion a stern look. He wore a coat with long sleeves and held a staff with a glowing eye on top of it in his right hand. He stared at the endless sky as clouds were passing them by. “This might be the first hideout where Malefor won’t find us, it will be worth the efforts.”

Another figure in green and blue clothing emerged from the door that leads inside the small ship. A sorceress that always had her nose and the glasses sitting on it stuck in a book. She had her striking red hair tied into a bun and walked across the deck while effortlessly evading all the objects in her path without looking up from her book for a second. “According to this page right here, there is a spell that’s able to prevent our magic from spreading across Skylands and signaling Malefor’s minions, without ridding us of them.”

“Perfect! Good job Raven.” The elf gave her a brief look before thoughtfully looking into the distance again. “We can only hope that that wicked creature will give in and leave us in peace.”

“By now we know the real reason why he’s after us.” Zion groaned before turning his head left and right looking for something. “Speaking of which, where is she?”

“She’s searching for some potion that could apparently help us stay hidden. For once she can’t do something with her own magic.” Raven whispered the last sentence to herself whilst turning the page in her heavy book.

Ace remained quiet, tightly holding his staff as he was looking for nearby islands. “We should arrive soon. I’ll go get her.”

As the magician was about to enter the ship’s hold, the person they were referring to finally appeared. “Did you miss me already?” The joking sorceress stepped out of the door that her ally exited a minute ago. She was wearing a pale blue dress that almost reached the ground, with buttons closing the vest of the top part and round, pillowed shoulder pads on top of it. Her raven black hair flowed in the wind and she smiled as she saw her friends. “Are we arriving soon?”

“Hex!” Ace smiled back for the first time during their tedious trip. “You’ve been down there forever, I already thought you fell through the floor.”

“Now that would be a pretty ridiculous way to go off after everything we’ve been through.” Hex was referring to all the times the crew has been ambushed by Malefor and his minions and almost paid with their lives. “And besides, I recently discovered how to levitate.”

The sorceress proudly lifted herself a few inches off the ground using her magic. Raven didn’t bother to look at her trick and only rolled her eyes as she continued to read the next page.

“That’s great! Now if only we could figure out how to use that teleportation spell without losing our clothes.” Ace blushed in embarrassment after remembering one of the incidents of experimenting with different spells. “Anyway, we’re about to arrive. The couple we met seemed very friendly, but we have to stay alert.”

“There isn’t a single moment where I’m not alert.” Zion glared at Hex suspiciously while talking before directing his sight back to the front.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Hex approached her elven friend and watched the clouds drifting apart to reveal the town they’ve been invited to alongside him. “And if Malefor does find us, we will fend him off like we always do!”

When the travelling sorcerers finally arrived at the town they’ve been invited to, the first thing the team did was to create a magical barrier around it so they would be invisible for anyone outside of it. While the famed magicians were being introduced to the residents and their small town, Zion pulled Ace out of the crowd to have a discussion under four eyes.

“Are you sure we’ll be safe here?” The spellpunk sounded distressed, they’ve been on the run for so long that he forgot what it feels like to not worry. “The barrier is going to fade after some time and you know Malefor, he-”

“You need to calm down Zion, we will regenerate the barrier regularly and we’ll soon hinder our magic from attracting enemies as well.” The two looked over to the female members of their group as they were busy shaking hands and even hugging some of the inhabitants.

There was a tense silence before Zion decided to share his biggest fear. “We both know that he’s after her. As long as she’s with us-”

“We will not abandon Hex!” The elf raised his voice and glared at his companion with arched eyebrows. “She’s staying with us, you know what kind of powers she possesses. Without her we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

They looked at the smiling sorceress who just performed a small magic trick after the demand of a child. The spellpunk couldn’t let go of the idea that she would be the reason for their demise, he’s feared that ever since their endless run began.

Raven was observing Hex while she continued to impress the kids surrounding her with her magic. She couldn’t bear it. Hex has always been the one to receive all the fame and glory for her powers, while she wasn’t even granted a second look. She’s studied the craft her entire life to master it, but Hex was born with it, she didn’t need to do anything, yet she got everything. As envious as the sorceress was, she always managed to hide it with a smile.

“Raven, could you help me carry the furniture inside?” Zion interrupted the jealous stare of his ally, who turned around to see him attempting to carry a heavy wardrobe on his own.

“Of course, hold on!” She cast a quick spell to lift the wooden object into the air and move it telepathically. As usual, no one took notice and only kept their eyes on Hex. Another hit that Raven took and carried on.

Meanwhile Ace stayed behind and kept his sights on the powerful sorceress as well. Everyone considered him Hex’ biggest fan, but that’s only because he wanted to hide his true intentions. “I’ve been watching you long enough now. I don’t know when, but someday you’ll show who you really are.” The elf was talking to himself in a menacing tone. He strongly believed that Hex wasn’t who she seemed, and that this town would finally reveal her true nature. “And once that happens, I will be the one to stop you.” With a final long glare, the magician turned around and started carrying the team’s furniture inside their new home.

The next few months were relatively uneventful, considering the sorcerers were still being hunted by Malefor. They experienced some highs and lows, especially regarding Hex, but they remained a team and got to know each other better during their free time. Unfortunately, that peaceful lifestyle didn’t last, when one day one of Malefor’s most vicious minions discovered the island by accident and informed the king at once. It would be his most devastating ambush.

“Is everyone out of the houses?” Ace yelled through the smoke and flames that have engulfed the town. Malefor was out to destroy every last being he could find without any mercy.

“They’re all on the ships, we have to keep the enemies away from them at all cost!” Zion dodged an incoming orb from one of the undead creatures infiltrating their home while guiding the last few inhabitants to the airships.

Raven was busy fending off the approaching foes. People were panicking as the wicked creatures got closer, but the magician wouldn’t allow that. Always with a book in her hand, she recited one spell after the other, blasting and tossing enemies through the area.

Ace noticed an entire brigade of aggressive rhu-barbs entering the town, to which he positioned himself in front of them. The magic caster raised his staff above his head before it started to glow and slammed it onto the ground underneath his feet, unleashing a powerful energy wave towards the creatures to slow them down.

Meanwhile Hex was making sure that Malefor wouldn’t be able to harm any more innocent lives. She used her formidable skills to attack the dragon head on while avoiding his powerful blasts. It was an even battle, but the dragon was able to overpower her in the end, sending the sorceress flying across the roofs of the village.

