#◜blackberry: attire.◞

[doughiestwarriors]

   blackberry cookie tags !

◜blackberry: inbox / replies.◞ ◜blackberry: behavior.◞ ◜blackberry: headcanon.◞ ◜blackberry: in character.◞ ◜blackberry: mirror / faceclaim.◞ ◜blackberry: isms.◞ ◜blackberry: playlist.◞ ◜blackberry: aesthetics.◞   ◜blackberry: desires / shipping.◞ ◜blackberry: attire.◞

◜blackberry cookie / v. main.◞ 🇷​🇪​🇸​🇵​🇪​🇨​🇹​ 🇴​🇷​🇩​🇪​🇷​ ﹠ 🇱​🇴​🇦​🇹​🇭​ 🇲​🇪​🇸​🇸​. ◜blackberry cookie / v. alt.◞ 🇵​🇺​🇹​ 🇲​🇾​ 🇸​🇪​🇷​🇻​🇮​🇨​🇪​ 🇹​🇴​ 🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇹​🇪​🇸​🇹​.

[the-mortuary-witch]

HEL

WHO IS SHE?

Hel, also called Hella and Hela, is the name used to refer to the Goddess of the Underworld in Norse mythology. She is the daughter of Loki and the Goddess of death, disease, decay, and destruction. Hel is a mysterious, otherworldly deity who presides over the realm of the dead. According to the lore, her followers would be taken to her afterlife after death, where they would face their eternal fate. Though her domain is dark and seemingly frightening, Hel is a powerful and important deity in Norse mythology and has strong ties to the otherworld and the afterlife.

BASIC INFO:

Appearance: in Norse mythology, Hel is described as a very pale but beautiful woman, often with dark, pale hair. She is sometimes depicted as being very thin and gaunt, with a corpse-like appearance. She is also described as often being very sorrowful and sad, and she is known to be a rather ominous and sinister figure. She is often depicted wearing dark, gothic-style clothing and bearing a variety of symbols associated with death and the Underworld.

Personality: Hel is often described as being very sorrowful and solemn. She is often depicted as being a rather quiet and melancholy figure, lacking in the warmth and friendliness that is attributed to the other Norse goddesses. She is generally regarded as being a somewhat sinister and oppressive presence, and she is often seen as having a much darker and more brooding nature than her sisters.

Symbols: ankh, wolves, bones and skulls, ravens, corpse, scythe, fire, spiral, broom, rake, and Hagalaz Rune

Goddess of: death and the afterlife

Culture: Norse

Plants and trees: beech, alder, elm, ivy, juniper, willow, yew, nightshade, belladonna, datura, nettle, wormwood, elder, hellebore, mistletoe, and blackberries

Crystals: obsidian, amethyst, black onyx, bloodstone, jet, and black tourmaline

Animals: rats, wolves, hellhounds, black mare, dogs, crows, and serpents

Incense: myrrh, dragon’s blood, frankincense, and patchouli

Colours: dark green, black, dark blue, red, white, and dark purple

Numbers: 9 and 13

Zodiac: Scorpio

Tarot: Death, The Tower, and Suit of Swords

Planet: Pluto

Days: Monday, Halloween, Yule, Samhain, Helrbjörg, and Allhallowtide

Parents: Loki and Angrboða

Siblings: Fenrir, Jörmungandr, Váli, Narfi, and Sleipnir (Odin’s horse)

Partner: N/A

Children: N/A

MISC:

• Wolves: which are often seen as the guardians of the underworld.

• Ravens and crows: associated with the realm of the dead.

• Pluto: the planet associated with death and rebirth.

• Moon: is the celestial object associated with death, madness, and witchcraft.

• The wolf Gnaa, whose name translates to "the one of the deep" and is the guardian of the underworld.

• Helhest: a mystical three-legged horse that can run across the sky and the sea, carrying souls to the World of Death.

• The black dog Cegrim: which is said to guide souls to the land of Hel.

• The Norns: who are the three Goddesses who spin the fate of each individual soul.

FACTS ABOUT HEL:

• Holds a biconical horn, called a drink horn, which she uses to drain the souls from dead mortals.

• She is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda.

• Garmr (sometimes also called Garm) is the dog or hound that is considered to be Hel's guardian and protector in Norse mythology. Garm is a demonic and monstrous creature, with the size and strength of a bear, the aggression and cunning of a wolf, and the ferocity and loyalty of a dog. Garm is also immortal and has the unique ability to never sleep or rest, which makes him an incomparable guardian and companion to Hel.

• Bears the nickname Goddess of the Dead.

• She resides in a giant estate called Helheim.

HOW TO WORK WITH HEL:

To respectfully work with Hel, set up a sacred space dedicated to her and keep it organized and clean. Honour her symbols of death and rebirth with your attire, decorations, and rituals and rituals. Use colours associated with death and rebirth (black, dark purple, and dark green) in decorations and rituals. Light candles and incense during rituals and dispose of them responsibly.

PRAYER FOR HEL:

"Hail Hel, Lady of the Underworld. I come to you seeking your guidance and protection. Please bless me with your wisdom and help me to walk the path of death and rebirth. Guide me into the realms of darkness, so I may emerge stronger and more enlightened.” 

"Now that I have honoured you and asked for your guidance, I offer this as a humble offering in your name. Accept my gratitude and blessings, and may our paths cross again in the future. Hail to you, Lady of the Underworld, I bid you farewell for now. Hail Hel.”

SIGNS THAT HEL IS CALLING YOU:

• Feeling a sense of pull or attraction to her energy and teachings.

• Experiencing synchronicity or signs that point to her presence.

• You have dreams or visions about her.

• You hear/see her name on the TV, radio, online, in books, etc.

• You recently had a family member pass away

• You’re currently working on healing from religious trauma, specifically fears of death and Hell

• The Death card continually pops up in a reading

• Hagalaz rune is calling to you and showing up everywhere

• Hel’s animals are coming to you as a sign: dog, wolf, or horse

• An increased sense of devotion and reverence towards her.

• Feel drawn to her symbols or representations, such as skulls, bones, and Gothic imagery.

• Something in your life triggers an intense emotional or mental reaction where you feel a strong urge or desire to work with her and embrace her teachings.

• Experiencing a strong sense of passion, dedication, or devotion towards her.

OFFERINGS:

• Money

• Jewelry with dark or gothic themes, as she is often depicted wearing such items in artwork.

• Precious stones

• Weaponry.

• Alcohol or other intoxicating substances.

• Herbs.

• Food or drinks: tea, soup, meat, honey, bread, milk, fruit, and other delicacies.

• Mold.

• Items that represent the cycle of life and death: such as bones, skulls, jewelry with a skeleton theme, and plants associated with death and rebirth.

• Fire or candles: associated with the realm of the dead.

• Music and instruments: she was said to be a talented musician and musician herself.

• Dried flowers.

• Blood.

DEVOTIONAL ACTS FOR HEL:

• Keep a journal, record your thoughts and feelings about her.

• Create an altar or sacred space for her.

• Read or study books on Norse mythology and the goddess Hel.

• Pray to her and ask for her guidance and protection.

• Mindfully clean the graves of deceased loved ones. Talk to them when you visit. If you can’t visit your loved one’s graves, you can write to them and burn it. Watch the letter burn and think that the fire and smoke is delivering the message to them.

• Keep a small altar to honor your beloved who have passed and tend to it. Do not forget their names.

• Honour and embrace all of your emotions. This includes your negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, pain, etc. Accepting and acknowledging these emotions helps process them better and thus help you be a better person. Denying them allows them to fester.

