#applejack never uses his account
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Meet Me On the Other Side
PART ONE: THE PLAN
gif credit to @ joseph-quinns
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader
Word Count: 4.9K
Summary: The Hawkins crew only has eight people in their three-tier plan to take down Vecna. Eddie makes a Hail Mary of a phone call to even the odds.
Warnings: SPOILERS AHEAD, VOL2 FIX-IT, Language, Angst (with a Happy Ending), Unresolved Tension, Yearning, Peril, Violence, The Upside Down, Desperate-To-Kiss!Eddie, we’re writing this entire storyline baybee let’s go
A/N: Are you hurting just as much as I am after Vol2? Cool, well that didn’t happen. This is the new canon. Within the ‘Freak & Valedictorian’ series. Separate Ways (Remix) intensifies.
PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE
( Read on AO3 )
PREVIEW:
“Eddie?” Click.
And just like that, Eddie Munson is gone.
(You refuse to let that be the final say in this conversation.)
Leaving behind your homework and study for a pair of keys and sneakers, you burst from your dorm room and run down the hallway to the stairs, to the student parking lot, and beeline to your car.
Hawkins is a two hour drive.
If you double the speed limit down the interstate highway, then you can make it in half the time.
MEET ME ON THE OTHER SIDE
PART ONE: THE PLAN
“There’s only eight of us here.”
Robin paces back and forth in the small living room of Max Mayfield's trailer. Wildly her hands gesture at the surrounding bodies of kids, teenagers, and young adults offering to do the impossible.
From the doomed silence that follows her observation, the tension is palpable.
Eddie rolls a metal skull ring aimlessly around his index finger, deep in thought. Not about Vecna. Fuck Vecna. Fuck everything he’s done to this town, to Chrissy, to Fred, to Max.
Lastly, fuck everything he's done to him. How much his uncle’s life has been flipped upside-down on the account that Hawkins thinks he’s a satanic murderer. How much he’s slandered Chrissy’s reputation just because she died in his house.
He shouldn’t be thinking about the impulse of calling anyone, much less you.
You don’t deserve to get caught up in his tornado of bullshit, not when you’re busy with your own life two hours away. Thriving in a state college, enjoying friends, being seen. He promised those first few trips at the beginning of your freshman year, happy to still be a part of your life even when it feels hopeless.
The Freak doesn't win the Valedictorian in the end, not in a world where he's repeating his senior year for the third time in a row and — oh right, potential murder charges loom in the horizon.
(Yet two hours in that damn caravan were next to nothing when he saw you beaming from the other end of the parking lot like he held the fucking sun, ready to run.)
He wishes he could run right now.
Run north and never look back, leaving this insanity behind with the town that hates him — except he knows he can’t.
Chrissy Cunningham believed she could trust him. That he was safe, somehow, in this grand scheme of satanic panic.
She believed.
If he’s running anywhere, then it’s to the phone so he can say his proper goodbyes in case all of this goes south — he’s not naive enough to think it won’t.
“I gotta take a piss,” he mumbles out of left field, standing from the sunken middle cushion of the couch. Steve gives him a look — god, can Harrington stop figuring people out before they say anything? — while Dustin shifts from his space on the wall.
All scared.
Everyone’s so fucking scared and Eddie Munson hates that he thinks he’s the most petrified out of them all.
“Right now?” Erica snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What, a man can’t piss in this dire time of need?” Eddie replies with a flippant tone, forced but manageable. Erica rolls her eyes, waving him off.
Access granted from Lady Applejack herself.
Hastily he moves into the hallway, waiting a minute while the team curls closer to the coffee table in the middle of the room with the map of Hawkins in question. Another beat passes.
Instead of touching the bathroom door, his hand grabs the beige wall phone before furiously typing the number he knows by memory.
First ring. Silence.
Second ring. Silence.
Third ri—
The other side picks up.
He drops the unruly curls of his crown against the plywood wall. “Oh, thank fuck.”
“Eddie?”
He clutches both hands against the phone, angling himself away from the company in the living room to focus solely on the way you say his voice.
Melodic, like a hazy, eye-of-the-storm dream in-between a slew of nightmares.
“Hey, yeah, it’s me,” he responds as his eyes flutter closed. “Hey. Holy fuck, I missed your voice.”
“You sound strange,” you murmur on the other end, and he swallows thickly. “Is everything okay?”
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.
You remember how terrified he sounded on the phone.
“Things got really fucked up here,” he croaks on the other line, causing you to leap out of your dorm bed with the phone line following.
“How fucked up, Ed?” you ask with a purposeful yank on the mustard-colored jacket hanging up on your wall.
“I don’t even know how to explain it to you without sounding like I’m losing my mind.”
“Try me,” you challenge.
He sighs on the other end, shifting the phone. “Has it been on the news?”
“Has what been on the news?”
“The whole… fuck, the whole Satanic cult shit with Hellfire?”
You pause, standing still in an empty room. “Hellfire? Something happened with Hellfire Club?”
“Chrissy Cunningham’s dead, kiddo,” Eddie supplies. His vocals strain against the syllables of her last name. “I saw it happen, but it wasn’t me. I swear, it wasn’t — Nancy Wheeler saw Fred Benson die, too, and things keeps happening—”
“Hold on.” Your stomach bottoms out as you interrupt in a cautious, small blurt. “You saw it happen?”
Eddie sighs, distorting the other end of the phone line. “I don't really have much time to explain, but yeah. I saw it happen. Something took her, alright? Something demonic, a Vecna’s curse-type shit, and I needed to call you because we’re going after it. I know this sounds insane, because I didn’t want to believe it, but when you’re kinda wanted for murder you don’t really have a choice—”
“You said ‘we’,” you interrupt again, swallowing the lump in your throat. “When you say ‘we’, do you mean the Hellfire Club is—”
“No. Fuck, I mean, kind of? Henderson and Sinclair and his sister are in the living room. And — get this, you’ll have a laugh — your old pal Steve Harrington’s sitting pretty on the couch.“
“Steve?”
Someone you once trusted. Someone you knew, before you high-tailed it out of town for school. From what you remember, he stayed behind to work the local stores after graduation. Not many people ever leave.
(Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson being friendly was never on your Hawkins Bingo card.)
“Yeah. For all the shit I used to give ‘em, he’s one tough son of a bitch. But listen, I gotta go. I just…” Eddie draws in a slow inhale from his nose, exhaling through his mouth. “...I needed to hear your voice again just in case this goes south. Sucks I can’t see you, but this is better than nothing. Thanks for indulging me.”
“Eddie?”
Click.
And just like that, Eddie Munson is gone.
(You refuse to let that be the final say in this conversation.)
Leaving behind your homework and study for a pair of keys and sneakers, you burst from your dorm room and run down the hallway to the stairs, to the student parking lot, and beeline to your car.
Hawkins is a two hour drive.
If you double the speed limit down the interstate highway, then you can make it in half the time.
Nerve endings set ablaze as your mind repeats the bizarre phone conversation like a broken record — demonic happenings killing students, Hellfire Club framed, seeing someone die in a gruesome fashion — but nothing adds up. How the hell did Steve Harrington get involved in all of this? Was Nancy Wheeler a part of the plan, too? Was this a bad trip with Gareth, or was seriously something wrong back home?
Nearly cutting off half a dozen cars to get to the Hawkins exit, it takes flooring two red lights to get to the trailer park where Eddie Munson and his uncle live.
You immediately notice two familiar cars: Steve’s, just on the roadway leading to the park, and Nancy’s, right outside of Max Mayfield's trailer.
The sound of a car screeching to a halt in the grass causes the front door to fly wide open, where two kids peer out with wide eyes.
You vaguely know of Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair from how eager Eddie is to talk about his new Hellfire recruits. The descriptions match, with Lucas’ wide-eye stare and Dustin’s growing, excited smile.
“Eddie!” he screams, stomping his foot several times into the floor. "You gotta get out here, dude!"
The outburst summons several more faces in various states of confusion and height: Max Mayfield, the step-sister of the late Billy Hargrove, shoves Dustin out of the way to get a peek. Robin Buckley, Steve’s Scoops Ahoy co-worker, is the next to stand a foot above the rest.
Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington follow suit, both littered with dirt and blood and equally surprised expressions.
You slam the car door shut, exiting the driver’s side door to stare back without any real explanation in mind.
The last to arrive is Eddie, who comically pushes Steve by the shoulder in order to stand on his landing in perfect view of the newcomer in question. Eddie looks like he’s been through hell and back: his Hellfire Club staple raglan shirt is dirtied, hair matted, with dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in weeks.
Until he sees you, really sees you, and a lifetime of sorrow is lifted from his expression.
He bolts.
Skipping all three stairs to the dirt, he falters in landing but propels straight forward like a linebacker towards you. You take two steps to meet him, but Eddie Munson scoops you high into his arms in a twirl, holding you like he’s afraid you'll disappear like a ghost.
“Holy shit,” he murmurs into your shoulder, his palm cradling the back of your head. “Holy shit, holy shit, please tell me you didn’t—”
“Drive?” you ask breathlessly. “Two hours to get here? More like one. I may be wanted for speeding in two states.”
“Are you insane?” he replies, voice cracking. He sets you down to give you a once-over of disbelief. You hold his face palms on either side to steady the manic shock. “You’re not supposed to be here. It isn’t safe here.”
“You said you were in trouble.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t mean you end up in trouble right along with me.”
You shake your head, leaning your cheek into his palm as he moves to cradle your face close. Forehead to forehead, it feels like it’s the first time he’s taken a breath, a real breath, in maybe days. It’s scary to think so much has happened in your absence.
“You made me an honorary Hellfire Club member, remember?” you remind under your breath, a murmur, to keep it between the two of you. “You don’t get to do whatever this is alone.”
“You have no clue what you’re signing up for,” he warns, closing his eyes at the scent of your perfume. “Please, go home.”
“Munson!”
The sound of Steve Harrington’s voice carries as he drops down the front stairs of the trailer, walking barefoot and worse for wear in the grass. Around his middle is makeshift dressing, broad chest shirtless and speckled with hair.
He’s wearing Eddie’s Dio denim vest.
(What the hell happened to all of them?)
“I’m going to ignore whatever it is I just witnessed, alright, and say we should get inside.” Steve’s hair flops as he regards you with a smile, small and warm. “Hey. Long time no see.”
“Right back at you,” you reply breathlessly. “You look like shit.”
“Feel like shit,” he quips in return. “But, hey, I never made shit look so good.”
You laugh with your own tiny smile. “Glad you’re still the same Steve.”
Eddie finally lets go, gesturing to your car. “Harrington, tell her she shouldn’t be here. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”
Steve makes a face, lips pulling downwards. “Nah, I don’t think she’s ever listened to me, man. Not in school, not in life, not ever.”
“And we need the numbers!”
Robin shuffles out of the trailer, her gangly limbs waving a quick hello. Her vocal fry returns as she sheepishly motions to you.
“I mean, we… are one person down on Dustin and Eddie’s distraction team. Nine people, instead of eight. Three teams of three. It works.”
“Robin’s right,” Nancy confirms with her own subdued, honey-lemon tone. Her arms are crossed over her chest, shirt mangled and torn and matching the fabric around Steve’s torso. Nancy holds up a hand with a mouthed ‘hello’ to you. You mirror the softness of the greeting.
“Okay, but what about Eddie?” Eddie says, rubbing the bangs on his forehead. “Does Eddie get a say about how batshit it would be to bring anyone else into this insane asylum mission?”
“Three is better than two,” Nancy apologetically disagrees. “We don’t have El, we’re running low on time, and she’s willing to at least hear us out.”
You nod once, leaving Eddie’s side to decidedly make your way to the trailer despite the sounds of protests he makes by your car.
“Just fill me in on what’s happening,” you tell them. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The group of seven remaining at the door all turn inward, leaving an air of uncertainty with them.
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Vecna’s curse. Clock chimes and nightmares. Demogorgons. Demobats.
The Upside Down.
End of the world type of shit, according to Max. She wasn’t kidding.
You sit between Erica and Lucas as the adults of the group explain the last few years of what Hawkins has had to offer: how the disappearances of several students of the years, and the death of Billy Hargrove, weren’t mere accidents.
Everything was connected.
Everything in this town, this never-ending Hawkins curse, finally began making sense.
To your right, Eddie stands in the corner of the Mayfield living room. He’s white as a sheet and grief stricken when Nancy reaches the part where he comes in: how Chrissy Cunningham died on his very ceiling with her limbs mangled and eyeballs carved from their sockets. How the town blamed Eddie and went on a town-wide manhunt in Chrissy’s name against him.
How he hid in a boat house without a means of escape.
Now it makes sense why you hadn’t heard from him in days.
You finally speak up once the room simmers to silence, the tale coming to a close. “So you… managed to get into the Upside Down and get back to Hawkins?”
“Yes,” Nancy responds. “That’s… where we are in the plan right now. The only way this ends is if we go back in and kill him.”
“You mean Vecna?”
“Yeah,” Steve answers for Nancy, running a hand through his floppy hair. “Kind of our only option at this point so we can make sure Max doesn’t… y’know. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” the redhead pipes up from the corner, fiddling with her cassette player at her hip. “He means so I don’t become his fourth victim. Everything’s happening in fours, so… makes sense that I’m still marked.“
“But we’re going to figure out how to kill him,” Lucas reassures with soft sincerity.
Steve pushes his index finger into the map where the red ‘X’ covers a drawing of a house. “Nancy, Robin, and I will be going to the house to kill Vecna. Erica and Lucas will stay with Max to ensure the bait plan stays that way.”
He blinks up at you, chewing the inside of his cheek with contemplation.
“Dustin and Eddie are a distraction in the Upside Down.”
“Which is why she’d be safer with one of you,” Eddie finally pipes up as he chews on his ring fingernail, staring intently at the map from a distance.
“I know I’m taking a crash course in Hawkins 101, here,” you start, rubbing your palms gently against the thighs of your denim jeans, “but I feel better if I went with you and Dustin, Ed.”
“And we have extra weapons!” Robin pipes up with forced excitement. “Well — we will have extra. See? Extra hands all around, it’s a great thing.”
“It’s not.” Morose, Eddie shakes his head.
You watch him for a minute, assessing and reassessing the news, before glancing back at Steve.
“Will… fighting this thing clear Eddie’s name?”
“Maybe?” Steve replies honestly. “That’s the goal. Kill Vecna, set things right. It’ll be… it’ll be a tough sell, but we have to try. Only other option is to let Hawkins cave in on itself.”
Max shifts awkwardly against the wall, fixing her headphones strapped around the back of her neck.
“Then I’m in.”
“Hey—”
Eddie removes himself from the corner to protest, but you lock eyes and shake your head.
He stops dead in his tracks, shoulders deflating with each passing breath at your determination.
“You need a third.” You glance around the room. “I’m your third.”
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By the time you all return from the weapons and ammo store, the stolen mobile trailer finds its way parked in the outskirts of the park — not quite where it was hot wired, but close enough to feel familiar.
One by one, everyone files out and into the open field for their preparation stations.
Dustin drags Eddie off to make shields worthy of their campaign before you can ever say a thing. Erica and Lucas do their own thing with spears and leather in hand, while Nancy and Max take a spot to the far east to get to work on the shotgun modifications.
It leaves you with Robin, who already set up a spot at the mobile trailer to make homemade Molotov cocktails.
(Absolutely nothing to worry about.)
You’re in the midst of creating an inventory sheet when a tap on the shoulder surprises you from behind. Steve, still a dirty mess but at least covered by a new long-sleeved shirt and jacket, waggles his eyebrows in your vicinity.
“So… this is weird.”
“What is?” you ask, placing the pencil down on what little surface you had to write.
“Seeing you, of all people, in Hawkins again. You actually managed to get the hell out of here.”
“That was always the plan, Harrington. Wasn’t it yours?”
“Eh,” Steve scoffs, waving a hand. “I got a job at Starcourt… then Starcourt burned down because — well, now you know why — and then I just kinda… stuck around. What’s college like?”
“Peaceful,” you joke, placing your hands on your hips. “When you don’t have a sorority sister as a roommate, it’s very peaceful.”
“So what you’re really saying is: boring. I missed nothing at all. Gotcha.” Steve rocks on the balls of his feet. “Miss Valedictorian of ‘85 herself, in the flesh.”
“Oh, God, stop. Not the Valedictorian thing. It really didn’t make much of a difference, by the way, so studying all the time was for the birds.”
“Uh-huh. Still, I can’t believe you risked a speeding ticket for two hours to get here,” Steve teases, suppressing a smirk. “I didn’t think you knew how to break the law.”
You snort, leaning over to bump your arm with his. “Yeah, well, I don’t have to think to know Eddie would probably do the same for me.”
“Still, it’s ballsy. Where was this version of Vale-’85 when I knew you back in high school?”
“Oh, she was always there, Hair Harrington,” you grin as you watch Dustin follow Eddie’s lead in the field, pounding nails into the back of a metal trash can. “I guess you just do crazy things when you’re—”
Stop.
You freeze before you can finish the sentence, instead squaring your shoulders and trailing silent. Dustin dive bombs into Eddie with a cackling laugh, leading to Eddie hugging the little freshman into his side with adoration.
“Hey, I get it.”
Steve speaks up beside you, forcing you to turn to your left. He glances at you through his peripheral, giving a one-shoulder shrug.
“Trust me, I get it way more than you think.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. We don’t have to talk about it.”
He swallows a lump in his throat, shifting in his stance to briefly look to his right. Belated you follow where it lands on Max Mayfield and Nancy Wheeler hovering over a crate, sawing off the barrels of shotguns.
I get it.
Maybe he does.
For a while, it’s like this: silent while the rest of the crew prepares their weapons, talking and bantering amongst themselves. Dustin and Eddie play their own version of in-person Dungeons & Dragons in the field, laughing to the sky.
If he hadn’t looked so petrified just a few short hours ago, then maybe you’d forget why you were even here.
(Why any of you are here, in this field, preparing for war you've only learned about hours ago.)
You lean closer to Steve, debating on your next question. “Are the odds good, Harrington?”
Jaw clenched, he rips his eyes from the two girls modifying weapons to look down at you. You press on.
“I mean it honestly: is fighting this Vecna person a pipe dream, or do you guys really believe this is possible?”
Steve waits, kicking a pebble of dirt with his newly-bought boot. “We’re kind of all Hawkins has left. And if I can do something about it? Then I won’t let this son of a bitch take anyone else.”
Your heart skips a beat when Eddie turns from his embrace with Dustin to search — until his eyes land on you. His shoulders drop in relief as his smile remains.
It’s Steve’s turn, now, to lean over in a murmur into your ear so the rest can’t hear.
“I know this isn’t my place, because I was today year’s old when I found out you had a thing for Munson — which, if we come out of this fight in one piece, then we’re gonna talk about that, but… I think if you were going to have any sort of talk? Now might be a good time to do it.”
“Calm before the storm?” you add, returning the smile in Eddie’s direction despite the heaviness of the conversation at the present.
“Something like that.” Steve nudges you with his elbow. “I’ll keep watch on Dustin-o. You just do what you gotta do.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Got any speeches you wanna workshop before you dive head-first into some Upside Down hellscape?”