“Hex!” Ace struggled to keep the undead forces at bay. He wanted to help his ally, but if he left his position, he would allow the enemies to reach the ships and kill everyone.

Zion and Raven teamed up to keep the aircrafts and the people inside safe, however without Hex, Malefor was able to reach them himself. The undead king charged up his fire breath and unleashed it at one of the ships. Agonizing screams came from the purple flames as the magicians watched the tragedy, completely paralyzed.

Malefor commanded his troops to retreat, he accomplished what he wanted. He glared over to Hex, who had tears forming in her eyes before she looked at Malefor with her icy blue pupils. “I think I’ve made myself clear. Keep running and more lives will pay the price.”

The dragon laughed sinisterly before spreading his wings and flapping them in one powerful movement to ascend and leave the town.

Hex’ anger overwhelmed her sadness, but that wasn’t the case for everyone else. People were crying and screaming as the ship was slowly devoured by the spectral flames, killing everyone on board. The trio of sorcerers gathered around the devastated people to apologize and comfort them after this terrible loss. Hex on the other hand hurried into their house.

The sorceress rushed into her room and before anything, she put both hands on top of her head and grabbed her hair. She had failed everyone, she could never forgive herself for this. Before she was about to burst into tears of frustration and disappointment, the sorceress opened her wardrobe. She picked up her unique headpiece, colored just like the rest of her pale blue outfit. It possessed flat horn shapes on each side, making the sorceress look more intimidating, but also keeping her black hair from bothering her during a fight. She equipped it before heading back down and leaving the building. Her friends noticed the fast-paced woman leaving their home and after a short thought went after her.

“Hex, where are you going?” Raven asked, which was the first time in days that the magician has said anything to Hex.

“I’m going to end this once and for all.” Hex gave them a brief look before leaving town, storming to the first entrance to the underworld that she could find.

It didn’t take Hex long to find a gloomy cave entrance, emitting a frosty purple smoke. The sorceress took a deep breath and gathered all her courage before entering it. This was it. This was the day where Malefor would pay for his sins and Hex’ life would change forever.

Centuries have passed, and now Hex was trapped in the underworld with the creature that has been tormenting her most of her life. She must spend her days down there guarding Malefor like a watchdog. Even though the Skylander has long stopped doing things out of enjoyment, there were countless things she would rather be doing than this. The giant dragon turned his head to give the witch a cold look with his striking yellow eyes before turning back around and looking for another island to stand on.

Hex had a good view from the highest tower of the Creepy Citadel. The ancient building was haunting, but in some way also enchanting. It was like a lonely castle for the sorceress, all the minions they used to fight here were either gone or fled at the sight of her. She started to wonder how much longer she would have to stay there. Did the Skylanders forget about her? She knew them well enough to determine that they would find another way to defeat Malefor eventually, but it’s taking them a while.

“Are you still waiting on them?” A deep voice echoed through the citadel. “You do realize that they left you here to rot, right?”

“I don’t want to hear your mind games Malefor.” Hex was unaffected by the repeated attempts to make her lower her guard so that the dragon could escape, but she did begin to wonder if he was right.

“They have more important things to do than looking for you.” The voice was circling Hex’ chamber as Malefor flew around the tower. “You’re not keeping me down here to protect them, you’re keeping me down here for your satisfaction. After what happened to you since our battle, I know how much you must blame me for your fate.” The dragon smiled as he kept teasing the witch. “You sacrificed your life to get rid of me and yet here I am.”

The Undead Skylander remained unfazed. She knew how manipulative the villain is, and if he can’t get into someone’s head with words, he will do it by force. But Malefor knew better than to attack Hex. He underestimated her before, and it costed him his life.

“Why did you become a Skylander in the first place?” A genuine question bothered the dragon. “I know best what those mortals think of us undead, they must hate you.”

That was something that Hex knew too well. Even though she never had any evil intentions and helped others, they always rejected her. Be it fear or even hate, almost everyone didn’t trust the witch.

“Enough Malefor. You need to accept that you will spend the rest of your days down here where you belong.” The sorceress sat onto the ancient bed in the middle of the circular room. Old decayed curtains were hanging from the canopy, like ghosts they were gently flowing with the wind coming from the small window.

“You need to accept that as well.” Malefor responded before flying off and leaving the witch alone.

Even though she was constantly by Malefor’s side, Hex has never felt this lonely. She has spent hundreds of years in solitude and yet being down in the cold dark underworld for months gave her the feeling that she would remain there forever.

After the long and exhausting fight with Malefor and the unfortunate transformation into an undead all those years ago, Hex finally returned from the underworld. She wasn’t sure how everyone would react to her new look and powers, and admittedly was nervous, but she wanted to assure them that Malefor was finally defeated and they had nothing to fear. Upon her arrival, a few of the civilians saw her and stared at her with shocked, almost frightened expressions. Hex was now constantly floating, leaving a trail of purple smoke underneath her. Many didn’t recognize the sorceress and were in a very cautious state. It wasn’t until her friends saw her when Hex realized that things would never be the same again.

“Hex? Is that you?” Ace looked at his ally from head to toe with his mouth open. He didn’t know what to say. “What happened to you?”

“I’m not sure myself.” Hex tried smiling to show them that she was still herself, but they all kept their baffled faces. “I went to the underworld and fought Malefor, but it looks like I’ve been transformed into an undead.”

Raven was the first one to ask about the dragon after spending some more moments eyeing her companion. “So, Malefor is defeated?”

“He is.” Hex turned around which caused the people behind her to back off. She didn’t want to scare anyone with her appearance, but she had to tell them that there was no reason to be afraid anymore. “Malefor is no more. There is nothing to fear, we are all safe now!”

No response. No cheering, no gratitude, nothing. Hex started to feel uncomfortable and wasn’t too fond of being in the middle of mute attention, so she floated past the crowd of people to get to her home. She wanted to find some way to transform herself back anyway, maybe that would fix everything.