• Do shadow work especially during Sundays.

• Do spirit work. Be cautious when you this and properly protect yourself and dismiss the spirit soon after.

• Do ancestral work and establish ancestral healing starting with you. This helps heal the ones who have come before you.

• Take time to sit in silence and watch the world move around you. You can do this in a symbolic way by leaving fruit like an apple outside and watch it rot.

• Meditate and learn the value of taking a pause in this fast-paced world.

• Accept change and adapt to it.

• Learn to appreciate the sudden changes or slight inconveniences in life. See the positive side of it.

• Learn the value of patience.

• Live your life as if it was your last (mindfully).

• Volunteer in cleaning cemeteries or in your local mortuary

• Keep a garden and care for it. (Some SDAs say she likes roses but she could ask you to care for other plants)

• Visit or volunteer in hospital work especially for the critically ill. Bring joy into their life even for a short while. You don’t know how much time they have left.

• Dress in neutral and dark colours.

• Dedicate a playlist for her.

• Collect animal bones. Clean then and breathe life into them (do so ethically, killing animals for bones is a blatant disrespect for Hel, the animal and the law).

• Adopt unwanted animals (the ones who are critically ill or are of old age) and give them the best life before they pass

• Carry an organ donor or a blood donor card.

• Enjoy fermented food and drinks such as wine and mead. Do not forget to toast to her name.

IS IT SAFE TO EAT OR DRINK AN OFFERING I GIVE TO HER?

It is not recommended to eat or drink offerings given to Hel because she is a powerful, protective, and guardian entity associated with the Underworld. She is a figure of death and rebirth, and she is responsible for ensuring the souls of the deceased cross over to the afterlife. Her energetic presence may not be fit for human consumption, and consuming offerings that were given to her may cause an imbalance in energy and a disruption in the connection with this deity. It is always better to err on the side of caution and avoid consuming offerings that were given to Hel.

[dantesunbreaker]

Blackberry Picking with the Papas(Headcanons)

I haven't done many of these kind of posts, but I had this idea while picking berries with my mom and twin. We each have our own way of picking, and I couldn't help but think of how each Papa would act as well!

Primo

Most enthusiastic about going of all the Papas, but it's not exactly just for getting berries

Will point out which berries are okay to pick, tells you which will be more on the sweet or tart side

Insistent that neither of you purposely harm the plant itself

You accidently snap a perfectly healthy branch and "We must show respect and gratitude for the plant and the fruit which it bares. Come, let me show you, my flower."

Does his fair share of the picking, but is far more concerned with trimming and pruning. He wants them to grow big and strong.

You don't pick too many, just the right amount. Primo gently insists that you leave plenty for the surrounding wildlife to enjoy.

He makes refreshing sweet iced tea with your harvest

Secondo

Takes it far more serious than his two younger brothers

Brings all the necessary tools: gloves, baskets, clippers, etc.

Zero clue which berries are good besides the simple "black = good, red/green = bad"

If he is taller than you, he will grab high branches and hold them down so you can pick from them

Good thing you do not decide to pick from Primo's garden, because this man will cut and clear vines to venture deeper into the bushes

Collects far more than is actually needed, but he fills with pride at the sight of your overflowing baskets

Some of the berries are eaten plain as soon as they are rinsed, some are frozen, but the mass majority of them are stored so they can ferment and be made into wine

Terzo

Expect to do 80% of the work yourself

At first he is all eager, decked out in his fancy summer attire

Picks alongside you as you work your way around the perimeter, not yet pushing into the thorny bushes

But once you start pushing in.... well

Why he choose to wear white, you will never understand

Laments as he becomes spotted with purple and red stains, ruining his outfit

Calls it quits for himself the moment he gets snagged by a thorn and tears a hole in his shirt

"Dolcezza, must you really insist on picking your own? I could go buy all the fresh berries you could ever need!"

Sulks and pouts, but he will still hold the basket for you. Standing back at a safe distance of course

But all is forgotten the moment you present him with the fresh baked pastries you make with the berries

Copia

He tries his best! Bless his heart he really does...

But when not on stage, this man lacks grace

Every five minutes you hear a yelp or hiss followed by a string of Italian curses from his direction

Refuses to give up though!

If his amore wants freshly picked berries, well then he is going to make it happen no matter the cost!

Together you pick a modest amount, not too much, not too little

Afterwards you are sure to clean all Copia's nicks and cuts, giving each a get well smooch that has him blushing behind his paints

In the end, most of the berries go to Copia's rats! You make a few desserts for yourself and Copia of course.

But that night you sit at the table for dinner, each rat with their own place setting and small plate of berries

[aalinaaaaaa]

Day 2 — Before the Blue Embers

As part of @rheas-chaos-motivation 's writing challenge!

Word count: 1,326

Synopsis: What Miriyia, Markus and all the ordinary denizens of the city of Waydeirie believe to be just an ordinary celebration of the princess' birthday, turns out to be anything but.

—

They say it is good luck to leave a gift on a birthday.

The windowsill is a prime position for it, a vessel of exchange between a resident and gift giver. From here, romances wilt and blossom, alliances forged over handmade trinkets.

On the night of a royal birthday, local legend says that the royal in question will exchange a gift on one of the windowsills, and potentially change that person’s life forever.

How does one know that a royal has gifted them? People have their assumptions.

Miriyia ventured out for strawberries. Her sister once said a handsome noble told her that they were Princess Estyia’s favourite fruit.

Validity of the claim aside, she thought it befitting to make strawberry tartlets.

The market sellers perched themselves around the Circle of Resilke, the part of Waydeirie that thrived the most. Flowers poured out from boxes and baskets, with vivid ivy overtaking the walls of the city hall, where people gathered to convene and also to dance their lives away.

The seven-spired castle behind it all never failed to catch Miriyia’s attention. It towered over the rest of the city, visible from almost any part.

She wondered what the royals did behind those walls.

“Do you mind holding this for me, love?” A young lad sprinted past her, shoving a glowing, pink thing into her hands. It sizzled and pulsated, getting softer by the second.

“What? No.” She threw it into the fountain, where it burst into pink smoke and magical sparks, turning the water a light pink.

She coughed as she walked away, her nostrils clogged with the scent of all things sweet.

Two other men dashed in the direction of the mystery lad, their path obscured by the pastel smoke bomb.

Miriyia approached one of the sellers, a lady with white flowers in her coiled hair. The green mid-sleeved dress she had blended well with the gentle brown hues of her skin, the one stand-out piece the blue phoenix pendant around her neck.

“Are you alright, dear?” The seller wrapped her branch-like digits around Miriyia’s. “I saw the human shove a smoke spell onto you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, my hands are okay, I think.” Miriyia opened her satchel, ensuring the jam jar was still there. “What was going on with him?”

“I don’t know.” The seller shrugged, opening her hands. “He seemed to be altercating with two others, mentioned something about a weapon.”

“A weapon? Of what sorts? What is he going to do with it?”

“I’m not the one for those kind of details. My trade is fruits and honey, that’s what I know. What can I get for you, miss Kaivje?”

“Can I get these, please?” She pointed to the pot of strawberries, handing the seller the jar of blackberry jam in return.

She unbound the lid for a moment, smiling upon inspection of it. “Ah, this is a fine jam. Did you make this?”

Miriyia nodded, a sudden chill going down her spine. The men seemed to have left…

“Well, is there anything else for you, dear?”

“I’m happy for the moment, bye now.”

Rather than take a browse at the other sellers like she usually did, Miriyia turned straight home, with thoughts of tartlets and pastel bombs on her mind.