Steve snorts, waving you off. “Oh, way ahead of you. But we’ll get there when we get there. For now? You first.”
You first.
Yeah, there’s a lot here with not enough time to say it.
Once Eddie squints towards you, you jut your chin up and to the left where there are woods. Woods that you’ve frequented with him before in late-night meetings. Trees that have seen things, heard promises — what’s one more?
Eddie pauses, makeshift shield in hand, and tilts his head in response. You jut your chin twice to the left — woods, Munson — before he gets it: lightbulb turned on, he shuffles his shield to Dustin Henderson with a hasty goodbye.
Dustin raises his arms and drops them with disappointment, but you don’t get to see how the conversation plays out when you disappear into the wooded area.
Waiting.
“Harrington bothering you, angel?”
Angel. The nickname could melt your heart.
When you turn, Eddie Munson appears around a tree. Meeting you in the small circle of trees far enough to keep this conversation private, he still looks like the skittish little boy you met the first week of school all those years ago.
His hands are lodged into the back pockets of his denim jeans, eyes curious yet apprehensive. He still has spots of dirt all over his clothes — not nearly as bad as Harrington, yet enough to make you worry.
All this time.
All this time and you didn’t know he’d been in this much trouble.
“You two were talking an awful long time over there,” he adds, tilting his head with an unspoken question: wanna talk about it?
You shake your head. “Just old friends catching up. You… sort of surprised him with the whole PDA-thing outside your house.”
“Well you surprised me. I didn’t really have time to, uh, plot a course of suave action.” Eddie’s smile drops as he takes another step to minimize the distance between you. “You can leave, you know.”
“Ed—”
“Let me fin-ish,” he warns in a sing-song tone. “No one is going to fault you for hearing about a psychotic, telepathic Freddie-demon and wanting to go right back to college. I’d feel better, actually, if you did. Run, I mean. I’ll drive you back to your car right now.”
“There’s no way I’m going back now that I know that there are literally demon bats.”
“Seriously? That’s the first reason I would be high-tailing the hell out of here.”
“You’ve seen one?”
“Chyeah, I’ve seen one. Absolutely… fucking terrifying,” Eddie admits with a breathless laugh. “You got out of Hawkins, sweetheart. Like properly, actually, got to leave and—”
“My home’s still here, Eddie.”
There is a heaviness to your double-meaning confession that takes Eddie a second to recognize, but when he does?
His puppy eyes round in disbelief, taking one small step at a time towards you. Your nose scrunches to avoid the passing emotions from overwhelming you.
“If I had known about anyone calling you a murderer? Eddie, I would have ran home sooner.”
“I didn’t have any way to call—”
“And you’re fucking insane if you think I’m going to abandon you while you’re… gearing up like you’re Rambo to kill these things—”
“Wait.”
“—and there is so much I’ve wanted to tell you since I met you and the fact that I see Nancy Wheeler sawing off the barrel of a shotgun with my own two eyes makes me feel like I really need to set a few things straight, and I need to tell you—”
Eddie crosses towards you in three great strides, before pulling your head in with both hands. He presses a searing, desperate kiss to your lips, effectively dissolving your panic.
Clawing your hands into his hair, you pull him impossibly close. The force of him pushing into you knocks you back, barreling the both of you straight against a tree. Eddie pins you there, teeth grazing your lower lip with a sense of urgency.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he breathes against your mouth, left hand dropping to wrap around the base of your neck before diving back in to kiss you.
You rake your nails against his scalp, earning a whimper along your lips. “Wasn’t leaving you.”
“You need to.”
“Eddie, let me say this—”
“No.”
He lets go of your face and neck to place both hands on your shoulders, pinning you to the trunk of the tree. His matted, curly bangs fall forward until his headache presses to yours. Eddie’s eyes squeeze shut in his plea.
“Please don’t say something like we’re at the end of a… terrible fucking action movie where this is a goodbye. This isn't Rambo. I can’t let it be a goodbye, and I won’t run, but I refuse to let this be it.”
His eyes finally open, observing yours. Memorizing yours.
“Look, I’m not a hero. I’m never the hero, okay? I run, I always do—”
“—you’ve never run from me.”
Your interruption falters his shame, allowing the silence to envelop the forest surrounding you.
“Even when we were placed in different classes. Even when things were weird at Snowball. Even when I told you I was leaving Hawkins. Do you know the first thing you said to me when I told you I wasn’t staying in town?”
You allow a pause, but Eddie doesn’t dare speak.
“You said you’d run to me. You’d follow me up to state college. And you did. No one visits me like you do. No one makes the effort like you do. And we could say fuck Hawkins, but what are you doing instead? Fighting for them?”
His fingertips tremble against your shoulders.
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he mumbles, regretting every word.
“People who run don’t care about the right thing to do, Eddie. Never did. You always try to be polite, to be kind, even when people are kind in return.” You brush wayward strands of hair from his face. “That is brave. That is heroic.”
And for what feels like hours, Eddie stands there, eyes downcast. Processing what you said, what you believe, when so many refuse to see beyond the unruly hair, chains, and metal skulls.
He never feels worthy.
You hate that he never feels worthy.
Eddie sucks in a sharp breath, holding it for a beat, before exhaling his resolve.
“Promise me that when we get back, princess, that you’ll let me tell you everything I’ve ever wanted to say to your face. I need to earn my little bat slayer wings, earn you, and if you confess shit here and now? I may not go.”
He drops a small kiss to your forehead, dragging you in for a tight embrace. You reciprocate, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.
He doesn’t need to earn you. He needs to know he’s never needed to earn you.
“But I’m not holding back, alright?” he murmurs into your hair. “We do the plan, I shred, we get the hell out of there, and I just… Fuck, I’ll tell you whatever you want, just not before we go back up there. Deal?”
You want to protest, but he presses his lips back to yours. Gentle this time, like he’s found his footing back on solid ground. You want to tell get everything off your chest before the final clock bell chimes, but it’s his only request.
(Let me earn you.)
After this is over, he’ll learn it was always the opposite way around.
You nod into the kiss, pulling away to reply.
“Deal.”
#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x f!reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson#stranger things#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things fanfic#stranger things fic#fix it au#fix it fanfiction#fanfiction#stranger things spoilers#vol2 spoilers
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THIS IS A SIDE BLOG STEMMING FROM @atbussysparks! That is also me!! I will be attempting to re-write bride of discord
Respect for the original property goes to DisneyFanatic2362, writer of bride of discord. This fanfiction was not meant to be "better" but to be a love letter to the original author.
If you or your friend is into MLPFiM, please tag them in my posts!! I want new fans to be able to experience a modern take on a classic fanfic (^^)
Others may write chapters, and I will reblog that! I will write them, but if someone has a better written chapter I'll reblog that instead
THERE WILL BE NO NSFW. While many people have been touched by this series, far too many have touched themselves to it.
I will omit some ridiculous examples of discord being emotionally or mentally abusive past the point in which he has fully developed as a good character. Instead he will face consequences for his abuse.
This is not a safe space for pro/comships. No questions asked
Spike will still have a crush on rarity, but spike being a romantic interest for adult ponies, or having his feelings reciprocated in any way will be removed from the story.
Music and silly corny early 2010s Disney channel humor will stay, unfortunately. BUT! WE WILL MAKE MORE FUNNY JOKES I SWEAR
No cursing within the story, and if they curse it will be subtle. Horse related. Replaced with @$#&*!?¥£€.
Hell, damn, frick, frack, crap, darn, dang, shoot, balls, loser, shut up, fools, doofus, dingus, and ugly are allowed.
The word "ass" will only be used 3 times. Make it count.
Topics such as death should be handled with care and emotions. It is okay to say stuff related to dying.
Characters can be LGBTQ, but explicit sexual references to ponys' relationships, homosexual or heterosexual, are not tolerated. these horses could be sequential hermaphrodites OR self fertilize through an asexual manner called parthenogenesis, and give birth by teleporting the baby horse from their stomach to the ground via magic nurses. But that's not for us to know.
SOMETIMES dirty jokes are allowed. Like, really subtle ones. BUT NO HORSES DO THE NAUGHTY IN THE PLOT. NEVER MENTION IT.
Please write zecora doing actual Hoo Doo. And respect it, as it is cultural magic. Where used to live people did not respect hoodoo and voodoo as actual lifestyles, and viewed them as Halloween gimmicks. In the same place, many black people practiced voodoo.
I'm sorry I will reference fat Albert. I used to watch reruns of it. Fluttershy will explicitly say "HEY HEY HEY" like in the damn YouTube vid. I'm sorry I loved fat Albert.
Rarity will have a daughter from a previous relationship, and the fully will not have that weird diet culture obsession.
Also justice for rarity what the heck did she do to deserve such a horrible life 😭😭😭
If Applejack's speech is funny y'all don't get to say nothing because I'm southern and i am clearly supreme in this area of expertise. She's probably Georgian but that's not my accent so suck it.
Bigots of any kind are not tolerated. Read my main account, (atbussysparks) about section.
And remember! This project was born of love for the original, appreciation of everyone involved with the creation of the audio drama, and the opportunity to make fat Albert references.
#bride of discord#friendship is magic#mlpfim#mlp fim#mlp#my little pony#my little pony friendship is magic#bride of discord rewritten#boost this#rainbow dash#Fluttershy#discord#twilight sparkle#rarity#pinkie pie#applejack#disney fanatic#peace and love#spike#screwball mlp#princess Celestia#princess luna 😍😍😍#lgbtq#lgbtqa#lgbtqipa#brony fandom#brony#my little brony#fanfiction#pegasister
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GENERAL FILE 2.0
social media usernames:
luca vidraru: constantinev ( uses his dad’s first name so that it can’t be traced to either himself or his villain handle )
dan jinri: pop.rocket
bae hana: flcwer.hxna
yong bora: icariaofficial
sodapop montgomery: sodiepop1345
ryu chaerin: wild.cherry.xo
xanthos elderkin: king.xan
goo jaesun: bananamarshmallowboy ( he went through a phase when he was a teen and never made a new account )
choi kyungah: buttercupbakery
do eunji: enchantingherx
emmanuel kin: emmanuelkin
ricky rotten: polaricky
kara buchanan: k.mockingbird
cho joon: xxmadmarchingboy
rhea dire: dire.official
seo parker: explodo-kills
darian rojas: diamond.dust
bolin shan: gardensandsmiles
woo kwangseok: theofficialgarbageman
koko roe: dokix.dokix
hong yeojin: cobrabubbl3s
gong mihee: gummyfox
james akeldama: akedlama
jo ari: arijo.007
babylon lee: yovnggod
yao kai: liondoggo
kwan seongjin: calore-galore
orpheus blackthorn: orphie.boy
applejack douglas: theoneandonlycowboy ( got third-party help to set up his account, didn’t choose his own name )
#〖 *:･｡✦╱ FILES 〗#i . . .. love making their usernames#applejack never uses his account#it's just there so other people can tag him#his accounts nothing but tags#none of his Own Content#kyungah's personal is also the official for her business#everyone thinks she's endearing as she posts selfies of her and her baked goods#come down and eat nom nom nom !!!! constantly#parker's self-explanatory#he a Weirdo
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Tagalong Tex is not Applejack a big brother pony equipped with strength magic. Like other big brother and big sister ponies, he’s unusually large, having descended from a long line of Clydesdale-like miniature horses with a proud history of globetrotting for the sake of finding and helping those in need. He’s an implant into Paradise Estates, having been born and raised in the Wild Whinny West. The major difference between he and his gal pals is that he takes Starwish’s concerns about the witches a smidge more seriously.
The Wild Whinny West (”three dubbya” as he says it) isn’t an easy place to live. Only the toughest of equines thrive in that gritty desert among the predatory animals like bobcattle and ratty-snakes. Because of this, Tex has spent most of his life collecting calluses and building muscle. He’s become a hypermasc survivalist, his immense strength and boundless bravery only being boosted by his gift. His mom, dad, 15 brothers, and 4 sisters are all very proud of him.
Tex has never been afraid of facing tangible foes given he has unchippable hooves, near endless stamina, and an earth shattering kick. That’s why he’s at the estates: his personal mission as a Big Brother is to protect the villagers from the evil, if incompetent, Gloom Witches. But there is one thing he’s afraid of, and that’s letting ponies know his secret. See, Tex has a pretty big feminine side. He loves pink things, baby animals, and dotting his I’s with hearts. He hides Your Tiny Lady dolls under his mattress and knows every song from the jukebox musical Mare-a Mia by heart. He hates that he’s not the perfectly manly brohorse everyone thinks he is. His magical gift is STRENGTH, for crying out loud, he shouldn’t cry when he walks past baby clothes in the market!
Of course this is all nonsense. In time Tex’s friends show him that there’s not only nothing wrong with his gender nonconformity, but his magic isn’t contradictory to his behavior. For one, liking “chick stuff” isn’t weak. And for two, the emotional sensitivity he attempts to hide isn’t weak either. He’s always the first to offer his buds a shoulder to cry on, or even just a non-judgmental ear. His strength doesn’t just account for his beefy haunches, but also his patience and empathy. It just takes some unconditional support to show him this.
Tex’s determination to look like one of The Good Ol’ Boys is very apparent in his (openly displayed) home decor as well as the hobbies he (publicly) participates in, all of it coming with some influence from his natal culture. His stable walls are littered with western film posters, newspaper clippings of memorable cowcolt exploits, the gears of old farm equipment, and literally anything that you can attach a spur or some paisley to. Hell, past his collection of old heavy lifting medals and trophies you can find a taxidermized jackalope with a novelty ten gallon hat.
But his most prized possession is tucked deeply but safely in the crevice between his headboard and mattress: Cuddleclaws the Bear. Tagalong has had Cuddleclaws since before he can remember, and no matter what happens to the little guy, he never lets him go. If the teddy gets torn, he uses scrap fabric to patch him up. If Tex is stuck on a problem, he speaks aloud to the toy until he yammers his way into a solution. And if ever he’s stressed - a common occurrence when saving the day is your day job - he gives his little pardner a big ol’ bear hug.
#my little pony#hasbro#mlp#applejack#pony#horse#equine#tagalong tex#pony designs#pony words#character design#character redesign#prop design#concept art#visual development#fanart
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Chapter 31: The Sands of Time & Family
The next morning, with one more day left to go until the wedding. Twilight and Spike wake up to once again deactivate all their security measures. Before getting to doing something they mutually agreed was best for the day: More spirit summons for friends who’d like to see any deceased that they miss dearly. Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Sunset had all returned to the soul shield last night. Though they will be summoned back down for the Wedding tomorrow.
Spike gets the idea of finding Fluttershy to let her see many of the deceased spirits of her many pets over the years. They in fact find Fluttershy at the cottage, and kinda suspecting she knows what they’re visiting for. She grins and gets Twilight and Spike to follow her to her pet cemetery. Soon, Fluttershy surrounds herself with many of the small spirits of her beloved pets from the years as an animal caretaker. Pets of all kinds that are more then happy to see the pony that took care of them, in some cases, their entire lives.
Fluttershy quickly in deep bliss as she gets nuzzles, and affection from the spirits of the animals she’s had to bury. Even Mr. Mousey gets to have a reunion with his family. As a spirit he’s even standing up again rather then be in his wheelchair-bound state, as he hugs his wife and grown-up son. She even brings many of them back to see her currently living animals. Both living and spirit animals come across and each other, both kinda confused when some of them can’t touch the others. Though there are some that recognize each other, as well as of course other animal families that Fluttershy’s taken care of aside from Mr. Mousey’s that can.
Twilight and Spike tell Fluttershy they can let Fluttershy spend time with her many animal spirits for the rest of the day while they head elsewhere. Fluttershy does express a little concern about what she was told about the shield having less protection with too many spirits summoned. Though Twilight assures her by saying the size of the spirit matters more then the number of spirits summoned. So it’s actually pretty safe to summon down many of the smaller animals where is it’s summoning full-grown dragons that brings out the most risk. So as long as the collective size of the spirits aren’t bigger then 2 full grown dragons. It should be relatively safe to have the many spirits down here (Though just for the sake of safety they may also try to not make sure it the amount isn’t bigger then one dragon spirit too)
They bid adieu to Fluttershy to spend the day with animals both living and the deceased brought back as spirits. Their next stop is to see Pinkie and her Family to see Granny Pie.
Pinkie hasn’t really mentioned Granny Pie a lot since mentioning her while they were walking through the everfree to confront Nightmare Moon. But Granny Pie had died sometime before the Elements all collectively met.
Once Granny Pie was summoned down it became pretty obvious now where Pinkie got her personality and probably even somewhat color. Granny Pie was of a bit duller Pink then Pinkie was, but even as the old timer she was pretty bouncy. Pinkie’s Parents as well as Maud, Marble all welcome back their grandmother. Limestone at first tries to pretend she didn’t miss Granny Pie, but moments later she loses composure and it turns out she missed Granny Pie the most of all the Pie sisters. Outright tearing heavily as she hugs her grandmother.
Granny Pie also gets to meet Maud and Pinkie’s special someponies Mud Briar and Cheese Sandwich. Quickly seeing how each are much like the granddaughters they’re dating.
Pinkie Pie and Granny then do a sort of reprise of Giggle at the Ghostly, but this time around change the lyrics around a bit.
((To the tune of the Giggle at the Ghostly/Laughter Song))
Pinkie Pie & Granny Pie: Giggle with the ghostly!
Guffaw with your granny!
Clap with the cemetery!
Whoop it up with the wispy!
Laughing at the Reaper!
Snortle with the spiritually!
As with Fluttershy and her animals, Twilight & Spike let Pinkie and her family spend much of the rest of the day with Granny Pie as she moves on to the next ponies she wants to help.
She goes to gather the Pillars of Equestria to see many of their friends from before they went into Limbo. Somnambula having already seen the miracle of spirit summoning when they were seeing Jinn backs up that Twilight’s spirit summoning is real. Starswirl seeing his old apprentice Clover the Clever, Mistmane sees Sable Spirit, Meadowbrook sees her mother, Flash Magnus sees all his squad, while Somnambula and Rockhoof meet friends from their villages. Twilight herself being kind of excited herself for being able to talk to those from more then 1000 years ago to get some more personal account of what it was like then aside from the many times she’s already asked the pillars themselves about then. Though most of all the pillars of Equestria are just thankful to Twilight and Spike for discovering this.
Next, Twilight and Spike meet up with Celestia and Luna and give them a chance to many ponies that were staffers or guards that became so loyal and trusted that they became personal friends with the sisters. Luna seeing many of her friends that been left behind when she turned to the darkside when she became Nightmare Moon and got sent to the moon. Luna showing she’s back to normal, with her old friends thankful for it.
In some time, all the spirits hear that Celestia and Luna are retiring soon to make way for Twilight. And all of them have grateful words for the sisters to wish them well in their retirement. Both Celestia and Luna can hardly hold back tears as they smile with the words they receive from the support of those who dedicated their lives to supporting one or both of the two sisters. Some of them also wish luck on Twilight as she succeeds into their role. Unlike the others though, Twilight and Spike send them back sometime later as Celestia and Luna do a few more royal duties that day. Though they tell their former staffers and guards there will be much more time to see them if they happen to come by or go see Spike in their retirement. All of them understand and let Spike send them back to the soul shield.
