#and the harvest doesn't just go to the people who worked on the field it goes to Everyone who needs them

[gender-euphowrya]

the thing is when i'm doing better i think "hmm maybe i Can have a job some day and find a way to make it through this capitalist hellscape on my own" and then i get a panic attack from seeing someone else's résumé because the thought of having to sell myself like a product through a little fucking advertising flyer to an employer that sees me as a task-performing robot at best is dehumanizing as hell and sends me back to the worst period of my life

[illubean]

Could I get headcanons for Feitan, Illumi, Leorio, and Chrollo falling for gn!reader who by all means seems like a strong, nuturing, emotionally stable individual but every once in awhile casually says or does smthin that makes people go "Oh you're a little fuckin nuts, actually"

(e.x.: Most of their D.I.Y. furniture is made of different kinds of bone, morbidly interested in the more gorey parts of their jobs, probably works in a field that allows them to be around the dead often like a taxidermist or a mortitian, highkey just unabashashedly a morbid little freak™️ whenever it comes up naturally in conversation but otherwise comes across as just an attentive lil guy you could bring home the average parents would love.)

HXH Men with a Morbid!S/o

Characters: Leorio Paladaknight, Illumi Zoldyck, Chrollo Lucilfer, Feitan Portor Type: Headcanons, Gn!reader

this is so me

Warnings: dead things and body parts and stuff

Leorio Paladaknight

being an aspiring doctor, Leorio thought that your knowledge on both human and animal anatomy was pretty useful

at first he didn't think much about your job and just assumed you were some type of doctor or biologist or something

he often asks you questions as he studies and you're a pretty good tutor

the first time Leorio realized you were kinda weird is when one day you were walking down the street and saw some roadkill

and you were like "aww too bad, the skin and bones are too damaged to harvest"

and you kept walking like it was normal while he was like ?!!??!?

or you guys were having a normal conversation and you say something like

"if you died i'd taxidermy you and re-articulate your skeleton so you'd be with me forever <3"

1 taxidermizing humans is illegal and 2 WHAT

he is cold sweating wtf did he get himself into

when he comes to your house for the first time and sees a bunch of bones, animal skins and wet specimens he damn near passes the fuck out

how do you just casually have dead things and remains around your house!?

AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MADE YOUR COFFEE TABLE OUT OF CAMEL BONES?

he is freaking the fuck out and you're just like "dw everything is ethically sourced :D"

yeah he thinks you're a freak and he is too fearful to break up with you ever (not like he was planning to anyways)

Illumi Zoldyck

whatever drew Illumi to you had to have been some type of power

aside from that power, to Illumi you were relatively normal and had a good grip on your emotions which made you a perfect candidate

that being said he could care less what your job was, you'd just end up working for or with him eventually

when he started bringing you around the estate, you often sought out their guard dog Mike and Illumi couldn't think of why

that is until you came back one day with a human femur and bright smile on your face

"... where did you even get that?" "From one of Mike's victims. If I collect enough I could make a whole set of bar stools!"

he blinked at you and chose to ignore your statement

i mean, to each their own am i right?

so you have ah hobby, big deal

Illumi just thinks you're pretty normal personality wise until you randomly but casually drop information about what you do in your free time or have in your home

so now whenever he has a job Illumi calls you in for cleanup

you get to do.... whatever it is you do and there's no evidence of a dead body left behind, it's a win win

Chrollo Lucilfer

he couldn't care less what your job is because it's probably not worse than his 😭

he didn't really notice anything "morbid" about you until he asked about your jewlery

you wore things like resin caster bug pendants or bird skull earrings and stuff

he just assumed they were fake and you bought them because they looked badass

but then you told him you make it all YOURSELF

he is intrigued

he doesn't really question you past that because you were probably buying the bones and stuff somewhere (spoiler alert you're not)

what really caused him to think was when you casually just picked up a dead rat off the floor in some abandoned building you were exploring and suck it in your pocket

bro was so confused

"What do you need that for?" "To make a new necklace :3"

yeah now he knows that your odd taste in jewelry goes deeper than just that

he won't judge you though, if anything you're a better person than he is considering you don't kill things yourself

he is literally a murderer and a thief and has committed like 3467633788 crimes so he couldn't judge even if he wanted to

so now when he sees dead animals and what not he bags them up and brings them to you

he likes to sit in on your cleaning and making process

you seem like a perfectly normal and sweet person to everyone else but Chrollo knows about your freaky little hobby and it just makes him like you even more

Feitan Portor

I feel like for you and Feitan to even be acquainted you have to be part of the troupe

whatever you do outside of it is your business

buttttttt since you are his s/o and Feitan is probably homeless he crashes wherever you are

thus him finding out about your hobby and other job

out of everyone on this list he is the most interested

he too is a morbid little freak

he goes with you to find things and will help you with the cleaning/taxidermy or whatever process if you let him

what he doesn't understand though is why you don't just kill the things you want instead of hunting for already dead things

sometimes he will go catch like a squirrel or something and bring it back to you like a cat and tell you he found it like that

Fei baby. No the fuck you didn't

after doing what you're doing for so long you can tell what caused an animal to die but you wouldn't tell him that

he's just so cute and wants to be supportive of your hobby <3

[maboroshi-no]

Hamefura LN14 Chapter 5 (End) Summary

I am currently reading Hamefura LN14 and will post summaries as I read.

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1: The Encounter at the Party: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Chapter 2: What Dark Magic Is: Part 1 Part2 Chapter 3: The Domain Where Cyrus Was Born and Raised: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Chapter 4: To the Forest's Depths!

Chapter 5: Let's Go Back to the Ministry of Magic

Raphael Properly Reports About Sarah

The next day, Raphael tells Cyrus he gave a false report yesterday. He properly tells him what he knows about Sarah and that she might have run away because she felt shaken after seeing him. Katarina has accompanied Raphael because he asked her.

Cyrus tells Raphael he can understand why he felt shaken given his history and he won't blame him for that. But as a Ministry member, he doesn't think it was right for him to retain important information and give a false report. He asks him to be careful next time. Raphael replies he will.

Cyrus will process the details of yesterday's events.

Cyrus and Maria Have Become Closer

Maria tells Cyrus she has slept well and now feels considerably better. She thanks him with a bright smile for all he did yesterday.

Cyrus is still overprotective of Maria, which makes her feel obliged. 

Katarina thinks Cyrus is an overly caring person in the first place. After all, he constantly worries about her. It's just that he couldn't interact with Maria before because he was uncomfortable with women and she is his first love. But yesterday, he was so drastic as carrying Maria princess-style all the time, so he can probably interact with her now. His natural overly caring temperament is written on his face and he fussily worries about her.

He may be able to face Dewey now.

And the hardworking Maria who is not good at relying on people has started to rely more on Cyrus. Now she asks him to teach her about work more often and they are seen more together.

Since at first glance, Cyrus and Maria look good together, the household people warmly watch over them. Only Haru seems sad when she sees them.

Katarina, Sora, Laura, and Haru Help With Restoring the Fields 

Haru was originally supposed to return to her family right away, but she has offered the Lanchester family to help restore the damaged fields as thanks for looking after her. As a result, she will stay for a while.

Katarina, Sora, and Laura also help with the fields' restoration because they are bad at writing reports.

They go to the fields. They are such in a bad state that they need to till them again and clean up the half-eaten crops.

Now, they are helping a rice farmer who needs to harvest rice. Katarina is motivated not only because she knows it is a difficult job for the rice farmer, but also because she feels excited about harvesting rice for the first time in her current life.

The old rice farmer praises Katarina's skills in harvesting rice. Katarina enjoys the praise. She is glad because it is the first time she can use her experience from her past life.

Haru agrees that she is so good at it that it doesn't look like her first time. Katarina enjoys the praise again. Haru is really good at harvesting rice since she comes from Sharma.

The old farmer tells Katarina that given her skills, he'd like to ask her to help plant the new seedlings next month. Katarina instantly accepts but Sora reminds her they will probably be back to the Ministry of Magic by then.

The old farmer is sad and apologizes. He didn't think Katarina was part of the Ministry of Magic since she seemed comfortable here. He thought she was a girl from town. Katarina also apologizes: she felt so comfortable here that she forgot that she needed to go back to the Ministry. The old farmer and Haru laugh and Sora makes a shocked expression.

While holding many rice plants, Laura asks the farmer if she can carry them somewhere. The old farmer says yes.

The old farmer dazzlingly gazes at Laura carrying so many rice plants. He is glad that he could get their help this year. There are no young people in the area so farmwork is always so difficult.

Katarina tells him it is a shame since there is abundant nature and the food is delicious here.

The old farmer is happy that Katarina feels that way. When he was young, he also found the countryside boring because there was nothing there, but once he went to the city, he missed the region and ended up returning here. He likes the abundant nature and the kind people here.

Katarina thinks young people would understand the good sides of the region if they came here. But she wonders what could bring them here.

Katarina thinks the farmers should spread the region's food products a little more. After all, she became addicted to Sharma food after tasting it for the first time here. They should determine the region's selling points and appeal to people with them.

Laura overhears the conversation and agrees with Katarina. She would like them to appeal the region's food and if possible, spread it to the royal capital.

The old farmer blinks his eyes in surprise. He is so used to the food here that he didn't think about it. He will bring it up to the farmers association next time.

Katarina is looking forward to the day Japanese food arrives in the royal capital.

The old farmer tells everyone they can stop here and thanks them. He will have some rice delivered to them once he has finished processing them.

Katarina is happy that she will get new rice.

Sora tells Katarina the paperwork and the restoration of the fields are mostly finished, so they will probably leave for the Ministry tomorrow or the day after.

Katarina is disappointed.

To make her feel better, Laura tells her nothing has been decided yet.

Haru feels sad that they will leave soon since she had fun restoring the fields with them.

Katarina asks Haru if she will stay in Victoire a little longer.

Haru replies she will indeed stay a little longer and then go back since her family is worried.

Katarina tells Haru she will have a feast prepared for her if she comes to the royal capital again. 

Haru looks forward to it.

Katarina and Haru exchanges their addresses so they can send each other letters.

Last Evening At Cyrus's Home

Katarina, Sora, and Laura return to Cyrus's home.

Just like Sora has anticipated, Cyrus tells them they have finished the paperwork and fields' restoration, so they will return to the Ministry of Magic tomorrow. Katarina feels dejected that she won't have her new rice.

Since it is her last meal here, Katarina is stuffing herself during dinner. She doesn't care if she will have to rush to the bathroom afterward.

After dinner, Katarina rushes to the bathroom. After she is done, she sees Cyrus discreetly inviting Haru to go to the terrace. 

Katarina wonders why she always sees people on the terrace after going to the bathroom. Maybe people often uses it and she only notices them when she goes out of the bathroom?

Cyrus Rejects Haru

Cyrus tells Haru he has someone he loves despite what he told her at the party. While he isn't in an intimate relationship with the person, he can't get engaged and even less marry another woman.

Cyrus has firmly looked at Haru when he said this.

Haru tells Cyrus she already knows. She has realized who he has feelings for after watching him in the manor.

