#I make a fantastic black forest cake

[mistbornhero]

*lounging in the floor with a drink and dark glasses, even indoors, for the aestheticTM

Hello my dear, what it's your favorite cake. Assuming you like cakes. Describe it to me.

Excellent aesthetic TM

Sorry for the delay in reply, yesterday a podfic event was closing so it was The Rush to finish followed by Too Tired To Think lmao

I think my favorite has always been Tres Leches Cake? Asked for it for most of my birthdays, she makes the cake itself with pancake mix, because why not, and then while it is hot you dump in a can of sweetened condensed milk and a can of evaporated milk and leave it (best overnight, because it has more time to soak up the flavor). And then once it's cooled down you take heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip up chantilly cream and (artfully) cover the whole cake.

So it's wet, I guess, and very sweet?

I also love chocolate cakes. All kinds? I have a great recipe for pecan chocolate cake, throw a ganache over it and ta-da. That one is less wet, but still moist? And has more cake texture because it's not as wet.

I do love cakes other people make, but my mom is great at baking so I'm also somewhat picky about it

Love Devil's Food cake? partially because of the name, partially because chocolate.

[hiskillingjar]

Body Worship (Strade/MC)

day 29: body worship second person. cw for general discussion of weight/body image, but very VERY positive context

"Do we have any more of that cheesecake you made?"

Strade mused, idly picking his teeth as he stood in front of the refrigerator, inspecting the contents with a scrutinous gaze. 

He'd only just eaten dinner, relaxing into the evening (evidenced by his lazily unbuttoned overshirt and general drowsy demeanor), but was clearly eager for something else to sate his hunger.

Whatever hunger which might have been left over from a big dinner, anyway.

"Hm?" You glanced up from your book, something in German that you were trying to understand (you swore it was getting better, despite how much Strade teased your bad pronunciation), sitting up in your tall seat at the kitchen island, crossing and uncrossing your ankles as you swung your legs underneath it. "Oh, uh, I'm not sure. It might be on the top shelf if it's anywhere. Or Ren finished it off when he stopped streaming earlier."

"He better not have, I was saving it." He murmured through the side of his mouth, sifting through the fridge. "Hmm...ah, here we are!" He said triumphantly with a smile, pulling out a metal pan and setting it on the kitchen island as he looked for a plate and cutlery to eat the rest of the dessert. 

There was still a quarter of the cake left, topped off with a thick swirl of whipped cream, a spoonful of tinner cherries, and oozing cherry red syrup that trickled over the white cream and whipped topping. Captivity gave you a lot of time to pursue some of your abandoned hobbies, whether that be reading, writing, or scratching the one or two sadistic inclinations you had. Baking had been one of them though, and your 'housemates' seemed to enjoy your new hobby almost as much as you did.

At least, Strade's slightly bigger trouser size showed you how much he enjoyed it.

"Now, do I be nice and leave half for Ren?" Strade mused as he set the plate down next to the pan and idly tapped the teaspoon against his bottom lip. "Or do I finish it off myself?"

"I mean, I wouldn't put it past you to finish it," You replied with a little shrug and a slight smirk, shaking your head. "But I can make something else this weekend if you go on a grocery run, so he won't complain about missing out on sweets." Strade didn't need any more convincing as he scooped the thick slice of cake from the pan and set it on his plate. "Maybe a Black Forest cake? I still have some cherries left."

"Very tempting," He hummed with an indulgent smile, cutting off a hunk of the cheesecake with the edge of his spoon and taking a big bite. He moaned softly, lowly, at the very back of his throat, letting out a long sigh through his nose as his eyes slid shut and he lowered his fist to the counter a few times, telling you without words how good he thought the cheesecake was. "Mmm...that's delicious." He raised the spoon to his lips again to lick off the whipped cream. "You've really been outdoing yourself lately, liebling . You'd make a fantastic housewife~"

You let out a huff and rolled your eyes as he snickered away, crossing your arms over your chest, though you couldn't help a little smile coming to your flushed face at the pseudo-compliment.

"I guess I'll have to make that Black Forest cake then..." You murmured, eyes shyly flitting back down to your book as he continued to eat, ever indulgent in his moans and groans.

"Oooh, don't tempt me, you little devil. I love Black Forest cake." He murmured around the spoon with a similar smirk, licking his lips as he pulled it back, his golden eyes admiring the clean metal. "Mm...although," He looked thoughtful as he brought the spoon to his lips again, teasing the edge with his teeth. "I have put on some weight lately," He then said with a huff, leaning against the island. "Maybe I should work out...or stop eating all of your sweets."

He contradicted himself quickly by taking another bite of cake though, which made you chuckle and shake your head again.

"I mean, I think it looks good on you," You murmured with a slight smile, keeping your eyes down on your book, not quite wanting to meet his gaze just yet as you read and reread the same line a few times. "A little more meat to your bones...it suits you."

You weren't lying either. 

In the years of knowing Strade and seeing him pack on a few pounds since he'd stopped working on the streams in such a hands-on way, leaving that responsibility to Ren, you had found that you sort of liked the weight gain. 

You admired the roll of tan, hair-fuzzed fat that fell over his (smaller) trouser waistband before he had sized up. You liked the way his shirt was slowly pulling tighter and tighter over his soft chest, the buttons straining just to contain him. You enjoyed the way his face had softened a little, looking rounder, his wrinkles becoming less pronounced despite getting older alongside you.

Interrupting your train of thought with a soft clatter of metal against porcelain, Strade raised a dark brow towards you, almost willing you to continue.

"And what do you mean by that?" He asked, tilting his head and taking another bite of the cake.

"Ah...w-well," You stammered nervously, reaching up to idly scratch your neck. "I just think you look good a little heavier. More filled up, more commanding. And, like, really handsome." You murmured the final words, as your cheeks flushed darker and your eyes flitted to the side shyly, still not daring to meet his gaze.

"Aw...how sweet," Strade raised both brows with an amused chuckle, finishing off the slice of cake and pushing aside the plate as he crossed his thick arms over his chest, leaning on the counter, his back bent as he idly swept crumbs and cream from his bottom lip with his thumb. "You think I'm handsome, do you?"

"I mean...that's obvious, isn't it?" You replied, your voice still just as soft as your eyes followed his thumb as he raised it to his lips again, and sucked it clean. 

"Is it?" He cocked his head inquisitively with a broader smile. "How about you show me how handsome you think I am?"

"Huh?" You glanced up, swallowing a little tightly. "Show you?"

"Show me," He said again with an easy shrug, before standing up straight again and pacing closer towards you, one hip resting on the marble counter. "Show me how handsome you think I am, liebling ...in a way I know you can."

You gulped again, idly gnawing your lip, though you didn't hesitate for long before you slid off of the tall, kitchen island stool and sank down to your knees in front of Strade. Nervously, your hands shaking slightly as you moved them, you bracketed your palms on Strade's full hips, gently resting them on each side before slowly beginning to move them down his legs, down his soft thighs, and spanning around them, almost groping the soft (and yet firm, muscled, demonstrating his strength and stability) flesh underneath.

"Mm," Strade let out a soft grunt, watching you as his golden eyes softened with lust (crinkling in the corner), hungrily taking in every inch of your trembling body as it kneeled before his, demonstrating your submission and subservience to him. 

There was, no doubt, a hint of desperation in your eyes when you looked up at him, noticing the hunger and lust in his eyes when they met yours and twitched, playfully, like he was testing you. Swallowing again, you leaned forward on your knees, your breathing picking up as you pressed your cheek against the soft cushion of his belly, feeling his warmth, his humanity, enough to make you tremble.

Strade let out a pleased growl, one hand sinking into your hair, tangling tight as it wrapped around his palm, as he reached down with the other to slowly unzip his trousers, slipping a hand into his boxers and squeezing his cock.

"Keep going," He murmured, petting your hair. "I know you can. I know you want to."

The feeling of being able to arouse Strade with little to no effort (at least, this felt like very little effort at this point, you were so far gone) made a tingle run through your spine, and you were eager to continue.

Taking both hands from his hips, you reached up to slowly unbutton the buttons at the bottom of his shirt, biting your lip as your gaze occasionally flitted forward to watch him jerk off, in front of your face, your waiting eyes, to your worship. 

Once the shirt was open, exposing his soft stomach, straining beneath his tight black undershirt (which was riding up, almost pornographically), you found that you were almost salivating just looking at him, in all of his glory, which made him laugh, low and charming and so unbearably attractive (and fuck him for being so attractive).

"I'd almost say 'my eyes are up here'," He commented with a salacious smirk, chiding your obvious arousal despite being so amused by it, tucking his trousers down so that he could pull out his hard, weeping cock, which you eagerly started to dote on with kisses and kitten licks (which he let you do, thankfully.) "But, ah, I really can't oppose to someone looking at me like that...it's pretty sexy. Makes me feel pretty powerful." He pulled your head back for a moment, narrowing his eyes as you strained in his grip. "Tell me, fraulein ...what's gotten you so excited, hm? Why do you like my body so much?"

"Mmm, I like it when you push me down...ah," You gasped softly as he tugged on your hair, desperately trying to yearn forward to lick and suckle on his cock. "I like how much bigger you are than me. I like how small you make me feel when you're on top of me."

"Oh...so you like it when I'm pressing against you. When you can feel my weight on top of you." Statements, not questions. "What is it, honey, are you just in love with my body?" He whispered hotly, as he rubbed his drooling cock against your cheek, smearing pre-cum down your skin and staining you with his sex.

"Yes, yes...I adore it..." You insisted, your breathing growing heavy and your eyes hungry as you looked up at him with something close to awe.

"Mmm~" He groaned, smiling down at you like a predator looking down at willing prey. "Say it again for me...say that you love my body. Say that you love that it's so big and heavy. Tell me how much you adore it."

"I love your body," You said, your eyes widening with feral hunger as you keened against his grip on your hair, wanting to be even closer, as much as he would let you. "I love how big you are, how heavy you are...it's so fucking sexy..."

"You're a few inches taller than me, you know? Or at least, you were." He replied with another laugh, before rolling his eyes and biting his lip, letting you keen forward to tongue the head of his cock, and grunting softly as the stimulation. "Mph...you want me to just...pin you down and press you against the mattress, eh? Throw you around like you're nothing? Make you feel tiny and submissive underneath me?" 

"Always," You said softly, your breath a little short, hot against his cock. "You know I always do...it's all I want."

"Well, since I'm so nice, I can do that for you, baby..." He crooned, running his tongue over his teeth. "You get to be all mine since you're so fucking eager for it."

"God, yes," You moaned a little desperately, pulling at his grip on your hair with a desperate whimper, fighting against him to taste his cock. "I want it, I want it, I want it..."

"Go on then. Take my cock, like the good girl I know you are..."

When he finally allowed you to lean in and take his cock in your mouth, you moaned deeply as you took it down, your eyes rolling backward in your head as he took your head in both hands and started to buck into your mouth.

With another low groan and a muttered string of words in German, he jutted his hips forward sharply, burying himself halfway down your throat. You groaned again at the familiar weight of his thick cock on your tongue, your nose buried against coarse dark pubic hair, as his belly slammed up against your face, making your breathing even more of a challenge.

But god, like you fucking cared.

This was probably as close to Heaven as you were ever going to get. You would take it, and you'd take it fucking happily.

You moaned and whined eagerly against him as soon as you were able to, a deep sound rumbling from the bottom of your chest as your entire body trembled against the cold kitchen floor.

With both hands now gripped tightly in your hair, pulling, making your scalp ache, Strade then pushed himself (somehow) deeper down your throat and you could feel your throat close tightly around his cock as he hit your gag reflex, your lips, your tongue convulsing underneath him as your body strained to accommodate him. You swallowed hard around him, just trying to get used to the intrusion and at that moment, even you could admit that you were struggling to breathe when he was pushing so deep.

You just did your best to move in time with his desperate, erratic thrusts, your eyes squeezed shut and tears leaking down your cheeks as more and more drool streamed down your chin, coating his cock and pooling down your chest, but making his constant thrusting a little easier on your poor jaw.

He fucked your face like it was a toy, a plaything, like you were only there to pleasure him. 

And you liked it that way, you always had, especially with him. 

You liked the brutal treatment, when he pushed so deeply down your throat that you almost started to retch around him, and you liked it, even more, when he didn't stop, when even your desperate gagging wasn't enough to put him off. 

You choked, your body spasmed plenty, but you never pulled away from him, and he never stopped. 

In a scenario like this, that almost felt like an achievement. 

You're not sure how you were supposed to feel when you felt his cum on your tongue, when you felt him pull your head back and force your mouth open to stare at the fluid on your tongue, drooling from your lips.

Strade smirked triumphantly, pleased to lay claim on you as he had done so many times before, running his thumb over your bottom lip before he brought it to his own lips, sucking a smear of cum from his skin.

"So sweet," He murmured, his own gaze as adoring as someone like him could be. "So good for me. You always are."

[metalhead-brainrot]

Back to punk.

[Album of the day] Poison Ruin - H​ä​rvest

Philadelphia, PA // 2023

[Genres*] punk: blackened punk, crust punk, goth punk, political punk, early punk

[Themes] fantasy feudalism

[FFO] the Misfits, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

[Thoughts] There is a lot to be said about the content of this album, but the blurb from Relapse Records (attached below) says it better than I could. The instrumentation is fantastic across the board, and the melodies have that infectious, punky drive without relying on punchy mixing. Opting for the muted, black metal style really worked for this album, and I can't wait to hear more from Poison Ruin.

*Trying my very hardest on these tags, but living in Minneapolis has given this metalhead a serious case of Crust Punk Imposter Syndrome. If you listened to H​ä​rvest and think I'm a fucking idiot, let me know how you'd classify the album.

************************************************************************

From the band/label: [Relapse Records]

Philadelphia Punks POISON RUIN make their Relapse Records debut with their new album, Harvest! Evoking a rich tapestry of ice-caked forests, peasant revolts, and silent knights, POISON RUIN stab at the pulsing heart of what it means to live under the permanent midnight of contemporary life. With Harvest, the band aligns their sonic palette to their godless, medieval-inflected aesthetic symbolism, creating a record which strikes with an assured sense of blackened harmony. “I’ve always found fantasy tropes to be incredibly evocative,” vocalist Mac Kennedy notes, “that said, even though they are a set of symbols that seem to speak to most people of our generation, they are often either apolitical or co-opted for incredibly backwards politics.” Kennedy reworks fantasy imagery as a series of totems for the downtrodden, stripping it of its escapist tendencies and retooling it as a rich metaphor for the collective struggle over our shared reality: “Instead of knights in shining armor and dragons, it’s a peasant revolt,” Kennedy explains, “I’m all for protest songs, but with this band I’ve found that sometimes your message can reach a greater audience if you imbue it with a certain interactive, almost magical realist element.” The title track invokes images of feudal peasants, tithes, and money-hungry lords, sounding the horn of labor with the rallying cry, “Isn’t this our harvest? Isn’t this our feast to share?” Tales of the undead rising to take revenge upon those who have unknowingly wronged them spin out like pleasantly cathartic folktales (“Resurrection II”), while other tracks address the profound beauty and spirit of those making ends meet in the forsaken ends of POISON RUIN’s hometown of Philadelphia (“Blighted Quarter”). The band stares into the abyss of modern living with a sober and empathetic outlook, portraying our cracked reality as a complex and difficult to parse miasma of competing desires. With Harvest, POISON RUIN have constructed a richly chilling fable out of modern living. Their tale is as lurid as it is seductive, as much a promising fantasy as it is a dreary portrait of reality itself. 

