Thinking about the twins growing up in Byroden with their mother, happy and nurtured their whole lives.
I like to imagine them getting a farm at some point, though the three still make clothes to donate to the local temple.
The twins would love it, I imagine - working with animals all day, helping to tend the field, making wonderful meals using their own produce, spending time with their beloved mother...
I think it would look good on them - Maybe Vax would take better care of himself, and maybe Vex would stress less?
Elaina would get to see her babies mature into adults, helping them grow and learn.
Fantasy manga reccs for folks that liked Freiren, Dungeon Meshi, and Witch Hat Atelier
1. Is what you liked about DM dwarves promoting good lifestyle habits and giving exposition about monsters? You might like Soara and the House of Monsters! A girl raised to be a monster hunter meets a group of dwarves who build houses for monsters and stars traveling with them.
2. Did you know Dungeon Meshi isn't Ryoko Kui's only series? The Dragon's School is on Top of the Mountian is a collection of oneshots all packed with the Ryoko Kui charm.
3. Do you enjoy fun magic item crafting and a relationship between a long-lived elf and a human? you might like Elf to Shuryoushi no Item Koubou! Magritte is a magic item craftsman who, along with her assistant and bodyguard Yura, fulfills all sorts of requests for magic items.
4. Do you like when series really delve into the how and why of logistics? You might like The Dragon, the Hero, and the Courier! It follows the daily life and trouble of Yoshida the half-elf, a dedicated postal worker who delivers all sorts of strange and mundane letters.
5. Did you know witch hat has a cooking manga spin off? now you do! Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen is extremely cute & domestic.
6. Shinozaki-kun no Mente Jijou is a modern fantasy about an ordinary office worker finding out there's a lot about himself he never knew about - turns out his body has been modified to hold all sorts of magical machinery. The thing with machinery though - it needs maintenance
7. Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro follows Kuro, a strange traveler who carries a coffin on her back, two shapeshifting twins she's adopted, and the talking bat who lives in her coffin as they wander the land looking for a certain witch. Whimsical & melancholy, this is one of my all time favs.
8. Akagami no Shirayukihime follows the life Shirayuki, a herbalist, and the people around her. It's kind of hard to sum it up with one thing because it's a pretty long series where a lot happens! It's got really lovely art, fun worldbuilding & extremely charming characters
9. Hakumei and Mikochi are two teeny women who live in a house nestled in the roots of a tree. Lots of them cooking, building, exploring and visiting friends in strange places. I really love the background designs and detailed art of objects! My fav chapters are the market visits. This one's another of my all time favs!
10. Otherwordly Izakaya Nobu! More food in fantasy because you can never really get enough of that. A bar in modern japan inexplicably opens its front door into a fantasy city. Each chapter different people come to the bar to talk about their lives and enjoy japanese food.
11. Radiant, a pretty classic fantasy shounen by a french artist - it's on this list primarily because I looooove the art, especially the backgrounds. It's got some fun magic item worldbuilding as well.
12. And to finish off these reccs, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. This one's closest to Freiren in terms of who I think will like it. It's about a witch, her slow paced journey around the world, and the people she meets along the path.
The final two days of the trip are condensed into one blur because visiting my family in South Bend, Indiana was in the middle. The McMillen clan likes late nights, cards, wine, and Oingo Boingo, so it's hard to say where Tuesday stopped and Wednesday began.
Lewis and I packed out of Pike Lake early, deciding not to swim at the Milwaukee metropolitan area's finest open-to-the-public swimming lake in the 55°F morning temps, alas. Since we'd been dragging our feet on early mornings this whole trip, we decided to set out before 10am and plodded around Chicago in slow but probably still record time.
