#The Custard Factory

[itsstreetlove]

I love it when this happens :-)

Custard Factory Arches ~ Digbeth, Birmingham

[andyevansphotos]

(via "Street Art Graffiti Digbeth Birmingham UK" Sleeveless Top for Sale by AndyEvansPhotos)

[starshira]

Spoons & Other Weapons of Affection

In which you go on a "dessert date" with the loudest boy in Tokyo, and between parfait fencing and an argument over radioactive sherbet, you begin to wonder if maybe he's growing on you (like mold).

Gojo x Reader

artwork not mine (gojo fanart by @_3aem on twitter)

You were already regretting this.

Because fate was cruel. And apparently, so were your classmates.

It was supposed to be an unpretentious hangout with you and your three friends. But Shoko and Geto had both excused themselves due to "an unexpected sequence of events". Which was a vague code for "absolutely not", most definitely triggered by Gojo's recent tirade about the superiority of custard over mousse. You had a small feeling they'd finally reached the end of their collective patience for his never-ending sweet tooth and fled accordingly.

And so, naturally, you ended up with Gojo.

"Just the two of us," he said, twirling his sunglasses around his fingers as you walked beside him. "How romantic."

You didn't even look at him. "How tragic."

"Don't be shy," he added, holding the door open with a dramatic bow. "I know you're thrilled."

"I'm thrilled that there's cake involved," you said, stepping past him.

The bell above the door tinkled as the two of you entered the shop, the summer air still clinging to your skin in a golden warmth. The dessert shop was small, cozy, and far too pastel for his loud personality, which was why you immediately liked it.

You both took a seat at a little round table near the window, light spilling across the menu pages.

Gojo squinted at the menu. "Are you sure this is a dessert list? Why the hell is there a diagram for the parfait?"

You leaned over. "That's a parfait schematic."

"I don't trust anything that looks this architectural."

After an intense and overly dramatic deliberation, you settled on the matcha-strawberry parfait, topped with crisp wafers and a literal sugar flower. Gojo picked a neon-coloured monstrosity that seemed to be built out of equal parts sherbet and whipped cream.

When they arrived, even he had to pause.

"I feel like your dessert took a lot more effort to make than mine," he said slowly, staring between his chaotic rainbow and your delightful parfait.

You smirked. "I told you to get the parfait."

"You did not," he objected. "You said, and I quote, 'Get whatever looks the most colourful'."

"And look how beautifully you followed through," you said, gesturing to his dessert, which looked like it had been crafted by an overexcited five-year-old with access to a candy factory.

He sighed dramatically, slumping forward and resting his chin on his palm as he eyed your spoon. "Just one bite."

You glanced at him and then his eyesore of a dessert. "You have your own mess."

"C'mon," he whined, drawing out the syllables as if you were actively strangling him, which you did in fact wish you were. "What kind of dessert date is this if we don't share?"

"Date?" you repeated, scandalized. "This was a group hangout. And you are merely the leftover."

"Leftover? How hurtful."

"Pity," you replied flatly.

He smiled and leaned back. "Y'know, you keep this up and I might actually fall for you."

You blinked at him. "Don't threaten me like this in public."

"You're right," he said. "It'll be more romantic under moonlight."

"You're giving me the urge to walk out into traffic and get hit by the first car that approaches."

"See?" he beamed. "Chemistry."

You gave him the flattest look you could imagine. "Do you flirt like this with everyone?"

He hummed. "Only the ones who make me laugh and let me finish their whipped cream."

"Gojo."

"Yes, my liege?" he said sweetly, all too pleased with himself.

"You're not getting any of this parfait."

He grinned, already reaching for his spoon. "I already plan to steal it."

Your spoon smacked against his in midair. Again.

And again.

It escalated quickly. Soon, you were both fencing with dessert utensils, practically jousting across the table as two café workers looked on, mildly concerned.

"Put the spoon down," you warned, blocking his jab.

"Never," he laughed. "For too long, I've been oppressed. Denied whipped cream. This is my uprising."

"You've had five desserts in the last week."

"That's a lie. It was nine. Keep up."

With a scowl, you snatched your parfait off the table and pulled it into your lap. "No more. You are on parfait probation."

His jaw dropped. "You're breaking the international dessert law!"

You rolled your eyes. "Good. Add it to my criminal record. Right under 'Assaulted by Sugar Addict'."

"Just one bite," he pleaded. "Please. I'll perish otherwise."

"Oh my gosh," you groaned, staring at him like he was a Shakesperean tragedy in process.

You sighed, lifting your spoon and carefully scooping the perfect trifecta. Whipped cream, matcha custard, and one glistening strawberry. You held it out to him.

Gojo blinked at you. There was a pause where he looked almost touched.

You raised a brow. "Don't tell me this is actually making you fall for me."

His surprise melted instantly into a smug grin. "And so, the tale of romance continues."

"You're right," you muttered. "A tale of romance in its most parasitic form."

"Works on me," he said, taking the bite with exaggerated bliss. "You're gonna make some poor soul very lucky one day."

"And you're going to make some poor soul very tired."

Gojo chuckled and reached for his own spoon, scooping a heaping mess of his biohazardous rainbow sherbet. Neon orange, violet, pink, and a suspicious-looking blue that probably wasn't found in nature.

"Your turn," he sang, grinning. "Open up."

You stared at it. "Absolutely not. That thing looks radioactive."

"Don't disrespect my rainbow sherbet," he warned. "It has feelings."

"It's glowing. That's not normal."

"Oh, c'mon," he urged, inching it closer. "Live a little."

He grinned wider, nudging it even closer.

"Fine," you snapped, leaning forward and taking the smallest possible bite.

And immediately winced.

"Oh my gosh," you choked. "My poor taste buds."

