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noco7 · 2 years

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What do you think of All Stars and how the writers handled the characters?

Now, I don’t know how much of a hot-take this is, but I don’t find All Stars that uniquely bad, at least for Total Drama. Unjust eliminations and lost potential? I’m a Noah stan who had to watch I See London, and then see Blaineley take his place. Villain that nobody votes out despite the obvious? I’ve watched Heather dodge elimination after elimination in Island and World Tour alike. Random evil mental disorder? That’s just Trent in Action, baby. All Stars is more of the same bad writing, just cranked up a little higher and all at once. But it’s still the same bad writing. Tho, I may be a little biased here. Not because I like All Stars, I don’t - but I knew how bad it was before I watched it. I had seen the rants about every major plot point before I watched a single episode. So I never had hopes for the thing. Perhaps that explains my detachment during viewing. And I'm gonna be honest - I *don’t* have strong feelings on most gen 1 characters, so it’s hard for me to work up the passion about their character derailment.

But if you still want my specific thoughts on each character:

Courtney: As one of the few gen 1 characters I do care about, I should probably be more mad about Suddy Muddy Sundae then I actually am. But uhhh. I actually like it when Courtney is evil and mean, lol. So the idea of her betraying a close friend? That’s funky, that’s cool - in isolation, that is. In the context of the show, it doesn’t really work. There’s no foreshadowing to the twist, there’s no gradual darkening of her character. It’s just “And Now Courtney does something Evil.” Great. My condolences to anyone who watched this show blind and thought they were getting a character development arc. Probably felt like a slap in the face. But out of context, the idea isn’t that bad.

It's like that Game of Thrones thing, with Daenarys going evil. Could it believably happen? Sure. But should it have happened so fast? NO.

Gwen: ... Ehh. I think this season was trying to redeem her from WT. That's why she's trying so hard to apologize, that’s why Gwuncan breaks up. And that’s why Gwen says "he wasn't your boyfriend.” I don’t think she was trying to lie, but that the writers wanted us to genuinely believe that, retcon style. But overall, she was fine. A little weird, because WHY is she trying so hard to makeup to Courtney, the girl she was barely friends with? WHY would she ever go back to Total Drama, the show that she hates being on, just for the girl that wasn’t even that good to her in the first place? That’s weird. But “character derailment,” is a lot easier to swallow when it makes the character a nicer person, isn’t it? Also the joke in the beginning where she's the only villain character trying to be sincere and help the team is pretty funny.

Aleheather: I’m grouping them together because they’re very similar people. Evil, conniving villain that no-one really trusts because they’ve seen it all before. They do both get more stupid in AS (why would Heather just leave the victory idol? and why does Alejandro not like... do more with the Mal plotline). But they’re still funny in their own rights. But as a ship, they were disappointing. I think that's because the writers did not know what to do with them after they got together. Which tbf, isn't just a TD problem. A lot of stories end when the characters get together. The romantic plotline is fulfilled. So what are you supposed to do in the sequel, when the Will-They/Won't-They is done? What now? TD's answer was just to pretend that their romantic arc WASN’T finished. So now they're back to hate-flirting, in the exact same way they did in WT. I think a person who cared more about Aleheather (@tdsierra) would probably have a lot more to say about the ship in All Stars, that might even contradict what I say here. But this is all I have to say on them.

Duncan: I don't hate him in AS. I think the whole "no one can know im a nice person," although exaggerated in AS, is true to Duncan as a character. He always had a masculinity so fragile a tap-dancing ant could break it. So whatever, I guess. Probably didn’t help that the girlfriends who used to boost his ego - Courtney and Gwen, left him behind. Tbh, he might be the best written character on All Stars. His ending of blowing up Chris’s house and going to jail does feel odd though. It’s such a sad end to his character. In TDI he was growing to open up, but in AS he’s so defensive that he ends up in jail. I don’t think it’s a bad ending persay, that he regressed. But it’s definitely sad to see. Also the bird he was friends with was ridiculously cute. I love that bird.

Sierra: Gonna be honest, although she is very different in AS - (in a like, psychosis way, when she never had them before) I don't know if I'd call it "character derailment," that she’s still obssessed with Cody and still a creep. Because honestly, I don’t think she ever stopped being one. We’ve never seen her acknowledge her actions as wrong, nor has she apologized/promised to do better. Even in the episode in WT where she accepts being Cody's best friend, she also tries to kiss him again. Perhaps this is the true hot take - Sierra never underwent character development in the first place. I also don't understand why she's on the Hero's team. Was it *heroic* when she stole Cody's underwear? Was it? Did the writers just put her there so as to even the numbers? Or did they buy into the idea that Sierra is a good person, despite being a stalker, because stalkers act out of “love,” and she always just wanted to “protect him.” And therefore, she’s a hero. But perhaps it’s just that she’s not a standard villain. All TD villains are in it for the money and have master-ish plans, while Sierra... does not. I guess that’s close enough to being a hero for AS team designations. Anyway, Sierra should have been cut from AS all together. Nothing here adds to her character, she didn’t belong on the heroes team. [However, if they put her on the villains team and she had to grapple with the idea that her actions were evil and terrible and learn from that... honestly could have been a baller redemption arc.]

Lindsay: Whatever. She was there for one episode, what do you want me to say? Lol. I guess I could say that I don't think she was "character derailed" (she has voted for herself before, and has been bad at voting, so I don’t think it’s OOC for her to vote for herself.

SECOND GEN

Sam - I agree he should have been replaced with Brick. He doesn’t have anything to do this season. It is touching that he wants to be a mutant to be with his mutant gf though.

Jo - they did her such a disservice im crying thats my girl!!!! like she was such a cool character who had obvious development that needed to happen, and then they just chose not to. It's so weird. Especially when Cameron is on the show, and there's already a history between them. They could work smth out! Or not, but still. And if Brick was indeed on the show - that's another avenue for development! I love Jo, and she was still funny on AS but... they should have taken the chance to flesh her out. But they didn’t.

Honestly, the 2nd gen characters deserved more focus. And I'm not talking about Mike and Zoey, but Lightning and Jo. 1st gen had 3 whole seasons already to flex, but 2nd gen had only one shortened season. As such, maybe focusing on them would have been better.

Lightning: Man also deserved better. He was very funny though. But still.

Scott: This one's weird, because AS Scott is funny, but he is also a completely different person from ROTI Scott. I don't know what I would change about AS Scott, other than make him more like ROTI Scott. Also maybe he and Cameron could have teamed up to expose Mal, considering Scott also has experience with Mike's Alters.

Cameron: why did they make you so stupid. and why was he not able to expose Mal earlier? why? i did like the scene where he used Scott as bait for Fang tho. That was really funny. And I always wished Cameron had ended up as the Villain of ROTI, so it was gratifying.

Mike - ugh. Using his DID as his only plot point was bad enough in ROTI, but to also use it as the main plot of AS? Really guys. Read the room. Also, they were wrong about alters, and as multiple people have said, Mal should have been more of a protective alter, rather than just evil for the sake of it. But I think Mike was always a kind of boring character because his main/fronting alter is Mike. And Mike's just a boring guy. I feel like TDI was trying to do the activist thing where "people with X can still be good people!" and so you get the blandest characters. Think of the Love, Simon movie. "im such a normal guy EXCEPT im gay." that's the vibe with Mike. "im a normal guy EXCEPT i have DID." to prove that people with DID can be "normal." But it stops the character from being interesting, and also... is *normal* the thing we need to be aiming for? There's a lot of interesting discourse around that, but that's not important for this post, lol.

Zoey - she's Zoey. She wasn't a great character to start with and she's not a great character now. And she's also very stupid - Mal has that effect on people. It's hard to have strong feelings on a character you never cared about in the first place.

Overall I'd say that TD had a bad vision of making their most "evil" villain yet, and what makes a villain frightening is how much power they have over their victims... but the victims were all capable people who had won survival shows and were known for being smart and/or athletic. And instead of taking that into account and writing the villain better, they just... forced all the victims to be stupider.

I think they should have written All Stars as a “wrap up loose character development season,” instead of coming up with a mega villain plot. Because total drama fans are in it for the Characters more than anything else. So just focus on growing them, and people would have been happy.

#total drama #tdas #total drama all stars #td askbox #total drama writers know the ending of their show #and thats good #but they don't know how to get there #and thats bad #they make square holes but their characters are circles #or perhaps TD writers are like mad scientist farmers #they have crops they want to grow #into some bizzare shape #like they want a carrot that looks like a watermelon #but instead of planting a watermelon #they just douse it in 50 different fertilizers and pesticides #and hope it works out #because god forbid they let a character grow organically

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theambitiouswoman · 9 months

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Foods You Can Eat Instead of Taking Vitamins and Supplements 🍎🥥🥦🥑🍌

Vitamin A: Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale.

B Vitamins: Whole grains, meat, eggs, nuts, legumes.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Whole grains, legumes, nuts, pork, fortified cereals.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Dairy products, lean meats, almonds, leafy greens. Vitamin B3 (Niacin): Poultry, fish, nuts, legumes, whole grains.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): Meat, poultry, eggs, avocado, whole grains.

B6: Chicken, turkey, fish, bananas, chickpeas.

Folate (Vitamin B9): Leafy greens, legumes, citrus fruits, fortified grains.