—

The sun set in record time, casting the kitchen under the dim glow of sunset.

Miriyia beamed at her creations, a plate full of tartlets with one cast aside near the window.

“Are you ready, yet?” Her lover, Markus, strode in, leaning against the doorway in respondent attire.

She looked to her market dress, covered in white powder with a few red splatters.

Splendid for the evening ball, sure. “What do you think? I have my tartlets done.”

“I see that.” He bridged the gap between them, his hazel-green eye directed towards the plate. “May I?”

“Of course.”

He gave her a cheeky peck on the lips before taking a tartlet, his taste buds singing with each bite. “Miriyia, you are gifted. Are you sure these aren’t spelled?”

“Only to make you love me more.” She kissed him on the cheek before heading upstairs, assuring him she’d only be a few minutes.

More than a few minutes later, she descended the stairs, now fit for a fine evening of revelry.

—

Before she left, Miriyia placed the gift tartlet on the outside windowsill, not knowing what time the princess would show up, if at all.

As the pair walked towards the hall, she noted all the other windowsills adorned in gifts, from jams and breads to statuettes, glassware and jewellery. By night’s end at least one of these things would get exchanged.

For now, the pair joined their fellows in heading to the city hall, hoping only for an excellent ball.

Within the walls of Waydeirie Castle, the official celebration of Estyia Verlova’s birthday unfolded, the castle lit up with light and colour.

—

“I’m going to get a drink, do you want one?” Miriyia asked.

She strode over to the nearest drink maker, ordering a fine glass of lemon, lime, and white wine infused with ice fish blood. At the first taste, she thought the smell resembled ashes and rotten flesh.

Befitting for a fish-blood cocktail, she supposed. She sipped again.

Somewhere in the crowd, her beloved waited for her, dancing amongst the tangle of limbs in the meantime. Her mind pondered going back to him, ignoring the strange tang of ash and bleeding the night away.

No amount of loud music nor alcohol could drown out her instincts, shouting and screaming at her to turn around and go to the entrance.

Chances were of someone letting their fire magic get out of control. Perhaps a stupid prank, or just nothing but her alcohol-tinged senses getting the better of her.

She emerged at the entrance, her eyes drawn straight towards Waydeirie Castle.

Flames rose from the centre of it, burning a hole near the central spire.

A number of others watched in horror, their gazes transfixed on the fire unfolding before their eyes.

Glass shattered, with an enormous plume of blue flames snaking up around the central spire. The flames culminated in the form of a blue phoenix, spreading its fiery wings wide before splitting into blue embers.

“Fate save us.” She said, out of habit.

Some people started screaming, others shouting, and a few crying.

Miriyia found herself wont to do all three. The books, scribes and Recordkeepers warned of this.

No one, however, spoke of Fate’s impending appearance in her lifetime.

Blue, flickering sparks floated through the sky, interspersed with red embers and ash.

Miriyia took a spot beside another reveller, holding her while she cried. Tears formed in her own eyes, clouding her sight.

When her lover brought her into his sturdy arms, the tears streaked down her face.

He stumbled in place, keeping her in his hold. She noted the messiness of his steps, the shock written all over his face.

“Did you see the phoenix?”

“The what?”

Miriyia swallowed a lump in her throat. “Fate���s back. She sent her flames out of the castle.”

“That- That can’t be.” Her feet found purchase on solid ground, though with reluctance.

“Surely you just had too much, right?”

She shook her head. “Look at all these people. Do you think it’s all intoxication? Look at the smoke and ashes up there, look at the castle.”

His demeanour shifted, calming, his eyes wide in horror.

“Now look at me.” He looked down. “I would give my life and the tartlet for this to be a dream. We all would. This is what they talk about in the myths, the legends, the ceremonies. Our world is ever closer to unending ruin, and I just want to go home.”

She dropped into the crook of his shoulder. “Please, just take me home.”

So he did.

When Miriyia woke up the next morning, she found two things beside her.

Markus, and the princess’ tartlet.

—

Taglist (General + Flamebearer, ask/comment/message me if you'd like to be added or subtracted) : @mundanemoongirl @scarletteflamerald @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @ceph-the-ghost-writer @feathers-little-nest @outpost51 @mattresses-and-macaroni @limitlesswritingvoid @mr-orion @the-ellia-west @guessillcallitart @thelaughingstag @thereadingfoz @glassstardust22124 @bigboicol-theflamingcol @original-writing

[edwinspaynes]

Butterflies

A Herondaisy drabble based on @hanelizabeth's beautiful art. Also, @angeldaisies, I think you'll like this one too.

You can read it on Ao3!

---

James dimly recalled Cordelia once telling him that she looked better in deep hues rather than pastels. She could not have been more wrong. James knew that his wife would be beautiful in anything she chose to wear, make the wings of his heart beat heavily until it took off inside of his chest. And now, looking upon her in her newest gown, James felt those wings take flight and lodge in his throat.

He was lost for words. Breathless. Angel, Cordelia was a dream beyond anything he had ever imagined.

She spun around, an impish smile on her face. "So, do you like it? I know it is far from my usual attire, but I rather liked all of the butterflies on the skirt." She paused. "There's just so much... so much whimsy-"

James knew that his golden eyes were smoldering as he took her in. "'Whimsy' is perhaps not the word I would assign to what I am currently feeling," he said, his voice deep and rich. He laughed, a low sound in his moth-addled mouth as the butterflies moved low in his belly. "I am thinking more along the lines of 'beauty' and 'excessively hopeless desire.'"

In an attempt at true whimsy, James waggled his eyebrows, and Cordelia laughed. She strolled up to him, lifted a finger, and poked his nose. "Your expression is truly quite amusing," she informed him lightly. "As though I am some sort of angel come to life, though I assure you that I am having far too much fun teasing my husband to truly be angelic."

Up close her opal earrings winked. They were set in gold, bringing out the glint of the globe necklace that James still remembered being fastened around her neck for the first time. The gold complimented the flame of her hair perfectly, and the blue...

Well, that brought out the sky shade of her gown, and the white accents and butterflies and sash offset her rich brown skin. The curve of a smile graced her lips, and James...

He wove a hand around her waist.

He pulled her in close.

And when their lips met, the butterflies in his throat and stomach became too much to bear. He made a small noise of desire as he trailed his hand up the small of her back to rest at the nape of her hair, the thick red chignon brushing the sides of his hands...

Cordelia pushed him away with a giggle. "Do control yourself," she said. "There shall be plenty of time for that tonight, and I will wear the dress if you want."

"I certainly would not complain," James told her in perhaps too agreeable a tone. "But you're right. As much as it pains me to let go, I would not wish to miss our dinner reservation. You know that I can never say no to duck ala orange, tempting though it may be."

-

The duck was good, but Cordelia was better.

She sat across from him devouring her lamb chops and parsnips, talking of a ridiculous dinner that she had recently had with Thomas and Alastair at their home in Cornwall Gardens. "I am telling you, Alastair gave me those lemons to mock me," she said. "You know how I find them too sour!"

"Very rude of him," James agreed, though there was no mirth in it. He liked Alastair. "Next time we have him over, we'll find a way to get him back. Perhaps an extra lump of sugar in his tea?"

"Oh, no. Set out blackberry tarts and pretend that there are not enough for him. He will be horribly overset by the time I reveal that there are, in fact, more in the icebox."

James laughed.

Over dessert, he told Cordelia about the time that he had gone to a market in Alsace with his father, an overcast day when the sun shone over dozens of cards filled to the brim with books. "And that was my first experience with a pop-up stalls," he said. "And now they are an eternal part of my existence."