[longretirement]

Black forest dump cake

This Black Forest dump cake uses brownie mix, giving the cake a delicious chocolate flavor. We’re in some seriously decadent territory here – deep in the Black Forest. After all, originality is nice, but there’s a reason why some great ideas stand the test of time! Black Forest Brownie Dump Cake Not to forget the absolutely great idea of putting vanilla ice cream on top of a serving. This makes for a great change, and a fantastic taste. And for a delicious change to many dump cakes – banana bread! You’ll be able to get this one ready for the oven in around 10 minutes – so make sure to preheat, or you’ll be standing around while this delicious cake could be baking! Banana Split Dump CakeĬompletely stuffed with delicious fruit – berries, strawberries and pineapple, this recipe will ensure that you’re also completely stuffed – with this delicious cake! It’s so simple to make, too, as you’re using premade pie fillings and canned pineapple. Cherry Pineapple Dump Cakeįor a fantastic tasting cherry dump cake recipe with a cool twist, try this recipe! You’ll love the extra citrus tartness that comes with the added crushed pineapple – it’s a great addition to an already delicious cake recipe! As the recipe states, make sure to use real butter – it’ll give you the best chance of getting that rich tasting golden brown glaze you’re looking for. Serve warm with cream or a scoop of ice cream. These will bake in about 45 to 55 minutes, giving you plenty of time to get hungry! Sprinkle in some almonds, then place some slices of butter over the top, adding a richness and a delicious golden brown glaze when fully baked. Simply put the cherry pie filling in a lightly greased cake pan, then cover with the cake mix. A few cans of cherry pie filling, some yellow dry cake mix, and a cup of slivered almonds – how delicious, and how simple! I don’t recommend adding cherry pie filling on top so it doesn’t ruin the pretty whipped cream.So easy to make, this is the archetypal cherry dump cake. Obviously this dessert is great year-round so if cherries aren’t in season here are a few ideas to dress up this easy Black Forest Cake. I love to garnish this with fresh summer cherries, perfect for this time of year and some slivered almonds. HOW TO DRESS UP THIS EASY BLACK FOREST CAKE When I make desserts like this and people ask me for the recipe I love to see their reaction when I tell them how easy it is, especially when it tastes as good is this. I made this for a party and it was a huge hit! Even my brother who was visiting from out of town who isn’t that big on sweets loved this dessert! Kudos to his big sis! If you love the combination of chocolate and cherries (and who doesn’t?) then you are going to love this dessert! It’s so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon! My favorite is the sweet whipped cream with just a hint of almond extract. Maybe you’ll love the the sweet cherry pie filling swirled into the chocolate cake or the fresh cherries garnished on top. There is so much goodness in this easy Black Forest Cake. This easy Black Black Forest is one of the easiest desserts you’ll make but tastes amazing! I’m all about quick and easy the desserts that tastes like a million bucks! Impress your guests with this Easy Black Forest Cake topped with a thick layer of fresh whipped cream and fresh cherries!

[italoniponic]

May i request for trey, jack and leona the letters B, J, K, L, O from the fluff alphabet in headcanon format pls :)

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

Notes: Hi, anon! Gonna call this “Smoothie of Letters” like fruit smoothies… bc I can. I thought it was funny.

This one was interesting to make. Think about a special thing about each of them was quite something. I don’t need to say that I loved doing this for Trey and Jack. And I think for Leona too. I relate to his laziness most of the time, you go lazy-ass. Such a mood king. Talking about Leona, some of his parts I got inspired by my own cat, that little shit (affectionate)

Thanks for the request <3

Trey Clover, Jack Howl, Leona Kingscholar x g!n reader / fluff alphabet / use of "you" pronouns

Smoothie of Letters #1

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Trey greatly admires your skills with manual labor. Or if you're not very good at it, it's more about your effort to always try to improve. Having ambition measured right like a cup of sugar is a good thing. Especially when doing things you like and appreciate, just how he does with cooking;

Trey also loves your smile. He jokes that it is because he likes to see your teeth — and that you are following his recommendations — but in fact, he likes your expression when smiling. Trey is in favor of the thought that a person becomes much more beautiful when they smiles and you are proof of this;

And when do you smile when you do something you like? Wow, it's a very effective way to make his heart beat faster. Trey likes those little, subtle details about you. It's what makes you be you.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Trey never thought of himself as a jealous person until he met you. Yes, he lets you hang out with your friends and be close to whoever you want without any problem. Even he needs breathing space sometimes. But when you spend too much time away from him and it's because you're with a certain person all the time, there's something sour in his mouth;

He needs to put up with Rook saying things like “jealousy is the saffron of love” and not let the potion he's preparing explode in his friend's face. Heck! Trey is mature, a simple normal guy. He shouldn't be feeling that kind of thing... but he is. What he needs to do to deal with this?;

To get around the situation, Trey takes recipe books to decorate. There is something in numbers and ingredients that simply takes his mind away from problems and bad thoughts. Trey hates this jealous part that just popped up in him, but over time, he'll be able to control it. He doesn't want to cause you any trouble.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Believe it or not, Trey is good at many things, but kissing isn't necessarily one of them. It's nothing fantastic, out of this world. It's simple, ordinary. But for you, that's exactly what makes his kisses special and precious;

Following his personality, sometimes there's something different about Trey's kiss. Not that you can explain well what it is. Trey also doesn't care about your ability to kiss. It is you who he is in love with, your lips are just the cherry on the Black Forest cake. Cherries are good but, the sweetness of the cake is in the chocolate and cream that compound it;

Your first kiss took place in Heartslabyul's Garden during a Unbirthday party. You two sneaked through the maze of roses and exchanged confessions and foods you liked. Sitting and leaving the food aside, you both kissed for the first time. Some students might be looking for both of you, but the garden has saved your important moment.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Hidden away in the labyrinth of roses, far away from the party that was taking place in the dorm, you showed him that you had made a Mont Blanc tart especially for him, even though you knew it was against the rules of the Unbirthday party. Your confession took place there;

Trey was so touched by your courage and equally surprised by your suicidal tactics that he first wondered if he should hug you or eat thetart as soon as possible before Riddle saw it. But in the end, he had a much better idea: to answer your confession;

You hadn't noticed, but Trey also brought something with him. It was your favorite food, very well packaged and lovingly made. “Normally, I say I use only normal ingredients and nothing else, but... this time, it was really made with love.” Trey is really sweet.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Trey realizes right off the bat when he's in love with you. He's not so naive as to take decades to understand what’s the matter with him. The problem is another: what to do with this conclusion? Slowly express his feelings and hope you realize it too? Spend more time with you or act normally? Was there a way to act normally in these cases?

Preparing recipes is something so much easier. The instructions are right there, there was no way to mess it up. However, Trey had no one to instruct him in this. He was the oldest of his siblings and one of the oldest in the dorm. And other classmates either had no experience as well or were crazy. Just in case, Trey sought to be himself and act naturally. But his gaze always delivered his true feelings when you were close or he watched you from afar;

Cater and Rook noticed from day one. Trey went on to experience daily stress every time Cater exaggerated your compliments to him and Rook would start talking about romance when you were together. That’s because sometimes Trey prepared pastries and foods especially for you when he noticed that you were not eating well. He kept the best pieces of cake from the parties for you. He always encouraged you to do your best in your studies, believing in your potential. It was more than obvious, wasn't it?

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Jack was never one to place too much value on aesthetics. Not that he despises external beauty, none of it. It's just that there are more important things than the appearance of a person, that's what he thinks. But when Jack watches you, he always pays a lot of attention to your eyes. This is already his normal behavior because “eyes are the window of the soul” and it is easy to determine someone's genuineness by their gaze;

He loves the color of your eyes, whatever it is. The way it shines when you talk about your favorite hobbies and things, the way the sun and moon give their special effects on it, how it enchants and inspires;

It is also a part of you that will never change with the years. And Jack hoped that you would always retain that glow in your gaze. The joy in your eyes when you looked at everything you liked and loved. He hoped that one day you could look at him that way... until one day he realized that it was just like that from the beginning.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

In Jack's mind, he's not jealous but his gaze always says the opposite. If you are talking to someone who apparently has bad intentions, Jack is around and quiet, letting you lead the conversation but, his gaze is direct and accurate. The moment they talk anything slightly indecent to you, he would show his claws;

Jack doesn't follow you everywhere, excessively worried about the people who cross your path. He lets you have your space to do things and have fun whenever you want. It helps that he is a close friend and, one way or another, he’ll always be included in things. But sometimes, he looks for you with his gaze over the horizon. If you are around someone reliable, he is more relieved;

“Keep calm, keep calm,” Jack says to himself when he feels jealousy erode him more violently than usual. Part of it is the wolf instinct in his veins, this solemn loyalty to his only match. Another part is concern. You are important to him, so he turns out to be protective anyway. Jack knows how to control himself. Above all, he does not want to be a burden to you. But have patience and compassion with him sometimes in these moments. He's still young, after all.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Jack has zero experience in relationships. To make matters worse, the books Vil offered “casually” as a reference to help him about his first love do nothing but roll his stomach. For sixteen years, he has accompanied his parents being the cutest couple in the world and romance books — at least most of them — don’t seem to quite understand this concept. Some almost throw it out the window;

So he gave up and swallowed the insecurity. Either way, better or worse, that would not be your relationship’s weakness. Jack knew you better than that. You would receive the true feelings that he didn’t know how to verbalize, even if they were shown in the most clumsy way possible. You would know;

And that's how the first kiss happened. Awkward, inexperienced, careful. But you were so happy that he finally told you that he loved you that something like that didn't even cross your mind. You only knew how to hug and kiss him until he started laughing instead of frowning, worried about the kiss. Even if he picked up the practice someday, it didn't matter. You love him the same way.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

It was a moment so millimetrically calculated — and effective — that Jack could offer his services to Leona and be the new strategist for the magift team. If he could thank one simply perfect aspect of the occasion it would be... the dawn. Strange as that sounded, asking you to meet him on the roof of the Ramshackle Dorm at five in the morning was one of the best decisions he made in his life;

Even though you found the time of the meeting strange, you accepted. In fact, the reason for this was very simple: everyone would be asleep and no one would come to disturb you two, and Night Raven College was very beautiful in the early morning. You noticed it right away. The sun gradually rose on the horizon, bringing light to that great college and its gothic and gloomy architecture. Jack always loved this sight when he went out for a run;

And to your surprise, Jack extended you a letter. Well, it was a paper with a long text written with a pen that Jack trained yesterday’s whole afternoon to do. Just choosing the words, correcting, reviewing, conveying everything he wanted to say to you. Ruggie was his beta reader — and when he looked at the paper without laughing and really touched, Jack knew it was perfect. You finished reading it all while he was busy looking at the landscape to distract himself from the nervousness and you simply said, “Jack, I love you too.” He almost fell off the roof. It wasn't going to be much harm to him, but it was a tremendous scare all the same. Not knowing what else to say, Jack hugged you tightly. Never before has someone received a direct and blunt answer so well, but you knew it would be the best for him. A gesture much appreciated.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Apart from you, maybe Jack was the last to notice that he was in love. Epel always gave small hints about how Jack used to sit next to you, cared about you or in the middle of some conversation sometimes he would comment about you, but — although naturally defensive — he never connected these actions, the meaning of them and the motive behind them as love. Damn, even Deuce knew before him!

Once he understanded his true feelings, Jack spended several moments torturing himself about what to do and how to act. He is not good with words, but being defensive all the time whenever he does something kind to you could end up giving the opposite impression of what he feels — Epel rightly considered this possibility. Jack didn't know what to do. You were so nice and good to him that perhaps the best solution was to act as normal as possible. And if you praise him... he shouldn’t answer. Opening his mouth to say something was very dangerous;

Courage is a very admirable quality in Leona's opinion — even if he himself doesn’t attribute it to himself. But he can clearly see in you. In the small and big things, you get up and go to help others. To defend your friends, to say what you think, to do what is right and sometimes, even to do the wrong;

However, there was something Jack was good at: actions and gestures. When you needed help, he was ready. Studies, sports, shopping, banal things, anything. He was your guy, no matter how embarrassing it was to say it out loud. Jack would help you carry things that are heavy or that you were carrying in excess. He guided you to get the best food from the cafeteria and was willing to help you train anything you weren't doing well in PE. Simple but full of meaning. Always loyal and reliable, that was Jack.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Kindness is also another thing that Leona admires a lot about you. The patience to be close to him and make him think about things. The banter between you becomes more jokes than actual offenses. The way you always showed that you care about him and in a very genuine way;

Technically it's a physical feature, but it's kind of weird to describe. Leona finds beautiful the way you breathe and how your heart beats. Perhaps because it is a rhythmic and constant sound, as proof that there is someone next to it. He clings very much to this detail. Oh, and legs! Your legs are a great pillow for the head that carries the crown. Leona spends a good five minutes fixing his own position on top of your legs, until, having found the perfect spot, he stops and sleeps for hours to no end. Your legs end up getting pretty strong because of this.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

“Jealous? Leona? Pff, no. He's too lazy for that,” you joke sometimes. It's not like Leona simply doesn't care about your life. Sometimes he tells you not to mix too much with the Diasomnia crew, especially Malleus. Other times he tells you to watch out for Rook. In others, he tells you not to walk too much with the Adeuce duo so that your neurons don’t atrophy. That's all…;

Then you spend a whole week just seeing your friends and at the first opportunity you pass in Savannaclaw, Leona is sleeping in his room and pretends not to notice your presence. It's... like a big cat very angry that you came home after cuddling other street cats. He ignores you, turns sideways every time you approach one side of the bed;

Because of the difficult childhood and with servants who had little to no patience with him, Leona was always the kind of child who accepted things that had not gone his way with a frown. No tantrum, no screaming, No expressed complaints. Just bad mood and sleep. It usually works, time passes faster and he only pays attention to the really important parts of the stories about your day with your friends;

[An addendum because I found this hilarious] It rarely happens but that’s exactly why you never forget it. Leona sometimes allows himself to be dramatic and say “It's unforgivable you leave me for so long to be surrounded by idiots.” It always makes you laugh and your laughter ends up improving his mood a little. Just a little bit.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

It is difficult to classify Leona in this part. There are days when he is magnificent, living up to the name and weight the prince title has. On such days, he is simply charming. On other days, his kisses come out lazy and fast. Little pecks always deposited on your forehead only to later he stay still for a moment, lips against your head, just enjoying your company — it actually mean more than you can imagine;

On the moment of your first kiss, he was playing with your hair when you teased him. “It is at these hours that Prince Charming kisses his beloved after declaring himself,” were your words. After dealing with him for so long, you ended up creating the finesse of saying things like that. Leona responded with a smug smile. It’s necessary to appreciate a good roar when he listen one;

And unexpectedly, with all the pomp, Leona kisses your hand. “Whatever you want, my love,” he speaks softly, feeling you shiver. And then, you two kissed. It's not a fairy tale kiss. It's raw, intense and realistic. But you can feel all the love that Leona can't put into words there. Even in the most arid of hearts, love always finds a way to express itself.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Direct and objective, but the atmosphere turned out to be unexpectedly romantic. Leona and you were in the Botanical Garden at night. You heard that Leona hadn’t returned to the dorm and the first place you passed was there, knowing that he would have overdid his nap session. Leona awoke to your footsteps, kinds of in awe at the way the moon shone upon you as you approached him;

Before you could say anything, fireflies and little flora fairies appeared. It was a beautiful sight. Leona offered you a place next to him to contemplate the view of the Botanical Garden in the nortune ambience and you accepted, happy to share this moment with him. You really could feel the love that night. “I love you...”;

Following these words, Leona said your name for the first time ever. Your heart almost jumped. His eyes were serious, but there was a little smile on his lips. It was said finally. Leona thought how the brightness of the first rays of the sun in the Savannah didn’t compare with the brightness of your eyes that moment.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Age aside, love is something kind of new and strange for Leona. Almost incomprehensible. It takes a while for Leona to properly notice that he was treating you slightly differently from others. Because your presence turned out to be important, because he slowly began to care about you. Ruggie realizes this much better than he does. And it is precisely when he is chuckling all the times that Leona mentions “that little herbivore” that the pieces began to come together;

If it gets to Leona's ears that you need help, he does something to make things work out. Sometimes you don’t even understand that he is the one who leaves the books of that difficult subject on your doorstep, you don’t know that Savannaclaw has express orders not to bother you just because you are “the magicless human” there. Leona makes good excuses for his behavior and the others end up heeding it, too afraid of his defensiveness to overthink about it. But Ruggie and others closest to Leona know the reason;

Let's say that Leona starting to sleep in places where you usually pass ends up testifying against him… a lot. All just for you to wake him up and drive him to a more comfortable place to rest or ask him for help in your studies. Sometimes it's just for you two to talk more. He appreciates those moments in his own way.