Vitamin B12: Animal products (meat, fish, dairy), fortified plant-based foods.

Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers.

Vitamin D: Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), fortified dairy products, sunlight.

Vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, almonds, vegetable oils, nuts, spinach, broccoli.

Vitamin F (Essential Fatty Acids): Fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts.

Vitamin H (Biotin): Eggs, nuts, sweet potatoes, salmon, avocado.

Vitamin K: Leafy greens (kale, spinach), broccoli, Brussels sprouts.

Vitamin K2: Fermented foods (natto, cheese), animal products, leafy greens.

Vitamin L1 (Anthranilic Acid): Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower), legumes.

Vitamin P (Bioflavonoids): Citrus fruits, berries, onions, green tea.

Vitamin Q (Ubiquinone): Fatty fish, organ meats, spinach, cauliflower.

Vitamin T (L-carnitine): Red meat, poultry, fish, dairy products.

Vitamin U (S-Methylmethionine): Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.

Betaine: Beets, spinach, whole grains, seafood.

Boron: Fruits (apples, pears), legumes, nuts, avocado.

Calcium: Dairy products, leafy greens (kale, collard greens), almonds.

Carnosine: Beef, poultry, fish.

Carnitine: Red meat, dairy products, fish.

Catechins: Green tea, black tea, dark chocolate.

Choline: Eggs, liver, beef, broccoli, soybeans.

Creatine: Red meat, fish, poultry.

Chromium: Broccoli, whole grains, nuts, brewer's yeast.

Chondroitin: Cartilage-rich foods (bone broth, connective tissue of meat).

Copper: Shellfish, nuts, seeds, organ meats, lentils.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Fatty fish, organ meats, nuts, soybean oil.

Ellagic Acid: Berries (strawberries, raspberries), pomegranates.

Glucosinolates: Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower).

Glucosamine: Shellfish (shrimp, crab), bone broth, animal connective tissues.

Glutamine: Dairy products, meat, poultry, cabbage.

Inositol: Citrus fruits, beans, nuts, whole grains.

Iodine: Seafood, iodized salt, dairy products.

Iron: Red meat, poultry, beans, lentils, spinach.

L-Theanine: Mushrooms, black tea, white tea, guayusa.

Lignans: Flaxseeds, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Leafy greens (spinach, kale), corn, eggs.

Lycopene: Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit.

Magnesium: Spinach, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans.

Manganese: Nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens, tea.

Melatonin: Cherries, grapes, tomatoes.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, fatty fish.

PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic Acid): Whole grains, eggs, organ meats.

Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): Meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, avocado

Pectin: Apples, citrus fruits, berries, pears.

Phosphorus: Dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, nuts.

Prebiotics: Garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas (unripe), oats, apples, barley, flaxseeds, seaweed.

Probiotics: Yogurt, kefir, fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi).

Potassium: Bananas, oranges, potatoes, spinach, yogurt.

Polyphenols: Berries, dark chocolate, red wine, tea.

Quercetin: Apples, onions, berries, citrus fruits.

Resveratrol: Red grapes, red wine, berries, peanuts.

Rutin: Buckwheat, citrus fruits, figs, apples.

Selenium: Brazil nuts, seafood, poultry, eggs.

Silica: Whole grains, oats, brown rice, leafy greens.

Sulforaphane: Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts), cabbage.

Taurine: Meat, seafood, dairy products.

Theanine: Green tea, black tea, certain mushrooms.

Tyrosine: Meat, fish, dairy products, nuts, seeds.

Vanadium: Mushrooms, shellfish, dill, parsley, black pepper.

Zeatin: Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds.

Zinc: Oysters, beef, poultry, beans, nuts, whole grains.

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anipgarden · 11 months

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Adding To or Starting a Garden

AKA, the beginning of the Plants-Related section of this series.

This is my third post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps!

Got an area of lawn you’d like to convert to a wildlife haven? An area you can stick some hanging baskets in? Want to know how your garden of tomatoes and zucchinis is already putting in a lot of work? This is the section for you!

It would be dumb of me to not acknowledge that the act of gardening can come with a lot of costs. Buying seeds, buying plants, buying soil, raised bed materials, mulch, etc. … it can all get a bit daunting, let’s be honest! But there’s quite a few ways to get seeds and plants for free or extremely cheap, which I’ll be addressing in this section! The next section will be all about addressing the other Costs in gardening and how to mitigate or eliminate them entirely.

Also, do keep in mind; there’s no need to try and convert a whole area from lawn to garden or unused to garden at once. In fact, it could actually be extremely beneficial to do it a little at a time--maybe four or five square feet to start out.

Front Lawn (or Managing Principles)

If you live in a place where you’re required to have a grass turf lawn (HOA’s come to mind…), try replacing it with native grasses instead! You could even possibly use a low-growing ground cover plant like clover to a similar effect! Reseeding/replacing an entire lawn can be a big upfront cost, but even just letting the lawn be a little messy and tall helps. If the lawn gets patchy, leave the bare spots for a little while and something different will likely pop up! Pioneer species will fill the gaps and provide benefits to other plants around them, support animals, and more! If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you could always research what the pioneer species are in your area and plant the ones you like most.

Obtaining Seeds for Cheap or Free

The cheapest way to start a garden is by far via seeds. However, seeds can be a bit complicated to grow, and some sources make them… way overpriced. Fortunately there are ways to get seeds for little to no cost!

Some places sell seeds for as low as a dollar, 50 cents, or 25 cents! The packets may not have a lot of seeds, but it’s definitely a good start for a low budget! I’ve personally bought cheap seed packets at Walmart--the Ferry-Morse and Burpee brands are not what we’re looking for here. Typically the cheaper ones I’ve found are American Seed (which is owned by Green Garden Products, which also owns Ferry-Morse, Livingston Seed, McKenzie Seed, and Seeds of Change. Do with that information what you will), but they’re rarely stocked near the Ferry-Morse ones in the Formal Gardening Section. I’ve most often found them on end caps near the gardening section, so you may have to weave through a few aisles to find them, but once you do there’s an array of flower and vegetable seeds to select from! Alternatively, I’ve found seeds at Dollar Tree sold 2 or 4 for a dollar in Spring as part of their seasonal product; however, when they’re out of stock, they’re typically out of stock for the year. Try to check them out early in the year!

Otherwise, other seed companies like Urban Farmer or Botanical Interests will often have semi-frequent sales in spring and fall, when people are stocking up on seeds--joining their email lists can help you be the first to know when a good sale is going on!

Some foods from grocery stores will provide seeds that you can use in the garden as well. I’ve had the most luck with store-bought bagged beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Some people have had luck with watermelons, apples, citrus, squash, and more. Do keep in mind that you likely won’t get the same variety of fruit/vegetable as the one you bought--the resulting plant may look different and taste different.

Give it a shot! Pick some beans you like--if they don't grow well, at least you can eat the rest!

If you live in the US, food-producing live plants, bare roots, and seeds can often be purchased with SNAP benefits. But what does growing fruits, veggies, and herbs have to do with boosting biodiversity? While food crops aren’t typically native, they still provide valuable shelter for native insects. Some plants even have intricate relationships with native fauna--like the squash bee, a solitary bee which exclusively pollinates cucurbits like pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. And we get to benefit more directly as well! If you’re planting a diverse range of foods in your garden (as opposed to the swaths of single-plant farms that typically produce what’s sent to grocery stores), you’re supporting high levels of biodiversity by providing a variety of plants for creatures to live and hunt around.

Most of the time, when we think of boosting biodiversity with a garden, we think of a colorful flower garden teeming with pollinator species. However, if we’re striving to use native species, it can be a bit difficult to find some species in stores. I can say from experience that trying to find any wildflower seeds other than butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed-susans is… challenging, if you limit yourself to stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. You might occasionally get lucky with an ACE Hardware or a local nursery, but even then sometimes it can be hard to track down who in your area is selling what--let alone if you live in an area where no one really is selling native plants or their seeds. Not to mention, even once you find a local or online store selling the seeds you want, they can sometimes cost a pretty penny. So what do you do?

If you have the option to, consider gathering native seeds yourself! Get good at identifying the native flora and fauna--or at least, a few target plants and their lookalikes--and get ready to go! Learn where they tend to grow, when they’ll be seeding, etc. Try to identify the plant before it goes to seed (for most plants, it's easiest to identify when flowering), then check back regularly to gather seeds. Typically, if I want to learn how to collect seed from a specific plant, I just search it on Google or YouTube--oftentimes, I'm lead to the GrowItBuildIt Youtube page, so it may be a helpful resource for you as well! Of course, make sure to leave plenty of seed behind so the wild population can repopulate, and seed can feed other creatures in the area. A good rule of thumb is to take no more than 1/3rd of what's available.

Buying seed in bulk is an option if you can afford the upfront cost. Try teaming up with a few friends to buy some bulk seeds and split them amongst yourselves--you’ll get tons of seed! Prairie Moon is a popular site that'll sell seeds by the pound if you can afford the price--though they're in the US, and I believe they focus on Midwest and East Coast natives.

If you want to cheat the system, don’t buy bulk sunflower seeds--buy bags of sunflower seeds being sold as birdseed. They’re typically all black oil sunflower seeds, but they’ll sprout, and they’re fairly cheap for the amount you get!