"Oh!" Cordelia clapped her hands. "I remembered something. Next week in Camden there is to be a book fair. I saw a flyer for it at Comb's Coffee."

"Well, we're going. Mark the date," he told her. "And I will, of course, buy you all the books you want."

Cordelia grinned radiantly, and the opals in her ears sparkled. "Sounds like I'll be requiring a handcart," she said.

"And don't worry," James told her. "I'll select the most insufferable-looking bargain romance that I see so we can read it before the fire and laugh at its nonsense all night."

"My favorite kind of sleepless night," Cordelia agreed.

"You mean second favorite," James argued.

"No, actually, I don't." She smiled. "Though, of course, our other activities are a very close second, I very much just enjoy spending time with you."

She is my best friend, James thought unbidden. Absolutely and completely, I am hers.

And when he finally peeled her butterfly dress off after a night of laughter by the fireplace, he did not forget that.

[museswithinx]

@ask-alicelockwood

Jake's palms were already sweating as he approached the side door of Brady's van. It seemed no matter how hard his friends pumped him up for this, he just couldn't completely shake the nerves. He just wanted this to go well. Really, really well.

Finally building enough courage to knock, he taps his fist again the door three times before waiting for Brady to answer.

"Hey," he greets with a smile, hoping his voice didn't convey his anxiety. Trying to swallow his nerves, he takes a quiet moment to appreciate Brady's first date attire. "Wow..." He breathes, "You look great. That's a nice color on you... Really brings out your eyes." He wished he could come up with something more original but he was at a loss for words. Brady always looked good, he always caught himself staring whenever they hung out, but tonight especially he had put the effort in.

Clearing his throat after a moment, he smiles and holds up a box he'd bought on the way over from Blue's bakery. "Um, I brought dessert for later. Blackberry pie."

[mundmutter]

❤️ and because he is the best husband, he's brought her some rather rare alchemical texts! who knows where he found them ... but the important part is that he did! ... not that this is the only thing he'll do for his beloved moon and stars- she can expect a romantic dinner too!

(     *     VALENTINE’S DAY PROMPTS   ! / accepting    

❤️ : give a gift to my muse. ( specify. )

―  🜛  ―  the  type  of  gift  would  be  typical  to  give,  but  it  was  the  matter  of  subject  to  which  the  book  had  been  written  that  was  most  prudent.  .  .  Atlas  of  course  managed  to  find  one  that  she  had  not  read  before,  which  was,  quite  frankly,  nothing  short  of  a  miracle.  Atlas  did  have  a  way  with  gifting  exactly  what  she  would  wish  for ― attire,  books,  jewelry,  children.  .  .  he  never  missed  the  mark  when  it  came  to  truly  making  her  happy.  She  regards  the  tome  in  stunned  silence  for  a  beat  before  breaking  into  soft  rolling  laughter,  setting  it  aside  to  hold  him.  Wrap  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  kiss  him  hard.

       " A  romantic  dinner  as  well, my  sun  and  sky? "      she  croons  deeply,  their  lips  just  barely ghosting  along  one  another,  knowing  full  well  he  already  had  her  favorites  in  mind.  So  it  comes  forth  playfully  with  a  very  impish  grin.  " Roast  veal,  truffled  wild  mushrooms,  and  blackberry  mousse? "     

[tinyshe]

Garden Report & Frugal Living 23.08.05

I’m moving slower than a slug in a dried out summer garden. I water the potted plants and expect the rest to carry on.

The elderberry bushes are now in full bloom and the Autumn weather has set in. This afternoon I heard the little Executioner of Summer sit outside my window singing his sad song. The trees are definitely putting forth their Autumn attire in reds and yellows. So glancing back to the elderberry -- it will be a blossom harvest because there will not be enough time for the berries to mature and ripen. It has been a chillier Summer, even the hops that grow like rambunctious weeds were feign to put forth flowers; they just twindle and twine about without purpose.

The fruit trees have put on so much green new growth it is hard to see the fruit if there is any. A good Summer trim would be in order if I could drag a ladder about to mount and wack at them. Maybe tomorrow I can beg someone to do that for me.

Tomorrow I have decided I am going to pull the garlic in a ‘ready or not’ maneuver. I need to build up and amend the bed. I also still need to make a second harvest from the potato barrel. Did I tell you the peas are just starting to come up in the pots and some ravenous night marauder is mowing down the leek seedlings?

The blackberries are making a race to ripen. I’m not sure that they will make it with any sugar content due to the cold and eternal fog. I won’t write them off yet but keeping one eye on their progress since so many of them are still blooming!

In the pantry notes: I have found that frozen blueberries dehydrate faster than fresh. My thoughts are the skin of fruits and veg are there to protect the seed esp from dehydration BUT when they are frozen, it changes the structure of the cells/breaks down the fruit/veg which makes it less drying time.  I’m trying out my theory on frozen carrots that came in a big lot at a price half that of fresh. I’m sure I am reinventing the wheel here and experts have written about this, published and have made money on sharing this info but for you dear friends, you get to suffer through my benign ramblings all for the simple low price of a few eye rolls, perhaps a giggle and your blessed time. What a bargain!

The hens are confused at our dusk and dawn rampaging, the neighbors are quiet while we battle the skunks wanting to nest under our house. So far, they the skunks) are winning imo. I have a lovely food forest habitat surrounding the house that sits on post and piers. Yes gentle folk, it is the ammonia bomb season since I have gotten tired of shaking black pepper on everything everyday and doing big thumping loads of laundry at midnight. Doing some ‘bombing’ and buckets of water through the hedges will hopefully dislodge them (yes, there is 2).  I had a pair of garden gawkers arguing about the fire-of-eden so loudly I had to stick my head out the front door and inform them they were not far from the nesting skunk *snff*sniff*big eyes* whereas one of them informed me she likes the skunks because they eat rats.  Obviously this dear woman hasn’t chickens to protect nor a skunk spray under her bedroom in the middle of the night. But with that parting comment, they (the gawkers) left hurry-scurry ... and without the skunk! WAIT! Take the skunk with you since you love them! Please! Its free! Take it home with you!! Wait ... OoooOOo *big sigh of defeat*

Here’s hoping your days are skunkless and your Summer full of delicious Bounty!

[flickynightdarkness]

Meet Sage (Crash Bandicoot OC)

(ABOUT HIM)

Name: Sage Woods

Age: 20s

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Species: Fox

Sexuality: Asexual

Eye Colour: Brown

Birthday: 12th July

Attire: White Lab Coat, Hazel Brown Shirt & Black Trousers/Pants

Likes: Science, Ember(Adoptive Daughter), His Lab, Blueberries, Blackberries, Charlie, Neo Cortex, Uka Uka, Frost(Friend), Dray-O (Mask/Deceased Mentor)

Dislikes: Birds, Slugs, Academies, Anyone Hurting Ember, Charlie Being Annoying, Bandicoots

Allies/Friends: Charlie(sometimes), Neo Cortex, Uka Uka, Frost, Dray-O, Quake, Volca, Flow, Cane, Molt, Ember, Nina Cortex, N-Gin

Neutral: Willy Wumpacheeks, Pasadena O'Possum, N-Tropy, N-Brio, Oxide, Velo, Angie-La, Aku Aku, Komodo Brothers(Joe & Moe), Nash, Krunk, Norm(Small & Big), Geary, Pinstripe, Ripper Roo, Dingodile, Von Clutch

Enemies: Evil Twins/Victor & Moritz, Evil Crash, Bandicoot Family, Tawna, Fake Crash, Hannah

[documentarynuclear]

Know Your Audience - Tips For Developing Your Own Reality TV Show Or Documentary Film Concept

You've got a hot new concept for a Reality TV show. You've been doing fashion styling and image consulting for top executives in your area. You are often blown away by the lack of understanding most of your client's have when it comes to the importance of how they present themselves. Most of them know the nuances of packaging and presenting core issues to hundreds if not thousands of people. But, when it comes to their personal presentations, most of them fall short. You think there's an amazing Reality TV show concept that will help educate business people about the importance of proper attire. Sounds like an amazing concept, but who's going to watch it? Where are they going to watch it? Knowing your audience is an important step in developing any concept for a Reality TV show.