[scribefindegil]

so sorry about the sleeping curse. will you tell me about how you got into mushroom foraging and what mushrooms you love most? (for cooking or emotionally!)

So way back when I was in high school, my mom took a mushroom foraging class. I didn't set out to go mushrooming with my parents, but one day we were out on a walk and my mom stopped dead and yelled, "Wait! I think that's a Black Trumpet!" and a couple of hours later we were tramping home laden down with as many mushrooms as we can carry.

It was a slippery slope after that.

For a while I only went foraging when I was home because I was nervous about IDing mushrooms by myself, but during 2020 when wandering in the woods was one of the few things I felt safe doing, I got a good field guide (if you're in the region I highly recommend Mushrooms Of The Upper Midwest by Teresa Merrone and Kathy Yerich), and that combined with stupendously good luck early on (we found chanterelles AND hedgehog mushrooms AND lobster mushrooms AND chicken of the woods all on one trip!!) turned me into a Mushroom Person.

Favorite mushrooms (a non-exhaustive list)

Chicken Of The Woods is probably my favorite. It's beautiful, bountiful, and delicious! The bright orange color makes it easy to spot when you're out in the woods, and it has a really firm, meaty texture that makes it a great option for people who don't like most mushrooms. You can sub it in for chicken in many recipes; I really like making chicken of the woods curry because the mushrooms absorb the flavor of the spices so well.

Black Trumpets have a special place in my heart because they were the first mushroom I foraged, and until they moved to Costa Rica my parents would send me little containers of dried Black Trumpets every year. These mushrooms dry so thin and brittle that you can powder them and use them as a spice; they have a strong, rich flavor, and they turn any liquid they're rehydrated in an inky black, making them the star ingredient of my signature Goth Broth. I know they grow in MN but I haven't found any yet! Hopefully the Mycological Society will teach me their secrets.

Lion's Mane is a fantastic seafood substitute and as someone from coastal Maine who now lives in the Midwest this is extremely important. You can make "crab" cakes out of them or sear pieces like scallops.

Lobster Mushrooms are also important for Maine Reasons (like Lion's Mane, they have a seafood-like taste) but mostly they make this list because they are so goshdang weird. Technically "lobster mushrooms" are a parastitic fungus that takes over other mushrooms, covering them in a bright orange-red crust and transforming them completely. They're like . . . vampire mushrooms. Extremely messed up. I love them.

Quick shoutout to Giant Puffballs for looking like alien eggs and Chanterelles for being one of the prettiest things in the forest (and sooooo tasty!)

And of course, the fabled Morels! My parents never found any of these (they do grow in Maine, but they're quite rare), and I didn't find any last year because my cyborg ankle was giving me trouble during their season. My biggest mushroom goal for this year is to find enough morels that I can dry some and give a little bag of them to my parents :)

[astriiformes]

Hey Nate! Now that my group is playing dnd in person again, we are thinking of ways to incorporate dnd themed food into game days, because we usually play through a mealtime. As a forager and local cool ingredient expert, do you have any thoughts on non traditional foods or ingredients that can be fun to include? (i am willing to forage but i know. nothing. so maybe easy mode for those suggestions haha)

Hm! Well one of my first suggestions would have been spruce tips, since forest vibes are often good for D&D, they are very accessible and easy to safely identify even if you don't know much about plants, and you can do quite a few things with them (tea, syrups, even just eating as is). Tragically they're just out of season, though, so maybe next spring! The same goes for fiddleheads, which are only tricky in that you need to make sure you are gathering ostrich ferns specifically, but are also one of those things that look so whimsical many people are surprised to learn they're real.

Things that might be more in season right now:

Foraged mushrooms, definitely, some of which are actually pretty beginner friendly. Chanterelles seem like one that have a bit of a fantasy feel, and aren't too hard to learn how to ID safely.

As summer goes on you could also do some berry-picking, which is about as safe as foraging gets if you're gathering something distinctive like blackberries or raspberries, and while they may not be non-traditional, foraged ones are often much more flavorful (plus you get that special satisfaction that you picked them yourself -- maybe even with the friends you game with!).

Elderflower/elderberries are also somewhat entrenched as fantasy staples (thinking about the elderflower cordial that cropped up a lot in the Redwall books), and eminently foragable

Wild roses and rose hips are probably just about in season as well -- rosewater was a common ingredient in many medieval recipes, so it would be perfect for trying in D&D-inspired dishes as well!

Juniper "berries" are a little more of a toss-up, but something you might consider. They've traditionally been used as a cooking spice of sorts and are another one that feels right to me for some fantasy foods

Lastly, if you're interested in making some teas to drink while you play, I have found that ground ivy (also known as "Creeping Charlie," which is what most folks I know have called it) makes for a very forest-y brew. I don't like it as much on its own, but paired with mint or spruce flavors it starts to taste like the closest thing I've ever had to an Entdraught

Also, as the year goes on and we creep into fall/winter: Acorns take a fair bit of prep on the cooking end, but are obviously very beginner friendly in terms of IDing them, feel extremely fantasy, and have a fantastic flavor. My acorn birthday cake last year had almost a gingerbread-y flavor, entirely thanks to the nuts! You also find black walnuts by the dozens here in Minnesota (and nuts are one of the things that are almost always fair game to take in the public lands that allow foraging here). Black trumpets are also very distinctive, beginner friendly muchrooms that grow later in the season here, and make a fun, deep black broth with a sort of magic/witchy feel. And in fall and into the winter, I highly recommend looking for chaga -- it's a weird mushroom that grows on birch trees that is often ground up and prepped as a tea or a cocoa additive (and thus the most Caduceus Clay thing in existence).

Lastly, you also might consider having a look at The Wondersmith's blog! She's a favorite source of mine for fun foraged recipe inspiration, and leans extremely fantasy-oriented. Worth noting that she's in the PNW, not the Midwest, but there's still a fair bit of crossover when it comes to some of the foraged ingredients she uses, and her ideas are all inspired. I highly recommend scrolling through her blog sometime.

[ja-khajay]

Stuff I read (and liked) this year

As promised, here’s a list of the novels, comics, manga, etc... I read this year, focusing on the ones I enjoyed and would recommend to people. Under a cut, this is going to be a little long.

-------- Books --------

Favorite book of the year: Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel

Non-fiction. Based on the interviews of the man himself by the author, it is about a man who felt so unfit for society he decided one day to leave it, and spent the next 28 years as a hidden hermit in forest in Maine. The book details how he survived there, how he was eventually found, and some of his reasons for doing so. It’s a great reflection on the nature of loneliness.

Indian creek, by Pete Fromm

...Yet another detailed tale of living alone in the woods. This time, the diary of a student who spent a winter in the mountains to help tend for salmon hatchlings, and how he spent the rest of his days hiking, hunting, meeting the locals. It’s a fun little book who, being set almost the whole world away from where I live, was a nice way to travel.

Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

I don’t feel the need to explain this one since everyone and their mom has seen the movie adapted from it. The book, that I first read a decade ago before I actually watched the film, is a less romantized, more spirited telling of the same story. The writing is absolutely delightful and so is the world it paints, and it’s the first time in ages a book had me laughing out loud during my entire read.

-------- Comics (BD) --------

Favorite comic of the year: Monsieur Désire?, by Hubert and Virginie Augustin

A discreet young woman becomes a maid for a decadent, unbearable, byronesque young lord. Caked in the rigid and oppressive social hierarchy of the victorian era, you follow a mental and verbal joust between the two, as the lord tries his best to offend and corrupt his new unrelenting servant, to little success. The writing and especially the dialogues were stellar, drawing me into the tense atmosphere, watching this trainwreck of a character flamboyantly destroy himself. While there’s no precise content warnings that I can give, this is a mature and heavy story.

World of Edena, by Moebius

Anyone who’s followed this blog for over a month knows how much of a Moebius fan I am. Edena combines the vague, dreamlike, wordless storytelling from stuff like Arzach or The cat’s eyes with an actual plot. While I haven’t completly finished the story, the evolution of the main characters and how the story is told have been great to read through, and as always the art is beyond gorgeous. Unfortunately suffers from some good old sexism in the writing that even if minimal, tasted sour

Le roman de Renart, by Joan Sfar (book 1)

Sfar’s work always has a signature vibe of being dreamy and light without being light hearted, of being down to earth but drifting in the fantastical, and this one is no exception. It’s an adaption of a series of medieval folk tales I grew up with, who uses the same characters to tell an original story. If you’re familiar with icons like Renart as well as other mythological big boys like Merlin you’ll fit right in. There is something special in how the dialogues are written, who feel natural in a way that you’d overhear in a street corner and is very special to me.

The mercenary, by VIncente Segrelles

Another one I post about a lot on this blog. The mercenary is a king on the throne of fantasy cheese. The worldbuilding is interesting at times but the writing is a pretty pathetic display of glorious old time sword and sorcery sci-fantasy 10 years too late for it’s prime (warning for ye old sexism and orientalism that plagues the genre, cranked very high...) but you come and stay for the art. The entire thing is drawn in a series of hyper detailed oil paintings with an insane eye for technical detail, from the engineering of the weaponry, to the architecture and weather, to the anatomy of the fantasy creatures... Each panel stands out as it’s own painting which makes even flipping through it without reading the scenario a treat. Click here to see more of the art, in my Segrelles tag.

The ice maurauder, by Jacques Tardi

A short story about mad scientists entirely drawn like a 19th century engraving. In great Tardi tradition everyone is ugly and mean, it ends terribly, it’s both a hommage to the genre of late 19th cent. to early 1900s dramatic adventure novels and a critical eye on it, and it’s morbidly funny. Most people I saw online hated the way this was written but I’m not them and I really recommend this book. Die mad

-------- Manga --------

Favorite manga of the year: it’s a tie between the following two.

Cats of the Louvre, by Taiyo Matsumoto

Most wonderful comic I have read in ages. The story follows a bunch of semi-feral cats secretly living in the Louvre museum’s attic, and the small group of humans who share their life, walking through the museum as the night watch. When the cats are together, they are represented in a humanoid way, but still act like animals, and “become” cats again when a human is nearby. The plot is a sort of supernatural mystery centered around a kitten who walks around paintings. It’s a love letter to art, sincere and beautiful, with a unique art style and great characters.

Memoirs of amorous Gentlemen, by Moyoco Anno

A sex worker in early 20th century paris starts writing down a diary of the clients she meets, in a quest to cope with the troubles of her life. You follow her, her colleagues, and her bittersweet relationship with an abusive lover. I don’t have much words about this comic, but the art and writing both are amazing, it’s the perfect length and drew me in like little series had before. Obvious content warnings as this is an adult story that talks about sexuality, but also depicts both mental and physical abuse.

Hana, also by Taiyo Matsumoto 

A very short story, this was not made to be read as a comic originally, but served as storyboarding and visual development for a play, and the way it is written follows that. Hana is a slice of life story set in a fantasy world, of a young boy, his family, his village. Despite the setting being an original one, the character interactions are refreshingly... normal, and there is no huge plot to speak of, just a bit of the life of these characters. The art is beautiful, entirely black and white, with a scratchy style and an emphasis on contrast. Matsumoto is on a speedy road to becoming my favorite manga artist haha

Delicious in Dungeon, by Ryoko Kui

While not marked as my year’s favorite, I still consider this series among my favorite manga ever. The art and writing are amazing, and it’s both heartfelt, well concieved and plain hilarious. The story follows several parties of dungeon diving adventurers each on their little quests with a premise of our protagonists, on a panic rescue mission, surviving in the dungeon by cooking and eating the monsters they come across. From a DnD party turned cooking manual dinner of the week beginning, the plot creeps up on you and slowly thickens. I don’t want to spoil anything about the overarching story of this because it was a delight to discover for myself. While everything about DinD rules, I am especially fond of the design philosophy of the author, who puts great detail in the practicality and biology of what she draws, as well as the character writing. Everyone even side characters has so much charm and depth to them, the cast is so diverse and entertaining...! Each character is just a bit lame enough but endearing, and has their own little backstory that shows in the way they exist. It’s a delight

Chainsaw man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

I went into CSM expecting a borderline campy hyperviolent dumb fun thing to read and was very surprised to find an uncomfortably well written story about a teenager being groomed. The hyperviolent dumb fun fights are here nonetheless and the series still qualifies as shonen for some reason, but the more mature character writing as well as some truly outlandish visuals make it something very special. If you can’t stand shonen, not sure you will like it, but if you don’t mind it, worth trying.

Witch hat atelier, by Kamome Shirahama

The oh so elegant fantasy seinen every cool kid started posting about this year, who I also succumbed to and fast. Witch hat is hard to explain, as most of it’s plot revolves around the rules of the world it’s set in, specifically the regulations around it’s magic and the social and historical reasons for them. It’s about growing up, learning, disability, making art. You follow a little girl taken in by a witch as an apprentice, her magical education, and learn little by little why her lovely teacher is so willing to break a lot of rules... While a bit too gentle and pretty for my taste at times, Witch hat has great worldbuilding and explores sensitive themes I rarely see in manga, much less in fantasy. And Berserk wishes it had art this good

[solipseismic]

word find xxviii!

thank u for the tag @vellichor-virgo !! my words are bruise, secret, stumble, and lovely :) 

bruise:

“Helluvan initiation,” Yalta said, grinning from ear to ear. Fin was limping and Xike was holding his side like he’d broken or bruised a rib; Lu and the twins were both dirty and bloody with scrapes from gravel or the wyvern itself. Yalta’s armor and clothing were smoking in patches but she didn’t seem to care nor mind.

secret:

He smelled like coppery monster blood and gunpowder and the tang of woodsmoke. He smelled like the woods behind her childhood home: safe and dark and secret.

He smelled like home.

“’m sorry,” Malice said into rows of obsidian-black locs. “I didn’t mean to almost die. I don’t want—I didn’t want to scare you.”

stumble:

The group thought this was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. Uproarious laughter followed, along with Fin slapping Malice on the back and making her stumble two feet forward, to her infinite chagrin.

lovely:

The map itself was made of a lovely, thick vellum, foxing at the edges but well-kept. The ink was faded and in a dark burgundy, marking out a little legend and compass rose in one corner with a neat hand. Whoever had made it had put a lot of care into it. The map only covered the surrounding few miles in either direction; there was a little drawing of a spiky castle in the northeast and careful crosshatching in the southwest that meant water. That was the only body of water marked on the map. It was full of fantastical things and places, like Bandersnatch Lairs or Jubjub groves or mushroom forests.

tag games taglist (ask to be + / -): @47crayons ,  @sleepy-night-child ,  @bladeverbena ,  @drippingmoon ,  @vellichor-virgo ,  @maderilien ,  @writing-is-a-martial-art ,  @wiz-is-sorta-a-writer ,  @thelaughingstag ,  @mj-is-writing ,  @hellowkatey ,  @rickshaww ,  @gayskywalkcrs ,  @lorspolairepeluche ,  and anyone else who wants to do this !! your words are (in)finite, cake, pole, cup, and spine! 

