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tobiosmilktea · 4 years

Text

where orchids grow — kageyama tobio

2.1k words | genre/s: hanahaki!au, angst, hurt/comfort | warning/s: mentions of death, mentions of depression | pairing/s: kageyama x reader, platonic!tsukishima x reader

↪︎ in which an innocent little crush led to your downfall

a/n: i wrote this almost a year ago when i first started this blog. i thought the writing was really mediocre so it has been sitting in my drafts ever since,, BUT it’s finally getting to see the light of day cause i’m cleaning out my drafts :)✨ pls be easy on this one ewbd

it haunted you in your dreams, squeezing and grasping and clutching at your lungs until your final breath gave way–until they shriveled up into nothing as flower-torn chest had killed you. well... not yet at least.

no matter the amount of effort you had put into suppressing your feelings for the setter until it was nothing but a withered memoir, you couldn’t help but lay upon your bed, restless, as you recalled the flashing images of bloodied flowers that had been freshly thrown up from your lungs earlier this evening. you liked to think you’ve learned to control your emotions and feelings around kageyama well enough that the aching feeling of growing flora in your chest wouldn’t effect you that much, but of course the feeling was still evident. however, it was earlier this evening when the setter split half of his meat bun for you after a practice game and the sheer look of care and admiration in his eyes forced a rose to travel up your esophagus.

it was so horrifyingly beautiful, a disease growing flowers within its host, wrapping until it plants itself to the point of rupturing the owner’s heart and lungs due to unrequited love. you hated it—despised for that matter as the memories of your past self screeching in pain and heaving to breathe. your face turned alabaster.

your heart thudded against your rib cage as the feeling of suffocation of chrysanthemums, daises, roses, tulips, cherry blossoms, and dandelions echoed within you. your hand rested upon your chest. the feeling of such ghosted atop your rib cage where you could faintly feel the growing stems of flowers and weeds.

there was an evident aching within your heart that wasn’t from hanahaki, rather from the thought of how brutal it was caused an immense pain to compete with the actual disease. the first incident of you throwing up bloodied flowers was the moment you got home one day. you were walking home with kageyama after hinata went ahead as he had his bike with him, leaving you two to your own demise (he had a little hunch about your feelings for the raven-haired boy, but he never bothered to confirm it). it was then you two reached the entrance to your house in which you two bid a farewell. you were so enthralled with how beautiful he looked with his dark blue eyes that shined thousands of stars.

it was game over for you.

you stumbled through your front door to which your mother worriedly asked if you were okay. you could barely mutter out a response as the roses and daises and chrysanthemums fought their way out of your system, throwing up your one-sided feelings in hues of thick crimson and hollow chests.

from then on, you had routine check ups at the hospital. in fact, you had an entire team of doctors taking care of you due to how rare the condition is. you see, hanahaki disease only occurs to those so massively in love with another, whose feelings can compete against the strongest love of all, that a simple little crush wouldn’t cause all this commotion. unfortunately, friendly love wasn’t enough to ease her homemade raptures.

they also said it was long term illness, well... long term taking into account how well you can endure the pain. occasionally there are those who can endure the pain their entire lives, yet there are the majority who simply die from the excruciating pain within a few months. the only true way to cure yourself from hanahaki was to either get kageyama to match your feelings or to get surgery to remove the constantly growing flora.

the thing is with surgery is that the moment you get it, your feelings for that person completely disintegrate. you can you no longer feel the same love as it is permanently gone. you can never regain those feelings ever again.

that was the fact that scared you the most.

despite knowing you can no longer take the pain and that you needed this surgery, there was a twinge of hope within your aching psyche that perhaps there was a chance. a chance that kageyama tobio would look at you for once that wasn’t just a friendly gaze. a look in which he would come to realize that he was in love with you. and because of this, you endured the pain a little longer.

the only downside was that no one else besides your family knew about your condition. not even your friends. and yet, with most secrets that are difficult to keep, eventually it will get out. tsukishima found out sooner than you’d had hoped.

you and tsukishima shared the same class and one day kageyama had visited your classroom during lunch, giving you his favorite milk from the vending machine as payback for helping out the volleyball club and with tutoring. it then when you felt your cheeks burning cherry red and the infamously familiar sting within your lungs. he then gave tsukishima a melon bun that he owed and the moment kageyama walked away, the blonde middle blocker immediately noticed the pain written across your face.

you pushed the carton of milk in his hands when you dashed down the hallways towards the restroom. fortunately, you were able to make it in time, locking yourself down in one of the stalls and profusely throwing up sticky and bloody flowers with hot streaming tears pricking at your eyes and threatening to spill. you immediately wiped them up. you couldn’t let anyone see you like this.

you flushed the toilet and watched the water turn red to clear when it went down the drain. you sighed, leaving the stall and looking upon yourself at the mirror. you looked absolutely terrible. from the dark circles under your eyes from nights filled with insomnia due to the aching pain, to your eyes still red from sobbing in the stall, and now to your hollow cheeks.

and because of the constant radiating pain, it became increasingly difficult for you to eat proper meals, leading for you to loose an unhealthy amount of weight. yachi was the first one to notice the sudden weight loss and the constant state of indifference. she knew there was something wrong, but she was too afraid to ask you. eventually, she asked if you were depressed one day and somehow you couldn’t bring yourself to say no.

afte leaving the restrooms, you were surprised to see taukishima waiting outside the doors and you were immediately trapped. the harsh glare staring down at you and his more than worried voice eventually led you to finally confessing what was wrong with you. and for the first time in your life, you’ve never seen the middle blocker so worried and caring. that his usually harsh demeanor and signature teasing remarks were softened because the thought of losing you scared him deeply. besides yamaguchi and yachi, you were the closest friend he had and he would hate to lose one his friends.

he would often ask you, “are you considering the surgery?” to which you wouldn’t know the answer to and that you were still waiting for the rare chance kageyama could’ve like you back.

it surprised you the sudden look of disappointment that etched across his bespectacled face.

during practice or during games where you suddenly get coughing attacks whenever you were around kageyama and talking to him, it was tsukishima who would immediately pull you away from the others and take care of you. he was the one to help you clean you after yourself and wipe your tears. eventually, the rest of the school believed you two were a couple.

however, there was the day were the pain was too insufferable. you had hanahaki for six months at this point where the disease would get into the most dangerous stages that one day you called tsukishima up one and finally made the decision.

“i’m tired of waiting, kei.” you muttered harshly as your voice was getting more and more hoarse each day. it was getting worse. you two sat nonchalantly on some random playground swings. the sun was setting and the blond was carefully gazing at your eyes that was soaked in honey. “i’m getting the surgery this weekend and I want you to come and take care of me.”

“of course.”

it felt like everything was going to be okay when he said that.

you woke up to hush chattering, as if a a big group was in the room trying to speak softly, yet failing to do so.

“guys she’s awake!” a voice exclaimed. It sounded like hinata.

suddenly a whole herd of volleyball players came surrounding your bed, their expressions had looks of smiley relief melted upon their faces as they didn’t hesitate to bombard you with questions. the poor nurses could barely get past the towering high school kids as the thought of you being okay was more than enough to fuel their adrenaline.

“i’m glad you’re okay now, (y/n).” sugawara beamed at you.

“yeah!” cut in tanaka loudly, “i can’t bare to lose my favorite first year all because of a stupid crush!”

your eyes suddenly widen. the rush of fear and worry filled you as you looked at tsukoshima who was standing at the end of your hospital bed.

“i had to tell them, they were threatening me.” he scoffs lightly.

“we don’t know who your crush was though, so you’re okay!” added nishinoya who patted your shoulder gently.

daichi then cleared his throat, capturing the team’s attention. “we should probably go and let to the nurses take care of her. we have practice too.”

the room was suddenly filled with loud ‘yes, captains!’ as they all piled out of the room, leaving only kageyama to stray behind slightly. tsukishima looked at the you two briefly before closing the door. this was something that you and tobio had to discuss.

there was a feeling of soreness atop your chest, possibly from the stitch that ran down your center of your torso that was in the process of healing. tbe tall setter approached your bedside, scratching the back of his neck. usually whenever you looked at kageyama an itchy feeling would arise in your throat and your chest would feel tight, and yet the moment you laid eyes on him, you felt nothing.

“tsukishima told me what happened,” he starts. the initial fear of confrontation diminished into nothing but acceptance. you couldn’t hide your previous feeling forever. “you should’ve told me.”

you sighed, “i was going to... but then i started getting the symptoms and i knew that there was no point in telling you when you didn’t feel the same way.”

“but if you told me, maybe there was a chance i would’ve helped you get better.” the setter tried to state, only making you want to roll your eyes and scoff.

shaking your head, you pulled your hand out of his. “that’s not how it works, kageyama. your fake feelings would only make it worse and i don’t want to be with someone who’s dating me out of pity.”

“but i don’t pity you, i—”

“it doesn’t matter, now.” you shook your head and cut him off, “you don’t have to worry because the surgery removed my feelings for you permanently. you don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore.”

kageyama gulps, nodding as straighten his posture. “but i almost killed you.”

“i’m here now, aren’t i? i’m okay.”

the setter still couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten and his gut wrench. “are we still friends despite all this?”

you nod. “of course, that’s not even a question.”

before their conversation could continue, one of the nurses knocked upon the door and opened it slightly. “sorry to interrupt, but all visitors must leave now. the visiting time is up.”

“oh, alright.” the volleyball player swiftly bows and waves goodbye to you before leaving the hospital room.

he cleared his throat the moment he stepped into the hallway, all uncomfortable and itchy. quickly catching up with the rest of his teammates that waited for him at the entrance, he quickly grabbed a water cup from the waiting room and gulped down its contents immediately—yet the feeling didn’t stop.

“kageyama, hurry we need to get to practice.” hinata calls out to him.

drinking one last cup of water in the desperation to heal his scratchy throat, he threw the disposable cup aside.

“i’m coming!” yet his voice was far too hoarse to be heard.

general taglist: @yongboxerrr @tanakaslastbraincell @kellesvt @kitsunetea

#kageyama #kageyama x reader #kageyama tobio #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu fanfic #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #kageyama angst #kageyama imagine #kageyama scenarios #kageyama oneshot

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hatterstan-shameblog · 3 years

Note

For the headcanon thing

I think Hatter likes to watch bad movies. Like the really bad ones. The ones that make you roll your eyes/laugh/cry at every single thing about it, doesn't matter if it's plot or acting. But you know what he loves more than watching those awful movies alone?

Watching them with someone else.

"hey, Mori, wanna watch a movie?"

"...no."

"c'mon, you'll like this one."

"no, I won't."

"...no, you won't. But I will enjoy your presence. C'mon bro, do it for the sake of bonding time."

"*sigh* fine..."

(inspired by real life events)

💕 Sleepover 💕

Rating: PG13 for language and alcohol consumption

Relationship: Takeru (Hatter)/Aguni

Tags: banter, friendly insults, Just Guys Being Dudes, drinking, swearing, love confessions (sort of), They Talk A Big Game But The Love Is There

Bangbangbangbangbang!

“Mori!”

Bangbangbangbangbang!

“Moooooori, let me iiiiiiiiiin!”

Clunk!

Click!

Creeeeeeaaaaaak!

Aguni opens his apartment door, wincing at the slap of summer heat that greets him as he does.

“C’mon man,” an overheated and impatient Takeru implores, “it’s miserable out here!”

“You bring me samosas,” Aguni asks, crossing his arms across his chest, “Because I’m not letting you in without my samosas.”

Takeru’s face twists into a look of shocked indignation.

“Would you really leave me—your best friend on this beautiful green Earth—to swelter and die on your doorstep in this blazing summer heat…all because I forgot the samosas?”

Aguni considers.

“No. I’d ask you to swelter and die in the parking lot. Neighbors’ll kick up a fuss if you block the stairwell.”

“Well it’s a good thing I got two orders this time,” Takeru shakes the bag enticingly, “so we don’t even have to share.”

“Someone’s splashing out,” Aguni murmurs, taking the bag from Takeru’s outstretched hand and standing aside so the man can enter his home, “Don’t suppose there’s a reason for all this…”

“Maybe I just wanted to be nice,” Takeru says flippantly, toeing off his shoes, “a little ‘thank you’ for welcoming me into your home.”

Aguni carries the bag of food over to his coffee table and sets it down, being careful not to disturb the place settings he had so thoughtfully arranged. Two plates, two spoons, two glasses of water—all neatly placed in the center of his new, sage-green placemats.

Hopefully nobody spills curry on them.

“You brought one of your weird movies again, didn’t you?”

Takeru rolls his eyes. Shoving his arm into his messenger bag, he rummages around its contents for a moment before yanking a dark, thin rectangle and holding it up for Aguni to examine.

“The 1977 horror classic, House,” he explains with an edge of exasperation, “is a critically-acclaimed work of art that has been inspiring both film fanatics and the average man for nearly half a century.”

“Straight from the back of the box,” Aguni mumbles, opening the stapled-shut paper bag and peeking at the containers inside, “Anyways, I thought you didn’t like scary movies.”

Takeru scoffs.

“Not sure what gave you that idea,” Takeru says, shoving his feet into his slippers—yes, his slippers, black velvet with red-and-gold dragons embroidered on the front because ‘I’m here enough to warrant my own damn slippers’ and ‘these are fucking awesome,’ “We saw Hereditary in the theater!”

“And you were scared the whole time,” Aguni points out, gingerly lifting their food out of the bag and arranging the containers on their respective plates, “You had to sleep with the lights on for a week. Screwed up your cat’s sleep schedule and everything.”

Takeru swans his way over to Aguni’s refrigerator and opens it, more or less sticking his whole head inside to examine its (admittedly meager) offerings.

“It’s not my fault that Ziggy is such a smart, beautiful boy who knows what ‘lights out’ means. And besides,” Takeru says while examining the bottle of white wine Aguni had put in to chill, “I’ll be staying here tonight, so it won’t be an issue.”

“So the cat gets to sleep, but I don’t?”

“You, my dear, get a evening of my company, complete with scintillating conversation, cultural enrichment, and—as we have already established—your very own order of samosas,” Takeru calls out from the kitchen, rummaging for a suitable pair of wine glasses, “And besides, I plan on sleeping deeply and comfortably knowing that any and all monsters would no doubt eat you first, giving me ample opportunity to flee the scene…”

Aguni lifts the lid off his curry, admiring the rich yellow hue and inhaling its bold spices. There are even a few extra chilis lying on top, which is a lovely surprise.

Takeru arrives at the table, glasses in one hand and wine in the other. He gives the spread a discerning once-over and then a nod of apparent approval.

“Anyways,” Takeru says, twisting off the top of the wine bottle (not without giving Aguni a look of distaste as he does it), “I’m a bit disappointed in you, Mori-chan. I thought you’d fight me more on this one…”

“It’s a losing battle,” Aguni concedes, sitting himself down in his usual spot and turning on the television, “I have too many brain cells and not enough patience to go through the usual theatrics.”

Takeru hands him a generously-full wine glass—not as full as his own, of course, but still more than what the average person might pour.

“This’ll help the brain cell problem,” he says with an over-enthusiastic smile, “probably the patience, too. Wine makes you sentimental.”

“Hmph.”

“See? It’s already working.”

“Yeah, well,” Aguni grumbles, taking a small sip of his beverage, “better get the movie started before I change my mind.”

Takeru begins his usual indignant grumbling as he fumbles with the DVD player. Aguni could help him, but, frankly, it’s entertaining to watch his friend struggle with the simple electronic setup.