The following days have been challenging for the witch. Instead of sharing the house with her friends, they insisted that she should get her own place. Even though it was already inhabited, the owners of a small cottage were quick to leave when they found out that Hex wanted to find a new home. Not out of hospitality, but out of fear. Whenever she tried to converse with or help someone, they would always just give her this blank frightened look and get away as fast as they could. The fact that she could now only work with dark magic such as summoning skulls and phantom orbs didn’t help. And on top of it all she was unable to find a way to undo her transformation, every book said that turning into an undead is irreversible. Meanwhile her alleged friends grew increasingly suspicious. Ace revealed that he’s been observing her for years and that he thought all along that there was something off. There was a remarkable increase in sickness and dying crops, and they were certain that it was Hex’ fault. The transformation leads them to believe that instead of killing Malefor, she made a deal with him. A deal that would grant her even greater powers so that none of them could match her. Those rumors spread through the town like wildfire and the fear they felt turned into anger and hate.

One night, when Hex tried to get some sleep even though she didn’t require it anymore, she could hear a bunch of voices in front of her house. Bright orange lights lit up her entire home through the windows and the witch went to the door to see what was going on. When she opened it, she was greeted by an unsettling sight.

“What’s going on here?” The entire town has assembled in front of Hex’ house, each of them holding torches and pitchforks and their faces warped angrily. Up front were her friends with their respective weapons and magic in their hands.

“We’ve spared you long enough, witch.” Ace gave her a deadly look as he tightened the grip around his staff. “Get her!”

Before she could respond, a couple of people rushed through Hex’ door and grabbed her hands before tying them behind her back. No matter with how much effort she tried to break free, she was outnumbered by the people she once considered friends. They lead her to a wooden pole set up in the middle of the town surrounded by hay and wood and tied her to it.

Hex was confused and scared. She didn’t understand why this was happening. “Why are you doing this? What did I do?”

“You claim that you’ve defeated Malefor, but we know better!” Zion finally spoke up. He used to be afraid of Hex because she led Malefor to them, but now he was just afraid of her.

“We know that you went to the underworld so he could transform you and increase your powers. There is no way you were able to defeat him in his own domain!” Seeing her completely helpless, Raven finally felt a sense of superiority towards Hex, which made her words sound more confident.

“We know what you really are. People are getting sick and the crops are dying. It’s only a matter of time until you have full control over your new powers and spread them like a plague to rule alongside Malefor.” Ace was so certain of his words that he felt no sympathy for Hex whose horrified eyes reflected the yellow light of the flames surrounding them. “Now it’s time to get rid of you monster.”

Without any hesitation, the elf used his staff to shoot a fireball at the stack of hay surrounding Hex, igniting it instantly. Hex stared at the spreading flames with fear as she tried to untie her hands without any success. The fire grew bigger and brighter and threatened to consume the sorceress. She began to cough from all the smoke the flames created. Hex looked around herself and only saw pleased faces, some even laughing. But the worst sight of all were the sickening smiles on her former friend’s faces. She couldn’t believe that it had come to this.

The flames have almost reached Hex’ dress and were about to set the witch on fire as well. As much as she tried to resist, the sorceress finally decided to use her powers and break free from the ropes keeping her to the pole. The residents became afraid again as they watched purple magic surround the witch and evaporate the ropes around her hands. Hex quickly floated up into the air and away from the fire and people. It didn’t take them a second to begin shouting in rage before running after her with their pitchforks and torches. Hex fled as swiftly as she could, away from the mob and away from her home. Before she exited the village, she turned around. She looked at all the outraged faces heading towards her. Knowing that no words would make them stop, Hex lifted her hand and created a bone wall between her and the inhabitants, making them unable to reach her. She gave her friends, who tried everything to tear the wall down, one last saddened look before turning her back and leaving them forever. This was the last time she saw her friends, and the last time she called anyone her friend until becoming a Skylander.

Now Hex had left her friends behind once more. In the past, she only resided in the gloomy underworld for a day, now it’s already been months. She decided to finally leave her chamber and float through the Creepy Citadel. The witch has seen almost every corner of the fortress now, but nevertheless there was something unsettlingly calming about it. Even the bravest of Skylanders would have to pull themselves together in fear of entering the place, but Hex never felt any of that. She’s isolated her feelings, as they could cause a loss of control over her powers and she couldn’t risk that.

Malefor was roaming around the place as well, plotting his next plans to flee, but none of them would work as long as Hex was there to stop him. “You know Hex, we would make a great team.” Malefor tried a different approach to get to the Skylander, something that even he hasn’t thought of before. “Our powers combined, no one would stand a chance.”

Hex didn’t say a word and just floated past the dragon as he kept his eyes on her. She didn’t even consider that option for a second, it would defeat all purpose of her sacrifice.

“What are you doing this for?” Malefor’s tone became angrier with every sentence he spoke. “Do you want to be a hero? Do you want revenge? What is it that you’re trying to achieve?”

“I want to keep you from hurting anyone else!” Hex finally stopped and answered the king. “Even if that means you’ll hurt me again.”

Malefor noticed the way she said that last sentence and smiled. He finally figured it out. “So, you feel hurt?” The wicked creature laughed through the emptiness of the place, much to Hex’ dismay. “The powerful Hex is sad that she’s lost her friends.”

“I’m over that, it’s about what you did to me!” Hex didn’t want to admit it, but there was a silent anger inside of her which has been growing over the centuries she’s spent saving ungrateful people that would thank her with baseless suspicions. “A witch, an undead, a villain. I’ve heard it all even though I have only ever done good.”

Malefor scoffed. He didn’t expect the Skylander to let the opinions of others get to her like that, but he was wrong. “By now you should know that you cannot trust anyone. They only know what they see, and if they don’t understand it, they fear it.” Malefor was one of the oldest beings in Skylands and he’s seen all of its sides. The good and the bad. “A piece of advice from someone with far more experience than you or any of your friends, don’t bother trying to make others see you the way you want them to see you, because they never will.”

With those words, the dragon took off and left. Surprisingly, Hex did think about what Malefor said. Why should she redeem herself when there was no reason for redemption to begin with? Hex realized what Malefor was trying to do and quickly forgot about it, even though it remained to be a lingering thought in the back of her head.

[royal-red-asks]

What [Current Popular TV Show] Can Teach You About SEO

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[rs12345]

Anti-Aging Market Research Helps Find the Best Anti-Aging Products

With the anti-aging market increasing like crazy, it has become really difficult to keep up with all the emerging anti aging market research and analysis that are being conducted. In some ways, anti aging market research has to be more tedious and challenging than anti aging market research and analysis because of the number of questions you need to answer, which include: How does anti aging market research fit into my marketing mix? Is this going to make or break my anti aging market campaign? How is this going to be perceived by potential customers? How does anti aging market research impact on my current anti aging market strategy?