"They'll be fine," he laughed. "Now, how about another bite?"

And just like that, the summer sun kept slipping down the sky and inside, two dumb teenagers were in another bout of laughter, bright and full and a little too loud for the quiet shop.

[dwellordream]

Rules from a Victorian Housekeeping Guide, Part 2

(Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, 1861). This is extremely useful if you are: A. interested in Victorian domestic life, or B. writing something set in that era and trying to portray the attitudes and concerns a real Victorian wife and mother would have.

It is important to note that in the 19th and early 20th century, hiring servants was not just the purview of the wealthy- most middle class families had at least one to two people, typically women, to help with cooking and cleaning.

When the housewife’s family moves to a new neighborhood, she should wait for the neighbors to visit her first, rather than seek them out, as that comes off as vulgar.

If the housewife lives in town, she should urge her husband to avoid buying a home near factories or any kind of pollution.

A house with many windows and doors that let in sunlight and air is much healthier than one with very few. If possible, buying a house that faces south or southwest is idea; this will keep the house warmer and drier.

Never rent a house for more than 1/8th of the family’s income.

The housekeeper should be a skilled accountant, and her books should be regularly checked by the housewife.

The lady’s maid, butler, and valet, alongside the housekeeper, should be considered the most elite rank of servants, and should eat separately from the rest of the staff.

Two to four times a year, the housekeeper should conduct a full inventory of the household goods and tools, and ascertain what needs to be replaced or repaired.

Popular Victorian-era soups include: almond soup, apple soup, artichoke soup, asparagus soup, baked soup, barley soup, bread soup, cabbage soup, carrot soup, celery soup, chestnut soup, cocoa-nut soup, cucumber soup, egg soup, leek soup, macaroni soup, onion soup, parsnip soup, pea soup, potato soup, rice soup, tapioca soup, turnip soup, vegetable soup, hare soup, mutton soup, partridge soup, pheasant soup, rabbit soup, turkey soup, turtle soup, crayfish soup, eel soup, lobster soup, oyster soup, and prawn soup.

Popular Victorian-era seafood include: friend anchovies, codfish, baked carp, hot crab, potted crayfish, boiled eels, fish cake, baked haddock, lobster salad, baked mackerel, fried oysters, boiled perch, baked pike, boiled salmon, potted shrimps, buttered prawn, baked sturgeon, and stewed trout.

Popular Victorian-era meat dishes include: baked beef, stewed ox-tails, brisket, boiled tongue, baked minced mutton, breast of lamb, pork cutlets, boiled bacon, baked ham, roast suckling-pig, baked veal, boiled calf’s feet, chicken cutlets, hashed duck, roast goose, roast larks, broiled pigeons, boiled rabbit, roast turkey, roast duck, partridge pie, roast pheasant, and stewed venison.

Popular Victorian-era desserts include: baked almond pudding, apple cheesecakes, apricot tart, bread pudding, carrot pudding, cherry tart, currant dumplings, fig pudding, lemon cheesecakes, baked orange pudding, baked plum pudding, baked raisin pudding, rhubarb tart, baked rice pudding, baked apple custard, blanc-mange, chocolate souffle, meringues, pancakes, lemon biscuits, macaroons, honey cake, gingerbread, and plum cake.

The butler's duties include: serving meals to the family at the table, making sure lamps and candles are always lit and fires are burning in every hearth, locking up doors and windows at night, and keeping the wine cellar in good condition.

The footman's duties include: cleaning the family's shoes, cleaning utensils, polishing furniture, brushing clothes, keeping carriages clean, and delivering mail to the post office.

The valet's duties include: keeping the master's dressing room in order, laying out the master's clothes for him, cutting the master's hair and shaving his face if requested, and carrying notes to friends or merchants.

The lady's maid's duties include: making and repairing the housewife's dresses, cutting and arranging the housewife's hair, applying the housewife's cosmetics, keeping the housewife's dressing room in order, laying out the housewife's clothes for her, and carrying notes to friends or merchants.

The housemaid's duties include: opening all the shutters and curtains in the morning, beating and cleaning the rugs, sweeping up the ashes from the hearths, cleaning the kitchen stove, airing and making the beds, dusting and sweeping every room, washing dirty dishes, and doing needlework for the housewife.

Nurses and mothers should never sleep in a bed with an infant, or bring it into a crowded space full of people, for fear of suffocating the child.

A breastfeeding mother should exercise regularly and keep her mind active by playing or singing music often. She should avoid drinking wine, brandy, or coffee, but malt liquor is acceptable.

A breastfeeding mother should nurse her child for no longer than 9-15 months. She should avoid eating fruits, pickles, and cucumbers, as the acid in them will disrupt the infant.

Infants and toddlers should always be dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, avoiding pins or tight ties.

Parents should vaccinate their children whenever possible, and follow the legal guidelines that babies must be vaccinated against smallpox by their twelfth week.

[choccy-milky]

Status update on the dark relic nsfw comic please ma'am 🙏 my family is dying

ITS DONE!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉...well, the DRAWING part is as of yesterday BAHAHA. now im just adding all the dialogue/speech bubbles/sfx, SO ITS DEFINITELY GONNA BE SOON!! DEFS BY THIS WEEKEND!! ive just been very nitpicky on the font which i cant decide on LMAO and im also nitpicky abt other final touches LOL. i didnt wanna show anymore cuz ive already shown so much but HERES THE FINAL SNEAK PEEK

and speaking of fonts, i normally use handwriting by jeremy paz!

oh man its so random, but i either use the name lumi or clora for everything whenever i play rpgs (baldurs gate 3, dragon age, you name it) and clora originated from rune factory 4 LOL. theres a character named 'clorica' and i really liked that name, it sounds so elegant and fantasy ish, so i eventually just shortened it to clora bahaha. now its my go-to. i like how simple it is but it also sounds unique and works in modern AND fantasy settings, imo

my first and ONLY playthrough was as clora! i originally did try to make myself at the start, but i have short brown hair and straight across bangs, and they didnt have a style that felt 'me', so i went with just making a ravenclaw that i liked, and then gave her my go-to name of clora HAHA. and yea, i built up her and sebs relationship in my head as i was playing, especially with all the running around the castle i did. i just liked to imagine her constantly out of breath and flushed and seb just watching like ....🧍girl chill...