[dansnaturepictures]

04/06/22-Blog 1 of 2: Boat trip on the Beaulieu River and Buckler’s Hard

I did something I had looked forward to for a while today as we went on a boat trip along the Beaulieu River with Wild New Forest. It was a brilliant wildlife packed morning.

It was a raptor fest and early on during the trip we had a phenomenal moment when a Honey Buzzard flew over the boat. We got to make out the pretty markings of this incredible bird so well and this was a moment of pure joy and really made me happy. What a bird to see. It feels so special to have seen it. This is a bird I saw early on in my birdwatching days in the forest but I hadn’t seen one for years. With a bird I have a similar history with, seeing my first ever one on the same day in 2009 the Goshawk being a species I have seen more of over the last couple of years I had hoped to see a Honey Buzzard this year so it was great to see it. I believe it’s only my third ever sighting of this species. I took the second and third pictures in this photoset of it more photos of birds in flight I am pleased with using my new big lens that’s two big occasions in my year after the Skomer Island trip I’ve took flying bird shots and felt this. My bird year list is now up to 177 which is the amount of birds I saw in the entire year in 2014 which feels amazing with how many species I have seen this year so far. As the trip continued we caught sight of a Common Buzzard too and we also had a falcon double with two Kestrels seen and then another spectacular moment with a Peregrine flying with prey in its talons which was great to see in a top year I have had so far for this species. 

We did see a strong list of bird species on the trip and other highlights were a few Sandwich Terns seen well including the one in the ninth picture in this photoset, a lovely group of Sanderlings with a mix of plumages which was different for me as I am used to seeing them in winter in that plumage I took the eighth picture in this photoset of these, Ravens, Oystercatchers, a gorgeous Avocet, Grey Heron, Great Crested Grebe, a fair few Shelducks, Little Egret, Gadwall and Stock Dove. It was also really nice to see lots of Canada Geese including one with a feather sticking out upright from its back which I’d not seen on a bird before I took the fourth picture in this photoset of this. There were top views of Great Black-backed Gulls throughout too. Away from birds it was nice to see a Roe Deer in a field and grey mullet fish spawning at the end once off the boat with moon jellyfish here too which was lovely to see.

Taking in areas such as Exbury, Needs Ore and Lepe this really was a fantastic trip with so much seen and many stunning views of this beautiful river and a bit of the sea we went into on the Solent looking over to the Isle of Wight too in a great mix of habitats. I took the first, fifth, sixth and seventh and tenth pictures in this photoset of views from the boat. I so enjoyed being outside this morning to do this. We visit the New Forest a lot but this was something nice and different to do to immerse ourselves in the wild landscape of the wonderful New Forest. It was a perfect thing to do on this packed long weekend for us. Marcus from Wild New Forest who we follow online and the boat captain did a brilliant job on the tour to skillfully allow us to see amazing wildlife and provide valuable and fascinating information about the area and wildlife. We even had a lovely cup of tea and cakes on board which was so nice. It was such a friendly, interesting and relaxing morning I was so grateful to spend time doing this trip today. As well as this we met some other great people on the trip two people in particular we spoke to a lot and had a lot in common with.

The time here today was ended well by having a nice lunch and tea with very delicious scones in the beautiful Buckler’s Hard Captain’s Table cafe where the boat went from. Whilst doing this Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, a few House Sparrows and Jackdaw were around as well as a Black-headed Gull as they quite often are in areas like this after crumbs allowing for precious intimate views. There were some stunning vistas of the river and area from here too. And in a little look in the orchard I enjoyed seeing possible carrot flower, broad-leaved clover and speedwell with I believe some water-dropwort seen on the land from the boat. There were petty flowers in the cafe’ too.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Honey Buzzard of the year, five of my favourite birds the Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Shelduck, Little Egret and Great Crested Grebe, one of my favourite mammals the Roe Deer, Kestrel, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Raven, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, lots of Pied Wagtails on the boat trip, Swift well, Sandwich Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Mallard, Gadwall, Canada Goose including some hybrid looking ones, a lone Greylag Goose mixed into a group of Canadas, Mute Swan we saw some with cygnets my first seen this year further up the Beaulieu River on the way here this morning too, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Sanderling, Lapwing, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Grey Mullet, Moon Jellyfish and we heard Blackcap.

[monsoonblooms12]

In Sunshine & In Shadow: Chapter 1-Love & Laughs

Summary of the Series: Let's set out on the walk of life. Pack up for embarking on an adventure of a lifetime with our favourite residents. A series of love, friendship and travel. It is all about fuelling your wanderlust❤️

In this chapter: Pooja and Ethan spend some cute moments and the talk of the trip begins.

A/N: This has been sitting in my drafts for a long time as I figured out the storylines I wanted to do for the various pairings. Now that I have planned everything, I can finally start posting. This chapter is Poo & E. We meet the others in the next chapter💛

If you enjoyed the story, please like it, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going💕

Thank you so much @jamespotterthefirst for prereading. Love you💛💛

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey X f!MC (Dr. Pooja Sharma)

Word Count: around 2.2K

Rating: General

Prompt :- @choicesaprilchallenge2021 Day 6: Sonder

Derry Roasters was abuzz with enthusiasm, but it didn't seem to act on her. To her, it felt like someone had turned the hourglass of her life, let the sand flow and forgot to turn it back. Her time had stopped there on its tracks.

Around her, people rushed through their day, not waiting for anyone. She felt like the still picture amidst a fast-motion video. Sonder was the word Pooja would use to describe the way she felt. Sonder, for her, is Surprise and Wonder intertwined in a single word. Wonder, at how life changes every minute of every moment. And Surprise at how, even after so many afflictions, tribulations, one will find the happiness that destiny had in store for them.

The thoughts in her mind swirled and asked for all her cognizance. Transfixing her mind in them, she let her emotions engulf her with leaden steps.

Ting Ding Ding

Pooja's eyes tardily broke contact with the empty bone china coffee mug as she picked up her phone.

Brookline Rejuvenate sent you an email.

But for her, it manifested being a testament that all of it was happening.

That she was not tumbling around in an atrocious daydream, which would vanish the instant, she fluttered her orbs agape.

Yes.

Edenbrook, the nonpareil hospital in the entire States, was closing down.

Every day of operating there, felt like she was relishing in the will-o'-the-wisp of her aspirations.

The thoughts of Edenbrook made her mind travel to the day when it all began. The elegant calligraphy on the envelope with the Cerulean and Lime Green Logo that bore her name. The message that turned her life upside down forever.

Then the Diagnostics Team. The extreme cases they had solved. They saw its end too. They were working their free hours at the free clinic or in the ER. Everything, every day, seemed to rush around her.

The days seemed to fly past, and so did the time remaining for Edenbrook.

Everyone had started looking up places to carry on with their medical careers & residencies. But no one wanted to leave Edenbrook before it closed down. They wanted to cherish every day before the ticking clock struck midnight and supply the last of their best healthcare to as many people as possible.

The thought of leaving everything behind was painful for Pooja. You are taking away the most valuable of things, she convinced herself. You are taking away memories. Beautiful memories. Painful memories.

But there was another nagging thought that piqued her time and again.

The Gala was everything she ever imagined. But the most memorable of the moments was The Kiss. He had kissed her.

In front of everyone.

Her mind went to the embedding touches Ethan left on her that night.

Now, as Edenbrook's time came to an end, and she planned about the rest of her residency, she thought of her and Ethan's relationship.

Were they meant to be? Were all those feather-light touches, the kisses in the rain, the tears they shed together, going to end in vain? Were their lives only connected till here?

Was it the beginning of the end?

"You're here."

You will live a hundred years, Ethan Ramsey.

Tearing away from the colossal reticulation of her thoughts, she turned towards him. His summery blues, meeting her ambers.

"Hey You"

Ethan came over and sat in front of her.

"You didn't tell me you were coming here. I had to ask Alex and Sienna to know about your whereabouts."

Pooja let out a tiny laugh. "Whereabouts? You are making me feel like a criminal."

Ethan chuckled. "If so, then you would be the most beautiful criminal I have ever seen."

This made Pooja giggle harder. "You are talking as if you have met hundreds of criminals."

"I will never win any debate with you. So let's just...let it be?"

"Accepting Defeat, Dr. Ramsey?"

"If it makes you smile that, then I will always accept defeat for you."

A blush crept up her neck as she said, "Okay, too much. Now stop"

Ethan let out a last chuckle as his order arrived. A Vienna, a coffee and black forest cake for him and a butterscotch one for her.

Taking her piece in hand, Pooja said, "All I need is you."

"Hey, what about me?"

"Ah, you know you can never win the battle against this" She held up the cake.

"You're ridiculous."

A subtle tee-hee, and they were surrounded with a perfect silence as they got lost in each other's world.

A world where all the hustle-bustle inundating them evaporated. There were no questions asked, no side looks given, and no stops in the world of their love. In this world, their coffee, cake and their memories were their sole companions.

There were no catechisms, no side looks given, and no obstructions in the world of their love.

"So…umm..." Ethan began.

"Yeah?"

Oh, C'mon Ramsey, it is obvious that you have fallen real deep for her! Alex's usual tease came ringing in his ears.

Oh Lexandra, why don't you leave me alone?

But she is right.

Ugh! Since when did The Ethan Ramsey, the man who could make an intern tremble with fear, start to fumble?

He took a deep breath, centred himself and began again.

"Can we go on a tour? With all of your friends or the Invincibles as you all ridiculously like to call yourselves.

"Wait. You Remember That?"

"How can I forget when you are singing the name in front of me every 10 minutes or so?"

"Or maybe you need a membership to the Invincibles? Which, I should make clear, you are not getting."

"You are ridiculous-"

"-ly smart. Ya, I know, Thank you very much. And speaking of the trip, I would go on a trip at any time, anywhere, you don't need to ask. Just tell. I will be ready in 10 minutes."

"You know I am not talking about a trip from here to Brookline. We could go on, you know, an international tour. To a place of your choices."

Pooja's face became Stoic, expressionless. A sudden flurry of anxiousness spread through Ethan's Heart.

Then he remembered. A tip Alex had given him "free of cost" as she would like to say, a few days back.

"Anytime you are asking Poo to go on a trip to one of her favourite places, just count till five after placing your point."

"Five? Why?"

"Just do as I say, and you will see for yourself" Alex winked and left.

So he did.

One, He saw Pooja's eyes widen a bit.

Two, Her Amber eyes were full of joy and excitement.

Three, A light blush and the faint dimple on her left cheek appeared, adding a shimmer to her beauty.

Four, Her lips crept up in a faint smile.

Five, Her face and expression fully express-

"YAY! YAY! YAY!" Her cheer came along which earned her side-glances from the other customers. But who cares when it's an international trip you are talking about?

Of course, Ethan thought, Lexandra was right.

"That is a Thantastic idea!!!"

"I am sorry, but Thantastic?" Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. She was a source of his never-ending amusement.

"Gawd Thanie! Thantastic is just an Ethan version of Fantastic. Duh!"

She bent over the table.

Deceiving him to think that she was going to kiss him. In front of the entire coffee shop.

Only for her to smack his forehead lightly and comedically.

Since when did you become a sappy idiot like that? Ethan mentally ridiculed himself.

"Stop making a comedy show out of me in front of the entire coffee shop."

"Stop acting comedically, and I will stop too" Pooja shrugged and flashed that one dimpled smile that he had come to be a fan of

The things the girl does to me! And I thought love didn't exist. Even Ethan's mind was satirizing him.

The snap of two fingers brought him back from Ethan-land to the Derry Roasters, Boston, Massachusetts.

"I thought Ethan-land doesn't exist. Glad to be proven wrong." Pooja's mocking giggle was a melody he wanted to record on a vinyl and play on a record player time and again.

He thought of presenting a counter-argument.

You still won't win.

So instead of wasting his energy in vain, he decided to save it for later.

"Hmm. Coffee done. Now let's head home. We will ask them to pack the cakes."

"Buy a few more."

"Hmm?"

"You know trip planning? And I am pretty sure I said that you can bring along your fri-"

"I think you mean The Invincibles?" Pooja cut him off, cocking her right eyebrow.

"Whatever." Rolling his eyes, Ethan didn't let his amusement seep through his features.

They both got up. Ethan bought a bunch of cakes while Pooja giggled, nearly tripped and sprained her left ankle lightly, and finally succeeded in texting her mates to join them for trip-ing plan.

When Ethan came out of the coffee shop, hands full, he saw her slight limping as she walked towards their car.

Shaking his head, and having a mental peal of laughter because of her clumsiness, he went to the car. Opening the rear door, he kept all the goodies on the back seat.

Then he turned towards Pooja. She still had all of her attention transfixed in reading something fascinating on her phone. She didn't even notice him.

In a quick motion, he went up to her, and before she could process the whole thing, picked her up bridal style and seated her in the front passenger seat.

The next minute, he was behind the wheel and was driving them home. More specifically, The condo of the Invincibles.

Mental eye-roll.

"Ahem, Ahem"

Of Course. She was yet to speak something.

"So what are you now, Super Ramsey? Picking me up in the middle of the pathway?"

"You were limping, Poo."

"You know I can manage myself just fine."

He stopped the car. The condo was still a block away.

"Why did you stop? This is not where we live. You know that."

Ethan turned towards her and caressed her cheek softly.

She melted into his touch. Her eyes closed momentarily, her beautiful eyes and alluring shadowy eyelashes reflecting the serenity her heartfelt.

"Poo. I know you are a strong, independent woman. You like to be self-dependent."

He paused a short breath. Taking her hand in his and kissing the top of it, he continued,

"But I cannot see you hurt, be it a slight limp or a broken arm. I will always take care of you."

"I know you will. You always do. But a limp, a broken arm is faint compared to what I have been through. You don't need to worry about me all the time."

"I will always worry about you."

"Eth-"

He placed a finger on her lips. "No more ifs, or buts. It is something I wanna do. Not something I have to do."

And with a look of assurance and care, Ethan started to drive again. His features were calm, his blue eyes had hues of red and golden of the traffic in front of them.

The unsaid string of words that dangled between the two of them was what had tied them together so strongly. Which made him believe she was meant to be his and her to believe that he was meant to be hers.

Pooja waited for that day, impatiently, when he would be hers and she, his. Angst in fiction was her love, but angst in her real life? Not really. At least, not with Ethan Ramsey.

Stop being melodramatic.

She snapped at herself.

It took them an additional five minutes to reach the condo. Once there, Ethan was the first one to get out of the car. Pooja followed. She stood next to Ethan, who was now taking out the pastry boxes.

His senses called out to him, informed him of her presence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the exact spot where she stood.

Then, as if it was a second nature to him, he swept her towards him by the waist and kissed her in four steps.

First, He kissed her dimpled cheek, earning a gasp from her.

Then, he kissed her forehead and left silent praises for her heart to hear.

Third, His suck on her neck felt like the touch of a feather to her.

And Lastly, His soft pink lips meet her rosy moist ones, full of passion and a love so pure that threatened to overpower their senses.

Slowly, he turned her around in the rhythm of a dance, and hugging her from the back, he sensually pulled at the tip of her ear as his soft words warmed her heart.

"Shall we?"

Not what she wanted to hear, but the feels in her heart didn't let her feel disappointed.

"Of Course." A reply she made with an unvoiced wish that the next time he kisses her like he did today, he says those words which will make her, his forever.