From there, only one more was on Twilight and Spike’s mind: Malakhar & Kubuya, so they can summon Hisan Minat, Malakhar’s grandfather. They quickly get back to Saddle Arabia through the gum portal and the couple getting married having both seen spirit summoning early in the day yesterday understand what Twilight and Spike are here to do. They go into Malakhar’s and Kubuya’s room in the palace.
Twilight: You ready to see your Grandfather again, Malakhar?
Malakhar: Of course
Twilight: Sorry if me and Spike didn’t get here sooner. We had… a lot happen in regards to seeing Applejack’s parents for the first time… and Starlight’s Mother as well.
Malakhar: Oh, Starlight Glimmer’s mother is deceased too?
Twilight: Yeah, but finding out that was only the tip of the iceberg of the twists given she was also Sunset Shimmer. who was Princess Celestia’s protege before me.
Malakhar: Sunset Shimmer… I feel like I’ve heard that name before. But I must of only been a little colt at the time. Maybe it was during a random visit from Celestia. Don’t think I saw Sunset herself, just passing mention that she and Celestia were at the palace.
Twilight: Another part of it is that Sunset went missing about 2 weeks after she gave birth to Starlight and thus Starlight never found out who she was. As it turned out she died not anymore then 3 weeks after the birth of Starlight.
Kubuya: That’s so sad…
Malakhar: I definitely understand summoning both Applejack’s parents and Starlight’s mother first. I had my Grandfather for a good portion of my life. Applejack lost both of her parents when she was only a filly, and as you just said Starlight never got to meet her mother until yesterday. Both very noble uses of spirit summoning.
Twilight: I can tell you everything that happened with both Applejack’s parents and Sunset later, as it’s probably best we get to seeing your grandfather soon. Besides, they will probably be summoned to attend your wedding so you two will get to meet them yourselves!
Kubuya: Wow, we’re getting spirit guests, ay?
Malakhar: That will be really cool, heck… if he says yes, we can get my Grandfather there too to see us getting wed.
Twilight: Mmhmm, now how about we get going. Malakhar, we only need your hoof to make this work. You know what to do from there.
Malakhar: Got it!
Malakhar approaches close to Spike to touch the Dragon’s Tear, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to mentally message his grandfather.
Malakhar: (Hello Grandpa, this is your grandson Malakhar. I have seen Princess Twilight’s son Spike summon down spirits more then once by now. And now it’s your turn. I can’t wait to see you again. You should see that I accomplished your dying wish with your own eyes, and I would like you to meet the mare who will be my beautiful wife starting tomorrow…)
Malakhar finishes, and now it was up to Spike to complete it. Focusing one more time, the Dragon Tear once again starts glowing. And within a few moments, another pony-sized comet comes into the room from the open window. Everyone in the room has seen it at least more then once, so no more surprised looks just awaiting for the comet to shift into a glowing sphere and forming into the shape of Malakhar’s grandfather.
Hisan Manat fully fades in, and he looks around.
Hisan Manat: Say, this is the palace isn’t it?
Malakhar just walks up and hugs his old grandfather.
Hisan: Whoa! You’ve grown so big, Malakhar! If I weren’t a spirit, I’d be afraid of you cracking some bones!
Both Malakhar and Hisan just laugh.
Malakhar: I’ve missed you so much, Grandpa...
Hisan: I’ve missed you from up there as well…
Hisan turns toward Twilight, noticing of course the genie attire and of course she was Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic that he asked Malakhar to genify.
Hisan: Greetings, Princess Twilight. It’s nice to personally meet you, I’m well aware that Malakhar succeeded in genifying you even from up there. Giving many of us spirits usually get at least some of the bigger current events told. But it is nice to see the attire up close to be absolutely sure it happened. Thank you Malakhar for fulfilling my last wish. Though back to you, Twilight… you feeling good about being a genie thus far?
Twilight: Well… by now I’ve generally accepted being a genie as part of my identity by now. After all, there are a few major parts of my identity that are younger then being a genie. Such as being a princess, and Spike’s mother. Though I will admit, it is a little awkward seeing you now.
Hisan: Awkward? In what way?
Twilight: You were the one who made Malakhar’s mission to specifically genify me, correct?
Hisan: Yes… my very last words were “Please, genify the Element of Magic” before my soul left my body
Twilight: I don’t want to concern you too much, as I know how important it was given it was your dying wish and all… at the same time though it doesn’t feel right to really… thank you for it… given I was sort of tricked into being a genie…
Hisan: t-t-Tricked?!
Malakhar suddenly has a very nervous face
Twilight: Malakhar told me to do the instructions requiring to genify a pony… but without informing me what would happen if I did…
Hisan gives his grandson a stern face
Hisan: Malakhar… what were you thinking?! You could of blown the one shot you had with that Dragon’s Tear!
Malakhar: I’m… sorry… Grandpa… I didn’t think Twilight was going to agree easily, if I had just went up and said “Hey Twilight, would you like to be a genie?”
Twilight: To be fair, Hisan… if Malakhar had said something akin to that... I might of thought he was insane and walked out. As at the time, I thought Genies were only myths.
Hisan calms down a bit, though still has a suggestion to Malakhar that might of made getting Twilight to try being a genie a little smoother then.
Hisan: I guess you might of been more aware that Twilight’s more logically thinking, so perhaps you’re right that saying you can transform her into a genie would of left her skeptical.
But perhaps you could have also at the same time told Twilight about the 3 day time limit to get freed immediately… before you genified her anyway. You also could have warned that part of the process is the bottle is the entire body slowly funneled into the bottle. Even if Twilight was skeptical, at least she was forewarned, and told that it would be easily reversible if it didn’t work out.
Twilight puts a hoof under her chin
Twilight: Heh, I guess I might of been still skeptical, yet curious if that’s how it went down. I might of even joked by saying something like “You seriously think that bottle’s going to fit me in?” and I might of chosen to humor the notion by giving it a try.
And then it would be sort of my fault that I had that somewhat terrifying moment of being sucked in the bottle for the first time. I’d be humbled by being proven wrong and not angry as I was.... or well maybe I would of still been a little peeved... but more at myself then at Malakhar.
Maybe I even wouldn’t have immediately asked to get wished out of it to try out being a genie for a little while thanks to knowing about the time limit. I don’t know if I would of stayed a genie in that scenario… but it would of at least been a better first impression...
Malakhar: Yeah… that does sound like that probably would of been a smarter plan in hindsight. If only you had lived long enough to see Twilight on her first time here. You might of gotten Twilight to potentially stay a genie whether or not Spike was there.
Spike: I don’t know if she would of said stayed one if I wasn’t there. After all, it was I who turned her opinion around despite her being angry at Malakhar the time. Though to be fair, it probably would of been a lot easier for me to convince her to stay one… if she had a better first impression of becoming a genie.
Hisan is rather intrigued.
Hisan: You convinced Twilight to stay a genie despite her being angry? Tell me more!
((Story continues after the break))
Spike: I guess first of all Malakhar in part didn’t tell Twilight how to get back to normal as otherwise if he did… Twilight would of surely done so immediately. He told us to find a book at a nearby library to explain how being a genie works. We eventually got to reading the book, but not before Twilight discovered the first perk of being a genie... that being getting out of her bottle is always an enjoyable feeling. Sort of cheering her up, as we learned more and more about how genies worked... Twilight actually started to get curious about the kind of things she can do now as a genie that would of been impossible as a unicorn and quite frankly impossible as an Alicorn too. Enough so as to actually decide to try it a little longer even after hearing how to get back to normal.
Learning about the time limit brought back some tension however, as Twilight couldn’t have known at the time she was going to become an Alicorn that can’t die from aging… I really wanted Twilight to stay a genie myself since it would mean she would be around for at least a good amount of my life, though I understood that outliving her friends and family was still a big con. I told Twilight that I’d respect her decision even if obviously one might of saddened me more then the other. Obviously in retrospect even if she had said no, then the whole Alicorn thing would of still made it possible… though then it would have overrided Twilight’s decision to remain mortal. Becoming a genie just turned out to be the time where Twilight was first asked if she wanted to be there for me longer then for a normal pony’s lifespan.
Perhaps… this is when my birth mother’s desire for the perfect mother started to accelerate being granted as it subtly influenced Twilight’s mind. As the desire was dormant within Twilight’s mind the moment she hatched me. The desire wanted just the right conditions that would result in Twilight to be a good mother for me, and making Twilight wanting to be my mother as early as a filly would of been way too early. So it waited, occasionally picking up at moments that would grow our relationship slowly into a motherly bond. Such as telling me that she’d never send me away when that was the fear I had when we faced Sombra’s fear door...
Twilight: Huh… could a desire from a Dragon’s Tear really work like that… at the very least it did do it in a way where it felt earnest, I could not tell at all if it was something dormant in my mind… I never felt like I was ever going to say or do something otherwise before something changed my mind… I don’t feel like I was slowly hypnotized into eventually considering myself your mother.
Hisan smiles
Hisan: When a Dragon’s Tear is not being used to make genies, a desire said into one mostly waits and looks for the nearest living being that’ll best either help get the desire done or even grant it entirely. Spike’s actually wrong that it just laid dormant and picked up every now and then. That was actual honest feelings you felt as you spent time with Spike. It didn’t make you choose to stay a genie, that was still your decision in the end. You ultimately became Spike’s mother on your own will. The desire just knew ahead of time you would agree to get a longer lifespan or even become immortal if it meant you could take care of Spike longer somehow. I don’t know how, but it did.
Twilight: That’s actually a pretty big relief… I was scared for a moment hearing that last part of what Spike said that this might have implied my motherly bond was never genuine...
I imagine though it makes sense that it was still my decision because I don’t think me becoming a genie was what the desire was accounting for… because another part of it was the Perfect Mother desire wasn’t the only desire connected to me... as it was entwined with Celestia’s own desires in looking for a successor. It was accounting for the fact that I would one day become an Alicorn.
Hisan: Perhaps, though given you didn’t know at the time you’d become an Alicorn. Becoming a genie sort of started granting the desire early. You would of probably ending up adopting Spike either way, but being faced with the choice to become a genie accelerated you and Spike’s realization, cause at that point it was the only thing you knew that would allow you to live longer.
So it was ultimately your special bond that saved my dream of at least having one genie around. So thanks both of you, and probably Celestia, as well as Spike’s birth mother too. The threads of life all connecting like this is most amazing.
Twilight: You’re welco… or well, I don’t know if your welcome is the right words. As it’s not like our direction our lives took was all for you. But I guess it still managed to conveniently fulfill your dying wish.
Speaking of dying though, a good thing about discovering Spirit summoning is it really nerfs the biggest concern I had about becoming a genie. I’ll be able to see and talk with friends and family even long after they’re gone just like how we’re seeing you now.
Hisan: That is true, not even the genies of old had that luxury, so it was always a reason why it was a bit of a tough sell. As there were often plenty of ponies that many of me and Malakhar’s ancestors thought would make good genies, but due to being modest as part of the criteria many of them so modest to ever accept the idea of far outliving their friends and/or family. They’d usually need more of an actual reason to live so long,
Twilight: And I guess… having a dragon that would become my adopted son was mine.
Hisan: Indeed! It’s also true that one day if we get a good amount of Dragon Tears around, the existence of spirit summoning will lessen the concerns about that. So perhaps some day soon even if that’s still decades or centuries from happening. We’ll have genies back in a big way. Of course, you’re capable of genifying others if they wish for it too, Twilight. Though I assume you have a good reason why you haven’t
Twilight: Yeah… I’m being careful. I at least like using something like the genie simulation where they feel what it’s like to be genies but have none of the magical power. And most who would want to wish be a real genie is kind of suspicious, because they might have an ulterior motive.
Which is why I’d rather trust Malakhar if he ever decided to try to find the next genie. After all, it’s your family that’s been vetting potential genies for generations.
Hisan just claps
Hisan: I knew you’d be careful, I did right by telling Malakhar to genify you, you were the best choice out of the elements just because I knew you’d think before making your wishes. In the right setting, some of you other friends might of made good genies. But there was at least one big concern about each of them.
Twilight: I myself have kind of figured that myself too. Applejack is a little bit magic-averse, Rainbow Dash couldn’t be a Wonderbolt and a Genie, while Rarity would be a consideration… she has a career, plus I’m unsure if she’d like the whole bottle thing. Fluttershy at least early on might of come with fears of her kindness granting wishes when she doesn’t even know if she’s being used by someone with ulterior motives, and Pinkie Pie… is Pinkie Pie.
Hisan nods
Hisan: I agree maybe Rarity might have been the next best choice. But I had only one Dragon Tear, and it felt appropriate to genify you as you’re known to be a fair bit more modest then Rarity is. Not that Rarity would be too vain, but she probably would of used some of her power for some degree of personal luxury where as I suspected you would put more thought into all you do as a genie.
Twilight nods herself, and smiles
Twilight: Thank you, Hisan. It’s been quite an interesting conversation. Glad I got a little insight into all this genie stuff from you. It probably would have been more valuable to me if you there when I was first genified. I would of certainly gotten a quicker understanding. I now know why Malakhar always held you in such high regard.
Hisan: I want to give some thanks myself in return, I’m glad I got to see that I did right with asking Malakhar to genify you in more ways then one. You’re exactly the genie I hoped you would be.
Hisan looks around the room and takes a look at Kubuya who’s been generally silent the whole time.
Hisan: Hey, Malakhar. Who’s the other mare here?
Malakhar: Oh that’s right… ahem… Grandpa… I’d like you to meet Kubuya Atka. Who will be my lovely wife starting tomorrow.
Hisan gasps, but quickly smiles for his grandson.
Hisan: That’s great news Malakhar, congratulations on your coming wedding!
As Hisan looks closer at Malakhar’s soon-to-be wife. As Kubuya just gently waves with a sheepish grin.
Hisan: Say… I feel like I’ve seen you before actually… you were a lot younger then likely, and I don’t think I ever got your name before today… but I definitely feel like I recognize you…
Kubuya: Really? I must admit… I’m not sure I remember ever meeting you…
Hisan: It’s understandable, you were only in your teens. But I remember seeing a young mare of your color scheme working at the library while I was there. We likely never met because I was just a random occasional customer.
Kubuya: Ah yeah, I didn’t quite start getting check-out desk duties there until real close to adulthood. I just sorted books or assisted my boss until I eventually got promoted.
Hasan: I also remember you, because of your cutie mark
Kubuya: Huh, my cutie Mark? Surely you just thought it was just a bookmark, right?
Kubuya looks at her flank
Hisan: It is a bookmark. But the flower on said mark is distinct in your family’s lineage isn’t it?
Kubuya: Well, yeah… it is… since I’m a descendent of Jinn’s. But why are you mentioning this.
Hisan: Because… say I had never thought about genifying an Element of Harmony. And if I had lived sometime longer then I did, I may have tried to recruit you as the one genie.
Kubuya: Wait… really?!
Hisan: It would of been a decent amount of years before I did it, and I would of still had to make sure you had the temperament and were willing to become one but yes. I had thought at one point that perhaps a descendent of Jinn may be the best choice to have the first genie in so long. But you were too young, and I heard of the news of the Elements of Harmony that would make Twilight Plan A, and shortly afterward I died before it could happen. Plus, I never told Malakhar about you beforehand because I wanted him to focus on Twilight as soon as it became obvious I wasn’t going to live much longer.
Kubuya: Well… I’m kind of flattered you considered to make me a genie at some point. I’m not sure if I would of made the criteria, or how exactly I would of felt about being asked… but I probably would of at least considered it. Though I’m getting married tomorrow, so it’s definitely a little too late.
I’m aware that some genies in the distant past have wedded mortals long in the past. Though if they wanted children, they had to magically switch genders with their special somepony, or find some other way to incubate the foal since the foal is never born a genie.
Hisan: Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to ask if you’d like to be a genie now as I’m aware it’s best you stay as you are if you do indeed plan to be wedded tomorrow and have children.
Malakhar: Speaking of having children, Me and Kubuya did talk at one point of possibly having a child of ours become a genie. Though we agreed we’d make sure we raise them well and see if they find interest in being one themselves when they grow up to adulthood.
Twilight: You two want your child to be the next genie?
Kubuya: We’d be proud to be the parents of the next genie. But we do want make sure that’s what they want first. There’s so many intricacies that we have to think about it in regards to both our future child’s personality, how well we take care of them, and/or if they find themselves with goals in which becoming a genie might be detrimental to.
Malakhar: We’d need either another Dragon’s Tear… in which the only one we have on hoof is Spike’s, but its found a better use in summoning spirits. Or we could ask you to genify the next one through a wish should we not have another Dragon’s Tear show up within the time.
Twilight: I’d be willing to help out if you truly believe you found a good choice for the next Genie whether it’s a grown-up child of yours or somepony else here. As it’d probably be nice to have a fellow genie friend here and living in Saddle Arabia. Though either way, we might be speaking too soon.
Hisan: We have lots of time before we get anywhere near there. Just focus on the wedding tomorrow, and go from there.
Malakhar: Oh right… Grandpa, we actually wanted to ask if you’d be willing to be summoned back down tomorrow to see us getting wed. It’d be great to have you there.
Hisan smiles
Hisan: Nothing would make happier, I would love to be there.
Malakhar: Thank you, Grandpa.
Hisan: Will your mother and my son/your father be there too?
Malakhar: Yeah
Hisan: Probably would be good to see them myself again too
Twilight: Huh, I don’t think I ever met your parents Malakhar. Hope there wasn’t a big reason for that…
Malakhar: Nah, I still love my parents. I’m just not quite as close with them as I was with my Grandfather. My father wasn’t as much into pottery or the whole genies thing, since my grandfather’s obsession was a little much for him growing up. But I got interested enough that I sort of became the son that he hoped my father would be. My mother’s really nice, but there wasn’t really ever a reason to mention her In the time I’ve seen you, there just was never a relevant time to talk about them.
Twilight: Ah, I see. Well, regardless I can’t wait for the wedding. It’ll be nice to end this roller coaster of emotions these past few days with a happy matrimony.
The rest of the room nods, as they continue talking. Elsewhere in the palace though, the Sultana has taken today as an opportunity to get to know Moondancer and has been giving her a tour of the palace similar to the one she gave the Elements while Twilight had a meeting. Both the Sultan and Sultana first met with Moondancer as Twilight and the others spent time in Equestria seeing Applejack’s Parents and/or Sunset Shimmer, the royals quickly embracing her as their son’s special somepony.
Moondancer: Thank you so much for this wonderful tour, miss Sultana.
Sultana Elona: Please, call me Elona.
Moondancer: Oh! Then… thank you… Elona. You have some excellent displays in the Palace. When I’m living here, I can’t wait to be able to take my time and examine everything here.
Sultana Elona: And we can’t wait to have you around the palace, both me and the Sultan have already taken a liking to you. And seeing how happy you and our son is very heartwarming.
Moondancer: I’m glad to know all of you are so nice, I was sort of scared before the ball that like Rarity before one of the Grand Galloping Galas that Twilight went to, I’d have my hopes up meeting a prince only for them to be too stuck up or his parents were going to disapprove of me being a commoner. and a foreign one at that...
