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#Small Batch Dog Food
toppetfoodreview · 11 months
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A Healthier Approach to Feeding Fido: Small Batch Dog Food
As pet owners, we all want the best for our furry companions. Their well-being and happiness are of utmost importance, and a key aspect of ensuring their health is the food they eat. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in providing our dogs with high-quality, nutritious, and personalized diets. One approach that has gained popularity is small batch dog food. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of small batch dog food and why it may be the healthier approach you've been looking for to feed your beloved Fido.
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What Is Small Batch Dog Food?
Small batch dog food is exactly what it sounds like – dog food that is produced in smaller quantities compared to mass-produced commercial dog food. This method of production focuses on creating dog food in limited quantities to maintain the highest level of quality and nutritional value. It is often made by small, independent pet food companies that prioritize using natural and locally sourced ingredients.
The Benefits of Small Batch Dog Food
Quality Ingredients
Small batch dog food is known for its high-quality ingredients. Independent pet food companies have greater control over the sourcing of their ingredients and the production process, ensuring that only the best, freshest, and healthiest components go into your dog's food. This means that the meat, vegetables, and grains used are often of human-grade quality and sourced locally, reducing the risk of contamination and providing a more natural and balanced diet for your dog.
Enhanced Nutrition
Since small batch dog food manufacturers produce limited quantities, they can focus on formulating nutritionally balanced recipes tailored to the specific needs of dogs. This allows for a more personalized approach to dog nutrition, taking into account factors such as age, size, breed, and health conditions. In comparison, mass-produced commercial dog food often takes a one-size-fits-all approach, which may not meet your dog's unique dietary requirements.
Fewer Fillers and Preservatives
Commercial dog food often contains fillers and artificial preservatives to extend its shelf life. These fillers add little nutritional value and can be detrimental to your dog's health. Small batch dog food companies usually avoid such additives, providing a cleaner and more natural diet for your dog. This can lead to better digestion, reduced allergies, and improved overall health.
Transparency and Traceability
Independent pet food manufacturers are typically more transparent about their sourcing and production processes. This allows pet owners to trace the origins of the ingredients used in their dog's food, providing peace of mind about the quality and safety of the product. It's often easier to contact these companies for information, and many are open to answering questions and providing insights into their practices.
Allergen-Friendly Options
If your dog suffers from allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients, small batch dog food can offer a more suitable solution. These manufacturers are often more willing to create custom recipes that exclude specific allergens, ensuring your dog gets the nutrition they need without the risk of adverse reactions.
Increased Palatability
Small batch dog food is typically made in smaller batches to maintain freshness and flavor. This means it is often more appealing to dogs due to its higher quality and taste. Picky eaters may find small batch dog food more enticing, making mealtime a more enjoyable experience for both you and your furry friend.
Supporting Local Businesses
By choosing small batch dog food, you are often supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs who are passionate about providing healthier options for pets. This not only contributes to the growth of the local economy but also promotes the use of sustainable, locally sourced ingredients, reducing the carbon footprint of your dog's food.
How to Choose the Right Small Batch Dog Food
Now that you understand the benefits of small batch dog food, it's important to know how to choose the right one for your furry friend. Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision:
Consult Your Veterinarian: Before making any significant dietary changes for your dog, it's crucial to consult your veterinarian. They can provide guidance on your dog's specific nutritional needs and any health concerns to consider.
Read the Label: Examine the ingredients list carefully. Ensure that the first few ingredients are high-quality proteins, vegetables, or grains, and that there are no artificial additives or fillers.
Consider Your Dog's Needs: Take into account your dog's age, size, breed, and any existing health conditions when choosing a small batch dog food. Some companies offer specific formulas for puppies, seniors, or dogs with allergies or sensitivities.
Research the Brand: Look into the reputation and transparency of the small batch dog food company. Investigate their sourcing practices, production methods, and whether they perform rigorous quality testing.
Start Gradually: When transitioning to a new dog food, do it gradually to avoid digestive upset. Mix a small amount of the new food with the old food and increase the proportion of the new food over several days.
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Conclusion
Your dog is not just a pet; they're a part of your family. Ensuring their health and well-being is a top priority, and one of the most significant ways to achieve this is by providing them with the best possible nutrition. Small batch dog food offers numerous benefits, including quality ingredients, enhanced nutrition, fewer fillers and preservatives, transparency, and allergen-friendly options. It's a healthier approach to feeding Fido, one that promotes better overall health, improved digestion, and increased enjoyment of mealtime.
By choosing small batch dog food, you are not only taking care of your beloved pet but also supporting local businesses and fostering a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to pet nutrition. So, make the switch to small batch dog food and watch your furry friend thrive on the nutritious, delicious meals you provide. Your dog deserves nothing but the best, and with small batch dog food, you can give them just that.
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thedogseyes · 2 years
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A convenient way to include a raw diet in a dog’s diet is with a small batch freeze-dried dog foods, which are shelf stable
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autumnhobbit · 1 year
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I'll give my salmon cakes one thing, they're a great appetite suppressant. last two times I've eaten them I've been done with food for the whole day, which never happens. Not hungry, nothing sounds good, the whole shebang.
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lazyneonrabbitt · 19 days
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Old dog
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Daryl Dixon x reader | SMUT🔞
Daryl is never been watched with such interest before, and it grabs his attention. But he feels like he got his order of actions wrong..
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The Kingdom was a strange place.
First there was the King, with his pet tiger.
The King spoke in a strange manner, and his ever so friendly right hand too.
The Queen was a kind woman, she had shown you around and given you a roof over your head after you wandered into her lands.
The Kingdom had guards on horseback, and all its residents referred to their leader as the King.
Like a true old age Kingdom.
It was near summer when you arrived and took some time to get settled, now having your routine all worked out and were a happy new addition to the bakery.
While it meant crazy early mornings, it brought many people a good start of their day. You made your delivery rounds as the first people got up to tend to the gardens before the sun got too hot, passing then with a kind smile and a good morning wish on your way to the school building where you'd make your last delivery of the day.
You continued your daily tasks back at the bakery when a returning resident came by.
Each day he'd come by to pick up the same order, so by now it was standard to have it ready by a certain time.
Like clockwork he showed up, the gorgeous older man with his grey streaked hair that framed his bearded face oh so perfect.
You always wondered about the scar that sat around one of his sea blue eyes, but you never found the courage to ask.
You only knew his first name because the baker mentioned it once.
Daryl.
With rough, scarred hands he accepted the packaged food but remained in his spot.
"M'sorry, ya don't happen ta have sun leftovers, do ya? 'M headin' out fer a couple days 'n could use some extras." A little stunned by the sudden change in routine had you stammer a response neither of you could make out before you disappeared further into the back.
To your luck a fresh batch was just taken out of the oven, so you quickly grabbed a few buns and put them in a tea towel before moving back to the front.
"Here you go, fresh out of the oven." You smiled nervously as you held out the makeshift pouch, almost freezing as the calloused pads of his fingers brushed your skin while taking the bread from you.
With a charming as ever thanks he made his way out the door.
After the third time preparing the order for Daryl, who wasn't in town to come pick it up you were told to go take a day or two off, relax and go try and catch him come back home later during the day.
On your delivery routes and walks around the community you had caught wind of some kind of guard dog. You'd pick it up from time to time but today had been much more frequent.
You wondered what they meant. Maybe you'd ask Carol about it later.
The Kingdom was a nice place.
Each day there would be someone in the community's centre, playing some kind of instruments. Alone or in a group, it varied, but it was always nice to enjoy when you could.
You were enjoying it for so long you barely noticed the sun starting to set and Carol finding you. "Couldn't catch you at the bakery today, was told you were given the day off."
She came to sit beside you, enjoying the music and sharing a small snack she brought with you.
After a short while she got up, turning to you and offering a hand. "Come, we're gonna see something. If I have to believe the baker's words you're gonna love it."
Carol's words confused you, the thought of the baker casually talking about you with her wasn't really a happy one. Yet you followed her every step as she made her way to the front gates of the Kingdom.
"We're heading out? Without weapons or gear?" There was nothing around for you to see, confusion rising even more and edging on annoyance. Why wouldn't she just way where you were going?
You stood and watched as as she bounced on her heels with her arms behind her back. She was being all giddy about something and your mind could not come up with what on earth it could be.
Option after option ran through your mind until the guards spoke and the gates started to open.
Carol passed you a smile and raised her brows as she nudged her head towards the gate before turning back to watch.
You took a step closer to see what she was on about, and within the reach of your first step a figure came into view between the large gate doors.
"Holy shit." You stood frozen, much like those few days ago when Daryl suddenly asked for additions to his bakery order.
Despite the distance between the two of you and the low volume of your words, it looked like he heard you and gave you a smile and a small wave.
The scene before you became crazier by the second, on his shoulders a large deer that he carried without any visible strain but that wasn't all. Tied to his waist with a thick belt he lugged a tarp stacked with different hunted animals.
But something else felt off, beside the show of inhuman strength he seemed to possess.
Out from underneath his hair poked an ear, like it did sometimes before as well, although they seemed.. pointed?
His smile as well. You had seen the stubby pointed canines he had, but there were loads of people who had those slightly longer than average. Why did they look bigger now, accompanied with a similar set on his bottom teeth that surely weren't there before.
Also, was he fuzzier than normal? It was all hard to see in the dim light. It could just have been dirt stuck on his skin from being out in the woods so long. Surely he didn't bother cleaning up out there.
All the while Daryl dragged his game inside and stopped to report to Carol, glancing your way every so often as he could feel the energy radiating off you. He was enjoying the way you stared at him with confusion that slowly morphed into something he almost wanted to categorize as adoration.
It wasn't often Daryl got that look from anyone, so to say he was suddenly more intrigued by the baker woman was an understatement.
"Hey," Daryl's voice pulled you from your thoughts, staring at him without a single word running through your mind. "Wanna help unload all'a this at the butcher?"
A silent nod was all you managed as you followed him, hearing Carol say something but not entirely registering her words.
It was the next day when you saw him outside of his usual routine yet again, before the time of his usual pickup. The early summer sun was up when you made your rounds, and so was Daryl.
Across the street from the butcher’s place was a small area that used to be a children’s playground where you caught him doing pull-ups, flannel hanging open over his torso that you secretly expected to be way more toned, but instead you saw lightly furred soft flesh.
He hadn’t noticed you as you moved past to the butcher’s doorstep where you’d leave her order, quietly mumbling to yourself as you stared at Daryl again. “Lords, I want that man to fold me like a lawn chair..” You were so lost in the view of him pulling up his full weight with just one arm, his legs crossed under him, that you didn’t hear the butcher arrive until she pat you on the shoulder. “I may not be into men, but even I can see the appeal of that old dog bending me over the nearest surface.”
The sudden contact made you squeak and jump away, only to be laughed at as you stumbled over your words before running along on your delivery route.
It was only a couple of seconds after you were out of earshot that Daryl appeared on the butcher's steps, shoulders shaking as he softly laughed at the interaction he heard all too well just a moment ago. "Yer horrible, ya know tha'?" He bumped her shoulder aa he walked past her, into the shop to start working on all the kills he brought back the day before.
The butcher let out a breath through her nose. "And you love me for it, mutt." Behind her she closed the door and flipped off the hunter, sticking out her tongue behind his back. "'Course I love ya, ya crazy knife wieldin' hag."
The rest of the day after running off at the butcher went fairly normal, Daryl picked up his order and you cleaned the place alone with the baker having to leave early for a meeting.
It was only when you closed up shop for the day that it got weird. Daryl stood outside, seemingly waiting with his arms crossed under short sleeves so tight you wondered how they hadn't cut off circulation yet.
Without missing a beat he pushed himself off the wall and stepped beside you. "C'mon. Wanna show ya som'n." His gruff voice could tell you to eat dirt and you'd do it so naturally you followed suit, walking around the community until you reached the homes placed at the far end, right at the forest wall.
You took in the beat up old truck with the hood popped and one wheel missing, and next to it inside the garage with the missing door a bike that looked like it was made over years of collecting parts. Was this his home?
You followed him inside the garage, the door in the back opening and leading into a small kitchen littered with tools and materials. The tea towel you gave him the bread in laid neatly folded on the corner of the messy table, not a single grease or oil covered item near it.
In the moment of distraction Daryl's hand landed on your hip as he scooted past you in the narrow space between the counter and the table, his crotch brushing your ass in the process.
He felt you become rigid at his touch and apologized. "Sorry, doll. Place ain't made fer two."
His hand remained in its place, squeezing as he apoligized making you want to just give in to your haunting daydreams and let him take you right then and there.
"So, what did you wanna show me again?" You were fidgeting, trying to calm your nerves with Daryl so close.
"S' upstairs. Sum ol' items ya can dig through. See if ya wan' sum." With a hand placed on your hip he led you upstairs, steering you around the corner and through one of the doors, ending with your knees pressed against a bed.
Before you had a chance to ask anything one of Daryl's hands came around your front, resting on your lower belly as the other one snuck around your chest. "How 'bout ya be a good girl fer me an' lemme fold ya like a lawn chair." His beard drug across your skin as he came to bite your earlobe. "Tha's what ya want, righ'? Got all hot 'n bothered when the butcher mentioned me bendin 'er over the counter.." with one hand sneaking under your waistband and the other softly squeezing your breast he had you whimpering.