PS: Here's to hoping that this was not an utter mess and you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and have a good day ahead🧡

Tags (Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed!) :@bbrandy2002 @whimsicallywayward15 @ohramsey  @nervoussaladsludgeopera @trrfanaddict @hopelessromanticmonie @ilikemenbutonlyethanramsey @lovablegranny @bellcat2010 @gkittylove99 @kingliam2019 @starrystarrytrouble @3riche @chetachisblog @zoehanji @withbeautyandrage  @drariellevalentine @mvalentine ​ @aestheticartsx ​@angela8754​ @schnitzelbutterfingers ​ @ao719 ​ @choicesstan1 @neotericthemis ​ @arnikki-2406 ​ @anotherbeingsworld @maurine07 @sophxwithers @twinkleallnight

[ginwhitlock]

Southbound : Chapter 6

After the Cullens leave her behind, Bella is left to pick up the pieces by herself. A year after her eighteenth birthday, a split second decision lands her in her truck, running far away from everything she has ever known. She decides to go south. What will she find in San Angelo, Texas?

After Peter left, the air between us felt stagnant, cold, like a pond left uncovered in the first freeze of winter. The man in front of me didn’t smile, didn’t even fake a breath for my own comfort. I know he could feel the shard of glass slowly sinking into the pit of my stomach; the fact of its direction changing, resigning, surpassing my throat to lodge itself in my skull as a sharp ache not lost on me. 

And I’m sure, not on him. 

I knew Jasper. I had sat feet from him not even years before. What had changed in those aching months? What kind of lust seeped into his unbreakable bones since? This man was toothier, slumping shoulders spread wide against the settee. Who was this brother of his and why did he have Jasper now? I mean— he had explained just moments ago the short extent of Alice and his separation, but the questions were tar in my brainstem: unmoving, guilty, painful. The faint imprint memory of his hand on my knee softened the creases under my eyes. His eyes were nothing if not full of memories.

He scared the shit out of me. The worst part of me liked it. 

The keys in my hand were jangling as I wrung my hands against the metal. They were ice cold from Peter’s grip and yet I never shied away from them, I rested into their cut, their steel mill scent. It’s all the comfort I had left in this unfamiliar sandy home. 

“You never told me where you meant to end up, Isabella.” 

The look on his face hadn’t changed from its hawk-like gaze, his mouth upturned in what was made to be sincere questioning.

My teeth seemed to buzz in my jaw as they clenched. I was stuck between trying to find the answer that made the most sense— but this far away haunted house was nowhere close to where I was headed. To be honest, I hadn’t even made a plan for my drive, the road had been a black licorice rope pulling me deeper and deeper south, its vines unswervable. 

Those damn carmine irises were still on my face. My hand settled on the silver scar.  “Somewhere without you— your kind.” There's a horrible dread that sinks deep into the pit of my lowest bones, down past the acid lining of my stomach. It wasn’t mine in the first place…

He smiled again. That fangy lip twitch he implemented earlier in his bedroom, his searing white canines glinting in the southern sun. Jasper did some twist of his knuckles as they rested on his denim knee, the bareness of the marble flesh punctuated. 

“Do you truly think your life will not continue to be… supernatural?” He paused something big and let his lashes point away from me, his gaze settling right behind my head, “The world has never been that kind. Especially to you, Miss Swan.” The way his tongue curled around my name made something twist in my gut. Something that felt like finally breaching the top of a rollercoaster after clunking around in the seat for several minutes. 

I took a breath, “No hope for me then, Mr. Cullen?” 

“Whitlock, darlin. Mr. Whitlock.” 

His correction was daring and quick, like a dare. The scared shitlessness was starting to turn. 

“Oh?” I’m sure my eyes were the size of dinner plates served on the damn moon. 

His quirk faltered as he refocused on the skin of my neck. “The Cullens aren’t the biggest fans of the ousted members keeping their name, I’m sure. Whitlock was my human name.”

My lip twitched, “Like Peter?” He did say they were brothers, it would make sense the tanner man kept it while Jasper stayed up north. 

“He adopted it when I changed him in the twenties. He didn’t need to remember his own.” 

The paint covering the living room walls was starting to feel warmer and warmer. There was a sort of mysticism in the air, the kind of feeling Phil said he got standing on the pitcher’s mound. This charge of electricity. And if I felt it— did the man in front of me do too?

“You changed Peter?” 

A hum came from his Adam's apple. I quickly stopped staring at its vibration, focusing on my still hands. “Is that where you got that name? The ‘Major’?” My legs felt like salt blocks sat out for the new fawns. 

Jasper kicked his foot out, inches from my own. “All in time, Isabella.” 

Why the hell was that the question he kept dodging?

I nodded against my own snooping judgement and sat up straight, gripping the cut key again. “Peter said something about seeing my truck?” As if on cue the sound of a backfire sounding across at least an acre of dirt, the laugh of the man in question following in direct response. 

He reminded me of a wilder, leaner, Emmett. 

I didn't know if that was a good thing. 

The blond rolled his eyes, something I would’ve passed out seeing months ago, which now just made him more and more intriguing. His hand raised without fantastical speed and made an ushering motion, inviting me silently to stand and follow him to the front door, not even twenty feet to our backs. I did as I… wasn't… told and raised to my shuffling feet, watching with barely suppressed intensity as he did the same, his shirt unbunching as his long legs swept past me. His strides were unhurried yet strong, quickly reaching the exit without me. Jasper’s slim fingers turned the knob gently and allowed the now open door to rest against his shoulder. 

“I’m sure my brother will find you the moment you start walkin’. I have to get to some business caused by my early departure earlier.” My shoes scuffed the hardwood as I passed by him, the scent of firewood and malt whiskey light in the air of the threshold. I nodded again as I looked back at the giant southerner. 

“So I’ll be making it back?” Half joking, half fearful the words slipped past my lips. 

He smiled truly that time, his teeth hidden behind his smile. “Of course Isabella. No one plans to kill you… for as long as I can see.” 

The door closed slowly as I turned away from him in only slight ease, the sound of his footsteps behind it unrecognizable. Texas dry wind called to me from the bare porch, wooden planks creaking ever so slightly underneath my weight. The world was quiet— in only a way nature could be quiet. Silence without loneliness. 

Another diesel racket sounded over the slight hill in the property, some of the only patches clustered with shruby, overgrown trees.  

“Bell!” 

There was a smile hiding under the surface of my skin, not the least undetectable. My stride started up again as I half jogged through the crab grass and rusty dirt. It had to be almost two or three o’clock now, the sun high and bright in the cloudless sky. 

Had the day gone by so fast— or so slow?

I couldn’t decide which it was. Not yet. Not now.

The baked exterior of my cab was just in sight over the small hill, somehow further away from the bare dirt trail than it had been this morning. Had the black eyed man… moved it? It didn’t run, at least not by my hand, he would’ve had to have pushed it… or picked it up. 

God, Peter was starting to turn out more and more like the biggest Cullen boy by the second. 

My shoes were caked in dead weeds and clay dust by the time I reached the freckled vampire— an attribute I still hadn’t made sense of. His cowboy hat was a stark black against his darkened porcelain skin. He smelt rough like a redwood forest, something private. Secluded. Peter’s hands were covered in the ink black of motor oil and grease, the solutions clinging to his perfect fingernails. 

He had to be related to Jasper somehow, there's no way he wasn’t. I was sure of it. 

Or maybe I was just hoping.

Silly girl. 

His eyes could’ve mirrored his brother’s and I wouldn’t have noticed anything past the sight just behind him: my truck was pulled at the seams. 

“Sorry bun, I think your baby might need some extra attention before it gets anywhere near a highway.” My breath was loose in my throat, air whistling behind my eyes. The transmission was the only thing complete under the hood. The engine block was propped up by a chain tied to a lone pecan tree, the rest of the assembly laid out on a blanket on the pitted ground. The well of tears hit the back of my eyes before he started to speak. 

“I had to take the engine apart to diagnose the problem— something to do with some coils. It ain’t as bad as it looks, I promise, Bell.” I nodded for the fiftieth time that day, my words fleeting in the paralysing tunnel that had become my voice box. The only thing I had kept when I left was now in pieces at my feet, the soil unforgiving and rough against the cotton blanket they sat on. The downpour of fear came down my sinuses and filtered out through my spine, the tips of my fingers pulsing with thunder. Peter stood, apathetic to the storm raging through my body, his stance curling around my own slightly, as if in defense to the world around us, to the truth in front of me. 

“How long will it take to fix?” My voice was weak and pitiful, stripped of its playful kick Peter initially instilled. 

He twitched his shoulders in a shrug. “Could be a week or more. Maybe two.” His own speech didn’t reflect his burdening appearance. It was almost airy, a light glee hidden subtly behind the consonants. 

My brain stored the small inflection for a much later time. 

“You know,” he started, his massive wiped hand drawing to my shoulder, “me and the Major don’t mind some company around the house. The old thing could use some life in it while your truck gets some beauty work done.” His suggestion wouldn’t have sounded like such a question if anyone else had uttered it, but the draw of the Whitlock boys held a certain power over my otherwise powerless existence, at the moment. I wanted answers, stories, the in and outs of the clan I had called family as a younger girl. 

I wouldn’t admit to anyone else my other wants. 

Hell, I couldn’t even admit them to myself yet. 

I made a sound in the back of my throat that made up for another nod and pursed my lips in false thought, the field stretching before me in an unwavering sea of curiosity. 

“Only until she's fixed. I���ve served my time living with vampires for two lifetimes.” 

There was an explosion of a laugh from Peter’s tan lips and I smiled in turn. The truck was a cesspool of terrifying possibilities, insecurities. But for right now, the horrible itch in my brain led me further into the immortal light. 

The cold digits of the human drinker felt featherlight against my back as he sputtered to an airy stop. “You are truly something Bell.” My teeth poked through my lips as I looked into his face and found simple lineless skin and sandy curls. My eyes rested back on the rusted out birthday present and sighed. “Do you want any help?” It sounded almost like a plea, the time splitting me farther and farther. 

He shook his head with vigor. “Baby doll, I’m not sure you’d make it go any faster.”

I had half a mind to slap him on the chest, no matter the bruising I’d sustain. 

“I’m not that dimwitted.”

He sucked unneeded air through his teeth and let me go, stepping towards the hull. “Just believe me.” 

I shook my head like a dumped dog and looked back towards the house, just barely noticeable at this distance. The question bounced around my stomach before it left my mouth, “What is Jasper up to?” 

Peter raised a brow and picked up an impact wrench.

“I’m not sure you’d want to know.”

[jewish-space-laser]

Miles & Black Coffee - Part One

“When you’re on a golden sea, You don’t need no memory, Just a place to call your own, As we drift into the zone...” 

-Island in the Sun by Weezer

Hello, and welcome to part one of M&BC! She’s split up into parts, a day late, and a bit rusty... but she’s here! It’ll be my first new piece of writing since I rejoined tumblr, so it’s a bit nerve-wracking. Thank you to Kate @andwhenshesays, Anne @oh-honey-styles, and Anna @for-fucks-sake-h for organizing this entire challenge, you’ve brought so much joy to our little tumblr community. We love you all dearly ♥️ (4.5k words)

xoxoxox Tile

Warnings: mild drinking, mild drug use (just weed)

You and Harry would never be friends. You were up and down, night and day, oil and water. You just didn’t mesh. He was your roommate’s insufferable older brother, and that is all he would ever be. Well, at least that’s what you thought before….

or

the one with campfire conversations, cabin getaways, and enemies that were never really enemies after all.

MONDAY

Pine trees and cornfields flew by in a blur as you stared out the window of your roommate’s minivan. Every once in a while, there’d be a pasture of cows or a horse ranch. It had been exciting at first, but now you were just bored. 

“How much longer?” You called over the music, trying to keep the whine from your voice. It had been hours since you left your apartment this morning, and you’d only stopped once to stretch your legs and take a bathroom break. 

“The GPS says we still have an hour and a half to go,” Callie groaned, stepping a bit harder on the gas pedal.

Normally, you loved road trips, but this particular drive was more cramped than you’d bargained for. There were seven girls packed into the van, and you’d been unfortunate enough to get squished into the backseat with your twin sister and her girlfriend, who hadn’t stopped with the obnoxious PDA since the car got on the freeway. 

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, trying to will away your nauseating carsickness. This week had been marked into your calendar for months, and you’d be damned if you let this god-awful car ride ruin it for you. 

Callie, your college roommate, had a cabin in northern Wisconsin that she’d been raving about for years. She’d been going there with her family for decades, every summer since pre-school, she’d said. According to her, it was a beautiful property, equipped with a private lakeside beach, fire pit, and a full bar. 

It was going to be the perfect getaway. You and Callie had rounded up all of your girlfriends, packed all of the essentials for a spa night, junk food, board games, movies. You’d packed four swimsuits just in case; the weather forecast looked fantastic, high seventies and low eighties all week long. 

It was going to be the perfect vacation. Well, almost perfect. 

Harry was going to be there.

Harry, the constant thorn in your side. Harry, Callie’s older brother. Harry, the one who eats all of your food whenever he visits. Harry, the one who constantly picked fights with you. You and him had never gotten along, not even for a second. 

There wasn’t a single person alive who got on your nerves more than he did. Generally, you got along with most people, but Harry was the exception to the rule. You couldn’t seem to shake him off. 

You weren’t about to let him ruin this trip, though. There were going to be fourteen people staying at the cabin, so it should be a piece of cake to avoid him for a week; there were plenty of other people to interact with. And even if you couldn’t avoid him, you were going to let his inevitable snarky comments roll off of your back. Well, you’d try to, at least.

Perhaps that’s what annoyed you most about him, the reaction you’d have from the smallest fight. With anyone else, it was water under the bridge… with Harry, you thought about it for days afterwards, thinking of better comebacks you should’ve said or ways you could have changed your schedule to steer clear of him altogether. He made your skin prickle with irritation, and turned you into somebody you didn’t like very much. 

It had been months since you’d seen him, not that you’d been keeping track. He typically visits Callie a few times a semester, but his senior year was more intense than he had anticipated, according to his sister. He just couldn’t spare the two hour drive from his university to yours.

But now it was summertime. Gone were the papers, projects, and responsibilities… it was finally time to relax and have fun. You only had one year of college left before graduation, so you and your friends wanted to make the most of it. Harry and his friends had just graduated, so they were at the cabin for their last hurrah before real life kicked in. 

If you were being honest with yourself, you were excited that Harry was bringing some of his frat brothers along. You and your ex had just ended things recently, and you were finally feeling ready to get back into the dating game. Being trapped in a cabin with a handful of cute guys felt like a dream. 

Finally, after what felt like centuries, Callie slowed the car down and turned onto a dirt road. The other girls in the car started desperately peering out the window to get a glimpse of the lake and surrounding forest. 

The moment the cabin came into view, your jaw dropped. You knew Callie’s parents were loaded, but this hardly looked like the rustic getaway you were expecting. There were three buildings, each labelled with a birch bark sign. Two speedboats and a pontoon were docked at the beach, inflatable tubes and paddleboards littered around the sand nearby. 

It wasn’t until Callie parked and shut off the engine that you heard a heavy bass thrum coming from the building marked MAIN CABIN. The other two buildings were labelled GUEST CABIN and SHOWER HOUSE. You were snapped out of it when Olivia and Jane, who had been sitting in the middle bucket seats, swung their sliding doors open and practically fell onto the ground. 

“I don’t think I remember how to walk normally,” Charlie, a girl from your art history class, groaned, “like, we were sitting in that car for so long….”

“Oh, shush,” your sister, Morgan, scoffed, “at least you got to sit up front. I was crammed into the back between these two.”