The Sultana smiles
Sultana Elona: I assure you that we have no such problems with either. I’m native here, but I was once myself only a commoner here in Saddle Arabia. I was a nurse that healed my husband, who was the Prince at the time, from a near-fatal stab wound in the chest. Once he had recovered, he asked me out. And well… the rest is history, as you can see where I am now.
Moondancer: D’awww, that’s so cute… no wonder you referred to the medical section as your favorite part of this tour.
The Sultana just nods
Sultana Elona: Now follow me Moondancer, there is one more stop before our tour is finished.
Moondancer: Okay
The Sultana bring Elona to an end of a hallway, where eventually they come across a large Dragon’s Tear replica
Moondancer: Whoa… this… is this… a full-sized Dragon’s Tear…
Sultana Elona: It’s the full size, though it’s not a real one. Otherwise we certainly would have used it ages ago.
Moondancer: Twilight’s told me a few times about the Dragon’s Tear. I’ve heard how amazing they can be, though I’ve been hearing that just yesterday they have discovered something entirely new about them.
Sultana Elona: Indeed they have, my husband told me all about it. Apparently, Twilight and Spike has learned they’re capable of summoning down spirits of the deceased. They come down in transparent ghostly forms, and we’re free to talk to them and everything.
Moondancer: Say WHAAAAAAAAT?! That’s incredible! I have to catch up with Twilight to hear about all this sometime...
Sultana Elona: Perhaps during Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding?
Moondancer: Yeah, that sounds like it’d be the perfect time to see her then. If I know Twilight, she’s probably been using the past two days to use the newfound spirit summoning to help out needy friends with those they miss or see any deceased historical figures she can possibly get.
Sultana Elona: Probably! But by the way, this Dragon Tear replica isn’t actually what the last stop is.
Moondancer: Huh? But there’s nothing else here. It’s an entirely dead end…
The Sultana raises an eyebrow and grins
Sultana Elona: Is it really?
The Sultana presses a hidden button. The replica starts moving as the part of the wall with the Dragon Tear replica shifts forward and then starts rotating high up in the air. Revealing a long stair case behind it. Smaller Dragon Tear replicas slowly light up the staircase walls that serve as lights to lead the way.
Moondancer: Whooooooa! A secret passage! Are we going down there?
Sultana Elona: Of course! Follow me!
The Sultana and Moondancer go down the long flight of stands. Once they’ve reached the end, Moondancer looks around and sees… a motherload of bookcases and shelves. She goes wide eyed, with her mouth agape, her glasses nearly slipping off her snoot before she uses a hoof to put them back up.
Moondancer: I… I…. Is… is this… is this the….
Sultana Elona: Royal Library? Yes, yes it is.
Moondancer beams a huge grin and barely can contain her excitement. She starts trotting around making a high-pitched squeal of excitement
Moondancer: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Moondancer: This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen books like this in Canterlot before! I could spend decades… if not my whole lifetime with all of these books here…
Sultana Elona: Many of these books are from the many generation of Royals that lived here. This library was first built by the Sultana that started my husband’s dynasty generations ago. Part of the job of being Sultana is actually to keep this library running, and add whatever the Sultana wishes to do so, as well as pass along knowledge to the next one.
Moondancer: But wait… shouldn’t you have waited… untill at least when me and the Prince got engaged? We only started dating two days ago…
Sultana Elona: Maybe, but I thought it was important to show you this place anyway. We know you’re a bookworm much like Twilight is, and we want you to be as happy as possible here once you have moved. Heck, not even Twilight knows about this room because she’s never here long enough. She can’t stay here long enough to read most of these books, cause she has duties in Equestria.
Obviously she’d be bummed if she saw this place but knows she won’t be able to stay too long to see what’s in here. But if there’s something in here that you’d think would interest Twilight. It’ll be something to tell her personally yourself the next time he comes to Saddle Arabia or at least through the mail.
Moondancer: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh… Elona… you’re the best… er… potential mother-in-law ever!
Moondancer embraces the Sultana in a big hug
Sultana Elona: You’re very welcome, Moondancer. By the way, this place also has more dancing books that have never been shared to the public. Since they were specific to some Sultanas who were great dancers. I can already tell you’re a better dancer then me, just based of what I saw during the ball. So you’ll certainly get some good use out of them.
Moondancer: Oh yes! That’ll be great to see too! Thank you so much! Is… it ok if I find a few books I want to read for the rest of the day? I promise I won’t stay up all night reading books, as I do intend on being there for Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding. But I’m eager to see which books I’ll want to check out first.
Sultana Elona: Of course, Moondancer Feel free to explore to your heart’s content. I have to go though, and I’ll be closing the door, but there will be a button to open the wall again from the other side when you decide you’re done. Ok?
Moondancer: Yes, again… thank you so much. I’ll see you in the morning for the wedding!
Sultana Elona: Seeya at the wedding, Moondancer.
The Sultana goes back up the stairs to leave Moondancer to explore the library. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike have finished talking with Malakhar and Kubuya. They actually decided to send Hisan back to the soul shield as it was getting late anyhow.
Spike: Soooooo… off to bed before the wedding?
Twilight: Yeah, but first… I have something serious to take care of shortly before we have our happy day at the wedding.
Spike: Cozy Glow’s statue, I take it?
Twilight: Yes… though actually... make that two things…
Spike: Oh… you also mean… him… don’t you…
Spike briefly closes his right eye and places his hand on his eye scar. While Twilight nods.
Twilight: I’ll be right back, Spike. Here take this piece of gum so you can get back to Ponyville.
Spike himself nods and proceeds to himself to Ponyville. Twilight herself goes to Ponyville but close to what Starlight did, specifically went to where the statue of Cozy Glow, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek are currently petrified. She flies up to the top of the statue where Cozy Glow’s forever frightened face.
Before she met Sunset and learned of Cozy’s past, that face admittedly sort of haunted her. Not much was known about Cozy before her petrification. Cozy Glow at that point was known only as one of Twilight’s students at the Friendship School that seems to have taken the word that Friendship is Magic too literal in that it’s powerful. And there was some sort of feeling that maybe one day they’d let Cozy out soon to attempt to reform her much like they did with Discord.
But after learning about Cozy’s true nature, along with having a huge role in Sunset’s death, being much of the reason Starlight’s life was so hard early on, and how her goal would of ended up in the extinction of all life on the planet. Twilight now looks at Cozy with more contempt then either Chrysalis or Tirek. Twilight carefully takes the petrified Cozy off, and makes a completely separate pocket dimension to carefully place her in. Only Twilight herself will have access to it.
Now Twilight makes another portal, but this time in the Saddle Arabian dungeon. Where former Vicegerent Zathir, the psychopathic pony that hijacked Twilight and her friend’s last visit. There’s a heavy amount of guards here, the captain of which bows before the approaching Twilight though he does wonder why I’m here.
Royal Captain: It is a pleasure to be in your presence, Princess Twilight. But… what are you doing here?
Twilight: I need to make a “special” visit to a certain pony here. Let’s just say, once I’m done you won’t have to worry about feeding him anymore
Royal Captain: Wait… you aren’t going to execute him… are you…?
Twilight: No, I’m not executing him. I understand that would probably be disastrous, given it’d likely release some consequential dark magic onto Saddle Arabia. But you should recall Equestria has had ways to deal mostly permanently with threats that aren’t likely to be reformed soon.
I will also be taking him to a pocket dimension where no one will ever reach him ever again.
The Captain nods
Royal Captain: Allow me to take you to his cell
Twilight follows the captain to where Zathir is being held. Even the guards themselves have been kind of gotten tired of having to force-feed each day Zathir so that he stays alive. His entire room confinement is too soft in all parts of the room for him to try to kill himself by banging his head, and his hooves are tied down by a straight jacket.. He’s also muzzled. When the guards need to feed him, their strongest hold him down, so he can’t bite to tear the wall until finding a hard enough surface.
Royal Captain: Here it is, do what you will.
Twilight: Thank you, Captain.
Twilight teleports into Zathir’s cell. Startling the disgraced criminal. Zathir’s voice can still be heard though it’s still somewhat muffled by the muzzle
Zathir: Wha… Twilight… what do you think you’re doing here? Are you going to join in on the guards constant torture of reminding me of my failure…
Twilight: Not really, I’m actually here to… let’s just say… change your sentence…
Zathir raises an eyebrow
Zathir: I’d be most grateful to a genie for the first time in my life if it was the sweet release of death… but I have a feeling you’re not going to be that merciful… are you…
Twilight: Actually, I’m sort of… getting you out of here…
Zathir goes wide-eyed
Zathir: Wait… you’re… pardoning me?
Twilight: Nah, it’s not a pardon either.
Zathir is utterly confused
Zathir: Just what in the world are you planning…
Twilight smugly grins
Twilight: You could say… I’m granting you immortality… the once proud Vicegerent Zathir’s legacy... completely... set... in... stone...
Zathir: Wait… no… please…
Twilight zaps Zathir with magic that petrifies him from the hind hooves reflexively making him stand as the stone petrifies more of his body
Zathir: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooommmppppppppphhhh!
Zathir now’s affixed in stone with his look of horror as he realized Twilight’s making it so he can never die. Twilight once again pulls up the pocket dimension where she put Cozy, and levitates Zathir’s petrified body into it. She then teleports out of the cell with a satisfied face, where the Royal Guard captain is waiting.
Royal Captain: Has the deed been done?
Twilight nods
Twilight: Mmhmm, the guards here no longer need to worry about keeping Zathir alive. And you’ll have no need to fear a death with consequences of dark magic toward Saddle Arabia.
Royal Captain: Thank you, Princess
The Royal Captain and Twilight salute each other before Twilight heads back to Ponyville. Even with Zathir all taken care of, she puts up the protection spells in the castle once again. So they can rest easily before Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding tomorrow.
UP NEXT: Epilogue: The Wedding
#Secrets Of The Dragon's Tear#Twilight Sparkle#Spike#Spirit Summoning#Fluttershy#Granny Pie#Pinkie Pie#Princess Celestia#Princess Luna#Luna#Celestia#Malakhar#Malakhar Manat#Kubuya Atka#Kubuya#Hisan Manat#Hisan#Sultana Elona#Moondancer#Cozy Glow#Zathir#Vicegerent Zathir#genie
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Mod Masterpost
Here’s a post 4 all of u mobile users, all of the mods in one place! It includes the pic of their ponysona/mod pony, a little description and their social media (If available). If they don’t have any social media listed, DO NOT ask for them, they’re not there for a reason!
Click on “Keep Reading!” This post will be updated accordingly!
absolutely exhausted and gay
gender?? no thanks, i’ve had gender once and didn’t like it
cries at every movie
fav things to draw: Muffins, Twilight, Twuffins, Luna, redesigns and headcanons, silly things and memes
Hi there!! Im mod Mizzle (formerly mod Ivy!!) and im the creator of ponydoodles! I like cats, bugs and staying up late until 5am. I’m a part time freelance artist and I’d love to draw for you! Check out my carrd for more details !! <33
carrd | tumblr | ?????
ponydoodles tag
slow @ art
loves All ocs
pink
ponydoodles’ only triple hired mod
favorite stuff 2 draw: uhh cute pony interactions??? is that a thing??
hi!! i’m mod glitter and i draw here sometimes. i’m not super good at drawing regularly but i do my best!! also i lov Pink. So Much
carrd | tumblr | :)
ponydoodles tag
▪︎ I’ve loved mlp since 2012, and I’ve been a mod here since 2018!
▪︎ My ponysonas name is Homebody!
▪︎pronouns are she/her or they/them!
▪︎my favorite characters are flim and flam! Love me some rat bastards!
▪︎my main tumblr is @bubaluv , and I’m bubaiuv on deviantart!
ponydoodles tag
carnival enthusiast
art is my life and animation is my oxygen
hella neurodivergent
magic is real
I’m called Ferris ✦ I make cartoons full time, but sometimes I like to treat myself to a happiness-infused doodle of candy-colored horses. I’m here to share some of those doodles with 𝕐𝕆𝕌, 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎𝔼ℝ, and contribute to the positive vibes this blog radiates!!!
tumblr ✦ =) ✦ deviant
ponydoodles tag
the boy so nice they named him twice
XxUltimateDiscordLoverxX
ponies be like: im transing my gender
hii!! im mod treat and i use they/he pronouns!! i love ponies a whole bunch and i love drawing them even more! i joined the blog because i love making people happy and im super hyped to be here!!!
Tumblr - Instagram - Deviantart
ponydoodles tag
The Theatre System (no, none of them will draw for me hdvbdhcv)
ponies w/ paws r my shit. also ill try to b canon-adjacent w/ my weird art hdxhs
gender is *muffled fluid mogai ramblings*, n im an aroace lesbian uwu
if im not thinking about pinkiedash, lovecore, or danganronpa im dead
hehe hi! im mod cottonskittles, head empty only pinkiedash, and i just like drawing for free lol,, i kin rd so im very dumb (/j im gr8), and uhhhh my art changes a lot sorry :pensive: also i rlly like to draw pinkiedash, of course hbvdsxc hope to have a fun time on the blog :3c
DA | tungler | ponydoodles tag
hiya!! I’m a new mod!! call me Bug Juice!! some facts ab me:
- I’m super ultra mega gay + ace 😎
- I keyboard smash a LOT and at this point it’s just a part of me
- I like mlp almost as much as I like jjba
- my fav mlp ship rn is Parcel Post x Braeburn and I have NO clue why HDBDND
I don’t use my main tumblr much but I do have instagram!! and a linktree!!!
(image text reads: BUG JUICE, he • him)
Ponydoodles tag
Hey guys/gals/nonbinary pals, formally Mod Techno (Now Mod Salem) here, I turned 20 recently and since I was gonna have to go into my mod page anyway to update it, I thought I might as well completely refresh it to fit me more!
★My name is Sam, you may know me from my other art accounts as Punkpride, but you can just refer to me as Mod Salem here to keep things nice and clean!
★This is my new ponysona called Salem! They’re a batpony/changeling hybrid, and due to being so, they can only transform their hoof wings/eyes/mane to different colors/shapes/styles.
★My pronouns are They/Them, He/Him, and Xey/Xem!
★I’m agender and queer. Gender? never heard of them.
★My favorite ponies are Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning Dust! (I ship them all together like a maniac in my ng/in general too lol)
★I’m a piercings and punk aesthetic FANATIC
★You can find me on every platform I’m on/more about me here
★Check out my current ponydoodles art tag
★Check out old ponydoodles art tag
[image description: two drawings of my (Zoë) ponysona, Square Peg, who is a red earth pony wearing a tie dye shirt. the first drawing is large and drawn in a chalky style, and the second is small and drawn in a cartoon style. her pronouns (and mine) are she/her!]
i’m Mod Square, aka Zoë! i love mlp, emoji, and party games. my hobbies include rickrolling and using the taco bell rewards app. i play with my style a lot but i hope to always capture an air of carefree fun in my art!!!!!
ponydoodles tag | main blog | pony blog
Click for page two! ➡️
FORMER MODS
List of mods that are no longer on the blog! (Any mod that used to be a part of our blog but isn’t listed here we most likely don’t want to associate with no more)
Mod Irracat
Mod Aurora
Mod Moon
Mod Vivi
Mod Nyxa
Mod Sketch
Mod Sang
Mod Sabbath
Mod Elf
Mod Purble
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Not Home For the Holidays
Hey there, day-one bug fix. So we've finally laid that long nightmare we call Suicide Squad behind us. And now we're officially out of the holidays. So what better way to celebrate than a My Little Pony holiday special~?
Here's the cover:
Ah, a typical depiction of caroling, and well in character. Half of them are just singing nicely. Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, is belting out her own death metal versions of the songs, by the look of her expression, which is obviously not to Applejack and Rarity's taste. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, doesn't care about Pinkie's antics. She'd look just as not-thrilled to be there even if all of them were singing nicely. Otherwise, the rest of the cover has some nice, gentle holiday imagery. The brighter colours of our cast contrast nicely with the darker forest green and such~
So it's been a while since the last holiday special, eh? Seems like it goes every other year. 2015, 2017, and now this one. That's fine with me, doing it every other year makes the stories more unique and interesting. Anyway, we open with Pinkie decorating--but it's Applejack's leg she's decorating. Applejack's all laid up with a broken leg. Her friends are all here to keep her company--it never addresses why her family isn't here for this role--and Rainbow Dash even suggests they make it an early Hearth's Warming party. Unfortunately, Rarity announces that she has another engagement in Manehattan that night.
Here's the wrinkle: Celestia is also holding a royal gala that night, and Rarity has overscheduled. That's the big plot here: Rarity has overscheduled, and intends to attend all her events in one night. And if you think the gala and the soiree are the only things on the schedule, there's also a fireworks show in Ponyville that night as well. Spike in particular wants to attend that one, but he gladly joins Rarity as an assistant while she tries to get to each of these events. And while all this is discussed, Pinkie goes a bit Christmas Vacation cat on Applejack's leg in the background~
So we start that evening in Canterlot, with Rarity in a long gown and Spike in the top half of a tux. The pair of them arrive, noting with some confusion that the royal guards aren't posted to announce them. They enter the main ballroom, only to find everypony still in the midst of setup. Seems Twilight over-extended her stay at Applejack's (further playing into the comic's theme of overscheduling), and also didn't take into account not having Spike around to assist. So they're still getting the party together. There's almost an exciting moment where you think the chef hurrying in is going to drop the cheese fondue on Rarity, but it doesn't seem to end up that way.
Rarity and Spike instead end up helping to set up the party instead of mingling with the guests, and the time comes for them to rush out to Manehattan for that party just as the princesses arrive. The pair jump on the train, and Spike tries to console Rarity a bit. She's a bit bummed about having to run out on her friends just as the party started, and wishes she had considered swapping the order of events. They're off to meet her friends in the fashion world instead, and she's not wearing her most up-to-date gown. While on the train, they go over a series of signals to guide each other to ideal conversation. Two fingers for a change-up, three for a knuckleball, right?
This is a much smaller party, and also is also sort of a meetup of fashion-minded individuals to exchange ideas. Andy Warhol here has a difference of opinion on colour shades (he's so pretentious, they're both just red), and while Spike actually meets a nice pony named Chiffon Ruffles who's wearing a clever candy cane dress with real candy canes (Pinkie would approve so hard), Rarity ushers him out the door as the clock suddenly ticks over. There's a minor error where it says they have to get back "to Equestria" and not "to Ponyville", but it's fine.
The pair are back aboard a train, and Rarity wonders if they might stop and find a way to get him back to Ponyville while she returns to Manehattan to chat Chiffon up, and Spike finally cracks a bit. He is still young, after all, and he might be a bit tired. But he explains that he didn't get the things he wanted at the other parties--not even a candy cane off Chiffon's gown--and the one thing he was promised by Rarity was the chance to see the fireworks. He gave up all that stuff to spend time with her. And that's when the avalanche suddenly knocks the train off the tracks~
I'm not even kidding. There's a full-page spread of it and everything. And since it's another Andy Price issue, it's gorgeously drawn. Fortunately, nopony is hurt, and Rarity even uses her magic to dig a way out so the other passengers can escape. Since they're going nowhere fast, Rarity takes a moment to apologise to Spike. She expected the night to be a whirlwind of connections and conversations, but everypony at the gala was too distracted by setup, and all the fashion ponies were more interested in being seen than heard. She ended up treating Spike the same way, and now his holiday's ruined.