"S'fine, righ'?" His hands stilled at your silence. "Words, doll. Ain' gon do anythin' unless ya give me an okay." His hands moved to cafefully turn you around to look you in the eye, but you quickly buried your face in his chest, hands against him as well and all your body wanted was to squeeze.
Squeeze your fingers into his plump, soft chest. Squeeze your thighs together for some desparately needed friction.
You softly nodded, murmuring something Daryl couldn't make out.
"Need ta hear ya." Daryl softly caressed your shoulder, moving to tilt your head up so you'd look at him.
Your eyes scanned his face, soft and gentle. Eyes glistening a bright blue between the thick, red scarred line that cut right through an eyebrow. Your eyes wandered to his lips, partially hidden by the grey scruff that occupied the lower half of his face as you breathed. "I want this."
With your eyes on his lips you saw his concerned look change into a wicked grin that showed his pointed canines.
In a split second after that you were thrown onto the bed and caged between Daryl's limbs, his face buried in your neck as he nipped and sucked at your skin.
"Go on." He whispered. "Take 'em off. I know ya wan' it." Daryl was on his way to the hem of your shirt already as you slowly worked your hands towards the buttons of of his flannel, undoing them with trembling fingers, focus drifting away with every drag of his teeth across your flesh.
With some assistance your top halves were soon bare. Daryl's hands on your soft chest, tongue all over them as he sucked bruises to the underside.
Your fingers found his hair, pulling at the strands in pleasure as the others traced every scar on Daryl's body. From the small puncture wounds to the large gashes on his back, you caressed each one of them.
Letting out short, panted breaths your body burned wherever Daryl's fingers trailed, the rough pads leaving a path of tingling flesh from your chest down to your side, his tongue following down your body between where his hands had gone.
With the descent of his body his scarred frame moved out of reach, placing both hands in his hair and tugging as his teeth dug into your skin, earning a growl that sounded from deep in his chest.
With newfound interest you pulled again, your nails scratching his scalp in the process as your hips rolled up against his torso.
The low, scratchy moan that left him rumbled against your hip and had him quickly slide his hands down your hips. With no effort you felt your hips rise as two strong hands grabbed your ass and fabric slide off your body. Both your loose trousers and panties were shoved down the rounds of your hips as they lifted off the bed, the fabric pulled off your legs before your knees ended on both sides of your chest and Daryl's teeth were back just below your bellybutton where the meat of your folded torso met in perfect, bite-sized rolls.
You watched him litter your stomach in marks, clamping his jaw onto your thighs to color your skin in where only he could admire them.
"Daryl, please.."
Your voice had him lock eyes with you from where he sat between your legs and watched your pleading gaze with a soft nod before leaning back down and licking a broad stripe over the back of your thigh, moving to delve his tongue right into your centre.
Your moans of his name added fuel to the already raging fire, parting your lips with his tongue and drinking up all of your sweetness. With each stroke against your clit your walls clenched around nothing, muscles tensing but your body laying unmoved under Daryl's strong grip.
You squirm, hands finding his on your thighs as you whine and mewl, signaling you being close to finishing.
"Such pretty sounds, all fer me.." Daryl speaks against your clit before wrapping his lips around it once more and teasing you, making you hold back your own thigh so his fingers could join his mouth, stuffing two down your entrance with ease as he kept licking and sucking in tandem with the curls of his digits.
Your sounds increase in volume with Daryl's ministrations, crying out at your peak, clenching your walls tightly around his fingers as you finished.
"'Ere, lemme stretch those legs fer ya." With gentle hands he laid your legs flat against the bed on either side of him, allowing the blood flow to return while you came down from your high.
You watched him with hazy eyes, on his knees between your legs tugging at the button and zipper of his black jeans. Beneath the oh so inviting trail of dark hair he lowered the layers still on him to reveal his thick, hard cock.
Your view was close to perfection, a gorgeous old man between your spread legs. The lines of his body like rings on a tree, showing signs of age and survival. From the scar at his collarbone, at the edge of the soft dusting of chest hair down to his thick strong legs he was removing his clothes from he was like a piece of art for you to admire as you desired.
And gods, you desired him.
"Ya look like ya wanna eat me alive." He looked down at you, one hand running through his hair while the other slowly stroked his cock.
You licking your lips as you stared at his impressive length was all he needed to ler himself fall forward and catch himself right before he'd make contact with you, calmly catching your lips in a deep kiss. With your tongue against his lips you asked for more and he obliged almost immediately, parting his lips and swiping his tongue against yours, lips moulding together in percect harmony until you desperately needed air.
Your hand lingered on the side of his head, thumb caressing the scar around his eye.
"What's the story on this one?" Daryl couldn't get enough of that look on your face. The one filled with curiosity, not a speck of fear or disgust on you.
"Old girlfrien' decided she didn' like me no more." He averted your gaze as he remembered the fight in the cabin back then, and the serrated edge of the knife catching the skin of his face. He deliberately left out the terms his then lover called him as she chased him out the door with a shotgun. That was a tale for another time.
Right now all he wanted was to ravish the woman underneath him.
The setting sun caught his eyes and for a fraction of a second they seemed to glow, icy blue in a sea of black. When they looked back at you it was gone, a pair of normal blue eyes looking at you.
He shook off the memories and brought his focus back to the now, to you underneath him, the scent of your arousal, and his painfully hard cock.
Daryl adjusted his position, his length rubbing your folds in the process earning a soft moan from you.
"Gonna make more o'them pretty noises fer me, doll?" His hand reached for his member and rubbed the tip between your folds, spreading your wetness around, listening to your soft mutters of "yes" and "please".
Daryl needed no more convincing, nuzzling your noses together before kissing you deeply as he slowly inches himself inside of you. The initial stretch hurt and you couldn't help but groan into the kiss at how big he was. His cock was way girthier than just two fingers, and it had been years since your last time before this.
Daryl's hand moved down your body, slowly rubbing your clit to distract from the stretch. His kisses deepened, your tongue sliding past his teeth, feeling around his fangs with fascination.
A soft whimper sounded from you as he bottomed out, making him halt a moment to let you adjust. "Ya tell me when yer good, 'kay?"
You nodded and answered a soft "uhuh." and a bit later, after a few experimental squeezes you told him you were good.
With his hand still on your hip Daryl carefully pulled back and slid inside at a slow and steady pace, letting you get used to him for a few thrusts until your heels came up to dig in his rear.
"Hmhm, eager are we?" Daryl grinned against your neck, taking the hint and quickening his pace. His hands had your hips in a bruising grasp, his hips snapping against yours earning soft gasps on each impact.
"H.. hah.. ah Daryl fuck--" you were a beautiful piece beneath him, with your head thrown to the side, arm covering your eyes and chest heaving and shaking with each thrust.
"So good, doll. So pretty for me." Daryl was huffing out a laugh, moving his hands off your hips to grab at your lower legs. Deep, short thrusts continued as he moved your legs from around him back to up beside your torso, knees pressed against your shoulders as he fucked into you with your ass up off the matress.
He was so deep all of a sudden it had you see stars, crying out his name aa your orgasm crashed down on you.
You were sweating all over, breaths deep to get enough air and body heavy. With your eyes closed you laid still, getting the air back into your lungs as Daryl teased you by softly rutting into your overly sensitive cunt.
"Don' tell me yer tired already, I haven't even finished yet.." His thrusts changed angles and now brushed your clit, having you mewl out pleas he chose to ignore. "Tha's more like it, music, those sounds o' yers." His thrusts continued, as did your pleas. You didn't even know what you were begging for but the knot in your belly was quickly returning in time with his thrusts getting sloppier, not long after crying out again as you came a few thrusts before je did too.
There were tears rolling down your face, laying limp on the bed. Daryl's hands had let go of your legs again, letting you stretch them for thr short moment before he was fully hard again.
Unexpectedly Daryl flipped you onto your stomach and moving your hips around to his preference.
"Time fer round two?" He wached you nod wit your face in the pillows, moving to slowly press inside you once more and bending down to press soft kisses to your back. Your mind went back to being hazy a few thrusts in with how good his cock felt at this new angle fist gripping at the pillows beneath you that muffled your moans.
His hands were all over your backside, kneading every soft surface he could reach as he continued his steady pace.
Your sounds were like music to his ears, wishing to hear them every night, over and over again until your throat was so soar he had to bring you medicine and nurse you back to health. Your curiosity was already enough to make him want you, never having anyone radiate such a type of energy towards him and it has him hooked. But having you here like this now had him almost addicted, wanting to keep you, claim you but he knew he didn't have the right to do so. He didn't deserve it, for he was sort of still lying to you about large aspects of his life.
But if he could make you feel this good now in this moment, that was all he cared about.
He fucked you from behind until you came once, twice and then moved you onto your side, holding onto one of your legs against his chest as je continued rutting into you, earning two more orgasms from you right before finishing himself for the second time.
As he came down from his high he stared at you, passed out and asleep beneath him. Ever so carefully he moved you so he could lay down as well, pulling you against his chest as he settled to drift off too.
It was morning by the time you woke up, groaning in pain as your legs resisted being moved off the bed. You blinked the sleep from your eyes and shot up off the bed. "Ah, god damn oww.." Your ass hit the matress again, the crunchy layer of dried fluids scratching your thighs.
"Oh for fuck's sake I'm gonna be late!" You stumbled around the place searching for the shower to scrub yourself clean, picking up your shirt off the floor and sniffing it. "Nope, can't wear that. Shit!" You found the bathroom and were vigorously scrubbing your legs and quickly back to digging through all of Daryl's drawers in a panic, trying to find something decent to wear.
"Ya know ya can just ask, right?" You didn't even register what he said and grumbled back at him. "I don't have time, okay? I'm already gonna be late for work and I got nothing to wear because my own clothes stink so I'm gonna have to run home first and be even later."
Face down in a drawer your attention was pulled by a short whistle, and the second you were up and turned towards the noise an entire outfit found your face.
Underwear, socks, simple sweats and a flanel.
"Why do you have a stash of women's clothes?" You were genuinely curious but that didn't stop you from struggling to put on the clothes with your entire body aching. "I don't even know how I'm gonna walk my rounds. Everything hurts.."
You were already dreading today and it had barely even started.
"Need me ta make yer rounds? Got time so I don' mind." Daryl was following you down the stairs now, hands ready to catch you as you stumbled, not wanting you to fall.down the stairs on your wobbly legs.
"No way I'm letting you do my rounds. I don't want the whole community on my neck tomorrow about why I sent you." You were halfway out the door already, walking as fast as possible and waving Daryl off on your not so fast way to work.
You arrived late and got told off for it, but the baker quickly changed his demeanor once he saw you limp. He gave you a quick rundown of what he had planned to do at the bakery and let you stay in as he took over your rounds, which you were very thankful for.
The front door bell rang and Carol appeared, a while after Daryl had dropped by for his usual, and bringing in a bag with your clothes.
"Hey, didn't see you this morning." Carol was as cheery as ever, her hair braided and her smile kind and motherly.
"Yeah," you leaned against the counter, wincing as you moved your weight. "Hurt my leg yesterday, so I'm in here thr whole day now." You tried to shrug it off, not feeling like coming up with a decent enough lie. Not that you needed one anyways.
"Which clearly has nothing to do with you spending the night at Daryl's place?" A knowing smile spread on her face as she looked you up and down, arms crossed over her chest, laughing as she watched your eyes about to pop out of your head in response. "You're wearing my emergency clothes. Looks like we have about the same size."
You felt blessed with today being a quiet day and could clean while you chatted with Carol and closed up shop after, with the baker off again while you ran the bakery.
"There's something wrong with that man." You sighed as you bent down to lock up the garage door, groaning as you came back up. "He's like, what? Almost sixty? And he still held out longer than me. I swear I passed out once before he was done."
Carol was giggling all the way with your bags in her hand. "He's fifty-four, but alright."
"Yeah, okay. That fifty-four year old would have kept going if I hadn't clocked out after lord knows how ma--"
"Five, doll." Daryl's voice suddenly behind you had you jump up and almost fall if it wasn't for his quick response to steady you.
"How the hell are you fine?" Your question was directed at Daryl, but your eyes were on Carol who was having the time of her life seeing you be so confused about her best friend's energy levels.
"There's a lot about Daryl you don't know yet, dear." She winked at her friend, who only grunted in response.
"Oh really? When are you planning on telling me all about yourself? Do I need to cook you a romantic dinner?" Your words came out with way too much excitement, letting out how eager you were to learn about Daryl.
"Ya'll learn eventually. No need ta rush things, righ'?" His voice kept cool, but Carol read his body language like a book and quickly saw he needed help to cross that line. Him scratching the side of his fingers, and obsessively wiping the hair out of his face, eyes looking everywhere but at you. They were all tells, and Carol felt bad for him.
"Why don't you two stay over for dinner? Ezekiel won't make it home in time so I'd be all alone otherwise." Carol quickly set up a plan, making it all seem like coincidence but in her mind she had all the steps figured out already.
"I'd love to stay over, but only if it's not too much effort." Peeking past Daryl you saw her wave your assumption off and assure it was fine.
And thus you three ended up around Carol's nice dinner table in the King's home.