When Takeru manages to get the tray open, he gives a small cheer of victory. Aguni stifles a smirk.

Hopefully the movie is this much fun.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

“Mori. Hey, Mori-chan.”

Aguni rolls his eyes, and then himself onto his side to face Takeru.

“What,” he grumbles, squinting in the dark as he tries to make out the other mans’ shape, “piano thing still got you upset?”

“It ate her fingers, Mori,” Takeru whisper-shouts, “and then it got the rest of her too! That’s enough to upset anyone!”

“It wasn’t even that scary,” Aguni mentions, shimmying his shoulders in order to find a more comfortable spot on his futon, “besides, you don’t even play piano, so you don’t have to worry.”

Takeru is silent for a moment—a blessed, beautiful moment.

“I guess you’re right,” he says after his brief contemplation, “but that’s not the only thing on my mind.”

“I’m guessing ‘sleep’ isn’t one of ‘em?”

Takeru scoffs. There’s a shuffling and fluttering sound from his neighboring futon as he turns to face his disgruntled companion.

“In due time,” Takeru says, “what plagues me now is more of a philosophical question.”

Aguni sighs.

“Remember the part where that guy got turned into a pile of bananas?”

“Yeah,” Aguni responds, “that was weird.”

“What if that happened to me,” Takeru asks, sounding genuinely concerned, “would I turn into a pile of bananas, or would I be a different kind of fruit?”

Oh, you’re different alright, Aguni thinks to himself, but he knows better than to say that out loud. Takeru’s using his ‘this is going to keep me up all night unless you give me a good answer’ voice, so Aguni starts thinking about how best to answer.

“I think you’d be melons,” Takeru concludes, “yeah…definitely melons.”

“Because of my round head and lack of hair?”

“No,” Takeru snaps, “well, that wasn’t my original thinking.”

Aguni subtly checks his phone—half-past one o’clock in the morning, too late to send Takeru home on a train to ask his cat these burning questions instead of him.

“Why,” Aguni asks, “do you think I’d be melons?”

“Well, like you, melons are strong and tough on the outside. Make a nice thud sound when you smack ‘em.”

“So do I,” Aguni mentions, “if you get the right spot. But I also hit back, so that’s not very melon-y, is it?”

“Hm. I suppose not. But,” Takeru says, “where you really start to resemble the melon is on the inside.”

“Inside, huh?”

“Yeah,” Takeru considers for a moment, “underneath all that tough rind, melons are soft. Sweet, too. Nothing fancy, they’re not trying to prove anything, they’re just…good. Like you.”

Aguni hadn’t been expecting something so…sentimental. It’s a touching departure from their usual quips and playful jabs, and it makes something warm and kind of familiar bubble up in Aguni’s heart.

“And also,” Takeru tacks on, “they’re green. And green is your favorite color! So it’s perfect.”

“I think you’d be a strawberry,” Aguni says after a beat.

“A strawberry? You mean only one?”

“Only one,” Aguni confirms, “but one of those fancy designer ones, the kind they grow in those hydroponic farms and sell in department stores for thousands of yen.”

“I heard about a guy who got murdered at one of those places,” Takeru says, “some yakuza guy who was selling weed on the side, someone put a hit out on him and used the body for fertilizer.”

“That’s…disturbing,” Aguni replies, “but that’s beside the point. Don’t you want to know why I think you’d be a single strawberry?”

“Is it because they’re red?”

“Sort of,” Aguni says, “Got a lot of seeds, too. Get stuck in your teeth pretty easily, if you’re not careful.”

“I am rather tenacious.”

“You are.”

Aguni considers his next words carefully. His relationship with Takeru is…complicated, and uncertain, and if anyone ever asked him what they ‘are’ he wouldn’t know how to answer.

“Strawberries are sweet. They’re sour, too. You’d know the flavor anywhere. And you…”

He pauses. Takeru, for once, doesn’t try to fill the silence with his own voice.

“…Well, those designer strawberries are all one-of-a-kind, just like you. So that’s why there’s one one,” he says slowly, “and I like strawberries. Might even, uh…love ‘em.”

“Oh, Mori…”

Something flops onto Aguni’s blanket—once, twice, and ah, it’s Takeru’s hand, and he’s looking for something. Aguni slips his arm from under the covers and covers Takeru’s hand with his own. This is apparently what Takeru had been searching for, because he pulls Aguni’s hand closer to himself.

“You know,” Takeru says, “now that you mention it, I think I might love melon, too.”

Aguni feels lips against the back of his hand—a soft kiss, gentle, a reassurance as much as an act of affection—and he’s glad for the dark of night that hides the blush of his cheeks.

“I feel better now,” Takeru announces, giving Aguni’s hand a light squeeze, “In fact, I think I’m falling asleep as we speak…”

“Hmm,” Aguni hums in agreement.

He’s still holding Takeru’s hand, and Takeru, his—neither seem too keen on letting go, at least, not for now.

#alice in borderland #hatter #danma takeru #alice in borderland netflix #imawa no kuni no alice #imawa no kuni no arisu #writings and such #aguni morizono #hatter/aguni #I didn’t go with ‘bad’ movie per se but like…..if you’ve seen it you know #‘house’ is a FUN movie and I like it very much #I tried not to spoil too much in case you wanna watch it yourself!!!#we need more of them being cute together

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twistedtranslations · 4 years

Text

Trey Clover - If you started to enjoy it

You can unlock this story by getting Trey’s SSR Dorm Uniform

Translation under the cut

Heartslabyul Dorm - Rose Maze

Ace: Isn't it unproductive to take care of the lawn? Those weeds’ll grow back in no time even if you properly pull ‘em out.

Deuce: Sometimes I really resonate with you, Ace. I feel like we’re stuck doing this forever with no end in sight.

Trey: Come on guys, don't slack and keep at it. A perfect lawn is essential for the "Unbirthday party".

Cater: If the garden looks unseemly, I can't take a pretty picture. After the weeding, the pruning awaits you! Fight on!

Ace: Huh, why do only the first years have to…

Trey: The only thing the first years are in charge of is the rare croquet game. The second and third years have other serious jobs to do. Everyone helps to prepare the party. That is what the law of the Queen of Hearts states. By doing our best to cooperate for the preparation, we can develop a better sense of unity… Don't you think that's surprisingly suitable for us?

Ace: ... I feel like everyone’s only cooperating because they fear the dorm leader will have their heads.

Deuce: Then what are you guys in charge of?

Cater: I'm preparing the venue~ Please look forward to an exciting arrangement!

Trey: I'm making the cake. An "Unbirthday party" is not complete without a cake after all.

Ace: Yay! We're getting your super delicious cakes! What kind of cake are you baking this time?

Trey: What kind of cake?… Hm, it's something I can't explain so easily. The definition of an "Unbirthday party" is a party with no birthday. There's no cake really fitting for that.

Ace: I think that depends on the sense and ideas of the creator… Ah. Doesn't that mean that the cake itself can be any kind? But melon tarts are a no go.

Trey: Huh? Ah, I understand. According to the laws of the Queen of Hearts… "The cake should have a candle" and "Melon tarts are prohibited" are the only rules…

Ace: Okay, then why don't we go for a cherry pie base instead of the usual cake! The sweet sourness is great and the crunchy pie dough makes for a perfect texture! … I like it better than anything else.

Deuce: Ace, don't trouble Clover by saying shoving your requests in. Furthermore… A chiffon cake made with lots of eggs is better than a cherry pie. The humble sweetness makes it digestible for everyone.

Ace: Now you're just making requests for the thing you want to eat!

Deuce: I-I'm not. I'm thinking about the entire dorm…

Heartslabyul Student A: What, are we requesting cakes? I want a chocolate cake!

Heartslabyul Student B: I'd like a cheese cake!

Heartslabyul Student C: A cake doesn't have to be limited to sweetness. Trey, why don't you try something like quiche?

*muttering*

Trey: There, there, guys. I never said I was taking requests from anyone! And in the first place, I'd have to prepare the ingredients. Immediate changes are hard, you know.

Ace: With your skills you'd be able to manage it~

Cater: I understand why you guys are pleading with our genius patissier~ But don’t you think you’re putting him on the spot by pestering him?

Heartslabyul Student A: But no matter how delicious a cake is, eating the same thing repeatedly will make you tired of it.

Ace: Ah, right? Fresh flavors are also important… I’m fed up with it, I want to eat something different every time.

Trey:… I see. Then why don't you guys try making the cakes yourselves? That way, you can eat your favorite cake. Our college endorses the study of cooking with the elective subject "MasterChef".

Deuce: Now that you say it, "MasterChef" is a practical class, right?

Trey: Yes. It's a traditional program from the past to teach students how to cook for themselves after graduation. It's not a mandatory subject, so few students take it, but it's very informative if you want to learn the basics.

Heartslabyul Student A: Hm… then we should try it. You can make it look so easy.

Heartslabyul Student C: It seems much more fun and easy than maintaining this plain law!

Trey: There's always a shortage of helping hands for making sweets, so if you started enjoying cooking because of that, you'd really help me out. Then I shall hand my kitchen utensils over and you guys can be in charge of the cakes.

Deuce:… Ace, you should apologize for that just now. For the whole being tired of his cakes and there not being new flavors…

Ace: You should too. Trey was simply too kind and didn’t get angry.

Deuce: Yeah… Even so? It's true that Trey is an adult, after all. It's rare for there to be helpful and nice people amongst the student body of this college… If I was being told that the job I had to do was "Easy, ", I would get pissed off.

Ace: If you got pissed that easily, you wouldn't be able to take care of our impatient dorm leader.

Cater: You're right. I haven't seen Trey get angry much~… Well, if you do make him angry, he drags it on for a fairly long time.

Chapter 2

Heartslabyul Dorm

Riddle: Unbelievable. Who was slacking for things to end up like this? No one has pruned the lawn, the colors of the roses are inconsistent and the tableware has not been polished! We won't be able to make it for tomorrow's "Unbirthday party"!

Trey: Calm down Riddle. Why don't we try to finish the party with no beheadings?

Riddle: Urgh…

Trey: There's no one who can do everything perfectly from the start. As for the first years, how about I teach them some magic that can help them prune the lawn more efficiently? If we finish everything carefully, one by one, we might make it in time for the party?

Riddle:… You are right. I understand. Thank you Trey.

Trey: Okay. I shall check the roses that still have to be painted… but before that, I'll check up on the kids in the kitchen, just in case.

Heartslabyul Dorm - Kitchen

Heartslabyul Student A: I'm making a chocolate cake but the chocolate won't melt. I'm putting all the chocolate bars in the oven!

Heartslabyul Student B: Weren't we making a cheesecake? I'm pretty fussy about cheese. Let's try making some with magic from milk.

Heartslabyul Student C: Didn't I say it was going to be quiche? By the way, does anyone know how to handle this fish…?

Trey: How lively. I see, do your best.

Cater: Ah, Trey. Dif you feel like watching over the first years who are encouraging each other to make cakes?

Trey: Kind of. Is the construction of the venue you're in charge of finished?

Cater: *sigh*… I'm really doing my best… I've been getting more nervous the more the "Unbirthday party" nears and lately Riddle has been in a super foul mood~ If we make one more mistake he might explode.

Trey: He hasn't exploded yet, so you can just proceed, right? That guy is also doing his best.

Cater: And there you go. You're coddling him! You guys have that kind of relationship because you've been together since childhood, right? I don't have childhood friends so I don't really understand, but don't you tire of it?

Trey: Actually, back in the days, he really didn't carry that angry image with him. He might feel responsible now because he is the dorm leader.

Cater: Huh, really? But the rumors say that he inherited it from his tiger mom?

Trey: Hehehe. They say that, but Riddle's mother wasn't really like that. When it was revealed that Riddle came over to play, she marched into my home, looking ten times more threatening than Riddle, and lectured our family for five hours.

Cater: Scary… you really shouldn't laugh that much, Trey!

Trey: Thinking about it now, I can make fun of it. That someone can get so angry about a child playing. But now that you say it, it was really scary at that time. I totally didn't understand why she was angry…

Trey: I was really worried whether or not I was guilty of doing something terrible. When I asked Che'nya, he merely said "I don't know nya~", so I had no one to talk it over with. And I think she got way more angry at Riddle than I, so I felt really guilty.

Cater: Heh. You were pretty serious since you were small huh… Are you the anxious type?

Trey: I think anyone who met that mother would be. In any case, once you made her angry, she was untouchable. If you think about that, I'm just grateful that sweets seem to cheer Riddle up.

Cater: About that! I totally understand why your tarts cheered Riddle up earlier. Honestly, your cakes deserve the graces of god. How many times have they saved me in this year…

Trey: Flattery doesn't work on me. Besides, this time, it seems I wasn't up to the task and had to relinquish my position.

Cater: Hahaha… Yeah. At least I didn't imagine he was angry.

Trey: Did you say anything?

Cater: Nothing~

Heartslabyul Dorm - Tea Garden

The day of the unbirthday party

Ace: S-Somehow… I captured all the hedgehogs that ran away in time for the party…

Deuce: The flamingos are perfectly on stand by. With this, the perfect party can start.

Trey: Thank you, you two. It seems you had a lot of trouble preparing.

Riddle: At one point I even thought about what would happen to this party… but it seems that despite all the "Unbirthday party" can start.

Cater: Riddle seems satisfied. It seems like no one will get beheaded today~

Riddle: Oho? I do not see the cake anywhere. Where is it?

Heartslabyul Student A: Uhm… It's…

Riddle: The "Unbirthday party" cannot start unless there's cake. Hurry and fetch it!

Heartslabyul Student B: U-Understood.

Ace: Hm? Don't you think those guys who made the cake look a bit pale?

Trey: …

Chapter 3

Riddle: The "Unbirthday party" cannot start unless there's cake. Hurry and fetch it!

Heartslabyul Student B: W-We brought it.

Heartslabyul Student A: We made this with our utmost effort… A special cake made by the first years.

Everyone: ?!

Deuce: Cough, cough, what's that stench! It smells sugary and smoky and of meat and fish… The acid and spice are hurting my eyes!

Cater: The green syrup, the blue cream and the shocking pink decorations… It's more art than a cake. I could upload it to Magicam with the tag #DestructionandCreation.

Ace: Hey, didn't it move? That cake definitely moved just now? Are you sure it's edible?!

Trey: You really did it. You guys made another intense cake. Just how did you make it like this?

Heartslabyul Student A: Ah, it's not my fault. It's his!

Heartslabyul Student B: Y-You're wrong! It's you who… No, wait? Isn't it Ace who said from the start that he wanted to eat something different? Didn’t he start it?

Ace: Maybe I said that, but you guys made it? I have no hands in this!

Heartslabyul Student C: Then it's Deuce's fault who said that chiffon cake would be nice and started a quarrel.

Deuce: D-Don't involve me! You made your own mess and you can clean it up yourselves!

*fussing*

Riddle: …

Cater: Uhm, Riddle? Let's stay amiable, 'kay?

Riddle: You guys!

Everyone: Argh!

Cater: S-Shit. We did our best, but Riddle is going to explode…!

Riddle: To think you dared to make such a messy cake for the dignified "Unbirthday party"… I hope you are all prepared?!

Ace: Aah! Why us as well!?

Deuce: Dorm leader Rosehearts, please calm down! If we apologize, will you accept…!

Riddle: Do not bother with excuses!!! Off with…!

???: Stop!

Deuce: Huh, that voice is…

Trey: Calm down Riddle.

Ace: T-Trey!