Katarina isn't surprised Haru knows. Haru has always looked so sad when she watched Cyrus and Maria. Maria told Haru the night before they arrived in the domain that she would support her, but Maria seems to have forgotten about it because of the mission. Haru didn't go to Cyrus herself and has just been watching them with a sad look.

Cyrus is shocked that Haru has known about his feelings.

Haru replies she knew and thus understood that she couldn't be the one. 

Katarina expects Haru to get mad at Cyrus for lying to her about not being in love with anyone, but…

Haru (dignified tone): I am praying for you to marry and be happy with the one you love.

Haru's words seems to be her true feelings.

Haru dignifiedly leaves in the opposite direction from Katarina. She looks beautiful but Katarina can't help feeling pain in her chest.

Katarina thinks Haru was most likely the rival character in Cyrus's route. She said the same words Mary said in Fortune Lover 1. Katarina found these words beautiful and cool when she played the game, but when they come from a real person, they feel sad and painful.

Katarina looks at Cyrus. He also seems pained while gazing outside from the terrace.

Katarina returns to her room in a sad mood and goes to sleep.

The Departure

The next day, everyone comes out in the garden after finishing the preparations for their return trip. Cyrus's family and Tylor are seeing them off. Haru is not here.

Cyrus's mother has prepared lots of food and sweets for Katarina to bring back as souvenirs. Katarina is incredibly happy. But the amount is too much for the carriage, so Katarina sadly has to reduce it.

The new rice for Katarina couldn't be prepared on time. Cyrus's mother promises Katarina to send it to her in the royal capital no matter what. Katarina happily thanks her. Cyrus's mother is happy that Katarina enjoys their food so much. She tells Katarina she will send food to her through Cyrus. Katarina is overjoyed but Cyrus has mixed feelings about this.

Everyone departs in the following groups: Maria, Cyrus, and Raphael in the first carriage, and Katarina, Laura, and Sora in the second one.

While gazing at the scenery, Katarina sees a woman in the fields waving at her. It is Haru. Katarina shouts good bye at her from the window and waves at her with all her might.

Back to the Ministry

The next day around noon, everyone has safely arrived at the Ministry. As usual, the whole gang is here to welcome Katarina. Katarina is glad her friends always make time to welcome her after her missions despite their busy schedules.

Katarina would like to catch up with everyone but Cyrus tells her "Report first!" and starts dragging her to Larna's office. The gang tells Katarina they will wait for her.

It is now report time with Larna. Katarina expects the report to be short since Cyrus has probably prepared their report. Unfortunately, Larna is extremely curious about the dragons and keeps firing questions about their sizes, their moves, etc. As a result, the report takes more time than Katarina expected.

After everyone has become worn out after Larna's questions, Cyrus asks Larna to stop for today and continue tomorrow. Larna is a bit dejected.

When everyone leaves her office, Larna discreetly moves towards Katarina and tells her she will create an opportunity to talk about "the story from the other day" once things calm down.

Katarina deeply nods in understanding.

Katarina Tells Her Friends How She Defeated a Dragon

When Katarina leaves Larna's office, her friends are rushing to her. They have borrowed a room and prepared sweets and tea for her there. They can all enjoy a tea party since Katarina will have the rest of the day off, but they can't stay for too long since they are busy with work.

Katarina tells everyone with gestures how she defeated the dragon.

Geordo is shocked by Katarina's dangerous actions.

Keith tells Katarina she should think before acting.

Alan is amazed by Katarina's actions.

Mary is shocked by Katarina's dangerous actions.

Sophia tells Katarina she was like a knight in a story.

Nicol is glad Katarina could come out safely of the mission.

After Katarina has finished her story, everyone has tired and dejected expressions on their faces. They make a big sigh.

Geordo can't believe Katarina even though he told her so many times not to put herself in danger or be reckless before she left.

Keith thinks Katarina's definition of reckless might be different from theirs.

Alan agrees since it appears she doesn't consider it reckless to fight a dragon alone.

Mary is so glad Katarina is unharmed.

Sophia wished she could have seen Katarina fight the dragon.

Nicol asks Sophia not to add to it else it will become troublesome.

Katarina can tell her friends are worried about her fighting a dragon alone.

Katarina tells everyone she had no choice but to fight the dragon. Besides, Raphael properly protected her with his wind magic.

Geordo sharply reacts to it: if Raphael protected her, does it mean she really was in danger?! She said before there was no danger!

Katarina explains the dragon breathed out dark mist at her at the very end. 

Everyone is horrified.

Keith wonders how Katarina could tell there was no problem during the mission. He really wonders what is inside her head.

Alan can't believe she said there was absolutely no danger. He is amazed by her optimistic thinking.

Mary asks Katarina to be very careful. She doesn't understand how Katarina can be so reckless.

Sophia would have loved to see the dragon breathe out dark mist… wait, no, Katarina was undoubtedly in danger. 

Nicol tells Katarina she should really think about her actions if even Sophia says it was dangerous.

Katarina apologizes to everyone for making them worried.

Geordo tells her with a black smile that if she keeps acting recklessly and putting herself in danger, he will confine her in a room.

Katarina feels a shiver running down her spine.

Katarina tells everyone she will be careful.

Everyone lectures Katarina. Everyone's stand is "We understand that it couldn't be helped since it was a mission from the Ministry. But because you didn't recognize danger, you happily thrust yourself into it and then told the story like a heroic tale." In other words, Katarina needs to properly recognize danger and act accordingly. She will be careful next time.

Katarina properly tells everyone "I am home". Everyone tells her "Welcome back" in return. Katarina feels like she has really returned home.

Everyone enjoys the tea party. They end it after about an hour since some of them need to leave because of work.

Geordo Wants to Ride in the Same Carriage as Katarina

Geordo: Why are Mary and Sophia riding in the same carriage as Katarina?

Geordo's lips are twitching.

Mary (elegant smile): Oh? Since we are returning home as well, we will ride together for part of the way. Prince Geordo, Prince Alan, Lord Nicol, you still have work to do, don't you? Please get into your carriages and go to work.

Geordo: In that case, I will also ride with her for part of the way and go to work.

Mary: Oh? But the carriage won't hold so many people.

Geordo: Alright. Then Keith, please get off.

Keith: Huh, why would I?! This is the carriage home to Claes Manor, I can't not ride it! So, no.

Mary: Lord Nicol, Prince Alan, Prince Geordo appears to feel lonely if he rides alone in a carriage, so please ride with him.

Geordo: Eh, what are you talking about, Mary?! This is not…

Nicol: Oh, is that so? I understand, Geordo. Let's ride in the same carriage.

Geordo: W-Wait! That's not it! Nicol, and you too Alan, why are you grabbing my arms?!

Mary: Prince Alan, please take him away.

Alan: …Okay.

Geordo: Alan, how much did she discipline you?! Wait! Katarina is my fiancéeeeee…

Geordo says this while being taken away. 

Katarina, Keith, Mary, and Sophia ride in the carriage going to Claes Manor.

Mary is making a triumphant face.

Katarina continues talking about her trip inside the carriage.

Katarina feels exhausted and starts dozing off. Mary offers to lend her shoulder so she can sleep. Katarina gladly accepts and falls asleep.

Fortune Lover 2 Dream

Katarina is dreaming about Acchan playing Fortune Lover 2.

Acchan is playing Cyrus's route. Katarina finds it timely since she has just returned from Cyrus's hometown.

Maria is telling Cyrus she can defeat "it" with light magic.

Cyrus tells Maria he will protect her so she won't have a single scratch.

Katarina figures it must be a battle scene. Cyrus and Maria are saying mostly the same things as during the Cezar scene before.

FL!Katarina appears and tells the two that Cerberus will crush them.

FL!Katarina makes a dragon appear.

Katarina is surprised to see the dragon they defeated a few days ago.

There is only one dragon, but Cerberus is on the enemy side.

The dragon and Cerberus attack Maria and Cyrus. Maria fires light magic at them.

Katarina recognizes the spell Maria used to fight the dragon. She saw that scene in reality.

Maria defeats Cerberus and the dragon with her light magic. FL!Katarina is arrested.

Katarina realizes their mission in Victoire was the Cyrus event just before his happy end.

Katarina wakes up shouting "Aaah, it was close~". Mary, Sophia, and Keith are surprised and ask her is something is wrong. Katarina replies she was just sleeptalking.

Katarina realizes that without her knowing, a doom flag was awaiting her during her mission. She has neglected thinking about her doom flags because of the dark organization. Things could have turned ugly. She needs to brace herself since she still has doom flags awaiting her.

Katarina shouts that she will do her best. Keith, Mary, and Sophia suggest that she go to sleep early because she is undoubtedly tired.

Katarina parts with Mary and Sophia.

Katarina has returned to the manor. She initially planned to have a mental meeting to think about measures against her doom flags, but since she is tired, she decides she needs to rest first.

Katarina goes to bed and instantly falls asleep.

??? POV

T/N: This scene is really unclear to me because I really can't tell who the person is or what they are talking about. 

The POV person hears lots of distant screams. They regain consciousness in the darkness.

When they look around, everything has changed. They guess a lot of time must have passed. They wonder how much time has passed since they were asleep, and also what happened to "that".

They will gather their consciousness and fill their body with it. 

They will return to the surface / this world to confirm what happened to "that" and what these screams were about. To keep their promise to that person.

[jubileemon]

Striker having a more comedic tone in "Western Energy" is because we are seeing him in the privacy of his own home, where the only supposed witness (Stolas) to his less intimidating quirks is going to be dead anyway. Stella altered the hit dragged things out until M&M showed up. Suddenly, him gouging out Stolas' eyes makes a whole lot more sense.

He doesn't want anyone else describing what his home looks like and how he acts outside of his professional side in "Harvest Moon Festival". "Oops" further adds to this idea, as, when he's back out in the field, he's much more serious and threatening once again.

Striker wanting to get hired by Crimson makes sense considering what we saw of his home life two episodes ago. He's not even living in a house, just an old mine tunnel, meaning that he's most likely well below the poverty line. By working for a mobster, Crimson could easily keep the jobs flowing, and Striker would have a steady source of income.

Striker's sanity slippage makes a lot more sense when you look at his track record seen on the show. For someone who is shown to be and sells himself as the ace, he has lost to a washed up circus clown turned gunman, two Imps he'd written off as weak and the same clown turned gunman while another clown kept him distracted. These are people who, on paper, Striker could snap like twigs, and yet he just can't seem to win against them.

To add insult to injury, Striker keeps getting relentlessly mocked with kink humor and it's all chipping away at his cowboy machismo. No wonder he's becoming feral with rage.

Another reason why he loses to them is that I.M.P uses every trick both in and out of the book to get an advantage. He could do fine with against other serious opponents but against walking mental nutcases? He just keeps getting blindsided by their tactics and antics that no sane person would have done.

[000yul]

some thoughts on the chinese title of here a people sows: 怀黍离

oh boy is this title loaded with meaning. i'm not an expert or anything, so this is just my own personal speculation and research.

event spoilers below

first of all, getting the low-hanging fruit out of the way, 黍 is shu's name, meaning millet.