Somehow you expected it to be fancy and pristine, but that would never happen with how selfless the King was.
The food was nice and Carol had gifted you some stronger painkillers she had laying around to ease your body, you all just chatted about your day, and you thought your subtle questions about him were going okay, until Daryl excused himself to go smoke what seemed in a hurry.
"It's okay honey, Daryl has a hard time opening up to people. He needs to find the right moments to talk." Carol gave you a loving shoulder squeeze and pointed you towards the back door where Daryl had just left through.
"He loves the forest, he feels safe there." With a wink she sent you off.
You carefully approached him and settled in the doorframe. "Hey," Your voice was soft as to not startle him. "Wanna go for a walk? Outside the walls."
With a nod he got up and offered you his hand to take, and with a sigh he let a smile come through. "Carol really set us up, didn't she?"
You laughed along with him and decided then you wouldn't push him, and let him talk at his pace.
With your gear gathered the two of you found yourselves walking along the tree line in silence.
"M' sorry." Daryl kept his eyes on the ground where he walked, but with his pinkie he touched yours and hooked them together.
"When Carol brought ya to welcome me back after the huntin' I was confused. But when I felt yer curious stares instead of gettin' negative 'n scared I got.." He fell quiet, his hand pulling away from yours but you quickly grabbed it fully, rubbing your thumb across his knuckles.
But you stayed quiet, and just walked with his hand in yours.
After a long stretch of only hearing the ground crunch under your shoes Daryl stopped.
"S'where I stay when I go out each month." You stood a few feet away from a rock wall, overgrown with green and a small clearing in it. Looking around you there was no way of being seen here from any angle.
You also saw trees with torn off branches and what looked like deep claw marks. "Should'a shown ya 'fore last night."
You looked over at him and made sure he saw you smile. "You really think anything would have changed my mind?" Your hands came up to his face to hold his gaze on you, hoping he'd see the truth in your eyes.
"I know yer not lyin'. Ya haven't lied since we started talkin'." His hand moved to touch the small of your back, the other one gesturing at the overgrown wall. "C'mon."
Daryl had his knife ready as he moved past some hanging vines with your hand in his to keep you close.
The area was void of any dead, except for the picked clean bones covering the ground.
And the seemingly random pile of fabrics and signs of humans staying here.
He let go of your hand and let you wander around, staring at every little thing.
You kneeled down off to the side, getting up to move some vines to let in more light before walking back.
"You stay here?" Your fingers traced the print in the sand, glancing over at Daryl who was slowly stepping closer with calculated steps, like a true huntsman would to not startle an animal.
Quietly he leaned down next to you, and without saying a word moved his hand to the print in the loose sand.
The world went blurry around Daryl's hand as you watched it change. Muscles under the skin warping to reshape as flesh darkened and nails grew, and then fit perfectly into the indentation.
Daryl was hyper aware of everything around him, senses almost overwhelming him as he felt the worms crawl under the earth and heard the birds fly over outside. But even with his senses running on overdrive he couldn't find a single negative feeling coming off you.
You stared at his hand, now more a claw and it felt like everything suddenly made sense.
His strength, the way he heard things from so far off, his way of using terms that didn't make sense and that strange glow in his eyes.
Daryl's mind kept showing you running away, crying as he got closer each time.
Instead, there in the small cave like structure he called home once a month, you reached out your hand and placed it on top of his changed one.
"I don't regret being curious." Your shoulder rested against his, slowly easing into more contact. "And I'm still happy I went home with you, and came here to see this. To see you." Your weight was now entirely resting against his side, and for the first time since he sat down he dared to look at you.
You, who laid comfortably against his side.
"I'm honestly kinda glad you showed me this." You watched Daryl raise his brows at your words. "Suddenly your strange but interesting things make sense. Kinda obvious for someone to be so strong, or have glowy eyes when they're not human."
Your hand gave his a comfortable squeeze. "I hope you'll show me all of this you one day." With a finger pressed to his knuckles you moved your head to kiss his cheek.
"Close yer eyes fer a minute." Daryl moved to stand after he kissed your head, moving behind you.
Noises filled the air. Clothes being undone and landing on the floor.
And then cracking. Tearing and groaning. Coughing and growling, a thud that acompanied a shove against your backside that almost made you turn around, but je asked not to, and you were going to respect his wish.
Once the noises died down and all you heard was deep breathing you opened your eyes again, staring straight forward as you waited. Waited for something to signal it was okay to turn.
That something was a press against your shoulder, a press and a huff of air against your exposed neck.
From the edge of your vision a nose peeked, making you turn and stare right into his scarred eye.
"Wow." It caught you off guard and you stubled backwards just a small bit, staring and laughing at yourself for falling on your ass. "Okay. Big guy. That's ..wow."
You followed his movements as he walked into your view. And you recognised him. All ofrhe features that made Daryl look like himself changed along with him, from the dark, shaggy mane to the scar and beard. Even his tattoos were spots of darker fur, especially clear on the lighter areas.
But, still..
"Wait. So Carol knows about," you wildly gestured at his entire self. "you know, this. She's seen you? And what about the butcher? That comment of hers, she knew."
You gasped in realisation. "You were testing me! You could hear us, you were there on purpose oh my god."
Daryl only sat and listened to your rambling. If anyone had asked him how he envisioned this scene to go, he would have never guessed this to be the way. Not that he was complaining or anything, he liked this.
He liked you, and you liked him too, even in this shape.
With a tap to your hand and his paw covering his eyes he asked you to look away once more, changing back to his human self and getting dressed before coming to press a kiss to your temple. "So, ya sure this's all fine?"
You stood up to join him at eye level. "You're either the most dense man ever, or are still convinced you don't deserve love just because you're different." Your deadpan look spoke more than needed.
"Yeah, alrigh'. Sorry." He shook his head in apology.
"You literally just turned into a goddamn werewolf." You paused. "Wait. That is correct, right? You're a werewolf? I mean, I don't wanna assume and be wrong, or offensive.."
He kept his head low but nodded, telling you were correct in your observations.
You stepped into his space and peppered his face with kisses, grabbing his hands to fake a sense of chaining him to you and it worked. He let himself melt into you and accept your affection.
Your love.
"Let's go home?"
With a nod he stepped back go retrieve your items. "Yeah. Home's good."
The walk home was silent, only sporadic and very random questions with short and simple answers.
Only when he dropped you off at home he spoke full sentences again. "I wan' ya t'move in with me."
You shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, okay. But we gotta clean the place first."
With a nod he agreed and let you go for the day. Only a week later moving the last of your items into his home after strategically cleaning and rearranging his home to accomodate two people.
That night, in bed all cuddled up together after a shower, Daryl pressed his lips against your jaw and uttered three simple words.
"I love ya."
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A/N: Okay yeah damn that became way longer than I originally planned. But it wad fun! Hope you enjoyed it~
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copperbadge · 2 months
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This is not to sniff at packaged food in any way, because cheap, uniform, nutritious, premade food is important and necessary. And despite what your local tiktok orthorexic may tell you, packaged food is still capable of providing solid nutrition.
That said, I've been making my own bread for about twenty years, and for the last ten or so it has often been easier to make bread than buy it, solely because I don't need to leave the house to do so, and I live alone so a decent loaf can last me a good ten days. Being able to make ones own bread in this modern era is a product of privilege -- the resources to buy the ingredients (especially high quality flour, not cheap), the time and space to bake, the stamina to knead or equipment to make kneading easier -- my breads improved a lot when I got a good stand mixer, and those aren't cheap. But also, to make a decent edible boule you can get by with flour, water, yeast, salt, and time. Throw in a little oil and you can make pizza crust; add in kneading and a bit of sugar and you have bagels.
It did somewhat change how I eat, because homemade bread is often a little difficult to make a sandwich with, but I was never a huge fan of sandos anyway. These days I often don't even make loaves -- I make rolls or bagels, or flatbreads.
But all of this is to say that because I'm now accustomed to eating my own bread, which is necessarily small-batch and produced without stabilizers that make commercial bread so soft and uniform, I am starting to struggle when I do buy bread because the flavor and texture often feel off. It's not that it's objectively bad food, but it's very different from what I'm used to, which is unpleasant. I've been aware of the issue for a while but previously even if the bread wasn't as good to me as my own, it was edible and convenient, so it was fine. Making your own hot dog buns is a pain in the ass.
I just bought a loaf of Italian bread, reasonably fresh, a brand I used to eat regularly, because I wasn't feeling up to baking anything. I've been making toast with it mostly. But yesterday morning -- admittedly while dealing with some nausea -- I bit into a sandwich I'd made with it (cashew butter and strawberry jam) and thought, "this feels like eating upholstery fabric."
I haven't been able to eat any more of it since. The soft, dense texture, the specific preservative flavor, the mouthfeel. I tried to eat some toast just now and had to spit it out because it felt like buttered brocade and I started to gag. I'm kind of mad about it, honestly.
The bread won't go to waste -- if I can't eat the rest of the bag I'll dry it out and crush it for breadcrumbs for fried chicken or a panade -- but it's both sad and funny that I have functionally baked myself into a corner where packaged bread is no longer even an option.
It feels like I'm becoming one of the middle-aged eccentrics I used to know when I was a kid -- older people or couples in my church, sometimes parents of my school friends, who were just kind of oddballs, hippie leftovers, what I still think of as Berkeley Weirdos (affectionate) even though Berkeley has long since gentrified. The lady who didn't have a functional oven or stove because she ate raw vegan or the family that converted their old station wagon to biofuel but kept the rear-facing back seats with no seatbelts and would give us death-defying rides to the community pool in them. I'm already growing my own basil because I eat an unlikely amount of pesto for one person. My signature potluck dishes are kiwi dip or egg-free meringues.
I don't mind, exactly. I loved the Berkeley Weirdos and the community they built for us kids. But it's definitely not a place I imagined ending up.
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mediumsizedpidegon · 1 year
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Another avenue I want to explore in an Amity Park is Weird scenario is all the niche sub-cultures going on.
There is absolutely NO WAY there isn't a thriving goth community in Amity Park. They're holding picnics every full moon. They're holding crafting sessions in their friends' basements. They're adopting ghost animals left and right: eight-legged dogs and blob-cats, skeletal fish and neon bearded dragons.
There's a young man called Raphael who performs live music every week at a dance club with his band: he's got a myriad of shiny piercings, and a phone camera roll full of his rabbits, Morningstar and Salem. Perhaps those ghosts are bad business like the Fentons say, but the club's never felt more alive.
The scene and emo kids are multiplying at a rapid rate. The punks and grunge folks are doing shit with textiles that makes every quilting grandmother in a five mile radius swoop in to pass on their skills. Josie and Betty, old friends who periodically upload photos online of their handmade lace, suddenly gain an influx of young folks who want to learn how to make their own ghoulish patterns.
There's a new group peeling off from the goths that dress like the embodiment of Halloween– all bones, pumpkin orange and lengths of costume jewelry.
The historical costuming community is alive and well in these times, and they fall upon the few ghosts from times past willing to share knowledge like starving wolves. Their minds are full of patterning-math and fabric prices, and their excitement is, quite literally, infectious.
A revolution starts up in food service: a great many restaurants closed or moved to follow the many people who left Amity after the ghosts first came. A pair of brothers open a restaurant that has the best Polish food around: people politely don't comment on how the owners are dressed in clothes a century out of date or how their eyes gleam. Two cat cafes open, one space themed and another with loose definitions of what counts as a "cat." Assorted coffee and tea shops dot the landscape: some serve donuts, some have cupcakes, and others have breakfast wraps, sandwiches or savory hand pies.
People that can't afford to open a restaurant sell food out of their homes, advertised by cardboard signs with phrases like CAKES FOR $10, and BARBEQUE RIBS FOR SALE painted on them in gigantic bright letters. High school students bring in bags of cookies they made the night before and completely sell out of stock before the day is done. One woman's house has no signage and yet is known by word of mouth to be a herbalist, selling tins of homemade tea blends, flowers, assorted plant clippings, and cough drops.
Someone down the street of Casper High sells small batches of eco-friendly soap at a nearby corner store.
During summer time, lemonade stands are everywhere. Some of the lemonade is made with the strange fruits from one of the parks: no one dies, so it's fine.
The Farmer's Market has gotten... intense.
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heabitfruity · 5 months
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Silly Hobbies: Primarch Edition
Apparently I wrote too much according to tumblr, so I'm sorry if it's choppy :[
Lion El'Johnson - He actually really loves analyzing "literature"; but not normal literature like Shakespeare or Kafka. He likes analyzing things like The U.S Constitution and The Treaty of Versailles. He does this because he thinks it will help him diplomatically (it doesn't, nobody gets why he does it otherwise, not even his sons).
Fulgrim - This man knows how to dance to every K-Pop song known to man. He can throw it back to "Baby Got Back" and has tried to teach Sanguinius and Ferrus Manus how (It didn't go well, Ferrus threw his back out ). This man knows the exact choreography to "Womanizer", "Nude" and so many other songs.
Perturabo - He likes making useless contraptions; like infomercial level sort of inventions. He has invented bread-dogs, a time-machine to go back exactly two seconds for each use, a voice-recording recorder, etc. He uses Dorn to test it out, despite their... feelings for one another. He knows that Dorn will give him a blunt answer; even if he is told that the invention is "stupid".