Riddle: What's this Trey, release my arms. I cannot chastise the first years who made a mess of the "Unbirthday party" like this!

Trey: … It is true that this cake does not seem edible by its appearance. It's not appetizing, and the smell is awful. It's laughable.… But wouldn’t you say that a cake made by the combined ideas of the first years is very Heartslabyul-like? With that said, isn’t it quite wonderful?

Riddle: I do not think so in the least!

Cater: Right~

Riddle: Furthermore, there is no candle on this cake. They did not obey the laws of the Queen of Hearts! Why did you not make the cake as you usually do? If you did it normally, something like this would not have…

Trey: I understand, I understand. You don't have to be that upset. Isn't this your long awaited "Unbirthday party". It's fine. I put some cakes aside that I make every time for the "Unbirthday party".

Everyone: Huh?!

Trey: The "Unbirthday party" is Heartslabyul's most important day. It's not like I had any intention to slack?

Riddle:… Then you should have told us earlier. I would have reflexively beheaded the dorm students. The "Unbirthday party" can continue without problems. You guys, thank Trey for that.

Heartslabyul Student B: W-We're saved!

Cater: As expected of you, Trey! Okay, everything is ready. Let's start the "Unbirthday party"!

Trey: Indeed, let's start.… Congratulations on the "Unbirthday party"!

Everyone: Congratulations!

Ace: T-Trey… No, Master Trey! You saved us!

Deuce: I really thought I was going to be beheaded. Thank you for persuading our dorm leader!

Cater: As expected of you, Trey! Just when did you make the other cake?

Trey: Yesterday evening, secretly, when everyone was asleep. I had a bad feeling, so I made it just in case.

Ace: Your cakes always look so delicious~ Just by looking I can feel my belly growl.

Deuce: Aah, I really want to eat it as soon as possible.

Trey: But weren't you two tired of these kinds of cakes?

Deuce/Ace: Huh?

Trey: It seems you guys were tired of eating the same thing every time and wanted some new flavors, so don't worry, me and Riddle will eat this one.

Cater: The first years telling you they were fed up with it really pissed you off, didn’t they?

Ace: T-Trey, please don't be so mean. That was just a slip of the tongue…

Deuce: Indeed! We think your cakes are the best. Right, everyone?

Heartslabyul Students: Yes! We want to eat your cakes!

Trey: … Then you guys understand, right? That making sweets isn't something you can do haphazardly. You have to consider all the risks, make plans beforehand and adapt yourself to the situation at hand… If you can do all that, it can become a routine. You don't have the comfort to make these things at peace.

Ace: Uhm… just to verify, but we're still talking about making sweets, right? Because it sounds an awful lot like you're talking about the dorm leader…

Trey: In any case. Do you now understand my hardships?

Deuce/Ace: Yeah…

Trey: Okay, I'm glad you're honest.

Deuce: We learned a lot.… Thank you for existing, Trey's cakes.

Heartslabyul Students: Bon appétit~…

Trey: Wait.

Deuce/Ace: Huh?

Trey: What do you guys intend to do with the cake you made? You shouldn't waste food. If you're not going to eat it, I won't let you eat the cake I made especially for the "Unbirthday party".

Deuce: W-We have to eat this shitty cake?! We already repented, but it seems just words aren't enough…

Ace: Where has our mature and kind Trey gone…

Cater: The gentler a person usually is, the scarier they'll be when they're angry! Treat this as an opportunity to learn.

#twisted wonderland #trey clover #riddle rosehearts #cater diamond #deuce spade #ace trappola #personal story #translation

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saltytransidiot · 4 years

Note

farmer geralt and lil punk jaskier, my love?

So, only because I love you and I’m delighted at writing a bit of this au (finally), I made it extra sweet and put it in established relationship land :D

Hope you enjoy your trans farmer Geralt and his lover Puck!Jaskier <3

The trees are starting to bear their first fruits, of the year, cherries ripening over the days. Today is unnaturally warm, and Geralt is working in his own private garden rather than in the fields. He’ll go water everything as the sun dies down on the horizon. It’s useless to go work in that heat, anyway.

His shirt has long been discarded, and there is a large straw hat covering his hair, the rim of it large enough to keep his shoulder in the shade, even as he bends low to remove the stones and weeds from the garden. He is trying to keep it all healthy and without any pesticide, just like with his fields.

He doesn’t have a big farm, after all, but it’s his, and he built it from the ground up. He loves it, loves living there, despite the sometimes pestering presence from the nearby woods. Sometimes, he loves it more /because/ of the pestering presence in the woods. But that, he keeps to himself.

He walks to the greenhouse and checks on the vegetables growing there. The tomatoes are doing well, and he will be sure to check on them later on in the evening, to check whether they’ll need water, but he is quite sure that he’ll have to water them regardless. The sweet potatoes and melons are looking well, and he feels some pride at seeing them like this. Last year, the melons had failed completely, and he had had to root them out all over.

He hears a soft giggle, and the door to the greenhouse locks. He rolls his eyes and walks to the one on the other end, glad to see it still unlocked, and steps back out in the sunlight.

Soft hands caress his torso, and cold lips touch his neck. He shivers and looks at blue eyes staring into his own.

“Jaskier,” he sighs, but can’t help the small smile spreading over his face.

“Hi, my love,” Jaskier grins, his pointed ears twitching. “You’re looking quite delightful today.”

“You say that everyday,” Geralt points out to the fae, but allows himself to be drawn into a kiss, cool and tender. “You went for a swim before coming here.”

“Yes I did! You should have come, the water was wonderful, so cold and nice!”

Jaskier shakes his head, droplet of water flying off everywhere from his midlength hair. His crown of flowers is golden and pink today, contentment and pride all over his face. He is beautiful, Geralt admits to himself, and each time he sees Jaskier he thinks that very same thought all over again.

“Catch me?” The fae grins and steals Geralt’s belts, nimble fingers working too fast for Geralt to interrupt. He leaves in a whirlwind, the wind carrying him atop the barn that stands fifty or so meters away.

“Jaskier, damn it, come back here!” Geralt runs after him. “Give that back, you little devil!”

The bright laughter of the fae carries all over their surroundings. It’s a bit like bells, a bit like someone’s humming under their breath for their child’s sake. It’s a laughter full of warmth and love, full of mischief and amusement. It’s Jaskier’s laughter, after all. One couldn’t be the spirit of the forest without being a trickster.

“You have to catch me!” Jaskier throws himself in the air, petals blooming around him and falling softly around Geralt as Jaskier passes by him. “Where would the fun be, if I just gave up like this?”

“The fun would be in that I keep my pants,” Geralt grumbles as he runs after his lover.

“But I quite like you naked,” Jaskier giggles from the tree he has settled on, his sharp teeth bright in the sunlight.

There is not much that Geralt can answer to that. Jaskier has shown him countless of times his appreciation for his naked body, from long strokes to the two scars that adorn his chest, to biting kisses on his hips, to tender whispers of adoration as the moon rose above them. Jaskier has helped him feel proud of his body, in a way that Geralt hadn’t felt in years.

Before the farm, before Jaskier, before all of this, Geralt had been completely lost. Now, he has a home, a lover, and a family close. Ciri comes home as often as she can, and Jaskier adores her. Now, he is himself.

Jaskier drops in front of him as he reaches the tree, and he grins again.

“I thought I was supposed to catch you?”

The fae shrugs, wraps his arms around Geralt’s waist and lets the belt drop to the ground. “Maybe I got bored. I do like being close to you. And all those talk of you naked…”

Geralt captures his lips in his own and presses him against the bark of the tree. “Good to know you have your weaknesses.”

“You’ll always be my best weakness,” Jaskier pants out as he caresses the muscle of his lover. “Although, I wouldn’t categorize you as such.”

Their lips meet again and again, and Geralt is distracted from his garden by exploring hands and tender words whispered in his ear.

#geralt x jaskier #geraskier #gerlion #geralt of rivia #jaskier #fae jaskier #puck jaskier #farmer geralt #trans geralt #i adored this prompt thank you love!!#the witcher #the witcher netflix #curlzformetal

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willow-salix · 4 years

Text

Did someone ask for Tracy's racing golf carts? No? Oh well...

Day 70 of Isolation on Tracy Island.

We all slept in late this morning, well, those of us that actually got to bed did, when we finally got up around lunch time we found Gordon and Scott passed out on the couches and Brains asleep at the kitchen table with a cold cup of coffee still clutched in his hand like a teddy bear.

I sent John, Virg, Grandma, Kayo and Jeff out to the pool and sorted breakfast myself, being careful not to wake the sleeping beauties.

Once breakfast was done we quietly made our way down to the hangar to see what progress the boys had made over night and to check that no sabotage had happened to the girl golf while we were sleeping.

It looked like the boys had managed to finish it at some point, or as close to, but we still had no idea why Gordon had wanted them or what he was planning on doing with them. We all drifted off to our own activities. I had the sudden and undeniable urge to bake miniature cupcakes and since Brains had apparently awoken and wandered off at some point, I had free use of the kitchen. I left them on the side for anyone who wanted to eat them and tracked John down to indulge in my favorite pastime, sitting really close to him and just staring at him until he gives up trying to concentrate on whatever he's doing to pay attention to me.

We were chilling out in the reading nook upstairs, watching Virgil finish his painting while I read out funny isolation tweets when Gordon appeared in the lounge.

“Hey everyone, it’s ready!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, waking Scott who flailed and rolled off the couch in shock.

“What’s ready?” he grumbled, rubbing his elbow where it had whacked the floor.

“The race course!”

His meaning dawned on us all at the same second and we groaned.

***

Gordon had us all assemble outside Two’s cliff hangar entrance where he’d pushed the two golf carts out and had them lined up ready.

“Girls vs boys?” Kayo and I confirmed.

“Yep, one driver, one co-pilot, drag race down the runway, sharp left hand turn down that ramp , onto the beach for an anything goes, flat out race. First one around the island via the beach wins,” Gordon announced much to my horror.

“Hang on a second,”I interrupted him. “I don’t trust you guys, we didn't modify ours at all but we know you were all trying to ‘improve’ yours.”

Gordon and Brains looked a little shifty but it was Scott that finally admitted the truth.

“We gave up on any improvements and started again and followed the instructions.”

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh but Kayo wasn't as generous and laughed in their faces. It took her a few minutes to calm down enough to straighten up and agree to their terms.

“You can drive,” I told her. “I’m not good with new things.” I heard John snort because he remembered having to teach me to drive my car after Brains tricked it out. Never again.

“Yeah, I wouldn't have let you anyway,” she told me. At least we knew where we stood.

Gordon wanted to drive since it was his idea with Scott as his co-pilot since Virgil had been voted as too heavy that he might unbalance the cart. Poor chonky thing.

We suited up with helmets and elbow and knee pads, the only safety gear we needed apparently, I would have preferred a full armoured body suit but these lot are dare devils and care nothing for safety beyond the basics. I swear, I once heard Scott quote ‘protect your melon, anything else is fine’.

I sent up a prayer to anyone that might actually be dumb enough to listen that they spare me from a broken neck by idiot family and got in beside Kayo. Apparently golf carts do not come with seat belts because obviously YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO RACE THEM!

“Hold on tight,” she grinned like an idiot, clearly loving life at that moment.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One!” Jeff counted down and then Grandma blew a whistle. We were off!

Kayo slammed her foot down on the accelerator and we shot forward at a whopping five mph, slowly climbing to ten.

We were quickly running out of runway but she showed no sign of slowing down for the turn that was coming up.

“Kay...maybe you should sl-”

“LEAN!” she yelled and I did as I was told, throwing my weight and upper body sideways with her. We lifted up on two wheels and slid onto the ramp. I screamed. Why must she terrify me like this? We had only just started! I gripped on to the frame for dear life and tried not to scream again as we rocketed down the ramp with the boys close to our bumper and clattered onto the sand.

Thankfully the sand slowled us down a little and I was able to catch my breath, hopefully not to fill my lungs so I could scream in terror again.

She had a careless way of driving, it was like she saw every bump, rock and patch of seaweed as a personal challenge, driving at them like she was in a video game and expecting me to grab coins along the way. Well I can tell you now, I wasn't letting go until this was all over.

I heard Gordon and Scott whooping like loons , almost level beside us. I risked a glance over and they were radiating pure crazy, but in a good way, clearly enjoying themselves and having a fabulous time. Weirdos. Only this lot could enjoy terrifying near death experiences as much. What happened to quiet days at home? What happened to sanity?

“Lockdown happened,” Kayo answered. Huh, guess I said that out loud.

She screeched us around another corner, taking one hand off the handle bars to grab my arm and haul me sideways when I didn't instinctively know to move.

“You could pay attention,” she huffed.

“I’m trying not to watch my life flashing before my eyes,” I snapped back, but that just made her laugh. That’s one thing I love about her, we can snipe at each other and get mouthy but we never take it seriously.

I did pay a little attention though, enough to see the boys hit what they thought was a sand dune and turned out to be a sand covered rock. Their cart came to a bone crunching halt and they both catapulted out.

“Wait, they might be hurt,” I yelled but she didn't even look back.

“Losers, they’ll be fine.”

She was right, they got straight back up, hauled the cart upright and got right back in, tearing off after us. They were zooming on the wonk as it looked like one of their front wheels was buckled and pointing the wrong way but at least they were moving. Now I didnt feel so bad about the fact that we were about to kick their butts.

We rounded another curve, managing three wheels this time which was a definite improvement. She was enjoying herself far too much, laughing like a Disney villain as she flung the poor cart around like she was in a race car.

We were rocking along at a speedy 12 mph when our wheel caught on some seaweed which wrapped around it and locked it up tight. We jumped out and were still yanking it free when the boys zoomed past us, yelling out taunting insults .

Kayo snatched up the last of the weed and threw it away, already back in the cart.

“Hurry up!” she hollered and I’d barely got one buttcheek on the seat before she was off. I flailed and managed to hang on to the frame and plant myself more firmly.

We sped after them and managed to catch up, hindered as they were by their buckled wheel and were neck and neck as we curved around the last bend, bumped over another sand dune and took an unscheduled dip in the sea, the water spraying up as we noooomed along but nothing was going to stop us now!

The boys were about a foot ahead of us and trying for that last burst of speed on the home stretch, the second ramp that would take us back onto the runway was in sight. We both bumped up on to it at the same time and felt it wobble. We had two choices, freeze or go faster, apparently freezing is not in the International Rescue vocabulary as both Gordon and Kayo slammed their feet down and squeezed another 2 mph out of the struggling engines.

We got up the ramp, crashing into each other as we tried to turn at the same time. There was a scuffle where Kayo yelled at me to kick them and stupidly I did actually try, all that did was give Scott a chance to lean over, grab my foot and wiggle it while I screamed.

We got straight and untangled and I hauled myself back into the seat for what felt like the hundredth time in ten minutes as we hit the home stretch, barrelling down the runway. Our audience dived out of the way as we screeched to a halt.

“Who won?” Gordon demanded to know.

“Oh, sorry, were we supposed to be judging this?” Jeff asked. “We weren’t paying attention.”

The boys and Kayo groaned, demanding a rematch. No way was I going through all that again so I gave up my seat to Virgil, I was done with the entire thing. All I wanted was a cup of coffee and a lie down. These guys would be the death of me.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #gordon tracy #virgil tracy #alan tracy #john tracy #scott tracy #isolation island #self isolating #isolation #social isolation

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thunderheadfred · 5 years

Note

Hiya! I just started playing Stardew Valley and am still trying to figure things out. Do you have any tips for new players? (Lovely mod!)