Both you and her girlfriend, Isobel, huffed in protest, but it wasn’t worth picking a fight over. You’d have plenty of time to bicker later. For now, the fresh air and cool breeze were like heaven after a long road trip.

“The boys beat us here,” Callie remarked.

Sure enough, there were two other cars already parked in the driveway. Back behind the main cabin, a plume of smoke rose into the air. You could hear loud laughter, loud enough to drown out the trap music they had playing. 

“They’ve started a bonfire!” Olivia squealed, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “I’m ready to get partying… it’s four in the afternoon and I’ve spent all day in a car. I need a drink.”

A few others were laughing and nodding in agreement, already making their way towards the boys, but you hung back. You’d party later, but after spending an entire day stuck with six other people, you just wanted to be alone. Plus, you wanted to drink tonight, and you’d never get around to unpacking your bag if you were wasted. 

You managed to dig your duffel bag out from the pile of luggage in the trunk, letting it fall to the ground with a thump. Callie had just been finishing up with a phone call when you looked up. 

“Hey, you’re not joining the others?” She asked. “I was about to head over, they’ve got a fire going. Just had to call my mum to let her know we made it.”

“I’ll join in a bit,” you promised “but I want to unpack my things first… where are we all staying?”

“You’re in the main cabin, I have you sharing a room with Charlie, is that okay?” She questioned. You nodded quickly, relief flooding over you. You liked all of the girls who came on the trip, but Charlie was by far the easiest to get along with. “Harry and I each have our own room in the main cabin, too, so you won’t be alone. Everyone else is in the guest cabin, though.”

“The guest cabin,” you giggled, slinging your bag over your shoulder as Callie lead you into the main building, “this place is swanky, Cal.”

“We host all of our family reunions here,” she shrugged, “we need lots of space. Plus it’s fun for occasions like this… we’re just lucky my dad is letting us use the boats. He treats those things like they’re his own children, only Harry is allowed to drive them this week.”

You made a face at the mention of her brother. “I’ll be staying far away from the boats, then.”

“Oh god,” Callie groaned, “I know you two don’t get along very well, but please try to be civil… we’re here for a whole week, after all.”

“I’m always civil,” you protested innocently, “it’s him you need to worry about.”

“Always civil,” she scoffed, “we both know that’s not true, but I’ll let it slide.”

Okay, so maybe you had a slight temper when it came to Harry, but nine times out of ten, he was the one who started the argument. You were never the type to actively seek out conflict, but Harry seemed to thrive off of it. Whether it was eating all the food from your half of the fridge, throwing his dark blue t-shirt in with your load of whites, or playing his guitar in your living room until three in the morning when you had a test the next day… it felt like he was out to get you. 

And he was never apologetic. Of course not. He probably got off on watching steam blow from your ears. 

You took a deep breath as Callie led you up a wooden staircase, trying not to let yourself get worked up. The cabin was gorgeous from what you’d seen on the main floor. Though you hadn’t lingered, you’d noticed that there was a bookshelf that took up an entire wall, packed to the brim with books with faded spines, vinyl records with worn edges, and an assortment of candles and bookends sprinkled throughout randomly. You couldn’t wait to explore the entire property. 

Photographs lined the walls of every hallway, snapshots of Harry and Callie running around as kids. There was a hilarious picture of a young Harry crying as he held a fishing pole, a bare hook dangling from the line. The Styles family clearly had a great sense of humor. You made a mental note to take a photo of it on your phone later; it would be perfect ammo for the next fight that Harry would inevitably start. 

“This is the bathroom…” she drawled, “no shower though. We all just use the shower house, which isn’t really as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you bring clothes with you, otherwise you’ll have to walk across the lawn in just your towel.”

You grimaced at the thought. As she continued to lead you down the hall, you saw two doors, one with CALLIE’S ROOM written in bright pink bubble letters, and the second with a wooden plaque, the word HARRY written in what was clearly a child’s handwriting. 

“This is technically my parents’ room, but we use it as a guest room if it’s just us kids,” Callie explained, stopping at the last door in the hallway, “they have a king bed, so I figured you and Charlie could just share.”

“That’s fine,” you assured her, not hesitating to drop your heavy duffel onto the side of the bed closest to the window, “this place is awesome, Callie.”

“Right?” She grinned. “I’m stoked for the week, it’s gonna be so fun.”

“You should go down to the bonfire,” you told her, placing a hand on your bag, “I’ll come join as soon as I’m done.”

Luckily, your roommate of two years understood that you needed alone time sometimes, so she left you without protest. 

This was exactly the recharge time that you needed. You were the kind of person who loved being around friends, but there was only so much socializing you could handle before you needed a break to be on your own. Even though you hadn’t spoken much on the ride to the cabin, being squished into a mini-van with six other girls drained your social battery. Giving yourself a moment to breathe and relax was necessary if you were going to rejoin the group.

Pressing the shuffle play button on your spotify, you smiled when the soft melody of your favorite folk song thrummed through your headphones. You swayed from side-to-side as you unzipped your bag, which had been packed to perfection. 

Four swimsuits, a different outfit for each day (plus a few extra items… overpacking is better than underpacking), sunscreen, bug spray, all of your toiletries. It was fun to organize everything into the empty wardrobe by the window; looking at all of your stuff just made you more excited to be here.

Time flew by as you danced around the room. Most of your things were put away, and you’d stashed your empty bag under the bed. The one thing you hadn’t put away yet was your assortment of swimsuits. It had been difficult picking out which ones you wanted to bring, but you’d settled on three bikinis and a one-piece with the sides cut out. You were itching to change out of your leggings and t-shirt; they felt gross against your skin after sitting in the van all day. 

Just as you went to pick up your navy blue sequined bikini top, a hand abruptly clamped down on your shoulder. 

“Holy shit!” You spun around on your heels, hand flying to cover your beating heart. You were less than pleased to find Harry standing there, wide-eyed and trying to mask his amusement by biting down on his lip. 

“Didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he chuckled, “forgot how jumpy you are.”

“I’m not jumpy,” you frowned, pulling your headphones out of your ears and crossing your arms over your stomach, “what are you doing in here?”

“Nice to see you too,” he scoffed, dimple indenting into his cheek, “I was just using the loo, then I was gonna go back to the party, where we’re having fun. Foreign concept to you, I’m sure.”

You rolled your eyes, turning around so he couldn’t see how hard you were scowling. He always knew just what to say to get your blood boiling.

“Are you implying that I don’t know how to have fun, Harry?” You asked sarcastically. 

“Ah, I knew you were smarter than you looked,” he grinned. “Cute swim top.”

It was only then that you noticed his attire. Well, lack of attire. He was wearing the smallest swimming shorts you’d ever seen, his chest tanned from the sun and completely bare apart from a single cross necklace that hung over his sternum. His hair had grown out since the last time you saw him, and it looked a bit ridiculous with his sunglasses on top of his head. 

He looked good, not that you’d ever admit it. Luckily, you were fantastic at masking your wandering eyes; he had a tendency of walking around your apartment in his boxers during visits, so you’d had plenty of practice.

“Shut up,” you groaned, throwing the bikini top back onto the bed. You’d been planning on wearing that one, but Harry ruined it with his gross comment, just like he ruins most things for you. 

“I’m quite incapable of shutting up,” he mused, throwing himself down onto your side of the bed, “you should know this by now.”

“Trust me,” you were completely unamused, still standing with your arms crossed over your stomach, “I’m well aware.”

“You should come join the party,” he continued speaking as if you hadn’t said anything, seemingly unfazed by how visibly irritated you were, “it’s the first day and you’re already being a buzzkill. Maybe you should try like… try stepping out of your comfort zone, just for the week.”

“Thank you so much for that lovely unsolicited advice,” you said sarcastically, “now if we’re talking about comfort zones, you laying on my bed is definitely out of mine.”

“Please, you love me on your bed,” he smirked, closing his eyes, “this is a dream come true for you.”

“Are you delusional?” You were running out of patience. “Did you hit your head?”

“Why?” He said innocently. “Are you thinking about playing nurse? Because I hate to break your heart, but I’m not into wet blankets. Maybe if you loosened up a bit.”

If he wasn’t gone in thirty seconds, you were going to scream. He seemed to be enjoying himself, arms crossed behind his head with a twinkle in his eye as you stared daggers at him. 

“Are you quite done?” You spit. “I can feel my IQ dropping every time you speak. Plus, I need to change before I come down.”

“Ooh, can I watch?” He waggled his eyebrows. 

That was it. “Harry, get out, okay?”

“Jeez, okay, fine,” he grumbled, rolling clumsily off of the bed, “so bossy, you are.”

You pointed a finger towards the door, leveling him with the steeliest glare you could muster. “Out,” you repeated.

“You should come down sooner rather than later,” he said, completely unbothered, “I’m sure you’ll be much nicer once you’ve had a drink or two.”

He was gone before you could think of a response. The annoyance bubbling inside you was so intense, you felt like you wanted to break something. Instead, you punched your pillow a few times to release some tension, taking a deep breath to compose yourself after.

You wrinkled your nose at the blue bikini top, choosing to wear an orange floral patterned one instead. You’d never give Harry the satisfaction.

~~~

The fire was absolutely roaring. 

It was perfect. The fire pit was lined with wooden logs, the tops shaved off to make benches. There was hardly enough space for all fourteen of you, but you managed to squeeze in as you all roasted corn and hot dogs over the fire. It wasn’t too windy, so you didn’t have to worry about smoke blowing into your eyes, but the bugs were relentless. 

The air around you smelled of smoke, bug spray, and good food. There were a few different conversations happening, and every once in a while, a few people would break out into loud, contagious laughter. 

Harry had tried to talk to you when you came down, but you’d avoided him like the plague. You had absolutely nothing nice to say to him after his snarky comments in your room, and any further interaction with him at this point would just end in disaster. Thankfully, he was quickly distracted by some of his frat brothers, and he hadn’t tried to approach you again all night. 

Now, you were chatting with Olivia and one of the boys, Luke. By the time you’d gone down to the bonfire, everyone was several drinks in. You’d been forced to play catch-up by way of tequila shots, so you had a pleasant buzz running through your veins.

“This is a perfect summer night,” you sighed happily, pulling your skewer from the flames to keep your corn from burning. 

“Almost perfect,” a boy named Archie corrected, “we haven’t been out on the lake yet.”

Harry and three of the other boys had arrived a night early to get the boats ready, and now that Archie mentioned it, the pontoon was looking mighty tempting. The sun hadn’t fully set, but dusk was beginning to settle in, blanketing the forest with pink and orange hues, a gorgeous reflection of the sunset above you. It was the perfect time to go out on the water.

“How do we feel about the pontoon?” You wondered out loud. There was no way you’d all fit, but you could go in groups. 

“It’s too buggy to be on the water,” Callie wrinkled her nose, “I’m getting eaten alive as it is.”

“I’m down, as long as I can smoke a spliff while we’re out there,” James, one of the other boys, shrugged, “obviously I’ll share, I brought tons.”

A few others around the circle chimed in with their interest, and before you knew it, people were standing up to make their way over to the docks. You weren’t the best with names, but much to your relief, you’d introduced yourself to everyone going on the boat. Obviously, you already knew Morgan and Isobel, and were somewhat friendly with Jane, Archie, and James. 

“I’ll come along, too,” a voice behind you yawned. When you turned around, you immediately felt yourself melt. Ryan, a boy you’d had a single class with freshman year, was stretching his arms out as he stood up, and he was looking directly at you with a flirtatious smile. 

You’d had a major crush on him for the entirety of your class together, but you’d been too shy to say anything to him. He was a whole year older, after all, and that had been intimidating when you were eighteen. 

You returned his smile, biting down on your bottom lip shyly. 

“I guess I’m going too, then,” Harry sighed, shoving the last of his hot dog into his mouth before dusting his hands off. 

Immediately, your face dropped. Harry snorted when he saw your expression, digging around the pocket in his swimsuit to retrieve a key. 

“I’m the only one allowed to drive the boats, remember? Dad made me promise.” 

Your shoulders slumped. You’d completely forgotten that Callie had mentioned it to you earlier. You weren’t about to turn down a sunset boat ride though, especially now that Ryan was coming along as well. 

Everyone scarfed down the rest of their food in a rush as Harry went over to untie the boat and make sure it was good to go. You watched as he leaned far over the edge of the dock, so far that nearly fell face-first into the water before righting himself and trying again.. 

“Hey,” Ryan had walked next to you, following your line of sight, “he’s gonna fall in, isn’t he?”

“I hope so,” you giggled.

“You were in my History 204 class, weren’t you? Sophomore year?” He asked.

Your entire body flushed. You didn’t think he’d noticed you at all, let alone enough to remember you years later. Having Ryan up at the cabin, talking to you, felt like a dream come true.

“I was a freshman, but yeah, I think so,” you nodded nonchalantly, “I hated that professor.”

“Oh god, same!” He laughed, shaking his head, “such a drag, just constant pop quizzes!”

“Ugh, yes!” You turned your body towards him fully. “And that midterm assignment….”

“Don’t even get me started,” Ryan pretended to shiver in fear. 

You laughed loudly, and from the corner of your eye you saw Harry turn to glance in your direction. Upon a closer look, he’d managed to wrangle the boat so it was right up against the dock. 

“All aboard!” He shouted.

You rolled your eyes at his ridiculous antics. He always thought he was so funny, especially when you were the butt of his jokes. You hoped he’d be too busy driving to bother you. 

Luckily, Ryan seemed keen to stay by your side, even helping you step into the boat by taking your hand to keep you balanced, so Harry didn’t have much of a chance to say anything. By the time the boat was moving, everyone was sitting in a circle on the floor, clipping in the life jackets that Callie had forced us all to wear. 

As soon as the wind blew through your hair, you tilted your head up and closed your eyes. Lakes didn’t smell great, but you’d always loved it. It was classic, nostalgic. You’d spent every summer of your life swimming in Midwest lakes, so it felt just like summer.

James was true to his word, and pulled out four fatly rolled joints, passing them around with a lighter. You didn’t do this often, but it felt like the perfect moment. The sun was disappearing fast, and soon enough you’d be able to see the stars.

At some point, Harry slowed the engine down to a gentle hum when the boat reached the middle of the lake, getting a couple of the others to help him throw the anchor over the edge. Afterwards, he moved back over to the driving console and fiddled with a few buttons until quiet, staticky music sounded out. He then sat down across the circle from you, immediately accepting one of the joints from Archie. 

You stood up on your knees, and looked around. Water lapped lightly against the sides of the boat, so it took you a moment to find your equilibrium. The silhouette of the tall pines surrounding the lake were awe-striking. 

Nobody wanted to break the silence, so you didn’t. The weed was starting to take effect, making your body feel heavy and your head feel light. You started to lay down, unclipping your life jacket to use as a pillow. Slowly, your friends followed your lead, the sounds of shuffling and buckles popping open momentarily interrupting the tranquil silence. 

You watched the sky change from pink to a deep blue, only turning your head away when the first stars became visible. Morgan was laying next to you, staring straight up at the sky. To anyone else, she looked like she was lost in thought, but you knew her better than that. There was a slight frown, watery eyes, a little crinkle across her forehead... she was worried about something. 

“What are you thinking about?” You asked, trailing a hand down her arm. She let out a long exhale. 

“This is gonna sound so soppy,” Morgan sighed, “but I can’t stop thinking about like… how different I would be if I could just, change things about myself.”

“I like you the way you are,” Isobel frowned, sitting up slightly to look at her, “plus, you can change things about yourself. People do it all the time. New hairstyles, piercings, clothes. You could completely rebrand yourself anytime you want.”

“She’s not talking about her appearance,” you said softly, squeezing Morgan’s hand, “she means… like, changing who you are, at your very core. Things you can’t help.”

“I get that,” Ryan chimed in, “I think about that, too. If I could change one thing about myself, I would make myself more motivated. My life would be so different if I could just… alter one tiny thing.”

“Exactly!” Morgan nodded. “I would… make myself less impulsive, I think. I have so many regrets, and it’s all because I never properly think before I act. I’d be so much better off if I could just learn to be more careful.”

“I like how spontaneous you are,” Isobel hummed, “but I think I know what you mean. If I could change anything about myself, I’d make myself less anxious. Anxiety has always held me back so much… I mean, fuck… I haven’t even come out to my family yet, even though I know they’d support me. I’d be so much happier if I could appreciate the good things in life, rather than stress about how to keep them.”

“I’m with Isobel,” Harry spoke. He’d just taken a rather large pull from the joint, so his voice came out rougher than gravel. “Anxiety is such a bitch, and it’s like, out of our control. It’s kept me from talking about my feelings so many times, and I feel like I’ve missed out on some really good friendships because of it.”

Despite the heaviness of the conversation, you felt happier than you had in a long time. You’d smoked just enough to feel numb, and the waves were rocking against the boat so gently that it felt like you were floating. You took a deep breath in through your nose, feeling the crisp forest air fill your lungs before exhaling. The stars were shining in the cloudless sky, crickets were chirping along the shore, and soft music was filtering through the cheap boat stereo. It was peaceful, listening to your friends pour their hearts out. 

Each person took a turn sharing what they would change about themselves. Archie would get rid of his bad temper, James would become a better listener, and Jane would be less self-conscious. 

“What would you change?” Morgan turned to look at you. 

You and your twin sister were very different people. So different, in fact, that you sometimes forgot that you were identical. In moments like this, when her eyes were watery and hooded, voice thick with sadness and hope, that you were reminded of how similar you could be. 

“If I could change anything about myself….” you mused, closing your eyes. “I think I would… let things go.”

“Let things go?” Archie echoed.

“Yeah,” you nodded, “like, let go of the past. Whenever something bad happens to me, I let it really get to me. Negative memories and feelings just… constantly eat away at me. I wish I could just wake up in the morning and think about the future… because thinking about the past is exhausting.”

Nobody spoke after your confession. Nobody tried to assure anyone that they would be okay, or convince anyone that they didn’t need to change. There was something comforting about lying in a circle with your friends, your sister… even Harry, because you were all flawed, and none of you knew what the future would bring. You all found solace in the fact that you were here, right now, laying in a circle on a boat, with an old jazz song ringing through the air.

And who knows… maybe someday, you’ll all find a way to change the parts of yourselves that bother you. Maybe you’ll learn to appreciate them. Maybe your flaws will end up helping you in the long run. 

But for now, none of you were alone. And that was enough.