However, beware generic wildflower seed mixes! Many brands like to sell wildflower seed mixes in big box stores like Home Depot, Target, or even Dollar Tree, but they’ll often include flowers that aren’t native or possibly even invasive in your region! Before you make any purchases, double check to make sure the contained seeds won’t do more harm than good! A quality source of native seeds will provide English and Latin names for all seeds included, and will be native to the region or at least non-invasive.

See this? I don't trust this.

There’s a good handful of programs online that’ll send you free seeds if you’re planning to start a native habitat project! Poke around online and see what you can find; you might get lucky! The best time to start looking for these is fall and winter, I find--by early spring, many of them are either done or beginning to wind down... though some also start up in spring. Ultimately--just check regularly! You never know what you can find!

Other Ways to Get Plants

Don’t want to start from seed? That’s fair! You can try cuttings! Just be sure not to take too much of the plant while you do so. Make sure you’ve gotten a few leaf nodes on your cutting, and cut any flowers you may have gotten. Make sure to leave some blooms and foliage on the original plant for the creatures in the current habitat--you don’t want to destroy one habitat to make another in your garden. There’s tons of methods of rooting cuttings, many of which have different efficacy rates for different plants, but that’s a topic for another post.

If you find seedlings growing in a place where they won’t be able to sustain themselves long-term, or are in danger of being destroyed, consider relocating them! You may be able to gently dig up and transplant the seedling to your garden. Don’t do this if they’re in a place where they can easily survive--ideally, you’ll be taking plants from sidewalk cracks, heavily maintained public gardens, roadsides, etc. Do be careful while doing this--ensure your safety first!

You’re totally allowed to join gardening communities like clubs, facebook groups, and more before you’ve even put a trowel to the dirt. These are great places to learn information and advice! Many gardeners are more than happy to help out a new gardener, and will eagerly provide seeds, cuttings, or even baby plants! Talk to some people about your gardening journey and what you’re hoping to do, and you just might find some kindred spirits--or at least get more people interested in the topic!

Seed and plant giveaways and trades happen all the time in gardening clubs, as well as online! Just poke around and see what you can find! Some are explicitly trades, meaning you’re expected to send something in return, but once you get your feet on the ground with some plant knowledge you’ll be stellar! You may be able to explain you’re just starting out, and someone may send you seeds without expecting a trade, but I’d suggest trying giveaways first.

Poke around online and see if there’s a local chapter of your state’s native plant society. From there, you’ll likely be able to find a calendar of events--many of them will host plant sales in the spring, with a bunch of native plant seedlings ripe for the pickings if you can make it out and have some money to spare! Fair warning, though, you’ll want to get there early if you can. If they say they’re starting at 10, try to get there by 9:45. Year after year, there’s always record turnout, and they sell out of plants faster than ever. Just trust me on this. I’ve been let down; hopefully you won’t have to be.

Some libraries are beginning to host seed libraries! Check around and see if your library has one! Ideally, the system works best if you also have seeds to contribute in return, but if you’re just starting out I’m sure they won’t mind you taking some seeds! Just consider saving some seeds to contribute in the future and pay it forward. If your library doesn’t have a seed library? Consider asking if they’d be willing to start one! Community interest is a great way to get the ball rolling on projects like these, but they’ll only know the community is interested if the community tells them they’re interested!

Volunteer to Garden for/with Someone Else

Maybe someone in your area wants to garden, but is struggling to find the time/energy. Many elderly people who used to garden simply can’t anymore but still would like a garden. Other people may love to have a helping hand in their garden. You might even find a few people in your area interested in renting and sharing a community garden plot with others, so they don't have to handle it all on their own! They may be interested in increasing biodiversity right now, or may be willing to if it’s brought up to them. You might be just the kind of person someone needs! Since it won't be your garden, you’ll likely need a bit of permission and collaboration to get anything in particular going, but it’s worth a shot and a way to maybe even make friends!

Again, your mileage may vary with some of these. You may not know where there's a bunch of wildflowers growing in your area, or maybe your local library doesn't have a free seed library. That's okay! Do what you're able to, find what you can find, get what you can get! And there's never any shame with starting small--in fact, starting small can make the project easier to manage and expand when you're able!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to start growing plants cheaply--low cost seed starting set ups, essentially. There's a lot of good options, many of which I've used myself even! Until then, I hope this advice is helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

#biodiversity #solarpunk #gardening #outdoor gardening #growing from seed #ani rambles #out of queue #the biodiversity saga #i will be honest I have never flat out approached people to offer to help them garden #HOWEVER. People HAVE approached ME asking ME to help THEM with/plan THEIR garden #granted it was after I'd been gardening for a good few years. and its mostly family or family friends but yknow #people would be like 'oh wanna help me with my veggie garden?' even before I tried growing vegetables #i don't think the library near me has a seed library but you just wait until i. get the courage. to go to the library regularly.#i've seen people also make their own little seed library structures kinda like a little free library but like #i dont think my neighborhood is about that life.#if any of yall have those though it could be a great resource! also send pics because I love seeing them #not to say that this post should become a giant seed trade but if it did become that i would be the opposite of mad #if there's any typos blame my sister shes got the hotel room at like 60-something degrees and I am FREEZING #welp time to shut up now bye

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mitsies · 1 year

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-;, spearmint ; isagi yoichi > in which, you think you're boyfriend can't get any more perfect.

he’s got a hold on you, this man does, but he doesn’t even have a clue.

you can’t really do much but stare as isagi yoichi fumbles to unwrap the thin plastic layer around the new package of spearmint gum, his fingers searching for purchase on the smooth surface.

you’d both been relaxing on the couch of your shared apartment, watching some tv show you couldn’t care less about when he realized:

he bought you gum. spearmint gum.

you recall mentioning in passing about how spearmint was your favorite flavour, a casual detail in conversation that you hadn’t expected your boyfriend to remember.

he hadn’t hung on it for too long when you’d mentioned spearmint gum- just giving you a quick, ‘really? i like watermelon better.’

you’d snorted and made a joke about him having worse taste than you, and he’d rolled his eyes and wrapped his hands around your waist, pulling you onto him in a fit of shared laughter and affection.

and now, here he was, a week-ish later with a brand-new 35 pack of spearmint gum with your name on it.

“you mentioned you like this kind, right?” he said, finally finding the edge of the plastic wrap and peeling it off deftly. “i saw it at the checkout when i went to get groceries. here.”

he holds the package out to you, expecting you to grab it from him- instead, your hands are suddenly planted on either side of his face and you’re plantings myriad of kisses on his face. isagi drops the gum on the couch as you suddenly close the gap between the two of you, eyes wide with surprise.

“i love you,” you declare with a reverence.

isagi is pink in the face, stumbling over his words as you remain with your hands on his burning cheeks. you’re gone as fast as you’d arrived, sitting back down next to him, stashing the pack of gum into your (his) pajama pants pocket.

he simply stares at you as you resume watching the tv like nothing happened. he blinks. isagi thinks he’ll add spearmint gum to his shopping list from now on.

#isagi yoichi #isagi yoichi x reader #blue lock x reader #blue lock #bllk x reader #bllk #god he’s so boyfriend #i need u. i mean what haha who said that

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sourcherryandsprinkles · 1 year

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Hey darling hope you're doing well !! If it's ok could you do an ajax × fem!reader with the prompts 2 and 3 ? I just couldn't get those out of my head♡

‘’Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.” + ‘’Just so you know, I’m not wearing a bra.’’

my taglists are here + you can requests here at any time

—

‘’What are the ten most deadliest plants?’’ you read on your flashcard, sitting on your bed.

Before you, Ajax was sitting criss-crossed and in deep thinking. ‘’Deadly nightshade, aconite — also known as wolf’s bane —, thornapples, angel’s trumpets, white snakeroot…and I don't know the rest.’’

You sighed, telling him the missing answers and flipping to the next flashcard. ‘’We studied these plants all month, how can you miss half of them?’’

‘’I suck at Botany. I’m sorry.’’ He fell against your pillows and plushies, having enough of studying. ‘’Do you know how beautiful you are? It’s truly distracting.’’ He rubbed his hands over your legs, but you didn’t give him the attention he wanted.

You were flattered by his compliments, but flirting and sweet talking won’t make you drop the studying session.

‘’Can we just kiss instead? We have the dorm to ourselves.’’

Shaking your head, you didn’t lift your eyes from the flashcard. ‘’No. We have a quiz on phytotoxicology tomorrow morning. We have to study,’’ you said, emphasizing on ‘study’.

Ajax groaned, still laying against your pillows. He understood the need to study, but kissing was so much better. ‘’My lips are feeling lonely.’’

You glanced at his puppy eyes and the oh-so-cute pout on his lips. You would rather make out than study, but you pushed back the study session so much that you were running low on time and could not move it to another day.

‘’Are they?’’ You cooed and slowly leaned down.

Ajax nodded, thinking you had fallen for his shit when he was the fool. ‘’Yeah, they’re missing yours.’’

Instead of kissing him like you made him believe you would, you grabbed the pen from his side of the bed, leaving Ajax even more frustrated when he realized you were not going to kiss him.

‘’Next question. The chapter on Aconite is very long and Ms. Thornhill won't fail to quiz us on it.’’

You asked each other flashcards questions back and forth, but after a few you were starting to get bored too.

You had about ten flashcards to go through and more reading in the textbooks, so if you wanted to get through everything, you and Ajax were going to need some motivation.