Jaghatai Khan - He's really good at acrobatics, specifically everything with the asymmetrical bars; this man could easily escape a pack of dogs with a pen in his pocket (If anyone gets this reference I will be so proud). He attempted to teach Angron how to do the basics, but it didn't go that well; the man is just simply not flexible enough yet.
Leman Russ - This is a secret that he will take to his grave because he suffers from major internal misogyny. He knows how to knit, and he's REALLY good. He grew up on a planet that is 75% of the time below zero, of course the second he got ahold of yarn and wool he got to making warm things for his marine-sons! However, he plays it off as things like: "the citizens of Fenris have donated these for our cause".
Rogal Dorn - He likes making massive forts, societies and various massive structures in Minecraft, with Legos, Lincoln Logs, and those small, ceramic Christmas towns. They're usually quite extensive, but not extravagant. He will pester Perturabo and Magnus to look at them, and this often leads to debates about how these civilizations would function.
Konrad Curze - He teaches cooking classes; however, they are not pleasant. At the end of meal prep, all students are covered in blood due to Konrad butchering whatever protein they had prepared. The food actually tastes amazing, however the process of making it is certainly a battle within itself. Sevatar is his sous chef, which means he frequently has to do most of the work that isn't butchering.
Sanguinius - Honestly, animal rehabilitation. I know this sounds absolutely odd, but due to him having wings, he has to know how to keep a healthy batch of feathers! He's excellent at bird handling, and actually really enjoys it. He's saved at least 54 birds (he doesn't get to find many, his sons typically try to steer him away).
Ferrus Manus - Dude actually makes some really mean jewelry; like the man makes the permanent ankle chains, ring engravements, earrings (with the help of Fulgrim). He's made a lot for his brothers like Leman, Fulgrim, Magnus, and the Khan. They're all very appreciative (though Ferrus has to make Leman a special mixture so he doesn't chew through it by accident).
Angron - He does extreme sports! It helps focus on something that doesn't direct his anger at things that he doesn't need to focus on. It's somewhat funny to think of him riding a BMX, but his absolute favorite is bungee-jumping! He has forced demanded that his sons and brothers try it to "toughen them up". However, nobody except Konrad wanted to. (They both had a great time! One of the few times they've actually bonded over anything.)
Guilliman - He enjoys grading papers... He enjoys signing up to grade the essays of AP classes on Terra and does it every year if he has the time. He takes the pleasure of learning things about literary merit from other people's perspectives, and every time it makes him consider becoming a professor (even though it would be highly impractical).
Mortarion - He enjoys escape rooms, especially with Konrad and Horus. They actually usually have a great time, though sometimes they have to stop Konrad from digging into the walls. He actually commissioned Perturabo to make an elaborate escape room with hatches and secret pathways all around a set of shipping containers. It was so fun that he actually decided to keep it. (He still discovers new routes and puzzles in it every time he goes in.)
Magnus the Red - He plays Dungeons and Dragons with Khan, Guilliman, Perturabo and Alpharius and Omegon. He ALWAYS is the Dungeon Master, no matter what. This is not because he is selfish and possessive (he is a little), but because nobody in the group can seem to maintain a regular gaming schedule. They have simply resorted to Magnus being the godly controller of their games.
Horus Lupercal - This man fishes. I'm sorry, he does the straight, white man fishing and poses. He takes pictures of the fish with the awkward raised arm but genuine smile. He sometimes gives the fish to Konrad, however, less so after finding out from his students what happens during his classes.
Lorgar Aurelian - He writes fanfiction. He likes to show Magnus and Horus his angsty stuff. This stuff is even enough to make Magnus cry a little. Lorgar, however, also writes smut. I believe that this man has never had the intimate touch of any person. Not because he's celibate, but because he's a bitch. The smut's written like in the early days of Wattpad. It's disastrously bad (Think "his meat-cicle entered her mound"). Leman found it one time, he tormented Lorgar for weeks with it.
Vulkan - He bakes! He has learned all the favorite sweets of all of his brothers, making sure to surprise them occasionally whenever they haven't spoken in a while. He loves it whenever there are big events, gives him a chance to see all of his brothers and see them enjoy his work. (There have been some small altercations due to people hoarding food)
Corvus - He likes fashion; but not in a New York fashion week way, more of an Edna from The Incredibles way. He uses the help of Ferrus and Leman to help sew cloaks, shape up boots, and they use Sanguinius and Fulgrim to model it to make sure it looks good and it works.
Alpharius Omegon - They like mimicking their brothers as much as possible; in a "try to look exactly like them" way. It is actually really impressive, even going past the uncanny valley vibe. This led to Mortarion walking in on two versions of himself standing at his bedroom door and it made him piss his pants; and nobody believed him when he told the rest of them.
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tortillamastersblog · 5 months
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➶A big misunderstanding | Kate Bishop➴
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Pairing: Kate Bishop x reader
Warnings: none
Summary: Since she joined the team, you can’t help but notice how weird Kate acts whenever you’re around…
Part 2
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Walking into the kitchen, I smile at the smell of pancakes that greets me.
“Good morning,” I say cheerfully as I round the corner.
I’m greeted by Sam, Bucky, Natasha and Kate. They’re all standing around the stove where Kate is flipping pancakes.
“Morning,” Bucky greets softly before turning back to the pancakes.
Sam and Nat send me smiles before also turning back to the stove. It’s like they’re dogs, drooling over a bone.
I chuckle softly and approach them, looking over Kate’s shoulder to appreciate the pancakes that are currently cooking in the pan.
“Smells great,” I compliment with an exaggerated inhale which is apparently the wrong thing to do because Kate shrieks in surprise and throws her arms up.
It results in her smacking the spatula into my face and I stumble back with a groan, covering my eye with one hand.
“Jesus!” I exclaim. I slap Sam’s shoulder to get him to stop laughing and send Nat and Bucky a glare to get them to stop smirking.
Kate spins around with wide eyes and lifts her arms as if to touch me before dropping them again. “Oh my God, Y/N! I’m s-so sorry… I didn’t mean to— I swear, I didn’t even realize you came in, I just—“
I raise a hand, effectively cutting her off mid-ramble. “It’s okay, Kate.”
I wince and lower my hand slowly, blinking to test if my eye still hurts. It does but it’s now no more than a dull ache rather than the stabbing pain it was when she actually hit me.
“Y/N, I’m so sorry,” Kate reiterates, her face scrunched up in guilt. She eyes me a moment longer before snapping out of whatever trance she was in and pulls and bag of frozen peas out of the freezer. “Here, take this.”
I laugh softly and take it from her, pressing it against my eye. “Thank you. It wasn’t entirely necessary, but thank you.”
Kate smiles nervously and goes to say something else when Bucky suddenly yelps behind her. “The pancakes!”
I look past Kate to see smoke rising from the pan. Sam and Nat watch in amusement as Kate scrambles to salvage the goods, but in the end she hast to throw out the batch and pour new dough into the pan– Much to Bucky’s dismay.
It’s not long after that the rest of the team comes sauntering into the kitchen. The small table gets set, rather than the big one in the dining room, and everyone starts loading their plates with pancakes and fresh fruit.
“These are great, Kate,” Steve compliments after swallowing his first bite.
The rest of the team murmurs their agreement around mouthfuls of food. Kate smiles bashfully and takes a sip of orange juice.
Cute…
“Yeah, they’re great,” I add with an approving nod which makes Kate’s eyes widen. She almost chokes on her orange juice and I frown, not having anticipated such a reaction.
“You good, kid?” Tony asks, his eyes twinkling mirthfully.
Kate’s eyes dart around the table, widening when they land on me before quickly snapping back to her plate. “Fine… Totally fine,” she chokes out.
I go to say something else, apologize maybe (for what I’m not exactly sure) but then she abruptly stands up and excuses herself from the table.
When she’s gone everyone looks puzzled. Well, almost everyone. Everyone except Nat who smirks at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.
I raise my brows in question, but her smile just widens and she turns back to Bruce to continue their conversation.
The rest of the table also resumes their usual morning chatter which leaves me in stunned silence.
What was all that about?
A week after the spatula incident in the kitchen, Steve stops me in the hallway. I just got back from the gym and am all sweaty and gross, so I only reluctantly agree when he passes me a comms device and asks me to bring it to Kate.
“Hers broke on the last mission,” he explains, “and Tony wants her to have it before we move out later.”
I sigh and make my way to the archery range where I know she is with Clint this time of day. We haven’t seen much of each as of recently and I’m starting to get the feeling it’s because she’s been avoiding me.
I enter quietly and wait for Clint to finish explaining something before approaching. “Hey guys.”
Clint nods and raises a hand in greeting. Kate’s eyes find mine for a second before they drop to roam over my exposed arms and shoulders. Her jaw slackens and I scratch my neck uncomfortably, not being used to this type of scrutiny.
I should have shower and changed before coming here, I think.
Clint watches the two of us with growing amusement before clearing his throat pointedly. “Y/N, what brings you by?”
Kate snaps out of her stare and looks around for a distraction. Her eyes land on the bow rack next to the arrow stand and she moves to put her bow away.
“Steve sent me,” I explain, raising the comms device. “Bruce managed to fix it.”
Clint clicks his tongue. “Right, yes. Tony mentioned it would be ready before we move out.”
I hand him the device before lifting the bottom of my shirt to wipe some sweat off my forehead.
Christ, I’m sweating like a pig…
In that moment there’s a loud crash and my head whips around to find Kate scrambling near the wall, trying to pick up all the bows she must have just knocked over.
I rush over to help her, but she winces when I crouch down next to her. “I’ve got it,” she snaps, her eyes trained on her shaking hands.
I gulp and freeze for a second. “Kate, let me help—“
“No,” she cuts in, snatching a bow from my hands and whispering another, “No.”
I’m just trying to help. Why is she being like this? The rejection that spreads through me is like a punch to the stomach. So she has been avoiding me. Why else would she be acting like this?
Did I do something wrong? I think about all our interactions since she joined the team, but I can’t come up with even a single instance where I might have done her wrong, or pissed her off.
I watch Kate for a second longer, hastily picking up the bows, before getting up. “Fine,” I mumble dejectedly. “Good luck tonight,” I add, referring to her upcoming mission with Clint.
She doesn’t look up or reply, so I back away with a frown.
Clint’s expression mirrors my own when I turn his way and he shrugs when I send him a questioning look.
I sigh and leave with a timid wave, not sparing another glance at Kate.
“Wanda?” I knock on the redhead’s door, waiting for a response. “Can I come in?”
Red wisps appear around the doorknob and the door opens.
I step inside to find Wanda at her desk with her back turned toward me. “Just a second, Y/N,” she says softly, typing away at her computer for a moment longer before turning around with a small smile.
“What can I help you with?” she asks as I close the door behind me.
I sit at the edge of her bed and fidget with my fingers. “You’re a pretty good judge of character, right?”
“I guess so… Why?” she says slowly.
I let out a shaky breath and look up to find her watching me curiously. “Do you think I’m a bad person?” I inquire.
There’s a beat of silence before Wanda gets up and sits next to me on the bed. She’s always been like a sister to me, so I trust her when she rushes to say, “What? No, of course not!”
I chuckle sadly and bite the inside of my cheek.
“Why would you think that?” Wanda pushes, her hand landing on my shoulder.
“I—“ I pause and think of how to phrase what I’m about to say next before delving into everything that has transpired between Kate and I.
It’s a lot and by the end of it I realized how much all of it has been getting to me. I’ve always thought of myself as a forthcoming, friendly person, but Kate’s blatant rejection of my company or care has me doubting all of it.
What’s surprising is that once I’m done talking, there’s a moment of silence before Wanda starts laughing next to me.
I scoff and eye her incredulously. “Hey! What’s so funny? I pour my heart out to you and you laugh?!”
Wanda tries to stifle her laughter by pressing her hand to her lips, but it does nothing to hide the mirth in her eyes.
“Hey!” I exclaim again, getting up, but Wanda grabs my arm and pulls me back down next to her.
“Wait,” she says around a huff of amusement. “I’m not laughing about your pouring your heart out. I’m laughing because you’ve got it all wrong.”
My annoyance quickly turns into curiosity. “Huh?”
Wanda shuffles closer and fixes the rumpled collar of my shirt. She’s such a mom…
“You’re not a bad person, by any stretch, Y/N/N,” she explains, her voice soothing. “And Kate’s not avoiding you because she hates you.” She emphasizes the hate part because those are the exact words I used to describe my relationship with Kate. I open my mouth to object, but Wanda is quicker, adding, “Quite the opposite actually.”
I stare at her, not knowing what to say until a disbelieving laugh bubbles out of me. “What are you talking about, Wanda? Kate doesn’t like me!”
Wanda raises an eyebrow and watches me expectantly as I continue to laugh.
“No! She can’t— She doesn’t—!” I stop myself abruptly when it dawns on me. Maybe what Wanda is insinuating isn’t that far fetched… It would certainly explain why Kate, a usually composed and precise person, turns into a fumbling, stuttering mess every time I’m around.
It would also explain her abrupt departures every time she knocks into me, or drops something around me. She’s not avoiding me because she doesn’t like me, she’s avoiding me because she’s embarrassed.