She offers to make it up to Spike by carrying him back to Ponyville personally. Fortunately, they don't get too far before they instead hear jolly laughter from overhead. Yes indeed, the pair are visited by none other than... Rainbow Dash and Twilight, who are here with a rescue team. What, did you think it was Santa or something~? The other passengers board the rescue sleds the pegasi brought, but suddenly there's a loud explosion. No, it's not another train wreck, but the fireworks show going off. The rest of the story is a wrap-up of what was learned: it's the quality and not quantity of the connections you make over the holidays. And so the Mane Six and Spike just spend the rest of their evening at Applejack's~
Before you think that's all there is, the comic has a short four-page story to finish off the issue. This one features the Student Six and Pinkie Pie. The Six are in exactly the kind of mood you'd expect kids to be in around the holidays: excited, goofing off, and throwing snowballs. In order to get them to behave, Pinkie tells them about Krumple Horn, who is essentially a MLP-friendly version of Krampus. Over the next page, each time they stir up trouble, something karmic happens to them. And Ocellus goes missing, leaving behind a bed full of mud. Now that’s horror. The end result is that the Student Six are eager to clear out and go home for the holidays, to their teachers' relief. And of course, Discord appears to reveal he was the one who set up all the karmic retribution, because frankly the role suits him a little too well~
Another holiday, another nice Hearth’s Warming story from our friends in Ponyville. I like this one, and encourage you to go out and read it for yourselves, if only because I summed up the ending sentiment of the main story a bit quickly. It goes on for quite a bit more, and the nice sentiment is much better read in full. And just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep the spirit of them going, yeah~?
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My review on the latest episode of MLP and how it fits in GLAB Canon.
Ponyville has a Trivia Trot and Twilight is excited. So excited in fact that despite getting ready to sleep she’s still answering questions like if she was in said Trivia Trot. The reason she is excited is because she can be the first to win it three times in a row. She even has a chart (because of course she does) estimating her chances.
Why a chart? To keep things fair the pairs are randomly selected via name in bowl. But there is one thing she didn’t take account for...
Pinkie Pie has joined the game. And she never joined until today. So she is a complete X Factor.
The Teams are as following:
Sunburst/Cranky Doodle (Sunburst has the highest percentage of Right Answers and wants to keep that record while Cranky I have no clue why he’s here. Keep in mind Sunburst’s desires)
Applejack/Time Turner (Doctor Whooves)
Rainbow Dash/Matilda (that explains why Cranky is here. Also, according to Twilight Team Appledash is unbeatable but now that they’re competing against each other they’ll be spending energy trying to beat the other)
Fluttershy/Bulk Biceps (they are cute together)
Maud Pie/Mudbriar (who despite the randomness are paired up with each other every week)
Twilight/Pinkie Pie (Its Twilight’s fears come to life!)
Spike volunteered to be scorekeeper. Starlight did it once, and after that one time Sunburst can’t even say Trivia around her. So things are gonna get nuts.
As predicted, Pinkie is not the best partner for Trivia. Since this is basically the entire story, Team TwiPie is the lowest scoring but Twilight tries to find ways to even the score by using the Rules against people. It gets so bad, Twilight uses said rules to get Pinkie eliminated from the game and her paired up with Sunburst.
Yet Karma hits her hard. Thanks to Sunburst wanting to keep his High Percentage of Correct Answers, he treats Twilight like how she treated Pinkie Pie, even trying to get her DQed from the game. When Twilight confronted him about it, she realized how Pinkie felt when she did it to her.
Don’t worry, Sunburst apologizes to Twilight so he doesn’t need the Karma Retribution like Twilight did.
No... That doesn’t sound like YOU at all... ~Pinkie Pie
I like Sarcastic Pie. But now that Twilight apologizes, they are allowed back in the game but having to start at 0. So chances of them catching up to the others are unlikely even if they get a 50 question correct streak.
This episode was fun at parts, but definitely rough to sit through. The way Twilight treated Pinkie was very uncomfortable. Like if I could chance it, I would probably have it be similar to the one episode of Fairly Odd Parents: Pinkie is fast with the Ringing of the Bell so that speed with Twilight’s brains could have won them the game. But since I don’t have Twilight...
--------------------
For this, I am going to have Starlight be in the role of Twilight, Sunburst told her about how fun it could be and Starlight decides why not. She’s paired up with Pinkie Pie and despite being smart herself, is just not skilled enough to match the other teams.
And as a joke, a reference to House of Mouse with the Topic “Questions that Starlight and Pinkie could never answer in a Millions Years!” She’ll ask about it being a legit topic and it is. But Pinkie helps her through it to be enjoyable despite losing badly. Starlight sweeps the Kites Category.
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Diamanti e Stelle
A wonderful fanfiction commission I got from TheSieve on DA about Twilight nearly missing the birth of Stella. I LOVED it, and I just really wanted to share it with ya’ll. ;_;
Thank you so much again for writing this, TheSieve! ^.^
The story’s under the cut! C:
Diamanti e Stelle (Diamonds & Stars)
It was a perfect day for painting a nursery.
They should’ve done this weeks ago, if not months back, but they were busy mares with busy lives and better late than never, as somepony without a watch once said.
Rarity and Twilight were almost finished. With only one wall left, they were within sight of the finish line; the trophy being the unborn foal currently calling the smaller unicorn home.
Rarity was grateful for that. Pregnancies came with both highs and pitfalls, and in the last two months it seemed it was more of the latter than the former. She was more than ready to meet the bun she was baking.
Feet sore, she paused in her work to rest her swollen ankles. “Would you mind finishing up my side?” She asked Twilight, rubbing at her aching legs. Stomach growling, hot food and a cup of tea was sounding lovely right about now.
As if on cue. Spike appeared with a ‘dinner's ready’ before he went to set the table.
Rarity sounded out a grateful ‘thank you’.
Twilight barely heard him. If she did at all.
She was leaving for Yakyakistan in the morning. It was only for a few short days, but Twilight could not shake the guilt of leaving her pregnant wife behind weeks before her due date. However, she was also a princess and that came with reposisiblities.
Soon though, she’d be tasked with an even greater responsibility and the weight of that knowledge had been heavy on her mind for months.
Tired, the alicorn put her brush down. With a deep sigh, she rubbed her hands over her face, wings low and limp at her sides.
Rarity took notice. “Darling,” She said, taking Twilight’s hands in hers. “Talk to me.”
It was embarrassing. It was stupid. It was terrifying.
Yet Twilight was weak against those brilliant azure eyes. They were diamonds; as beautiful as they were sharp. Twilight couldn't hide the truth from them, even if she wanted to. (And she didn’t.)
She chewed her lip, calming the storm brewing in her head, picking out the threads of thought and weaving them into words. If anyone could make sense of them, it would be her Rarity.
“I’m just ...I’m unsure if I’ll be,” No, those weren't the right words.
Rarity was patient though, giving her wife’s fidgeting fingers a reassuring squeeze.
“What if,” Licking her lips, Twilight found herself picking at the yarn again. Starting was always the hardest part. She knew the moment she did, Rarity would take them and turn them into something else - something that wasn’t a mess.
All Twilight had to do was bite the bit. “...What if I’m not a good mom?”
“Twilight,” Rarity sighed, the edges of those sparkling diamond eyes softening. “My love, may I ask you a question?”
“A question?” Twilight parroted, heart entwined with both curistiosly and uncertainty.
“Do you think I’ll be a terrible mother?”
“Of course not!” It wasn’t even a question. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother! The BEST mother!”
With a laugh like chiming bells on a bright, mellow spring morning, Rarity blushed deep and scarlet against ivory fur. “Thank you, my love. May I ask one more question?”
Twilight nodded, ready.
“Why do you believe you’ll be any less?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight heard herself say. But she did, didn’t she?
She could play princess all she wanted.
She couldn’t play at being a mom.
Rarity’s heart twisted at the sight of those loving, passion filled violet eyes darkening with uncertainty. That look did not belong on her Twilight’s face.
Inside her, somepony else agreed.
“Now you listen here darling,” Pulling Twilight closer, bringing their hands over her heart, Rarity squared up against the doubts and shadows plaguing her wife.“You are a powerful alicorn, a dedicated princess, a concerned and caring friend beyond compare,”
She moved their hands slowly down.
“You are the most loving wife. You listen with your heart, you smile with your soul, you laugh when my jokes aren't funny, and more importantly, when I cry you cry with me. Your strength is my strength. I lean on you, and sweetheart, I’ve also been scared,”
Twilight needed to hear the truth, and by Celestia’s sun, Rarity was going to fight every vile thought that dare make her believe otherwise.
“I’ve had my own doubts, my own fears about this -” Finally, she brought their entangled hands over her stomach, where a small and kicking life made itself known to her mothers. “Yet every morning I wake up to your beautiful face is a morning I know she is going to love you as much, if not more than I do. And sweetheart,” She stared deeply into violet pools. “I love you.”
When the tears came, they came with a smile.
Gently freeing one hand, Twilight rested her fingers against her wife’s cheek with a slow, soft caress. “How did gaia bless me with such a perfect mare?”
“Perfect, hmm?” Rarity smirked, leaning in. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
Closing the distance, Twilight met those perfect lips, mapping them in all their flawless detail, and only surfacing for air when Rarity pulled away (too soon).
“Mmm?” Twilight sounded.
Rarity laughed, bright and blissful, at the note of confusion. “Greedy today, aren't we?” Picking back up a brush, she held it out to her partner playfully out of reach.“Let’s save some of that sugar for later.”
With her height, taking the brush wasn’t even a challenge, but in the process she earned herself a sprinkle of lavender rain.
Wiping away the paint decorating her shoulders, smearing it further, Twilight paused and watched.
Watched how the light fell through the windows, the way it danced across the room and fell in halos around her wife and their unborn child, and found herself asking gaia that same familiar question.
________________________________________________________________
Ponies parted like the lunar seas. When a alicorn, all horn and wings is galloping down at top speeds through a crowded airport, you make room. There is no time for arguments or questions as your life flashes before your eyes.
“What do you mean she’s in labor!” Twilight rasped, throat tight in concern. It was happening, and it was happening without her!
“I know Twilight! I have eyes, and unfortunately, ears.” Spike said through the phone, punctuated with a howl of pain that was not his own.
The sound made her blood run cold and vision blurr. It was happening and she was going to miss it; the birth of her daughter!
So much for first impressions.
“Are you at the hospital, how long has she been in labor, how far apart are the contractions? Does she have water and enough blankets? Are her feet cold? I’m sure we packed socks, we packed socks didn’t we!? What if we forgot the-”
“Give it here,” Came a different voice, Spike sighing thankfully as he handed over the phone. “Sugar cube, ya need to cool your heels. Ain’t nothing you need to be working yourself up about. Us girls got ya covered till you get your tail down here, okay.”
“But Applejack,”
“Ain’t no butts here, Twilight. Now you listen and you listen good. You have one job, and it’s making sure that the first two faces this foal sees is that of her sweet mommas.”
“I know but -”
“Now what did I just say?” And before Twilight could argue, or plead for more details the phone went silent with a loud click.
________________________________________________________________
“Wasn’t that a bit - oh I don’t know - harsh?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring down the options in the hospital vending machine. They weren’t great. “Could’ve at least told her something more than ‘run Twilight run’”
Applejack agreed. It was harsh. Maybe unfairly so, but that girl was always the kind who worked better with commands. Otherwise she’d just bog herself down with the unnecessary details, like trying to put together a puzzle that was already finished. “I reckon this way, the wait will be shorter.”
Rainbow tapped her foot, watching her bits disappear. Running a hand through her hair, she hummed. “Yeah, whatever. Just don’t pull a stunt like that on me.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow.
It took a moment, but her own words finally reached Rainbow’s ears. ”I mean - what I meant to say was,” Abandoning ship, the pegasus snatched up her snacks and drinks, shoving a bag of hot-hays into the taller, stronger, more muscular mare’s arms as she retreated into the delivery room.
In her haste, she missed the gorgeous shade of apple red blossoming on an orange, freckled face.
________________________________________________________________
Canterlot in rush hour, was in many ways, worse than the infamous Manehatten tolls and bridges. In the big city ponies had a sense of time. Understood how short a day could be, and wasted none of it.
Canterlot residents on the other hand, could buy time if they needed too. They controlled the clocks, or so they believed and if they wanted to drive ten miles under the speed limit, by all accounts, they would go right ahead and do it.
This mindset was also the reason why one taxi driver was growing equals parts frustrated and concerned. Partly because today’s traffic was particularly bad,clogging up the historic streets of downtown with noise and exhaust, magic or no magic filters.
However, his bigger problem wasn’t with his environmental concerns, but with his peculiar passenger. On any other day, he’d feel blessed that THE Princess of Friendship had chosen his humble cab to ride in, but one look at the frazzled feathered, wide eyed mare sparking nervous magic and practically strangling her suitcase cast some heavy doubt oh this fare.
The fact that they had been sitting for almost twenty minutes without moving, practally parked, wasn’t helping the situation none.
“Uh, excuse me Princess?” He had to say something. The mare’s magic was burning a hole in his roof. “On behalf of the business, I thank you for choosing Black & Yellow - Cabs At Your Service, and stop me if this is out of line, but are you alright?”
Twilight snapped forward, startled from whatever line of thought that was currently trying to consume her. “How much longer!?”
“Princess…” He looked at the bumper to bumper traffic with an awkward, lopsided grin. “Heh, is that a trick question?”
That was the wrong thing to say. Obviously. If his passenger was acting odd before, her behavior was downright bizarre now.
Hyperventilating, muttering rapidly, wings twitching, Twilight looked like a unicorn with her horn trapped in the mason jar. “No, no this can’t be happening. I can’t miss this. I can’t!”
“Again, don’t mind me Princess, but what are you going to miss?” All she had said was ‘drive fast here’. The here being a small hospital in Ponyville four hours away by car.
If they were lucky. And interpreted speed limits as suggestions instead of law.
And with the train out of service for track repairs, well...
“I’m already a terrible mom,” She said, voice small and distant, eyes focused on nothing. “And she’s not even born yet.”
Oh. Oh no.
“Oh no,” He said, putting two and two together and feeling guilty for something he had no control over. “Aww Princess, I’m sorry!” Giving the wheel a good hit, he looked out the window and at the clouds floating faster then they were moving. “I’m not one of those fancy airships. Otherwise I’d fly us over this mess in a hop, skip and a - ”
The Princess was staring right at him, and he could almost see the light bulb over her head as something simple and brilliant and the tiniest bit embarrassing dawned upon her.
“Thank you!” She shouted, unbuckling. “Thank you so, so much!” Rushing out of the car in a flurry of feathers, she abandoned her luggage, tossing her entire wallet into the front seat.
Shocked, the cabby shouted out the window for her to wait. “Princess!”
In a flash of wings and purple magic that made his greying mane stand up and the cars around them shake, he watched as the Alicorn disappeared, and then reappeared as a Twilight shaped dot against the sunset.
________________________________________________________________
“Do you think she’ll make it?”
Fluttershy put on her most reassuring smile. “Of course Spike, she’ll be here. Any minute now. ”She tried not to lie. She really hoped she wasn’t lying.
The young drake huffed. He wasn’t some baby dragon that needed coddling anymore. He knew time was running short.
Fluttershy put a tentative arm around him. “Do you want Pinkie to make you another balloon animal?”
And speak of the pink party pony - Pinkie Pie appeared in the next chair, balloons ready to go. “Oooh, what about a hippopotamus this time!” She squealed, blowing up a long blue shape.
“Pinkie, I don’t think that’s a...” Fluttershy breathed, letting it go. Spike was thoroughly distracted for the moment, trying and failing to guess at what chimera of creatures Pinkie was creating.
It was excellent timing too, Rainbow Dash exiting the delivery room again. She was on her fifth or sixth snack run, and Fluttershy had a sneaking suspicion is wasn’t because she was still hungry.
“Your turn again,” She said hooking the air with her thumb. “Warning, she’s still all drama. I swear, this is the performance of a lifetime or something.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes before she caught herself with a meek ‘sorry’ that nopony seemed to hear.
Because of hospital rules, only two ponies other than the doctors and nurses were allowed in the room with the delivering mother at a time.
Applejack was one of them. Fluttershy was now the other. For the last eight hours or so the five of them, including Spike, had been switching on and off, taking turns at keeping Rarity company as they all waited for the arrival.
The only question now was who would arrive first - a filly or her sire.
As Rainbow had said, Rarity was putting on quite the performance. She was curled up on her side, mane hiding her face, moaning with a deathgrip around a pillow.
“C’mon sugarcube,” Applejack said, rubbing the poor unicorn’s back. “You’re doing great.”
Rarity replied with another bout of moaning. “I’m dying,” She announced. “Put me out of my misery.”
Applejack gave a bemused snort.
Fluttershy covered her mouth. She hated seeing her friend in pain like this regardless of reason, but the fact that Rarity could remain, well, Rarity while trying to deliver a foal into the world was a wee bit amusing.
The humor only lasted for a second, as Rarity asked again for Twilight. “Where is she?”
Fluttershy and Applejack shared a look. “She’s on her way.” They said in almost perfect unison. It wasn’t very convincing.
The baby was coming. With or without Twilight.
She was the one who was supposed to be here, rubbing her wife’s back, cooing sweet reassurance into her ears. Not them. Sure, they were all best friends with an unbreakable bond between them but they’re weren't this foal’s parents (even if they would spoil her twice as much as aunts.)
Looking at the clock, hearing Rarity groan, Fluttershy wished for a miracle.
“Are you ready to become a mother? ” The doctor asked with a bright, cheery grin.
“Read the room, doc.” Applejack chided with a crack of her tail.
Fluttershy’s breath caught as the doctor replaced his clipboard for a pair of surgical gloves. “I’m sorry ladies, but this foal won’t wait forever.”
“W-wait,” Rarity started to protest as another wave of pain hit her. The time between contractions was almost non-existent now. ”Five more minutes, please!”
The doctor gave a pity smile. “Your foal will be here in five minutes.”
“Now just you wait a moment partner -”
“S-sir could you please reconsider -”
“I’m not having this child without my -”
A loud pop from outside the room, a shriek, and another smaller pop followed by cheering caught everyone’s attention.
All eyes were on the doorway as a ragged, worse for wear, magically and physically exhausted alicorn gripped the wall.
“Did I make it!?” Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Princess of Friendship and best wife ever, panted out, wings crooked and horn practically smoking.
In the background, Pinkie could be heard saying “Boy, are your arms tired!”
The doctor stared, dumbfounded. Had she flown all the way [i]from[/i] Canterlot? He smelled the tinge of magical afterburn. Did she - did she try to teleport all the way!?
Mind sputtering with the medical implications of such a trip on a pony’s body, alicorn or no alicorn, a polite if pained firm cough brought him back to reality.