黍离 ('millet droops low') is a poem from 诗经, an ancient collection. and by ancient, i do mean old as balls—it dates from the 11th to the 7th century BCE. here's two different translations of the poem in question. from the first link:

Millet with grain droops low; Sorghum attends the blade. So slowly I go through; My heart is so dismayed. He who knows me says I'm distraught. He who doesn't asks if I'm seeking aught. O vast, almighty blue sky, Who on earth caused this and why?  Millet with grain droops low; Sorghum is in the ear. So slowly I go through; My heart feels drunk and drear. He who knows me says I'm distraught. He who doesn't asks if I'm seeking aught. O vast, almighty blue sky, Who on earth caused this and why?  Millet with grain droops low; Sorghum is in the grain. So slowly I go through; My heart is choked with pain. He who knows me says I'm distraught. He who doesn't asks if I'm seeking aught. O vast, almighty blue sky, Who on earth caused this and why?

well! that's pretty depressing! the themes of grief basically jump out! apt for a woman who trapped herself in a thousand-year purgatory of self-destruction! there's no way she didn't know what planting those northern seeds would do there's no way

next, on 离. in the poem above, 离 is used to describe the grain (drooping), but the far more common every day meaning of the word is 'depart.' so, 黍离 - shu's departure. (i don't think 离 on its own alludes to death, but given that shu's death and departure are inextricable in the story, i can't think of one without thinking of the other...)

now, 怀. to think of; to keep in your heart. a sentimental remembrance. now this is nastily ironic considering the nature of how the sui siblings die (really hard to kill but if they do die they're forgotten, to the extent that even their works disappear from the earth).

before we put it all together. back to the poem

the first link from above has some additional historical context: the poem is about a millet field that has taken the place of an old, dilapidated imperial palace. it's a lament on lost glory, so i wonder if the choice of poem is also meant to allude to sui itself (the lost imperial palace to shu's millet field). i'm actually hesitant about this conclusion, because it's not actually clear to me that any of the siblings yearn for that past glory over all else—even wang. (ji is sentimentally motivated, and more benign than he appears at first glance, though he's still a grey kinda guy. wang's motivations are wrapped up in grief, and we don't know entirely what went down with jie, the dead sister, still, but it almost feels at times that wang wants freedom for the sui siblings more than anything else. but freedom is tied to power is tied to glory, so...)

one more thing. I'm assuming millet droops when it's just about ready to harvest, so i feel like there's an additional bittersweet layer to all of this, of the past, long-lost glory being replaced by something humble, but important and practical—a fruitful harvest for all. sui's grand power, harnessed by yan (in this case, shu in particular)...

so, the various possible meanings of 怀黍离, put together:

remembering shu's departure

in memory of shu?

remembering the drooping millet (and by extension, what it has replaced)

anyway, this is all just me trying to put pieces together. these thoughts aren't particularly organised but what the hell. if you read to the end, cheers

[chemicalarospec]

okay so! I have some relatives who own a winery and I’ve visited a few times. Here’s some general facts and observations regarding Dawn Winery in Genshin Impact that may help fic writers or just be interesting to fans:

The Location

you need a LOT of acreage to have enough grapes to run a self-sustaining winery. My dad likes to point out that any cutesy wineries in our area (not a grape climate) must import their grapes, and their small fields are just for show/to supplement it. The Dawn Winery has a frankly PITIFUL amount of vineyards for “Mondstadt’s biggest winemaker”. One relative has a vanity/personal vineyard at their house and it's the same size or slightly bigger than Dawn Winery's vineyards. I think it’d be cool if you mentally sized up the vineyards, and tbh I see this less “missing” and more like… just done by the nature of Genshin being a video game, if you know what I mean. Like the same way the Dawn Winery is the ONLY Winery in Mondstadt, and Springville is the only town.

apparently my family has a website and theirs is 95 hectares (235.5 acres). Here is a picture:

the next thing missing is vats: the wine needs to be stored somewhere. My tours of the winery mainly consisted of looking at many giant metal vats. Genshin obviously has a historical aesthetic that these don’t match, so I think there would be rows of big Oak barrels (think a little bit taller than a tall man — my relatives had a few for fun). You are NOT making wine or even storing long-term in those tiny barrels outside -- those are probably holding wine to export, if they're holding wine.

I think Diluc’s house is canonically the winery… which… just… where is the wine being made? The basement? The family winery has a hole in the ground for drainage. Diluc has a carpet. You just don’t make massive quantities of wine in well-decorated cozy house. Maybe he has a REALLY big cellar.

A funny idea I got due to the lack of grapes and lack of fermentation equipment is that the Dawn Winery is just a "display" place to be like, the image of their brand and all the winemaking is done elsewhere.

I didn't know this but Germany apparently produces a sizable amount of wine. According to Wikipedia, they are more acidic, as grapes ripen less in Germany's colder climate. Due to my connection to the French, I personally like Mondstadt to have a Mediterranean-like climate, with mild winters and rare snow, but do what you like.

More information about the harvest/winemaking process under the cut!

The Process

Making wine actually requires a lot of chemistry knowledge. When I first drafted this post, the wiki said Diluc’s not interested in the wine-making side of things (but is assumed to have aptitude in it) and some NPCs run that side of the business. I can't find complete evidence of that now, but it's still implied Elzer actually runs the place. Given that Diluc bartends and fights crime, he probably doesn't have a lot of time to devote to the winery.

Harvest season (about 6 weeks, around September) is VERY busy because you must get all the grapes off the vines quickly, before they rot.

Before harvesting tractors, people would be seasonally hired to collect them using wooden sticks & baskets. In Genshin, there's probably creative ways for Ameno, Dendro, and other Visions to be useful here.

In the fields and the winery itself, my dad would work a lot during this time. I'm not 100% sure what he did during 16 hour work days, but I do know the general idea was “processing tons and tons of grapes,” so lots of manual labor. There were also lots of pumps and valves involved.

Okay I asked my dad and this is the winemaking process: the grapes are dumped in this corkscrew machine that remove leafs and twigs, and then a cylindrical de-stemmer (this is part of a "modern reception" my relatives brag about on their webpage, so in Genshin they'd probably do it by hand?)… I think the juice drainage goes to making white wine (I just searched that up and it’s true??? go me).

(Wikipedia has an article that's both helpful and confusing if you want to know more.)

Red wine gets its color from the skins, so they're pressed and filtered after fermentation, while it's the other way around for white. That process is to remove all the seeds and skin, which you then must dispose of. In Genshin, a Geo vision could help with the crushing.

The grapes go into massive open-air containers to ferment. The fermentation containers CANNOT be inside, because they release a lot of CO2 so you would straight up die. After fermentation, the wine is moved to sealed off vats/barrels for aging and storage. (So my earlier bullet point about vats & barrels... keep this in mind; you couldn't just put raw grape juice in a barrel in the basement and except to run the business next year.)

did a quick search and whites are fermented chill (helps them to smell nice), reds warmer, whites take longer than reds, and while it takes a few weeks to ferment a wine, it's usually sold at least a year after harvest to age it a little.

Other

My dad noted that the winery is very seasonal -- there is equipment that is not used at all for part of the year, and then very frequently at another time.

The Ragnvindr "Family" business would be on the other side of this than my family, but smaller wineries will produce "generic" reds and whites and sell them in bulk to bigger companies, which will apply their own label to them (I think they usually mix them with the "genuine").

My relatives named a bottling of wine after their grandson. I just think that's cute.

I read an article once about vineyard falcons -- they are used to protect the grapes from smaller birds. So Diluc's bird has a purpose!

(tagging @blooming-cecilia @valberryventi and @autumnpens because you were interested!)

[balkanradfem]

On agriculture, sustainability of cities, and monocrops.

So if you've lived in the countryside, or even seen a rural village on a map, you know how it's set up. There's a road, the area around the road is peppered with houses, and then behind every house, there's several fields growing grains, beans and potatoes. Most often, there's also a little vegetable garden in the back yard, and sometimes a few chickens, goats, or a sheep. Around the fields, there are forests, and every clearing in the forest is growing something, even if it's just grass that is set to be cut into hay.

It's clear where these people's food comes from, and how big of an area it takes to grow it. It's visible just by monitoring, that for one family it takes a field of wheat, potatoes, smaller area for beans, a vegetable garden, and corn or a similar grain for their animals. It makes sense, these people have inherited the land that can feed them, and they do it. The forests are used for firewood, but also replanted, there are new trees constantly planted, and only old, dangerous and rotten trees are felled.

And then you look at a city, and it doesn't make sense. The area is more densely populated, but there are no fields, no grains, no vegetable gardens, no chickens. So how do they eat?

The answer is �� the fields are elsewhere. They're planted far from view. And the food is brought to the people, instead of grown where they live. Isn't that a bit inconvenient? The people in the city don't think so. They make a lot of money, and they can have food delivered to them. But what does it take to produce the food for a densely populated city? That's where we meet agriculture.

In order to produce massive amounts of food, enough to feed an entire city, you'll need a big amount of agricultural land. And, you'll need that food produced cheaply enough, so that when people buy it, there is some profit for you as well. So, you'll want to own a big area of land that is yours to do with as you please, and you'll need big machines, so you don't have to pay for human labour, and all of the profits go to you.

Now, the big machines that harvest food do not work like human hands do – they do not differentiate one plant from another. If you want a machine to harvest your field, your field has to grow 1 single type of crop. Otherwise, your harvest will be a mess, and it will take additional, expensive work to separate usable crops from waste. So, you create massive fields with only one type of plant growing on them.

I remember looking at big fields of wheat or corn, and thinking, neat! That's so much food growing! And it looks so clean and well grown! I don't have those thoughts anymore, sadly. The reality of a whole field growing only one type of plant, is now upsetting to me.

The thing with natural, wild fields is, they feed the wildlife. They have flowers that open even in the winter and early spring, and then continue to produce different types of flowers throughout the entire season, making sure bees have food all year long. They house different insects and good bacteria, they lure in birds, worms, ants, ladybugs, grasshoppers, butterflies, bumblebees, and all kinds of beneficial, lovely bugs. If there's a presence of water, you'll find frogs, dragonflies, and much more birds, who are there to feed on the insects and pick off the caterpillars. You might find a hedgehog, a snake, a turtle in there. All are coming because there are sources of life for them in that field, plants they can eat, or plants that bugs can eat, and bugs are then delicious resource to the animals. Bugs we consider pests, are also a great food resource for the birds and the animals, and their population is monitored and controlled by all of the other animals. Plants rarely get destroyed by pests, or they evolve to defend themselves, or to attract a predator who fends off of the pests.

Now, a field of let's say, only corn, doesn't do that. The corn is pollinated by wind, and the flowers of corn do not attract the bees. They do not serve as a home to many insects, and they do not make a good resource for the wildlife – until of course, they make the corn itself, which is then attractive to the birds. But they cannot sustain life for the entire year. There's only a short window when these crops can serve as source of food.