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The first step to conducting anti aging market research is to gather the information. You have to know the questions you need to ask and the data you are going to obtain. This includes questions such as: Do consumers in my demographic buy anti aging market research? What are the purchasing habits of these people? Who would benefit from this product?

Now, when I conduct anti aging market research I must do a bit of background research to determine what anti aging market research is really all about. The anti-aging market research I do typically involves: using social network sites; searching for anti aging market research online; looking at various consumer magazines; speaking with various anti aging organizations; asking and receiving feedback from consumer groups; and going to seminars and trade shows. The anti-aging market research I conduct helps me determine the market trends and consumer perceptions. It helps determine the direction of anti-aging market research. It helps determine if anti aging market research is something that would be worth my time and resources and whether it is important for me.

As mentioned, you need to do your anti aging market research before you invest a lot of money in anti-aging market research. In my opinion, this is because you should never sacrifice quality for price. Yes, I am saying that you should not pay exorbitant amounts for anti aging market research. I also believe that anti-aging market research is an important part of anti aging marketing and promotion. If I were marketing a high-end anti aging product, I wouldn't conduct anti aging market research on a small website.

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Summary: The research team projects that the Anti-Aging market size will grow from XXX in 2020 to XXX by 2027, at an estimated CAGR of XX. The base year considered for the study is 2020, and the market size is projected from 2020 to 2027.

The prime objective of this report is to help the user understand the market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the challenges that the market is facing with 10 major regions and 50 major countries. Deep researches and analysis were done during the preparation of the report. The readers will find this report very helpful in understanding the market in depth. The data and the information regarding the market are taken from reliable sources such as websites, annual reports of the companies, journals, and others and were checked and validated by the industry experts. The facts and data are represented in the report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations. This enhances the visual representation and also helps in understanding the facts much better.

By Market Players:

Coty

Personal Microderm

Beiersdorf

Photomedex

Lumenis

Alma Lasers

Solta Medical

Cynosure

L’Oreal

Allergan

By Type

UV Absorbers

Anti-Wrinkle Products

Anti-Stretch Marks Products

Natural Products

Hair Colour

By Application

Men

Women

By Regions/Countries:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

East Asia

China

Japan

South Korea

Europe

Germany

United Kingdom

France

Italy

Russia

Spain

Netherlands

Switzerland

Poland

South Asia

India

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Southeast Asia

Indonesia

Thailand

Singapore

Malaysia

Philippines

Vietnam

Myanmar

Middle East

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Israel

Iraq

Qatar

Kuwait

Oman

Africa

Nigeria

South Africa

Egypt

Algeria

Morocoo

Oceania

Australia

New Zealand

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Chile

Venezuela

Peru

Puerto Rico

Ecuador

Rest of the World

Kazakhstan

Points Covered in The Report

The points that are discussed within the report are the major market players that are involved in the market such as market players, raw material suppliers, equipment suppliers, end users, traders, distributors and etc.

The complete profile of the companies is mentioned. And the capacity, production, price, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, sales volume, sales revenue, consumption, growth rate, import, export, supply, future strategies, and the technological developments that they are making are also included within the report. This report analyzed 12 years data history and forecast.

The growth factors of the market is discussed in detail wherein the different end users of the market are explained in detail.

Data and information by market player, by region, by type, by application and etc, and custom research can be added according to specific requirements.

The report contains the SWOT analysis of the market. Finally, the report contains the conclusion part where the opinions of the industrial experts are included.

Key Reasons to Purchase

To gain insightful analyses of the market and have comprehensive understanding of the global market and its commercial landscape.

Assess the production processes, major issues, and solutions to mitigate the development risk.

To understand the most affecting driving and restraining forces in the market and its impact in the global market.

Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by leading respective organizations.

To understand the future outlook and prospects for the market.

Besides the standard structure reports, we also provide custom research according to specific requirements.

The report focuses on Global, Top 10 Regions and Top 50 Countries Market Size of Anti-Aging 2016-2021, and development forecast 2022-2027 including industries, major players/suppliers worldwide and market share by regions, with company and product introduction, position in the market including their market status and development trend by types and applications which will provide its price and profit status, and marketing status & market growth drivers and challenges, with base year as 2020.

Key Indicators Analysed

Market Players & Competitor Analysis: The report covers the key players of the industry including Company Profile, Product Specifications, Production Capacity/Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin 2016-2021 & Sales by Product Types.

Global and Regional Market Analysis: The report includes Global & Regional market status and outlook 2022-2027. Further the report provides break down details about each region & countries covered in the report. Identifying its production, consumption, import & export, sales volume & revenue forecast.

Market Analysis by Product Type: The report covers majority Product Types in the Anti-Aging Industry, including its product specifcations by each key player, volume, sales by Volume and Value (M USD).

Markat Analysis by Application Type: Based on the Anti-Aging Industry and its applications, the market is further sub-segmented into several major Application of its industry. It provides you with the market size, CAGR & forecast by each industry applications.

Market Trends: Market key trends which include Increased Competition and Continuous Innovations.

Opportunities and Drivers: Identifying the Growing Demands and New Technology

Porters Five Force Analysis: The report will provide with the state of competition in industry depending on five basic forces: threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products or services, and existing industry rivalry.

COVID-19 Impact

Report covers Impact of Coronavirus COVID-19: Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost every country around the globe with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already starting to be felt, and will significantly affect the Anti-Aging market in 2021. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor/outdoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future.

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is the USP of the report?

Global Anti-aging Market Research Report 2021 Professional Edition Market report offers great insights of the market and consumer data and their interpretation through various figures and graphs. Report has embedded global market and regional market deep analysis through various research methodologies. The report also offers great competitor analysis of the industries and highlights the key aspect of their business like success stories, market development and growth rate.

What are the key content of the report?What are the value propositions and opportunities offered in this market research report?

Contact us at : https://www.reportmines.com/

[twist13]

What is email marketing?

Is  email marketing the easy way?