“Oh my God, Kate likes me,” I whisper and it’s as if Wanda’s words have lifted the fog in my mind that appears every time I think of the young archer.
I can see clearly now how she wasn’t judging me for being sweaty and gross at the range earlier. She was checking me out.
And when she knocked all the bows off the bow rack… It’s because I pulled my shirt up.
I turn to see Wanda beaming at me and as if the realization of Kate’s feelings toward me wasn’t enough already, I suddenly know why it’s hurt me so much that she’s been avoiding me.
She’s funny, and kind, and can be such a dork sometimes, it’s adorable…
Oh shit!
My ears heat up and I quickly look away when Wanda raises an eyebrow. “It is adorable,” she affirms with a smirk and I nod until it registers what she just said.
I freeze, horrified, and stare at her wide-eyed. “Did y-you just read my mind?”
Wanda laughs and raises her hands defensively. “I can’t help it if your thoughts are so loud!”
I groan and jump to my feet. “Wandaaaa!”
Wanda gets up too and grimaces apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to. I swear.”
I take a deep breath and rub my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Just— You can’t tell anyone about this. Not a single soul, you hear me?”
Wanda grabs my wrists and pulls my hands off my face. “I wouldn’t dare,” she says sincerely before adding, “You’d make a cute couple though.”
“Aargh!” I shove her aside and make my way to the door. I’m pretty sure by now my whole face and neck is as flushed as my ears.
Wanda cackles unapologetically and I roll my eyes, leaving her room without looking back.
Well shit, what do I do now?
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incorrectbatfam · 2 years
Note
Tim and Jason headcanons 👀
One morning during breakfast Tim keeps excusing himself to go to the bathroom to fix his boxers because they must've stretched in the wash. Meanwhile, Jason can barely move and waddles into the kitchen like he has a rubber band around his legs. Imagine the horror when they connect the dots and realize their underwear got swapped
One day Tim's room suddenly starts to smell like tomatoes and he tears it apart trying to find the source. Turns out Jason put soup in the humidifier
Jason: *gives Tim an iced coffee*
Tim: "You put salt in it"
Jason: "No I didn't"
Tim: "I can literally see the crystals"
Jason: "What crystals?"
Tim: "Right there, all settled at the bottom"
Jason: "That's how the coffee is"
Tim still owes Jason for the time Jason stopped him from faceplanting in Alfred the cat's litter box
Contrary to how it appears, Jason's hair is thicker. It's so thick that Tim accidentally drops a glob of mayonnaise in it and Jason doesn't notice until he combs his hair hours later
They get bunk beds on a mission. Tim gets the top bunk after losing rock-paper-scissors. While he's asleep, Jason moves the ladder to the other side
Jason puts a cockroach on Tim's desk thinking he'll freak out. Tim, who's on his third day without sleep, looks Jason dead in the eye and eats it
As a kid, Jason often re-wore dirty clothes until he absolutely had to go to the laundromat meanwhile Tim washed his more frequently in small batches so he wouldn't get told off for having a huge pile. Cut to the present day where Tim's sifting through a mountain of Jason's laundry for a pair of socks and Jason is offering zero help whatsoever
They stand out in the rain to see who gets drenched first. It's usually Tim—he absorbs water like a paper towel. Jason then gets in trouble because Tim could've gotten sick ("Thanks, Bruce, not like I'm soaked to the bone too")
And when Tim gets sick, he refuses to take his meds unless someone sneaks it into his food. Finally, Jason has a use for the NyQuil Chicken TikTok
Jason drives three hours from an out-of-state safehouse to hide in Tim's closet and scare him. Little does he know, Tim is in the closet at the safehouse, waiting to pounce on Jason
Jason peels a pride sticker off a villain's car and gives it to Tim
Jason mixes all the Goldfish crackers into a dough and bakes them into a single giant Goldfish. Why? 'Cause he can, and Tim needs something to test his new food pic filters on
In March their patrols end by meeting at McDonald's for Shamrock Shakes
Tim prank calls Jason and convinces him he's lost in Metropolis. Eight hours, countless Bizarro flights, and two unfortunate geese encounters later, Jason storms into the Batcave while Tim simply grins and asks, "What'd you think of my new VPN?"
Tim and Jason find a wheelbarrow at a crime scene and keep it after the case is closed because it's a free wheelbarrow. This happens twice more and now they have enough for a family wheelbarrow race
Bruce makes them spend more time together, so Jason decides to teach Tim the Three-Card Monty. Tim just nods along because he doesn't know how say that he already learned it by watching the second Robin out-con a conman
Jason wakes Tim up one morning by chucking a feather duster at him, saying Alfred wants everything clean. So Tim gathers all the dust in his room and dumps it on Jason's bed before going back to sleep
The Ferris wheel has a clear "no food" policy but Tim doesn't listen and sneaks a chili dog anyway. Jason's in the seat below him, and it's the second time something falls in his hair without him noticing
Jason: "Red Robin, do you read me?"
Tim: "Affirmative. What do you need?"
Jason: "Pick a different gargoyle. That one's mine"
Tim: "I don't see your name on it"
Jason: "Check the underside"
Tim: "It just says Robin, so technically it's both of ours"
At one of Jason's safehouses there's a mysterious bucket in the corner of the living room. No one but Tim knows what it's for
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fountainpenguin · 16 days
Text
Went down a very specific research pipeline last night, and now you get to share it with me:
Does Dev have hypoglycemia?
Low levels of blood sugar that - when they drop - can lead to irritability, confusion, headaches, exhaustion, shaking, rapid heartbeat, blurry vision, passing out, seizures, or even death. Blood sugar can drop about 2 to 4 hours after eating; snacks and additional small meals are very needed; sugary foods like hard or gummy candies can give a quick boost, as can juice or soda. I'm continuing my research after this post, so please forgive/inform me if I've mixed up details between different types of hypoglycemia- or just got something totally wrong.
FOP: A New Wish is set in modern times (i.e. not the far future). He's allowed to have drones in the classroom with him- They're acknowledged as his assistants and the teachers know about them.
Potentially, they may function under similar rules to service dogs- another sentient creature that would be allowed in class (ignoring that Dev is sometimes away from them, or that they went into the halls on their own in "28 Puddings Later").
We know Dev is self-reliant enough to get by without his au pairs. They help him, but they're not something he needs 24/7.
Insert joke about the au pairs needing off-duty time like service dogs and sometimes they just go play. Union rules...
We know they have the capability to "alert on Dev" like service dogs... or at least, this one looked at Dev and beeped when scanning a paper, and even projected an exclamation point to catch his eye:
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The visual-verbal cue combo is definitely an intentional feature (And it's not like it greeted him by name- it just beeped and he knew what it was conveying).
We know that at the end of "Lost and Founder's Day," this au pair - despite being a machine - recognized Dev was sad (or at least low energy) and patted him on the head.
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Au Pair: I would hug you, but I do not have human arms or warmth.
Earlier in this episode, we see the au pairs respond to people based on data they were being fed through sensors people were wearing on their wrists. Dev might have one here, though we know he was upset to find out his dad was using them to zap people and he's sad about his dad not loving him, so it's likely he's not wearing it.
This implies the au pairs don't have enough data about most people, but they DO have internal data about Dev. If not internal, they can read him well. We do know they're good at reading cues- They get embarrassed during the festival when they find out problems have been corrected before they got there and we didn't see the Dimmlets shock anyone to prompt the au pairs to acknowledge the situation changed. What does it say about the au pairs if they're implied to be Dale's creation and they see sad Dev and think "I should hug him."
The Off Puddin' brand of pudding is so desirable that the whole class became addicted; they had withdrawals when Hazel changed her "unlimited pudding" wish to be "pudding after we take our class picture" wish- Just like everyone else, Dev was one of the affected individuals and ate all the pudding he could get his hands on.
If the pudding is that delicious, it's interesting Dev kept some (even if this is a new batch from a different pudding day) and snacked on it in Fairy World... and didn't give into impulses to eat it some random day beforehand:
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I guess we can't prove it's the same brand, but it's presumably the same model from "28 Puddings Later." I think it's the only item we know he brought to Fairy World beyond clothes and one au pair that he stands on. He doesn't even use his tablet in this episode (which he's normally glued to outside of school).
We can confirm Peri didn't poof this up for him (or at least, it's very unlikely since that would've been weeks ago). Dev eats this pudding after Irep ditches him to hang out with his dad- Extremely doubtful Dev got Irep's attention for his snack. Or Dale's, for that matter (if his dad brought some).
Canonically, the principal gives Dev lots of pudding because his dad made a "generous donation" to the school. It's possible he does this often since we know Dev hoards pudding every pudding day...
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... which is interesting, because in "Stanky Danky," the news describes Dale as "billionaire non-philanthropist." Investing in his child's future for the sake of good education doesn't seem to be his M.O.... although he does send Dev to a private school, so maybe.
We know Dale hates losing money, and we know he's not the best dad to Dev... but we also know Dev has an official allergy card that names him in 3rd person-
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- which could imply he got this card when he was young. That's not guaranteed, but I looked at some IRL cards and some use first-person, so it's food for thought.
Possibly, his dad even took him to the doctor for official diagnosis. Lactose intolerance can be hereditary, so if Dale has it, he may have identified it immediately after Dev's first reaction. For all Dale’s faults, Dev IS still alive and not starving to death - and still lives with his dad - so it's not improbable Dale's aware of his son's food needs. On a darker note... given Dale's abusive childhood, I feel like lack of food is something he has trauma around. Also, if Dale is lactose intolerant, I'd be curious to know how Dev found out he was, as I'd assume Dale wouldn't keep dairy in the house if he can't eat it. The two logical options here are "Dale took him for an allergy test" or "Dev ate dairy outside the house and got sick, so he told his dad / the au pairs." Maybe he found out in preschool?
Dev's au pair bringing him a snack! Their boy needs to eat!
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Anyway, this was all leading up to these screenshots of Dev having no fun on the walk to Signal Hill that I found funny:
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No energy... need sugar... Exercise did a number on him... Hazel takes a breather by crouching for a second, but Dev just slams his face in the grass and I think that's great.
Despite Dev not liking to walk, he and Hazel stopped their treasure hunt before the final clue and walked back to the Dimmadome place for food, so that's neat to think about (especially in the context of him snacking before he left the house... How long were they out? Did he even finish his snack?)
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Dev's au pair was preemptively wearing a chef's hat when he and Hazel came back to the house, so I wonder if that's his routine lunch time on weekends. The au pairs are good caretakers who know their boy's schedule and needs...
Immediately after this scene, Dale asks what Dev and Hazel are up to "this fine afternoon," so it's probably after 1 pm. Noon at the earliest, but surely not an early lunch at 11 AM. Interesting consideration for the timing of Dev's snack... It makes sense if he was out with Hazel for 2 to 4 hours before he had to go home and eat, even though they were on the final riddle.
Come to think of it, one of the things we know about Dev's house is that there's a cereal bar and Peri brings him cereal... and the woozy Peri hallucinating about bringing Dev "his favorite cereal" (during the finale) seems to get to him one way or another.
Consider... Cosmo and Wanda poofed up hard candy when Peri came over because Dev needed sugar I DID wonder what they were up to considering sugar gets Fairies inebriated...
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tl;dr - I like to think the reason on paper that Dev gets his au pairs in school is for medical reasons. They track his blood sugar and keep him from, y'know... going into a seizure or passing out. I can't imagine Dale would like that happening to his son at home either (if for no other reason than because it would be a huge distraction he has to deal with).
If this is something Dev's been dealing with since he was little, that plays into the au pairs accompanying him through his early years... We know he's both lactose intolerant and extremely picky, not liking any of the cupcakes Peri poofed up despite this many attempts:
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- which I cannot imagine Dale had the patience to deal with long if he was Dev's primary caretaker in his earliest years.
I was gonna make a joke about Dale hiring someone to watch Dev - and let's be real; he probably did - but also... do you think this cocky guy would spend money when "It's a baby; how hard can it be? I also eat daily- This is just efficient use of my time!"
POV: Tired single dad who's not yet finalized his au pair design walks into grocery store with baby, buys cupcakes, leaves. Confuses every parent in the parking lot when he has a fussy Dev sitting on the back of the car and he's spoonfeeding him icing. They did not go home. Next stop will be the park, where Dale falls asleep on a bench while Dev eats bugs. Some parent sees Dev eating a chocolate bar and strikes up a conversation with Dale about what a big moment it was when they treated their child to chocolate and Dale's just like "I've been feeding him that his entire life." Dale pouring a soda in his toddler's sippy cup: Don't judge me.
At a certain point, when you're a billionaire single dad running multiple businesses and you're good at robotics, there comes a time when "It would make things easier if my young child (who's a very picky eater and can't have dairy) had a drone to follow him around, alert him when his blood sugar is about to drop, or assist if he passes out" makes a lot of sense. Especially if you have major trust issues from abuse and prefer relying on your own inventions.
It was a very relieving day for Dale when he finally had a reliable au pair to leave his son with, I'm sure. Didn't accidentally kill his son!! #Not as big a jerk as you could've been!