The area where corn will be planted, has to be tilled early in the winter or spring, making sure every life-giving plant in that area, is dead. Then, corn is planted, and then often weeded or sprayed with herbicide, if any other plant manages to grow inbetween. And they will grow, because no matter how hard you try to kill every weed, seeds are carried by the wind, by the birds, buried deep into the ground, some are capable of growing back from just one single piece of root. You cannot exterminate them, except, by herbicide. And that is what happens in monocultures – in order to fight nature to the point where you establish a monoculture, you have to distribute poison for plants.

After the monocrop is harvested, the field is left barren and void of life. There are no flowers, no food for bees, no hiding places for the insects to hibernate in. Some may hibernate deep in the soil, if they have not yet gotten poisoned, but most will not even bother, as there are no food sources in the area.

Have you noticed how wild fields do not get their soil depleted and  poor at any time? Year after year, the wild plants are growing anew, never losing nutrients, never lacking food. And there's a reason for this – the wild plants are left to wither, dry, lay flat on the ground, and then decompose. The bugs, worms, bacteria and insects in the ground use them as a food source, and after going thru their digestive systems, it decomposes and becomes soil again. This way, all of the nutrients, minerals and food they took from the soil while growing, comes back around, creating fertile ground for a new season.

But monocrops do not do that. Once harvested, the soil remains depleted, the waste products of grains are usually extremely low in nutrients, there are no bugs to aid composting, the space remains empty of minerals and nutrition the plants have absorbed. So what do you do to keep growing? You have to buy the nutrients and physically distribute them all over the field, in order for the next year's crop to grow again. This almost ensures that you will have to do this again and again, and that your crops will only be able to feed on whatever you put there, and will only have the minerals you yourself have put in the soil. The soil itself becomes void of life, because it's those worms and insects and bacteria that are keeping the soil alive and healthy, they're creating an ecosystem where plants love to grow, where a healthy balance of nutrients and air and water and compost and roots is kept. Your field cannot do it. You have given the soil nothing to live off of. There is only a single crop, and it doesn't support any life in the soil. It doesn't feed the beneficial bacteria, bugs, or animals.

But you know what it does feed? The pests. There will always be some types of bugs evolved specifically to feed on your crop, and once you plant your crop over several kilometers, you have given them a perfect food source, and they will not restrain from multiplying rapidly, enjoying what you provided. Your monocrop will start getting eaten at a rapid rate, unless, you spray it with pesticide. So you do, you have to, there are no birds, predatory bugs, animals, or any other kind of natural pest control that would do the work for you or stop the pests from multiplying uncontrollably. You have to poison your monocrop in order to protect it from getting eaten away.

Wild plants are usually good at fending off diseases, because they will cross-pollinate, and some will contain disease-resistant genes that ensure that the next generation of plants will grow stronger. Your monocrop, is carefully planted so only ever one type of plant is growing, same type of seed, protected from cross-pollination, same dna. So when a disease hits, there will be no resistance. Your plants will all get infected. If it's a bit too hot, or too cold, or a disaster hits, or a new type of bacteria attacks, your plants have no way of defending themselves, or evolving into a stronger, more disease-resistant versions of themselves. You'll have to develop a different type of plant on your own, and rely on chemicals again, to stop the disease, to save your plants. This is actually the reason why bananas as we know them, are soon to be extinct, and a new variety is being developed to replace them – they've all grown sick, and there's nothing that can be done to save them, except developing a different variety that will hopefully, be resistant to that disease (but not to a new one, repeating the cycle again and again.)

So, once you've secured your giant fields of monocrops, convenient for your big machines to work and harvest, you've started to notice that you have to spray the chemicals on your fields to fertilize the soil, then to kill of weeds, then to kill off pests, then to fend off disease, and you're in fact, spending a lot of money on all these chemicals that you are now completely dependent upon. And what happens next is, these chemicals start getting more and more expensive. Maybe the seeds prices are getting higher too. And now, you're in a situation where you don't have many options. You cannot grow the same volume of food without monocrops, and you can't sustain your practice with ever-higher prices it takes to grow in this unnatural, diversity-eliminating way. In the older times, people learned to rotate their crops, allowing the land to grow some wild plants and recover from the intense use of agriculture, but now you can't afford to own land that you are not actively using for profit.

This is why agriculture is getting less and less productive, and why we keep needing new agricultural land to grow on, the soil is getting depleted, and land unusable. This also caused by the wind erosion and sun erosion. While the crops are not growing, the land is barren, tilled, and left exposed to the sun, which dries the top layer, since there are no plants covering it, and then the wind dries it even more, dissipates it into tiny particles, and turns it into dust. Without constant and consistent rain – which is rarely available, the soil gets turned into dust. This is a hard lesson learned by the 'dust bowl' example, where the agriculture combined with drought created soil erosion so intense, the people couldn't see in the times of storms due to the dust, and would often get lost in their own fields.

Soil erosion and wind erosion can be mitigated by growing 'cover crops', meaning plants are allowed to grow, or are specifically sown in the times of year where the main crop isn't growing, so the sun and the wind could not deplete the top layer of soil. The plants also help keep the soil alive with insects, worms and bacteria, and keep moisture in, more effectively than the barren land could. Another solution for gardeners is mulching, covering the soil with a layer of organic matter, it can be leaves, hay, straw, pine needles, wood bark, wood chips, anything that will decompose and create food for insects, generate a protective layers from the sun and the wind, and keeps moisture inside. In combination with this, it's important to not till the soil. Tilling exposes several layers of soil to the elements and disrupts or completely destroys the established ecosystem inside. No-till and no-dig methods are protective of the health in soil, specifically for smaller areas.

For large areas, what helps the soil stay safe and properly structured is allowing wild plants to grow, which have deep, resilient roots. You know when you grow a plant in a pot, and you pull it out, it holds the entirety of the soil together, just with the roots? That is what the wild plants are doing as well. The deeper their roots, the better structure and stability of the soil will be. Deep roots can draw the water from deep inside of the soil and keep the moisture level even in a drought. Big trees are also a factor in keeping the soil structured and safe, for example, if you keep trees on the riverbank, their roots will protect the soil from being carried away and depleted by the water. If you were to remove the trees, the water would erode the soil of the riverbanks. They also protect the soil from getting blown away by the wind.

There is a problem of decreased availability of water. We have now extracted so much water from our planet, it's getting harder to find water sources for our crops. And there are thousands of kilometers of these monocrops, making sure that no wild life species can live in that huge area that was once wilderness. This resulted in many species being threatened into extinction, if not already extinct. Bees cannot live on agricultural land, because there is no food. And all of these areas are not being used to feed the people in the cities, no. The majority of agricultural land isn't even used to grow the crops for human consumption. The plant products that the people eat is about 20-30% of all of the crops we grow. The rest is growing crops that feed the animals meant for human consumption. And these fields need to grow crops sometimes for years, until the animal is heavy enough to be used as a source of food. Reducing animal products could easily reduce the amount of monocrops we need to sustain our food sources, by big percentages. But, we're not trying to do that. Instead, the demand is steadily rising up.

Thinking of this makes me wonder if big cities are ultimately, unsustainable. Growing food to be harvested by human hands enables incredible diversity, fertilizing with compost, manure, bone powder, fish meal, and rich organic fertilizers that can be distributed over smaller areas easily. No till gardens can preserve all of the healthy bacteria, insects, worms and ecosystems in the soil. Using mulch and cover crops to protect the land from sun and wind erosion, and to keep the moisture in, can stop soil depletion in those areas, and feed and protect the wildlife and life in the soil. Animals can be used as pest control and as a method of fertilizing – if you leave chickens, pigs, or cows to graze an area and leave manure behind, they will bring fertility to the land. But, you would not be able to grow the amount of food that would feed an entire city, not without it requiring a vast amount of human labour, which would make the food expensive, and unavailable to the poorest citizens.

But, we can't get rid of cities, so we have to keep developing healthier and more soil-protecting ways to grow big amounts of food, in order to create sustainable, resilient and secure sources of food for people living in all kinds of areas. Encouraging people to change their habits and eat less beef, lamb, poultry and animal products would help significantly, since the amount of food that needs to be grown would reduce by a lot. Encouraging people to grow their own food, in rich and diversity-preserving ways, also helps cut carbon emissions by a lot, since this food no longer needs to be shipped and transported. Having people understand how their food is grown, what it takes to produce, and what is lost in the process, might inspire them to change their habits, and put more effort into reducing waste. Because even after destroying all that wildlife and diverse ecosystems – 20 to 30% of that food is simply thrown away. Food that people grow themselves is most often, never thrown away, because then it is a prized produce, something they worked hard on, something they treasure. In case of a spoiled produce, it gets composted right back into the soil, making the waste non-existent.

Home grown food is often at least somewhat affected by bugs and pests, and that is normal. It's a sign of the food being healthy, unpoisoned, and obviously a great food source, since the bugs are all for it. I've noticed home-gardeners, who understand how pests work, feel skeptical about the store-bought food, just because it being so pest free is in fact, unnatural. 'What did you do to it, so the bugs didn't want it?' opens up the answers of how far one needs to go to make the produce undesirable and uninteresting to bugs. You need to go as far as convince them that this is not a good food source anymore. And the bugs acknowledge it, and go find food elsewhere. And we often have no choice, but to buy that exact same food.

Food grown for selling in stores has proved to be less nutritious, grown merely for the visual appeal, storage and transportation, rather than taste. This is why, after eating store-bought produce, homegrown will taste infinitely better, sweeter, with more intense flavour and noticeably better nutrition.

What we'll need to do is spread awareness, learn about the cost of our food, and change our habits to make it less damaging on the planet. We can also try growing food. Make barren areas into wildlife again. Build ponds to attract birds, animals and bugs. We can try making diverse no-till gardens where all of the different varieties grow on top of each other, together with flowers and weeds and mushrooms. Make it a place for birds, ladybugs and bees to gather. Make it friendly to little mice, frogs, lizards and butterflies. We might just help save some of the dying species on this planet.

[undeadorion]

I will never understand the people who are super hard core anti-animal product. They will act like it's about protecting animals, but like with so many other things it's hardcore black and white no nuance no exceptions no context.

These are the people who insist you can't even have honey because you're stealing it from bees. Or worse, think it's made FROM bees. Or that you have to kill sheep to harvest wool, ignoring there's a difference between wool and sheepskin. Or worse, the people who insist on feeding carnivore pets a vegan diet.

Yes, there are a LOT of areas where animal products are genuinely evil. Luxury fur, for instance. Entire coats made from chinchilla fur. That shit's evil.

Yes, there are issues with the meat industry with how animals are treated. But not everyone is capable of just giving up meat, be it for dietary or financial reasons. It's frankly ableist to expect that. Just a vegetarian diet can be difficult to maintain sometimes, and a vegan diet is especially difficult. Due to my particular health situation I need absurd amounts of protein every day. I can get there easily with meat or eggs and dairy. But not with beans and vegetables alone. That's just not how my body works.

Then there's the human toll that they get REAL mad if you question. If they're so concerned about the treatment of animals in the production of food, why aren't they concerned with the treatment of field workers who help produce all those vegetables? Even their precious organic products have a human cost. If they got their dream of the entire world suddenly going vegan, what happens to all of those employees and farmers in the meat and animal product industries? Someone who's been running a generations long diary farm can't suddenly switch to producing corn. That's just not how things work.