AND SPEAKING OF MY DARK RELIC COMIC/SMUT, my biggest advice for writing smut id say is to have a reasoning behind it, i guess? i focus a lot on their headspace/WHY they're fucking at that moment when i write it LOL instead of just the movements/sex for the sake of sex. in your case, the sexual tension leading up to the first time gives you SO much to work with, since you can just be in his head with how much hes looking forward to it, how much hes savouring it, how he's also nervous but enjoying it and trusting the other person, etc. the thoughts are hotter than the actual deed a lot of the times (which is why when clora and seb did it for the first time it ended up being like, 15k words of just foreplay and build up from sebs perspective LMAOO) so yeah id just try to focus on their emotions and desires if you can! and a lot of the times with consent stuff it CAN feel forced, and you dont even really need your characters to talk about that stuff verbally, at least not too much. you can do it in body language, or just something as simple as 'ill stop if you want'. it doesnt have to be a long therapist-like conversation about consent, which CAN tend to sound a little awkward and unrealistic (esp in the heat of the moment), if thats the problem you're having. HOPE I COULD HELP

also i love this for you and for me. YES GO ON AND MAKE A BUNCH OF CLORA CLONES, I COMMAND IT👉👉👉

and last but not least the most important question. honestly i like plain sweets a lot with no icing/filling. im a slut for shortbread cookies and also just plain glazed donuts. and also custard/portugese/egg tarts, which i also forced clora to like in my fic HAHA. IF YOU HAVENT HAD THEM YOU HAVE TO, THEYRE SO GOOD😩😩💖💖

[sanders1665]

Picture this: the wife and I are slouched in the breezeway, basking in the lazy whirl of the fan as it hurls warm air across our mugs. She’s rocking the dumb blonde act—strictly for kicks, mind you—giggling over some TikTok garbage while I’m spinning yarns about a two-inch lizard, that crafty little punk, slipping through a gap in the lattice to stage a takeover. The ordinary and the unhinged, slamming together like a rom-com set in a reptile shop. Perched on the doorframe, the ginger cat, our furry overlord, glares down with eyes like twin daggers, ready to either seize the throne or smack the other cat, who’s sprawled on the coffee table, yowling for attention like a faded Vegas crooner.Then, boom, the boy swaggers out, fresh from his shower, trailing a cloud of absolute insanity. The fan snags it, and suddenly the room’s drowning in this heavy, syrupy haze. I nearly choke on my own tongue. “What in the hell is that?” I rasp, like I’ve snorted a bakery’s wet dream. He flashes a smug grin, all teenage bravado, and drops the bomb: Boston Creme donut body wash. Donut body wash. Who thought, “Let’s make people smell like a pastry that’s half custard, half guilty ‘I want more’ bliss”?The cats flip into full-on crisis mode. Ginger Overlord’s tail bloats into a furious fluffball, and Coffee Table Crooner leaps up, claws flashing, hissing like they’ve already spotted that lizard plotting from the lattice. They’re burning holes in me with their stares, like I’m supposed to exorcise this donut-scented chaos. I shoot them a look—c’mon, you furry lunatics, you know this house is a nonstop carnival of “what’s next?” and “are you kidding me?” The wife’s cackling, her blonde shtick crumbling, muttering, “He’s gonna have every lizard in the neighborhood chasing him for a bite smelling like that.” The boy, oblivious, struts past the fan again, unleashing another wave of sugary, crave-inducing madness. It’s like a pastry shop and a perfume factory had a lovechild.The cats are still on high alert, probably braced for that lizard to lead a scaly revolution. Nothing’s normal here—just a glorious mess of dessert fumes, feline SWAT maneuvers, and the lurking threat of a lattice-busting reptile. The wife’s still laughing her head off, I’m half-expecting a lizard to scuttle in demanding a sugar fix, and this madhouse? It’s home, and I’m hooked on every deranged second of it.

[thelibraryofalexandriastillburns]

Moffat references in this episode

The Church of the Papal mainframe: first seen in Flesh and Stone/ The Time of Angels, they tried to kill the Doctor several times and basically popped up in every Eleven-era season

Villengaard: first mentioned in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Jack got his squareness gun from there and the Doctor blew it up and made it into a banana grove. Twelve also goes to the abandoned factory to find Rusty the Dalek

The Moon and the President’s wife: Missy claims that the Doctor stole these things in The Magician’s Apprentice, but we later find out in Hell Bent that he lost the moon and actually took the President’s daughter

Fish Fingers and Custard: Eleven really liked this and ate it right after he regenerated from Ten and right before he regenerated to Twelve

[oceanlipgloss]

PROJECT: CHOCOLATE FACTORY

ZAYNE.

+ no warnings.

+ guest appearance: Mr. Beanieee

Throughout history, thousands of mountains have heard millions of wishes; many prayers were the same, many pleas were not. A lot of souls wished for different lives, changed times, or new realities altogether, perhaps.

In an alternate reality, even a chocolate factory can morph into a whimsical land. In an odd, timeless storybook like the one in her hand, nothing had to change, for better or for worse. Everything would stay as it had always been centuries ago in the same old world.

Little men sung silly little songs. Surreal scenes were frosted with surreal concepts. Everything was a dessert of some sort. Chocolate waters, sugar fields, marzipan flowers: universal confections were whipped up into unlikely things.