‘’Let’s make a deal. If we get 90% of the questions right before the clock hit 8pm, we’ll make out until my roommate returns. Deal?’’

Ajax evaluated your deal for a moment. ‘’Just making out?’’

You nodded. Anything that involved taking clothes off would be too risky and Ajax was a shy boy in front of people he wasn’t close with. If you were to get caught doing anything sexual by your roommate, he would never be able to look at her again.

‘’Can petting be involved? Can I put my hands under your shirt?’’

You nodded for both. You’ll probably hate yourself later because you won’t be able to get yourself off after Ajax leaves, but the thought of Ajax’s hands on your tits sounded really really nice.

‘’And, in case you need some more material to make your decision… Just so you know, I’m not wearing a bra.’’

—

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#ajax petropolus x reader #ajax petropolus #ajax petropolus imagine #ajax wednesday #georgie farmer #wednesday #wednesday imagine #ajax petropolus x you #ajax petropolus x y/n

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blueywrites · 1 year

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may 11th, 1941

a turtle dove & the crow blurb

1940s Farm AU, featuring bsf!neighbor!eddie x fem!reader

I was inspired by the holiday today, so here are Dove and Eddie celebrating their first Mother's Day. Heads up, many unexpected things interrupted me today, so this is very lightly edited. Still - and most importantly - it is pure fluff!! So enjoy 💙🌷

masterlist | playlist

It is May 11th, 1941, and while you are not yet technically a mother, in Eddie’s mind, it’s close enough.

You wake when he rises from bed while the room is still dark, spending the next hour drifting in and out of a shallow doze as you stubbornly ignore the growing pressure in your bladder. To you, it’s more valuable to steal precious moments of rest than to relieve yourself of that discomfort, mainly because you’re uncomfortable almost all the time now, even in sleep. That’s pretty much a given when your belly is the size of a watermelon, swollen with a child that seems to be determined not to come out until the very day he or she is due, and not a moment sooner.

A headstrong Munson, your child is, through and through.

Though, really, you suppose you’re pretty headstrong, too. What else would keep you laying stubbornly in bed until the creak of a floorboard beside you draws your awareness, until the whisper of curls lightly tickles your neck, until a hovering presence dips down, and warm lips press to your cheek?

It could be your stubbornness, but perhaps it is what you know you’ll gain by continuing to feign sleep: your beloved rousing you with plush, tender kisses, gently beckoning you back to him. You succeed in getting him to repeat the gesture thrice by laying perfectly still, relishing in the softness of his lips until you feel a broad hand cup warm and fond around the swell of your belly.

Then, of its own accord, your chin tips toward his face, seeking the source of your joy and betraying you at once. Though your eyes remain closed, the ruse ends abruptly; when the fond, exasperated puff of Eddie’s breath tickles your cupid’s bow, you smile and tip your face up in anticipation of a proper kiss.

The meeting of your lips is as sweet as it always is, and you sigh into it, melting despite the physical discomfort you’re still in. When you feel Eddie run the hard line of his nose against your own, nuzzling you fondly, you reward him with a firm peck to the corner of his mouth before he draws back.

Then, you open your eyes.

Eddie’s lips are curled with a broad, crooked smile; the tips of his frizzy bangs brush his dark lashes, which crinkle at the corners with the force of his joy upon seeing you. That joy is apparent every time he gets to wake up beside you, never lessening despite the passage of days, just as you never tire of his face being the first thing you see each morning.

Today, he isn’t beside you, but is instead hovering over you, standing at your bedside. Once he sees you’re fully alert, Eddie squats comfortably, briefly rubbing his hand along your belly before folding his arms and planting his chin there. You can feel the heat of his body on your bare shoulder— always so hot, like a furnace lives beneath his skin.

“G’mornin’,” Eddie murmurs, his voice still husky with sleep like this is the first time he’s spoken since waking some time ago.

It’s an awkward angle, but you manage to bend your wrist to cup his cheek. His stubble rasps against your palm, and you hum contentedly, eyes focused on his face but lids heavy and half-closed. “Mornin’,” you echo, high and throaty all at once.

Eddie’s cheek mounds further under your palm when his grin widens, and you draw your thumb along his dimple. “Happy Mother’s Day,” he adds, sounding all together too pleased with himself, nearly smug, even.

Your nose crinkles in confusion, and you huff fondly. “I ain’t a mom yet, Ed,” you remind him, trying to be nonchalant, though you can’t help but sound as delicate and tender as you feel at the implication. The mother of Eddie Munson’s child. You’ve known that’s what you’re to be for quite some time now, but this day makes it feel even more real.

Eddie’s eyes slide to the bump of your stomach, which mountains up almost comically high from the thin bedspread. “Any day now, I reckon.” He squints, cocking his head. “In fact… it might even be today.” His voice is suddenly a coo: “What d’you think, Chickie? Is it finally time t’give y’r mama a break?”

You snort loudly, not bothering to hide your skepticism. “You kiddin’ me? This’s your baby we’re talkin’ about.” You pat your stomach affectionately. “Chickie ain’t gonna come out unless it’s of their own volition. Don’t let ‘em hear you say nothin’ like ‘might be today,’ or else they’ll stick put just to spite their daddy.”

When you glance back at him, Eddie is still looking at your belly. But though you’d been intending to be playful, the words have struck him a different way. Longing pools in his umber eyes— deep and depthless, thick and sticky like the sweetest honey, and this lighthearted moment turns suddenly poignant.

“Ed—” you whisper, but the words you plan to say catch on the sudden lump in your throat. Eddie tears his eyes away from your stomach, staring at you for a moment before leaning forward and kissing the tip of your nose.

“C’mon.” He smiles, rising to his full height while you grapple with the sudden urge to cry. Mercifully, he pretends not to notice. “Gotta get you downstairs, or else your Mother’s Day breakfast s’gonna get cold.” He crosses his arms and quirks a brow, looking down his nose dramatically. “And lemme tell you somethin’, Turtle Dove. I slaved over a hot stove all morning f’r you. So that just won’t do.”

You know he’s exaggerating to distract you. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Instead of crying, you chuckle through the labor of hefting yourself to sit upright. You puff out your cheeks, blowing out a slow breath to gather yourself after the ordeal as you settle back on your palms.

“S’mighty kind of you, Edward,” you reply dryly, matching his drama with a wry twist of your lips. “But first things first: be a dear and help me outta this bed before I wet myself.”

Ten minutes later finds you clutching the railing and toddling your way down the stairs, now with an empty bladder and wrapped in a thin dressing gown to ward off the spring chill that lingers this early in the morning. Eddie is hot on your heels, one hand hovering near your elbow, which juts as you cup your hand underneath your belly for support while you descend from your bedroom. The boarding house you occupy is still quiet; the others who live here are either still sleeping or already off to see their relatives for the holiday. This leaves you relatively to your own devices, though the woman who owns the house— widowed and without children— will likely be awake soon. And you think that this is why, rather than leading you to the dining room for your Mother’s Day breakfast, Eddie guides you instead toward the sunroom at the back of the house.

The sunroom is more a storage room than anything else, but it’s a place you’d found yourself often. You would typically spend your afternoons there, sat atop one large crate and leaning against a taller stack to mend clothes and sew swaddling for the baby. This became part of your daily routine until last month, when your belly made hopping up onto the crate too difficult to manage. The spot was never the most comfortable even before your belly got in the way, but it remains the only place in the boarding house to afford a view of the backyard, where you’d convinced your landlady to let you begin cultivating a modest garden.

In a town largely bereft of greenery and overtaken by soot, this tiny plot you tend is an oasis— an endeavor you won’t give up until you really truly cannot manage it anymore.

You think Eddie is just bringing you to the sunroom so you can breakfast together alone. So what you find actually waiting there for you takes you completely by surprise.

The crates have been cleared from that corner you frequented, stacked three tall and pushed neatly against the far wall. In their place is a floral circular rug— worn at the edges and clearly secondhand, but new to the house, new to you, and certainly beautiful with its rich hues of deep maroon and cornflower blue. The small iron end table, which had been leaning cockeyed against the corner of the shed out back since you’d moved in, has since been brought inside, scrubbed, leveled, and placed beneath one of the corner windows. On it is a small white doily and a vase filled with clear water and fresh clipped wildflowers. You’re stuck on those for a moment— Where in God’s green earth did he find wildflowers around here? — but only until you notice the plate of yellow cookies, butter rich and dusted with sugar. You know it must be your favorite treat: lemon and lavender cookies. And from here, they look just like Ms. Willard makes them.

All at once, you’re struck with giddy delight, consumed by the remembered taste of crumbly tart lemon and earthy lavender, the rich decadence of sugar and fat melting on your tongue.

“All right,” Eddie starts, “So I know it ain’t the most nutritious of breakfasts. Also, I weren’t really slavin’ over a hot stove this morning. But, I did—”

Eddie stops speaking when he realized you haven’t heard a word he’s said, because you’re already waddling eagerly toward that tiny wrought iron table and its plate of decadent treats. In fact, you’re so fixated on those cookies that you don’t notice the most important addition to the room until you’re leaning against its wooden arm.

The oak is smooth and firm under your fingers when you reach for it absently. It’s pleasant to the touch, but it draws your attention only when it rocks forward under your weight, dipping unexpectedly. You startle, snatching your hand back; with it cradled protectively to your chest, you finally turn wide eyes to your last remaining gift.