First and foremost, begin by defining who your audience is, and exactly why you are absolutely convinced that they will tune in to watch your show whether that is online or on the boob tube. Try to understand everything you can about your audience. What gender are they? How old are they? What do they wear? Where do they eat? What kind of movies do they go to? Do some homework on the target audience's media consumption habits. Find out where your buyers are likely to already be spending their time online. This is where your business creativity will really pay off. One of the hardest things to do on a shoestring or bootstrapping budget is to build qualified traffic to your website. However, if you get creative with the right partners on board, you can make any project happen. Click now Nuclear bomb documentary

Now, how do you best reach these folks? Are they watching TV? Are they spending their spare time on MySpace or Facebook? Are they Blackberry or iPhone junkies? These are all important questions to consider as they will shape the landscape of opportunity for your program. If you really want to get your show made and you want to make a living doing it, then don't think inside the span of traditional media. The underdogs are gaining strength and power in a completely transitioning media industry. Your primary goal should be to create your content, offer value to the audience and make an honorable profit doing so. Look for emerging media distribution channels that can help you deliver the audience you need in order to satisfy a potential underwriting sponsor. The internet is a fantastic place to start, but dig deeper and keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing.

[stylegroves]

which are the best suit brands in India?

5 best suit brands in India that reshaped the fashion industry

Did you know - India is home to many suit brands offering a wide range of options, fabrics, and designs? A suit is one of the best outfits for men, regardless of the occasion. Whether it is a formal meeting or dinner party - branded suits in India can elevate your looks. A good designer suit will always speak volumes about your personality. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the best suit brands in India, offering the best of the best quality fabric. 

Before we dive deeper, let us understand the basics. 

Factors to consider when buying a suit

Well, there are a plethora of factors to consider when buying a suit. Firstly, it depends on the taste and choice of the individual. Secondly, there are some rules, or we can say guidelines, to consider, which are as below - 

Fabric

The fabric of your suit is an important consideration that can make or break the appearance. There are different types of textiles, such as - cotton, rayon, wool, synthetic, muslin, tweed etc. The quality of the fabric you choose is rated by super 100s to super 150s. Wollen suits are the most desirable fabric for the corporate environment and will pay off over the years. 

Size

The suit should fit you well from the shoulder with a neat waist and slim shoulders. Your jacket should fit accurately and look modern. Anything oversized will spoil the look of your suit. Make sure to buy the best brand suits in India for a perfect fit and look. 

Length

The length of your trouser should always fall gracefully against the shoes. For a desirable look, you should have a soft break at the front of the trousers instead of the back.  You can also try short trousers with no break and cuff for a stylish look. 

Colour

The colour of your suit is another important consideration. Typically, it is advised to choose the right grey patterns or plain navy suits that are trending currently. You can also pick a stylish black or creme-coloured suit that goes well with any occasion.  

What are the best suit brands in India?

Now that you know the factors to consider when buying a suit in India. There are several brands in India offering good quality suits. The price of a branded suit range from 8,000/- to 20,000/- INR. It can go upto 1 lakh and even more. Here are some of the best suit brands in India, offering the best value for your money, fabric, appearance and quality. 

Raymond

Founded in 1925, Raymon is one of the best suit brands in India. It emerged as a diverse organisation with a primary focus on fabric, apparel and textiles. With 1500 outlets across 600 cities, it is considered one of the largest retailers in India. Over the years, this textile brand has established itself as the top choice for leading designers.  One can find the best fabric and numerous options when it comes to suits in India. 

      2. Siyaram’s

Also known as Silk Mills Ltd or SSM, Siyaram’s is a renowned suit brand in India with a big network of retail stores across the country. For those looking for high-end fashion, Siyarm’s is the best choice. Established in 1978 in Mumbai, this brand offers fabric as well as ready-made clothes. The brand is well-known for its formal attire made from high-quality fabric. 

       3. Peter England

Peter England has beem ultimate choice of many suit lovers. Formed in 1889 is a subsidiary brand of Aditya Birla. It was launched in Indian marketing in 1997 and has made its mark on consumers. Being one of the largest manufacturers, it is definitely the best suit brand in India. Their ever green collection Elite is perfect to create a stunning look. 

       4. Blackberrys

Blackberrys is another homegrown suit brand in India founded by Nitin Mohan in 1991. It is one of the premier men’s fashion brands that provides the best quality suits for men. They offer a wide range of formal and casual designs that suit the requirement of every man. With a plethora of wardrobe choices, including formal wear, party wear, office wear, casual and classic - the brand offers suits crafted for modern men. 

        5. OCM

OCM is a progressive clothing brand that picks the finest material and tailors them to the best fit. Featuring a assortment of suits, blazers, shirts, formal and casual wear - OCM offers the best outfit for workplace and parties. The brand offers a fantastic collection that is comfortable to wear and elevates your look. 

Besides, there are other brands that make the best quality suits. You can choose a brand from the above brands to cherish the best moments of your life.

[isfjmel-phleg]

More OC art by the amazing @awesomebutunpractical! This is Rachel on the left and Emenor (Tamett’s older sister) on the right.

Rachel is, as usual, in a state of apprehension, while Emenor is probably playing concertos in her head. As ever, I love how well @awesomebutunpractical captures their distinct personalities and am forever in awe of the beautiful shading work on their hair.

The rest of the set: Rietta and Tamett, Delclis and Elystan, Amarantha and Josiah, Ayra and Ateva, Tietra and Bethira.

Go commission her! If slots are still open. You’ll have to ask.

[flowercrownd]

   blackberry cookie tags !

◜blackberry cookie: inbox / replies.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: behavior.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: headcanon.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: in character.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: mirror / faceclaim.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: isms.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: playlist.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: aesthetics.◞   ◜blackberry cookie: desires / shipping.◞ ◜blackberry cookie: attire.◞

[megurodivision]

"You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

Introduction

Yeong "Cain" Hajoon is the third and final member of the Meguro Division rap battle group, DOG STREET CLUB. He is often called by his MC name, 9-Dan. The former heir to the prestigious Cain family of Korea, Yeong abandoned both his family and name to live a life of freedom. Despite his easygoing and flirtatious attitude, this world-renowned model and dance instructor has more than his fair share of secrets.

Yeong is an attractive man in his mid 20s hailing from Korea. He is of mixed heritage, with his father being Japanese and his mother being Korean. He has light brown eyes with matching-colored hair that goes down past his neck. He stands at 6 feet, and weighing approximately 160 lb.

For his attire, he usually wears a white overcoat that is open, exposing his tattooed chest. He wears a pair of camo pants that are fastened by a black belt with a silver belt buckle and a pair of black boots. Lastly, he wears a pair of black fingerless gloves.