We decided to detour out of Milwaukee before heading down to Illinois as a sort-of salute to my original plan and so that I could relive the glory of this city as my 15 year-old self remembers it. I was also on the hunt for some New Glarus Spotted Cow, one of my favorite easy-drinking beers that you cannot nab beyond Wisconsin state lines. We search for beer and liquor stores (uncannily all open at 9am or earlier) and come up short for the kind of craft selection we know must be lurking here somewhere. After browsing past Bacardi Whipped Cream Vodkas and Colt 45s I give up and resort to Reddit which points us to... a local grocery store? named Woodman's. Lewis remarks upon my uneasy disposition that Woodmen gave us good luck in Omaha and perhaps they'd have more than your domestic spread.
Oh. So, did they have more than Corona and Bud? This was no grocery store. Woodman's is a beer SUPERSTORE that happens to sell bread and laundry detergent out the back. We lollygag in the aisles of just Wisconsin local craft beer for about half an hour, overwhelmed with the selection and exasperated that we cannot buy it all (Bad Farm Pilsner? Ma'am this is a Wendy's Summer Sour? Billy Rae Citrus IPA? Get! in! my! cart!). We buy my New Glarus, a Hazy called THE NEEDLER (depicting a pine tree with a Snake-esque head scarf tied around it's erm... tip? running recklessly and dual wielding those weird alien guns from Halo 2), and a dark beer as requested for Elaina who would touch base with Lewis at his final destination in DC.
We got settled in Stacey once more, but after 9 full nights together, we were beginning to feel the fatigue of travel, shared space, and the unwavering rhythm of Stacey over rough pavement. It seemed that all of what was left of Wisconsin and Illinois smelled like sulfur, we surmised, because of swamp gas or the like. The dense cloud cover and less-than-warm conditions began to invite a sort of listlessness amongst us.
We changed and got cleaned up at a gas station before finding breakfast--today we were aiming for Culver, my military(ish?) boarding high school in the middle of rural Indiana, then finally my Uncle Joe and Aunt Wendy in South Bend about an hour's north for dinner and some familiar (to me) faces.
We stopped at Pancake Point in Gurnee, Illinois for brunch and an attempt at clearer heads only to be immediately endeared to a character of a waitress who swore Lewis was her son's friend--but not. When we told her of our journey, she chittered anxiously about a road trip she'd just made to Colorado to visit her son and how all of the McDonald's looked the same(!) after a while. Lewis and I had to restrain ourselves from asking if this tiny, maraca of a woman was available for adoption and instead ate GIANT bowls of hash browns piled high with eggs, peppers, beans, chorizo, and the tastiest homemade pico. I nibbled at a pancake while we tried to shake our funk and hype ourselves up for the next four hours of driving into the cornfields of my past.
Fortunately, it was Alumni Week at Culver when we rolled in, so two strangers wandering the campus did not make us extra-out-of-place to the teenagers plodding about the quadrangle in their regulation recreation attire. I took Lewis to my favorite pockets of my adolescent years and gawped unattractively at all of the buildings they've since demolished and all of the buildings they've since built as is my job as a graduate.
I felt sheepish as I continued to run into faculty that remembered my face (especially those responsible for... disciplinary action) and fought my impulse to revert to my younger self (it's 4pm on a Tuesday... I should be at Speech practice right now!) but a small part of me was overjoyed to find the place still felt like home some 13 years later. Also wow... what a fucking ingrate I was for not truly appreciating the endless resources available to me as a bratty little teen (Horses! A photography lab?! A library and academic buildings peppered with ancient art??? A FULL SIZE THEATER FOR PERFORMANCE AND TECH!?)
Lewis asks if this ruined it for me--college and the great beyond. I mused on the question. I never thought that any place should be like Culver... it is its own animal, its blessings almost inseparably tied to its curses. But no doubt, it changed everything in me as much as I want to temporally separate myself from this tiny cornfield bubble with time and distance.
After doing a small circle (the campus is enormous, acres and acres, it's hard to relay without a map and a meter stick) around the heart of the main quad, we boarded Stacey once more and rode the hour north to South Bend to meet with Joe, Wendy, and their children Jacob and Rachel at their home in Granger, IN.