Eddie had told you that, in the months you’d been apart, he’d taken to carpentry and woodcarving, hobbying at it in the evenings after his shifts at the factory. Where he’d found the energy after working all day, you didn’t know. You suspect it began as a way to keep himself occupied so he didn’t have to think, or so he could thoroughly exhaust himself and hope to sleep dreamlessly. Once you were reunited, however, the practice took on new meaning. Tiny carvings and simple tools, like stools and washboards, gave way to Eddie’s first big project: a bassinet for your little one on the way.

It took him a long time to make it, and in the end, it wasn’t the most elegant of final products. But despite its lack of finesse, the piece was sturdy and well-constructed, crafted with care by your beloved for the comfort of Chickie— Eddie’s choice term of endearment, which you’ll use until the baby is born and you can name them properly. Love seeped from the oaken edges of that bassinet; you wove more of it into the woollen blankets you nestled into its base. This labor of your shared love now sits tucked into the corner of your bedroom beside the chest of drawers until it’s needed.

That date is soon approaching now, and Eddie had told you he was picking up some extra evening shifts to put away a little extra money for the baby’s imminent arrival. You now know that was a misdirection. Because Eddie Munson may not have been slaving over a hot stove this morning, but he has clearly been pouring his sweat and effort into something else all this time, right under your nose.

Thank your lucky stars Eddie is back to gripping your elbow now, because it’s the only thing keeping you from collapsing wobbly-kneed to the floor. Overcome and overwhelmed, you pull your arm from his grasp to tuck it brusquely around his, squeezing his bicep so tightly that he grunts. When you sniffle, Eddie’s gaze shoots to you in alarm, but his expression eases when he notices your glossy eyes, which devour each dip and crevice of your final gift: a rocking chair.

The smooth wood of the chair glows with a warm, honeyed hue, as if it were still basking in the sun's rays. The chair's arms are wide and sturdy, its seat hewn strong and curved to cradle you in a comforting embrace. Carved into the wood on either side are two birds, a crow and a turtle dove, their feathers etched in precise detail, as if they might fly off the chair at any moment. The crow perches at the top of the chair's backrest, its eyes sharp and intelligent, while the dove rests just below it, its delicate form a striking contrast to the crow's boldness.

This isn’t a trinket, or a stool, or a bassinet. This is a gift for you. And it’s a gift made of you. You and your Eddie; turtle dove and her crow.

You tune back in to find your crow currently rambling eagerly about the process of making your gift. You don’t interrupt; instead, you lean your head against his bicep and your hip against the outside of his thigh, and you let him tell you everything. Clearly excited to share with you, Eddie explains every detail of that process— how he got a good deal on the lumber by bartering with your neighbor down the way, what various tools he used to whittle the birds and get them just right, how he’d tested a bunch of scrap pieces to get the right color for the stain, how nervous he’d been to seal it and mess the whole thing up. He recounts every little detail of the process as you gaze upon your gift and let his solid body support you; you feel his arm shift under your temple as he gestures while he speaks. And your heart collects every word, like a bird pecks up the seeds that give it life. Those words mix with everything else— all of what has happened since the August. The weight of it. The pain and heartache and gutwrenching beauty, too. You swell with all of that, and above all, with the potency of your deep abiding love for Edward Munson. It fills you so impossibly full that it’s a wonder you don’t burst with that universe of feeling inside you.

“M’sorry I lied about the overtime,” he says finally. “I was hoping t’surprise you. And, also, I figured this was worth more than pinchin’ some pennies.” There’s a brief pause, but you don’t break your silence— you’re too full of love to speak. So Eddie keeps going. “So, y’remember when y’said you were feelin’ sick the first few months? I mentioned it to Kathy, ‘n she said the rockin’ motion might help your stomach when y’r feelin’ ill. Also, I was thinkin’, when you’re feelin’ up to it, y’could make yourself a cushion and do your sewin’ more comfortably.” His voice colors with amusement as he adds, “S’gotta be better than those old crates, right?” before gentling again. “And—and you can set here and rock the baby once it’s born. ‘N I was thinkin’ I could set with you, too. That’d be nice, I think. Us all lookin’ out at the garden together.”

That is, apparently, the end of Eddie’s explanations, because there’s a longer pause then. “So, uh, are you surprised?” When you still don’t say anything, and the silence lingers between you, a tentative question follows with the beginnings of new nervousness. “…D’you like it?”

“Eddie.” His name shudders out in a hot, thick warble. And it’s then that Eddie glances down and sees the hot tears rolling in fat silent tracks down your cheeks.

“No, no, no—” he breathes, tight and urgent but so achingly gentle as he unwinds his arm from yours so he can press your sticky cheeks between his careful palms. Your chin wobbles as he tips your face up, and though his calloused thumbs swipe at your tears while they fall from your lashes, there are too many for him to brush away.

He doesn’t stop trying, though. Patiently, Eddie wipes each tear, catching what he can until he resigns himself to stroking over your cheekbones instead, offering comfort instead of trying to quell the flow. “No, baby, don’t cry.” He hushes the words against your forehead, pressing his lips to your heated skin. “Don’t cry, my Dove.”

Your breath hitches, and you sniffle by reflex. The sound is thick and wet and rather disgusting. You cringe, trying to pull away, but he doesn’t let you.

“Shhh.” Eddie shushes you gently, coaxing you with his fingers and his lips and his solid comforting warmth until you finally melt into his arms. You wrap your arms loosely around his chest, holding onto him and letting him hold you as best he can with your giant belly smushed lightly between you.

Eventually, the warmth of his body, the firmness of his arms, and the comfort of his scent— musky, earthen, and beneath, those notes of a beautiful summer storm— succeed in slowing the torrent of your tears to an occasional hiccup. The swelling of your emotions has receded, ebbing back into a manageable flow.

You feel Eddie press his face briefly to your hair before he mutters, “All right, look. Y’don’t have to worry about hurtin’ my feelings.” You’re beginning to frown in confusion when he clarifies flatly, “Y’clearly hate the damn thing, don’tcha?”

An incredulous giggle bursts from your lips, a little thick but girlish and delighted nonetheless at his nonsensical dramatics. And when Eddie’s arms tighten playfully, swaying you gently back and forth, you know that was his aim. You sway happily with him, nuzzling your swollen nose gratefully into his chest.

“Should’ve just stuck with those lavender cookies,” Eddie adds, far too dry to be anything but facetious.

That makes you speak at last. “No,” you say without lifting your head, and your voice is muffled by shirt and snot. “S’really thoughtful of you, Eddie. Can’t even tell you how much this means t’me. That you gave so much t’make this for us. For our baby.” You squeeze him tighter. “Can’t tell you how much you mean t’me,” you whimper, welling up again.

“Nuh-uh, nun’a that,” Eddie admonishes you lightly. “Don’t you start up again on me.” He squeezes you tight enough to make you squeak in protest, but not too tight to hurt. When you move to pull back, he lets you, dropping his hands to the swell of your belly that balloons your dressing gown.

His calluses are rough as they catch on the fabric, but his hands are so warm, so broad and gentle as he rubs them over your sizeable bump. Eddie hums, then smiles wolfishly, looking at you from beneath his lashes. “Y’let me fill you all up, Dove. Let me put my baby in you. S’the least I can do…”

Judging by the salacious waggle of his eyebrows, Eddie is clearly joking, but the roughness in his voice and those words still make you shiver visibly. His eyes flash, and the grin widens; knowing there’s nothing he can really do about it considering your advanced condition, you pout at him childishly.

Graciously, he doesn’t chuckle at your expense. Instead, Eddie drops the act to become earnest. “Least I can do is make sure you’re comfortable ‘til he pops out.”

You latch to one word. “He?”

One hand leaves your belly to scratch sheepishly at the back of his head. “Yeah, I’unno,” Eddie mumbles, abruptly dropping it to take your hand and pull you toward your new chair. “C’mon. Set down, now. S’what I spent all that time makin’ it for. N’eat some of those cookies ‘for I eat ‘em for you.”

“Okay, okay,” you pretend to grouse, letting him help you into your new chair.

When you sink into that seat, it cradles your body with the same sweet care as the man who made it, who carved its edges and ridges, sanded it to smooth, stained it golden and made it shine like the bright beams of sunshine he feels warm his cheeks when he looks upon your beloved face. When he perches on its arm beside you, settling his weight upon it, the wood does not waver, creak, or groan, because it’s been hewn sturdy and strong by his hands. And when you rock gently together for the first time— man, woman, and child all swaying in time— the dove and crow carved on that chair-back watch over you, an immutable symbol of the nest you’ve made at last.

It’s ready for that egg to peep and crack, to hatch and join the bonded pair.

And despite the stubbornness of the Munson gene, might it today, after all?

#blueywrites #td&tc #farmer!eddie munson #farmer!eddie #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson au #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson x fem!reader fluff

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notalwayscommonsense · 2 years

Text

Drinking Water & Staying Hydrated

On this account we cover how to do things that are "common sense" for the people who dont know. Shame-free. Today, we'll be covering some tips and tricks for drinking more water when you're unmotivated to or simply forget.

If you were to ever find yourself lost in the wilderness, the first thing you would wanna look for ASAP is a source of water. Humans need around 8 glasses (~2L) of water a day that our bodies can function right! It's very important, as dehydration can lead to constipation, kidney stones, overheating, exhaustion and generally a really bad mood!