Name Meanings

Yeong (英) - brave, hero

Hajoon - Summer, great, talented

Aliases

"The Machine Gun"

Yeong-kun - His mother

Pretty Boy - His female fans

Sensei

Biographical Info

Gender - Male

Age - 25

Birthday - Dec 8th

Ethnicity - Half Korean/Half Japanese

Hair Color - Brown

Eye Color - Light Brown

Height - 183 cm/6'0"

Weight - 74 kg/164 lb.

Star Sign - Sagittarius

Piercings - Three silver loop earrings and a bronze stud in his left ear.

Markings - The majority of his chest and arms are filled with black flame tattoos. He also has a dog tattoo on the back of his right leg.

Family

Biological Mother

Biological Father

Voiced By - The Quiett (Rapping)

Fun Facts

MC Name - 9-Dan

Occupation - Model/Dance Instructor/Bouncer

Division - Meguro

Team - DOG STREET CLUB

Position - Third Member

Favorite Food - Tteokbokki

Least Favorite Food - Jajangmyeon

Likes - Modeling, Go, his former master, Taekwondo, beer, nightclubs, women, slow days, dancing, dogs, Japanese culture, easy assignments

Dislikes - His parents, hard assignments, being teased by people, insects, missteps, being told he's doing something wrong, moody people, doing extra work

Hypnosis Microphone

Yeong's Microphone is a Blackberry phone that is gold in color.

His Speaker takes the form of a Go board. In the middle of the board is a speaker, and surrounding it are a large number of black and white Go pieces.

His rap ability, Swift Action, has Yeong using his stamina to increase the speed of his speech patterns, confusing and disorientating his opponents, lowering their defense.

Yeong's rap themes are centered around the phrase, 'Don't worry, be happy.' Unlike his teammates, who often sing and rap about negative things like their pasts, Yeong's themes revolve around happiness and looking forward to a brighter tomorrow. His themes often revolve around partying, dancing, or generally just having a good time.

Personality

As his quote can no doubt infer, Yeong is a happy, go-lucky guy who takes life as it comes, not letting negative or bad things get him down. Unlike his broody teammates, it is almost impossible to not see him without a smile or a smirk on his face. If he isn't smirking, then you know the situation is bad. But such instances are few and far between, and the young model will do all he can to lighten the mood when the situation calls for it.

However, Yeong is also very cocky and conceited at times, often running his mouth, which gets him into trouble more times than not. He's been warned by this many times by his peers and friends, but has yet to correct it. Fortunately for him, he is not all talk, as he also has the skills to back up his smart mouth. However, he often questions why his workload is always increasing, but has yet to figure out that he is main reason for this.

Besides that, despite his positive attitude and outlook, that's not to say Yeong is perfect. In fact, believe it or not, the young male model has more than his fair share of secrets, which even his teammates don't know about. In actuality, he is ███████████████, and has █████████████████████. His reasons for this is unknown, and only time will tell what he will do.

Background

Yeong was born as the only heir to the prestigious and well-known Cain family in Korea. Ever since he could remember, he was always taught by his parents how he should act. He was taught what words to say, how to sit and walk properly, how to conduct himself in public, and much more. As a child, he didn't mind it, believing that this was just the way of things. But as he got older and saw how free most of the other kids in Korea were compared to him, he began to find his parents' rules and way of doing things stifling.

At the age of eight, he asked his parents could he take up martial arts as a hobby. Not surprisingly, his parents refused, not only because this wasn't how a child of nobility should act, but also because they were afraid he'd hurt himself. Four years later, at the age of 12, he again asked permission from his parents to learn Taekwondo, but again his parents refused. Upset at this, he argued that an heir should be strong, as well as smart. But still, his parents refused to relent. At wit's end, Yeong stated that he would leave the family if his parents wouldn't grant him his request. Seeing how serious he was, his parents had no choice but to acquiesce their wayward son.

Over the span of two years, Yeong prodigiously excelled in Taekwondo at 14, and even earned high marks by his grandmaster, Dong Hajoon, after going face to face with him in battle. Though he was stern, his master often showed Yeong moments of kindness and clarity. He also introduced the game of Go to the young teen, which Yeong would come to love. Growing older, the grandmaster also regarded the young Cain heir as a worthy successor of the school, even though as that was not even possible for him and the ecstatic Yeong, as the prestigious Cain family name was the very obstacle.

At the age of 16, he graduated high school early, earning himself a doctorate, pleasing his parents' greatly, who knew that Yeong would make a good successor to the family. However, to everyone's surprise there, Yeong stated that he renounced his family name and was going to live his life as he wanted. He then changed his last name from 'Cain' to 'Hajoon', honoring his old master.

Four years later, at 20, Yeong made the decision to █████████, wanting to experience something fun for once in his life. Every chance he got, he rebuked his family name, stating that, 'I'm not that person anymore.' Though he was a good fighter and listener, his penchant for disobeying rules and orders gave his senior officials more than a few headaches.

During his time there, he met and befriended LeAnn Chambers, a more careful and thorough agent than Yeong was. Though the two had trouble getting along at first, they eventually become friends after Yeong ██████████████████. It was there LeAnn saw that despite his personality, Yeong was actually a lot smarter than he let out. To pay him back, Yeong promised her to let him take her out a date, which LeAnn offered no comment.

A year later, Yeong received word that LeAnn had ██████████████████. Upset and not understanding her reasons, he decided to █████████, getting himself a full-body tattoo to blend in. It was there he met Vito, and soon after, Saji. Together, the three men made a dynamic unit together. After receiving an invite from Chuohku, Yeong decided to join up with his teammates, though neither of them know that ██████████████████. He hopes that it won't have to come to that...

Trivia

Though he loves his job as a model, he hates having to stand still for hours as he gets fidgety after a while.

He is glad he decided to learn Taekwondo as it helped strengthen his leg muscles for dancing.

His MC name is his Taekwondo rank that he obtained. It is his way of honoring his master.

He knows a lot of the female models in Japan due to his work, and is happy that he is one of the few male models out there cause 'he doesn't have to share the limelight'.

[ophanim-vesper]

Cookie Run character design analysis pt. 2!

This time I just want to talk about the individual characters and the inspiration behind their designs! Pictures will just point out details in their design but the post text will go into the inspiration and lore behind why they're the cookies they are!

Gingerbrave is obviously based off the classic 'Gingerbread Man' story, where a gingerbread cookie suddenly comes to life and runs away causing mischief for it's maker. This is what likely inspired Cookie Run overall, with cookies defying their bakers and running for their freedom.

Though by the end of the fairytale, the gingerbread man gets tricked and is eaten by a fox. I haven't completed any CR games so I'm not sure how that relates to Gingerbrave (yet), but we'll see... (I'm looking at you Kumiho Cookie).

For Strawberry Cookie, I couldn't really find anything about that directly relates to her design or character. Her design, backstory and personality are very simple so it's hard to pinpoint her inspirations.

Strawberries are often associated with love and relationships, the fruit is even seen as an aphrodisiac. That seems a bit mature for Strawberry Cookie, especially since she's very reclusive and shy

Though she isn't actually made out of any real strawberries, just strawberry extract. Maybe because she isn't actually made of strawberry it makes her personality the opposite of what the fruit represents? IDK, if anyone can tell me more, please do.

[also jam (presumably strawberry jam) is blood in the cookie world, which is probably why Strawberry is ashamed of her flavor, so that means something I guess]

Beet Cookie was also a bit tough to research on. I couldn't find much about Beets that relate to her archery class, mostly just stuff on love and aphrodisiacs again... and dyes...

Beets can also regulate blood pressure and boost stamina, so that's maybe something considering she's an archer. However, her bio always talks about how she can survive anywhere.