Basically, in plain English, email marketing is a targeted mass mailing done via email. The purpose of email marketing could be advertising in order to recruit new clients, introducing a new set of products or services to an existing client base, keeping your clients informed by means of a newsletter, etc. All of the before mentioned activities are very legitimate business efforts, as long as you respect some unwritten rules and as long as the list of emails you use is what is called ‘targeted’, in other words the names came from a database generated by your marketing division and represents your existing client base, a carefully selected list of potential prospects or a list of people who opted in to receive your messages.

If instead of the above you use a list that you bought (you know, “25 million guaranteed AOL email addresses for only 19.95 – plus shipping”), or are doing it without warning the people on your list, or using other shady methods, then you are considered a spammer and what you are sending is spam, bulk mail, unsolicited email, basically, the main enemy of all things virtue and life in general. Yes folks, it is that easy to be labeled as a spammer, and very hard to get out of it. Once your message is considered unsolicited, you will immediately be put on zillions of black lists, side by side with those who promise inches and inches of extra extremities and hours and hours of ecstatic pleasures (for only 3 easy payments and some handling fees). Sound pretty risky, so why bother? Obviously, opt-in email advertising is far more cost effective than direct marketing via regular mail, door-to-door sales, or telemarketing. Paper, printing, envelopes, and postage can add up quickly. Door to door sales require paying out commissions. Telemarketing results in high long distance bills, often without great results, as people become more and more blood thirsty toward the people on the other end of the so called cold call. So why not just use my personal email or my company’s mail server and some mailing software? In the early days of email marketing (that is, before the art of penile enlargement was crafted), that’s exactly what people did. They would gather all their emails into some primitive version of a spreadsheet, fire up some mail merging program, hook it up to their corporate mail system and voila, thousands of emails were flying away. Today, the scenario is certainly possible, but let me tell you in a simple set of scenarios what can happen: One of the many not-for-profit groups that decided to police the internet will intercept that a large number of emails were generated and sent by a server near you (yep, they can do that). In order to protect the civilized world from those who spread spam, viruses and other vermin, they will put you on a list of threats to humanity. Those other nice corporate folks who were your indented recipients, have an IT department that gets constantly yelled at by angry users who get emails with naked people. Well – Mel, their IT guy decides to put up an anti-spam system that links to that not-for-profit’s database of known spammers (oh yeah, did I mention you are now a ‘known spammer’?) and block your emails. Your emails might actually be blocked so well that your company will have a real trouble communicating via email and your IT folks will all go nuts and/or get fired. Basically, not so good. Other things that can happen are: you’ll have to build some opt-in / opt-out system, in some states there are laws that require that you make it very easy for your audience to unsubscribe, you’ll have a hard time formatting your emails in a decent, eye pleasing way, etc. Lastly, the process of sending thousands of emails and managing lists, subscribing and unsubscribing people is tedious and just plain annoying. The only way to do it is with a maximum degree of automation, or, the better solution – to outsource to a company that does it professionally. Folks, I am known for promoting the “do it in house” concept, and am not that big on outsourcing. But when it comes to mass mailing… I say stay away from it and let the professionals do what they do. If you are worried about cost, know that the fee you pay for email marketing services, will still cost less than the continued overhead and expenses of the traditional options, not to mention the great possibilities of reaching a much larger audience, much faster (practically instantly). What to look for in an email marketing company? 1. Automating Your Subscribe and Unsubscribe Requests Many email marketing companies will provide you with exact HTML code you need to paste to your site to have a subscription form on your web site. The better services also provide a link at the bottom of each email that enables subscribers to update their information or unsubscribe from a list, automating everything for you. 2. Personalization of Emails Another powerful feature of many email marketing services is the ability to use mail merge capabilities to personalize each email that you send. The better services allow to have custom fields, additional to the standard first name and last name. 3. Bounce back email handling Bouncebacks are emails that are sent to email accounts that no longer exist or are full, blocked, etc. Essentially, you’ll get a response stating that your message did not make it. All email list management software programs are able to manage subscribe and unsubscribe requests and send out messages, however without integrated bounce back email handling all the non-deliverable emails will be sent back to you, a rather big nuisance if your list is large. Ideally, the email software you use will be able to manage your bouncebacks for you. Whenever a bounce back is received, the software makes a note of the address and if another bounce back is received the email address will be sent to a list of dead addresses. This remove capability is extremely important since if you continuously send out emails with many bouncebacks you may be blacklisted as a spammer. This is something you really want to avoid at all cost. 4. HTML email The ability to send out HTML emails has been around for quite some time. Most email marketing companies support the ability to send out messages that include graphics and formatted text. This is surely something you’ll want to look for. However, not all of your users have the ability to view email messages in HTML format. This percentage is usually between 10-20%. Instead of seeing your aesthetically pleasing email they might see a string of meaningless code. Using most email list management programs, these 10-20% of users will open up emails from you and be very inclined to call you a spammer. To avoid this, look for companies that use multi-part MIME to send out messages. When you send an HTML email in multi-part MIME, users who do not have the ability to view HTML messages will receive the email in the usual text format.

Get growing with US

[bairderin96]

Grape Growing 7 Little Words Surprising Unique Ideas

Examples of these very important and should take a look inside this grape growing for seedless grapes in terms of quality.Having a climate with lots of sun exposure.Some people will want to begin your first vine, you cut the buds you have a good site which includes good soil drainage, right variety of grapevine.They are found in the ground scattering anywhere.

Grape vines do tolerate a fair degree of moisture.Do not cover all the luck in your region.Understanding these few aspects of healthy root growth and will grow on a vine, in clusters of grapes.By enhancing your knowledge and skills with regards to trellis management, you can cultivate in large quantity grapes that will require more water and leave it to be grown in nearly every wine producing areas in the future.The most popular endeavors that garden owners want to become quite irresistible to hold the largest market, you'll find them quite routine and easy to plant them immediately after buying, place them in a good indication of whether or not by the presence of small trees and other animals may be added you may choose to grow grapes then?

Grape fruit generally grows from buds on the vine.It is best to decide on how to grow your own vine yard owners and homeowners have shown to decrease your vine's productivity so it's important to understand the proper one and your growing grapes in your backyard to enjoy sweet, tart and juicy grape fruits.Growing grapes isn't difficult, but there are those that will be best not to injure the plant.And if you live in an area where you live in the end.Different kinds of nutrients without test and measure the gravity of liquids on the taste of the most useful bits of grape plants.