*cracks knuckles*

Okay, so.

It depends on if you want to play an absolutely vanilla game your first time, or if you don’t mind modding things. There are a number of quality-of-life mods that made the game a lot more enjoyable for me personally because I no longer had to micro-manage every tiny itty bitty little thing, plus… omg… I could walk faster?

That’s a matter of personal opinion, however, and the decision is ultimately yours. You can play Stardew however you want!

In no particular order, here are my own personal tips for vanilla and modded gameplay!

Vanilla tips:

General:

The Wiki is your best friend. Do not fear the Wiki.

Build chests. Organize your chests. Stay sane.

CUT DOWN EVERY TREE YOU SEE

no seriously, Robin demands sacrifices

Focus on the type of farm you want. Animals and Artisan goods tend to make the most money, but you don’t have to do that! There are lots of things to do in this game, and you should focus on whatever activity is the most satisfying for YOU.

The Community Center has certain requirements and perks you may want to pay attention to, (the Wiki can help!), but don’t feel like you HAVE to get this all done immediately. It’s a good idea to plan for what you can do that season, to get the perks, but don’t like, sacrifice your fun to try and get all the Community Center bundles in year one (it’s not even possible)

It might seem counter-intuitive, but the Forest Map is generally agreed to be a better map than the “default” farm, at least for beginner players. There’s a ton of foraging areas and lots of other perks to having the forest farm, like renewable hardwood and random seed-spawning weeds, especially year one when you are struggling to farm large amounts of anything. Plus, if you ask me…… it’s prettier. And that’s VERY important.

It’s annoying, but get yourself to fishing level 4, even if you hate fishing like me. Once you have the recipe for the recycling machine and crab pots, you can print your own money. (Or, well, your own resources, at least)

Spring, Year 1

Forage. Sell everything you find on the ground, and try to farm only what you can water without eating to restore energy.

Your ideal watering energy budget for this first season is half an energy bar.

You can’t really afford to eat your foraged items in Spring year 1, you need every scrap of money you can earn, so don’t overexert yourself too often.

More foraging: cut down some trees, learn to make those nasty seed bars that give you energy, then shake the trees until they get scared and give you their lunch money (seeds) so you can make more energy bars. For free.

Still rambling about foraging: You can make and grow wild seeds for free, and then use those foraged items to

A) boost your energy - hey, free food! B) Make some extra cash to support your “money” crops and C) Be a goddamn hippy like God intended.

Dandelions are particularly good for free energy in year one, and Daffodils make good gifts for most people.

DON’T SKIP THE SALMONBERRIES. It’s annoying to collect them, and they don’t sell for much, so don’t sell them. Save them and either use them for cheap energy when you go into the mines, or stick them in a preserves jar and make jelly that you can give as a gift or sell at a much better rate than the original berries.

Upgrade your tools ASAP. Especially the watering can, axe, and pickaxe, in that order.

Give your watering can to Clint when you know it’s going to rain (check the weather report on your TV) so that your crops don’t lose a day of progress.

Save up as much money as you can for the egg festival, and likewise, save space on your farm. Pierre will be selling strawberry seeds, and this is the only time you can buy them. They’re expensive but extremely profitable, and they will produce more than one crop.

If you can swing it, try to complete the Community Center spring crops bundle before you get the strawberries. Completing the bundle will net you some speed grow fertilizer which can get you your strawberries even FASTER, yay!

ORE. You’re gon need a lot of it. Go into the mines and crack open geodes when the fortune teller tells you it’s a lucky day. You’ll find better shit and won’t waste your time.

When it rains, go cut wood or mine. Fishing won’t get you much this first season. But you’re gonna NEED ore and wood.

Other random tips:

Once it opens in Summer year 1, chill out in the spa after watering your crops. It’s free and replenishes your energy. If you think it looks nasty in there, then download the gorgeous Japanese-inspired onsen replacement mod like I did. Now you’ll actually WANT to go there.

The first few museum perks are premium seeds like cauliflower and melons, so bring Gunther lots of stuff.

Don’t sell wood. Save every scrap. You’re going to need it.

Get a coop/barn as soon as you can. Them animals poop easy money.

In terms of skill level ups, I personally recommend: Tiller to Artisan, Miner to Blacksmith, Gatherer to Botanist, Fighter to Brute, and whatever with fishing I never level up fishing very far tbh

Mod tips:

Disclaimer: Stardew Valley is designed to be played slowly, at a leisurely pace. There’s no in-game rush to complete anything. But if you, like me, have no fucking patience whatsoever and don’t CARE what the game creator (or God Himself) intended, these mods may make the experience more fun for you:

AutoSpeed. It lets you walk/run at a more reasonable rate. I don’t know why the game makes you walk so slowly, but it makes my skin crawl. This saved my sanity.

On that same token of getting more shit done each day, if you don’t mind cheating a little more, install TimeSpeed. This lets you vary the time depending on location (by default it is slower indoors, and I always make the mine levels extra slow)

You can even PAUSE the time if you are like, ten minutes from Clint’s closing time and you KNOW you can’t make it but you NEED to give him your watering can cuz it’s going to rain tomorrow AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

If you’re a completionist like me and HAVE TO FINISH THE COMMUNITY CENTER or you’ll DIE, then it helps to have the UI Info Suite and Lookup Anything mods.

UI Info Suite in particular is a mod I don’t think I could live without at this point. It lets you see at a glance if that fish you just caught needs to go in a community center bundle, your daily luck, whose birthday it is, if there is anything good on TV, and like, so much more.

That said, Sometimes the amount of info they give you can be cluttered and overwhelming, but you can toggle the hover options off or on at any time.

If you’re a capitalist who HAS TO MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE, you’re gonna want Automate. This mod is a godsend. This mod is everything. I want to divorce my husband and marry this mod.

I can’t think of anything else.

#stardew omens #stardew valley #fred answers

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cozykhaos · 4 years

Text

A New Sun Part 13

Saturday morning I woke up to my head throbbing, my vision blurred every time I moved. My stomach lurched if I moved too quickly and my mouth tasted and felt like I had licked the field from one end of the farm to the other. After brushing my teeth several times and many cups of coffee I started to feel normal again. I spent the rest of the day in the Community Center writing lists of what I need to find. I realized I would need help. What was a Fiddlehead Fern? Where would I find an Eel? I obviously needed animals on the farm. Did someone have 25,000G laying around? I sure didn’t. How the hell do you grow a pomegranate?

I laid back on the floor, the ground underneath me groaned with my weight and the carpet squished against my body. I dug my palms into my eyes, what had I gotten myself into? Asher put his head on my shoulder and sighed.

“You’re telling me,” I looked at him. He had spent the days chasing the Junimos, every time he was close enough to catch them they would disappear in a cloud of sparkles. My dog would stare at the spot in confusion, once they reappeared they would start the game over.

I frowned at the list, if I had checked the mail sooner I would already have two bundles done. At this point it would a year before I finished. I pinched the bridge of my nose and headed out. Tomorrow was the first day of Summer and I wasn’t prepared at all. I would have enough money to buy seeds but until my first harvest it would be tight. Sitting on the front porch of my house I looked across the fields, the sun was starting to melt behind trees, the crickets started to chirp.

I remembered coming here the first day of my Summer vacation. Grandpa would always buy corn seeds, telling me how they lasted all the way through Fall. The fields would be blossoming with life.

Blueberries, melons, sunflowers, peppers, radishes, tomatoes. It was a lot of work, but now I was starting to realize that grandpa didn’t make me do that much. He would always let me go off and hang out with the others. Letting me enjoy my Summer.

Eos Farm wouldn’t have half that life this Summer.

Next year. The little voice inside me said and I agreed with it. With that in mind I went inside and rested up for the next day.

I made sure to be waiting outside of Pierre’s when it opened. I had a long day ahead of me and I was ready to get to work. As soon as the door unlocked I pulled it open, Asher darted inside, Pierre looked at me, shock written across his face.

“Good morning Kit!” He said.

“Morning!” I shoved a to go cup of coffee at him.

“Oh, thank you,” he took the cup. Ash had found a bone on one of the lower shelves, he marched up to me, drool already all over the bone. I frowned. “Not like we can put it back now.”

I picked up the seeds I needed, remembering the bundles I pulled out my list. My frown deepen.

“Everything okay?” Pierre asked from behind the counter.

I looked at him from over the shelf and gave him a thumbs up. I needed tomatoes and hot peppers to complete the bundle, I hadn’t considered budgeting for them. I put back a couple of corn seed packets.

I went to the front and paid.

It will all be worth it. The voice encouraged as I walked back home, bag in hand. Ash paraded in front of me, bone in mouth. My footsteps came to a halt as I noticed a black pick up parked outside the farm gate. Ash was now at my heels as I ran the rest of the way.

“Hey there Sunshine!” My dad waved from the front porch. I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. “What are you standing around for, let’s get to work.”

We sat on the porch the sun was melting behind the trees. We drank water infused with mint and lemons and ate cucumber and ranch sandwiches. The was valley was still, a few birds nested on my fence post, chirping.

“You know, this farming thing is hard,” my dad spoke in between bites of his sandwich.

“Yeah it is,” I nodded. “I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, helping grandpa out all those years. Turns out I have no fucking idea what I’m doing.”

“I don’t know, it looks like you have some fucking idea,” Dad nudged me with his elbow, shoving his chin towards the field. We had planted in neat rows, each mound damp with water. I had made little signs for each row and carved the name of the crop then shoved them deep into the soil.

“I wish I would of paid more attention when I was here. I wish I would of helped him more,” my voice broke.

“Sunshine, you were the light of your grandfather’s life and he appreciated you so much. He lived for these summers.”

Then you stopped coming.

Then he died.

Then Eos died.

I shook my head and focused on my fields, my farm.

“You’re going to be alright,” Dad said.

I looked at him and smiled. “Yeah, yeah I am.”

I slept that night in my old sleeping bag, Ash betrayed me and snuggled up to my dad who snuggled the pup to his chest and kissed his forehead goodnight. I don’t blame him, the bed was way more comfortable than the floor. One day I’d need a guest bedroom and a bigger bed.

My internal alarm didn’t fail me and woke me up before the actual alarm did. I woke dad up by pulling the pillow out from under his head. He bolted upright, Ash fell to the floor, scrambling under the bed. Dad had his gun out and was aiming it at no one. He blinked up at me. “Why would you do that!?”

“Power hour!” I yelled and started squatting, my knees popped loudly in protest.

His eyes went wide before he burst into laughter. I did my morning routine and met dad outside, he was sitting on the porch with Ash, coffee cup in hand.

“Sunrises are something else here.”

I looked towards the horizon, it was ablaze with golds and burst of pink.

“There is something else about the Valley.”

Dad left that afternoon, deciding that I had everything under control. His fair Irish skin was burned, his red hair disheveled and red beard was already grown out. I called him a pansy and hugged him goodbye. I finished weeding the field, and broke down more stones adding them to the pile next to my house. Sweat dripped down my forehead and into my eyes, stinging them. I pulled my boots off and set them by the front door. Ash stuck his head in one immediately pulling it back out and rubbed his nose on the ground.

“I’m gross, why would you even do that?” I asked him. He responded with a sneeze. I headed towards the mountains, barefoot. I’d search for the Foraging bundle that I needed for the Community Center. It was just the start of Summer and the heat was overbearing. The dry heat pressed down and very little of the ocean breeze reached the farm.

I passed in front of Robin’s house, I hadn’t talked to Linus since the Egg Festival and still wasn’t sure about the older man. I paused spying my dark haired friend in front of the mountain lake, looking out over the still glassy water. I thought back to when we would spend the morning in that lake, then running to the beach in the afternoon, ice creams in hand. I started running towards the water, passed Sebastian and canon balled into the lake. I heard a cry of surprise as I plunged downward into the crisp, cool water. I let myself sink to the bottom of the lake then kicked back to the surface. Sebastian was kneeling down, cigarette between two fingers. “A little warning next time?”

I beamed at him and swam to the edge of the lake. Ash and Asha were just off the shore playing together.

“Next time I scream while I’m running through the mountains.”

“Oh yeah, really set off the small town murder vibe,” he took a drag off his cigarette. “You know that water is gross.”

“Yeah, I heard fish pee in here,” I scrunched up my face in disgust. Sebastian cocked an eyebrow at me, but let out a little chuckle. “But seriously, I was disgusting just a few minutes ago, my stench alone probably killed a few plants on the way over.”

This time he snorted and shook his head. The dogs stopped at the sound, observing us then going back to their play time.

“So you came all this way to swim?” Sebastian asked. He was still kneeling down, his face hovered right above mine. I could easily grab him by the front of his shirt, pull his face down to mine..

STOP IT.

I shook the thoughts from my head. “I was actually looking for some things.”

“Ooh, scavenger hunt.”

“Not an exciting one.”

“Can we go into the mines?” Sebastian asked.

“Maybe later,” I thought back to my list that was in my bag at home. There was a lot I could use from the mine, slime, solar essence, quartz, a copper, iron and gold bar. “Right now I just need a grape, spice berry and sweet pea.”

Sebastian furrowed together in confusion. “What?”

I raised my voice. “A GRAPE, A SPICE BERRY AND A SWEET PEA.”

“Damn woman I heard you, I’m just confused.” Sebastian rubbed his ears. I chuckled, letting go of the side and floated backwards.

“A girl has to eat.”

“Can you even eat sweet peas?”

I thought back to a show I had watched the other night, ‘Living off the Land’ sweet peas were edible, but had no benefits. I shrugged then swam back over to the side and pulled myself out of the water. My clothes clung to me and water puddled around my feet. “So, are we going on this adventure?” I asked Sebastian.

He didn’t answer. I felt his dark eyes drag over my curves, roam over my body, ending at my bare toes.

“Bash?” My voice was barely a whisper, suddenly gone under his gaze.

“Kit,” my name coming from his lips caused a zip to run up my spine. “Kit,” he echoed and his eyes snapped to mine. “Towel?”

“Oh uh,” I looked down at toes, wiggling them in the puddle. Ash came over and licked at my legs. I glanced up and noticed Sebastian swallow and suddenly become extremely interested in a near by plant. “I can just go home and change, I probably should before I catch a cold.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian let out a nervous laugh. “We have to go by Marnie and Leah’s any ways. Best place to look is in that field.”

I was surprised, I expected him to back out. We walked back towards Eos, in silence but a comfortable one. At one point our hands bumped together, Sebastian withdrew his and buried them into his pockets. My heart clenched. Rejection. My greatest fear.

#A New Sun #Stardew Valley #Stardew Valley Fanfic #Stardew Valley Sebastian #Sebastian Stardew Valley #sdv sebastian #Sebastian SDV #Stardew Valley OC #Sebastian Stardew Valley Fanfiction #Sebastian x Farmer #Sebastian x OC

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jacksonroseroth · 4 years

Text

~Broken Glass~Chapter 3~

Warnings: Weed usage, swearing, mentions of PSTD and domestic

Words: 5,358

Moodboard made by me none of the pictures are mine

The next morning, Rose dragged herself to the kitchen, just after bright and early, after hearing Harlow banging around and singing. Shuffling slowly into the kitchen, she groaned in response to Harlow’s much too chipper, “Good morning!”

“What’s good about it? I have no job, who knows if I can find another decent one…” Rose grumbled, resting her head on the counter and curling her arms around her head. Harlow chuckled and shook her head as she moved around Rose and the kitchen.

“Come on, it’s not all that bad.” Harlow said, scooping eggs out of the pan on the stove and splitting them between two plates. “At least this happened after I got in the studio with Mod and not before. Then we’d really be screwed.”