Water helps to..

• keep your joints flexible

• regulate your temperature

• clean your insides via sweat/urination

• digest, salivate, transport nutrients

• carrying oxygen to your cells

• maintaining electrolyte balance

And much more. We're made up of around 60% water, after all. Though, drinking that much water every day can be a very tiresome chore for many of us, especially those who struggle with executive dysfunction and mental illness. Never fear: we've compiled a big list of little actions you can take that might help you drink a little bit more water in a day. Don't worry if 2 liters of water sounds like a big step! Even a few sips more makes a big difference. Progress is not linear!

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1) Switch it up - Water is obviously tasteless and for many people this deters them from staying hydrated when they could opt for something more sweet or exciting like a juice or soda. Luckily, there are dozens of ways to spice up your drinks. Hundreds of artificial flavorings exist; MiO, Sunkist, Starburst and other more affordable off brand water enhancers can transform your drink into something more flavorful. Whether you want something tart like lemonade, savory like iced tea or sweet like fruit punch, there's an enhancer that will fit your taste.

If you would prefer something more natural, there's countless recipes for fruit infused water. Cucumbers, lemon slices and mint can give your water that subtle boost you need to encourage hydration. Below we'll link some recipes if you'd like to try them.

For some people, its not so much the taste, but more so the texture. If you're a soda lover, opt for some sparkling water instead, flavored or unflavored. Brands like LaCroix, Sparkling Ice and Bubly can all give you the same smooth sipping of a soft drink while helping you meet your water quota for the day.

If none of these sound like something you're interested in, you can always opt for making tea instead, hot or iced. If you like cold drinks, you could make a whole pitcher and keep it in your fridge for easy access, whether its chamomile, matcha or plain old Lipton.

2) Make it fun - Making yourself genuinely want to do something is a great way to tackle executive dysfunction. If you're able and open to spending some extra money, buying yourself a fun new water bottle can make you want to use it and carry it with you. Personalization is another way to make a new water bottle even more fun or enhance one you already have. Add dishwasher safe stickers, customized beaded/braided handles and marked timestamps.

A free, more low effort alternative to make drinking water fun is to download an app such as Plant Nanny. Its premise is simple - drink water and in return you water an adorable plant in app. With your help, they'll grow up and you can slowly collect them all. Its a bright, colorful, interactive game that will help you visualize your needs and be rewarded for taking care of them.

3) Eat your water - If the action of drinking is something you struggle with, opt for eating water-rich foods. On top of being a great way to meet your water goals, it comes with more nutrients, vitamins and fiber than regular water while leaving you feeling filled. Below are some fruits and veggies you can snack on that will leave you feeling more hydrated.

Cucumber - 96% water

Celery - 95% water

Spinach - 93% water

Watermelon - 91% water

Cantaloupe - 90% water

And much more!

For something more fun, you can always make some popsicles with coconut water (94% water) and fruit. Pop those in the freezer and have delicious ice pops ready to go in a few hours.

4) Reminders and Encouragement - If you dont have an issue with drinking water but you often forget, a gentle push in the right direction may be all you need. Ask your friends or family for motivation and reminders. You can even challenge them or work towards goals together! Theres nothing better than some friendly competition.

Apps like Waterminder, Waterllama and Habit Tracker can all send reminders to your phone and help you track your progress. If you dont want to download an app, you can always just set some alarms as well. Plant Nanny, as mentioned above, is a fun alternative to this that brings gaming into the picture.

5) Passive Influence - Making some small changes to your routine can make drinking water passively a lot easier. Keep your water bottle on you, carry it from room to room, that way its always easily accessible when you're thirsty.

Switch out your regular snacks for something spicy or salty. Get a bowl of pretzels and a glass of water at the same time and you'll find yourself drinking it with ease. Potato chips, lays, fries or salted nuts are all great options.

If you cant find yourself able to replace your regular beverage with water, challenge yourself to drink a glass of water before you have one. Keep water bottles (plastic or reusable) next to your regular drink in the fridge so you remember to grab both. Another quick way to get some added hydration is adding extra ice to what you usually drink. About 8 cubes is a cup of water!

Always get a glass of water before bed so you have something to sip on, and in case you wake up feeling thirsty. Its a good habit to also get a glass of water right when you wake up. Thats already knocked two glasses out of the way for the day.

Another great idea as a passive, unscheduled reminder, is to drink water every time you use the bathroom. Theres no shame in leaving your water bottle in there as a gentle reminder when you walk in.

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Most importantly, more important than drinking 8 glasses of water a day, is to be gentle with yourself. Its okay if you struggle with drinking even one glass a day. Just trying to take small steps in the right direction takes a lot of strength. Try some of these tips out, even if you don't think they'll work for you. Who knows, one might change your relationship with water before you know it!

Products, Recipes & Articles:

8 Infused Water Recipes

MiO Liquid Water Enhancer

Plant Nanny

#actually autistic #actually neurodivergent #affirmation #encouragement #healing #mental health #positivity #recovery #reminders #tutorial #adhd #executive dysfunction #self recovery #self care #self compassion #hydration #gentle reminder

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gamerbearmira · 3 months

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Diamond au -

So, I caught up on some more scenes from the show (Mostly just the diamond scenes and wiki) and here's what I got.

(So, the diamonds in the show typically run their own colony on a certain planet. The Diamonds used their essence to create new Gems, who would become subordinates and dedicated their lives in the name of their Diamond. Gems were distinguished by the diamond emblem on their uniform, corresponding to the color of the Diamond they served.

In order to expand the Gem race, the Diamonds took control of celestial bodies for colonization purposes. This would allow Gems to be mass-produced by utilizing outside resources. Each Diamond owned specific colonies and was in charge of making sure they were successful. Gems produced on a specific Diamond's colony was under their control; for instance, Gems produced on Earth belonged to Pink.)

I decided to change some things around a bit-

Gems naturally burst out of any planet (Ones not known to man) and are basically like babies. They somehow naturally know how to talk and are fully grown but that's as far as intelligence goes and height goes.

What do the diamonds do when that happens?

They teach morals, do's & don't do's, right from wrong, etc. They also help their colonies in a certain area they lack. (The "kids" help as well.)

Which diamond "owns" a colony?

Magenta, Blue, Yellow, and green do. The grand-diamonds are in training (if they want to be) or just don't feel like having that sort of responsibility yet.

Yellow/Pepa helps with the weather because the planet her colony belongs to has horrendous weather conditions. If she isn't managing it, her colony suffers.

Blue and violet/Isabela help with flora and medicine. Isa creates the plants and flowers needed and Blue uses her natural ability to create medicine. She also teaches her colony how to do it as well.

The diamond adults do "own" a certain colony on a certain planet. But they aren't all that authoritarian at all. While the Diamonds continue to rule over Home world, they allow every Gem to live freely the way they want without judgment or punishment. Gems are free to fuse with whoever they please, and the caste system was dismantled so that no Gem is better than another.

Home world has some kind of democracy, meaning the Diamonds, despite retaining a level of importance on Home world, allow Gems to take charge as leaders of their kind through elections.

The diamonds don't see any non-gem life form as inferior, but more interesting. Humans are mainly a curiosity to them, but they see how humans...are mainly hostile to anything different from them (especially to each other) and don't feel like interacting at all.

As far as interactions go when it comes to earth is just watching things called "movies", just to look at certain cultures and behaviors, fashion, and way of life.

Magenta/Alma doesn't like the word "own". It seems a bit rude to say she owns something when she had no control over when or how gems came to be.

So, she instead uses the word "care". Because that's technically what she and her "kids" do. They care for their colonies as long as they need to.

Young diamonds typically explore their "parents" gem worlds. Having fun, making friends & what not.

Certain gems/crystals found on their planets:

Pepa's planet - Golden Barites, Golden Beryl's, Golden south sea pearls, Heliodor's, Honey Calcites, Honey Topaz, Lemon Jades, Lemon quartz, and many more.

Bruno's planet - Jades, Tourmaline, Verdelite, October birthstone, Alexandrite, Malachite, Peridot, Sapphire, Apatite, Chrysoberyl, and many more.

Julieta's planet - Blue agate, Apatite, Azurite, Aquamarine, Benitiote, Blue Chalcedony, Chrysocolla, Dumortierite, Blue fluorite, and many more

Alma's planet - Padparadscha sapphire, Rubellite Tourmaline, Ruby, Spine, Watermelon Tourmaline, and Viva magenta.

The grand-diamonds don't have gems to look after yet but they do have planets to watch over. Each planet is similar to their colors/name. It's truly boring for them so they don't spend their time watching them much.

I searched up "planet that rains diamonds" and I found out that Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter are rumored to have natural diamonds. So, that's where Alma, the triplets, and the grandkids came from.

The triplets came from Saturn, Alma came from Neptune, and the grandkids are from Jupiter.