Okay, so you don't want to think about that aspect. What about the human cost in literally every industry? The damage to the very earth and eco system to produce the oil that becomes the plastic that is the replacement for leather. Or of the workers in the fields to produce cotton? The sheer amount of waste created because you think leather is the devil, but a good pair of leather boots will last someone decades where any alternative will last a few years at most, if not merely a few months.

I went to a school that lived by these principles. I ended up getting sick because meat was rarely offered in the cafeteria and things I thought were dairy weren't. We had a bedbug infestation because those little shits are immune to anything but the harshest chemicals, but the school refused to use anything that wasn't ultra gentle and natural. The infestation was so bad, my entire dorm floor was quarantined. We could only take a few days worth of clothes and had to shower under guard like fucking prisoners so we could hand off our dirty clothes to be sanitized. Then they sanitized everything in our rooms, damaging most of it in the process. Using heat so intense it melted anything made of fleece, for example. I failed several assignments because I wasn't allowed to take my homework and had limited computer access. But it was more important they didn't use harsh chemicals to treat the problem once. They had to put students through this ordeal EVERY YEAR.

If your reason for being vegetarian or vegan is purely an ethical one and it doesn't also encompass the human suffering brought on by related industries and practices to your own lifestyle, you're just doing it for the clout and may actually be a fucking asshole.

[boabelboo]

bel please save us with the REAL d9 lore they just don’t get it 😭

okay this may take a while to answer bc of the sheer amount of hcs and the fact i have school so im rlly sorry for that 😭

D9 HC MASTERPOST!!!

industry

district nine is one of the three agricultural districts of panem, specialising in the farming of grain. it has three main branches of it's industry - farming, transport and processing.

most people in district nine work farming, which consists of long days manually harvesting in fields with little to no rest. there are multiple professions under this branch, such as harvester and tractor driver. people working in this area are from ages fourteen up.

transport is seen as a prestigious job in district nine, as travel is very limited within the district. travel jobs consist of carrying grain manually to mills, or transporting it via vehicle.

and lastly, processing is the more inside-based job. people in the processing industry work in large mills and factories processing the grain ready for consumption from the masses. a small section of processors are bakers, turning the grain into district or capitol loaves to be shipped around panem.

other common merchant professions in district nine are: alcohol brewer, bar owner and other various fresh-food stores for the richer people from nine.

nobody under the age of fourteen is allowed to work, though there are ways they can get past this rule. private farms (meaning the money made from farming doesn't go to the district, and are therefore illegal) usually rely on younger children (10-13) from the families/relatives of the owners to do smaller jobs.

locale

the population of district nine is considerably small compared to its size. this means inhabitants usually live in dilute areas nearest their workplaces. houses are usually either brick or wooden and are hut-shaped and small. the wood is very inconvenient considering the amount of fires district nine gets, but it's the cheapest material the district can afford.

the sheer size of the district is due to its surplus of fields, many of which house unstable land to farm on, so there are vast uninhabited spaces of plain that spread far across the district. those areas are particularly susceptible to tornadoes and wildfires, so people tend to stay away during the summer.

the reaping takes place in the town square, located in modern-day saskatchewan, which is dotted with merchant shops and speakeasies that expand out of the town square nearer the workplaces. the town square is quite large, and can definitely hold the population. in preparation for the reaping, citizens who live farther away from the town square will be boarded onto coaches the night before, and will arrive in time for the reaping.

geography

district nine is located in the modern day midwest and even reaches up to places in canada like manitoba. it consists of large plains and fields and is encircled by an uninhabitable forest that is rumored to be home to various capitol muttations.

working is most prosperous in the summer and spring, though morale is considerably lower because of the scorching weather. heatstroke and heat exhaustion is something very common among workers in district nine. proper doctors are almost something unheard of, so home remedies are usually used to treat these illnesses.

in the winter/autumn, some could say the district looks pretty. it never snows and the weather is rarely gray, but the district endures extreme cold temperatures, still having to work through the frost.

culture

district nine is the third poorest district of panem, which takes an extreme toll on its citizens. working conditions are poor and the physical labor is vigorous, which causes every-day exhaustion.

after working hours end, workers clock in to local bars and speakeasies, where they can watch theatre, music, dance and gymnastic performances. it's free entry, and the alcohol (if its available at the certain bar) is cheap with free refills.

this musical/performance culture allows citizens of district nine to feel free after hours of work. they tend to wear more colorful clothing (most district nine inhabitants make their own clothing, mainly using crochet or knitting) to celebrate the end of the working day and the beginning of a night.

district nine was one of the first districts to revolt during the first rebellion, outright refusing to work and cutting all trade shipments to the capitol, in an attempt to starve the capitol into submission.

ahh that's all i have 4 now, the research and actually typing this up alone took me ages, hope u like it!!

[sea-owl]

I find it so funny imagining how both the seasonal wives and season brothers act when its not their season. Like yeah you have here the Seasonal wives as cottagecore besties maybe frolicking in the fields doing watercolors and sewing and people watching (with the occasional blackmarketing) just them living their best life and on the other hand the brothers are screaming crying throwing up and GOING OFF at the most minor of inconveniences coz THEY. MISS. THEIR. WIVES. DAMMIT and why can't they live with their husbands huh??? They're married! They should live together! (They are mortal, you fools). But no amount of reason or logic is convincing them that they should be apart from their wives.

Cut to their season and the brother finally reunites with his wife and the first few weeks the wife literally has to pry their husband off of them coz he's stuck to her like glue and will not lift a finger to do their damn job unless his wife is within a cuddling distance (and to him that's like a few inches apart)

Just imagine the shenanigans and absolute chaos in all of this

The wives got to make an itinerary for when it's time for their season or nothings getting done. They don't expect to see their friend for the first month of their season.

Anthony is the most responsible of his brothers when it comes to balancing his need for his wife and actually doing his job. Probably has to do with the fact that he's the eldest of not only the brothers but all the Bridgerton siblings. His season is also the time of the harvest and last-minute hunting, and fishing before everything freezes, and some animals go to hibernate. Fertility also falls in Anthony's responsibilities with most animals mating during his season. That responsibility keeps him focused. But Kate is also there to make sure he relaxes and jumps into piles of leaves once in a while. She can help take part of his load or help be a stress relief. So long as her own temper is ignited.

Benedict is the absolute worst about doing his damn job. He doesn't want to work! He just wants to be with Sophie. More than once, Sophie had to withhold affection so that Benedict didn't rush winter in one storm and then call it good. She also made sure he actually made it snow during winter. While winter is tough, it is also a rest periord for the earth. The other wives did wish Sophie had put her foot down more about Benedict leaving on time, but it's his one bad habit she enables. She likes spending time with her husband, too.

Colin is actually the second most responsible when it comes to his season now, which is surprising because he used to he a total flight risk. Those super late springs and the springs that only seemed to last a week? Yeah, that was Colin avoiding his job. He used to hate that all he was known for was flowers and the nickname charming spring. It wasn't until Penelope pointed out to him that he actually brought life back to the earth that he took a double take at what his job really was. Yes, he brings life back and brings in new life as he helps with the births of animals who mated during fall. Now, that doesn't mean that sometimes he likes to play a joke in delaying spring just a little bit. Only now he hides away with his wife.

Gregory isn't bad about doing his job like Benedict, but he also isn't as strict as Anthony is. He wants to do a good job. He just sometimes goes a little overboard. Extreme heat is one issue he's working on. Gregory sometimes forgets that mortals don't feel the elements the same as immortals. Thankfully, Lucy is there to remind him should he need it, and if Gregory is confused if he is going overboard by mortal standards, he has Lucy to turn to to get a mortals perspective.

Though nothing prepares them for when the first wife dies.

[heavywithplot]

any chance you'd tell us more about John and the Harvester? 👀

even as someone who doesn't have strong opinions on mpreg, i find what little we know utterly FASCINATING

oh boy, okay, so it's like

to explain the whole harvest ritual thing that's going on, it's spinning together a couple of concepts, namely that the symbolic appearance of something in ritual is important for the intended effect. kind of like how in ye olde days (like, medieval/renaissance) for nobility, it wasn't that someone had to BE a virgin, but had to maintain an APPEARANCE of one in a high stakes political marriage (see lucrez/a borg/a) (so for it to work, john has to go through something like a pregnancy, but without doing the whole nine months and a baby part because its the symbolic appearance of it that matters for this)

the ritual itself is about how food harvests are necessary for a continuation of life, so a new harvest would require new life (or something representing new life) to continue. and harvests themselves are hard work, but so is living, so its analogous, ritually, to labor and birth. bringing forth new harvest (birth) to ensure a bountiful harvest (food) for the community (life).

the harvester is an old old old god who has always been where he is and this town was sort of came to life around him. you go where the land is fertile and the food is good, right? where else would that be than where an old god of a harvest is. the problem with old gods is that after awhile, people forget the names, which is where john comes in.

john is probably the first person in about five centuries who can actually see the harvester as he looks, and not just a person who's features you forget soon after or something that looks increasingly more wrong the longer you stare. john grew up around spooky stories and folklore traditions. he knows that you don't love a god like a person, you love a god by giving them something, with offerings and devotions, so: his body for ritual, which in turn let's the harvester act like the god of the land he is (the fuckin. pumpkin/whatever idol effigies that john gives birth to, they aren't a living thing, they're like the first crops of the season, so the harvester cracks them open and spreads the seeds to the fields)

(when he's not doing ritual devotions for an old harvest god, he works at a museum and writes for the local paper. he also gets coffee with the harvester on a semi regular basis and asks him questions about forgotten centuries of history)

(for context this is all set in some middle of fucking nowhere farm land town in new england. fields for miles, baby)

uhhhh. that's the general gist of it!! there's not a lot to it, the minor details change from ritual to ritual, I just really really wanted to create a setting where I could have a character get knocked up on the regular with enough flexibility to make it weirdly poetic or spooky scary depending on my mood hsshdhfhgh

[jeusussavearmyveteran1205]

ATTENTION WALMART SNOBS.

So I'm at Walmart and the only check out line is backed up and I overheard an associate say, “Oh, they are just too lazy to check themselves out! “

When I turned to look at the line I was furious.

Everyone in that line was well over 70 years old.

You listen here Mr. 20 something year old Walmart Associate.

These folks are the back bone of this country. These folks are not lazy. They were not born into a computer generation. While you were playing video games and learning to navigate a computer they were working in the cotton fields, in cotton mills, plowing fields and harvesting crops.

These "Lazy people" can still work circles around you and they have a work ethic and drive that you probably know nothing about. Just because someone doesn't feel comfortable using a self checkout does not make them lazy.

And before I forget it... those lazy people pay your salary. Instead of you and others walking around being judgemental someone could have offered to help them on the self check out.

If you ever have to get your vegetables from the ground instead of the produce department guess who you are going to need help from... those lazy people!

Be careful of the toes you step on today... they might be attached to the butt you have to kiss tomorrow!