During my original liveblog for "Battle of the Dimmsonian," I was confused about Dev going from "I need to talk to Hazel" to trying to spook her and her friends by summoning ghosts. I'm definitely not excusing his bitter attitude in general as a hypoglycemia thing, but this is an episode that would make this headcanon funny:
Peri, internally: Listen here, you little brat- I've read your file. Now eat your freakin' cupcake. Icing is good for you. Dev: These are terrible >:( I'll go without. Peri: WHY? Dev later that day: If I tell Peri I need sugar, he'll be SUCH a pain about it. I opt to suffer...
Anyway, I think it's interesting and I'm going the "au pairs help Dev with a lot of things, but one of them is hypoglycemia" direction in my City Lights AU :)
If anyone's curious, I'm doing growth hormone deficiency that also lands him with a weak immune system- another thing the au pairs help him with. My full character profile for Dev will go into extra details about his life... Fun times.
Dale, planting his whiny and sick child on the floor by his desk and handing him a tablet, juice, and a bunch of hard candy: Big Boss has a work meeting. Don't go outside or you'll die. At this point, you're sunk costs and if I lose you, I'm gonna make it everyone's problem.
Bonus Theory:
Are Doug and Dale also lactose intolerant, and did Dale kill his dad's cows?
In Season 5 - "Mooooving Day" - Doug runs a business called Dimmadome Farms, which produces extreme amounts of milk from genetically modified cows. He uses this to keep the population of Dimmadome Acres totally happy and obedient.
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Doug seems convinced the milk makes people happy and that it's a good thing, but he doesn't personally drink it. It's kind of funny to think he went the route of milk because his family is full of lactose intolerant individuals who won't accidentally drink it.
Genetics - Lactose intolerance is inherited in the autosomal recessive pattern- This means either both of Dev's parents are lactose intolerant, or they personally aren't but carry the gene.
Additionally, Dev will only pass lactose intolerance to his kids if his partner also has the gene- either intolerant or a carrier.
There's a chance Dev developed it without genetics, but it looks like there's a lot more variety there than I can cover in a single post. From what I've read, it's "uncommon in babies and young children." He's 9 when "Peace of Pizza" takes place, which might strengthen the argument that it's genetic in his family.
One of the businesses Dale lists as under his possession in "Lost and Founder's Day" is Dimm-'N-Out Burgers. Presumably this is a parallel of In-'N-Out Burger, which use beef patties. Notably, this is a business made up for A New Wish- It's never been portrayed as under Doug's ownership.
If Dimmadome Farms already existed in Dale's youth, it makes sense Dale would use the cows from there- You have to do something with the ones who aren't producing milk, so why not make money?
Technically, Dimmadome Acres was wiped out by magic, but it's possible Dimmadome Farms itself was outside premises of the suburban neighborhood, so maybe there were other cows.
We know by A New Wish, Dale has established himself as a tech mogul, but he probably wasn't one straight after being rescued from 7 years of abuse, which is heavily implied to have started when he was 9 (give or take). Consider:
Doug: I'm making drinks from a labor force of enslaved individuals I've trapped underground :) His son, who recently escaped a life of being forced to make drinks for 7 years underground: This is incredibly insensitive, actually.
Hey, there's something SUPER sus about Dale's underground lemonade stand abuse starting at age 9 when his dad's milk factory is also underground in a big trapdoor and relies on trapped people for labor... Do you think Vicky found the cows when she was a kid and lured Dale down there, but he was lactose intolerant and couldn't drink mind control milk, so she moved him somewhere else... I'm connecting the dots...
It's worrisome that Doug's instinctual response to Timmy saying he didn't want to drink milk was "What a baby," and then he jumps and corrects himself to "Aw, shucks"... What conspiracy am I uncovering... Doug, let me in- I just wanna talk about the home your son grew up in.
I mean, the alt theory is that Doug built his underground dairy farm and trapped people to work in it BECAUSE Dale told him where he'd been for the last 7 years and he went "Oh, that's brilliant!" and that's also terrible??
Anyway, Doug's thing is that he's constantly jumping from one business to the next, never staying consistent (beyond the beloved Dimmadome stadium).
Knowing how he's always go-go-go, it's very probable he'd get his son involved in business young. Maybe Dale started with a burger joint until the robotics work paid off! A spiteful direction for Dimmadome Farms indeed...
Me, having a sudden realization and looking up from my notes theorizing both Dev and Dale have OCD and ADHD, then glancing at my second monitor where I have references from "Moooving Day" of Doug's meticulously arranged town of pink houses and people wearing matching outfits:
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... Ah.
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anon-amiss · 1 year
Note
hello, I have a request of Wally Darling x singer y/n
at first, Wally and the others did not know the reader could sing. One day they all decided to have a group picnic and Wally was the one who would get you. Wally knocked at y/n home and Y/n didn't answer he noticed the window open and he heard Y/n singing. (Love like you by steven universe)
then and there Wally fell in love he could not bring himself to stop the reader from singing.
you can pick what happens next :)
Beginning notes: I love this! I'll do my best! Thank you for the request! Another quick mention is that the reader might be referred to as "neighbour". I don't mind using Y/n at all, but people give it so much bad rep :[
Some warnings: Nothing triggering, just reader being mildly embarrased haha
Wally Darling x Singer!Reader
(Platonic or Romantic)
(a bit more on the romantic side haha)
"...Turns out, I was holding the letter all along!! Now isn't that just hilarious??" Eddie boasted out, laughing while waving his arm around rapidly. Barnaby fell to the floor, rolling around and snickering in response. It was as if he'd just heard the funniest thing in Home, which, honestly, could have been probable.
Wally giggled after hearing the passing conversation, placing the picnic blanket down on the grass with ease.
The sky was perfect, and the weather calm. This meant only one thing: it was finally time for the monthly picnic party! Everyone was invited, which meant you were too! It was going to be your first time at this event, and everybody was very excited to have you join them as their special guest! Everyone came extra prepared, bringing gifts and items they thought would help with getting you acquainted with their tradition.
Sally weighted the blanket down with what looked to be a large sewing machine and a bag full of various fabrics and sewing materials. Wally turned his attention to her and tilted his head.
"What are all these for?" Wally asked, a little surprised she was able to carry all these items on her own.
"Why, I wanted to show our new friend how to make hand puppets! They've been asking me all week, and I thought this would be the best opportunity to teach them!" She beamed, organizing some of her tools on the blanket.
"Yeah, and I brought my makeup so we could do a little fashion show with them!" Julie interjected, placing a few of her bags, presumably filled with makeup, on the blanket next to Sally's items. "I made sure to bring everything I had just in case they wanted a certain look!"
"Oh! I brought along some arts and crafts if that helps at all!" Eddie chimed in, holding out a delivery bag filled to the brim with tons of crafting materials. He placed himself on the blanket next to the growing pile of goods. It was starting to form a little mountain by now.
"Whoa now, buddy! Make sure to leave some extra for the butterfly nets!" Frank blurted out. He held nothing, but Wally assumed they would use some of Eddie's resources to make the nets.
"Do we have to participate in this event before or after lunch?" Barnaby joined, with Poppy following suit. He placed down a picnic basket full of the most delicious smelling food. Oh! He seemed to have placed it on Eddie's head! It's perfectly balanced!
Frank shot him a glare and sighed. "We'll do it after lunch just so you won't complain the whole time."
"What can I say? Small dogs like me need lotsa energy to run!" He jested, laughing to himself with a wide grin.
"You better not eat it all this time, Barb! Poppy and I spent a lot of time gathering the most perfect ingredients for this specific batch of food!" Howdy blurted out, tapping his foot at the fluffy 'little' pup.
"Don't worry, Howdy! I wouldn't dream of ruining our new neighbour's first picnic! Besides, a tiny guy like me can't finish all this by myself," he replied, giving him a pat on the head for reassurance.
"Speaking of our new neighbour, where are they?" Poppy asked, turning to Wally with a motherly smile.
"Yeah! We can't possibly start without them!" Julie added on, turning to face Wally with an excited grin.
"I told them I'd come and pick them up as soon as we were done setting up!" Wally replied, clasping his felty hands together with the happiest expression he could give. "Would you all be so kind as to help me finish up while I go get our neighbour? I'm just too excited to wait."
"Of course! We'll have everything prepared in a jiffy!" Sally exclaimed, jumpstarting the task and immediately organizing the items on the blanket. Julie joined in, working at the same pace as her.
"Thank you so much! I'll see you all soon. I love you!" Wally waved to them, setting off to your home with an overjoyed feeling in his body. He felt so lucky to have friends like them.
Your home wasn't too far from the picnic site, only a few minutes away, so Wally got there pretty early. He told you earlier that he would probably finish up by noon. By now, according to the town clock, it was about 11:30pm. Though a few minutes definitely passed after Wally's struggle to remember how to read the clock in the first place.
Wally stood in front of the door to your home, ready to knock before hearing a quiet melody. Curiously, he turned his head to the source of the noise, which appeared to be coming from a nearby open window.
He hummed and looked away. Wouldn't it be rude to take a look inside? This place was your privacy, so maybe it was best to ignore it.
Another melodic tune began to ring out quietly, followed by the deafening tone of piano keys being smashed rather aggressively. "Oh dear..." Wally refused to look through your window. That would be unneighbourly!
Then he heard groaning and began to grow worried. Maybe just a peek. For your safety. Definitely.
He followed intuition and looked through the window, his eyes searching rapidly for the source of all the noise. His gaze happened upon you. You were sitting at the piano, holding what looked to be a journal and a pencil.
You were grumbling to yourself and writing angrily in the book, but other than that, you seemed to be doing relatively well. Perhaps you were just experimenting with new sounds. Wally's suspicions began to die down, and he would have left it at that, but before he could turn away, you did something completely unexpected.
Once you cleared your throat and placed your journal down, you began to press numerous keys, getting acquainted with the feeling before you began to play what sounded like an actual song.
Your fingers gingerly glided across the piano, leaving Wally entranced and more breathless than he already was. If he had a pulse, he was sure it would be beating critically by now.
He blinked, dumbfounded. Not about the fact that you were talented, but of the fact that you had kept this a secret for so long. He couldn't fathom why someone would hide such a gift.
Then another surprise emerged. Not from your movements, but from your voice. You began to sing! He nearly tripped himself inside your home, not realizing how far he was leaning into your window. He held onto the frame, his mouth agape from the sheer astonishment you managed to succumb him to.
He could only make out a few words from so far away. "If I could begin to be...... I could do about anything...... Could even learn how to love like you...." You continued on with the song, putting all the focus you could on playing the right keys. It was hard to concentrate when you sang and played at the same time, which was why you were practicing in the first place.
You didn't want to necessarily practice for anybody but yourself. You never planned on anyone hearing your singing, mainly because of how embarrassing and distracting it felt. It would most definitely make you mess up, which would only be more humiliating for you in the end.
You weren't a professional, and honestly, you were okay with that. As long as you could finish the song at all, you would be just fine. The accomplishing feeling was worth much more than the sound of cheers. You steadied your breathing and began to focus on your singing a little.
Meanwhile, Wally was lost in thought, watching you with a dreamy gaze. He absolutely adored you. He was so proud knowing he had a friend who could do so many beautiful things. He so badly wanted to learn this song so he could sing with you. He wanted to praise you right there and then, but he knew it was probably not the best idea.
He leaned on the window frame, crossing his arms and watching you intently. He was baffled, feeling himself just melt into the mixture of sounds you were creating right before his eyes. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling into the deepest state of peace he's ever had in Home.
He loved the concocting mix of your voice and the piano. The sounds succesfully meshed to create a hum that reverberated off the walls and vibrated the glasses around you, which, in turn, created what sounded like an extra voice. Angelic!
Then you did something else totally unexpected!
There was the tiniest note out of place, which was proceeded by the loudest smash of keys Wally's ever heard. Mortified, he opened his eyes and looked up at your figure.
You were frustrated with yourself. You were doing great, but you just had to take your attention away from the piano, didn't you? You groaned and rubbed your forehead. You'd been practicing for a while now, so maybe now would be the best time for a break.
You turned your body and got up from your seat. Water sounded good right about now.
Wally didn't have enough time to react before you laid your eyes upon the window. Panicked, he flopped down on the ground, feeling himself heat up. He wasn't sure if he had the capability to blush, but if he did, he was definitely doing it now.
At first you were shocked by the sight of Wally, but even moreso when he launched himself back from the window???? You hurridly rushed towards the opening and looked down at the ground. There he was.
"Wally?? What are you doing here??" You asked, observing as his felty face began to grow a few shades darker. He chuckled nervously and sat up quickly.
"Well.. Erm..."
"Wait there! Let me help you," you interrupted, making your way outside as hastily as you could. You grabbed his hand and led him in your home, helping him dust off some of the grass that seemed to have stuck to him when he threw himself back.
You invited him to sit at your dining room table, grabbing two glasses of water and placing one in front of him as an offering. He seemed to just stare at it quizically. Oh wait, did he drink water? Now that you thought about it, you don't think you've ever seen him consume anything.
But as you snapped yourself away from your thoughts, you found the water to be gone. Oh. The cup was too. Did he eat it? Maybe it was a puppet thing???