~~~

Thank you for reading! I love getting feedback, so let me know what you thought! xoxoxoxoxoooooxxxxxxooooooxxxoooo Tile

[kilesplaysthings]

Halloween in Cradle!

Let’s imagine Halloween is a holiday that was introduced in Cradle by the first Alice and the people decide to let celebrations coincide with the harvest festivals like the “Land of Reason” does. How would "Alice” spend it with the boys?

(first time doing an IkeRev thing! some characters’ stuff will be shorter since I don’t know much about them yet! Put in a Read More since it’s LONG lol)

Lancelot: 

It’s become a tradition that the rich and elite of Cradle attend an evening Halloween masquerade ball. The ball is only lit by candlelight and everyone dresses in black for an added spooky elegance. Red wine is served and haunting, but elegant music is played for dancing

Lancelot, of course, attends and invites you to be his partner. It’s the first and only time you’ll see him in black (you know, being that he’s the King of the Red Army) and he looks absolutely regal in his black suit, cloak and full mask with gold trim.

As the two of you dance and enjoy the evening, he explains the traditions of this party. It seems that the Central Quarter’s ballroom is, in fact, haunted by the ghost of a woman in white. She died a tragic death on Halloween night; people found her amidst the dancing, sprawled at the foot of the grand staircase, swathed in her pure white dress. As such, everyone who attends dresses in black to be sure that they can spot her before someone is “spirited away.” Red wine is served because it was her favorite drink and her favorite music is played to let her know she is welcome.

As he tells you this and the two of you continue to spin around, you think you catch a glimpse of white out of the corner of your eye. Lancelot squeezes your hand at the look of apprehension in your eyes and smiles at you, pulling you closer.

“Don’t worry,” he whispers. “I’ll make sure no ghost spirits you away tonight.”

Ray: 

Halloween for Ray is busy just like any other day, but he’s always willing to help decorate the barracks to make them spooky! 

Both armies like to have fun with the public and open parts of the barracks up for visitors for a fun spooky evening with games and fun haunts.

Insists on plenty of black cats everywhere. 

Black cats are not bad luck. They’re good luck and ensure that Halloween will be fun and safe! (that’s the legend he’s determined to spread). Is not ashamed to wear black cat ears for the night either lol

He’s the head of security for the autumn and Halloween festivals that happen in the neutral Central quarter’s town square and the two of you walk around together having fun as he oversees the safety of everyone.

After the fun is over and the night is winding down, he’s happy to cuddle with you by the fire with a cup of warm apple cider - most likely with a black cat or two snuggled on your laps.

Jonah:

Not much of a Halloween person, tbh thinks it’s too childish

thinks the sweets are too much of Edgar’s type, not his own

the morning of, however, he invites you to a nearby café for brunch to show what delicious autumn delicacies they have

is happy to tell you about the different things he and Luka would get up to on Halloween when they were kids.

the two of you laugh over the stories he tells when he “defended” little Luka from a person dressed up in a ghost costume when they went guising as kids. Won’t admit that he ever got scared, (though he did)

Sirius:

This time of year is one of his favorites, because it means lots of autumnal baked goods that he can make!

Pumpkin pies, pumpkin cake rolls, pumpkin doughnuts, apple pies, apple crisp, pumpkin apple crisp! You name it, he’ll bake it. 

It’s his baked goods that are always around for any harvest or Halloween festival

While he’s cool with Halloween, he does prefer the harvest aspect of he month more, mainly because he likes autumn decorations

Will invite you to help carve pumpkins with him. Or rake leaves. He’s actually quite good at carving and makes some fantastic faces and designs! And expect some fun leaf shenanigans with Chutney involved too

the two of you like take a walk together on the nearby trails to admire the beautiful autumn colors before the harvest dinner.

Edgar:

To your surprise, he quite likes Halloween

Mainly because he gets to scare and prank people and no one can judge him for it this time. Also CANDY

You can bet this guy has TONS of candy everywhere

Is ready to go out guising like all the kids do for the candy, even though Jonah keeps berating him for being too old

“You don’t even have a costume!!!” “I do so have a costume. I’m going as a Red Army soldier.”

Can also carve pumpkins quite well. makes some scary faces on them

Since he’s forbidden to go guising, takes the next best thing, which is to take you around the Halloween festival in search of treats to buy and win

Is a pro at all the games. Takes GREAT pleasure in the dunking booth, and is a great shot at it

“Here, Alice. I won this special candy just for you. Don’t eat it just yet. Let’s wait till we’re alone. Then we can share them, together~”

Luka: 

Like his brother, is just meh about Halloween

But he enjoys the harvest festivals

Invites Alice to join him in going to one that’s on a farm just outside of the city. Together the two of you have a blast! Going on hayrides, looking at the different pumpkins in the pumpkin patch - and picking some out for later Halloween decorations -  as well as picking out the juiciest apples for later baking and sampling some delicious apple cider

You pick out matching scarves with him at the farm’s shop that sells hand-knitted clothing perfect for fall days like this one and wear them for the rest of the day

You can be sure that harvest time means some delicious food made by Luka, as he gets along with the farmers who offer him their best produce

The nights are colder, so he makes sure he warms up a cup of tea for you before you both snuggle down together for bed.

“Going to the farm with you was so much fun. Let’s make it a tradition to go together every year!”

Kyle: 

This time of year, our boy is on the lookout for colds. He’s prepared for visitors coming far and wide seeking treatments for them and has his office well stocked with medicine and herbs to help treat coughs and sore throats

He can get into the Halloween spirit too and decorates his office with a sort of “mad doctor” vibe to it. hOw OrIginAL

You can be sure he offers every kid that comes to him a Halloween treat when they leave his office (he’s a doctor, not a dentist lol)

basically Halloween is a chill day for him with just a flavor of spookiness. 

likes to chill at Dalim’s bar in the evening for a quieter Halloween night

Fenrir:

This boy does NOT do Halloween!!

He’ll do anything to avoid celebrating it. Too busy with work! Gotta train! Has guard duty at the barracks! He has DESK WORK to take care of! 

The other officers admittedly like to prank him this time of year because of it and it never fails to work

He’s touched when your make him his favorite meal to comfort him after a prank got him good

he tells you that his dislike of the holiday and his fear of ghosts both started when he was kid. his family threw a big Halloween party one night and late in the evening, when everyone was sitting together telling ghost stories, there was a banging in one of the rooms upstairs and the fire went out suddenly, leaving them all in the dark. People said it was a ghost coming to visit them. for a boy of only six, he said that night stuck with him for years and he still remembers how scared he was.

you’re touched by this rare moment of vulnerability from him and promise that from now on, each year, you’ll have your own “un-Halloween” celebration together

Zero:

He likes the idea of guising but knows he’s too old for it

Instead, he enjoys participating in the Central Quarter’s Halloween festival

He helps the local candy maker in his booth and the two of them make candy for people to buy during the festival

is not above dressing to get in the spirit of the night

Makes you your own special candy when you visit him in the booth

you share a candy apple together when he gets time off and can walk around the festival with you

Seth:

Ultimate Halloween prankster of the Black Army. 

Has been the chief scarer of Fenrir but never goes too overboard -just enough

Halloween is in part about dressing up in costume, so you can be sure he’ll want to dress Alice up in every princess, witch or vampiress costume he can get his hands on

matching costumes is a win-win situation for him. his favorite is vampire and vampire bride. will get into character for it too

“careful Alice, I just might bite that pretty neck of yours if you keep acting so adorably~”

Loki: 

Will 100% want to go guising with you

dresses up in a black hoodie with cat ears. “Look! I’m a black cat!”

the two of you hop around the villages together, you in a white sheet as a ghost, and him as a black cat, carrying sacks to get candy

back at the house, the two of you will sort out your booty together and trade treats, offering some to Harr if he wants any.

the night will end with bobbing for apples, some spooky games and tales and Harr admonishing you both not to eat too much candy before bed

you both may or may not decide to play a fun, innocent prank on Harr later on in the night

Harr: 

For Halloween, you and Harr decide to take it easy. Maybe eat a big dinner with some celebratory cake and play some games together at the house

but then Loki comes up with a daring idea: late night exploring in the Old Ruins that lie deep in the Forbidden Forest

the idea is kinda scary, but also thrilling! Plus, Loki reasons, they’ll be with Harr, so there won’t be any danger

Harr (secretly pleased that he’s trusted so much) finally agrees.

The Old Ruins are rumored to be haunted, Loki says, as the three of you creep in. The door makes a painfully loud creaking noise as he tugs it open

Armed with a lamp fueled by magic crystals, Harr leads the way in as the other two huddle around him. the building is dark, decrepit, and quite dangerous in some places as the walls and upper floors are caving in.

“We shouldn’t stay here too long,” Harr warns, worried about the instability of the place. A sound is heard in a nearby room adjacent to the foyer.

“Let’s check it out!” Loki suggests and he heads in the direction of the noise.

You don’t find anything but continue to hear noises, noises that seem to be coming from the upper floors...

After a while of exploring, Harr suddenly decides to put his foot down. “Let’s go. Now.” He tells you.

You both don’t argue against the tone in his voice and head back to the house, Loki excitedly talking about their adventure. As he does, Harr takes your hand and holds it tightly.

“I’m sorry we had to leave so suddenly, but while you both were looking around, I saw someone watching us from above on the third floor. The last thing I ever want is putting you in harm’s way. Stay with me tonight so I know you’re safe.”

Blanc:

He can remember when the first Alice introduced Halloween to Cradle. In fact, he helped in forming the traditions of the holiday to what they are today.

He organizes and is in charge of the Halloween festival alongside with Dean. He also likes to host a costume party in the Garden, free for anyone who wants to attend

He dresses up as a white rabbit knight hOW OrIginAL

Cliched costume aside, he looks cute so it’s all good

You are his special guest and he ensures that your first dance of the night is with him 

Oliver:

His favorite part about this holiday is the costumes

He makes lots of costumes and items for kids who want a super cool look for Halloween

in his kid form, he reluctantly agrees to an early afternoon of guising with you, but insists on wearing a mask he made for himself so no one knows it’s him

don’t be surprised if he pulls some pranks on you throughout the day to get back at you for making him do that in his kid form

never goes to Blanc’s costume party. prefers to join Kyle at Dalim’s bar instead for a more laid back celebration

Dean: 

Teams up with Blanc in organizing the Halloween festival

Is a huge folklorist and can tell you all sorts of weird and creepy stories about Cradle’s history

owns a whole library about it, actually

being a teacher, he does fun things throughout the day for his students to get them in the Halloween spirit

his students put on a play for the Halloween festival that is usually about some Cradle folklore

He’s a good storyteller, so be prepared with a blanket and some hot cocoa when you both sit by a fire and share ghost stories

Dalim/Dum:

Halloween or not, the bar’s gonna be running. Doesn’t mean he can’t get in the spirit of things, though

decorates the place with candles and fog and all

keeps things quiet for those who want a calmer holiday

concocts special drinks for the occasion. Kyle’s favorite is the White Lady, based on the ghost that haunts Central Quarter’s ballroom

Will keep visitors entertained with weird and creepy stories that he’s heard from customers over the years

Mousse: 

Halloween is just another day for him

Candy is whatever. He’d rather be given cheese. Prefers harvest festivals since there is cheese in abundance.

has to attend the different public gatherings as a Cradle official

ghosts don’t scare him. doesn’t believe any of the legends to be true

likes to drink warm cider and will fall asleep in front of the fire if he’s at a party

[yeet-me-dad-dy]

The Witch in the Woods

Note: Placeholder Title

Summary: You have one last hope for saving your sister, and it lies with the reclusive witch that lives deep in the forest.

Warnings: Mentions of blood

Characters: Marvin, Gender Neutral Reader

Words: 2,788

You trudged through the thick green underbrush of the overgrown forest outside of town, muttering to yourself in frustration as you fought with the branches that snagged your clothes and the pickers that got stuck in the bottoms of your shoes. You had been searching for two weeks now, spending whatever free time you had wandering the woods with your satellite GPS and a crude camping site map, intent on finding help.

Help…

You hoped he would be able to help; the barista who told you about him insisted he would. You weren’t sure what you would do if he couldn’t. You were out of options.

Out of options, out of time, and out of patience.

As the watch on your wrist ticked over to show 3 o’clock in the afternoon, you leaned against a gnarled old tree with a heavy sigh, panting and sweating from the exertion of trying to find your way through a forest with no footpaths. You were starting to think that this miracle worker you had heard rumors of was just that… rumors. Rumors, squashed hopes, and disappointment. You shrugged your backpack off of your shoulders and took a moment to sit against the tree to have a drink. It was as you tipped your head back to take a swig from your water bottle that you saw something you definitely hadn’t expected to see.

There, above the trees in the distance, was smoke. Not the kind of smoke from a forest fire, but the kind of smoke from a chimney. A chimney meant a house, and a house meant people, but… a house? Out here? Who on earth would build a house in the middle of this wild place?