By the time we were back on the main highway going north, the sulfuric smell was absolutely overwhelming in Stacey's cabin and I began to suspect that it was not the Midwest that was the stinky culprit. An hour later, after parked in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, thankful and light headed upon arrival, we pop the hood in front of Joe and Wendy's beautiful darkly wooded, 1970's style single family home to be greeted by a weak fountain of acid seeping down the side of Stacey's main battery. Oops.
While Lewis phoned AAA, I greeted the family. The kids were bumming it for the week at home because Rachel was graduating this weekend and was prepping by being hung-over by day, and partying by night (and some day, too) with her classmates on campus. Jacob was lassoed into redoing the front deck for her ensuing graduation party the coming weekend. Jean, Wendy's mother, was also there to set us straight with her sharp strategy in a few rounds of 3-13 we'd have later into the night.
Lewis and I were happy to be surrounded by some other humans for a bit, to eat veggie pizza (and share with the winded AAA guy swapping out Stacey's innards) and pet a dog or two. We slept hard and fast in a spare bedroom, anxiously awaiting tomorrow to race home and meet my Mom and Grandfather at Pittsburgh International before flopping down in a place familiar to us both.
I anticipated we would scuttle home in a boring and direct fashion along the Ohio turnpike because time was of the essence and Lewis and I had not been historically early risers for this trip. Mom & Pop were to touch down at 5pm and it's a tight 6 hours back home from the outskirts of South Bend.
Unfortunately for them, and maybe fortunately for our timetable, their Southwest flight was delayed a full five hours due to weather surging up through the Columbus, Ohio region that was dramatically disrupting air traffic.
Amazingly, after replacing Stacey's battery, she no longer needed the precious white glove service of hand-jumping and we took it as a sign of renewal in its own way, waving good-bye to relatives I'd see again in 48 hours time for a graduation ceremony, we hit the road for the final lap.
It didn't take but two hours before Lewis and I decided to deviate from the sling-shot trajectory we had up until this point mostly avoided taking as a matter of principle. We slid up to the coast of Lake Erie to visit the Port Clinton lighthouse and eat a few french fries while looking directly at a giant body of water for a bit. Port Clinton appeared to be preparing for the Walleye Festival (???) that would arrive the coming weekend and so the town felt a lot less sleepy than was surely normal, despite being adorned in adorable maritime statues and public parklets that betrayed the slow plod of this place otherwise.
We poked around the promised light house, the chilly shore of Erie, a store for the supernatural (I bought a new pair of sunglasses to replace a pair I had gifted to a nail salon back in Minneapolis). We ate french fries while listening to the bartendress relay her morning struggle of finding someone to cover her shift while she took her son to the doctor for a surprise broken arm. We stared hard into the distance, still processing all that had gone and all that was yet to come, and rolled into Stacey for the last time. Pittsburgh bound, at last.
I read an experimental piece Lewis is working on from his bestickered laptop from the passenger's seat. We listen to the end of a playlist all about lyrics, and when we start to recognize bridges and tunnels, we breathe a sigh of relief. I play 31 by Ceann and sing the words at the tippy top of my lungs when we pull into my driveway at the tippy top of Stanton Heights:
"Soon we'll be home
In the places I know
Where the boys say "Yinz"
And the girls say "Ope"
31 miles east of Ohio(oooo)
Where Iron still flows
In watering holes
We'll go where the Monongahela goes
To the city that was built from underground
For Pittsburgh I am bound!"
This is moreso for my future writing. Just little about mes for my characters:)
Modern Warfare:
NAME: Scarlett 'Valkyrie' Carter
AGE: 26
APPEARANCE: Scarlett is 5'7, well built with light blonde hair and green eyes. She has tanned skin with freckles all over her pale face. Scarlett has a sleeve on her left arm, and her enlistment date on her shoulder blade. She's rarely seen without her mask, a simple mask covering from her nose down, and her long hair always in a tight bun or ponytail.