"I'm so sorry for my actions, neighbour," Wally started, staring up at you with dejected eyes. "I was going to knock on your door so I could escort you to the picnic, but I guess I got a little curious. I shouldn't have looked through your window. That was very uncouth of me." He hung his head low, expecting you reprimand him for his actions or get angry, but much to his surprise, you just laughed.
"Oh, Wally. You don't have to apologize. I would have gotten a little interested, too, if I heard all that noise I was making," you stated, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't have minded having you listen to me. I can always depend on you to be kind and unjudgemental." You took a sip of your water, reassuring him with a smile. "I should be the one apologizing to you, in all honesty. All that key smashing was probably very... erm... unsurprising, to say the least." You gave out another laugh, Wally doing the same.
"Well, I must say, I just love your singing. It was gracious," he admitted, making you feel gaucherie-like. It wasn't unlike him to compliment you, even for the smallest of things, but you always knew he was genuine. It was refreshing to hear that he liked something so personal about you. "I could listen to you all day, really." His eyes had a glaze to them that you couldn't understand the meaning of, but it made your heart pump.
"Thank you, Wally. That means a lot to me," you replied, grinning proudly. He nodded and got up from his seat.
"Well, we should probably be heading to the picnic now. I wouldn't want everyone else to worry haha!" He pushed his chair in and offered his hand out to you, which you did take, but you had to admit you were a little bashful while doing so.
You both headed out, only stopping once for Wally to ask if he could hear you play sometime.
"Of course!" You responded cheerfully, feeling bubbly from his excited expression afterwards.
"Then it's a date!"
End
End notes: Haha, in the end I guess it was more on the romatic side. I might write a oneshot for the 'date' and the picnic as well if anyone wants that. I had fun writing the transitions between the characters, and in my personal opinion, this oneshot was a little funky, but hey, that's fine! I liked writing it! Thanks for your request! I appreciate your amazing idea!Sorry if it's not what you completely had in mind!
Another note: this is what I imagine he looked like when listening to you sing. I'm not the best artist, but I do try >:]
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toppetfoodreview · 1 year
Text
Small Batch Dog Food Reviews: Finding the Perfect Nutritious Option for Your Furry Friend
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Small batch dog food manufacturers typically have stricter quality control measures in place. They often follow rigorous standards and conduct regular testing to ensure that the food meets high-quality and safety criteria. The smaller scale of production allows for more careful monitoring and attention to detail, resulting in a product that is thoughtfully crafted and well-regulated.
This type of dog food is popular among pet owners who prioritize the health and well-being of their dogs. Small batch dog food is often associated with natural, wholesome ingredients and a higher nutritional value compared to some mass-produced alternatives. It may also cater to specific dietary needs, such as grain-free, limited ingredient, or specialized formulas for dogs with specific health conditions.
Is small batch dog food more nutritious than regular dog food?
Small batch dog food is not inherently more nutritious than regular dog food. The quality and nutritional value of dog food depend on several factors, including the specific brand, ingredients used, and manufacturing processes employed.
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While small batch dog food often emphasizes high-quality ingredients and meticulous production methods, it does not guarantee superior nutrition compared to regular dog food. Both small batch and regular dog food can vary widely in terms of nutritional content.
When evaluating the nutritional value of dog food, it's important to consider the specific needs of your dog. Factors such as age, breed, size, activity level, and any existing health conditions should be taken into account. What may be a nutritious choice for one dog may not be suitable for another.
To determine the nutritional quality of any dog food, it's crucial to read and understand the product's ingredient list and guaranteed analysis. Look for dog foods that contain a balanced blend of high-quality protein sources, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. The inclusion of whole, natural ingredients and the absence of artificial additives or fillers can also be indicators of a more nutritious option.
It's recommended to consult with a veterinarian who can provide personalized dietary advice based on your dog's specific needs. They can help you evaluate different dog food options, including small batch varieties, and determine the best choice for your furry friend's overall health and well-being.
What are the advantages of feeding my dog small batch dog food?
Feeding your dog small batch dog food can offer several advantages:
Quality Ingredients: Small batch dog food often emphasizes high-quality ingredients. Manufacturers tend to carefully select and source their ingredients to ensure freshness, nutritional value, and overall quality. This can contribute to a healthier and more balanced diet for your dog.
Freshness: Small batch dog food is typically produced in limited quantities, which allows for better control over the freshness of the ingredients. Fresh ingredients can be beneficial for both taste and nutritional content.
Attention to Detail: The smaller-scale production of small batch dog food allows for more meticulous attention to detail. Manufacturers may have stricter quality control measures, conducting regular testing and ensuring adherence to high standards. This can provide you with added confidence in the quality and safety of the food you're feeding your dog.
Personalized Approach: Small batch dog food manufacturers often take a more personalized approach to their products. They may offer specialized formulas tailored to different life stages, breed sizes, or specific dietary needs. This can be advantageous if your dog has specific health concerns or dietary requirements.
Transparency: Small batch dog food brands often prioritize transparency, providing detailed information about their ingredients, sourcing practices, and manufacturing processes. This can help you make more informed decisions about what you're feeding your dog and ensure that you understand what goes into their food.
Support for Local Businesses: Choosing small batch dog food can also mean supporting local or independent businesses. This can have a positive impact on the community and local economy.
Remember, it's essential to consider your dog's individual needs and consult with a veterinarian when selecting any dog food, including small batch options. They can provide guidance tailored to your dog's specific requirements and help you make the best choice for their overall health and well-being.
conclusion
In conclusion, small batch dog food can offer several advantages for dog owners who prioritize quality, freshness, and a personalized approach to their pet's nutrition. While it is not inherently more nutritious than regular dog food, small batch brands often emphasize high-quality ingredients, attention to detail, and transparency.
Feeding your dog small batch dog food can provide peace of mind, knowing that the ingredients used are carefully selected, and the production processes are closely monitored. The limited-scale production allows for better control over freshness, and the focus on quality can contribute to a healthier and more balanced diet for your furry friend.
Additionally, small batch dog food brands may offer specialized formulas tailored to specific dietary needs, life stages, or breed sizes. This can be advantageous if your dog has unique requirements or health concerns.
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AITA for giving away my sisters fish?
This is a dumb and very long story (i could probably shorten it somehow but I don't know how) and I know the title makes me look bad.
Ok so, one evening my mom and my little sister(let's call her Jess) brought home a container of four fish that mum said she saw a guy selling on the road for about 2 dollars (I'm not american so I just calculated and it comes out to around 2 dollars)
This was during the end of year break when Jess was home (usually we all go to boarding school) None of us had ever had pet fish before and we didn't know what kind of fish they were, they looked different from each other and their size difference was pretty big too(the largest was about the size of three nail clippers stacked on top of each other and the smallest was about the size of 1/2 of a car key). So we weren't sure of the species of any and bought the most nondescript pack of fish food we could find, they ate it so we thought things were ok.
About 1 month into the break though (the end of year break where I am is 2 months), 1 of the fish died for reasons we still don't know (we changed the water every 3 days) and two weeks later a second one just disappeared, it wasn't in the bowl, and no one knew what happened. So by the time school started there were 2 fish left (Jess was sad but we also have dogs so she wasn't too sad)
All of us go to different boarding schools but ive been going to a day-school this past year because I'm scheduled for a surgery, so when everyone went back it was just me with the fish.
My elder sister (let's call her Kat) came home from university for a while and she thought the fish were cool so she asked my mom if she could tell her where she got them so she could get some for her dorm. My mom told her she just got them from some guy on the road who didn't have a stall and probably wouldn't be there if she drove to the place she found him. So she went back to uni without any fish
Flash forward, 4 weeks into the term, my mom comes to get me from school and she says was passing the area she saw the guy and he was there with another container of fish this time with about 10 fish also of various muddy and sandy colours, about length of the diameter of a soda-bottle cap (my mom said they also cost her about 2 dollars). I said we could split the fish in half, keep 6 and give Kat 6 for her dorm.
So I'm sitting in the car, holding the container of fish my laps and my mom suddenly stops the car because a person walking on the sidewalks falls into the trenches on the sides of the road. The person is ok but the car stops so suddenly and I'm not holding the container securely so it falls from my laps.
The container has a lid so the car is ok but the guy added some small rocks and a fake plant to the container so they kind of bury the some of fish and 6 of them die. I look on like an idiot while mom tries to settle the rocks but another fish is buried when the rocks are settled.
By the time we get home and transfer all the living fish into the bowl we already have, we have 5 fish in total. We move them to a new, slightly bigger bowl and feed them but by the next morning when I'm going to school i see 3 fish left.
When I get home, I tell my mom that maybe we aren't ready for fish and we should give them to Kat whose dorm may be less of a safety hazard (during the end of year break we used to play with the fish a lot, trying to touch their tails etc so we're definitely the reason the first batch died anyway. We're also 8 kids and there are kids older and younger than me so it would be hard to stop EVERYONE from being rough with the fish). I also had exams coming up and I was starting to put of changing the water and cleaning bowl until i saw algae growing on sides.
Kat has a roommate who thinks the fish are cool too so incase one of them forgets maintaining the fish the other can do it. (I also kind of secretly hoped the all fish would just die a week or two into being with them so it wouldn't bother them anymore I feel bad about it)
Anyway, 3 weeks later when Kat came home she took the fish with her. It's around the middle of the first term so it was Visitation Day at Jess's school yesterday (I think the name is self explanatory) and the first thing she asked about was the fish. I didn't know what to say so I told her the truth and she was so SAD!!(I mean obviously she'd be sad but visitation day is supposed to be a good day) because we named the fish and everything(the first batch, not the second) . I tried to tell her how Kat and her roommate were nice and would give the new fish good name but she said that was dumb I knew that was dumb and I wish had just lied about the whole thing and asked my mom to buy new fish but I feel like Jess would know so said nothing else
My mom kind of cheered her up by saying that during the holidays they could go get a good tank and actual goldfish from a better place but she was mad at me because I suggested that the fish be given to Kat and I feel like she's right because it would be stupid to ask Kat to bring the fish wish her the next time she came home.
All my other siblings not just Jess also got attached to the fish so I'll just be breaking the news to everyone for the next three weeks (because all schools where I am schedule visitation day in the same month) and just generally ruining the mood.
What are these acronyms?
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sugarrazz · 2 years
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Can your write reader being jealous of someone getting to close to Wednesday so threw out the day reader has an attitude towards Wednesday until eventually Wednesday has enough of it and puts the reader in her place? You can decide if you want to make it sfw or nsfw
Hi anon! I wrote this one just for you. I really got into this while writing it and I hope you enjoy it. ;)
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I Wasn’t Ignoring You / Wednesday x gn!reader
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Notes: female anatomy, dom!wednesday, wednesday x reader, wednesday pleasuring reader, nsfw, smut, cum eating, new student grabs wednesday’s attention, reader with attitude, kinda bratty, talk of corpses, jealous feelings, fingering, oral sex, pussy licking, cumming, pls let me cum, fic, oneshot, i was listening to madison beer while writing this
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Today has been shitty. You missed your alarm and the only thing that woke you up was Enid bouncing up and down on your mattress, chanting that you’re gonna be late to class. You didn’t even get to brush your teeth and your hair looked like a bird’s nest.
Fast forward to now, your arm was hooked around Wednesday’s and you were enjoying what little warmth she had. “Your lack of hygiene doesn’t phase me.” She kept telling you every time you apologized for looking like a mess. She even helped you fix up your uniform. You felt so lucky to have her in your life. Your head rested on her shoulder as she proudly escorted you down the halls of Nevermore. As you passed a couple of students, one of them bumped into your shoulder, making you detach from your beloved and a small gasp escaped your lips. 
“Oh, sorry about that! I don’t think we’ve met before. What’s your name?”
You remembered that there was a new batch of students and you just managed to bump into one of them. Wednesday peeked around you, concerned by your gasp, and met the new kid’s gaze through her bangs. 
“My nam-” “It’s Wednesday.”
 You couldn’t believe this. He bumped into YOU but completely ignores you and ogles your girlfriend. You didn’t want to stay and chat so you attempted to pull Wednesday along with you, but she blew you off.
“That pin on your uniform. It’s to my liking. Give it to me.”
“Oh, my corpse pin? No way, it’s my favorite one. I can give you another one though.”
Flabbergasted, you spun on your heels and ran off to class. The image of the love of your life and some random guy getting along is imprinted on your brain. Wednesday doesn’t just get along with anyone. So why?
When you make it to class you throw your books on the desk, garnering a couple of students’ attention toward you and your disheveled appearance. You couldn’t focus at all on what the teacher was saying the whole class, your rage getting the best of you. The way he looked at her was anything but friendly. You couldn’t be overthinking this. Fine, she can do whatever she wants. You’ll just treat her the way she treated you. Brushing you off like a leaf on a windy day. The bell rang and you packed away your books, getting ready to go meet Wednesday and head to the cafeteria. 
“-so they found his dead body by the lake, and there were dog bites all over him. They blamed the werewolf kids for it.” You stared into his eyes, silently wishing death upon him. You hated it but he had the most gorgeous blue eyes you had ever seen. It was no wonder he was so popular right now. All the girls at the table behind you were staring at him hungrily.