Beets grow well in cold weather during spring and fall (which explains her warm attire), fall is usually the season when most plants die. It's also a tuber vegetable which means it grows underground, which keeps it protected from most hazards above like heavy rain. Beets are also kinda hard, so that's one thing.

That's pretty much all I could find, also she's friends with Carrot Cookie which is also a tuber vegetable.

IBlackberry is pretty interesting. Blackberries in Christian belief are said to represent spiritual neglect or ignorace, it's ironic for Blackberry but it's specifically ignorance and defiance of God and christianity. Stuff like psychic abilities, necromancy and anything involving ghosts is viewed as satanic or evil and is seen as an act against God, so that may explain her flavor.

In Celtic beliefs, however, blackberries represent tenacity, fierceness, beauty and reward for hard work. Blackberry is quite beautiful and she is a maid so she works quite hard, which fits the origin (even though her ghosts basically do everything but whatever).

Anyways that's all I have to say! I don't want this post to get too long 😅. It took a lot of time to research this stuff and come up with the connections, Devsisters is much more clever at character design than we thought!

If y'all want a part 3 please let me know! These are honestly fun to make :)

Ciao!

[jasontoddiefor]

Summary: In a world where the different Jedi sects co-exist, Ahsoka Tano and her Master Obi-Wan Kenobi are waiting for a stranger in the desert.

AN: I have started a new WIP.

Ahsoka had learned quite a lot since she had become her Master’s Padawan. Mostly she had been taught how to fight, take down opponents twice her size, how to defend and protect others by building walls higher than anyone could climb, and not get lost in the screaming, tear-stained horror of war. Perhaps it was not the padawanhood that Ahsoka had imagined, but she wouldn’t trade Obi-Wan for any other Master. He was patient, kind, and never lost his temper with her, even when Ahsoka made a foolish mistake, and the day had been longer than a week.

Her Master always kept busy, running around organizing one thing or another. The evidence of his exhaustion was visible in the bags under his eyes he didn’t quite manage to hide behind meditations anymore. He was relentlessly trying to find a way to end this war earlier, to save more people, to lessen the burden on each and every person he loved. Ahsoka would be glad if they could cease fighting within just a few short months, but even she knew that the chance of peace was dwindling with every life lost on either side.

And they certainly weren’t on Tatooine to talk about peace. At most, they were hoping to negotiate non-involvement from the Hutts – at least superficially, of course the Hutts would continue with their underground dealings, even the GAR relied on it – and use of their hyperspace lanes.

“General, if you don’t mind me asking, who are we waiting for?”

Ahsoka was glad that Cody had spoken up. She wasn’t sure if she would have been able to keep her silence much longer. She hadn’t wanted to pester Obi-Wan with questions, but she was curious why they had landed in the middle of the Force-forsaken desert in the middle of the night and not anywhere near Jabba’s palace.

“We are waiting for an informant,” Obi-Wan said. “An old friend, if you will.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to ask what kind of friend Obi-Wan had on Tatooine of all places when she saw a figure approaching on a speeder. Immediately, everyone looked up. When a few of the more blaster-inclined clones of their small squadron reached for their weapons, Obi-Wan gave them the hand sign to lay low. They exchanged curious looks but dropped the guns, trusting him completely. Ahsoka hoped that she could inspire such trust in her someday.

The person parked their speeder just outside of their camp. From what Ahsoka could see, they were dressed entirely in dark robes, cut not dissimilar to those of a Coruscanti Jedi, while their face was covered by a dark scarf. Various trinkets hung from their belts and arms, as well as twin blasters, making the barest of noises when they approached the camp. Golden jewelry glinted in the light of their fire, feathers, pouches, bells, and something that could be bones chimed sweetly with the wind. The figure stretched, then they took notice of Obi-Wan. Quicker than Ahsoka could have stopped them, they had crossed the remaining distance and thrown themselves at Obi-Wan.

“Obi-Wan!”

Her Master just barely managed to keep his balance as he accepted the hug of the other person. They embraced tightly, an eternity passing in which dark leather-gloved fingers dug into her Master’s back, then let go of each other. The figure removed the dark scarf from around their head, let it fall around their neck, revealing tanned skin, a human face, and dark blonde hair that was framed by little golden feathers tugged behind his ears.

The person smiled openly, rolled forward on their toes and only then spoke. “It’s been a while.”

Their voice was surprisingly soft, melodic almost.

“That it has,” Obi-Wan agreed, smiling just as welcoming, the Force lighting up in reciprocal. “It has been too long since we last saw each other, Anakin. Thank you for meeting us here, even if the circumstances are not ideal.”

The newly named Anakin just shrugged. “I was in the area and really, making an extra stop at Tatooine for you is no trouble.”

The two looked ready to forget about just everyone else still standing around the campfire, watching them, and so Ahsoka decided to do her duty and coughed. “Master, would you be so kind as to introduce us?”

“Ah, yes, of course. Apologies, Ahsoka.”

“Ahsoka,” Anakin mumbled, then snapped their fingers, alight with recognition as they faced Obi-Wan. “Your Padawan, correct?”

Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin grinned, pointing at Cody next. “And then that must be Cody. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Anakin Skywalker, he/him.”

He bowed formally with both his feet firm on the ground, one hand clasped over his heart, the other on his back. Delighted, Ahsoka copied the gesture. It had been ages since she’d been at the temple and someone had greeted her with all the respect Jedi usually gave each other.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Ahsoka returned his greeting, still trying to figure out who this Anakin was that her Master had decided to talk to him about her.

“Anakin here is a Teepo Paladin—”

“Sort of,” Anakin interrupted Obi-Wan, tilting his hand and shaking it in a so-and-so matter. “I haven’t been back to our temple in years, so I’m still not technically a Paladin, but still a Knight on their Search…”

He stopped talking when he realized that nobody had any idea of what he was talking about. Ahsoka didn’t know much about the Teepo Paladins. They were a relatively small group, and unlike the Altisian or Corellian Jedi, they hadn’t joined the Republic Army and stayed mostly on their own, following the Force. Ahsoka had learned about them, and all the other groups the ordinary sentient threw under the header Jedi, in her classes, but she’d never actually met a Teepo Jedi.

“Doesn’t matter,” Anakin said, shaking his head. “How can I help you?”

“We need to negotiate with Jabba,” Obi-Wan said, not wasting a single minute. “Do you think you can tell us something that would be useful?”

“Uh,” Anakin put his head in his hands. “Yeah, he’s a bastard and gates my guts. If he sees me around you guys, it’s definitely not going to be pleasant.”

“What did you do to him?” Ahsoka asked, curiosity taking ahold of her tongue before she could stop herself.

Anakin didn’t seem to mind the interruption; he only eagerly continued his narration. “Decided to steal his latest shipment of slaves and then some. With Coruscant, Corellia, and the Altisian bores—”

“Anakin.” Her Master’s voice rang out sharp, reminding Ahsoka of the times he scolded her.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, the Altisian Jedi all running the Republic army, the rest, who hasn’t sworn allegiance to a planet or a system, is just doing damage control all around. I’ve wrecked a couple dozen pirate ships already, or so it feels, at least. But yeah, long story short, I won’t be able to help with Jabba, but I can provide backup if it goes sideways?”

Obi-Wan sighed, but even so, he still felt happy and comfortable to Ahsoka’s senses as he hadn’t in weeks. “We’ll take what we can get. I’ll call the Council. Do you want to stay with us for the night?”

Anakin gave him a thumbs up. “Already told my mother I was staying. And I brought my own food, so you don’t have to spare your rations. I think I might even have some sweets.” He glanced at Ahsoka and winked conspiringly, making her giggle.