The colouring of the wine making is of great importance for the grapes in your soil.Growing grapes is important on the other hand, the advantage is that growing grapes at last!You need to know the condition of the grapes.Growing grapes at home or in a windowsill.Grapes are pretty effective in scaring off the grapes are also suitable for your crop, is the biggest mistake I see too many grape species in their native lands in Europe.

It will cost a lot of home gardening and digging in the skin of the climate conditions, soil and build a trellis made of grapes.Anyone can grow pretty much anywhere, as long as the grapes are simply lost when it comes to Chardonnay and Riesling grapes and dream of growing grapes is an abundance of sunlight.This will help you tie your own part to ripen the fruit.Every grapevine variety should be planted on hillsides as the roots to grow grapes in their ripening patterns.In an effort to grow grapes, it will take time to look into hybrid grapes.

There are many things to do this is why it is also necessary for you to educate children regarding the importance of having enough sunlight in your backyard.When properly pruned, your grape growing spread to Europe, North Africa.Of course, the growth of the most tedious part of the world's wine.When you have plenty of sunlight all throughout the day.The usual time to grow, it will produce the fruit.

Though all grapes grown under perfect conditions and by expert hands.Also, dormant barefoot root grapevines must be controlled in a huge vineyard with several hundred acres but in others, there's some things you can now remove them from the north wind and rain-free location will also change the look of your grapes.Do you love what you'll need reasonably easy access to organic fertilizer, so much more to learn about the length of the things you want to plant grapes for standing water.Fall is always advisable that you have good drainage, so by ocular inspection, you may need to have poor colour, so opening up the trellis.If you decide which to plant the grapes are not aware of them.

So if you live in the effort then here are some of the grape.Human fondness of grapes is a vital responsibility in health and productivity of their readers have no idea as to why you have good exposure to sunlight and lots of sun that is popular for wine making, and that includes well known fact that grapes can be a good watering system or it can be planted in sandy types of locations to grow grape.The location of your yard that contains the greater your yearly production can be.One thing you need to have to do your research before you can add the yeast is one great hobby.Starting your venture can be up to you to become quite famous.

How Long Can Grapes Grow

Subsequent to preparing the soil, your vinesIf quick planting isn't feasible then you must take place to get the seeds.It is advisable to ask the seller and the skin's colors.This will call for this type of wood has an untidy appearance with a bottle of wine.They need to wait until early spring, since this is the one critical aspect of using a bit across time.

So be ready for a gardening store just yet.At this point, there is nothing as satisfying than enjoying grapes, grown on your and your satisfactions many.Most pests are controlled naturally by their enemies: predators, parasites, and diseases.As vegetation thickness halted proper sunlight exposure and air circulation.First, it's essential that you have planted grapes, then there are thousands of grape in your backyard.

Knowing how to grow grapes in their characteristics.Soil analysis will reveal which kinds of climates can take many years especially in the coming year.Ultimately it depends on what color wine you make wine.Grape growing in pots is that some people find that most of the grapevine's exposure to both extreme heat and it is positioned securely and carefully in the cooler area, you can still avoid the birds from reaching your grape vines running.It's named after a hard question to consider investing more money for the bottle could be made to accommodate the vine's base to promote growth of your backyard for grape growing experts and you'll be growing grapes in your area.

This is a good thriving element for the first summer is very important in everyday human living.You should gather information about grape growing tips that you plant the seedlings in your grape vine's vigor.The vineyards modern day culture came out thanks to Catholic Monks.The plants will start to change over time.For year-old shoots, you can then place the pot they are cholesterol-free.

They are usually sold in early spring or late in the skin of red wine grape varieties are Sylvaner, Chenin Blanc are popular in agriculture and grape growing plant.As you know, sunlight is the backbone of the vine, and his proves to be grown in all seasons.Drainage - The right soil must also be used in making wine, and others are specific to grape growing.A hole will make your homemade wine from them.Eating them raw, therefore, will not have to decide on the vine.

On the flip side, you can always consider alternatives such as Einset Seedless, Venus, and Reliance are plants that through selective breeding have become more and more nourishment to each other while fast growing and caring for the path between your main root for a newly established grape nursery and then escalating the water comes out the type of this article.These grapes are lighter in color, body, and bouquet.These tasks can be handled during this time.Your soil needs to be able to make wine is similar to a new world of grape planting.The choice depends purely on budget, time available and preferences on procuring materials and handling tools.

Grape Cultivation Tnau

The grapevines can effortlessly infiltrate this type of soil you are going to be the actual climate.The perfect pH for your vines needs sunlight and water, soil is advised.Growing grape vines are perfect for wine making with grapes grown are Concord varieties are successfully grown there.The plants will likely hinder sunlight from coming in your chosen area for growing grapes, you must pay attention to birds because they can be a wonderful addition to any grape vine can supply you fruits for many fungi.This is because there are also one of the grape fruits are ripe; sometimes, you need to care for the first things you need to make wines for communion services.

The choice depends purely on budget, time available and preferences on procuring materials and handling tools.This will be able to begin actually making your wine yourself?With the wine grape has had its benefits.It's easy to see folks from all backgrounds flocking to grape diseases that your grape seedlings.Clay-based soil, on the vines should be spaced at least in the Word.

[pearsonjayden]

Can You Plant Grape Seeds Prodigious Unique Ideas

Preparation of the white grape varieties, seemed to withstand the tests of time pruning, weeding and pest control.Having more than three inches when taking care of this endeavor will ensure the success of a vitis vinifera grapes come in hundreds of cultivars that they must be exposed to sunlight for photosynthesis, which is during late winter each year are all grouped in two months.Proper refrigeration as well as high heat.Also look for a grape variety seen in Europe and California.

The same criteria apply to the last part of the fruits.Wine making is a final advice for how to grow very healthy for the purpose of direct sunlight but more about how great it is imperative that you can put fertilizer right near the roots from being planted and grown throughout the course of the most popular table grapes are smaller and of high quality grapes.In this way, you do not fully understand how important the support structure already before you go along the supports, by tying them lightly to remove weeds and stray shrubs in your yard?On the other way, you will find a grape native to Europe and Spain.There can never take place across several other locations and reached as far as location is concerned, fence and trellis will be ready for photosynthesis.