Also, Antonio's name in this au is Apricot. It's cute and it has 'A' in front of it, so it fits. I

SO COOOOOLLL ‼️‼️‼️

W Diamonds for at the very least being decent gems 😭 give them mfs some sense of self, so at least there’s that. Planets are super cool 🤭🤭 also the fact that the grandkids find watching their plants boring is. So funny. Like there’s basically nothing on them, so it!s understandable 😭

Using plants that rain diamonds honestly makes a lot of sense. ALSO APRICOT LETS GOOOO 🤠🤠🤠

While not a dictator or authoritarian, I think Alma just has a very misleading face 💀

#my asks are open #my asks #encanto #encanto au #au #encanto alma #encanto Pedro #encanto julieta #encanto agustin #encanto pepa #encanto felix #encanto bruno #encanto isabela #encanto dolores #encanto luisa #encanto camilo #encanto mirabel #encanto antonio #diamonds au

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ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa · 2 months

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Co-parenting Found Family

[Miu (has a baby), Rantaro, Tsumugi & Kokichi friend group, Saiouma]

Me: you ever read a crackfic one-shot and realize you'd want to read a serious longfic with the same premise? cause now I am thinking of this stupid.. pregnant Miu shows up to saiou's apartament, asking Kokichi for help but instead of going with the crap about her not realizing she's pregnant for this long, I would like it to be angst inspired by her lhs

Clown: Yessss!!! I read that one!!! Absolutely loved it, mostly because I'm a sucker for them navigating something like this so ridiculously

Me: I liked it too, the joke about her not being able to tell rubbed me the wrong way, but it was actually nice after that, I would read more of it if they write a continuation

Me: basically, Miu ghosts everyone for a few months, not that unusual, she can disappear in her projects, she pops back up to brag about the prize she got for it when she's done, but not this time, this time she shows up to saiou's apartment, severely pregnant and devastated turns out she jumped headfirst into a relationship with some guy, tried to go through with her baby-trapping idea from LHS, because, hello abandonment issues, and for a bit it looks like she's exactly where she wants to be, but then, only weeks before she's due the guy ditches, leaves some note about realizing he's too young to be a father, and he's gone also, I'd add https://archiveofourown.org/series/976308 friend group to the mix, so while Ouma is the first person she comes to, the whole gang unites to help her

Clown: The friend group coming together instead of another potential partner is clenches fist so good. Miu is someone who is pretty fixated on relationships, it's almost as though in her mind she won't really be completely until someone loves her that way. So to give her a chance to move past that in this situation is just so interesting AND ITS JUST SO GOOD! In my mind for her to come to ouma of all people. Because he provided some familiarity to her, some safe space where she can in her own way step back into her usual. And Ouma would low-key go "shit. I'd jump shit too" and shuichi sends him a look but doesn't dare say anything because he kinda agrees. And it's a complete wreck but it's good

Me: yeah, if it's platonic relationships being as important as romantic ones, if not put first (actually, love Kokichi kicking Shu out so he can focus on comforting Miu), I am an insane person unapologetically I just think. found family coming together to raise a child. like if you agree I've done it before with DICE adopting a kid and I'll do it again

Me: Kokichi would agree with being the father, he's going to use it to gaslit their other ex-classmates (I imagine this is a few years post-HPA) into thinking he's the one who ended up with a kid their friend group + Shuichi know the truth of the arrangement, but that's it she might have been in a state of shock when she suggested it to him, but he's embraced it he Will be "the ultimate dad", (she regrets coming to him instead of Rantaro or Tsumugi when she sees all the custom print tees he got) he's telling Kaito about His pregnancy and childbirth experience the next time he comes over, he's preparing stories when it's aliens that got him pregnant, but no it was actually one of those dinosaur foam pills he swallowed, unless… Kaito, who just wanted to eat lunch with Shuichi: Shuichi, who is a simp: [relieved emoji] he won't help you, Kaito

Aalliyah: He swallowed a watermelon seed

Clown: He's taking this so seriously jagdjdhs He laid an egg [pensive emoji] I love shuichi just going along with it. Everyone expects some sort of something from him and he's just "We planted him in our garden from a toe nail and-"

Ves: this is gonna be the most spoilt baby

Me: on some bigger (as in just about the whole class is there) reunion, (probably a regular event organized by Kaede, like a movie or boardgame night) they look to Rantaro, who's always been the most reasonable of their group, and he's just mentally in the hehe hoho I'm an uncle and doesn't have more to add, he's zeroed-in on the baby, will get back to you later, maybe. [replying to Ves] oh, absolutely Tsumugi is part of the problem, always making something but. there is always somebody who wants to carry the baby never left out of sight

Clown: How do the squad [sunglasses emoji] , eventually find out??

Me: I think after Miu cries herself to sleep Kokichi texts their group chat using their emergency code (sacred, extempt from lies) to get Rantaro & Mugi to come over the next morning so they can tackle it together because in reality, he's a little overwhelmed too, and in the moment doesn't know yet if Shuichi will adjust to this with him so they all eat breakfast together, reassure Miu that they'll be there for her no matter what, start making a plan, a shopping list, beginning of a schedule, then Kokichi has to take the first scary step of the plan - talk to Shuichi about it; but Shuichi is like: yeah, of course because how could he expect his boyfriend not to help out? this is literally why he loves him, of course he will go a little overboard when it's for his found family he knew he had to prepare himself for Something when he saw Miu crying on his couch, at least it doesn't involve committing crimes against whoever hurt her, for now.

Clown: It's a big step!! (And very sudden) Even if it'll be a shared responsibility It's an entire new person! One that ouma is already in his mind accepted he'll be there for. He wouldn't immeadiately expect Shuichi to agree to something like that on a whim, but to know Shuichi is willing to look for solutions, to stay and work through it with him without question because of course. Sobs. Yeah. They've GROWN!!! Planning would be hellish though. Oumas filling the table with hundreds of scribbled papers and everything. Yes absolutely we need to sign this bitch up for maternity classes. Fuck it, Rantaro you go too, check in with us later. Tsumugi!! Need 3 months of baby clothes STAT! SHUICHI!! you just sit there and look pretty…SIKE ERRAND BOY GET THIS FOR ME

Me: let's be real, he's the first to sign up for those parenting classes and buying books about it but yeah, he does make Miu go too, for sure

Clown: Yeah he would!! He wants to be prepared

Me: also not to take from egg's family au directly but https://eggs-can-draw.tumblr.com/post/711383943783579648/omg-i-just-thought-so-byakuya-would-be-like Togami's motherhenning = Kokichi here and, while this is all sweet, I think Miu also needs to get mental health help, get that girl some therapy, she needs to work out the flaw with her logic, because, while it was already proven wrong when the guy left her, she needs to be given alternatives and you know, I think she would struggle with her feelings about the kid, it was supposed to be her ticket to being loved, and the kid is certainly getting a lot of love, but… maybe she would want more attention for herself? how is she meant to score a relationship now? she's going to need help understanding that those people are her family and that she's already loved

Ves: yeah!!! i think kokichi would b pretty blunt abt it too he tells her to shape tf up

Clown: YEEEAHHH. Honestly having a lot of people helping her out, some who give out reassurance easier than others, is a good start. But she is in that place where she's looking for something else to latch on. Usually that's the kid. I feel like had she gone through this alone she'd be one of those mothers constantly flipping through "You ruined my life" and "your the only thing in my life that loves me unconditionally" towards her kid. Ouma definitely helps in the way that he doesn't sugarcoat a thing.

Ves: local cluster b morons try to make a child well-adjusted baby'll be ok tho i think

Clown: Yeah baby will be ok! Everyone gets therapy [gun emoji] by law

Ves: praying that includes whatever poor man miu fucked up RIP king the kid is gonna be FUNNY when it grows up tho

Clown: [2 sob emojis] they'll be the ultimate comedian

Ves: saihara please pretend to be normal they need a balancing influence

Apollo: That kid is gonna commit crimes and use the skills Shuichi teaches them to get away with it

Clown: Somehow they pick up only on saiharas ingrained need to find the answer to questions The question is what would happen if a fork goes into an outlet

Apollo: They manage to somehow get the baby proof thing off the outlet and Kokichi fucking dives to stop them

Clown: Miu is just "let it happen. This is how I learned!"

Apollo: Kokichi just looks at her, blood dripping from the cut in his forehead and mumbles about how 'That explains a lot' Kokichi acts like kids will be kids and thus they get injured so there's no need to panic but the kid trips and he freaks the fuck out Like the kid doesn't even fall over. They stumble slightly and Kokichi is instantly there

Clown: He's the doting one. He's sobbing going, "my god. Your going to hate me one day. I'll be cool!! You can do a drug!"

Apollo: Poor Shuichi wakes up to Kokichi sitting up in the middle of the night because he's stressing over if he's cool or not and Shuichi has to remind him that the kid isn't even a year old yet and thus, has no idea what cool even means

Beez: smh shuichi just lie to him and say he is

Clown: Shuichi for real he needs to know, is he the lamest guy at the daycare?

Apollo: He's too tired to lie right now. Kokichi bursts into tears because is this his way of saying he isn't cool?

Clown: The pure betrayal!! From the one he trusted most!!!