[all-lars-bars]

Notes for Submas in Rapture so I can empty my brain

Ingo and Emmet with their passion for trains went down to Rapture with their employer Prentice Mill. They both helped blueprint, engineer, and manage the Atlantic Express trains and railways.

When the Express was sold off, the twins went with it, and despite their attempts at contacting their now former employer to convince him otherwise, they never hear from Mill again.

Around the same time Johnny Topside was hoppin around Rapture, the twins, namely Ingo are put under some scrutiny and allegations, I don't really know what but something bad enough that Ingo got sent to Persephone. Because someone's gotta suffer, right.

Anyway, in his brother's absence, Emmet does his damndest to keep the Atlantic Express running in spite of all the splicers and the literal Civil War going on. But eventually he's chased away

Maybe he joins Atlas's revolution bc hey, what does he have to lose at this point, but eh, it doesn't sit right with me. Then again, that could be how Emmet feels about it too. It just generally doesn't settle well with him, but if there's a way to stick it to Andrew Ryam he'll take it.

Back to Ingo, I imagine he meets a similar fate to Topside, Plasmid Test Dummy turned Alpha Series and bonded to a single Little Sister

And that Little Sister is Akari in my mind. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am a sucker for Pokemon Legends Arceus. And also a sucker for Uncle/Papa Ingo dynamics

I have this scene in my mind where Ingo and Akari are out harvesting ADAM when Emmet sees them and watches them for a bit before realizing this Big Daddy has his brother's mannerisms. It even sounds like a train instead of a whale like the rest (which is also 'cause Ingo's too loud for the BD voicebox so he fucked that up).

Anyways, Emmet immediately makes an assumption and tries to go to Ingo. However, he's still a Big Daddy, one bonded to this little girl.

In my mind, Akari is a special case as a Little Sis, as she's full of curiousity which in the ADAM tainted state of mind means she doesn't see a threat until it hits her and Ingo doesn't hurt anything unless Akari tells him to. Neither of them like it when people get too close though, even if they don't see it as a threat

That is to say Emmet gets pretty damn close before he's pulled away by some of his braver allies. All the while begging for his brother.

Neither Akari or Ingo really hear him, not in their states of mind. But they can see his emotion.

"Who was that, Papa?" Ingo lets out a low whistle. "He looked lonely." Another, higher whistle in agreement. "Maybe the next time we see him, we should say hi! I think he'd like that!" He sighs so softly.

I'd like that too

Back to the storyline, I like to think that Ingo and Akari find Jack after he fell through the vents in an escape from Fontaine, helping Tenenbaum and the other little girls bring him to the Sanctuary

Ingo, seeing all the little girls just being little girls has a moment of clarity, some light through the fog of his mind.

He doesn't want Akari to spend the rest of her life in Rapture.

So he leaves her with Tenenbaum and leaves, both the cure and separation causing him to go into a coma.

The last thing he gives Akari is a hat they had found on their travels that she had him try on. It's a bit big on her head, but she'll grow into it.

Then his little girl is cured and rescued.

Until more little girls go missing around the world and Tenenbaum goes back down to rapture.

Over the eight years of surface life, Akari has been raised by her Uncle Jack and Aunt Brigid, always remembering her dear Papa. She shows interest in the scientific field, so when she's old enough she begins working as an apprentice under her Aunt, learning everything the good doctor does and doesn't teach her

Thanks to her "pursuit of science" mindset she can handle large amounts of grotesque scenery and gore. She has even thought about specializing in Forensic Sciences when she gets the chance

Back to the return, although Tenenbaum insists Akari stays behind, the young girl manages to sneak onto the submersible and didn't get caught until they both had to flee from Splicers

After some reprimanding, Akari stayed with Tenenbaum and their rescued little sisters until Eleanor and Delta come along

Watching her Aunt bring an Alpha Series back to life, it gave the girl hope for her dad

So through more mischief and stubborness, she ends up tagging along with Delta and Sinclair (she calls him Gus, much to his disdain) to head to Persephone. Or in her case, simply to Fontaine Futuristics. If there's anywhere a comatose Alpha Series could be, it's there

At some point, they find Emmet, tug him along, ya know. 'Course, Akari hasn't told him who she is, but she doesn't think that's the best thing to share at the moment

Soon enough they get abducted by Lamb, escape, rescue Ingo and Gus, get outta Rapture via lifeboat and dozens of children, and all live happy on the surface

[amandacanwrite]

Mother of Pearl ☼ The Hallowed Wilds ☼ Chapter Two

POV ;; Ezra ☽ 10 y.o.

Summary ;; Ezra risks a forbidden journey into The Wilds and meets the strange witch Aurelia for the first time

Warnings ;; Graphic description of a broken bone, light gore, mentions of death, child injury, mentions of blood.

Author Note ;; I am someone who doesn't get triggered by much, but it's very important to me that anyone who reads my work doesn't become inadvertently triggered because of my writing. While these early chapters are quite light, this story does get dark at times. If you ever notice something I should have issued a content or trigger warning for, please reach out to me so that I can properly apologize to you and add the warning to the list. That all said, let's hop in!!

Don’t go into the forest, that’s what everyone had always said.

But I had to. I couldn’t explain why, I just needed to go in there. I knew I needed to.

I’d known people who had known people who disappeared in those woods. Went into that copse of trees that always seemed in bloom, always alive. Usually, it was during the harsh winter months, when fields were barren and game knew to chance hiding out in The Wilds rather than risk winding up as stew or leather shoes.

Some part of me knew that whatever lay hiding behind the tree line wouldn’t hurt me, though. The forest wouldn’t gobble me up like it had the others; the hunters, the fools, and the prideful older boys trying to impress the girls they were courting.

It was the perfect day for it. Ma was away midwifing for the Rileys and Pa was working on a big project somewhere up the mountain road. Neither would be back for a long time, and The Wilds were so insistent that day. It whistled for me like a Ma did at sundown, promising warmth and dinner—only it was morning, so maybe breakfast instead.

Our house was just next to the giant fields of rye that separated Dewbury, so it’d be easy for me to sneak out without nosy town-folk tattling on me.

I packed up a bag with some charcoal, my sketchbook, and some bread, just in case I got hungry. It had snowed a lot the night before, so I put on my good boots and my thick coat and the scarf Grammy knitted for me for my birthday. Then, on the way out the door, I put my lucky cap on because I was going to need all my luck if I was going to go into the most dangerous place out there.

But I wasn’t scared. I know I probably ought to have been, but I wasn’t. Something about it felt right. That’s all I could say on the subject.

I left home with my supplies and made my way to that giant rye field. The rye was always ready to harvest, even in the winter, but we weren’t supposed to take any of it. Ma says that rye belongs to the witches. So even when people are hungry and desperate, they don’t cut the rye and mill it into bread or hunt in the forest beyond it.

When I reached the field, I waited there for a while, looking across it. I thought that maybe if something bad was lurking over there in the forest I’d be able to see it and maybe try another day but, the tree line was so far away—too far.

I hitched my bag up on my shoulder and took a deep breath.

Then I took the first steps into the tall grasses.

They came up to about my waist, and they tickled in a way I wasn’t accustomed to in the fields belonging to the Maysels down the road. I let my hands drag against the swaying plants and felt a weird tingling like I’d touched some stinging nettle—only without the pain and itching. It set my heart to beating so loud that I could hear it in my ears.

As I got closer to the trees, the weather changed. The winter winds calmed down and a warm breeze took their place. By the time I reached the inside of the tree line, it felt like spring. Fresh, but balmy—and I’d started to sweat.

Still, I couldn’t think much about how warm I was, not with this forest around me.

The Wilds were…like no forest I’d ever seen. Not even in spring or summer. The ground was damper, the greens were greener, the smells were stronger. Even the ambient noises in the woods were louder. Birds singing trilling songs, the chittering of squirrels, the scurrying of little feet.

I looked up into the trees to see if I could find any of the creatures in question. Maybe I could stop and sketch them. When I did, I saw how massive the trees really were.

Pa told me once when I asked him about why we grew trees for lumber that it was ‘cause the trees in the forest were so old that cutting them down was a little sad to do. Pa said some of them were as old as Grammy.

These trees were so tall that they must have been twice Grammy’s age—maybe even three times! I heaved out a breath as I took it all in.

The heat of the forest finally got to me, though, so I took off my coat and my scarf before I sweat through them and near froze on my walk back home.

And then, in the periphery of my vision, I saw the flash of something—white as snow and just about my size. I started, heart going into my throat.

I turned to face it and saw her.

Ma had a hairpin in her things that she wore for funerals and weddings—she said they made the decorations on it out of mother-of-pearl. This girl looked like they carved her out of mother-of-pearl, too.

She was pale as a ghost with a light rosy blush like a doll’s. Her hair was just as white, tumbling down to her shoulders in wild curls. Her eyes were the most colorful thing about her, green on the outside with a bright flare of amber in the middle, like she had sunflowers in her eyes.

She looked as surprised to see me as I was to see her.

And then I looked down and saw her…

She was only wearing her underthings.

My face heated like I had a fever and I quickly looked away, because gentlemen didn’t look at girls when they were underdressed. I was going to offer her my coat because that was something gentlemen did, too. But the strange girl ran.

“W-Wait!!” I called after her, and then I was running too.

Maybe it wasn’t proper but, I wanted to ask her some questions. I wanted to see if she was a ghost or a witch, or maybe just a person who lived here and we all just thought no one lived here this whole time.

But lord, she was so quick. If she ever came to Dewbury, she’d beat all the kids when they raced and win every game of tag. She zigged and zagged through trees like she knew where each one would be. I realized as I noticed her bare feet that she might very well know every tree in the forest, after all.

I was worried I’d be lost at the end of this, but I was more worried I’d never see the pretty girl ever again. It felt like this was something I had to do—felt like she pulled me along on a string with her.

The woods vanished from around me. There was only her, getting smaller and smaller as she left me behind. I was so desperate, my heart felt like it was squeezing in my chest, I wanted to cry almost.

“W-Wait! Please!” I called.

The trees packed closer to us and I stumbled over them. I watched in awe as she leapt over dense networks of roots and running streams of water. She ran straight into a thicket of thin, young trees and they merely moved aside for her, like a crowd parting.

It was magic.

She was one of them. She was one of the witches of The Wilds.

I thought I should turn around and run back to where I came from right then, but my feet kept moving—kept chasing after her.

She bounded up the trunk of a great oak tree, and I followed her like a fool. Even in this, she was faster than anyone I’d ever seen. I was so focused that I paid no mind to how high up I was climbing. When I finally looked down to place my foot on a knot of wood, I saw how far I was from the black ground below me.

I panicked, and when I tried to scramble for safety, I lost my footing and plummeted.

The fall was so fast that I didn’t really register it. I heard the deafening crack of wood beneath me and wondered if the wood had punctured my lungs with how I struggled to breathe. And then I felt pain—hot, sharp pain exploding out of my right arm and found it hanging at a strange angle under my shirt sleeve and I realized that the crack I’d heard wasn’t wood at all, but my bone breaking in my body.