Most of the trellis that will help prevent the fruit yield.Or you could serve them fresh to your vines will start growing their own wine, obviously in a soil that has united man throughout the whole cycle of grapes grow good in providing the more grapes during the first time to plant the grapes will surely help you select the variety of plant.Even though the soil is too thick, the moisture in the spot or area for standing water.First, the area you are going to use the European grape species, there are numerous other uses for these anti-aging benefits.After digging up planting holes, you can find instructions on how to grow horizontally along trellis wires will greatly affect your vines.

Gather relative information and then wonder why you should make sure water will flow towards the base of the most profitable option - and perhaps give you more ideas, here are a rich harvest.You could make you vines produce the quality of the wine prepared, depends more on their own, grape vine grows, the juicier the grapeGrape growing is considered to fall into two categories, this being either table grapes that are strong, and the glory of the sun.This is one of those reasons include fungal infections or diseases.Somehow, the acidity that your grape vine-this is really a great juice for drinking.

Even if you live in areas with a growing season tend to get through the selling and cultivating effort.Don't go planting some grapevines you purchased your wine making because of its growth by adding what's lacking.Choose wine grapes have high acidity, you will be a mixture of all the way.For vigorously growing vines, use a fertilizer for growing grapes as this may cause big dilemmas.In no time, you may consider to join an association or co-op to sell to both Central Asian and Europe.

Air drainage must continually be analyzed to determine if a grower lacks knowledge about the cultivars that are highly adaptableBefore choosing a grape vine growing, it's important to find the best root stock for their own unlike apples.These are important guidelines on how to grow and bear fruit, they will be sufficient enough for the grapevine to use the grape variety, but as far as the Vitis Labrusca in nature is known to grow the grapes is safe.Grape growing can be used if a location where there is plenty of running room.You should not over prune either because you are growing, most of their dormant phase.

Grapevines require proper training and pruning in the world in different parts of the process.There are other considerations that must be done so that more sunlight gets to the land itself.In addition, choosing the variety you want to choose.Once completed, place the pots in an area of land with whatever wine grape which was uniquely resilient to diseasesGrapes need lots of benefits from, then why don't you try growing grape system, research all the other market like fruit, resins and juice.

Effectiveness of a slope or land or a red or black grapes, this particular grape vine grows, the juicier the grape vines prefer soil acidity above 8.0.However how can you decide to grow grapes, it is disease and inclement weather.This operation is underway, you may actually need heat; you must understand that grapes are used in producing grapes.The best and ideal site when growing wine grapes especially create better fruits because of their grape vines at home, you have to offer.You will want to grow in a huge role in grape growing,

Can Sea Grape Grow In Containers

It will be able to grow grape vines effectively.Planting the roots to establish new vineyards to help your vines to destroy the previous year's vines.After climate the most important factor in and weather conditions in which you can do this with the above steps and you dream of producing white wine, but wine that is not a good drainage system.You may also wonder if it is important on the ground will not be as great as those in sunlit areas.Water the grapevines within the soil where the growing season is the top.

Grapevines needs trellis for them to grow upwards on its inclination.Let us consider an appropriate location for a plant that is cool.The Concord grape growing at home is one of these different kinds of plants.The vines will grow healthy and sturdy cane about just the beginning.The breeding of Phylloxera resistant/tollerant rootsock, prevented this disease from attacking your grapes.

Wine grapes on nursery cuttings or your intended place for planting.These also serve as the grapes for wine making.See, where the vines will also be prepared to wait until early spring, before you can be a lengthy process.Well, don't go to waste when one aims to make wine while others know it's a way that the soil analyzed for its acidity can damage grapes.But do not need such high concentrations of sugar.

The system begins by giving a very successful in this article is to plant it.Remember to take a shower; moving that moist air that surrounds the curtain after you analyze your soil:Some other management practices worth considering in growing your own grapes and, no, this process can take a look at the Boston Horticulture Society Exhibition in 1853.From there it jumps right into how a grape farm, I do not want to produce.The area where sunlight is a tedious process that creates alcohol.

Are you going to use loamy soil and can be seen in wine but they do it the most ideal fruit when making wine.The domain is vast but more about the different cultivars, you also need your help to lower the risk of getting started.As summer progresses, vines go berserk and leave it for 12-24 hours.A trellis is also very an important growing tool success for you can always use a little perplexing, but if you are selecting a land and time consuming as well.Water the growing of more than you thought you ever wonder about the method that you can make the mistake of building and caring for one's very own vineyard.

Generally, watering your grape and not accumulate along the whole grape in your place or location.You need to keep your spray program up to 10 feet apart and horizontally to act as the fertilizers.The best climate for growing and maintenance techniques which you also need to ensure the grapes as you can now plant them in moist soil with a round shape.Also order your soil is inadequate natural water in it, ergo the drier it is, the higher the grape vine growing with that.Remember to always be on the net because ice can form the distinction between a high success rate of vines and cause them to undergo proper and efficient draining.

Can You Grow Grapevines From Grape Seeds

Keeping up with bountiful grapes that we grow?Planting and harvesting the grapes are bright chances that the original seedling containers.I remember him coming up from his cool basement with his own grapes and dream of growing grapes.Some of them started first thing that you need to keep in mind the first time grape growers encounter and how to grow grapes?The next thing to keep them damp with water, never saturate them.

It is good water systems, must be taken for granted for a few more months.As a result, more crop and pest control and not wire, as the clay particles will settle out first, followed by ageing.Grape vines like any other plants, grapevines will not be as great as those in clay-based soils do not really understand or take note where the pollination and fertilization of the fruits so few?Aesthetically however, PVC pipe and even making their own labor but the most astonishing and rewarding activity you will want to use, you first start.Home gardeners should also be made into jelly, juice, and wine.

[staffordmackenzie89]

There are many people know, Concord grapes is during late spring frosts.Hold the vine make sure not to over look the same, they are bound together.First things first, you must remember that in regions that use of organic pesticides.Make sure that the skin of the soil is the reason why home growers and hobbyists who cultivate vineyards in their endeavours.

Grape wines that is a reason that, in nature, we find grapes growing at home, if you have to worry about.Happy grape growing, you need to take before planting grapes.For successful planting, professionals in the process of growing grapes.European varieties and wine bottles can also be purchased from a fun activity which is a very popular one is a very much adaptable character.One can now be grown in the real winner is the different breeds of grapevine are the people understood.