“A most grotesque scene, one that I would have loved the honor to have seen.” Wednesday seemed to be enjoying their strange conversation over dead bodies, both of them seeming to share a love of corpses. The thought of them having common interests was pissing you off even more. Wednesday reached out to rub your hand under the table but you jerked it away, your brow twitching. She glanced at you curiously since you never reject her advances. But you gave her an annoyed look, brushing off the chills you suddenly received. “How much longer are we going to talk about dead people? I’m trying to eat.” You swallow your food messily and some of it gets on the new boy, whose name you didn’t bother to learn. Nor did you care. You were glad his uniform got dirty. Maybe he’ll go away. But no, he takes a napkin and wipes it off, not even giving it another glance as he jumps back into the conversation. You felt like a third wheel for the rest of lunch.
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“Let’s go to Jericho”, Wednesday told you and you happily agreed to a chance to get away from this womanizer. “Jericho? Cool, I’m headed there too! We’ll have the best day out. C’mon!” If your headache could get any worse then it would as you feel like a vein is going to pop out of your head. You couldn’t get a single moment alone with Wednesday. What’s the point of going if her attention isn’t gonna be on you? “Yay”, you sarcastically cheered as the bus pulled up. Your attitude did not go unnoticed by a certain goth girl. She let it go, for now.
You brush away your feelings long enough until you arrive at Jericho. Wednesday stops you after you’ve exited the bus and you’re on the sidewalk. “Y/N”, Wednesday said sternly, an underlying tone masking her voice. Dread fell upon you as you looked up at her, black eyes boring into your own. 
“This outing would be more than adequate if you were to behave yourself.”
 “Behave yourself”, you mocked her, flipping your hair in her face and continuing to walk. Boy, would you regret that later.
 “You seem to be having a lot of fun with this guy, so I should just leave you to it.” You both stood there having a staring contest until she decides to break the deafening silence. 
“Y/N, he is a charlatan trying to show off to a master. He is nothing to me.” Her stern gaze leaves a silent warning to stop acting up. You did not heed.
“I’m sick of your attitude. Let’s go fix that right now.”
“Huh!?”
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Wednesday drags you back to Nevermore and up the stairs to your dorm. Her grip on your skin is tight and sure to leave a mark. She looks around for your roommate, making sure the coast is clear before she pushes a chair up against the doorknob. That’ll give her enough time to hide if anyone stops by.
“You’ve been quite defiant today. I should educate you on some proper manners.”
In one swift movement, she throws you on the bed, and undoes her tie, her predatory eyes making your pussy throb. You look away, which doesn’t please Wednesday a single bit. She hovers above you and grabs your chin, forcing you to look at her.
“While I adore your submissiveness, I require your utmost attention for what I’m about to do to you.”
She then tilts your chin up, her plump lips floating right above the skin on your neck, hot breaths that further teased you. She left hickeys up and down your neck, marking you as hers for everyone else to know. Your breath hitches as you try to stifle a moan. Wednesday notices and briskly grabs a hold of your neck. 
“Don’t hold back.”
And just like that, you melted at her orders. Little mewls started to come out of you as Wednesday started rubbing your folds through your panties, and your juices started to ooze out of you. Her fingers were rhythmic as they made a moaning mess out of you. You squealed as she entered her fingers inside you, working with feverish haste and giving no time for you to accommodate her. 
While her fingers on one hand were busy, her other hand rubbed circles around your lips, before she dove in for a kiss. She was surprisingly gentle, and her tongue brushed against your lips, begging for entry. You decided to test your luck and denied it. She let out a muffled groan and her thumb purposely brushed over your clit. You jolted, but Wednesday caged you under her, sealing your fate. At that moment, unbeknownst to you, you opened your mouth just enough for her to finally get inside and your tongues danced around in each other’s mouths. An oral ballad that she always won. Your french kiss didn’t last for long as she pulled away and took a mental screenshot of you, tousled under her.
“You’re most alluring in this view.”
She said in a monotone voice, but her eyes glinted with a deep passion for you. It made your heart skip a beat. You couldn’t help the blush that spread across your cheeks but Wednesday snapped you out of it as her head went under your skirt, closer to the heat between your legs. She raised back out with your panties hanging in between her teeth, a morbid grin on her face as she dropped them on the floor. She dove back in and you mentally prepared yourself for what was to come next. Her warm tongue started lapping up the excess juices that were coming out of your pussy and you instinctively opened up your legs for her, your breathing picking up. You grabbed the sheets as your hands shook. She sucked your clit at a devastatingly slow pace, making you quiver at her mercy. You felt so hot and bothered and as the knot in your stomach built up, you unconsciously bucked your hips, which encouraged Wednesday to keep going. Her fingers kept busy inside you as her wet tongue devoured you. 
“W-wednesday, I’m-”
“Just a little longer.”
You plead with her to let you cum. You wouldn’t be able to obey her for long but she wasn’t having it. Your juices started trailing down Wednesday’s fingers as she pumped her fingers in and out of you at an unrelentless pace, her breath picking up. You were twitching, trying to get away from her, but failing, as you were reaching your climax. You let out a loud moan as you came, as Wednesday pulled her fingers out of you and consumed every last drop of cum you had to give. 
You felt satisfied but dizzy as you dropped your head down. Wednesday ran off to clean her hands and face in the bathroom, leaving you to recollect your thoughts. When she came out, she just laid next to you on the bed. Didn’t say anything, it was a tranquil peace as she held your hand and you both stared at the ceiling.
“You still came without my permission. I’ll get you back later.”
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sophiacloud28 · 1 month
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Brave Enough (One-shot)
Hey. Hey @silverwatergalaxy. #museloop. Also contains an instance of Y/N that I couldn't do anything about without breaking the flow. I'm sorry.
One-shot, Rise Leo, Apocalyptic Timeline, Pining
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Leonardo Hamato… is like a tide.
"What are we looking at, Dee?"
"Quite a few miles between us and the Statue of Liberty, a dried-up riverbed, and packs of Krang hounds and zombies. Thankfully, no actual Krang has been seen patrolling the area in a week. Let us pray that continues."
One that waxes and wanes, but is so steady, it should be predictable.
"Mikey?"
"The involvement with Krang should be minimal as long as we keep ourselves well hidden. A precision strike might be our best bet."
But even more than fire…
"Raph?"
"You know me, Captain. Ready for anything."
"Apes?"
"I agree with Mikey. A precision strike seems like our best bet."
Even more than humanity…
"Y/N?"
"What am I shooting at, Captain?"
The ocean is an unpredictable beast that just… sucks you in.
The chuckle makes you look away. The fact that he calls to you again has you stiffening and glancing his way to catch him motioning you closer despite leaning against the table. You sigh as you move, going to the other side as he requests Donatello pull up everything he has, which the softshell does, leaving you to see all kinds of erratic patterns across the table, some of which even climb the Statue as if trying to stake a claim on it.
"… Would it be possible to eliminate the hounds and zombies from this?"
"Dee?"
And you try to swallow your heart as the visual noise vanishes and you're left with still erratic lines but ones you can almost connect in the distance as a pair of eyes stares you down.
It's soft, but no less intense. You know that, if you look up, you'll find lime green staring at you, waiting for a comment, something. It almost makes it hard to concentrate around the pounding in your chest as you study the map and the patterns, yet unable but to wonder, to question when this all started happening.
Maybe when you started asking about certain individuals after meetings. Maybe when you warned him about an ally that turned out to be stealing food. Maybe when he started visiting every night asking about everything and anything before joking around. You don't know, but you know it's there and it's — it's more than it feels it should be. Certainly when all it takes is a frown from you to hear him adjust.
Patient. Steady. Like the tide.
"Well?"
"The patterns are too erratic to extrapolate anything out of. If this is Krang, a precision strike might be too high a risk."
"How about a small team, then?"
"Leo –"
"Up –"
"No. Mikey's right. If our target's the Statue, a team would be too easy to see. Again, if this is Krang, it's looking for us. The unruly nature of it… might just be it getting distracted by survivors."
"That correlates actually, the latest batch had them talking about laughter and getting dogged until they came underground."
But deep. Introspective. like the ocean.
You hear him breathe. You watch him as he blindly looks at the table.
"Is there a deadline on this, Dee?"
"Sooner the better."
"Can you reproduce the beacon?"
"Not more than twice."
And you get to see the moment he takes his decision, his expression hardening.
"Three teams. Mikey, stick with April. I want you guys to work on your speed and efficiency. Raph, Donnie, I'll be counting on you to create as much of a disturbance as possible while making your way to the Statue. As for you." You look at the sure smile spreading across his face. "You're with me."
"Leo, are you –?"
You're almost glad for Mikey's intervention.
"Certain. See you all back here when the beacons are done. Dee?"
"Give me two days."
"Great. Dismissed."
And you can only try to breathe as you go to leave before you hear your name and turn to see him leaning against the table.
His voice is still sharp, but there's a softness in his eyes that beckons you to stay. Keeps you still until he motions you back to the table he glances at before looking at you with a smile.
"I'll never understand how you manage that."
"Learned it. I'm just glad it's useful."
All while making you keenly aware of him as he exhales and motions you closer.
You swallow around your heart as he turns to half-sit on the table. Part of you wonders if he's going to grab your chin like it feels he should but never does. Instead, you breathe as he questions, "You okay with this?"
"With?"
"Being my partner."
And you feel an absolutely painful thud in your chest at a word you can only wish was being said in different circumstances.
You don't know when it happened. When he managed to make you feel like you mattered and you were part of this crazy group.
"I'm guessing the fact that I have to keep a distance will help ease your nerves?"
"Not really."
But you know that he's holding you prisoner. That his sweet, worried, and almost proud gaze is a cage you can't escape from. Unknowingly, Leonardo Hamato has you caught in a rip current and sinking into his ocean.
"Then?"
"I need a sharp eye. You have two."
And while you know you can't escape…
"Hermosa –"
"I need to get back to work and talk to Don. My quiver isn't infinite."
You know you can't sink further as you avoid his reaching hand and walk out.
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taglist: @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos, @thelaundrybitch, @luckycharms1701
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Here's how my grandma and I try to live a low waste lifestyle in the city
First thing is we reuse everything. We have a portion of our shelves dedicated to holding plastic food containers we have washed and are waiting to be used to hold leftovers, dried foods, as seed starting pots, etc. We also save any and all jars to hold dried herbs and food products.
Actually reuse is a big thing for us. We shop at places that use paper bags, which I then cut up to use as scrap paper for grocery lists, etc and then compost after that. We also have a small container with rubber bands from products, bread ties, etc.
If you can afford the start up costs and have the space, preserving your own food is excellent. We have a really small garden that produces a lot of food every year. My favorites are dehydrating (using a dehydrator that is at least 30 years old from back when my grandpa was into making jerky), freezing, and canning.
Also, use every bit of food. Right now in the freezer I have bags of apple cores and peeling, pear cores and peeling, and peach peels along with bags of bones and veggie scraps for broths. The fruit scraps will go towards making big batches of jelly when canning season is over. I'll probably use the pulp leftover to dehydrate and powder to add to baked goods following a success with crabapple jelly pulp. I've also made spaghetti sauce out of tomato peels. Anything rotting or absolutely unusable gets tossed in the compost.
Reusables!! Obviously in today's world you can't avoid plastic but you can reduce how much you use. We use reusable produce bags that I made out of scrap Tulle, reusable grocery bags, water bottles, ziploc bags, etc.
If you have a yard or space, composting is a big one! My grandma says she never realized how much food we tossed until we started one. You don't even have to spend money on it! I know people who use totes they drilled holes into, just toss it In a hole in their garden, etc. The one I use is an old hose winder (one of those cube ones( that broke and my work was going to toss. All I did was cut out the hose winding part and paint it pretty and it's held up for 2 years and counting so far.
Hang dry clothes. In summertime we almost exclusively dry our clothes on a line or on a clothes drying rack I found at a yard sale.
Keep your heat or ac a few degrees higher or lower depending on the season. This helps save energy being used to heat or cool your house.
Wash clothes in cool or cold water. I've been doing this for years and haven't noticed a difference.
Repair. You don't have to be a sewing genius to quickly repair a small tear, especially if it's just for household wear. A great winter time hobby to pick up when gardening season is over.
Trade! This can be as simple as hosting a clothing swap all the way up until trading items u grew/made for items they did! I barter with my coworkers all the time, just talk to them! I never would have known my coworker kept bees if she didn't really like my jellies and proposed a trade. I also trade any of my soft produce I don't have time to do anything with to my coworker with rabbits in exchange for poop for the garden.
Try to be in season from local sources such as garden stands, or just a local grocery store. One of our local farms grew bell peppers and was selling then 2 for a dollar! So we stocked up and dehydratedand froze lots of peppers for winter stews
Blended pumpkin guts makes an excellent pumpkin puree, even if you're just adding little bits of it to your dog's food :)
You can freeze a lot of stuff! Leftover spaghetti sauce, pumpkin puree, etc can all be frozen in a muffin pan and then put in bags for future use!
Forage! I personally mostly forage for greens and a few mushrooms I am confident in my ability in but that still bulks up your food supply as well as medicine supply! I made a salve using bartered beeswax and spring purple dead nettle and summer plantain (and some tea tree EO) for cuts and scrapes and it works miracles! My coworkers love it as well as friends and family
We really try to live by the waste not, want not and use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without phrases. Just figure out what works best for the life you live! Be creative!
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