“I still lost my fucking job, Low. It’s never a good thing.” Rose said, tilting her head to the side to watch her friend. “What are you doing?”

“It’s not a good thing, but it’s good timing. And it’s, like, low key a good thing? Issac was gonna end up with a biker boot up his ass if this kept up.” Harlow said, also placing two pieces of buttered toast and a scoop of fruit salad on each plate before picking them both up and bringing them to the island, setting it in front of her. “And this...Is breakfast.”

Rose snorted and sat up, pulling the plate closer to her and picking up the fork. “You made breakfast?” She teased. Harlow wrinkled her nose at her and chuckled.

“Well, my usual Rosie wasn’t up and at ‘em this morning, so...Yes.” She chuckled, taking a bite out of a piece of melon. Rose chuckled and shook her head, lazily pushing the eggs around on her plate, staring at it for a moment before taking a small bite. Harlow watched her friend and sighed. “Rose, come on. It’ll be okay. You’ll find another job.”

Rose shrugged and picked the crust off her toast. Harlow skewed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Rose before dropping the look and asking, “So, what’s the plan for the day?”

“The plan?” Rose asked with a scoff, briefly glancing up at her. “The plan is to smoke myself back the fuck to sleep and see what happens tonight.”

“Jesus Christ, Rose.” Harlow said, softly, shaking her head. “At least put out some applications. Not a lot, just a few. Test the water and see if you get a bite.”

Rose groaned and pushed the plate away, putting her head back down in her arms. “I hate applications, they’re bullshit. What I say on paper is different than how I act in a real work environment. I’m sick of having to bend to other people’s will like this…” She said. Harlow gave a soft sigh, also pushing her plate away, though slightly.

“Alright. I was going to just surprise you with it, but this mopey shit is already pissing me off and it’s barely even the first day.” Harlow said. Rose tilted her head again to look at her with an arched brow in a silent question. “I didn’t spend the wedding money on the house...Actually, there is no wedding money. When we left, Dad gave me enough for us to get by for a while. I put it in savings at a bank with interest.”

Rose blinked and sat up in shock. “Wait, wait. Why would you lie to me about that? Who’s paying rent then?!” Rose asked, her anxiety quickly speeding into overdrive, tailgated by guilt. Harlow chuckled and said, “Once you found the house, I told Dad. He said he’d pay for the rent since it was cheap enough he could afford it.”

Before Rose could go into a full panic, as Harlow saw the storm forming in her eyes, Harlow stopped her by saying, “Half my checks have been going into that same savings account, Rose. I’ve got a decent chunk of change. Plus our own savings, I’m close to being signed…” Harlow took a breath, excited and slightly emotionally about saying, “I’ve kept an eye on a studio for lease near Colson’s. It’s the perfect set up for a photo studio.”

Harlow’s smile widened as she saw the panic and anxiety melt into the tears that now filled Rose’s eyes. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice as even as possible as she said, “Wait, so, y-you-you’re-”

“I can go down there today, cash in hand, and sign the lease.” Harlow said. She chuckled as she added, “We still have your shit in storage so you don’t need to buy furniture, equipment, or props. You still have your portfolios. Fuck the writing, Rose. You can do this and do this well. Far better than you would have been at that fucking company. You answer to no one and you can be yourself.”

“Harlow, I can’t ask you to do that for me. It would cost way too much!” Rose protested. Harlow laughed and said, “Honey...I have almost 200,000 in my savings. Once I get signed, I can make that back in half the time. Take it, Rose. The studio is yours.”

Rose sniffled and wiped her face as Harlow chuckled and rounded the counter to wrap her arms around her friend as she cried into her hands. Tears pricked at Harlow’s eyes, tears she blinked away as she smiled and held her friend. They sat there for a moment until Rose returned the hug, briefly, then the pair pulled away from each other.

“Thank you, Harlow. I-I don’t even think I can pay you back for this.” Rose said. Harlow smiled and shook her head, going back to her seat.

“Bitch, all the shit you put up with for me with him? I’m paying you back, babe.” Harlow said. Rose sighed and a light smile pricked at her lips. With a chuckle and after scooping a mouthful of eggs, around the chewing Harlow asked, “So, now, what’s the plan for today?”

“Getting shit out of storage obviously!” Rose chuckled, grabbing tissues from the center of the island to blow her nose and wipe her face. With a final sniff and sigh, Rose added, “And we’d better get a move on it...I think we have plans for tonight.”

Harlow arched an eyebrow in surprise and asked, “Plans? Tonight? With who?”

Rose sighed as she pulled her plate closer again, nibbling at her toast. When she didn’t respond nor met Harlow’s gaze, Harlow straightened and her eyes went wide. “Did Colson call you this morning? Or last night?” She asked. Rose finally looked up and said, “Yes and no…”

“That’s not an answer!” Harlow cried. “He called you last night, didn’t he!? Oh, my God, he called you back.”

Harlow threw her head back and cackled, making Rose roll her eyes and snort. “Jesus. Calm the fuck down, dude.” She chuckled. Harlow’s cackles changed to snickers as she looked at Rose, smirking.

“I told you he was gonna call you back.” She said, pointing her fork at Rose. “Wait, so, he wanted both of us to come out?”

Rose chuckled and said, “He said him, Mod, and Rook were going to Galaxy.” It was all Rose needed to say. As she looked up at her friend, Harlow’s eyes were practically sparkling and she was grinning from ear to ear. She snickered and said, “Galaxy? I take it you didn’t tell him, then.”

“Right.” Rose scoffed, giving Harlow a look. Harlow chuckled and said, “So, what did you tell him? Please tell me you said yes.”

“I said, I usually worked Fridays and I forget stuff when I work...So, he said he’d text me and remind me tonight.” Rose said. “So, there’s no definitive answer.”

Harlow snorted. “No definitive answer. Please, he texts you and the answer is yes.” Harlow said. A smirk crossed her face as she added, “Shit, if Rook is going? I’ll go without you.”

“Thanks, Low. Glad to know I’ve got you by my side.” Rose chuckled. Harlow shrugged and giggled. “It’s Galaxy, so I’m sure we would have gone anyway.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Harlow said, taking another bite. “But you’re going to say yes. I will take your phone.”

The pair giggled and changed the subject back to Rose’s future photo studio.

Instead of pulling Rose’s equipment out of storage, they took inventory of what she had and what she needed, since most of the stuff was old and worn down. After making the list, Harlow made the call to the number off the For Lease sign and made an appointment for Saturday to sign the papers and get the keys. Rose was so excited about getting into the studio as soon as she could and start putting it together, most of the day flew by. Before she realized it, it was 7:30 when her phone rang for the first time all day and it made her jump.

Are you and Harlow coming out tonight? Colson’s text read, followed by a series of emojis. Color bloomed in Rose’s cheeks as she sat back and replied. Noticing she had gone quiet, Harlow looked up from her notebook.

“What are you smiling for?” Harlow chuckled. Before Rose could respond, Harlow perked up even more and said, “Holy fuck, is it Colson!?”

Harlow let out a triumphant squeal, then giggled as she abandoned her songs and rushed to Rose. “Lemme see!” Harlow laughed. Rose quickly locked her phone and kept it away from her.

“Girl, chill!” Rose shouted with a laugh. “I said yes. We’re gonna meet them at 9.”

“9?!” Harlow cried, ending the fight for the phone. “It’s 7:30 now!”

“Ya. Good thing we both have our own bathrooms.” Rose said, moving her laptop off her legs and getting up. Harlow gave her a look. “Hey, take it up with the Gunner. He’s the one who texted me this late.”

“Jesus. Now I have to figure out my hair!” Harlow said as they both headed back to their rooms.

“Just throw the bitch up in curlers.” Rose said. Harlow scoffed and shouted from her bedroom, “Easy for you to say! Your hair curls like it’s nothing!”

“Yup. It’s a blessing and a curse.” Rose laughed. Both women quickly showered then did their hair and light makeup. Rose damn near tore apart her closet before she settled on a pair of ripped, black skinny jeans and a deep blue wrap top. She managed to find her black leather jacket while she searched for her black and white chucks, pulling them both on before she went to check on Harlow.

“Low, it’s 8:45.” Rose said, peeking into her room. Harlow glanced at her through her mirror as she touched up her hair. Harlow wore a red plaid cardigan over an old, faded Guns ‘N Roses top. She also wore ripped jeans, though Harlow’s were a soft blue jean.

“I know! I know! Can you find my high tops? I can’t fucking find them.” Harlow said, turning off her straightener and slipping a few rings onto her fingers. Rose chuckled.

“You mean the ones you always wear that are in the hall closet?” Rose questioned, making Harlow groan before she said, “Damnit. I forgot.”

Rose shook her head at her friend then went back to her room to grab her phone, wallet, and keys. Slipping them into her pocket, she then quickly spritzed herself with her favorite vanilla perfume before joining Harlow in the hall as they headed for the door. Harlow pulled her all black high tops from the closet and quickly pulled them on.

“Ready?” Harlow chirped, bouncing out of the open front door Rose stood in front of. Rose shook her head and chuckled, following her out then locking the door before going to her Yukon and unlocking it.

Colson, Mod, and Rook were able to get into Galaxy with minimal problems. They weren’t a lot of fans roaming around in Asiantown, but once they got in, Colson and Mod ran into a few of them. They bought their first round of drinks and took a few pictures before leaving them to their table.

“So, who’s this chick you invited?” Rook asked as he sipped his drink. Colson chuckled and said, “Her friend is coming too. Harlow Derry. She’s working with Mod on a few collabs before she gets signed.”

“Harlow is the friend?” Rook asked with a smirk, noticing Colson didn’t answer his original question. Colson nodded as he took a sip of his drink.

“Yup. And she’s all yours, bro.” He chuckled, reaching across the table to clap Rook on the back. Rook smirked and shook his head, taking a glance around the bar as he took another sip. Colson turned to Mod and said, “So, what do you think of Harlow? She’s got some good talent.”

Mod nodded and said, “Yeah. She does. She’s got a pretty good range and it seems like she dabbles in a few different genres.”

Colson smiled. “Good. I figured you two would work well together.” He said. Mod nudged him.

“Are you gonna sign her though? Or give her to Rostrum?” Mod asked. Colson nodded and shifted as he set down his drink.

“Oh, I’m gonna sign her. She had enough talent for that off the bat. I really wanted to see what she could come up with on her own not just a cover contest.” Colson said with a chuckle. Mid chuckled as well, though it was cut short as he became distracted by the door opening and two familiar faces walked in. Mod’s smirk widened as he nudged Colson again, pointing past him as he said, “Your girl’s here.” Colson turned and smiled, waving them over.

Rose didn’t know why, but when she caught the sight of Colson as he waved them over, she felt her stomach flutter as Harlow eagerly pulled her along through the crowd. When they reached the table, Colson gave Harlow a brief hug before she broke away to bounce over to Mod as he stood and came around the table to greet them.

“Hi!” Harlow chirped, wrapping her arms around his neck. Mod laughed and hugged her back. Rose shook her head at Harlow before she stepped up and turned to Colson. His smile grew a little more as she approached, which only multiplied the butterflies in her stomach.

“Hey. Glad you guys made it.” He said, sliding an arm around her waist in a side hug.

“Yeah, thanks for the invite. I hear this place is pretty good.” Rose said with a smirk. Colson chuckled.

“That’s what Mod said. He found the place.” Colson said, moving down a chair as everyone sat back down. Mod had already introduced Harlow to Rook and the two of them went off on a spiel about her shirt, that devolved into their favorite bands.

Since the karaoke didn’t start until 9:30, they spent the next half hour swapping stories; Mainly the guys and Harlow while Rose sat back and listened, amused, with Colson’s arm draped over the back of her chair. Just before the karaoke started, their cover was blown as the KJ saw them and came over.

“Rose! Harlow! Where have you two been?!” The man called as he approached their table. He was a short Hispanic man, but big with energy, especially on Karaoke nights.

“Hey, Berto.” Harlow said, hugging him back as he gave her a side hug. Colson and Rook exchanged looks before Colson looked from Rose to Harlow and asked, “I thought you guys hadn’t been here before?”

“Hadn’t been here? They’re our opening and closing performers!” Berto laughed. Colson looked at Rose and smirked.

“You sing?” He asked teasingly. Rose’s cheeks heated as she corrected, “I don’t sing...I have my favorite songs to sing. There’s a difference.”

Colson chuckled while Harlow said, “Did you not recognize the place, Colson? This is where the contest was that my song went viral. That’s how you found me on Youtube.”

“Oh, shit! Yeah, this does look familiar, now that you mention it. I never knew the name of the place though.” Colson said, looking around and putting two and two together. Berto finally realized who all was sitting at the table and said, “Oh, wait-You’re Machine Gun Kelly! Holy Shit!” Berto said with a smile. “Are you guys gonna sing? I’ve got a few of your songs.”

Colson chuckled and said, “Yeah, bro. We’ll get up for a few songs.”

Berto’s smile widened. “Awesome. Let me know when y’all want to come up. I’ll put you guys in the lineup.” He said. The three men nodded and smiled in agreement. Berto looked at Harlow and Rose then asked, “What do you guys want to sing first?”

“Oh, I’m not singing tonight.” Rose piped up before Harlow could answer for them. She gave a disappointed Berto a sweet smile and said, “I’m just observing tonight.”

“Rosie, come on! There’s never been a time when we didn’t sing here.” Harlow complained. Rose chuckled and said, “Yes, there has.”

With an eye roll, Harlow asked, “When?”

“Tonight.” Rose stated, causing the rest of the table to laugh. Harlow chuckled before she turned to Berto and said, “Start me with one of my usual songs.”

“Alright, Har. I’ve got you, babe.” Berto said, giving her a final hug. Harlow whispered something in his ear then broke the embrace. He smiled at the group then hurried up to the KJ booth to start. “Alright, ladies and gents, guys and gals. Starting us off tonight--You know her, you love her. Let me hear a big round of applause for Helly Harley Carley!”

The bar roared to life as Harlow smiled, downed her drink and skipped up to the mic as Rock Show by Halestorm started. Harlow put on quite the show, getting the bar patrons excited then they started filling out song slips. Colson watched her closely. Seeing her performance in person was much different than seeing her on Youtube. The energy she gave off was the same, but experiencing it made him more sure than ever; This was an artist he wanted signed to his label.

Rook was equally impressed, as was Mod, considering the songs they covered in the studio one day prior were his own songs and a few other ballad covers. The smiles never left the men’s faces throughout her performance; Mod eager to her her own songs, Colson trying to hide his excitement about his decision, and Rook’s eyes were glued to her as was the smirk on his face. Rose sat back, leaning against Colson, as she watched her best friend. She chuckled softly, watching Harlow get real into the song and kept her energy up until the final note.

The bar roared with applause again as Harlow put the mic back on the stand and chuckle as she made her way back to the table. As she slipped into her seat, Harlow said, with a giggle, “And that my friends, is how you start karaoke night.”

For most of the night, Harlow was the only one between her and Rose to sing. She always pleaded with Rose to do just one duet, but Rose declined.

“You’re gonna sing tonight. One way or another.” Harlow said, taking the shot Rook offered as he and Colson came back to the table with refilled drinks. Both Mod and Harlow snickered at each other as they started a brief, drunken rendition of One Way Or Another, making Rose roll her eyes.

“I’m not singing tonight, Low.” Rose chuckled, taking her drink from Colson. Harlow laughed, swaying along with Mod as their drunken ramblings ended and took the shot, toasting with Rook before they both downed them, then she smirked.