I let out a wild scream, hoping that somehow my Ma would hear it and come help me, come save me from this stupid forest and the stupid witch that made me fall so badly.

I hugged my arm to my chest. Blood seeped into my shirt as I wept. I couldn’t tell if the pressure was hurting or helping.

I couldn’t think of anything past the pain, not of being lost or getting home. Every thought was about that injury. That was until she finally spoke.

That bell-like voice cut through all the pain, and I looked up to see her staring down at me.

“Boy!” she called, unphased by the gore.

“What?” I sniffed.

“Why are you in The Wilds?”

The question surprised me—enough that I loosened the pressure on my arm. My broken bone moved, and I felt nauseous with the wave of pain that passed through me. I ground my teeth, eyes squeezing out a few tears that slid down my face and into my ears.

“Can you please get help? Please?” I begged.

“My sisters won’t help you.” She said.

Again, she seemed unbothered by how hurt I was. I kind of hated her for not caring, for not seeing how badly I needed the help. What if my cut got dirty, and I had to lose my arm? The Colonel said that’s how he lost his leg in the war.

I didn’t want to lose my arm—even if it wasn’t my drawing arm, I liked my arm.

She was climbing down from the tree. The canopies above me were spinning like a top.

“Why are you here?” she asked from the lowest branch, one I couldn’t even reach.

I sniffled as black edged my vision. Distantly, I heard her land near my head—I wondered if I’d throw up all over her pretty white shift. I tried to focus on the expanse of blue skies above me and breathe.

I don’t know how long had passed before I woke next, but I did wake again. The cold winter air woke me. Soft, familiar hands brushed hair out of my face—Mama’s hands. Mama came to help me in the forest.

“Ezra, Ezra wake up, sweet boy,” she begged, “Lord, he’s cold as death. Isiah, go get blankets.”

I opened my eyes and looked up to see my Ma looking down at me real pale. She heaved a shaky breath and patted my cheek a little.

“Oh, thank goodness, stay awake now, baby boy. Your father’s getting some blankets to warm you up. Why in the world did you come out here with no coat on?”

“No coat?” I croaked, my voice a shell of what it usually was. My mouth was so dry.

I did my best to wet it with my cottony tongue, swallowing with some effort. I looked around and realized I was lying on a fresh flurry of snow, rather than the warm damp mud I remembered laying in as I cradled my arm.

Sitting up, head spinning, I gasped.

“M-Ma!! My arm!!” I said, lifting it.

I braced for the pain to shoot through me, but it didn’t come.

My arm was completely fine—the only thing that kept me from thinking I’d dreamed all of it was the fact that my shirt still had blood on it—it soaked the arm of my shirt, frozen stiff now, and there was a cold stiffness over my heart too.

She looked at the blood and nodded, as if having already checked my arm and my chest to make sure I wasn’t hurt.

“Did you get in between some critter and its lunch?” she asked me.

I looked at her and had to think about what she was asking me, then I looked toward the forest.

The witch must have… healed me and gotten me back home somehow.

I was still staring at the forest when Pa came back and put a heavy wool blanket over my shoulders and rubbed some warmth into me.

“C’mon, Ez, let’s get you back inside and light a fire. Get some brandy in you.”

“You have to be more careful out by the field, Ezra. You know critters out here act strange, especially during this time of the year,” Ma said.

“Sorry mama, I wasn’t thinking,” I said arranging my features just guilty enough to be convincing. “I won’t go near the fields again.”

Except I would. I would go back into that forest the very next chance that I got to see that strange girl again. I’d made it out fine once… I was sure I could do it again.

Probably, anyway.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

@eldritchx

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[tangent101]

The forgotten weapon in Mass Effect

So. I've been poking around recently and essentially have seen that a lot of folks feel that the Reapers are not a threat to most other universes out there. I think one of the more popular out there is talking about how Star Trek and Star Wars ships would overpower the Reapers in next to no time, as if this was a game of Homeworld with two opposing fleets facing off against one another.

That said, there's two things that I think folks tend to ignore when it comes to the Reapers. First, Reapers aren't stupid. Let's look at the first Mass Effect game - you had a sole Reaper who has been stuck on duty for over 50,000 years realizing that someone fucked things up and the Citadel was no longer responding to shutdown protocols.

It needs to reach the Citadel and reset things. What does it do? It recruits allies and in time amasses a fleet to assist it... but it doesn't stop there. It also sends Saren in to disable the Citadel so it can get into the Citadel to do the reprogramming. If not for the efforts of one overly stubborn human and their allies, it would have succeeded.

One Reaper, alone, is a tremendous threat because it has a mission and knows if it fails... then the mission risks failure. So rather than going in guns blazing, it gathers intelligence and allies. It learns from the situation and weakens its foes.

And here we get to #2, the most important and forgotten weapon in Mass Effect - Indoctrination. The more people spend time in a Reaper or investigating Reaper technology, the more they get brainwashed into wanting to help the Reapers and doing what their Masters desire. And this Indoctrination can affect machine lifeforms as well as a multitudes of forms of life. Asari, Turian, Krogan, Human, Space Jellyfish, Geth... all can be Indoctrinated.

So. Let's consider this for a moment. We have a Reaper. It gets separated from the fleet of Reapers because of a Negative Space Wedgie (those are always troublesome) and ends up in another universe. It is alone. It doesn't know if other Reapers are out there, or what else is out there. It needs Intelligence. So... it is going to rely on one of the big things about life: curiosity.

Well, it can likely detect various forms of communication, and assuming that the Mass Effect fields still work in this other universe (and that's a big if - if the rules of the universe are different then the Reaper may very well just be dead outright) it can likely find the outskirts of civilization and then... just lie in wait. Be a space hulk. Someone will investigate. And when those people are on board? That's all she wrote.

If this is the Federation, then the Reaper has an even greater advantage because the Federation loves new species. They will open up communication and slowly become enslaved. But this will work for multiple universes - Warhammer 40K? There are plenty of species that love going onto a space hulk, and then can become Indoctrinated and used for intelligence. And the Indoctrinated can be sent out to sabotage the worlds they came from, while also taking pieces of Reaper technology with them that will slowly Indoctrinate others. And do note, in the ME universe you had people who studied Indoctrination and who knew what it did to people and they still became Indoctrinated.

It's also easier with the Star Wars universe. There are plenty of smugglers and pirates out there who will see a lifeless hulk and board it to scavenge and then end up Indoctrinated. And even the strong-willed can become Indoctrinated. One popular theory for a bit was that the ending of Mass Effect was Shepard succumbing to Indoctrination. Saren was most definitely not weak-willed and yet he also ultimately succumbed. So even a Sith or Dark-Sider will be susceptible (as would just an ordinary Jedi). And once enough Indoctrinated people are in position in a world, they can shut down defenses and let the Reaper right in to harvest a world.

The thing to recall about all of these different fandoms is that they are different from each other. And thus you need to consider more than just Can X defeat Y... but rather consider what would they do in this situation.

If the U.S.S. Enterprise or the Star Wars Rebel Fleet arrived in the Mass Effect universe due to a Negative Space Wedgie during the Reaper War and were warned of Indoctrination and the like, then yeah. I suspect those ships would be able to more effectively fight and defeat Reapers. But without the warning about Indoctrination, you end up with sabotage and uprisings that sunder those forces. What's important is to recall: not all fights are won with weapons.

And honestly, given how sequels of various science fiction series can often fall far short of what came before? The directors and writers of those films need to remember the fundamental elements of the stories they are telling. Because Star Wars is more than people waving laser swords at each other. Star Trek is more than teleporting down on planets and having red-shirted guys drop dead. And Warhammer 40K is basically just smacking each other with huge sticks but hey, it works for them. ;)

[joideka]

Meet Me Under the Stars (Pooka!Sans x Reader)

A pooka is a creature from irish folklore! It's a mischievous spirit who often takes the form of a horse.

More facts about the pooka will be shown at the end! Warnings: Innuendos, but mostly fluff (and kisses)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun beat upon the harvester's back, shining fiercely as you gritted your teeth, swinging your grain cradle. 

Swing to side, cut, lift over shoulder and deposit. 

Swing to side, cut, life over shoulder and deposit. 

And over and over again. 

Your family and all the neighbors around had been working before the crack of dawn to get the harvest in... rain was coming, and all knew that if the rain hit the wheat now, it could ruin the grain before it could get milled. 

A sharp whistle from your father, gesturing for you to switch with your sister. You handed her the scythe, stretching your sore muscles. 

He handed you a glass of milk wordlessly, eyeing the people hard at work. 

"We're naht going to get it dahne, lass. dere's too much." 

You sighed, looking at the fields. Despite your best efforts, only half of the biggest field was done, with other families still working hard on others, almost done. Your field had gotten three inexperienced workers, slowing your process as your father had to berate them over and over again. 

"Maybe not by day, but into twilight?" You suggested. Your accent was softer than your father's, due to your mother having served under a more refined family at one point. She had taught your siblings and you to speak with refinement, even if you got made fun of it at times. 

"Dat's cutteng it awfully close to w'en de fae roam, lass."  

"Well, maybe just me, den," you offered. 

"Lass, even if yooehr luck has been extrahrdinary in avoideng any encounters, I don't want to risk it. What if a dullahan comes a-rideng by?"  

"I'll cover my ears," you defended. 

"Y/N..." Your father shook his head. "I can't in good conscience let you do somet'eng like dat."   

You paused, biting your lip in thought. 

"What if I cut it down to a quarter, and leave it for de pooka?" 

"Well.... if you're out 'ere cutteng fhr de pooka..." Leaving behind a portion for the pooka was nothing new, but it was usually all harvested by then. It did instill fear in what the pooka would do if the grain wasn't all done. 

"It is a new moon- I blessed myself and our family, so I should have good luck." 

"Alright den lass. Since it's a new moon and you did as you should." He patted your shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do it by yooehrself?"

"It's our family plot, I'll be fine." 

He nodded, handing you another scythe. "Get a-going lass, we've only got an hour of daylight." 

You grinned, running to assume a line. 

The sun set faster than anticipated, yet you continued on, your father explaining the situation. They stacked five bundles of wheat at the end of the field. 

"If you see the pooka, tell him that's his portion, so he doesn't get cross," your mother fretted. "And make sure you find a four-leaf clover if you feel unsafe, or call for Soot." Soot was the family cat, pure black with amber eyes. 

"I will, mum." You pressed a kiss to her cheek, watching her wrap a shawl around you. 

As they walked back to the house, you began to cut again, wincing as your muscles screamed at you. 

Sunset began to occur, the rays of the sun winking out behind green hills, lights appearing in the village. 

You wiped sweat away, looking at the dirt road stretching into the forested hills.

A whinny caught your attention. 

A black horse stamped up to a rise across from you, the last traces of light illuminating a long and ragged mane. Smouldering yellow eyes caught yours. 

A small smile tugged the corner of your mouth, watching as it galloped down towards you. You didn't move, waiting. 

The horse galloped up to you, trotting around you, twisting and turning. It seemed to be showing up, tossing its mane.