“If I may answer you now Doctor,” Rarity grinned through clenched teeth. “Yes, WE are ready.”
________________________________________________________________
If you asked Twilight what it was like watching her daughter be born, she’d say it was ‘like magic’.
Ask her how Rarity looked and she’d say ‘like a goddess’.
Ask her how her hand felt for the next week and she’d say ‘worth the price’.
________________________________________________________________
When Twilight heard her child’s first cries, the spinning of the world stopped. Day and night had no meaning, Time was a lost concept, and the Universe was impossibly small when compared to the weight of being a new parent.
Rarity was the first to hold their daughter -- Stella.
Their Stella. Their little star.
A perfect name for a perfect little filly.
As her beautiful wife - covered in sweat, blood, and tears - cradled their child, Twilight was overcome with pride and gratitude for the mare who had given her this gift. This was her family. Her wife. Her daugher. Her future.
“My darlings,” Rarity sobbed happily, crying from both the residual pain and seeing the beautiful life she had brought into the world. She didn’t want to let her baby go, held on for a selfish (and who would blame her) moment more, before handing Twilight their perfect little radiant star for the first time.
Twilight hesitantly accepted the newborn foal, who had quieted since her first cries in the warmth of her birth mother's embrace. The doubts crept forward out of hiding again, searching for the spotlight, whispering lies.
Then Stella yawned, and those doubts didn’t stand a chance.
Awashed in tears, Twilight held her daughter, and the world started spinning again.
#fanfiction#mlp fanfic#raritwi#rarilight#twirity#nextgen#stella#Stella Belle#rarity#Twilight Sparkle#not my writing#thesieve#I love it so much plz read it ya'll ;_;
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Notice Me
So, a few weeks ago I wrote a little thing for MLP about Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom. I would like to continue but as it directly uses/references the OCs of @lopoddityart I will absolutely NOT be doing so without her permission. So far, I don’t think she’s seen my requests? so I would like to show her that I will take care of her IP! (This will be my last attempt because she may also be trying to let me down easy and I don’t want to annoy her.)
Anyway, here is a more fleshed out piece that only uses canon characters.
The summers in Fillydelphia weren’t any hotter than the ones she had spent in Ponyville, but there was less of a breeze. The rows of tall buildings and the hilly terrain in general made the air pool and stagnate. It smelled, not of anything too bad, but even flowers can be nauseating if there are too many.
Luckily, Diamond Tiara lived in a nice enough building with air conditioning. She could see other windows across the street open, some with AC units screwed into the sills, some with billowing curtains that exposed electric fans inside.
Diamond Tiara settled down on the cushion, resting her chin on it and gazing up at the sky. A radio was on somewhere, and she could catch snatches of a popular Songbird Serenade song. There was an ambient heat in the apartment from the day’s baking, and she could feel the light currents of cold air falling down from the vents in the ceiling.
Just as her eyelids started to get heavy, she heard hooffalls outside her door. She leaned her head over, bringing her eyelids down more, and saw from under her lashes as letters spilled through the slot in her door. There would be nothing important of course. Her bills were paid automatically from the account her father maintained. Her mother would have written, again, since they no longer spoke on the phone. Anything else would be flyers or coupons for a restaurant she would never eat at or a store she would never shop at.
No one else really sought her out anymore. And oddly, she was okay with that.
With a groan, Diamond Tiara got up and stretched, feeling joints pop and muscles strain. She yawned as she ambled over to the door and pawed through the letters with a hoof. Mother’s letter, ad, ad, coupons for the takeout place that gave her boss food poisoning last week, a bill that was already paid, and another letter.
Diamond Tiara picked up the letter and brought it over to her desk. Dropping it, she picked up her opener with her mouth and sliced open the envelope. Getting out the letter, her face flickered with a bit of surprise.
Dear Diti,
I know it’s been awhile and we definitely need to catch up sometime, but I have something SO IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU.
It had been a long time since Silver Spoon had written. They had both moved out to Manehatten, but after the “incident” between Diamond Tiara and her mother, she had started to feel more uncomfortable being among the upper class. She didn’t resent the fashionable internships, the club parties, or the mimosas at brunch when they were all already hungover. It was more that she could no longer find the same meaning in them, and that bothered her, which made her angry.
Something had been severed and she didn’t know how to reconnect.
Tossing her mane, Diamond Tiara read the rest of the letter.
Planting her front hooves on the desk, she read it again.
With a confused noise growing in volume, she read it a third time.
It took her half an hour for her to call into work, pack a bag, and get a ticket back to Ponyville.
Apple Bloom slowly backed out into the hall as she shut the door to Granny’s bedroom. When it clicked shut, she let out a soft breath and turned, screaming as the looming mass next to her startled her.
“Holy haystacks Big Mac! You scared the life outta me!” Apple Bloom whispered, loudly, and Big Mac snorted.
“You should be resting.” He said sternly and Apple Bloom blew out a breath.
“I’m not even showing yet Big Mac. Plus, with Granny being, well.” Apple Bloom’s eyes shifted toward the door and quickly glided away. “I figure I can still do my chores and take hers over when it gets to be too much.” Big Mac only snorted again and walked past her toward the stairs. Apple Bloom sighed again before following him down.
Cheerilee was in the kitchen and Big Mac nuzzled her neck as he passed while she giggled. When Apple Bloom stepped into the kitchen, Cheerilee brought a plate over to the table and nudged it over with her muzzle.
“Eat up sugar.” Cheerilee said and her eyes twinkled with amused brightness.
“Well gosh Miz Cheerilee, you sound like a regular Apple now.” Apple Bloom said with an exaggerated drawl. Cheerilee blew a raspberry and went over to the sink.
“After being on this farm for so long, I better.” She replied. Apple Bloom glanced down at the plate of Cheerilee’s Meadow Mix salad and wrinkled her muzzle. Pushing it away with a hoof, Apple Bloom leaned over the table.
“Where is everybody else?” She asked.
“Out.” Big Mac plodded over and shoved the plate back at her. “Eat.” Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue but at yet another snort from her brother, she took in a mouthful of salad.
“Applejack is out in the barn with the cows. Rarity has the girls in town for the day looking for yarn to make Granny a new shawl.” Cheerilee explained.
“Boaf of ‘em?” Apple Bloom asked and swallowed the salad. “That’s a lot.”
“Wait till there’s three of ‘em.” Big Mac said and Cheerilee laughed.
“Don’t act like you’re not pleased as punch about having another Apple.” She retorted.
“I was hoping the next one would be ours.” Big Mac countered.
“Oh hush and go help your sister.” Cheerilee snapped pleasantly.
“Don’t strain yourself too much now.” Big Mac said and pressed his snout into Apple Bloom’s face.
“Yeah, yeah.” She mumbled.
“And eat your lunch.” He added as he walked to the front door.
“YEAH, YEAH.” Apple Bloom yelled. After the door closed, Apple Bloom took another bite. Cheerilee stayed quiet as she folded a towel and nosed it into place on the counter.
“I heard Snails stopped by this morning.” She finally said. Apple Bloom continued to chew, not wanting to say anything. When Cheerilee came to the table and sat down, she swallowed hard.
“He did.” Apple Bloom admitted.
“You haven’t wanted to see him too much, are you both still friends?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what’s going on?”
Apple Bloom sighed and pushed her nose through the remains of the salad on her plate.
“Do you think I’m too young to have this foal?” Apple Bloom asked instead.
“I think that you’re awfully young to have your life be focused on a foal, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re going to be a bad mother.” Cheerilee answered.
“Granny says, she said that having a foal is a family thing. And that while we have a whole lotta family, it’s still important to have both parents around.” Apple Bloom continued.
“She wants you to get married.” Cheerilee said and Apple Bloom nodded.
“Snails’ parents said so too. Snails is willing but...” Apple Bloom drifted and Cheerilee came closer.
“You don’t want to.” She finished and Apple Bloom sighed.
“We’re friends. What happened wasn’t, you know, planned, but that isn’t a good enough reason to get hitched.” She said.
“Apple Bloom, I trust you. I trust in your judgement and just know that you do have your whole family right behind you to support you.” Cheerilee said and Apple Bloom leaned over to rest her head on the other mare’s haunch.
“Thanks Cheer.” Apple Bloom mumbled. Cheerilee pressed her muzzle to Apple Bloom’s head.
“Anytime.”
There was a knock at the door and Cheerilee edged away gently. As she walked to answer, Apple Bloom kept eating.
“Oh! Hello Diamond Tiara!” Cheerilee greeted.
“NNNG!” Apple Bloom choked on her salad and erupted into a coughing fit.
“Well don’t die after I came all this way.” The thin voice pierced the distance of the farmhouse. “That would be totally rude.”
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Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19?
If it seems like everyone in your social media feed is drinking more right now, they probably are. According to IWSR data shared with VinePair, retail alcohol sales during Covid-19 have hit double-digit growth, mirroring “holiday-type” volume and value spending.
Of course, any current data should be examined with the caveat that on-premise sales have plummeted, and many are replacing those purchases with stay-at-home Quarantinis. There’s also stockpiling to consider, though IWSR figures signal that the bulk of this took place during a two-week period in March, and sales since then have remained strong.
But just as our interactions with the physical world are largely confined to the views from our windows, we should not overlook the subjectivity of social media feeds. Put simply: Not everyone is drinking more right now.
“If anything, I’ve seen this kind of outpouring of, ‘Here are all the ways that I’m taking care of myself,’ and lots of people doing yoga and meditation,” says Sam Thonis, co-owner of Getaway, an alcohol-free bar in Brooklyn. Opened in April 2019, the bar has become a brick-and-mortar signifier of the growing low- and no-alcohol movements.
Prior to Covid-19, these movements had started gaining significant traction, with coverage reaching national media. By the end of last year, publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times had devoted significant column inches to the popularity of lower-ABV spritz cocktails and hard seltzers, and the growing interest in the “sober-curious” lifestyle. While it was harder to back the “trend” with sales data, low- and no-ABV drinks had by then entered the cultural lexicon.
But like everything else right now, the future of the low and no movements feels delicately poised. Convincing drinkers that it might be a good idea to lower their alcohol consumption is difficult enough at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. And looking forward, there’s the dark cloud of recession looming on the horizon, which is likely to impact consumer spending. That could be a particular challenge for the zero-proof category, whose products have been priced at retail similarly to the boozy libations they were designed to replace. To boot: The non-alcoholic botanical “spirit” Seedlip sells for around $30 for 700 milliliters, while a slightly larger bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin sells for $25. These issues raise the question: What does Covid-19 mean for the future of the nascent low- and no-ABV movements?
Drinking Habits In a Global Pandemic
For Thonis, there’s no question that the zero-proof scene was gaining traction prior to Covid-19. After Getaway opened, it received significant press. While skeptics could argue it seemed like a niche “New York” concept, multiple operators around the country reached out to Thonis and told him they wanted to emulate his model.
Sales, too, seemed to indicate that the city that never sleeps was willing to take the occasional night off from booze. “Before March, when everything changed, the two normal months of 2020 were our best months yet,” he says. “We were on a serious upswing.”
Sadly, those sales have now crashed to nothing. Unlike some New York cocktail bars, Getaway hasn’t pivoted to takeaway or to-go options. And when stay-at-home orders are finally relaxed, Thonis realizes his bar’s offerings might be deemed as a luxury by some. “[Non-alcoholic cocktails] are not human necessities, unlike food and arguably alcohol,” he says.
Lifestyle writer Ruby Warrington has noticed contrasting attitudes on her social media feeds. In 2018, the New-York-based British author wrote a book on alcohol abstinence titled “Sober Curious.” Some have even credited the work with popularizing the no-ABV movement. Warrington also hosts a podcast of the same name and interacts via social media with a community of people who choose not to drink.
Many of those interactions have included people speaking about how glad they are that they don’t drink right now and don’t need to navigate hangovers in the midst of a pandemic. But when she opens her Facebook feed, which has a lot of people from her “pre-sober-curious life” in the U.K., she notices some friends repeating the kind of statements that could double as a quarantine meme, such as “How early is too early to start drinking?” and “Drinking alone doesn’t count in a crisis.”
“It almost feels like there’s a lot of bravado, a ‘let’s drink our way through it’ sort of attitude,” she says. “With my sober-curious goggles on, it does seem like underneath there’s a lot of fear.”
Her evaluation is backed by psychological science. “It makes a lot of sense that people are drinking more during this time: They want instant relief from anxiety, boredom, depression, and just not wanting to feel their feelings — alcohol offers a solution to that,” says Lindsay Hayden, a New York-based licensed mental health counselor who specializes in addiction.
Hayden warns that without the structure and routine of normal life, those who are using only alcohol as a coping mechanism could soon be facing more serious issues. “Not everyone who is relying on alcohol will come out of the pandemic with an alcohol addiction, but it is definitely something people should be watching out for,” she says.
Drinking Habits During a Recession
While the “new normal” of quarantine life is unprecedented to all experiencing it, at least some of what comes after Covid-19 is not without parallel. By many accounts, the world economy is headed into a long and potentially deep recession. The IMF predicts the coronavirus crisis could knock as much as $9 trillion off global GDP over the next two years. If previous recessions are benchmarks, that doesn’t spell good news for the low- and no-ABV movements.
During the eight-month 2001 recession, whose economic impact lasted for several years, alcohol volume sales grew year-over-year, totaling a 4 percent increase between 2001 and 2004, according to IWSR’s chief operating officer, Brandy Rand.
While alcohol sales growth was somewhat flat during the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, that was only because of declining beer sales. “[U]nemployment rate at the end of 2009 was 10 percent, yet there was still an upward consumption trend outside of beer,” Rand explains.
The purchasing habits from both of the most recent recessions indicate that when economic times are tough, consumers turn to the bottle. Amid the uncertainty, and with less cash in their pockets, they also favor higher-ABV beverages to leverage more bang for buck.
Lisa Laird Dunn, executive vice president of Laird & Company, predicts a similar trend this time around. Founded in 1780, her family runs the oldest licensed distillery in America. In its 200-plus-year history, Laird & Co. has survived more than 30 recessions, two world wars, and even Prohibition.
While known for its Applejack, the distillery’s portfolio contains a broad range of products, priced from high- end to value brands. Laird Dunn confirms that the company’s lower-priced value brands typically sell best during a recession and expects to see a repeat of this trend following Covid-19. “I think you’ll find that there will be more price shopping versus just brand shopping,” she says.
But national sales statistics and the experience of recession-defying distilleries paint just part of the picture.
In January 2013, the University of Buffalo published a study on alcohol use during the Great Recession. Polling more than 2 million Americans between 2006 and 2010, the study uncovered notable increases in heavy drinking (3.9 percent) and frequent binge drinking (7.1 percent), but also found a slight increase in abstention from alcohol (0.8 percent). Put more simply: Not everyone decided to drink more. And there’s more than just anecdotal references to prove the same thing is happening right now.
On Thursday, global research firm Wine Intelligence published its first Covid-19-related consumer analysis report. Based on data collected at the end of March and beginning of April, the report found that, on average, wine consumption has remained stable during lockdown. But once again, this trend only tells part of the story.
“We’re seeing an increase in frequency of wine consumption amongst more engaged wine drinkers,” says CEO Lulie Halstead. “So those who were already drinking wine at higher frequencies are increasing that frequency.”
On the flip side, younger drinkers who were just discovering wine are now drinking it much less frequently than before, she adds. While this finding is based on data collected in Australia, Halstead says early examinations of international data appear to show a similar trend in other markets.
Hope For the Low- and No-ABV Movements
During previous recessions, those who opted not to drink were limited to sodas, seltzers, and water. But this time around, the market is already awash with interesting alcohol alternatives. From no-ABV beers to zero-proof spirits, there are a number of non-alcoholic options that taste just like the real thing (or pretty darn close) without the alcohol and with fewer calories. If consumers can get past price concerns, the compelling flavors and low-calorie appeal of these products could help keep the low and no movements humming along.
As one notable example, Scottish brewery BrewDog has reported strong demand for its range of alcohol-free beers this year. Compared to the last four months of 2019, volume sales on its e-commerce platform have surged more than 350 percent between January and April of this year.
“Just last week, we had our strongest day of online sales ever with the launch of our newest NA beer: Ghost Walker,” says CEO Jason Block. Demand from wholesalers has been stronger still, with volume growth reaching quadruple digits during the first four months of 2020.
The thirst for no-ABV spirits appears to be similarly strong. Ritual Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic beverage brand that offers gin, tequila, and whiskey alternatives, sold its entire six-month inventory in just five weeks when it launched in September last year. Despite the current global pandemic, March 2020 sales were up 16 percent over February, and April sales are on track to double that.
“Spirit alternatives like Ritual are today what veggie burgers and almond milk were a few years back: New, easy to knock, and so broadly desired there are now sections in the grocery store dedicated to them,” says founding partner Marcus Sakey. “Almond milk did $5.3 billion in 2018.”
Support from internationally acclaimed bartenders has given these alternatives further credentials. At Bar Kumiko in Chicago, partner and director Julia Momose curated an extensive “Spiritfrees” cocktail menu. The bar is currently offering five of these drinks as part of a temporary to-go menu.
One of the most vocal supporters of low- and no-ABV cocktails has been Derek Brown, owner of Washington D.C.’s Columbia Room. In February, Brown authored a high-profile article on embracing “mindful drinking” and detailing his own complicated relationship with alcohol.
Brown believes zero-proof cocktails can be just as delicious, interesting, and thought-provoking as those with booze. While he’s also noticed an anecdotal increase in alcohol consumption, he doesn’t think that will harm the low and no movements. In fact, Brown believes our current situation might serve as a wake-up call for many. “A lot of people who went into this wondering whether they had a drinking problem will come out of it knowing the answer to that,” he says.
For those who do, there’s never been a broader range of alternatives and support to help change those habits.
The article Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19? appeared first on VinePair.
source https://vinepair.com/articles/coronavirus-impact-low-no-alcohol-movements/
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Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19?
If it seems like everyone in your social media feed is drinking more right now, they probably are. According to IWSR data shared with VinePair, retail alcohol sales during Covid-19 have hit double-digit growth, mirroring “holiday-type” volume and value spending.
Of course, any current data should be examined with the caveat that on-premise sales have plummeted, and many are replacing those purchases with stay-at-home Quarantinis. There’s also stockpiling to consider, though IWSR figures signal that the bulk of this took place during a two-week period in March, and sales since then have remained strong.
But just as our interactions with the physical world are largely confined to the views from our windows, we should not overlook the subjectivity of social media feeds. Put simply: Not everyone is drinking more right now.
“If anything, I’ve seen this kind of outpouring of, ‘Here are all the ways that I’m taking care of myself,’ and lots of people doing yoga and meditation,” says Sam Thonis, co-owner of Getaway, an alcohol-free bar in Brooklyn. Opened in April 2019, the bar has become a brick-and-mortar signifier of the growing low- and no-alcohol movements.
Prior to Covid-19, these movements had started gaining significant traction, with coverage reaching national media. By the end of last year, publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times had devoted significant column inches to the popularity of lower-ABV spritz cocktails and hard seltzers, and the growing interest in the “sober-curious” lifestyle. While it was harder to back the “trend” with sales data, low- and no-ABV drinks had by then entered the cultural lexicon.