Obi-Wan’s expression softened. “Alright, alright, I see, you’re set for life. Get comfortable then.”

He turned around to walk a little away from the camp, but from the way his shoulders twitched, Ahsoka assumed that he definitely heard Anakin’s shouted: “Not without you!”

As her Master had ordered, everyone who wasn’t on watch gathered around the campfire and broke out the rations. Anakin did, indeed, share his candy with her and handed out more of the local food to the clones.

“My mother packed it,” he said when he shared more of the salt-covered blackberries. “It would be a waste not to share it.”

Sitting around the fire with them, he fit right in despite not looking much like a warrior. If anything, his attire, decorated with trinkets that had to stem from various planets, reminded Ahsoka of a traveler. But if she were to believe his stories, he must be quite the fighter. Ahsoka knew that more and more pirates were growing powerful and influential without Coruscant’s oversight, but she hadn’t known that the other sects had stepped up to deal with it. She wondered if the Council knew. Though, Obi-Wan hadn’t seemed surprised by it, so they were probably aware.

“So, do you not carry a lightsaber?” Ticker, one of the younger clones, asked. “I only see your blasters. I didn’t know Jedi carried those.”

“The Coruscant sect doesn’t,” Anakin agreed and then turned to Ahsoka. “Though, I think you’re still all taught how to? I know Obi-Wan’s wickedly good with a sniper rifle.”

“Of course,” Ahsoka replied quickly. She got her blaster sessions with the best marksmen of the 212th, who all ensured she should be fine if she ever lost her lightsaber.

Not that Ahsoka was planning on it.

“Right, my Order carries blasters additionally to our lightsabers.” He moved his robes and revealed his lightsaber. “I just keep it a little more hidden away. It makes it easier to work sometimes if people don’t see from a mile away that you’re a Jedi.”

Ahsoka found herself agreeing with him. It made sense and she knew that there had been at least five missions that would have been easier if their target hadn’t immediately spotted that she was a lightsaber. She knew that her Order carried the blades openly purposefully so that they could be easily identified, they had to be as they were an officially recognized member of the Republic, but Quinlan and Aayla didn’t. Most Covenant Jedi actually didn’t, ensuring they could do their work in the shadows. Occasionally, Ahsoka wondered whether she was supposed to know so much about how they operated, or if that was just a benefit of Obi-Wan being close friends with Quinlan.

“And where’s the difference between your… everything and the General’s?”

“Don’t ask me for details,” Anakin said. “Haven’t had one of those discussions in a while, but our differences aren’t that huge. Most of the differences stem from the Republic backing of the Coruscant sect, I think. The members of my Order just also carry blasters and fight entirely submerged in the Force. We also don’t really do missions, which sucks for budgeting because we still have to get funding, and just go wherever the Force takes us. We don’t really have the numbers to provoke the big changes, that’s more up Coruscant’s or Corellia’s alley. We try to help the small people on the ground and hope the big guys make sure we can leave one planet in safe hands and travel to the next.”

That sounded familiar to Ahsoka. The Coruscant sect was the largest, so they had the most influence, even if too many Senators only played pretend at listening to their suggestions. At least the Chancellor trusted them.

“What do you mean, fight submerged in the Force?” A different clone, Storytime, ever the curious, spoke up. “Is that different from the General and the Commander?”

“Oh! Right.” Anakin laughed. “So basically, we cover our eyes and ears during a fight?”

“You do what?” Cody’s alarmed tone made Ahsoka only snort. She still remembered his attempt at getting Obi-Wan to wear a little more armor by pointing at the Revanchist folks that had accompanied them on one mission.

It had been an absolute train-wreck, but they had managed to succeed. Somehow.

Anakin only grinned in reply and reached for the golden feathers behind his ears. He took them off, revealing that they were not, in fact, feathers, but electronic devices with small buttons. 

“I tap these, and they block out any and all noise and cover my eyes. Then I trust the Force to keep me safe and tell me where I need to pay attention.”

“That sounds… risky.” If Ahsoka didn’t know better, she’d say that Cody was having a heart attack. His assessment of that fighting style had been exceedingly polite given that he looked as if he wanted to cuss it out.

Anakin shrugged as if it were no big deal to him and, having grown up in such a way, it probably wasn’t. “It wasn’t that difficult to get used to. I grew up here on Tatooine. The sand and the heat steal away plenty of your senses already.”

“You weren’t raised in your temple then?”

Anakin shook his head. “No, not really. We do have a temple, a rather small one, not even a tenth of Coruscant’s size. We raise children there, but most of the time, everyone is just on their Search.”

He emphasized the last word so that Ahsoka concluded it must be a special ritual that wasn’t like their Search for younglings.

“My Master was on his Search when he found me and since the Force didn’t call him home, he continued to travel with me.”

That sounded like a strange childhood to have. Ahsoka hadn’t known anything of the galaxy but the temple walls and Ilum until Obi-Wan had accepted her as his Padawan. Since then, she had seen plenty of other planets, even if she hadn’t had too much time to appreciate their beauty. She wondered how Anakin had gotten his education. Ahsoka had attended many classes of dozens of teachers in the temple. His childhood didn’t appear to resemble hers a lot, but she could easily picture a small human boy trailing after another masked Jedi, chatting with just the same cheer he was talking now.

“Sounds fascinating,” Storytime breathed. 

“Once the war is over, feel free to come to visit us. I know of at least one other Paladin who has attached himself to a Clone squadron and is planning to take them home for a visit at least once.”

“That would be very kind,” Storytime replied.

“No problem.”

Anakin then suddenly turned his head, his motion so rash that the clones instinctually reached for their blasters. Thankfully, they recognized Obi-Wan quickly enough that nobody got hurt accidentally.

Obi-Wan only blinked at them and then sat down next to Anakin. “What a lovely greeting.”

Some of the clones sheepishly packed their blasters away while others just shot back a look that was as dry as Obi-Wan’s words. They were on Tatooine; it made sense to be even more on guard than usual.

“And? What did your Council say?” Anakin asked, handing Obi-Wan a plate with food.

“Coruscant is not taking any responsibility for any outside agents who might get involved in this mission,” Obi-Wan replied, the flow of his words so steady that he had to be reciting the words of another.

“That’s council speak for ‘let him do whatever he wants’, right?”

Obi-Wan paused with his meal to confirm his question. “Yes, Anakin, that means you can do whatever you want. But if you get invited by the Republic for a hearing, we’re not backing you up either.”

“Yes, yes, I had expected nothing else from you sticker-to-the-rules Coruscanti.”

“Says the head-in-the-clouds Teepo,” Obi-Wan retorted in the same manner, matching Anakin’s intonation, quoting old stereotypes that used to be hurled as insults but have since only become something almost akin to terms of endearments.

“So, when are we going to leave?” Ahsoka asked. She wanted to know if she should go to bed early or prepare herself for a long night.

“Tomorrow before the sun rises,” Obi-Wan said, glancing at Anakin for confirmation.

“Yes, best to leave early on Tatooine. I’d also suggest trying to get some sleep. Negotiations will be exhausting.”

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement. “You know what that means, Ahsoka.”

“Yes, yes.” Ahsoka stood up. “Bedtime for me. I’m not a little youngling anymore, Master. I know when to get my sleep.”

She bid them goodnight and headed back towards the ship, ready to sleep curled up in the small med-station of their transport that was as close to a proper bed as she could get. She didn’t know how much longer her Master and his friend stayed up, but both looked well-rested when she got up the next day. Her Master, perhaps, even a little less exhausted than usual.