Regardless, you put your water away and pulled your backpack back on, then set off in the direction of the smoke. If nothing else, maybe the residents would have a bathroom you could use.

Roughly half an hour later, you stepped out of the densely packed trees and into a small clearing. Across from you, on the edge of the clearing with its back against the trees, only fifty meters or so from you, was a little square stone cottage. It was the very picture of serenity, there in the sunlight, with a little wind chime hanging from the porch roof above a rickety looking old garden swing, a hammock set up on a wooden frame to the right of the house with a small table beside it, a variety of odd looking decorations hanging from the trees on the edge on the clearing. The cottage itself was small, made mostly of stone, with vines crawling up the sides, wooden shutters, and yellowing old glass in the windows. A chimney stuck up from the right, reaching into the clear blue sky and puffing out gray smoke like an old boat captain with a pipe.

Despite its fairy tale appearance, you approached cautiously. You had come into this forest to find a powerful witch, and this was the home of a witch if ever there was one.

The three wooden steps that lead up to the porch creaked and groaned beneath your weight, and for a moment, you thought you might collapse beneath you and trap your legs, leaving you at the mercy of the witch in the woods, stuck and helpless. The steps didn’t collapse, however, and your heart pounded in your chest as you stopped before the front door. It was painted a very deep shade of royal purple and there was a strange symbol painted roughly head height in black pigment. You swallowed your apprehension and knocked.

You couldn’t stop the flood of images that rushed through your brain as you waited for someone to answer. You were scared of who or what exactly was going to answer the door. You expected some gnarled old man, clad in dirty brown robes, with a twisted jewel-topped staff and one blind eye, with a crow perched on his shoulder. Or perhaps a withered old hag with a wart on her long, crooked nose, and a feathered shawl, with a mean black cat at her feet.

Minutes passed, and you had knocked three times with no answer. You had no intention of leaving, not after you had come this far. You were considering going and relaxing in the hammock while you waited for the cottage’s owner to arrive, but the door swung open before you had a chance to turn around.

The person who answered the door was absolutely not what you were expecting.

He was young and fit, with long brown hair that you were sure would fall well past his shoulders if he didn’t have it up in a very messy bun. He wore a puffy white Shakespearean shirt and high-waisted black trousers, all very vintage, but also very comfortable-looking. His outfit, however, was not what caused you to take a step back in surprise.

No, that would be the skeletal cat mask he wore, with piercing green eyes gazing out at you through the eye sockets.

“What?” he asked sharply, and you jumped.

It was as you struggled to remember who you were and why you were here that you noticed how tired and quickly put together he looked.

“If you woke me just to stare at me, I will absolutely turn you into a toad for it.”

“No!” you answered quickly. You definitely want to be toaded. “No, sorry, I was just…” You cleared your throat. “I came to ask for your help.”

“Yeah, that’s usually why people end up here,” he responded, more softly now.

He pulled the door open and stepped back, gesturing you to come in with a flourish of his hand.

“Come in then.”

You took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold into the cottage.

Before you was a very quaint little home, with one large main room and a much smaller one in the back left corner, the perfect size for a lone witch living in the depths of the forest to exist comfortably in. Directly in front of you was a table and chairs, just big enough for two people, and to the right of that, the fireplace sat smoldering against the wall. It was a comfortable temperature, despite the heat outside and the burning coals. The witch made his way into the kitchen to the left, which was nothing more than a long counter with a sink and oven, and a fridge at the end. It was as you watched him open the fridge and pull out a pitcher of what you assumed was strawberry lemonade that it dawned on you that this place had electricity… somehow.

“Make yourself comfortable,” the stranger said as he made his way back to you with the lemonade in one hand and a tray with cakes and honey in the other. He set both down, and you took a seat. He took the one across from you, poured himself a drink, and stuffed nearly an entire cake in his mouth at once.

You shifted nervously in your chair and eyed the food. Your stomach rumbled, but you would be damned if you were going to eat anything a strange forest witch offered you.

“It’s not gonna poison you,” he said, as if reading your mind.

Your face heated up in embarrassment and you chuckled dryly.

“I didn’t think it would…” you replied, only half lying.

“So have some.” He pushed the tray toward you.

“Thanks. Um, I’m not hungry.”

“Yes you are, I can hear your stomach. Eat.”

You swallowed hard.

“I’m… I’m not really…”

It was rude to refuse food, especially from a witch, right? What would he do if you said no again? What would happen if you ate the food? There didn’t seem to be a good answer to this.

He leaned back in his chair and studied you with those bright green eyes of his. And then his lips twisted into a grin and he began to laugh. You stared at him, utterly confused at this sudden outburst.

“What-?”

“You think it’s like faeries, don’t you? You think if you eat the food you’re never gonna be able to leave, right?”

“I-” You didn’t finish your sentence. You weren’t even sure what that sentence would be. He was right, you couldn’t argue that.

“I’m not fae, I’m a witch. And why would I want to keep you here anyway? I want you to LEAVE so that I can go back to bed. I’m not offering you food to try and steal you away to some fantastical realm, I’m offering you food because it’s here, I’m eating it, and it would be rude not to.”

He grinned as he nudged the tray even closer to you.

You hesitated only a moment before you gave in and enjoyed one of his cakes. You’re glad you did. Not only did it taste wonderful, but you had run out of snacks a few hours ago and you were starving. He poured you some lemonade and you washed the crumbs down before you finally got to the reason you were here.

“My sister is sick,” you started.

He nodded and devoured another cake, seemingly uninterested.

“The doctors can’t seem to tell us what’s wrong with her, but she’s in so much pain she can barely sit up in her bed, let alone do anything else. It’s gotten so much worse lately, and she’s fallen into a deep depression. She won’t eat, she can’t sleep because of the pain, and she’s starting to go septic because she can’t get out of the bed and she’s in too much pain to roll over.

“Mmhmm.” He took a sip of his lemonade.

“I don’t want her to be in pain anymore.”

“So put her out of her misery.”

“What?” You were taken aback that he would even suggest something so barbaric. “I’m not gonna kill her! I want her to be better! I don’t want her to be in pain anymore! I want her to be able to do the things she used to do, like riding horses, and hiking. I want her to be able to go back to school or hang out at the mall with her friends!”

The witch sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Alright, alright, calm down. I have something.”

“Good,” you snapped angrily.

“I assume you brought some form of payment?”

“Of course I did.”

You reached over and unzipped your backpack, then dipped an arm in to rummage around. Your hand brushed against the soft fabric bag you put the “payment” in, and you pulled it out.

“Here.” You handed it to him.

He took it from you without hesitation, loosened the drawstring to open the bag, and dumped its contents out in the palm of his hand. It was a knife in a well-worn leather sheath.

He tossed the bag aside, nearly into the honey cakes, undid the button to pull back the sheath’s safety strap, and pulled the knife free. He froze when he saw the blade in its entirety.

“It was my great grandfather’s. When he died, my grandmother put it away with some of his other things. It hadn’t been touched until I fished it out of the old trunk. The blade is silver and the handle is made of elk bone. It’s a full tang hunting knife.”

“A silver hunting knife…” the witch mused. “What exactly was your grandfather hunting, I wonder… There didn’t happen to be wooden stakes in that trunk of his, did there?” he joked with a smirk.

You didn’t return the gesture.

“Yes,” you answered plainly. “There were.”

The man’s smile dropped and he looked again at the blade, still as sharp as the day that your grandfather had last sharpened it.

“That knife has killed quite a few monsters, I suspect,” you said.

“Yes, I suppose it has…”

He ran the edge of the blade down his thumb. He didn’t even wince when it cut into the flesh, just sucked his finger into his mouth to lick it clean. He slipped the blade back into its sheath and then tucked it respectfully into the bag.

“This is sufficient payment. Stay here.”

He rose from the table and made his way to the back of the cottage, toward what looked like a little library area. You watched as he stopped in front of a bookshelf, crowded with old, dusty tomes and all manner of oddities, from carved figurines of animals to something that you didn’t want to know the identity of floating in a jar of murky liquid.

As the witch rummaged around in his belongings, your eye was drawn to the rickety little staircase - if it can be even called a staircase - near the kitchen that led up into a loft. You thought you could see the end of his bed, with a handmade quilt bunched up, hastily thrown back by whoever had been lying there. It seemed you had indeed woken him, and you felt a pang of guilt. He looked disheveled and tired when he answered the door.

“Here,” his voice came from the back, drawing your attention back to him.

He was kneeling on the ground on an ornate looking rug, surrounded by pillows, with his hand in a large black wooden box. He clutched something in his right hand, something you couldn’t quite see, and used his left to close and latch the box. He pushed himself to his feet, set the box back on its dusty shelf, and then returned to you.

He didn’t sit back in his spot, just stopped beside you and held out his hand. In his palm was a small glass vial with a liquid inside that looked suspiciously like blood. Hesitantly, you took it from him and turned it over and over, inspecting it uncertainly.

“What is it?” you asked, that same uncertainty evident in your voice.

“It’s your cure,” he stated plainly as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Looks like blood.”

“It’s got blood in it, but that’s not all it is.”

“Whose blood?”

He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes behind his cat mask.

“Look, if you don’t want it, then give it back.”

Quickly, you held it close. “No!”

“Then quit asking questions. It’s what you wanted.”

You rose to your feet to stand before him.

“Look, I’m in the middle of the woods in a creepy witch’s cottage. Excuse me for being a little bit uncertain!”

He huffed.

“YOU came to find ME. I’m just giving you what you asked in return for the payment you gave me. Alright?”

You squinted at him, not entirely sure you wanted to argue.

“How do I know it’ll work.”

“Oh my gods,” he mumbled, and wiggled his fingers up under his mask to rub his eyes. He dropped his arms back to his side and took in a deep breath. “You gave me the knife, I give you the potion,” he said more calmly, though there was still an edge of frustration in his voice. “Give it to your sister or don’t. I don’t care. Just get out of here so I can go back to bed.”

You hesitated.

“It’s not gonna kill her?”

“It’s not gonna kill her.”

“How long will it last?”

“Forever.”

You hesitated again, then nodded and reached down for your bag. You set it on the table, pushing the honey cakes aside so that you could unzip it and tuck the vial safely inside.

“Don’t break it,” the witch warned. “Unless you want to pay for another one.”

You didn’t respond. There were other things you could give, sure, but you really didn’t want to make the trek back through the forest again. You weren’t even sure you would be able to find this place a second time.

You shrugged your backpack on and held out your hand.

“Thank you for your help and the food. I hope you get some sort of use out of the knife.”

He looked down at your hand, but didn’t move to shake it.

“Sure, uh… You’re welcome. I hope I never see you again.”

You scoffed, but weren’t able to contain the playful smile that pulled at the corners of your lips.

“Ditto,” you chuckled. “Here’s to never meeting again.”

You returned your hand to your side and then turned to go. He followed you to the door, and you could feel his eyes on the back of your neck as you stepped out of the clearing and back into the shadows of the trees.

It was a few minutes later, as you were struggling once more through the underbrush that you had forgotten to ask the witch if you could use his bathroom.

[ofcloudsandstars]

Happy Yule!

I have plans to cook a nice Yule Feast tonight for my family and I, but I don’t really know what to do beyond that. I know that I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to or don’t feel up to it, but I genuinely enjoy doing activities to celebrate the Sabbats and such. Any suggestions?

Also, I had really vivid dreams last night. I don’t fully remember them but I get bits and pieces and it’s just very odd. They were so fantastical and there were definitely elements of survival, overcoming difficulty and obstacles, even a concept of like war in some ways, and it was full of magic and mysticism and fantasy themes. It was very intense, and as I’m waking up, I am definitely noticing it affecting the tone and emotions of my day.

sorry if this is weird but first of all you are really beautiful 

secondly I agree that cooking at least 1 nice dish really makes the day. It’s just any other day we really don’t have themed dinners so it kind of makes it more special. 

When planning feasts I take into account how many people I am serving and dietary restrictions so if it’s a feast for myself I usually think of like 1 main dish including some veggies and a dessert since I can’t eat too much alone (I’ve tried and ended many sabbats with stomach aches lol). If it’s family/friends gathering then it’s usually like 2 veggie dishes, usually 1 being cooked veggies, another being a salad of some kind or for the colder months a puree like mashed potatoes, a meat main or if they are non meat eaters then a casserole bake of some kind and then I love baking for dessert cause it fills the house with a nice smell. 

-

For yule’s 2 veg dishes you can do like roasted parsnips and brussel sprouts with rosemary and pine & mashed potatoes (add truffle and/or cheese if your fam eats cheese). Everyone likes 1 whitish veg with cheese on it for this time of year for some reason like maybe it’s the visual of it being wintery. In England cheesy cauliflower is like a staple for food this time of year. 

Then for a main you can do a roast with red wine, chopped shallots and butter. If you guys do not eat meat then maybe something like a mushroom pot pie. I think you can get vegan puff pastry from a super market and just roll it out on top of a pie dish with sauteed veggies and mushrooms and voila lol. I think it’s the same vibe for mushroom wellington but I’ve never attempted at making a wellington in my life (let alone knew what it was until I moved here) but it looks like a nice filling vegetarian/vegan main dish for yule. (It’s basically a ‘meatloaf/veggieloaf’ wrapped in puff pastry). An even easier thing you could put together could be a veggieloaf and add some seasonal sauces on it and make it super buttery and full of spices. 

Depending on how much you like to cook and how much work you feel like doing you can either get a nice yule log at the market (they usually have some good creamy ones) or if you know a nice bakery by you check if they have any. Yule Logs can be sooo incredibly good, super easy to dish out at the end of the night and have with some icecream. If you can’t find one nor feel like buying it, you can toss together some red velvet cake. It’s the easiest festive cake I can think of that will be nice to put together next to all the food you’ll have to cook. Either red velvet (which is just a red chocolate cake with cream cheese lets be honest haha), a black forest cake (chocolate, cherries and cream) or a ginger bread cake depending on your preference. You can find the mixes ready made or if you have the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, oil and milk its not too hard to make the batter for a plain cake and add the additional flavorings/colorings after. Alternatively you could end the feast with an array of cookies and hot chocolate since this holiday is big on cookies. Cookies can take way more effort to put together but they are a chance to be creative, combine arts and crafts with food and definitely make the house smell incredible. 

Another dessert idea is a sugar pear tart (get yourself the roll-out pastry and save yourself the time), it can be really easy to put together cause all you have to do is chop some pears and put them in a bag to soak with sugar, spices and wine. Let it sit for a few hours (probably as you cook the other stuff) then just throw the pastry over your pie-tin, add some jam to the bottom if you have any and line up the pears inside and bake for like 30min. 

Also I don’t know if your family enjoys drinking but maybe dishing out some mulled wine before the food can get them feeling festive and build up an appetite for the food to come. You just got to simmer some red wine with spices and sliced fruit. (It’s like a hot sangria haha). Alternatively there’s a lot of festive easy drinks you can toss together if they would like a cocktail like gin + cranberry and ginger ale will taste like a holiday candle. Whiskey + Ginger beer and cinnamon will work amazingly too. White Rum + Eggnog will go great for sweeter and creamier drinks, just add some simple syrup to the mix to smooth it out (or apply like light amounts of rum cause it could overpower the eggnog). Anyway if your family already has ~the liquor cabinet~ maybe see if there is anything in there you can turn into a festive drink or just get some mulled wine going. 

.

Also about your dreams it’s interesting you brought up war cause I definitely felt that vibe. Your dreams sound really insightful though. I am working on my 2021 year spread right now and there is some intense themes but that also could be cause of my Saturn Return is this year :/

Anyway I hope you have a great Yule! It’s wonderful that you are cooking for your family.