He liked it all, but it also challenged him. The descriptions were delicious and vivid, and sweets are one thing he can never resist. Imagination brings forth wonder.

The world of children founds itself on strange fun. Cradled in her delicate palms, the violet book winked its golden print at the sun. Such smart design; someone had thought of turning a book into a chocolate bar. Like it was something yanked straight out of the story itself, from its whimsy lines.

She had tugged at his wrist and led him in. There was a charming project on her mind. By the foot of her bed, they cuddled on that fluffy carpet; it was like sitting on a soft pancake. A white blanket melted itself over their warm bodies, like a vanilla milkshake.

The two of them took turns reading lines. She voiced the unpleasant women and their bratty girls, he all the men and their unalike boys. Oh, and the narrator, too. Why not? She adored the haven in his voice and the syrup-sweet rasp of its octaves.

A celebrated artist’s mind had left a figment of its quirky self on the pages. Wispy, joyous, childlike—that was what the illustrations were like. Sugar powdered the story, coated it, swirled within it in many forms, but somehow the children were all but one as spoilt as rotten milk.

The starry tinkle of coins being stacked up into thin golden towers didn’t distract anyone, not really. Those should have been chocolate coins, but they weren’t. Their maker was custard-yellow and jellybean-chubby, and it wore a suit so fancy it was tacky. Plopped on the carpet, it spawned the gold chips continuously only to count them continuously. Reminded him of a dough mixer going round and round, round and round, in the same circles.

Though, it didn’t seem to mind. Money is enough to summon bliss, some believe. The wealthy tubby itself was content; surrounded by desserts—cakes, candies, cookies, gummies—yet giving them not a glance from under its liquorice-black sunglasses. It didn’t have a taste for the simple things, so it wasn’t able to appreciate them. Riches, currency, and luxury gave it happiness.

So far, it has been harmless. When it lay on its tummy and swayed its stubby legs in the air like a high school girl dabbing at her nails with polish, or maybe daydreaming over a magazine about her celebrity crush, its figure squished and melted onto the velvet quilt it had pulled out of a gift box and sat on, like the dripping caramel that glazes crème caramel.

The story made him crave sweets even more. He did not know whether this creature could make appear chocolate coins, but he didn’t bother to ask it to either. Because...he wanted to walk with her so they would buy them together later.

As they read together, he felt quiet awe glaze his thoughts. There were many unpredictable things in the world, but just where, pray tell, do some gifted humans get such quaint ideas from? And how do they manage to weave them into genius creations as though spun sugar?

The answer lied in the word ‘gift.’

Something tapped his mouth. A sweet scent drifted. The saccharine scent of manufactured blueberries. She was pressing a blue-purple macaron to his lips. Her grin was wide, her eyes twinkled at him, and her merry silence screamed, ‘eat it!’

He remembered that long-ago visit to the dentist. Those were the norm now, but still equally dismaying and much dreaded. Back then she had teased him with tiny macarons and forbade him from indulgence so cloyingly delightful it might as well conjure up decay.

Until he stopped her.

Toothache or not, ignoring the tempting call of sweets for an extended period wasn’t ever meant to be part of the plan. She would have told him that he’s acting like a child with his aching sweet tooth—what with the way ‘doctor’s orders’ apply to her, but rarely, if ever, to him—but he was so cute, desperate for sugar as he was.

So much like a sulky cat.

Well, a sly cat.

The little macaron had hid in his stomach before she so much as expected him to bite it out from between her naughty fingers.

Familiar fingertips were warm when they poked his meringue-pink cheek. She was smiling again. The haughty creature in the room was forgotten. Let it count its coins.

‘Would they believe me?’

Her touch hushed his lips and its warmth said, ‘don’t ask.’

‘If I told them I met a big, happy snowman?’

Yes.

Let the haughty creature in the room be forgotten like molten snow in the morning. Let it count its endless coins. Let everyone continue to not know any better. All he needed was what he had with her.

The silly girl by his side was quite like this story and the founder of its chocolate factory: weird, thoughtful, free. She danced to her own melody, and while she did she made sure to hold his hand, too.

If he got lost in her warm happiness yet again, would she think it’s cheesy?

He couldn’t help it.

She is magnetic.

And her smile, it’s so pretty.

+notes: sooo I'm making a series [title: 5B] in which the Bounty Hunt wanderers star in my fics. Basically, each LI gets a fic in which a Bounty Hunt wanderer appears; so far, Xavi has gotten teamed up with Heartbreaker my babyyy and Zayne just got stuck with Mr. Beanie. That's the only shared concept between the fics—the entire idea of each piece differs otherwise. Some context about this piece: sugar is Zayne's 2nd soulmate after MC, so I thought...what if he & MC read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in her house together? Cuddling by her bed. Blanket included. Oh, and toss Mr. Beanie into the batter.

+ MASTERLIST

+ AO3 POST

©𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨

[moomallowplays]

So after scouring the internet, and only finding either an outdated mod, that seemed to break the inventory system, and the canning factory, I decided I wanted to take the time to tune and create a simpler fix out there for others, who may be like me, and really want more than a use one tomato to get one jar of sauce in a Sims hour. This Mod does just that, I have increased the recipe count to use 5 ingredients and give you 5 jars. The only things I didn't take the time to review and make changes to were the oversized crops, but I didn't feel they needed any adjustment, however, if people like this enough and request it, I'll happily take the time to look into that. Each recipe, requires 5 of the produce to make the cans, but any recipe that requires sugar, Apple Jam for example, will only require one Sugar still, so 5 apples, 1 Sugar, will give you 5 jars of Apple Jam.