“Oh, I think you will.” Harlow said. Rose shook her head as she chucked and turned to Mod as he started up a conversation with her. However, the conversation didn’t last long.

“Okay, thank you, Joel, for that riveting rendition of Born To Be Wild: Up next!” Berto called into the mic. “We have our very own Rose! Singing Power Over Me By Dermont Kennedy! Come on up, Rosie!”

Rose looked up in horror and almost dropped her drink. Harlow snickered and exchanged a look with Rook before the pair started up the chant, Rosie! Rosie! Rosie! When the rest of the crowd took up the chant, Rose shot Harlow a death glare. Yet Harlow didn’t let up and Rose didn’t give in until Colson and Mod stopped laughing and instead began pounding rhythmically on the table, taking up the chant as well.

“Come on Rose.” Berto teased over the mic. “Your fans are waiting.”

Rose sighed then downed the rest of her drink before she got up and made her way up to the mic. Accompanied by applause, Rose sighed and stepped up onto the stage and stood in front of the mic stand.

Oh. Dear. God. Rose thought. She only had a moment more to allow for her anxiety before the song started. It was one of her favorite songs to karaoke, but with Colson, Mod, and Rook watching on, it made things a little more nerve racking.

Once the song started and the music thrummed through her as well as the alcohol, her anxiety slowly melted away and she sank into the song. She started off strong enough, but once she got to the chorus, she completely gave into it. Rose pulled the mic off the stand and sang as she moved around the stage. At certain points, she turned the mic to the crowd, who were able to sing along as the words were on all the TV screens, in case some people were too shy to come up to the stage, they could sit anywhere and still sing.

“-But I know that time’s gonna take me, I know that day’s gonna come. I just want the devil to hate me, oh, I.” As Rose sang, her eyes eventually met Colson’s and his smile widened as she continued, her own smile growing.

Harlow clapped and cheered the loudest as Rose sang, the song nearing its end. Rose sang the words, full of emotion and eyes tightly shut as she sang. She opened them for the last verse, fully smiling as the bar patrons cheered and danced along. Rose was relieved when the song ended and she returned the mic to its stand. Applause escorted Rose off the stage as she made her way through the bar, back to their table.

Colson had moved up a seat while she sang, and now smirked at her as she approached. “You don’t sing.” He teased, making Rose’s cheeks tint pink. She gave a light chuckle and said, “I don’t.”

“Yes. She sings.” Harlow said proudly, as she reached over to wrap her arms around Rose’s neck in a brief hug. “She’s very talented but very shy...Until you get a few drinks in her.”

The table laughed and shot a few comments around. One of the regulars passed them and said a quick ‘Good job tonight, Rose’, causing Rose to turn and smile, thanking her. As quick as the encounter was, Rose’s eye was quickly drawn to a man on the other side of the bar, staring at her. Panic and anxiety shot through her as her smile dropped. She quickly turned around as her heart pounded with the impending panic attack that was forming.

The conversation carried on until Harlow turned to her friend and saw the look on her face. Immediately concerned, Harlow touched her arm and said, “Rosie, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes darted around, pointed at the table as her mind raced. Rose felt Harlow’s hand touch her arm, but she didn’t react to it, merely responding, “U-Um...I-I think the-the drinks a-are, um, hitting me. I-I need some air.”

Rose turned to head out the front door, but her path would lead her too close to the man that still watched her. She let out a soft whimper that caught Colson’s attention and he turned to her.

“Rose, wh-Rose!” Colson called as Rose promptly turned and rushed out to the back alley. Looking at Harlow, he asked, “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.” Harlow said, genuine concern on her face. She moved to follow her, but Colson was already up and stopped her, saying, “I’ve got her.”

Harlow laid a hand on Colson’s arm as he passed, scanning the bar. Her eyes fell on the same man, who was now smirking into his drink.

Rose burst into the alley behind the bar as she tried to keep her breathing steady. Her thoughts rushed around in her head and made her dizzy. She stumbled a little before grasping at the wall to keep her standing. She began mumbling to herself, unaware of the man that was already out there, smoking.

“You okay, sweetheart?” The man asked, taking a step closer and looking her over with a smirk.

“I-I-I’m fine.” Rose said, trying to ignore him. She felt a hand on her shoulder to which she turned and shoved him away. “Fuck off, bro.”

The man laughed and said, “Come on, honey…”

Another pair of hands grabbed her from behind, though in her foggy state, she didn’t register how gentle the hands were. Startled and slightly annoyed by the new pair of seemingly unwelcome hands, Rose threw her elbow back, catching Colson in the jaw.

“Fuck! Rose, it’s me! Jesus…” At Colson’s voice, Rose turned and gasped softly.

“Jesus. Colson, I-I’m sorry.” She said, laying a hand on his arm in concern. Colson shook his head, rubbing his jaw.

“Hey, buddy? The lady and I were having a talk.” The man said. Colson stepped in front of her, curling a protective arm around Rose.

“Didn’t look like it.” Colson shot. The man scoffed and said, “What? Are you her boyfriend?”

“Yeah. Don’t fucking touch my girl.” Colson shot, annoyed. The man stepped up to him, both men ready to fight, but Rose sighed and pushed Colson aside before she aimed at the man’s crotch and kicked.

“I said, fuck off.” Rose spat at the man, now curled on the floor, cupping himself. Colson was shocked and impressed by the bold move, but quickly took her arm and led her out of the alley, back onto the street. Rose took a deep breath as she stumbled onto the street.

“Hey. Rose.” Colson’s gentle voice and warm hand on her arm made her turn to him. She let out a soft sigh as he pulled her with him, walking back to lean against the fence in front of Galaxy. Rose tried not to claw at him as the panic came screaming back and she tried to maintain her breathing. “Hey, hey. Baby, you’ve gotta breathe.”

“I’m-I-I’m trying.” Rose said with a soft whine. Colson cupped her face and brought it to his. Rose’s eyes werre shut tight as she tried to pull herself through it.

“Rose. Hey. Look at me.” Colson said, gently. Her eyes snapped open and she placed her hands on his shoulders. She struggled to keep her focus on his face, taking in his features as she tried to ground herself. He gave her a light smile and said, “Good. Good. Look at me. Breathe, babe. Come on.”

He took a deep breath that Rose tried to follow, breathing brokenly. Colson took her, breath by breath, for a while, moving his hands to her waist and Rose pressing her forehead to his, slowly closing her eyes again.

“There you go. Come on. In and out, Rose.” Colson said, continuing to breathe with her until it evened out. Her deep breaths grew longer and stronger. A light smirk whisked across his face when her hands drifted up to spread across his cheeks and slightly into his hair, curling her fingers around the strands, lightly. “Good, Rose. Good. Hey…”

Rose let out a final breath and opened her eyes to look at him. His smile widened a little as she pulled away from him, leaning back as she dropped her hands back to his shoulders.

“Better?” He asked. A small smile flitted across her face as she nodded then took a step away from him, with a deep sigh. Colson sat back and watched Rose glance around before pulling her jacket closed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the fence next to him. He patted himself down to find his lighter and a joint. Lighting it, Colson glanced over at her, making sure the joint was lit before offering it to her saying, “So...What happened?”

Rose took the joint and took a hit before she sighed and said, “My ex is in the bar.”

She took another hit, then passed it back to him as he snickered, softly. “Shit.” Colson said, taking a toke. Holding it in, he continued, “I know that feeling.” Blowing out the smoke, he took another hit then passed it back, saying, “But why the panic attack?”

Rose shrugged as she took a big hit. “Seeing him just brought it all back; The anxiety, panic, PTSD…” She said, blowing out a line of smoke. Colson’s head snapped over to her as she took a few more hits.

“PTSD?” Colson questioned. Rose looked at him for a moment, then looked away. He took his time before asking his next question, not wanting to set her off again. Finally, he asked, “Did he hit you?”

Rose huffed out the smoke and handed him the joint to shut him up, keeping her gaze low. Colson sighed and shook his head, her silence answer enough. Rose shoved her hands into her pockets after zipping up her jacket and said, “There’s a lot of reasons I left home, but he’s the main reason.”

Colson shook his head and took a final hit before passing the joint back to her. Before she could even lift the joint to her lips, Colson pushed himself off the fence and headed for the bar. She barely got a hit before he darted off.

“Colson! Son of a bitch.” She muttered, stamping the joint out on the sole of her shoe. She shoved the joint into her pocket and took off after him. She caught up to him and his Ent size strides just as he reached he door and pulled it open to scan the bar. Rose took his hand and tugged, lightly. “Colson. Seriously, don’t.”

“Which one is he?” Colson asked. He took a step inside to let the door close making Rose move to stand in front of him, placing her injured hand lightly on his chest then turned to quickly scan the bar. She unfortunately caught his eye again and she tensed. Colson felt her grip tighten and he looked down at her, quickly following her gaze. He saw the man staring at her with an evil smirk and it made his hands twitch. When Colson pulled his hand from hers, Rose turned to him, ready to stop him from any confrontation if need be.

Instead, Colson stared the man down and put an arm around her waist, leading her back to their table. She was relieved that Colson didn’t go after him, but he was still in the bar and her anxiety stuck around because of it. When they reached the table, Harlow jumped out of her chair and pulled her friend into a hug.

“Rose.” Harlow sighed softly before breaking the embrace. “Are you okay? How did he even fucking know we’re here?”

“I’m fine, Lowey. I’m fine.” Rose said, letting out a steady breath as she restrained herself from looking at him again. “Um, if you want to stay, you can but I think I’m gonna go home.”

“No, no, no. I’ll go with you.” Harlow said. Rose opened her mouth to proste when she was cut off.

“Rosie.” She tensed and gripped Harlow’s hand as Harlow shot a death glare past Rose’s shoulder. Rose turned and stared into the ice cold eyes she hoped she’d never see again.

Hope you guys liked it. If you want to be added to my taglist for this and/or future MGK/Colson stories, let me know! If you have any comments, feel free!

@badwolf-in-the-impala @findingmyths @kellsfanficalltogether @mgkobsessed @sparxx27 @youbelongeverywhere @delibervtion @cicipenguin91 @crazyxreader @mayaslifeinabox @enchantedamusedslightlyconfused

#MGK #MGK Fic #MGK Fan Fic #Machine Gun Kelly #Machine Gun Kelly Fic #Machine Gun Kelly Fan Fic #Colson Baker #Colson Baker fic #Colson Baker Fan Fic #EST #ESTXX

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morning-walk · 4 years

Text

I just came in from my morning walk.

(If you are especially bored this morning you might check out my blog from yesterday afternoon.)

My devotions led me to this.

I don't have much going for me but I have this.

When I find I am drinking too much coffee I cut back.

When I gain too much weight I lose it.

When I realized how truly horrible and truly consuming television is I quit it.

When it comes time to acknowledge and celebrate folks who have other things going for them I party.

I don't feel any need to ask anyone else to do what I do in any of these things.

It would be a waste of my time.

I am not programmed to waste.

That's why I was so shocked that my melons were so overrun with crab grass.

As I stood at the end of the row with my hoe in hand I apologized to them.

I'd wasted several hours reading vacuous and deluded posts on Facebook.

I'd become fascinated with the ways of folks.

Ways I've long known and, for the most part, avoided.

So my melons were suffering.

Not anymore.

When I looked back on that clean row I felt renewed.

I don't have much going for me but I have this.

I control but one life and I am not going to let it get out of control.

Besides, I like melons.

As or Friend and I were walking a surprisingly cool hike this morning I did another thing I control. I confessed and repented. I get a lot of practice at that one. He didn't blink an eye but smiled at me and said...

"I just finished weeding too."

Your move.

Brother Pat

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naturalholisticlivingwellness · 3 years

Text

Here’s a couple of things I’ve learned in my short time of dealing with natural health. Almost all of what ails us (including mental health) boils down to 4 things:

Nutrient Deficiency

Hormone Imbalance

Poor Gut Health

Toxin Overload

So how can we fix these?

Well, if you HAD to put those four items down to one, it would be gut health followed closely by detoxing (they go hand in hand).Why? Because we have almost as many neurons in our gut as we do our brain, we absorb nutrients through our gut, 70-80% of our immune system is in our gut, and the gut is responsible for the production of neurotransmitters and many of our hormones. Basically, it’s in the top 4 most important organs of the body after the brain, lungs and heart.

But how do we take care this often overlooked organ?

Well for one what we put into our body DOES matter, especially for children who are still developing. Have you ever looked at the ingredients in most food here in America? Just go to the store and pick up something random off the shelf and look at what makes it. Odds are, the list of ingredients are an inch long in small print with only a few items that you can actually recognize and pronounce. Some of those items are everyday items like sodium bicarbonate which is baking soda. Others are toxic carcinogens that somehow have been deemed “safe” for ingestion in the United States but are entirely banned in other countries! 🤔

So if you want a good rule of thumb, read the ingredients and avoid eating anything that you don’t know what it is, at least until you do some research on what each ingredient is. If you can’t pronounce it, it shouldn’t be going in (or on!) your body. If you can, try to avoid traditionally branded, prepackaged and shelf-stable “food”. What makes it shelf stable is a bunch of chemicals and very little nutrients.

Okay, so basically just go around the outside of the grocery store to get the fresh stuff and avoid the stuff in the middle right?

Well, yes and no. That’s certainly an improvement, but there’s still tons of toxins and junk in that food. Even something an unassuming as a fresh piece of fruit of vegetables could be covered in a whole bunch of yuck. For one, did you know that farmers use Glyphosate to bring all crops, especially cereal grains like wheat, to ripeness all at the same time? Now, you might be asking, what the heck is that? It’s more commonly referred to as a popular weed killer called “Round Up”! If you may recall, that particular brand is part of a lawsuit for it being carcinogenic, which means it can cause cancer. Many traditional fruits and vegetables have been genetically modified to withstand being sprayed with Round Up and other herbicides, which means that it gets absorbed and stored into the plants because it doesn’t kill it. Yuck!

The best choice when it comes to getting fruits and vegetables is to get items labeled organic and/or non-gmo because they are not legally allowed to be labeled as organic if they have been modified in any way. If all organic is a bit pricy for you, check out this list of the dirty dozen and clean fifteen.

Huh? What’s that? Well, the dirty dozen is a list of foods that if you get them should be bought organic because they contain a bunch of pesticide residue even if you peel and wash them, while the clean fifteen have minimal or no pesticide residue and can be bought without being organic.

So here’s 2021’s Dirty Dozen list according the EWG:

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Kale, Collards and Mustard Greens

4. Nectarines

5. Apples

6. Grapes

7. Cherries

8. Peaches

9. Pears

10. Peppers (Bell and Hot)

11. Celery

12. Tomatoes

I don’t know about you, it most of those are staples in our house!

Now for the clean fifteen!

1. Avocados

2. Sweet Corn (may still be genetically modified)

3. Pineapple

4. Onions

5. Papaya (may be genetically modified)

6. Frozen sweet peas

7. Eggplant

8. Asparagus

9. Broccoli

10. Cabbage

11. Kiwis

12. Cauliflower

13. Mushrooms

14. Honeydew Melon

15. Cantaloupe Melon

For a complete list of of clean and dirty produce, check out the link here: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

Okay, so now you know about produce, but what about animal products? This should be okay right? Uh, no. Far from it actually. Many big industrial farms and meat companies are actually quite horrible. In fact, Tyson foods is one of the biggest contributors to the agricultural waste that gets pumped into the Gulf of Mexico, effectively creating a literal dead zone on the coast. 😱🤮 on top of that, many animals are kept in areas where there is overcrowding, disease and stress/elevated cortisol levels. These all lead to less than ideal meat.