"What's this? A human, out after night? How brave," a disembodied voice came from the horse.

"Shush," you warned. "You're going to attract attention with that form."

The voice came, slightly teasing. "Are you saying that I'm a distraction?"

"Very much," you agreed, smiling. "Hello, Sans."

The horse seemed to shiver, pressing its muzzle into your hand. It nickered softly, closing its eyes. "I love it when you say my name..."

You couldn't help but smile, stroking the long muzzle. "I'm more than happy to say hello, but I have to finish the harvest." You pointed over to the pile of grain for him. "That's your portion."

The pooka trotted over after sniffing at you, bending his head to inspect the grain. "It'll do, although I'd much rather have you."

"Tough luck," you teased. When you had first met, you had questioned his voice, not recognizing the accent- but it seemed fairies had perfect voices. You would never tell him that. He would love to hear how his voice sent little shivers down your spine, causing a faint blush, how it seem to infiltrate your thoughts at the worst times... at church, at the fair, or even in your dreams.

"Do you really have to finish all this?" Sans questioned, trotting back over, breaking you from your ruminations.

"Yes, I promised my father I would." "Speaking of your family, have you shared about the misfortunes of your great uncle? I can share it again if you like~"

"And hear it for de tenth time? No thanks. We don't like to dwell on de past." You began to swing your scythe again, minding its closeness to Sans. You had met Sans a few years ago, when your family had first moved out here after your great uncle had died. One day, you had decided to walk to the next town over, not expecting to get caught up in friends' gossip and news. It had been late when you had attempted to go home, clutching your shawl around your shoulders as you hesitated at an unfamiliar crossroad.

That's when he had appeared, but as a rabbit, inspecting you curiously. You had politely greeted him, asking, somewhat jokingly, if he knew the way to your house.

The next moment, his horse form had been in front of you, offering you a ride.

Normally, you would've politely refused. But something in the way he asked struck a chord within- and you had mounted his back, clutching onto his mane as he rode off into the hills.

And he had taken you home- after trampling through several gardens, jumping walls and knocking down fences. You had manged to stay on through sheer fear and will alone. You had never been more grateful to see your home. Sans had commended your riding skills, but had laughed as you fell over once you had dismounted, shaking like a leaf.

Sans had since then taken a shine to you, visiting at the dead of night to lure you into rides and gallops across the countryside. He shared stories of families who had lived there for years before you, or of the animals, or on rare occasions, stories of the fairies.

This was the earliest he had ever decided to find you, and you weren't sure why. You hadn't exactly stayed out past dark for the purpose of meeting him, but you couldn't deny that a tiny bit of you was happy to see him.

His muzzle pushed into your shoulder, nickering.

"You're moving your arm funny," he commented.

"I've been doing this all day," you confessed, stretching. "It'll be better in the morning."

"Does this mean you can't ride tonight?"

"Probably not at full gallop..."

"That wasn't a no." His voice filled with excitement. You grinned, mentally thanking the gods for the horse not actually speaking. That would've been weird.

You swing, grunting as the last of the wheat fell. You grimaced. "No, but I don't want my parents to see me gone, when dey know I'm out here."

"Nonsense, they're all asleep, trust me."

"Trust and the fae don't exactly go hand in hand."

Sans snorted in mock offense. "Hey now, watch it." 

I grinned, setting down my scythe. I walked over to a fence, using it as a mounting block. Sans obliging held still, waiting.  "Excellent," he tossed his head, once I had mounted onto his back. "Shall we?" "Take it slow," I warned. "I can take it slow~" "Sans."

"Yeah?" "Shut up or I'll smack you."

Sans laughed, whinnying as he walked onto the dirt road. He began to trot, letting you find your comfort level. Your back hurt, but not to the point to where you were doubled over in pain. You tapped his side with your foot, signaling he could go faster. He neighed, going into a gallop, springing a fence to go over a hill, stopping briefly as he surveyed his path. He began to run again, leading you into the forest. "Where are we going?" You called over the wind. "It's a surprise!" Sans galloped through deer paths, splashing through streams as he went deep into the forest.

You held your breath, gazing at the depths of the forest, black. No moon was here to illuminate the night, only the stars. Branches threatened to knock you off, your head ducked into Sans' neck as you waited for the path to clear.

Finally, Sans slowed, walking through thick bushes to a small glade. "We're here!"

You slid off, bouncing on the balls of your feet to ease the ache in your legs.

"Where are we?" The glade was simply enough, a circle surrounded by trees, moss and grass making a lush carpet, with small fairy rings of mushrooms dotting the greenery here and there.

"A secret place of mine." His ears twitched.

"Really? I'm flattered."

"You should be... few see a place of the fae."

"A place of the fae?" Confusion brushed over your face, but you were distracted quickly, gasping as lights began to twinkle underfoot. Fireflies rose from the grass, their abdomens twinkling as they floating above you. Males stuck to the ground, shining their own lights in tandem to other males.

"Whoa..... dis is amazing," you breathed. "Mhmm.." Sans flicked his tail. "Would you mind if I slipped into a more comfortable form?"

"Your true form?" You asked, sitting. "Yes.... one of them at least."

You nodded, not bothered by his last comment.

Sans' body glowed, his form dissolving into a more humanoid shape... before a skeleton appeared before you, eye sockets crinkled in amusement. This form no longer as alarmed you as it once had. He wore crisp trousers and a long coat, leaving his ribcage exposed as he sauntered over. If he had been anything but human, you would've been mortified. Strangely, with Sans, it didn't ever register the same as him being shirtless. "Like this place?" He asked,coming to sit beside you. You nodded, staring at the fireflies. One flew over to use you as a landing perch, its light softly flashing as it perched on your forehead. Its legs tickled your skin.

"Sans.. this place is amazing!"

"I'm glad you think so... I've been waiting for someone to share it with."

You fought a blush, waving it off. "I doubt I'd ever find this place again."

Sans chuckled. The two of you stayed quiet, looking at the fireflies.

"You know..." An arm snaked around your shoulders, pulling into his side, fingers tapping along your arm. "I couldddd bring you back here sometime." "Yeah?" Belatedly, you registered his touch, shuddering a bit under his arm, the chill of his bones reminding you of his status as fae.

"Yeah... for a small payment." Your eyes met his eye lights.

They were a slight gold color, white centers gazing at you. In this form, you could see every small chip in his bone, how his smile crooked up the corner of his mouth, how his constant smile set you on guard and yet completely disarmed you.

You leaned back in his hold, grinning. "I'm listening."

"You see, I can't do too much for free. I need a bit of encouragement, a little something to goad me into doing it. Get me?"

"What do you want?" An eyebrow on your face raised, skeptical and wary.

"A kiss."

"A.... kiss."

"Yep." Sans nodded enthusiastically. "Just one, for now~"

You pretended not hear the last bit, thinking about his offer.

Did you really want to go through with his offer? Sure, you were attracted to him... but a kiss seemed a lot to ask for when he never gave you a hint of his own feelings...

"Is kissing a fairy considered good luck?" You wondered aloud.

"Want to find out?" Sans offered, running his hand up along the back of your neck, angling your head towards him. He didn't press forward, analyzing your reaction. You stared up at him, meeting his gaze. His eye sockets seemed to droop, half lidded. Eye lights fuzzed to mere blotches of golden light, mimicking the fireflies. "Yeah," you whispered, leaning in. Your lips met his teeth, his other hand coming to run through your hair, careful not to tangle your hair between his fingers, his other hand keep your lips firmly planted on his teeth. Behind closed eyelids, you saw spots of golden light as fireflies began to float among the two of you.

You began to understand what magical meant.

He pulled back, his hands moving to cup your face.

You blinked, dazed as you tried to regather yourself.

I just kissed- I just kissed a fairy. I JUST KISSED A FAIRY!!!

Sans chuckled, pulling you into his arms, pressing a skeleton kiss to your cheek.

"Well? Do you feel lucky?"

You snapped from your internal meltdown, finding yourself wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

"... Lucky enough for another kiss?"

Sans' eyelights flashed, his grin widening. "Better, I can give you a ride-"

The smack that occurred from your slap was probably heard from the next town over, the pooka laughing as he fell onto the grass, a red hand print on his cheek.

"I warned you," you grouched, folding your arms. You tried to rid the blush that had taken over your face, even making your ears hot.

"Yes, yes you did..." He sat back up, dusting himself off. "But in all seriousness, it's midnight... and you might want to get some sleep before the day comes." He stood, holding out his hand to you. You took it, rolling your eyes as he pulled up into his arms again.

"Shall we?" He asked, grinning. "When will I see you again?" You blurted out, not wanting to still seem upset with him. You truly weren't, except a tad mortified.

Sans' expression softened. "As soon as I can, dear." He brought one of your hands up to his face, kissing it. "I'll definitely take you here again.. next new moon?"

A smile took over your features. "I'd love that," you said shyly.

"Good, because I doubt I could get all the fireflies here again on short notice."

"Again? Wait.... did you plan dis?" You began to laugh, as Sans actually blushed.

"Come now, a fairy's got to keep his secrets." His voice was full of mischief, yet slightly defensive.

"Aw, I think it's sweet." Your hand clasped the side of his skull. You couldn't help but beam at him.

He softened, a skeletal hand coming to cover yours.

"I'll walk you home?" He asked.

"Walk?"

"I believe the humans consider that more endearing that you riding a black horse into the village."

"Usually," you agreed. The two of you began to walk, his hand entwined with yours.

As the forest thinned and parted, the stars blazed from their heights, lighting the world in front of you. You could see storm clouds in the distance against the stars, your elders' predictions correct.

A quiet whistle broke out from Sans. He stared at you with blurred eye lights, smile soft.

"You look beautiful under the stars..."

You blushed, hiding your face for a moment with your free hand.

"I'm so glad I get to see you at night, under the stars."

"Me too," you admitted. His hand yanked you towards him, his teeth pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

"And you're even prettier when you're all flustered," he teased, pulling away to let you recover.

"Shut up," you grumbled as he laughed, turning onto the dirt road home. ---------------------------------------------------------------

Quick Info Dump!!

A Pooka is a mischievous spirit from Irish folklore. It is often portrayed as taking the form of an animal, such as a rabbit or a horse, and is known for playing tricks on humans. In some stories, the Pooka is said to be a benign but mischievous presence, while in others it is portrayed as more malevolent, with the ability to bring harm to those who cross its path. The Pooka is also associated with the Otherworld, a realm of magic and mystery in Irish mythology. An important thing to always remember about a Pooka is that they have the power of human speech and when inclined make great sport of those they talk to as they like to embellish the truth. In Ireland, the Púca seems to be the most feared Faerie possibly because it appears only at night and enjoys creating havoc and mischief. We feel this is doing the Pooka an injustice because there are no recorded incidences of a Pooka actually causing a human bodily harm.

Blessing yourself under a new moon is an actual sign of good luck from Irish folklore! More omens include: if you find a horseshoe, spit on it and throw it over your head and you will have good luck; if you pick a flower on May Eve it is said that the fairies will come and take you away with them; and if you drop a fork you will have company.

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Have a lovely day/night!