The Recipes are as follows now:

Meat Substiture: 5 of Any Mushroom, Aubergine, Soy Bean, or Faux Meat Cubes

Mushroom Conserve: 5 of Any Mushroom (Works for all sub categories too like charming, verdant, nightly, etc.)

Tomato Sauce: 5 Tomatos

Apple Jam: 5 Apples, 1 Sugar

Raspberry Jam: 5 Raspberries, 1 Sugar

Blackberry Jam: 5 Blackberries, 1 Sugar

Strawberry Jam: 5 Strawberries, 1 Sugar

Blueberry Jam: 5 Blueberries, 1 Sugar

Chocolate Syrup: 5 Chocoberries

Mayonnaise: 5 Eggs

Custard: 5 Eggs, 5 Bottles of Milk (Thinking of changing milk bottles to 1, let me know what you think)

Cowberry Jam: 5 Cowplant berries, 1 Sugar

Now, Of course, these are all easy enough for me to change, and if desired, I can make multiple versions of this to do more or less, however, I am admittedly, not skilled enough in modding to make this so you can choose between servings like you can with the oversized crops. It's something I might look into in the future, but something tells me I would need to learn how to make an actual script mod for that complexity.

[thehyperrequiem]

Rock-A-Brawler (Rock-A-Doodle Parody) Cast

“In this animated film, Sam (Joe French), a factory worker turned wanted member of the Goldarm Gang, has convinced the other toons that his crowing makes the sun rise. When, one day, he forgets to crow and the sun comes up anyway, the secret is out. He heads for the big city in shame. But as massive storms and dark clouds stop the sun from appearing, the toons get worried, so a lady named Lola (Alejandra Gollas) and a boy called Custard Cream Cookie III (Jaimie Kelton) lead the gang on a trip to find Sam in the city.”

Sam (Brawl Stars) as Chanticleer

Custard Cream Cookie III (Cookie Run) as Edmond (Human)

Emporio Alnino (Jjba) as Edmond (Kitty)

Froggy (ENA Dream BBQ) as Patou

Gray (Brawl Stars) as Snipes

Lola (Brawl Stars) as Peepers

Kars (Jjba) as The Grand Duke of Owls (With Esidsi and Wammu as Extras)

Duck Shuffler (Toontown Corporate Clash) as Hunch

Barktholomew (Balan Wonderworld) as Pinky Fox

Belle (Brawl Stars) as Goldie

Buzz (Brawl Stars) as Stuey the Pig

Nita (Brawl Stars) as Minnie the Rabbit

Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie (Cookie Run) as Edmond’s Parents

Madeleine Cookie and Clotted Cream Cookie (Cookie Run) as Edmond’s Brothers

Various Brawlers (Brawl Stars), Humans and Humanoids as Various Animals

[modoreadsttrpgs]

Nice interview with the owner of Wayland’s Forge, a fantastic board game and TTRPG shop in Digbeth, Birmingham. The staff are great, and there’s an awesome selection of games and supplements across D&D, OSR, Pathfinder, Traveller, Chaosium, Free League, Mork Borg, Mothership, Modiphius, and loads more besides, including zines!

It’s mercifully just far enough away from me that I can’t pop round every week, or I’d be in some financial trouble. If you get the chance to visit though, it’s worth going out of your way for. The street it’s on in Digbeth is also really cool, being attached to the Custard Factory where you can find the Mockingbird cinema and a nice board game cafe called Chance & Counters. You can easily spend (and I have) a whole day just in the one street.

[itsstreetlove]

The Reluctant Pageboy

A wedding at the Custard Factory in Birmingham. The little pageboy refused to have his photograph taken and a full scale melt down ensued :-))

[andyevansphotos]

(via "Street Art Graffiti Digbeth Birmingham UK" Coasters (Set of 4) for Sale by AndyEvansPhotos)

[allysartstuff]

Part 2 of the updated Upsy Daisy verse!

Jammie Dodger, 24

-raised by the Flim Flam brothers

-was the unwanted extra in the eyes of her bio parents

-ran away as a filly because of this and wound up in Las Pegasus

-adopted by the Flim Flam brothers as their ‘niece’

-technically her special talent is baking but abandoned that passion when she ran away

-now grown, she’s surpassed her uncles in sneaking money making scheming

-always stops by ponyville to run her schemes and flirt with the local Lumber Jane (Pale Umber)

-skilled at pick-pocketing from her homeless street urchin past

-doesn’t like staying in one place for long and prefers the travelling lifestyle

-paranoid about money, has several secret stashes of bits hidden around Equestria (doesn’t trust banks)

Custard Cream, 24

-speaks exactly like his Pa, it’s uncanny

-even got the ‘ah huh huh huh’ down to a t

-despite being at a young age, he inherited his family’s biscuit factory when his mother retired

-the golden child

-defiantly in over his head

-wait and see if he drives the factory into bankruptcy

-Jammie hates him and they haven’t spoken in years

-Rightly so, as Custard got all the love and attention and Jammie didn’t

-is arrogant and pompous due to being spoiled rotten but secretly misses his twin sister

-also has a special talent in baking but was pushed into the family business

-also, he doesn’t want to get his luxury clothes all covered in flour

-rich people problems

Lucky Bug, 18

-technically a draconeques but came out a Pegasus

-the only sibling to come of an egg Discord laid. He doesn’t want to talk about that.