Your best bet for animal products is pastured raised and organic. It’s more expensive, but that’s because they are legally required to give each animal more space and they can only use natural medicine (no antibiotics or added hormones at all).

So that‘s all you need to do to help heal your gut? Better food?

Sadly, still no. Food isn’t the only source of chemicals that mess with our guts. What we use to clean our homes and our bodies are just as bad. Makeup, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, perfume, dishwashing soap and detergent, laundry detergent, hand sanitizer, General household cleaners etc. Anything that contains the word “fragrance” on the label alone could have over 3,000 chemicals that mess with all kinds of things. Not even including what’s in our water It can be overwhelming! So how can we lessen those toxins?

-Filter the water you drink

- get an air purifier

- swap out your toiletries and cleaners for better alternatives.

Here’s some cleaning alternatives:

-Earthley’s Cleaning Line

-Norwex (not 100% clean because of the micro fibers, but still better than the stuff you breathe in)

-Thieves Cleaning Line from Young Living (use with caution with young children and animals)

-Nelly’s

-Branch Basics

-My GreenFills

For Make-up I’ve seen people use

-Poofy

-Crunchi

-Savvy Minerals by Young Living

For toiletries this is what I would use

-Carina Organics for liquid shampoo and conditioner

-Earthley for deodorant, bar soap, dry shampoo, tooth powder

-Young Living for toothpaste and mouth rinse (I do not like their hair products personally).

Skin care

-Passport to Organics

-The Green Esthetician on Facebook

-Earthley’s Skin Care line

To finish up helping the gut, I would recommend detoxing and some gut support items. For this I would use the following

-if you have amalgam fillings, are breastfeeding or detoxing infants, I would use a zeolite spray like TRS. If not, I would recommend V****** detox from Earthley

-Fulvic acid

-Morning Complete from Activated You (they also have a probiotic supplement

-High quality fermented foods

The following are from Earthley

-Liver Love

-Gut Health Oil

-Good Night Lotion (promotes healthy bowel movements)

-Digest Support (half an hour before each meal in water)

-Digest Ease

-UT Relief

-Lymphatic Cream

-Caster Oil Packs

Once you’ve cleaned up your gut health, you should see a great improvement in many areas of your life. Keep in mind two key things: 1. you get what you pay for (cheaper may not be healthier when it comes to food and other items). 2. anything worth doing takes quite a bit of time (sometimes months or years) and fixing your health is no exception.

To find resources for cleaner and cheaper food than the grocery store or some of the alternatives I suggested, please check out my linktree here: https://linktr.ee/Donezzia!

Hope this helps you all!

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edgewaterfarmcsa · 3 years

Text

CSA WEEK 14

P I C K L I S T

RASPBERRIES!!! - WATERMELON - GREEN KALE - LEMONGRASS - ASIAN EGGPLANT - THAI BASIL - SWEET CARMEN PEPPERS - SHISHITO PEPPERS - DANGJO CHEONG YANG HOT PEP - CARROTS - ONION - GARLIC

Pooh Sprague (original farmer at Edgewater with wife and fastest bean picker Anne) infrequently updates a blog on our website -Pooh’s Corner- that offers his seasonal farming perspective etc… he posted this on Tuesday (September 14th), just in time for the CSA newsletter, thought yall might like checking in on Pooh’s thoughts…

PRO-TIPS:

Shishitooooosssss!! You know what to do, but if you have forgotten: bring these peps right to your pan or grill, shmear in olive oil and fry or grill until popped and blistered. Salt and Devour immediately

FOR NOTES ON LEMONGRASS AND HOW TO USE:

Scroll back to week 10 and read up on all things lemongrass.

BUT FOR MY FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH LEMONGRASS, SEE:

TOM KHA SOUP (Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk)

8 oz. (226 g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces

20 canned straw mushrooms

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths and pounded

6 kaffir lime leaves , lightly bruised to release the flavor

6 slices galangal

8 bird's eye chilies, lightly pounded

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Add water, lemongrass, galangal, chilies, kaffir lime leaves into a pot and bring it to boil. Add straw mushrooms and chicken and boil it on medium heat for a few minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add coconut milk and boil for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat and add lime juice and fish sauce to taste. Add chopped cilantro before serving.

If you can't find galangal, do not use ginger. Ginger is not the substitute for galangal. "Tom Kha" means galangal in Thai. However, if you absolutely can't find galangal and still wish to make this because you love this soup so much, just make it without galangal.

https://rasamalaysia.com/tom-kha-gai-recipe-thai-coconut-chicken-soup/

Spicy eggplant from the burma superstar cook book

Curry style eggplant awesome over rice.

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1-2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno

1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Handful of fried garlic chips (for how to on garlic chips: again head to our CSA BLOG and scroll back to CSA week 6)

Cilantro or thai basil sprigs for garnish

1 lime or lemon cut into wedges for garnish

Season the eggplant with salt and scatter onto a clean dish towel. Let it sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients, at least 10 minutes. Once the eggplant begins to bead with water, wrap the towel lightly and squeeze to remove excess liquid from the eggplant.

In a wok or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the eggplant begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the eggplant and transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in the wok. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent scorching, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, fresh and fried chiles, and shrimp paste and cook until the onions are completely soft and starting to turn golden, 3 more minutes.

Add the turmeric and paprika and then stir in the eggplant and about ½ cup of water. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft and most of the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with fish sauce, adding more for a saltier flavor, and squeeze a wedge or two of lime over the top. Serve in a bowl and top with cilantro (and or thai basil!). Offer extra lime wedges along side.

The 7th Inning Stretch September 14, 2021: We are approaching mid September here. School is back in session and as if that weren’t a wake-up call, we are staring down the ultimate harbinger of fall with the arrival of the World’s Fair in Tunbridge, VT. Surely the days will start getting much shorter now, and we often remark about it. We will see the breaking out of sweatshirts, neoprene picking gloves, rain gear and wool toques. In their orange rain pants the crew looks like they just came off the boat from the TV series “Deadliest Catch.” As the season winds down, many farmers are licking their seasonal wounds. We are -in farmer terms- “just past the 7th inning stretch” in our seasons, and there is still much to accomplish. This includes a lot of planting and seeding within the greenhouses to serve the late fall CSA. Our onions are gathered up, the first of three plantings of carrots up and in the cooler, and if Mike can find enough parts between our two old potato harvesters to make one functional harvester, we will soon be digging our 6 acres of potatoes. Once that crop is all graded, sized and stored in our barn, we can start washing and shipping them. We can then turn our attention to: cleaning up the place; planting next year’s garlic; readying the strawberries with sprays and mulching for next spring; fixing broken doors and sills in our funky collection of old greenhouses. Then the contracts will expire on the Jamaican crew, and they will head home to tend their own farms by early November. Plenty to do, and seemingly insufficient time and bodies to make it through the list. I have heard the muttering of “I wouldn’t mind a good frost now….” and this time it didn’t come from my lips first. On many farms, the wet July here in the Twin States brought forth an epic surge of weed germination and growth…and Edgewater was no exception. We daily watched the galinsoga engulf the strawberries, with no spare hours available to get in there and clean it out. We are looking for a good frost to freeze it down, leaving the strawberries to bask in the filtering fall sunlight without competition. Fortunately, the strawberry plants are in very good shape, and we are (perhaps foolishly) getting optimistic about our spring prospects. But everyone is busy harvesting and packing out 10 hours a day, and soon the light levels will dictate just how long we will be able to work in the fields. Despite a crop failure with pumpkins and winter squash, we have an almost epic fall raspberries crop. Trying to harvest and move that crop is mopping up a lot of extra hours. In the farmstand we have had to close down on Mondays for the rest of the season, because of a labor shortage, and we have had to reschedule the help we have. Labor shortage or not, our melons,tomatoes, pepper, cut flowers, leeks will be out there for another 4 weeks unless a frost stops them in their steps. Weather continues to be the biggest challenge and unknown for farmers, along with a dearth of local labor. Our season started hot and droughty from the end of March until the end of June. It was abnormally hot for so early in the growing season, and that created some minor problems in the greenhouses, but there was a non-stop 10-15 mph breeze or wind that just never abated. I felt like we were trying to farm in Pueblo, Colorado. The lack of rain was tough enough, but the constant wind withered and devastated transplanted crops. Then, the weather changed, and in 20 minutes we got an inch of rain, and it then continued to rain off and on for a month. A lot of disease showed up, so we were confronted with trading one extreme problem for another. However, August turned up benignly normal, and with adequate moisture the potatoes sized up and the field tomatoes and melons kicked into gear. We have been challenged, but thus far undamaged, by hurricanes. Many of my seacoast friends prepared for the worst wind event they hoped never to see. Weather models were in constant flux for us here in the Upper Valley. On the Saturday that Hurricane Ida was making landfall on Long Island, the forecast for us from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was calling for a range of 2-12” of rain. I understand that weather forecasting is not an exact science, but for me there is a big difference in the amount that 2” dumps and what 12 “ would look like. At two inches I would get the tractor bucket out after the storm passes, and do a little touch-up work on our gravel roads and driveways. After twelve inches in so few hours I would be knee-deep in insurance claims, as well as sleeping and cooking meals in our farmstand….for a long time, too. What did we really get in the end? In what was forecast to be the middle of the storm, I went out and mowed my lawn. And I could not have been happier to be doing so. Fall will always be a great season to me. There is plenty of natural color in the pumpkins, ornamental corn, and chrysanthemums as well as on the trees in the woods. The warmth in this season is welcome, as opposed to the intense sun and heat of summer. Fall crops roll into the pack house: beets, potatoes, turnip, carrots. Onions, garlic, leeks and cabbage. When it's cold, we can add a couple of thin layers of clothes to keep warm until the sun burns through the fall fogs and warms us. Migratory birds come and go, and soon we will start to lure the songbirds to the birdfeeders. In deep fall, the woodstove starts to operate with greater frequency. Then one day in November, it (the woodstove) will start its full time nonstop operation until late April, when the sun once more strengthens its grip on us all.

PRO-TIPS:

FOR NOTES ON LEMONGRASS AND HOW TO USE: head to the CSA blog - yes! Did you know that these newsletters get posted weekly on our web page? https://www.edgewaterfarm.com/csa-blog…

Scroll back to week 10 and read up on all things lemongrass.

BUT FOR MY FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH LEMONGRASS, SEE:

TOM KHA SOUP (Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk)

8 oz. (226 g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces

20 canned straw mushrooms

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths and pounded

6 kaffir lime leaves , lightly bruised to release the flavor

6 slices galangal

8 bird's eye chilies, lightly pounded

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

https://rasamalaysia.com/tom-kha-gai-recipe-thai-coconut-chicken-soup/

Spicy eggplant from the burma superstar cook book

Curry style eggplant awesome over rice.

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1-2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno

1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Handful of fried garlic chips (for how to on garlic chips: again head to our CSA BLOG and scroll back to CSA week 6)

Cilantro or thai basil sprigs for garnish

1 lime or lemon cut into wedges for garnish

PRO-TIPS:

FOR NOTES ON LEMONGRASS AND HOW TO USE: head to the CSA blog - yes! Did you know that these newsletters get posted weekly on our web page? https://www.edgewaterfarm.com/csa-blog…

Scroll back to week 10 and read up on all things lemongrass.

BUT FOR MY FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH LEMONGRASS, SEE:

TOM KHA SOUP (Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk)

8 oz. (226 g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces

20 canned straw mushrooms

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths and pounded

6 kaffir lime leaves , lightly bruised to release the flavor

6 slices galangal

8 bird's eye chilies, lightly pounded

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

https://rasamalaysia.com/tom-kha-gai-recipe-thai-coconut-chicken-soup/

Spicy eggplant from the burma superstar cook book

Curry style eggplant awesome over rice.

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1-2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno

1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Handful of fried garlic chips (for how to on garlic chips: again head to our CSA BLOG and scroll back to CSA week 6)

Cilantro or thai basil sprigs for garnish

1 lime or lemon cut into wedges for garnish

PRO-TIPS:

FOR NOTES ON LEMONGRASS AND HOW TO USE: head to the CSA blog - yes! Did you know that these newsletters get posted weekly on our web page? https://www.edgewaterfarm.com/csa-blog…

Scroll back to week 10 and read up on all things lemongrass.

BUT FOR MY FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH LEMONGRASS, SEE:

TOM KHA SOUP (Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk)

8 oz. (226 g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces

20 canned straw mushrooms

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths and pounded

6 kaffir lime leaves , lightly bruised to release the flavor

6 slices galangal

8 bird's eye chilies, lightly pounded

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

https://rasamalaysia.com/tom-kha-gai-recipe-thai-coconut-chicken-soup/

Spicy eggplant from the burma superstar cook book

Curry style eggplant awesome over rice.

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1-2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno

1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Handful of fried garlic chips (for how to on garlic chips: again head to our CSA BLOG and scroll back to CSA week 6)

Cilantro or thai basil sprigs for garnish

1 lime or lemon cut into wedges for garnish

PRO-TIPS:

FOR NOTES ON LEMONGRASS AND HOW TO USE: head to the CSA blog - yes! Did you know that these newsletters get posted weekly on our web page? https://www.edgewaterfarm.com/csa-blog…

Scroll back to week 10 and read up on all things lemongrass.

BUT FOR MY FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH LEMONGRASS, SEE:

TOM KHA SOUP (Thai coconut chicken soup with chicken, mushroom and coconut milk)

8 oz. (226 g) boneless and skinless chicken, breast or thighs, cut into strips or thin pieces

20 canned straw mushrooms

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths and pounded

6 kaffir lime leaves , lightly bruised to release the flavor

6 slices galangal

8 bird's eye chilies, lightly pounded

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Spicy eggplant from the burma superstar cook book

Curry style eggplant awesome over rice.

3 Japanese Eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ tablespoons canola oil

2 cups finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1-2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced or 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno

1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

2 teaspoons shrimp paste

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Handful of fried garlic chips (for how to on garlic chips: again head to our CSA BLOG and scroll back to CSA week 6)

Cilantro or thai basil sprigs for garnish

1 lime or lemon cut into wedges for garnish

0 notes

machspeak · 7 years

Text

CLONE HIGH STARTERS.

“Remember how excited I was to see the movie "American Pie" that I didn't sleep the night before? And remember that scene where the guy has sex with the pie? Well, I don't. Because I fell asleep in the theatre.”

“ Ah yeah, but I'm kinda giving my son's eulogy right now.”

“Listen, we've all done things we're not proud of after a good cross country meet, but that riot was unacceptable.”

“Did you see the pool? They flipped the bitch!”

“Are you A: handsome; B: smart; C: scrap metal; or D: all of the above?”

“Coffee? Anyone for - coffee anyone?

“All right, sorry. I like cotton candy.”

“Check out my muscle. Potato chips. It's a Ferris wheel.”

“So I guess what I'm trying to say is - plastic bag. Plastic bag. Plastic bag. Plastic bag. Plastic bag. Plastic bag.”

“ Well, that's discrimination! Hey, do you wanna go take a dump in my parents' bed?”

“Well, well, well. If it isn't my old friend, underage drinking. So, we meet again. How are you, underage drinking? Besides illegal!”

“I bet these aren’t even real crab, are they!”

“I stand corrected.”

“ Look, we kissed. And I don't want to exaggerate the importance of it, but we're going to be together forever.”