But like everything else right now, the future of the low and no movements feels delicately poised. Convincing drinkers that it might be a good idea to lower their alcohol consumption is difficult enough at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. And looking forward, there’s the dark cloud of recession looming on the horizon, which is likely to impact consumer spending. That could be a particular challenge for the zero-proof category, whose products have been priced at retail similarly to the boozy libations they were designed to replace. To boot: The non-alcoholic botanical “spirit” Seedlip sells for around $30 for 700 milliliters, while a slightly larger bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin sells for $25. These issues raise the question: What does Covid-19 mean for the future of the nascent low- and no-ABV movements?
Drinking Habits In a Global Pandemic
For Thonis, there’s no question that the zero-proof scene was gaining traction prior to Covid-19. After Getaway opened, it received significant press. While skeptics could argue it seemed like a niche “New York” concept, multiple operators around the country reached out to Thonis and told him they wanted to emulate his model.
Sales, too, seemed to indicate that the city that never sleeps was willing to take the occasional night off from booze. “Before March, when everything changed, the two normal months of 2020 were our best months yet,” he says. “We were on a serious upswing.”
Sadly, those sales have now crashed to nothing. Unlike some New York cocktail bars, Getaway hasn’t pivoted to takeaway or to-go options. And when stay-at-home orders are finally relaxed, Thonis realizes his bar’s offerings might be deemed as a luxury by some. “[Non-alcoholic cocktails] are not human necessities, unlike food and arguably alcohol,” he says.
Lifestyle writer Ruby Warrington has noticed contrasting attitudes on her social media feeds. In 2018, the New-York-based British author wrote a book on alcohol abstinence titled “Sober Curious.” Some have even credited the work with popularizing the no-ABV movement. Warrington also hosts a podcast of the same name and interacts via social media with a community of people who choose not to drink.
Many of those interactions have included people speaking about how glad they are that they don’t drink right now and don’t need to navigate hangovers in the midst of a pandemic. But when she opens her Facebook feed, which has a lot of people from her “pre-sober-curious life” in the U.K., she notices some friends repeating the kind of statements that could double as a quarantine meme, such as “How early is too early to start drinking?” and “Drinking alone doesn’t count in a crisis.”
“It almost feels like there’s a lot of bravado, a ‘let’s drink our way through it’ sort of attitude,” she says. “With my sober-curious goggles on, it does seem like underneath there’s a lot of fear.”
Her evaluation is backed by psychological science. “It makes a lot of sense that people are drinking more during this time: They want instant relief from anxiety, boredom, depression, and just not wanting to feel their feelings — alcohol offers a solution to that,” says Lindsay Hayden, a New York-based licensed mental health counselor who specializes in addiction.
Hayden warns that without the structure and routine of normal life, those who are using only alcohol as a coping mechanism could soon be facing more serious issues. “Not everyone who is relying on alcohol will come out of the pandemic with an alcohol addiction, but it is definitely something people should be watching out for,” she says.
Drinking Habits During a Recession
While the “new normal” of quarantine life is unprecedented to all experiencing it, at least some of what comes after Covid-19 is not without parallel. By many accounts, the world economy is headed into a long and potentially deep recession. The IMF predicts the coronavirus crisis could knock as much as $9 trillion off global GDP over the next two years. If previous recessions are benchmarks, that doesn’t spell good news for the low- and no-ABV movements.
During the eight-month 2001 recession, whose economic impact lasted for several years, alcohol volume sales grew year-over-year, totaling a 4 percent increase between 2001 and 2004, according to IWSR’s chief operating officer, Brandy Rand.
While alcohol sales growth was somewhat flat during the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, that was only because of declining beer sales. “[U]nemployment rate at the end of 2009 was 10 percent, yet there was still an upward consumption trend outside of beer,” Rand explains.
The purchasing habits from both of the most recent recessions indicate that when economic times are tough, consumers turn to the bottle. Amid the uncertainty, and with less cash in their pockets, they also favor higher-ABV beverages to leverage more bang for buck.
Lisa Laird Dunn, executive vice president of Laird & Company, predicts a similar trend this time around. Founded in 1780, her family runs the oldest licensed distillery in America. In its 200-plus-year history, Laird & Co. has survived more than 30 recessions, two world wars, and even Prohibition.
While known for its Applejack, the distillery’s portfolio contains a broad range of products, priced from high- end to value brands. Laird Dunn confirms that the company’s lower-priced value brands typically sell best during a recession and expects to see a repeat of this trend following Covid-19. “I think you’ll find that there will be more price shopping versus just brand shopping,” she says.
But national sales statistics and the experience of recession-defying distilleries paint just part of the picture.
In January 2013, the University of Buffalo published a study on alcohol use during the Great Recession. Polling more than 2 million Americans between 2006 and 2010, the study uncovered notable increases in heavy drinking (3.9 percent) and frequent binge drinking (7.1 percent), but also found a slight increase in abstention from alcohol (0.8 percent). Put more simply: Not everyone decided to drink more. And there’s more than just anecdotal references to prove the same thing is happening right now.
On Thursday, global research firm Wine Intelligence published its first Covid-19-related consumer analysis report. Based on data collected at the end of March and beginning of April, the report found that, on average, wine consumption has remained stable during lockdown. But once again, this trend only tells part of the story.
“We’re seeing an increase in frequency of wine consumption amongst more engaged wine drinkers,” says CEO Lulie Halstead. “So those who were already drinking wine at higher frequencies are increasing that frequency.”
On the flip side, younger drinkers who were just discovering wine are now drinking it much less frequently than before, she adds. While this finding is based on data collected in Australia, Halstead says early examinations of international data appear to show a similar trend in other markets.
Hope For the Low- and No-ABV Movements
During previous recessions, those who opted not to drink were limited to sodas, seltzers, and water. But this time around, the market is already awash with interesting alcohol alternatives. From no-ABV beers to zero-proof spirits, there are a number of non-alcoholic options that taste just like the real thing (or pretty darn close) without the alcohol and with fewer calories. If consumers can get past price concerns, the compelling flavors and low-calorie appeal of these products could help keep the low and no movements humming along.
As one notable example, Scottish brewery BrewDog has reported strong demand for its range of alcohol-free beers this year. Compared to the last four months of 2019, volume sales on its e-commerce platform have surged more than 350 percent between January and April of this year.
“Just last week, we had our strongest day of online sales ever with the launch of our newest NA beer: Ghost Walker,” says CEO Jason Block. Demand from wholesalers has been stronger still, with volume growth reaching quadruple digits during the first four months of 2020.
The thirst for no-ABV spirits appears to be similarly strong. Ritual Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic beverage brand that offers gin, tequila, and whiskey alternatives, sold its entire six-month inventory in just five weeks when it launched in September last year. Despite the current global pandemic, March 2020 sales were up 16 percent over February, and April sales are on track to double that.
“Spirit alternatives like Ritual are today what veggie burgers and almond milk were a few years back: New, easy to knock, and so broadly desired there are now sections in the grocery store dedicated to them,” says founding partner Marcus Sakey. “Almond milk did $5.3 billion in 2018.”
Support from internationally acclaimed bartenders has given these alternatives further credentials. At Bar Kumiko in Chicago, partner and director Julia Momose curated an extensive “Spiritfrees” cocktail menu. The bar is currently offering five of these drinks as part of a temporary to-go menu.
One of the most vocal supporters of the low- and no-ABV drinks has been Derek Brown, owner of Washington D.C.’s Columbia Room. In February, Brown authored a high-profile article on embracing “mindful drinking” and detailing his own complicated relationship with alcohol.
Brown believes zero-proof cocktails can be just as delicious, interesting, and thought-provoking as those with booze. While he’s also noticed an anecdotal increase in alcohol consumption, he doesn’t think that will harm the low and no movements. In fact, Brown believes our current situation might serve as a wake-up call for many. “A lot of people who went into this wondering whether they had a drinking problem will come out of it knowing the answer to that,” he says.
For those who do, there’s never been a broader range of alternatives and support to help change those habits.
The article Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19? appeared first on VinePair.
Via https://vinepair.com/articles/coronavirus-impact-low-no-alcohol-movements/
source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/will-the-low-and-no-abv-movements-survive-covid-19
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Sympathy Series Side Stories #2
Circa 2013 or so, this one is an update on what Applejack was up to during the first half of DiH. Again, certain things were changed in the story since I wrote this (and there’s a big spoiler in this one so be warned) but I think it’s safe to call this one ‘semi-canon’.
Applejack and Big Macintosh had only just managed to load the spare tills (or other some such farming equipment) onto the cart to take down to the train station when their cousin Braeburn brought them yet another dozen apple pies for them to take home with them. It wasn’t like they didn’t have plenty of apples and apple pie fixins back at Sweet Apple Acres, but Braeburn was insisting, and in their family it just wasn’t right to turn down a gift… even a gift that wasn’t quite helpful.
The townsfolk or Appleoosa recalled how AJ and her friends were able to help with the whole incident with the buffalo - although Applejack didn’t think they’d been that much of the difference - so when they heard she and her brother were coming to town to visit with Brae and Bloomburg they apparently couldn’t hold off on the hospitality.
Even the buffalo had gotten in on it, Rainbow’s friend Little Strongheart had been there to greet them at the station along with AJ’s relatives. Apparently she’d become a regular staple about town… and about Braeburn’s place too. AJ didn’t wanna say anything about it to her cousin, not unless he brought it up. Which he didn’t, in typical Apple stallion fashion.
It was going to be a long trip, and Applejack decided she might as well work on the letter she told Twilight she would write if she saw anything strange while she was away. The earth pony didn’t know why Twilight would think there would be something strange going on, and when she asked the unicorn had only said ‘You know…just in case,’ in that way that obviously meant that there really was a chance of it.
And if there was something that was gonna happen, Applejack had three guesses as to the cause, but of course she’d only need one. Now she didn’t wanna jump to conclusions about Discord after he’d actually helped out the towns and Spike and all, but it was still pretty hard for her to not automatically think of the draconequus when ‘strange things happening’ were mentioned. She knew Equestria was full of magic and odd things, but it didn’t take a unicorn math-magician like Twilight to put certain pieces together.
AJ had heard tell of some things happening since the Cloudsdale incident - crazy weather and off looking plants and the like - and it didn’t matter if the stuff disappeared after, Twilight had to know something that wasn’t all that well known to every pony yet. She was trying to cover for Discord, and the earth pony understood why, even if she wasn’t that big a fan of it, or him.
Big Mac had surprised her when he’d actually said some nice things about his time spent with him. It wasn’t much, just that when they had worked together on the farm that Discord had done a good job, and he might not be so bad. Simple words, but she knew that - coming from her brother of few words - it was fairly high praise. Especially if those words were talking about some pony like Discord.
Appleoosa was on the opposite side of the Mohoove Desert than the town they’d flown over in the balloon to seek him out, but if Applejack was high enough, she could see out in that direction. About halfway to the nearest town in the desert’s heart she knew Discord had carved himself out a little space. She hadn’t been back since that one time, but she knew it when he was there. Every so often she would look out at the horizon line, and a pinprick in the distance would flash, or pop, or sparkle. A pop or even a small wizzing or explosion would sound from that area and AJ knew it had to have something to do with the spirit of chaos.
At least he was keeping to his word, she hadn’t seen anything come closer to Appleoosa than that… least not untill now.
Dear Twi,
Big Mac and I are on our way back from Appleoosa, and I reckon by now y’all are on your way to the Crystal Empire to see your brother and Cadance. Be sure to send ‘em congratulations from the Apple family on their new upcoming family.
I’m writing because you said to if I noticed anything amiss while I was gone. As you know we’re within sight of Discord’s desert section here, and every now and again he’s doing something over yonder that we can’t help but notice. Don’t worry though, I haven’t seen anything comin’ from that area towards us. That’s not why I’m writing.
Well, Applejack wasn’t sure whether or not it was the reason for what she saw, but she wasn’t about to write that to Twilight. She didn’t want to sound like she was accusing him. She reckoned she couldn’t know for sure yet, and she assumed Twi was still keeping an eye on him anyway.
I’m writing because the buffalo have been paying the town a visit while we were here too, and they noticed some things not too far from their grazing lands. Ya think there might have been a chance that Discord maybe… forgot some of his cactus balloons? I ain’t accusing him or nothing, but they found a few already exploded ones out west, not exactly within his borders. That’s not all though, Braeburn has a few new apple trees growing in his orchard along the route the buffalo take though it. But they’re zap apples. I didn’t know they grew anywhere outside of the Everfree Forest, and I don’t recall sending Brae any seeds or cuttings or saplings, Twi. Big Mac can’t account for them either, Braeburn hadn’t never seen them before either, ‘cept at our farm. That was one of the reasons he wanted us to come by when we mentioned we needed some parts. Again, I know Discord isn’t allowed to come outside of his places to the rest of Equestria but… I just can’t think of any other way zap apple trees made it into the desert to Brae’s farm.
Hope things are going alright for you, Sugarcube. I’ll see y’all when we get back to town.
-Applejack
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For information and my safety and their sainity,
I do not own any pictures, art, drawings, or epic pieces of art in this story.
All ponies pony names, names of pony songs, pony songs, or any thing else that could get my ass sued. Also all chacters, locations, phrases, items, names of spells etc... They belongs to Hasbro, Hasbro entertainment, and Hasbro productions.
Witch will inevitably be bought by Disney like everything else. So we can get a pinky Deadpool ship!
FINALY!!!
Hello . My name is...well I guess I.. well how about you can just call me Dayrl for now. You see my story ... It is true, very true well the beginning is any way. Oh though how I wish this was a true story. The true story though has not yet occurred. If I'm to change my life would to change my life and find the one I was destined to meet. I'd have to find the one the cupcacake of my eye that for years or more I might of gone without noticing. I'd have to go through hell to find true love. I'd was going to be sent through life's emotional hell.
But that is later
This... is where my story began...for now...
My pony life started in high school. I don't even rember much of it, and I know I did not know about fan fictions back then. What had happened is that I saw this kid with really cool shirt with on and it something really cool on it with a rainbow maybe ?
Yeah that it defintaly not the design that was on the shirt but it is 20% cooler
So I asked the dude about it his shirt I mean he said it was from a short about ponies now at I was uncertain but I'm really open minded and also I was in high school so i think that was at the time where I was more use to watching cartoons so theres that by the way it may now be important but I really love to brag ... So you know the really famous season four tirek episode where twilight had the power of four Alicorns and when she when to battle tirek the stated exchangeing blows and beams energy waves throwing rocks at each other having a good ol time well I watched as .... It ... Aired ... Which alot of people can say that they did that to but ya know like I said l love to brag
#overlyadzaderatedartparody
So now ya know how I came to the fandom that's well and good and I really don't remember alot after that other than ya know watching the episodes now and then but if knew then what I know now ...... Well I often say don't it's not got look at the past unless your looking to learn
Now apparently ..... Very apparently I seem to have falling away from the fandom at sompoint and I think it it a fairly simple reason that I faced a problem that all us bronies have to and will learn to over come if we want in this fan community
Prejudice
Mockink, taunting teasing
Rejection
Eventually if you can't get over something like that and face your problems your fears and lack of self confidence you become ..... Lost alone ....unhappy you will be unable to move on with life... like...
Now eventually after a while I found the fandom again I don't really want to say ... Hoooo....huuummmm I guess if I'm going to be telling this story I'm going to be honest with you
#apples
#honesty
#elementofhonesty
#applejack
So any way here it I'm not what a normal person would call normal ...or at the very least average I have these psychological disorders there called autism, ADHD, ADD, OCD, and plethora of behavior probelems you see growing not the best behaved i had a lot of social issues and trouble making friends on account of my autism and the fact my dad had passed away when I was two and technicaly speaking im still not the best behaved or social
any way I was in this assisted liveing home becaus my mom need a break from me a person with less .... Metal advantages sometimes just can't handel you all the time and one day i was watching tv in the day room nothing on as per ussaul you know I did have my phone back then too and hardly ever watched TV when I did alot of it was Steven universe and any one else who watches that can tell you that hiatused are a Bitch so basically steven universe was hiatuse and there nothing on and I found my self watchin TMNT alot but ya got know there nothing on there's nothing on but one day there was...
Now one thing you have to understand about me is I absolutely love my music all music any music any at and I'm not that picky
#octaviamelody
#vinylrecordscratch
I don't really have that many thing I won't listen to most of the time I only have one rule and that is that I won't listen to anything where I can't understand the lyrics I feel like what the point in music if you can't apeel to everyone and if one person can not what your saying that's one person you did not reach but the point of the matter is that I like and appreciate a lot of music what I'm realling to say is that the music is a big part of why I loved in Steven universe so much like comet, giant woman, it's over isnt it and I will straight up right now say that show deserves ten Grammy's (not to mention the Annie award, animation award, it deserved deserved deserved for best episode paraphrasing the name of the award Mr. Greg instead of that dumb ass adventure time vr episode) but I'm getting off toppic now I like music and what is my Little pony without alot of music
So I'm pretty sure no I'm beautifuly one hunldred percent sure on who I have to thank for saving me from when I was down in my funk the it was none other than the cuti mark crsaders let me explain it is definitely not the first song iv heard in the series but damn shur if it's not one the best I was watching mlp one day and ya know I thought here go just another friendship song ... Fuckin ass then out of no where I was blown away the kiss makeup , the lights, the crashes, the danger, and rock be e de de e dew
All I have to say right now is I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you the cmc
#imnotzecora
so from the bottom of my heart for as broken and shattered it gets every day thank you
You help me so much
Now let talk about something really serious do you believe in simplicity that things just simply happen an that they are all coincidences maybe you believe in faith it can come from strangest places in apparently very ummm... If you believe in faith how far does that faith go how long are you willing to let the Signs just pass you by ignore faith some people get second chances but some never even get a first and if you do nothing if it something ....or someone that is a greater power or forces .... why not at least play along Just to see where you end up
Ok im a guy so naturally I do what guys do I watch porn and please just stay with me for one minute here because this is probably the most important part this is where I the divine intervention made it's first move it a very crucial part to this story so please just stay with me who know here what the rule 34 is ... Oh come on...
#sweetibellohcomeon
Shut you all know it is everyone knows the rule is it's states if exist it can be sexy and there porn of it
so me being the very lonely guy that I was never had being been in a relationship and alwase watching porn I knew for a fact that they did not show porn on YouTube so showering pornsites for pony porn and finding none (or not look hard enough not find what I wanted or worse just being internet lazy) went YouTube and they had ..... Somethig
Clop
Right now I challenge you to go to someone who is not a mlp fan and ask them to watch clop then ask a brony the exact question and compare just their face reactions yeah I had no idea what it was I did after though
So I got my fill of clop now at that time I was also a big anime fan this is the second event that seems to line up just perfectly to be some kind weird divine intervention I was watching frieza react to the video where pinkie pie beats up all her friends to the theme of the smile song and I'll give you a thousand Guesses what video was in description
cupcakes
Now yeah it was a weird video but I did even here it was a fanfic till way later the next couple of web searches we're mostly fan made songs untill ...