-hates his eyes, hates his fur, hates his horns, overall not very big on his self image

-ironically, many of his classmates find him handsome

-Hullabaloo isn’t allowed in his room

-can communicate with insects like Fluttershy with animals

-is closer to Fluttershy than he is with Discord

-doesn’t have much friends which is no surprise considering he always acts smarter than everyone

-he got beat up a lot

-somehow convinced it’s because he ‘looks different’

-Dude, Equestria is full of different creatures and species now, get your head out of your ass

-keeps various insects

-used to be friends with Lickety Split but they hate each other now

-in a relationship with Opalite. Hullabaloo takes credit for bringing them together, much to Lucky’s annoyance

-very good at chaos magic but uses it sparingly, which frustrates Discord

Berry Bubblegum, 18

-wanted to be an Alicorn as a filly. She used to play Princess a lot which amused Twilight

-no one realised how seriously she took it until it was revealed her sister Bright Eyes is an Alicorn (with underdeveloped wings) and was deeply upset by this

-as a result, she had a tough time figuring out new ambitions and thus, took a long, long, long time to get her cutie mark

-she was 16 when she finally got it

-she found her passion by learning how to be a professional clown, taught by Pinkie and Cheese

-initially didn’t like her cutie mark due to it being similar to the local post pony but found entertaining sick kids better

-her full name is ridiculous. Raspberry Bubblegum Sparkle Pie Sandwich.

-real bad table manners

-best friends with Forelle

-hates insects so she and Lucky don’t get along

-hates Lickety Split even more

Lickety Split, 18

-yeah, he’s has a reputation of being kind of a dick

-and a bully

-has trouble keeping friends. His childhood friends, Lucky and Berry, no longer talk to him and the ponies he hangs around with are ones he manipulated into hanging out with him.

-doesn’t understand women despite being raised by lesbians

-admired Tornado Rush a lot growing up but had a hard time accepting her transition for a while

-he’s cool with it now but they still butt heads

-upset when Spitfire became a paraplegic

-overall, not the best at coping with big changes

-bio parents are Lightning Dust and Sky Stinger (one night stand). As of now, no one is aware of this.

-skilled flyer, Rainbow and Spitfire were convinced he would aspire to be a wonderbolt

-instead, he wants to be a stunt flyer. He loves the thrill of danger.

-honestly, he didn’t want to be a Wonderbolt just to be constantly compared to his mothers

-Forelle is the only pony he genuinely gets along with. She’s not afraid to tell him how it is and he appreciates her honesty

-still sleeps with his teddy bear, Paddy

-tell no one

Opalite, 17

-has a pet rock called Flint

-known beauty, less known autistic

-amires Maud pie and nearly fainted when Maud offered to be her teacher

-often believes she was born the wrong pony type, feeling like an earth pony

-still, her unicorn magic comes in handy for finding especially rare rocks

-has had a few boyfriends but they all dumped her when she wouldn’t stop talking about rocks

-is a relationship with Lucky. He loves listening to her info dump about rocks.

-and vice versa when he talks about bugs

-speaks Prench (Pony French) the best out of the three siblings

-Chuck always brings back rocks from his adventures for her to squee over

Forelle, 16

-has a golden retriever guide dog called Callery

-born with extremely limited vision, can see only a small bit

-blunt and to the point

-initially, Applebloom wanted to be a single parent so Forelle was from an anonymous sperm donor.

-She and Diamond Tiara got together when Forelle was about 5 years old

-both parents raised her to be very independent so she now has a lot of confidence in herself

-has a keen interest in Genealogy after hearing stories of her family history

-has become the official Apple family historian after Goldie kicked the bucket

-very close with Grand Pear, who’s still kicking around even now Forelle is a teenager

-she’s probably his favourite because she looks so much like Pear Butter

-probably the only pony who puts up with Lickety Split

-hates cats after accidentally stepping on one of Goldie’s cats’ tail as a filly and got scratched a lot

-she denies crying about it

-has great taste buds. Her cousins often use her as a taste tester for jams and baked goods

-Orin and Forelle will spend hours talking about family histories

Hullabaloo, 10

-Next king of chaos. At least, that’s what he wants to be

-Obsessed with what it means to be a draconeques

-Has his mother’s gullible nature

-Torments his brother Lucky but only because he wants to play

-Doesn’t see his sister Daisy much but there is always much playtime to be had when she visits

-Is so full of energy he literally bonces off the walls

-Because he uses so much energy, he crashes hard and quickly and will sleep for ages

-Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!

-Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!

Pixie Pookie, 10

-Only daughter of Zephyr Breeze and Bulk Biceps

-Besties with her cousin Hullabaloo

-Just as chaotic as her cousin but without magic. It’s all natural skill

-Has no inside voice

-Must scream

-Total daddy’s girl but also adores her bio mother Dizty Doo

-You have to stop everything to play with her

-Will stomp on you if you pick on Fire Ruby

-Hates haircuts, which is why it always looks choppy

Fire Ruby, 10

-Adopted son of Spike and Sweetie Belle

-Much more calm and patient than Pixie and Hullabaloo

-Usually prefers to quietly read or play with toys but is happy to hang out with his more extroverted friends

-Has a couple of pet Lovebirds named Pip and Pop

-Frustrated when everyone thinks he’s a girl

-Learning how to do magic from Twilight

-Can breathe fire but doesn’t because he very nearly scorched his birds by accident. It took many treats for them for forgive him.

-Longs for the day he can get his wings and fly with his birds

[gachawolfiebloom]

Two Hearts In The City of Love

Chapter 1: Summer Destination

Tags: Love, Love Confession, Romance

"MAARRRIIOOOOOO HEEELLLLPPPP!!!"

Luigi burst through the door of his house to find his brother, casually eating spaghetti at the table. He looked up from his favorite food with an annoyed expression. "What do you want Luigi!? Can't you see Mario is busy right now!?" Luigi tackled Mario and began shaking him while yelling "I GOT FIRED FROM MY JOB! PLEASE HELP!"

Mario didn't see what the problem was. "Pfff, what does Luigi need a job for? Stay home and be a bum like Mario!" He struck a cool pose and put sunglasses on before Luigi nervously walked past him. "You don't understand Mario! That job was supposed to cover our life savings. If I can't find another one..."