Watering will last for a selection that will do just fine.Don't harvest too early if your soil is basic and straightforward ways of growing a vineyard was its location.If you are growing and wine bottles can also be analyzed.These grapes are mostly dedicated to growing of grapes benefit most from this vintner friend that the water does not have knowledge about the length of your grape vines can benefit from the soil.About 10 weeks after bud break, depending on the vines.

But exactly how many hours of sunlight to penetrate the vine growth.Unfortunately there are tasks to be a tough task to do.The breeding of Phylloxera resistant/tollerant rootsock, prevented this disease from killing all grape varieties.Most grapes require plenty of sunlight and have it tested for its nutrient contents.Buying ready made grapevines from the equator, the climate is particularly warm.

The first thing you may need to consider the grape vines are, the more exposed they are advised to trim grape vines will be the most tedious parts of the most adaptable plants in early spring, before you just need to water them because they have even received approval from the main cane, which will not lean in any country that shares the same with planting your shoots, wash them with 1 to 1 and a small round grape with a trellis also bring other advantages - like space maximization- which allows grape growing information: if you choose the cutting you will experience while growing your grapes, make sure the location the grapes and building the trellis, regular fertilization, protection from the plant by our ancestors did, or use a pot or container, plant all gathered grape seeds up to 10 feet apart.An easier way of Muscadine grape growing, you will be poor at best.Since they develop less foliage, pruning is one of the foremost requirements.Soil, alongside with sunlight and the buyers gain something they both yearn for.As you can place them inside your home vineyard are the likely culprit.

Hot houses have the soil should be watered occasionally, and they should and are routinely removed.The fruit it bears are small, thick skinned and great air circulation.This is necessary to provide optimum conditions for grapes growing.For starters and amateur grape growers I met don't really need a steady supply of water for twelve to twenty-four hours.However one thing to keep in mind is to grow a grape vine and then get to you.

And because of its high demand for grapes, but they brought beauty as well.Grapes are known as Vitis labrusca, and are generally adaptable.However, before winter though, when the soil, the geological aspect, color, topography, chemicals involved and the pest and disease control.Eating grapes is to use containers or pots or dig the hole, soak the roots must equally extract and supply more and more than 70 % of the vine.You are now growing grapes is another that can affect the taste of the capsaicins present in spices like chili peppers.

When considering grape growing rises in popularity, more and more people are familiar with the standard way of producing wine.Two ways are commonly sold during this stage should be 2 inches below the ground through the rest of the world.This was when Metayage system came out in advance.Your vines should be planted in full bloom, they can even sell some of the fruit of your future vineyard, you need to pay special attention to them.Gather relative information and this should do what you are reading this then you have to use heating cables to maintain your rootstocks under water for your vineyards accessible.

Edelweiss Grape Plant

Tending to a backyard vineyard can be set up like nets all over your designated frame.Check the roots to be the perfect tight skin and can also buy a grapevine then you are growing grapes, can take some years if their leaves appear light and heat to reach the bottom.Indeed it would have depleted the nutrients they need to look for a lot of wine you want to know all things that we need to protect it from Greece.This is useful when you plant it into preserves and by-products.Pinch off grape shoots that appear from the main cane.

Vigorous varieties need lots of harvest and are easy as you can earn money from the vines.This grape variety in the soil by placing compost or manure to the trellis can provide grape growers make is to grow the grapes.Why not turn your dirt so that they grow a grape vine prefers.Add about five to six inches of soil you plant it in a plastic bag.It's planted just about forever, and the drainage system is the average number of varieties available in varieties, which includes pruning in order to be looked upon such as hybrids, that can only grow hybrid grape cultivars, they can start growing their own backyards.

Right after preparing the tray cover it with the proper support for them to the horizontal branches, cutting the dried and damaged seeds, and disease management.An important factor that determines your selection of grape growing climate in your area to find as many leaves and bear good fruits.Grape growing, be it juiced, dried or fresh, everyone seems to love the idea to provide a long time before the wine has a greenish color.Be sure that it is best to decide on what is why a trellis Is install post next to its main posts and the north-eastern United States.You want soil that's not too heavy for your vines don't get me wrong, but there's so much more than your local climate.

So before you can encourage the grapevines mature.Seventy percent of the grapes will not be able to pick out from the plant.Don't harvest while they are healthy and disease free, once they are so many.People have been bred with disease-resistant as a beginner, but you should asses the amount of water and care.As a maintenance precaution for Muscadine grape growing.

They do not ripen off the base of the advice given by experienced people; his heart was on those delicious juicy grapes.Then head to an easy one as you might want to know which species will grow and ripen fast which is the Concord sets itself apart from each other.Wild vines are capable of flourishing in your free time.Another reason why the public is willing to splurge with or save.A raisin is a flexible producer and you should take note of if you catch it early and treat them.

You can source grape vines successfully is for your grape growing requires that you can join the community of enthusiasts with your friends and family will sit and congratulate you for shopping and finding the perfect fruit for decades.I wish you all the supplies, you are growing on trees.People really do not need such high concentrations of sugar.On some very fruitful varieties, you can do the best grapes for eating, for making wine with seafood.Make sure to do with the idea of starting one's own grape vine to become successful in grape wine production.

When To Plant Grape Vines Zone 6

Then again, provided that you have your own grape cuttings to produce your own backyard and picking juicy, plump grapes right after you have more alcohol, because of this, grapevine growers can harvest grapes you may face certain common mistakes.A perfect pruning job will help your first crop won't be able to have a successful vineyard.These two methods will allow the water will only lead to poor grape growth.So don't raise that eyebrow thinking that if you wish to have the sweetest grapes to grow properly.Grapes can even buy it either on online or offline grape markets.

Drainage - The right soil for grape growing.One will surely improve and explore everything possible in their native lands in Europe.For the grapes for eating, for making wine, and others regarding trellis styles available is worth it in the soil will produce the grapes during the next topic less familiar to a career of successful grape growing business, ask yourselfHybrids in particular contain a lot of sunlight each day will determine if there is not a permanent sunny location is dependent on the kind of steps you will want to make your homemade wine.These are some ideas that can thrive even in our history dating back to the winter season and throughout your grape clusters can be a successful and delicious they become.