My first fan fiction by scribbler of course
#scribbler
#scribblerproductions
#subcribetoscribbler
Scribbler i dont know who you are but if could only realize what a monumental difference youve made in my life I have goals now because of you on I've found love and pepol can say they are fictional chacters all fuckin day I ve got more than that I want to and need to
So let's go back where all began
Rocket to insanity my first mlp fan fiction ever butt you know I think I've told you quite a bit now so ill save some for next time
That where really interesting ...
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Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19?
If it seems like everyone in your social media feed is drinking more right now, they probably are. According to IWSR data shared with VinePair, retail alcohol sales during Covid-19 have hit double-digit growth, mirroring “holiday-type” volume and value spending.
Of course, any current data should be examined with the caveat that on-premise sales have plummeted, and many are replacing those purchases with stay-at-home Quarantinis. There’s also stockpiling to consider, though IWSR figures signal that the bulk of this took place during a two-week period in March, and sales since then have remained strong.
But just as our interactions with the physical world are largely confined to the views from our windows, we should not overlook the subjectivity of social media feeds. Put simply: Not everyone is drinking more right now.
“If anything, I’ve seen this kind of outpouring of, ‘Here are all the ways that I’m taking care of myself,’ and lots of people doing yoga and meditation,” says Sam Thonis, co-owner of Getaway, an alcohol-free bar in Brooklyn. Opened in April 2019, the bar has become a brick-and-mortar signifier of the growing low- and no-alcohol movements.
Prior to Covid-19, these movements had started gaining significant traction, with coverage reaching national media. By the end of last year, publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times had devoted significant column inches to the popularity of lower-ABV spritz cocktails and hard seltzers, and the growing interest in the “sober-curious” lifestyle. While it was harder to back the “trend” with sales data, low- and no-ABV drinks had by then entered the cultural lexicon.
But like everything else right now, the future of the low and no movements feels delicately poised. Convincing drinkers that it might be a good idea to lower their alcohol consumption is difficult enough at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. And looking forward, there’s the dark cloud of recession looming on the horizon, which is likely to impact consumer spending. That could be a particular challenge for the zero-proof category, whose products have been priced at retail similarly to the boozy libations they were designed to replace. To boot: The non-alcoholic botanical “spirit” Seedlip sells for around $30 for 700 milliliters, while a slightly larger bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin sells for $25. These issues raise the question: What does Covid-19 mean for the future of the nascent low- and no-ABV movements?
Drinking Habits In a Global Pandemic
For Thonis, there’s no question that the zero-proof scene was gaining traction prior to Covid-19. After Getaway opened, it received significant press. While skeptics could argue it seemed like a niche “New York” concept, multiple operators around the country reached out to Thonis and told him they wanted to emulate his model.
Sales, too, seemed to indicate that the city that never sleeps was willing to take the occasional night off from booze. “Before March, when everything changed, the two normal months of 2020 were our best months yet,” he says. “We were on a serious upswing.”
Sadly, those sales have now crashed to nothing. Unlike some New York cocktail bars, Getaway hasn’t pivoted to takeaway or to-go options. And when stay-at-home orders are finally relaxed, Thonis realizes his bar’s offerings might be deemed as a luxury by some. “[Non-alcoholic cocktails] are not human necessities, unlike food and arguably alcohol,” he says.
Lifestyle writer Ruby Warrington has noticed contrasting attitudes on her social media feeds. In 2018, the New-York-based British author wrote a book on alcohol abstinence titled “Sober Curious.” Some have even credited the work with popularizing the no-ABV movement. Warrington also hosts a podcast of the same name and interacts via social media with a community of people who choose not to drink.
Many of those interactions have included people speaking about how glad they are that they don’t drink right now and don’t need to navigate hangovers in the midst of a pandemic. But when she opens her Facebook feed, which has a lot of people from her “pre-sober-curious life” in the U.K., she notices some friends repeating the kind of statements that could double as a quarantine meme, such as “How early is too early to start drinking?” and “Drinking alone doesn’t count in a crisis.”
“It almost feels like there’s a lot of bravado, a ‘let’s drink our way through it’ sort of attitude,” she says. “With my sober-curious goggles on, it does seem like underneath there’s a lot of fear.”
Her evaluation is backed by psychological science. “It makes a lot of sense that people are drinking more during this time: They want instant relief from anxiety, boredom, depression, and just not wanting to feel their feelings — alcohol offers a solution to that,” says Lindsay Hayden, a New York-based licensed mental health counselor who specializes in addiction.
Hayden warns that without the structure and routine of normal life, those who are using only alcohol as a coping mechanism could soon be facing more serious issues. “Not everyone who is relying on alcohol will come out of the pandemic with an alcohol addiction, but it is definitely something people should be watching out for,” she says.
Drinking Habits During a Recession
While the “new normal” of quarantine life is unprecedented to all experiencing it, at least some of what comes after Covid-19 is not without parallel. By many accounts, the world economy is headed into a long and potentially deep recession. The IMF predicts the coronavirus crisis could knock as much as $9 trillion off global GDP over the next two years. If previous recessions are benchmarks, that doesn’t spell good news for the low- and no-ABV movements.
During the eight-month 2001 recession, whose economic impact lasted for several years, alcohol volume sales grew year-over-year, totaling a 4 percent increase between 2001 and 2004, according to IWSR’s chief operating officer, Brandy Rand.
While alcohol sales growth was somewhat flat during the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, that was only because of declining beer sales. “[U]nemployment rate at the end of 2009 was 10 percent, yet there was still an upward consumption trend outside of beer,” Rand explains.
The purchasing habits from both of the most recent recessions indicate that when economic times are tough, consumers turn to the bottle. Amid the uncertainty, and with less cash in their pockets, they also favor higher-ABV beverages to leverage more bang for buck.
Lisa Laird Dunn, executive vice president of Laird & Company, predicts a similar trend this time around. Founded in 1780, her family runs the oldest licensed distillery in America. In its 200-plus-year history, Laird & Co. has survived more than 30 recessions, two world wars, and even Prohibition.
While known for its Applejack, the distillery’s portfolio contains a broad range of products, priced from high- end to value brands. Laird Dunn confirms that the company’s lower-priced value brands typically sell best during a recession and expects to see a repeat of this trend following Covid-19. “I think you’ll find that there will be more price shopping versus just brand shopping,” she says.
But national sales statistics and the experience of recession-defying distilleries paint just part of the picture.
In January 2013, the University of Buffalo published a study on alcohol use during the Great Recession. Polling more than 2 million Americans between 2006 and 2010, the study uncovered notable increases in heavy drinking (3.9 percent) and frequent binge drinking (7.1 percent), but also found a slight increase in abstention from alcohol (0.8 percent). Put more simply: Not everyone decided to drink more. And there’s more than just anecdotal references to prove the same thing is happening right now.
On Thursday, global research firm Wine Intelligence published its first Covid-19-related consumer analysis report. Based on data collected at the end of March and beginning of April, the report found that, on average, wine consumption has remained stable during lockdown. But once again, this trend only tells part of the story.
“We’re seeing an increase in frequency of wine consumption amongst more engaged wine drinkers,” says CEO Lulie Halstead. “So those who were already drinking wine at higher frequencies are increasing that frequency.”
On the flip side, younger drinkers who were just discovering wine are now drinking it much less frequently than before, she adds. While this finding is based on data collected in Australia, Halstead says early examinations of international data appear to show a similar trend in other markets.
Hope For the Low- and No-ABV Movements
During previous recessions, those who opted not to drink were limited to sodas, seltzers, and water. But this time around, the market is already awash with interesting alcohol alternatives. From no-ABV beers to zero-proof spirits, there are a number of non-alcoholic options that taste just like the real thing (or pretty darn close) without the alcohol and with fewer calories. If consumers can get past price concerns, the compelling flavors and low-calorie appeal of these products could help keep the low and no movements humming along.
As one notable example, Scottish brewery BrewDog has reported strong demand for its range of alcohol-free beers this year. Compared to the last four months of 2019, volume sales on its e-commerce platform have surged more than 350 percent between January and April of this year.
“Just last week, we had our strongest day of online sales ever with the launch of our newest NA beer: Ghost Walker,” says CEO Jason Block. Demand from wholesalers has been stronger still, with volume growth reaching quadruple digits during the first four months of 2020.
The thirst for no-ABV spirits appears to be similarly strong. Ritual Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic beverage brand that offers gin, tequila, and whiskey alternatives, sold its entire six-month inventory in just five weeks when it launched in September last year. Despite the current global pandemic, March 2020 sales were up 16 percent over February, and April sales are on track to double that.
“Spirit alternatives like Ritual are today what veggie burgers and almond milk were a few years back: New, easy to knock, and so broadly desired there are now sections in the grocery store dedicated to them,” says founding partner Marcus Sakey. “Almond milk did $5.3 billion in 2018.”
Support from internationally acclaimed bartenders has given these alternatives further credentials. At Bar Kumiko in Chicago, partner and director Julia Momose curated an extensive “Spiritfrees” cocktail menu. The bar is currently offering five of these drinks as part of a temporary to-go menu.
One of the most vocal supporters of the low- and no-ABV drinks has been Derek Brown, owner of Washington D.C.’s Columbia Room. In February, Brown authored a high-profile article on embracing “mindful drinking” and detailing his own complicated relationship with alcohol.
Brown believes zero-proof cocktails can be just as delicious, interesting, and thought-provoking as those with booze. While he’s also noticed an anecdotal increase in alcohol consumption, he doesn’t think that will harm the low and no movements. In fact, Brown believes our current situation might serve as a wake-up call for many. “A lot of people who went into this wondering whether they had a drinking problem will come out of it knowing the answer to that,” he says.
For those who do, there’s never been a broader range of alternatives and support to help change those habits.
The article Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19? appeared first on VinePair.
source https://vinepair.com/articles/coronavirus-impact-low-no-alcohol-movements/
source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/616288664749834240
0 notes
Text
Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19?
If it seems like everyone in your social media feed is drinking more right now, they probably are. According to IWSR data shared with VinePair, retail alcohol sales during Covid-19 have hit double-digit growth, mirroring “holiday-type” volume and value spending.
Of course, any current data should be examined with the caveat that on-premise sales have plummeted, and many are replacing those purchases with stay-at-home Quarantinis. There’s also stockpiling to consider, though IWSR figures signal that the bulk of this took place during a two-week period in March, and sales since then have remained strong.
But just as our interactions with the physical world are largely confined to the views from our windows, we should not overlook the subjectivity of social media feeds. Put simply: Not everyone is drinking more right now.
“If anything, I’ve seen this kind of outpouring of, ‘Here are all the ways that I’m taking care of myself,’ and lots of people doing yoga and meditation,” says Sam Thonis, co-owner of Getaway, an alcohol-free bar in Brooklyn. Opened in April 2019, the bar has become a brick-and-mortar signifier of the growing low- and no-alcohol movements.
Prior to Covid-19, these movements had started gaining significant traction, with coverage reaching national media. By the end of last year, publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times had devoted significant column inches to the popularity of lower-ABV spritz cocktails and hard seltzers, and the growing interest in the “sober-curious” lifestyle. While it was harder to back the “trend” with sales data, low- and no-ABV drinks had by then entered the cultural lexicon.
But like everything else right now, the future of the low and no movements feels delicately poised. Convincing drinkers that it might be a good idea to lower their alcohol consumption is difficult enough at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. And looking forward, there’s the dark cloud of recession looming on the horizon, which is likely to impact consumer spending. That could be a particular challenge for the zero-proof category, whose products have been priced at retail similarly to the boozy libations they were designed to replace. To boot: The non-alcoholic botanical “spirit” Seedlip sells for around $30 for 700 milliliters, while a slightly larger bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin sells for $25. These issues raise the question: What does Covid-19 mean for the future of the nascent low- and no-ABV movements?
Drinking Habits In a Global Pandemic
For Thonis, there’s no question that the zero-proof scene was gaining traction prior to Covid-19. After Getaway opened, it received significant press. While skeptics could argue it seemed like a niche “New York” concept, multiple operators around the country reached out to Thonis and told him they wanted to emulate his model.
Sales, too, seemed to indicate that the city that never sleeps was willing to take the occasional night off from booze. “Before March, when everything changed, the two normal months of 2020 were our best months yet,” he says. “We were on a serious upswing.”
Sadly, those sales have now crashed to nothing. Unlike some New York cocktail bars, Getaway hasn’t pivoted to takeaway or to-go options. And when stay-at-home orders are finally relaxed, Thonis realizes his bar’s offerings might be deemed as a luxury by some. “[Non-alcoholic cocktails] are not human necessities, unlike food and arguably alcohol,” he says.
Lifestyle writer Ruby Warrington has noticed contrasting attitudes on her social media feeds. In 2018, the New-York-based British author wrote a book on alcohol abstinence titled “Sober Curious.” Some have even credited the work with popularizing the no-ABV movement. Warrington also hosts a podcast of the same name and interacts via social media with a community of people who choose not to drink.
Many of those interactions have included people speaking about how glad they are that they don’t drink right now and don’t need to navigate hangovers in the midst of a pandemic. But when she opens her Facebook feed, which has a lot of people from her “pre-sober-curious life” in the U.K., she notices some friends repeating the kind of statements that could double as a quarantine meme, such as “How early is too early to start drinking?” and “Drinking alone doesn’t count in a crisis.”
“It almost feels like there’s a lot of bravado, a ‘let’s drink our way through it’ sort of attitude,” she says. “With my sober-curious goggles on, it does seem like underneath there’s a lot of fear.”
Her evaluation is backed by psychological science. “It makes a lot of sense that people are drinking more during this time: They want instant relief from anxiety, boredom, depression, and just not wanting to feel their feelings — alcohol offers a solution to that,” says Lindsay Hayden, a New York-based licensed mental health counselor who specializes in addiction.
Hayden warns that without the structure and routine of normal life, those who are using only alcohol as a coping mechanism could soon be facing more serious issues. “Not everyone who is relying on alcohol will come out of the pandemic with an alcohol addiction, but it is definitely something people should be watching out for,” she says.
Drinking Habits During a Recession
While the “new normal” of quarantine life is unprecedented to all experiencing it, at least some of what comes after Covid-19 is not without parallel. By many accounts, the world economy is headed into a long and potentially deep recession. The IMF predicts the coronavirus crisis could knock as much as $9 trillion off global GDP over the next two years. If previous recessions are benchmarks, that doesn’t spell good news for the low- and no-ABV movements.
During the eight-month 2001 recession, whose economic impact lasted for several years, alcohol volume sales grew year-over-year, totaling a 4 percent increase between 2001 and 2004, according to IWSR’s chief operating officer, Brandy Rand.
While alcohol sales growth was somewhat flat during the Great Recession of December 2007 to June 2009, that was only because of declining beer sales. “[U]nemployment rate at the end of 2009 was 10 percent, yet there was still an upward consumption trend outside of beer,” Rand explains.
The purchasing habits from both of the most recent recessions indicate that when economic times are tough, consumers turn to the bottle. Amid the uncertainty, and with less cash in their pockets, they also favor higher-ABV beverages to leverage more bang for buck.
Lisa Laird Dunn, executive vice president of Laird & Company, predicts a similar trend this time around. Founded in 1780, her family runs the oldest licensed distillery in America. In its 200-plus-year history, Laird & Co. has survived more than 30 recessions, two world wars, and even Prohibition.
While known for its Applejack, the distillery’s portfolio contains a broad range of products, priced from high- end to value brands. Laird Dunn confirms that the company’s lower-priced value brands typically sell best during a recession and expects to see a repeat of this trend following Covid-19. “I think you’ll find that there will be more price shopping versus just brand shopping,” she says.
But national sales statistics and the experience of recession-defying distilleries paint just part of the picture.
In January 2013, the University of Buffalo published a study on alcohol use during the Great Recession. Polling more than 2 million Americans between 2006 and 2010, the study uncovered notable increases in heavy drinking (3.9 percent) and frequent binge drinking (7.1 percent), but also found a slight increase in abstention from alcohol (0.8 percent). Put more simply: Not everyone decided to drink more. And there’s more than just anecdotal references to prove the same thing is happening right now.
On Thursday, global research firm Wine Intelligence published its first Covid-19-related consumer analysis report. Based on data collected at the end of March and beginning of April, the report found that, on average, wine consumption has remained stable during lockdown. But once again, this trend only tells part of the story.
“We’re seeing an increase in frequency of wine consumption amongst more engaged wine drinkers,” says CEO Lulie Halstead. “So those who were already drinking wine at higher frequencies are increasing that frequency.”
On the flip side, younger drinkers who were just discovering wine are now drinking it much less frequently than before, she adds. While this finding is based on data collected in Australia, Halstead says early examinations of international data appear to show a similar trend in other markets.
Hope For the Low- and No-ABV Movements
During previous recessions, those who opted not to drink were limited to sodas, seltzers, and water. But this time around, the market is already awash with interesting alcohol alternatives. From no-ABV beers to zero-proof spirits, there are a number of non-alcoholic options that taste just like the real thing (or pretty darn close) without the alcohol and with fewer calories. If consumers can get past price concerns, the compelling flavors and low-calorie appeal of these products could help keep the low and no movements humming along.
As one notable example, Scottish brewery BrewDog has reported strong demand for its range of alcohol-free beers this year. Compared to the last four months of 2019, volume sales on its e-commerce platform have surged more than 350 percent between January and April of this year.
“Just last week, we had our strongest day of online sales ever with the launch of our newest NA beer: Ghost Walker,” says CEO Jason Block. Demand from wholesalers has been stronger still, with volume growth reaching quadruple digits during the first four months of 2020.
The thirst for no-ABV spirits appears to be similarly strong. Ritual Zero Proof, a non-alcoholic beverage brand that offers gin, tequila, and whiskey alternatives, sold its entire six-month inventory in just five weeks when it launched in September last year. Despite the current global pandemic, March 2020 sales were up 16 percent over February, and April sales are on track to double that.
“Spirit alternatives like Ritual are today what veggie burgers and almond milk were a few years back: New, easy to knock, and so broadly desired there are now sections in the grocery store dedicated to them,” says founding partner Marcus Sakey. “Almond milk did $5.3 billion in 2018.”
Support from internationally acclaimed bartenders has given these alternatives further credentials. At Bar Kumiko in Chicago, partner and director Julia Momose curated an extensive “Spiritfrees” cocktail menu. The bar is currently offering five of these drinks as part of a temporary to-go menu.
One of the most vocal supporters of the low- and no-ABV drinks has been Derek Brown, owner of Washington D.C.’s Columbia Room. In February, Brown authored a high-profile article on embracing “mindful drinking” and detailing his own complicated relationship with alcohol.
Brown believes zero-proof cocktails can be just as delicious, interesting, and thought-provoking as those with booze. While he’s also noticed an anecdotal increase in alcohol consumption, he doesn’t think that will harm the low and no movements. In fact, Brown believes our current situation might serve as a wake-up call for many. “A lot of people who went into this wondering whether they had a drinking problem will come out of it knowing the answer to that,” he says.
For those who do, there’s never been a broader range of alternatives and support to help change those habits.
The article Will the Low- and No-ABV Movements Survive Covid-19? appeared first on VinePair.
source https://vinepair.com/articles/coronavirus-impact-low-no-alcohol-movements/
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