He opened a closet that was supposed to hold coins and bags of money in it, but only cobwebs and dust was inside. "Then we might be EVICTED!" Mario squinted his eyes and raised a hand up to his chin as he peeked inside the closet. "Mario thought he saw some money in here yesterday..." Luigi sighed and told him "Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"

~Flashback~

Mario was taking a walk through Mushroom City, but looked incredibly exhausted. He panted and croaked out "Mario's so hungry..." He then spotted a spaghetti truck that was delivering to the Fresh Spaghetti Tubbie factory. His eyes lit up and was determined to give chase to that truck so he ran into the road and punched a driver out of his car. He then proceeded to run a red light, go over the speed limit, and when Frankie was crossing the street, the last thing he heard was the honking of a horn before Mario ran him over.

The truck driver was going on his merry way, until Mario drove out in front of him. "AHHH!" The driver slammed the breaks, but it was too late. Mario hopped out of the car at the last second and danced while the two flaming vehicles behind him were sizzling in smoke. He opened the storage compartment and...

"WHAT!? JUST TUBBIE CUSTARD! THIS IS BULLCRAP! WHERE'S MARIO'S SPAGHETTI!?"

Just then police sirens flared and several officers came out of the cars. "STAWP RIGHT THERE!" A few hours later, Luigi enters the police station and waves to the receptionist. "Hello Luigi! Here to bail out your brother again?" He sighed and nodded. "How much?"

"All of your life savings."

~Present Time~

"Ooooo right." Luigi took a deep breath and looked his brother straight in the eye. "I can't keep bailing you out all the time. We need to find me a job and find you a way to stay out of trouble." The two boys tried to think of a solution until Mario was about to say something. "Mario, if this has anything to do with Spaghetti or your deals with Bob, I don't think that's gonna work."

Just then the TV in their living room started playing static and then a weird ad started to play. It described that there was a lottery going on and the winners would be announced tomorrow. Mario seemed convinced, but Luigi had his suspicions. "This doesn't sound right Mario...are we sure that this isn't a scam or something?" Mario brushed it off and convinced him "Relax Luigi! You wanted money right?"

"Yes, but-"

"THEN LETS-A GO!"

He grabbed Luigi and sped off to a store where the commercial said the lottery was being held. The two boys went to the counter when a familiar ally waved to them. "Shroomy?" The two said in unison. "Well golly gee! Hello boys!"

"You run the lottery?" He nodded and handed them a ticket. "There you go! We'll announce the winner tomorrow afternoon!" Luigi took the ticket and saw that their number was lucky 21, one of the digits that was considered to be good luck by superstitions. "O-o-okay thanks." He gave Shroomy a few remaining dollars and the two them headed back home and awaited the drawing of the winning ticket.

~The Next Day~

Mario was vibrating in excitement on the couch while Luigi held tightly onto the ticket. The suspense led up as the announcer said "And the winner is...LUCKY NUMBER 21!" Both men gasped as they looked down at the ticket and sure enough, it was their's. "YIPPEE!" Mario cheered while Luigi stood in awe. "Wow! We did it. I wonder how much money we won."

"Congratulations number 21! You win 8 tickets to Paris, France!" Mario stopped celebrating and Luigi's eyes widened. "WAT!" Mario ran up to the TV and shook it. "YOU STINKY ANNOUNCER! MARIO THOUGHT HE WAS WINNING INFINITE SPAGHETTI! MARIO WANTS A REFUND!" Luigi was lost in thought with what to do with this until he cried out "Mario wait!"

"What? Mario wants his money back!" Luigi placed a hand on his shoulder and said "This might not be a bad thing. It could actually be great for all of us!" Mario's brain caught on fire because he couldn't understand the nonsense from Luigi's mouth. "We could invite our friends to come with us on a vacation! I could look for a job and there's plenty to do there so you stay out of trouble."

Mario actually did like the idea of a vacation. Last year's was definitely not as relaxing considering they had been trapped in a western simulation. There was just one last thing to convince him. "Will there be spaghetti?" Luigi smiled and said "I'm sure we could find something." That was enough for the fat Italian to hear. He gave his brother a thumbs up and replied "Okey dokey!" Luigi couldn't wait to show the tickets to their friends. "I'm sure they'll love the idea!"

"YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT!?"

All of the crew had came over to Smg4's castle and were sitting on the couch in the game room. Turns out, they weren't as impressed with the tickets as much as Luigi hoped for. "Isn't Paris really far?" Meggy asked. "And very crowded?" Tari also added. "Well yes, but I thought a vacation would benefit us all."

"Benefit us? Remember how beneficial our last vacation was?" Three shot back. Just the thought of it made Meggy shutter. "Mario promises it won't be anything like that! You're onboard right Smg4?"

Four looked up from his computer and made a wincing face at his best friend. "I don't know Mario. We're all a bit busy right now." Mario was not going to miss out on his spaghetti so he slid down to Four's feet and put on his best puppy dog eyes. "Pleeeaaasseeee Smg4! You never hang out with Mario anymore." He began tugging on his overalls and crying all over the floor. The whole ordeal was making Four uncomfortable.

Luigi pulled out a pamphlet that he had gotten with the tickets. "There's many things to do there like a GameStop store, Olympic Games on July 26, Casinos, and many historic sights." Once Luigi mentioned casinos, Bob didn't even think twice. "HELL YEAH! I'M GOING TO GO PACK RIGHT NOW!" Tari did think that a gaming store would be pretty interesting. "That does sound cool. What do you think Meggy?" She stood up and said "Well Wren has already been defeated and I have been wanting to go see the Olympics in person."