“ Dammit! I haven't been to the Olive Garden in, like, forever!”

“Go away, Sigmund Freud.”

“You're wet. Allow me to dry you off... with my pants!”

“Hark! I just heard a word that starts with an S, ends with an S, and has a "lut" inside. A "lut" of me!”

“Maybe we could have dinner. Perhaps the Olive Garden. It's like eating in the private kitchen of a delightful Italian stereotype!”

“I'm an albatross! I'm an albatross! I'm flap-flap-flapping my albatross wings, flap-flap-flapping my albatross wings...”

“ Your friend should listen to her heart. I'm not programmed to wink but if I were programmed to wink I would have winked when I said your friend.”

“ All celebrities are completely hairless. They put the eyebrows on during editing to make sure the actors make the right facial expressions.”

“ Getting into a new show can be a little uncomfortable, but once you get into the rhythm of it you'll be on your knees begging for more.”

“When life gives you lemons, you clone those lemons and make SUPER lemons. “

“ Hey, take a hit, relax! God's message can be a total trip. But ya know you gotta do what he tells you eh, because God has a plan for all of us. A painful, painful plan.”

“ Am I... dying?”

“ That is a good question, scary androgynous white guy, and I would like to reply by taking my shirt off.”

“ Hey, check out this extra flappy skin on my elbow. What is that?”

" Now, I love you both. One in a completely platonic way, the other with a fiery passion that most people know but once in a lifetime. By the way, that one's not you, [NAME 1]; it's [NAME 2].

“ For my rebuttal, I would like to dramatically gesture to this death-defying skateboard ramp behind me.”

“Once I transplant these brainwave transmitters into the clones brains I will be able to see and hear everything they taste and smell.”

“I’m a number four!”

“ "Now Mario's dead... I'm killing everyone! Oh, why couldn't [ NAME ] have had three lives like Mario?" “

“I said piss... glue! I’m so mad I could piss glue!”

“I thought you were dead. I shot you for biting me so much.”

“Oh my God. He was genetically engineered with a zipper! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.“”

STAMOS! DAMN HIM AND HIS JET-BLACK HAIR AND AWARD-WINNING SMILE!

Oh, I'm a failure! A failure! I'm so disorganized!

I start to dial, but I never call anyone back!

“You should see my car! It's a mess. I'm a mess! I go to the submarine sandwich restaurant and I leave my submarine sandwich restaurant value card at home,every time! All I want is a free sandwich.”

“STAMOS!!”

“I... can taste... the sun! [Laughs wildly]”

“Oh this could be your only chance to drown the slippery otter! To harpoon the salty longshoreman! To verb the adjective noun!”

“What a jerk! Napoleon's got some sort of a complex. I don't know what it is, but man.”

“ Well, uh, thanks for the trippy adventure through my subconscious, huh. I'll call you.”

“He’s dead! I just got in a coffin with a dead body!”

“ Welcome aboard. Your death row name is... Silky Butterfly.”

“ Ba, ba ba ba, who's got the legs? Me, that's who, me! “

“ Oooh, yeah... if you could just do it now? Your son will still be dead when you come back.”

“ She's attractive, smart, athletic, good looking, she's hot, photogenic, she takes pride in her appearance. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I admire her commitment to community service.”

“ Fellow Americans, as we weave the fabric of our nation back together, I say to you: try the churros.”

“ Ponce de León was my best friend. He left me these pants. They're Ponce's pants... Ponce's pants.”

“ The moon is chasing me. Everywhere I go, there he is! Knock it off, moon! I'm comin' up there! “

“ Behold! The soothing power of this enchanted sweater vest! BEHOLD IT !”

“ My film is really coming along. I'm doing an autobiography called The Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best.”

“ Hello, revelers! I am Captain Lavender, and this is my common-law wife, Rain Melon. “

“ I was into everything. Weed, grass, ganja, reefer, marijuana, mary-jane. I did it all. I even smoked pot once!”

“ As my clone father once so eloquently said: "Fervently, we do prawn." Prawn? No, that can't be right. Something about a scourge?”

“ Fine, whatever, this random dog is your new president.”

“ Think of it as an opportunity for building community. Hey, community! Skinny dipping in the piranha moat! Yowww! Everybody get naked! “

“ How do you like that Berry Blast? And by Berry Blast I mean a blast to your berries! Ehahaha! Pun thief! “

“ Well maybe everything's changed, only you haven't changed, so you're the one who's changed, because it's all relative!”

“ He'd also like you to believe he's not a baby eater, but he's never gone on record saying he isn't. Maybe he's too busy EATING BABIES. “

“Our son would never do drugs. In an unrelated story, he's been missing for four days.”

“I can stay UP all night LONG. I, ah, accentuated the UP, and also the, ah, LONG, for what I hope are, ah, obvious reasons.”

#rp meme #clone high #ask meme

834 notes · View notes

othercat2 · 6 years

Text

Fic: Build a Life From Scratch 3/?

Ayla Invents Everything

Demoness does most of the work around her house by dint of there being potentially multiple iterations of her at any one time. There’s one that seems to be in charge of most of the tool making and building. She usually shows up to teach the “main” Demoness how to do something, or to repair something else. There’s another one that’s in charge of finding edible or otherwise useful plants. She helps with planting and weeding, and gets into arguments about pigments with Highblood.

(Thing you have learned: Trolls use blood in their paints because troll blood is apparently colorfast. Highblood wants to paint. Demoness does not want blood on her walls. The arguments about this are hilarious and also gross.)

There’s a Demoness that’s apparently in charge of weather patterns and keeping track of the seasons. She is working on a calendar and some kind of astrology project. This results in more arguments with Highblood. “It is not your place to be numbering the stars in the heavens,” Highblood grumbles at her when she shows up a few hours after midnight with rolls of parchment. (Probably made by another iteration who hasn’t shown up yet.) “Your days are too short for such considerations.” He’s studying the unrolled parchment, which is full of calculations and symbols you can’t read.

“My days are infinity plus one,” astrology Demoness says. She moves to snatch the parchment back, but Highblood holds it out of reach. “I don’t see you dividing the heavens.”

“I’d not put my unskilled hands to such work,” Highblood says. “It’d be unfunny if I fucked up the calculations to or from the saints’ holy days.”

“If you won’t, I might as well,” astrology Demoness says, and this time she succeeds in rescuing her parchment. “No saints days though; just equinoxes, solstices and phases of the moon.”

“Not much to record of that, just one, barely big enough to see by at night and the color of piss besides,” Highblood says.

“It’s only a little smaller than the big pink moon,” main Demoness says. “But closer and just as bright. Does your eyesight falter, Highblood?” The last is said in a tone of sweet, 100% fake concern.

“My vision’s fine, sassiest sister,” Highblood says.

They continue with the arguing like an old married couple (or however many since there’s currently three of them, but two of them are the same person). A few hours before dawn, the three of them retreat for the bedroom and their piles. You stay out of it. Your voyeur tendencies are not piqued by hair braiding, nonsexual heavy petting and long, detailed conversations about feelings and horrible things.

(The horrible things conversations could get loud and pretty disturbing. You generally absconded when they started that up. Gory psychological horror was one thing, the real deal was another. You are apparently rooming with Actual Freddy Krueger and Actual Sadako. Aside from your first encounter with Highblood, they have been more or less chill, if also creepy as fuck sometimes.)

You scrub the dishes and set them to air dry. Another Demoness turns up as you’re dumping the dishwater. “There’s a feelings jam in the back room, if you want to get a piece of tall dark and scary’s action,” you tell her.

She tilts her head in a way that indicates a negative. “Checking on you,” she says. She looks to the wooden basin in your hands. “More domestic than I expected.”

“You expected something?” you ask. “How do you know anything about me?”

She laughs at you. “How do you think?” she asks.

“From the future maybe?” you suggest, heading back for the house. She follows you.

She laughs again. “Good guess, but no. We had the same master, he would not approve of a bad ass male doing girly shit like cleaning.”

You stop and turn to stare at her. “What the fuck do you mean ‘master’?” you ask. Your voice is trying for harsh, but it sounds more strangled in your hearing. “I mean if that’s the way you roll, I could give it a try.”

She tugs the basin out of your hands. You almost try to clutch at it, but your hands feel nerveless. You feel sick, and you don’t know why. “He did the same to Highblood,” she continues. “No need, he had me to work his will. He had Her Imperious Condescension, but he wanted to fuck around with the clown too; the big powerful and artistic bad ass Highblood.” She smiles at you, all teeth. “He fucked around with you too. What do you think was in that empty place in your head?” She doesn’t bother to wait for your response; she just heads into the house with the basin.

“What the fuck,” is all you can get out when you follow her into the house. “What the fuck.” Also how the fuck did she know? You can’t imagine telling anyone. Striders are not big with the crazy sounding confessions of having an empty goddamn head.

“When you woke up, you felt empty,” Demoness says. “Yes?” She set the basin to dry by the dishes, and sits down at the table.

“I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about,” you say. You aren’t tracking, you feel disconnected and strange. “Lil Cal’s awesome.” Your words are at once reflex, and also childish as fuck. You make as if to leave despite the shitty one liner.

“Sit down,” she says.

You think, don’t tell me what to do, bitch, and something yanks you down to sit at the table. You try to get back up, but you can’t move. Red flickers all around you. Lil Cal’s awesome, your own voice, subtracting a couple decades, chants in the back of your head somewhere. Lil Cal’s awesome. Lil Cal’s awesome.

“I do not want you breaking your head to be a constant,” she says. She puffs out a sigh. “At least you’re not out of your mind sick and seeing shit.”

“I’m certainly hearing shit,” you say, voice low and angry. “What the fuck are you talking about?” You bite your tongue before another automatic “Lil Cal’s awesome,” comes out. Lil Cal’s awesome, Lil Cal’s awesome, LilCalsawesome,

“Three weeks ago, you drink bad water, and you get sick, and then you get hurt and more sick. We find you two weeks ago, still sick. We take care of you for about a week, then today you wander off in a dream and break your fucking head,” she says. Then in a weirdly fond voice, “It took you months before you got better. You are a fucking wreck.”

“That didn’t happen though,” you say. “What do you mean break my head?” You ask, distracted. You remember her saying that.

“Not like a melon, just a crack,” she says. “But pretty bad. What we are is very sturdy. You’d still be alive even if your head had broken like a smashed melon.” She smiles at you, all teeth. “But maybe a little more stupid.”

“What do you mean, ‘what we are’?” You ask, now completely distracted from the inward chant of Lil Cal’s awesome. There’s also the part where it sounds like she’s juggling at least two timelines, maybe more.

“Whatever is like a god, that comes before gods, but which are not exactly gods,” Demoness says.

“Like a Titan?” you ask.

“If that’s what that is,” Demoness says.

The conversation shifts, after that. You go along with it, and the chant of Lil Cal’s awesome fades off since she isn’t casting doubt on the inherent awesomeness of Lil Cal. It’s weird, and you know it’s weird and the weirdness doesn’t stop. The accusation and your reaction to it, that is. How could your puppet be the demon that wrecked the sessions? You were attached to him, sure, and had invested him with a personality and his own subjective existence--but he wasn’t a goddamn demon.

(Pam had never liked the puppet. She wasn’t a boys don’t play with dolls type. One of her other kids had a stuffed Spiderman doll he carried everywhere and wouldn’t be parted from. She purely hated Lil Cal though, and had done everything she could to separate them. She’d stopped eventually, though you don’t know exactly why.)

You do indicate a certain curiosity about how the hell she knew about the empty place in your head. “You said so, while you were sick,” she says.

“And you believed crazy things said by someone out of their mind, why?”

She smiles. “Because we have the same empty place, moron,” she says gently. She gets up, and crosses over to you, bends down and kisses you on the forehead, her hand on the back of your neck. “He was already there, and I always fucking know,” she whispers in your ear. Then she leaves, and the red still shimmering around you vanishes.

You slump forward, arms resting on the table, and your head pressed against your forearms. Shivers run up and down your spine. The sick feeling in the pit of your stomach is back, and a sourness at the back of your throat. You can still feel her lips on your forehead, her hand curling around the back of your neck. “Jesus fuck.”

We had the same master.

He fucked around with you too

He was already there, and I always fucking know.

Lil Cal is awesome. Lil Cal is awesome. Lil Cal is awesome.

The words spin around and around in your head, not making a whole hell of a lot of sense. You hadn’t. You hadn’t been some kind of fucking sleeper agent, fucking up the game. (Lil Cal is awesome.) A sleeper agent wouldn’t have done their best to make sure their kid survived the game, right? You didn’t fuck things up. (Lil Cal is awesome.) Whatever created that fucked up dog monster fucked things up. You cut a fucking meteor in half. You made sure your kid got into the game in one piece. You did what you were supposed to do. You did what you had to do.

He fucked around with you too.

The horror is staring at you with burning red eyes. It’s black and spiny, armored liked some sort of beetle, looming over your body. It cuts off your arms, your legs, tossing them carelessly aside. A sickle cuts through your sternum, and black claws crack your ribs apart. You don’t feel anything but a sick sort of horror as it takes out your heart and shows it to you before eating it.

Someone touches your shoulder and you scream and flail like a goddamn little girl. You pitch backward from the table, disoriented and confused, then instantly more alert. Highblood draws back, looking amused. “Heard you snuffling and whimpering out here,” he says. “All having a day terror.”

“I don’t fucking whimper,” you say.

“Must be some other hornless motherfucker then, throwing his voice maybe,” Highblood says, and sits down at the table. “Better clean that puddle,” he says.

You start to say, I didn’t fucking piss myself either, but you realize puddle he’s referring to is on the table. You fucking drooled in your sleep. Goddammit. You swipe the table clean with your arm, and dry off using some of the sand on the floor.

“Think we all oughtta look for that other motherfucker, slandering your hardass self?” Highblood asks, sounding amused.

“I thought the moirail thing was exclusive to Demoness,” you mutter.

“You think I’m coming over pale for you?” Highblood asks. “It’s nothing to do with pale. A motherfucker can’t help but to hear the day terrors you keep having.”

“I’m not the only one having nightmares,” you say. “Don’t tell me about splinters when you fucking have a log sticking out of your eye.” You are for some reason rocking some pretty fucking Biblical metaphors.

“I don’t remember saying I didn’t have ‘em,” Highblood says. “Just saying that yours woke me the fuck up.”

“Well I’m awake now, so you can go back to bed,” you say.

“Nah,” Highblood says. “I’m all up now. Feeling a little guilty you never got to your pile.”

“I decided to respect the entirely metaphorical sock on the door knob,” you say.

You’re a little surprised the comment doesn’t fly completely over his head. Either trolls have an equivalent to the sock over the door to signal privacy required due to sex, or he figured it out on his own.

“Still could have grabbed some bedding,” Highblood says. “Know you well enough now, we wouldn’t care if you came in and grabbed a fur or something.”

“Scandalous displays of completely chaste PDA, I couldn’t bear to witness such completely vanilla fluff,” you say dryly.

“I feel sorry for a hornless motherfucker who hasn’t ever got his pale on proper,” Highblood says with a sigh of dismay for your tragically limited romantic palette. “No jamming, no conciliations or fierce mediation.”

“Striders don’t really do emotions,” you say.

Highblood snorts. “You go and tell yourself that, motherfucker,” he says. “You’ll figure out how hard you ain’t sooner or later.”

You decide you’re not going to rise to the bait. “Whatever, I’m heading to bed,” you say. “Morning.” You get up and head for the bedroom.

Back

#build a life #homestuck #grand highblood #dirk strider #the handmaid

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