BACKSTORY: Scarlett grew up in a Southern estate down south in Georgia, US. Her parents are wealthy with extremely old beliefs. If it was up to the Carters, Scarlett would still be in Georgia with a husband and a few children as a stay at home mom. Scarlett quickly left as she turned 18 and joined the military. She earned the callsign Valkyrie from her old squadron, nicknamed because of her impressive kill count on the battle field. (Chooser of the slain, plus the blonde hair). After going on a near suicide mission and surviving, TF 141 caught interest in her and employed her. She happily took the job. OCCUPATION: Scarlett is a sniper primarily
Stardew Valley:
NAME: Elaina Aldric
AGE: 25
BACKSTORY: Elaina grew up with two older brothers and absent/abusive parents. Believed Elaina was worthless, did not give her any sort of love growing up. The only family that genuinely cared for her were her grandparents, who took her every summer to stay in Pelican Town. She worked on the farm growing up, and reluctantly went back to Zuzu City for the school year (Due to there being no school in Pelican Town, and her parents hated her being away for long). Her grandmother passed away when she was eighteen, her grandfather shortly after, who gave her a letter that she was instructed not to open. 5 years later, after getting a degree in English and working at Zuzu Chronicles (The Zuzu newspaper), she finally decided to open the letter to find she inherited the Silver Stag Farm. She immediately packed up and took her and her best friend, Gwendolyn off to Pelican Town.
ღ I'm wearing two super cute items from Love Lace! Void Eyes is a gorgeous pack with 14 vibrant colors with an awesome design, Lelutka EvoX appliers only. And the Kawaii Bow Socks are impressive! They look perfect and stunning, 32 colors available in the fatpack with 2 opacities. It's BOM and it looks beautiful on my Legacy.
ღ I love Ayashi's new creation! Renee is a long ponytail style and it looks gorgeous, all 3 packs come with awesome goodies, but the exclusive is just wow! Includes everything and also 3 fantastic accessories, necklace, and piercing for the nose and the lips with color hud.
ღ This set is so beautiful, it comes with eyeshadow in 12 colors, eyeliners in 3 colors and also titable and extra glow add-on, all of them are BOM layers so you can wear them separate. It looks lovely and you can see a close up in the comments and blog.
ღ Elaina is one of the newest Eternus' releases. It's elegant and sophisticated, perfect for royalty. It comes with separate dress, jacket and panties, lace hud in every purchase and 9 bonus colors in fatpack. It's rigged for Legacy, Perky, PushUp, Reborn, Juicy Boobs, Rolls and Waifu.
✤ ᴍᴀɪɴsᴛᴏʀᴇ
✤ ғʟɪᴄᴋʀ
Ahri ღ
✎ ( outfit & hair ) ՞₊˚๑
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★⸝⸝ IVY - Astoria Crown
★⸝⸝ Avada Bento Nails (S) - Darby (legacy)
✎ ( extras ) ՞₊˚๑
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★⸝⸝ BLUSH - Monika Skin. Mansa~
★⸝⸝ polarbunny. mariah blush&freckles. lel EVOX
★⸝⸝ LeLUTKA Prim Head 3.1
★⸝⸝ [LEGACY] Meshbody (f) Perky Edition [+] Petite (1.6)
✎ ( backdrop ) ՞₊˚๑
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★⸝⸝ FOXCITY. Photo Booth - Ballroom (Pastel) at @Sunny Photo Studio
A soft sigh escaped as Syldor paused, one hand still wrapped around his garments as he packed the remainder of his things. As always, his trip to Byroden was far shorter than either of them wanted, but he knew he had responsibilities waiting for him in Syngorn that could not be ignored much longer.
But that did not make leaving any easier.
"Ellie--" The ambassador turned back to look at Elaina, his forehead furrowed. "I will be back as soon as I am able. And hopefully for longer than two days next time."