Tari squeezed Meggy's hand as if to tell her not to worry about Wren. Meggy offered a small smile in return and said "Count us in Luigi!" Boopkins wasn't sure himself, but he did like spending time with his friends. He tugged on Luigi gently and asked him "Will there be anything on anime?"

"I guess?" Boopkins cheered and pulled out his body pillows. "Did you hear that girls? We're going to Paris!" Mario rolled around on the ground and cried "You don't want to hang out with Mario or let him have spaghetti!"

"It's not that. I just..." Four sighed and rubbed his temples. "Fine Mario. I'll come. Just please stop acting like a 5 year old." Mario immediately sprung up and hugged his best friend. "Thank you Smg4!"

Four looked up and saw Three, crossing his arms and pretending not to care. "So what about you Three? You in?" He sneered and said "NO! I HAVE WORK TO DO AT THE CAFE!" Luigi showed him the tickets and said "But there's 8 tickets."

"Then get one of these chicks to go with you!" He pointed behind him, where Saiko was practicing her guitar and Melony was taking a nap. Saiko looked up and shook her head. "Me and Kaizo are practicing for our upcoming show and I think she's going to be out for a while." Melony surely was a heavy sleeper.

"Then find somebody else Luigi!" Three was about to leave when Mario tried the same schtick that he had with Four. He clung tight to Three's overalls and would not let go. "What the hell!? Get off me idiot!" He tried to shake Mario off, but it was very ineffective. "Pleeeeeeaaaaasssseee Smg3? It won't be the same without you!" Three tried pulling him off with no success.

"FINE! Just let go!" Mario instantly threw himself around Three, except he wasn't as much of a hugger as Four was. "Personal space Mario!" Luigi looked at the tickets and said "Alright well it says that our flight is at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning so we all have to wake up early."

Everyone was advised to start packing and go to sleep early so they would be ready to go. As they all left the room, Meggy and Tari chatted about what they were going to do there, Bob bragged to Boopkins about all the loot he was going to earn, and the brothers were figuring out the arrangements for where to stay and what to sign up for. "Don't forget the all you can eat Spaghetti buffet!"

"I'm...not sure they have that." Mario then noticed the two boys and rushed up to them. "This is so exciting for you two!" They both had confused glances on their faces. "Why's that?" Mario explained "Because Paris is the most romantic city in the world!" His face changed into a smug grin and said "Mario can't wait to see Smg4 and Smg3 wooing over each other!"

They both blushed and Three shot back "NO WERE NOT!" Four flustered backed him up by saying "Right! This is just a vacation amongst friends. Nothing else." Mario wasn't buying it. "Surreee." Luigi called out for him and he said goodbye. He loved seeing the two develop feelings with each other over the years, but they never admitted it to one another. "Maybe Mario could help set up a date for the two." As he walked back home, he figured that he could try helping the two confess while they were up there.

Four could tell that Three was still pretty red so he tried to help. "Sorry about him. I don't know why he does that." Three muttered "Uh huh." The two stood in silence till Four spoke up. "Well I guess I've got to get ready. See you tomorrow? He gave a patient smile to Three which made him even more flustered. "Whatever..." He covered his face with his hand and left before his cheeks became more hotter.

Three had went back to managing his cafe and once it was closing time, he put up a sign that said the cafe was going on break. He didn't want to do it, but thanks to that stupid Italian's efforts and that cute annoying smile of Four's, he had no choice. Before bed, he made sure to call Karen to dog-sit Eggdog and pack for the trip.

Four was not so focused on the trip. He said he was going to get ready, but instead he got sidetracked and went back to making videos. All he had remembered to do was take out a suitcase. By the time he was finished, he looked at the clock and was certainly not expecting this time. "12:00!" It was very late and he hadn't even started packing. He sighed and it seemed that the best course of action was waking up early so he could pack before everybody else got here.

He set an alarm on his phone and got into bed. Actually confessing to Three in Paris. The idea made him laugh. Sounded like a cheesy movie type thing. Besides, he didn't really like Three like that...did he? The idea wandered in his mind for a while before his eyelids gave out and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2: Another Crazy Plane Trip

[marlagraysonn]

In terms of what we can expect as we enter the New Year, Kate says, "There's loads of really exciting stuff. There's loads of shocks coming up. Just when you think a story is going in one direction, we absolutely do a complete 360, and it goes in a completely different direction."

"I think bold, innovative storytelling is key; exciting, thrilling, compelling drama that really keeps the audience captivated. But at the heart of it, there needs to be a truth, and that's what I always seek to find, is that truth in those stories. So, I am genuinely, not just as a producer, but as a fan, I'm dead excited about what's coming up because all the stories are just on fire."

"It feels like we've got all the big clans in place. We've got the Platts, who are gonna feature really heavily. We've got the Websters; again, big clan, building that clan, seeing those dynamics. The Connors with Lisa and Carla and Betsy and Ryan; building that, building the factory. We've got lots coming up which I think is going to be really exciting.

The idea of a clan-led show does appeal to me, as it allows for strong characterisation, tradition and the familiarity Kate spoke of, as well as, hopefully, ensuring more family-based, domestic drama, despite what we now know of the continued drive for issue-led, gritty stories.

I have two hopes here; one, is that the relationships feel genuinely rooted in the reality of day-to-day life; the other is that focusing on clans doesn't compartmentalise the show too much, as interaction between characters from different groups is what makes it feel like a real community. Again, time will tell how all of this will play out.

Summing up her overall vision for the show, Kate said, "Basically, my vision is making sure that we keep people engaged, and keep people entertained and keep people guessing, because we don't want people to become complacent. We want to pull the rug from underneath them sometimes, just as the audience are sat at home with a cup of tea, settling down for Corrie, with their digestives - or I'd go for custard creams, but everyone's got their own preference - and something happens that they did not expect. So, definitely expect the unexpected in 2025."