Apollo: It's 2 in the morning [sob emoji] Kokichi has to have his devices taken away because he's staying up searching up how to be the cool guardian Ves: miu and him fight over who's the cool one when the kid is older (it;s neither of them)

Me: I can see Miu and Kokichi arguing about which one of them is cooler, but it's definitely Miu who lets the kid get away with things (like not brushing teeth) to be cool, and would likely mean the letting them do drugs thing, Kokichi would scold her for that and then his version of cool is teaching them lockpicking and making the scary faces, which in turn, she tells him off for

Apollo: Kid says it's Rantaro and both of them decide that he must go /silly Rantaro is riding the high while running away from Miu and Kokichi

springbug: it [rising the baby] surprisingly goes well too sure the kid might pick up on swearing at the age of 5 BUT THAT'S OKAY

Apollo: I mean, kid's gotta learn at some point Okay but father's day at daycare and just Shuichi, Rantaro, Kiibo and Kokichi all show up [idek why Apollo added Kiibo to the mix, he wasn't mentioned before, I didn't skip anything like that]

springbug: "i'm the father" "no i am" "what are you guys talking about? i look just like them" "sorry ma'am, im actually the father"

Me: nah, daycare, kindergarten etc. people think Miu and Kokichi are divorced or something if they come together they probably have some of their barely censored banter; sometimes Kokichi comes in with Shuichi, or it's Shuichi who drops the kid off on his own while he's on the way to work, kid refers to him by his name and calls him "dad's boyfriend"; sometimes uncle Rantaro or aunt Tsumugi come to pick them up; both Miu and Kokichi love to act like they're a single mom, works three jobs when other kids' parents try to ask them about life, and sometimes complain about each other

springbug: imagine gonta taking them to the park and showing him all the cool bugs [smiling face with tear emoji]

Me: once the kid is a bit older they let Rantaro and Gonta organize a camping trip for them and their friends, Kokichi is crying when letting them go because he's a motherhen and his baby is growing up and not scared to sleep away from home and him because the bugs will kill them

Clown: Miu and Kokichi giving their all to be divorcecore so true Everyone has ideas of the outrageous affair that ended their marriage that never happened

Beez: u just know the tea is PIPING among the staff

Clown: They're picking sides for sure

Me: imagine someone on the staff is homophobic so one of those days when it's Shuichi's turn, he gets told that his gay agenda is the reason the kid has to live in a broken family he's so confused the asshole is dealt with, but the anecdote lives forever also, I think Kokichi is the parent that always takes the chance to help out at school when they ask for a volunteer to join the trip or some event at school idk, if it's an universal thing, but here it's common practice that when little kiddos go on trips around town one or two of the class moms are asked to join after the first time the teacher is like "does anyone other than mr. Ouma wants to join? [sweat smile emoji]" but he persists he's just a little to prepared for anything to happen and kids feed into that energy and it becomes entirely beyond the teacher's control

Clown: OUMA BECOMES A PTA MOM AKSHJDHD The children are the next in line to be a part of his criminal organization so he needs to see them regularly, duh

#ndrv3 #danganronpa #miu iruma #kokichi ouma #kokichi oma #oumasai #saiouma #shuichi saihara #rantaro amami #tsumugi shirogane #gonta gokuhara #made by me #writing prompt #writing inspiration #kaito momota #kaede akamatsu

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writtenjewels · 5 months

Text

Summer part 3

Part One, Part Two

Usually Jason would make himself something quick for lunch, but lately he found himself headed to the beach instead. Salim's cafe was getting to be a popular place with townspeople, and Jason was no exception to that. The place was warm and bright, and always smelled inviting. Since he took over the place, Salim had slowly started decorating it: he commissioned the local artist to re-paint the walls, he swapped out the tables and chairs with better furniture, and he even set up an outdoor seating area.

“Hello, Jason!” Salim greeted him with a bright smile. Jason smiled back, pleased to see that he again found Salim during a lull in business. He enjoyed talking with the guy.

“Hey, Salim. Love how the place is comin' together,” Jason remarked. He walked over to the wall and tapped the painted palm trees. “Too bad I can't grow coconuts on the farm.”

“Too bad,” Salim agreed in an amused tone. “What sort of things do you grow?”

“Lemme see...” Jason rocked back on his heels as he pictured his field. “I got some peppers, onions, the berries of course, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, pumpkins...”

“Pumpkins?” Salim interrupted. “I love pumpkins! It is one of my favorite things to eat! I know many good recipes.” His enthusiasm was really cute. Jason didn't realize he was staring and smiling at the guy until Salim stopped talking and turned red. Jason tugged down on the brim of his hat to try hiding his grin. “Anyway,” Salim resumed, clearing his throat, “you didn't come in here to talk about crops. Let me make you a smoothie.”

Jason didn't protest. He took a seat while Salim blended a few different ingredients together. Jason never really knew what to ask for with smoothies, but so far he liked every single one Salim made for him. A few minutes later, Salim delivered the drink to Jason's table.

“What would you like for lunch?” Jason took a sip of his drink to stall the answer. He didn't really come here for lunch; he could have just eaten on his farm if that was all he wanted. But he couldn't say that out loud.

“That bean salad you made before,” Jason answered. You pussy, he scolded himself. Too late now: Salim was already headed to the kitchen to cook. A few more customers entered the kitchen, effectively ending Jason's alone time with Salim. He tried not to be disappointed.

Salim delivered the food when it was ready. Maybe Jason just imagined it, but Salim might have lingered just a bit longer at Jason's table before he focused on the other customers. Jason wished he could linger, too, but he had chores that needed handling.

He let his eyes wander the cafe again while he ate. The new decorations sure brightened up the place. But as welcoming as it felt, there was something missing. Jason couldn't quite place his finger on it at first. Plants, he realized. Other than the fruit he used for smoothies, Salim didn't have any plants on display.

Lucky for him, there was a local farmer who could fix that problem for him.

#jason/salim #jalim #jason x salim #jason kolchek x salim othman #salim othman #jason kolchek #house of ashes

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neonponders · 1 year

Text

Part 12 for @wrecked-fuse ‘s pocketverse 🍳

Part 11

(Part 9′s art 🌹) ( pt. 7′s art 🧁)

~ on ao3 ~

• • •

“Biwwy! I’m swipping!”

Small Billy sat on the top of the slide, and bent a leg to prop an arm on his knee. He laughed theatrically over small Steve starting to slide down on his tummy. “There’s a new king of the swide! See you on the othewr side, Hawwington - EEE!!”

Big Steve perked up in time to see his littler self grab Billy’s leg and take him along for the ride down. “Okay, you two. I’ve got Cheerios and strawberry cream cheese here - ” the front doorbell rang, “ - and there’s Billy and Max.”

The little ones ran over the dishtowel he’d set down to catch their water from the pool. He tried to keep an eye on them swiping cheerios over the cream cheese until he had to had to avoid slamming into walls. Upon opening the door, he greeted, “Hey. They’re eating breakfast.”

Max held up a toasted waffle and chewed, “Same.”

The little guys ran around the sink in the island counter to hop and wave at them. “Hi, Biwwy! Hi, Max!”

“Hey,” she smiled.

Her stepbrother eyed their swimming attire and returned, “ ‘Sup chipmunks. I see you started with out me.”

Small Billy ran through a sunbeam on the counter to pick up his Indiana Jones hat. Larger Billy scolded, “Keep running like that and I’ll get my whistle out.”

“The sun is bwight!” his smaller self reprimanded and got distracted by little Steve handing him something. “Thanks.”

“Welcome,” Steve smiled, donning his own doll sunglasses. Large Billy couldn’t help but laugh. His littler self looked like a prima donna at the pool: sunhat, orange-patterned linens, and big sunglasses to boot. Steve felt good about himself too, as he called, “Wow do we wook, Biwwy?”

“Like movie stars.”

Large Steve rotated from the counter along the wall to set a cutting board in the sink and a plate of fruit next to the dish of cereal and cream cheese. “Remember to eat real fruit.”

Small Billy complained, “Watermewon again? It’s crwunchy water, Steve!”

“Delicious crunchy water,” he corrected. “If you don’t drink the stuff I give you, you gotta get it somehow.”

The huff that came out of that little body was impressive as he grabbed a pice of fruit and crunched derisively. Steve sent a harmless glare at Billy with a shake of his head. “Do you hate watermelon too?”

“It’s not the best fruit,” he confirmed, but redirected, “How’d you sleep?”

“Great,” Steve replied, and then his features flattened. “Oh, you mean them.”

Billy gazed at him, mildly amused while Max otherwise intervened, “So, is the big pool available? Or am I stuck in here with you two?”

“It’s a good thing you brought your board,” Billy warned. “That’ll save you from walking home.”

Steve intervened, “Keep your fights out in the public where everyone can see them. You’re cramping out style in here.”

Although, it seemed that the little ones were thoroughly ignoring them, instead alternating lyrics of songs that vaguely matched up with the conversation.

“Stuck with you-ou.”

“Happy you’re stuck with me-e.”

“I was dweamin’.”

“In my bed.”

“Shoulda been with you instead.”

“Go go, Stevie!”

The chase down the slide and around the pool commenced. In the meantime, Billy tilted judgey eyes at Steve. “Wham, Steve?”

Unashamedly, he retorted, “I thought you’d be more upset by Huey and The News.”

Billy scrubbed his hands down his face. “It’s up to me to have taste.”

Steve planted a hand on his hip. “Huey and Wham are fine.”

“They have one decent song a-piece,” Billy disagreed. “One.”

He got cut off by the front door slamming open and closed. Robin hollered, “Where are they?”

“Kitchen,” Steve droned.

That prompted her to jog in, dump her stuff on a couch, and then rush down the hall for the garage. Max frowned, “What’s she doing?”

“Putting her bike in the garage,” Steve informed indifferently.

“Why’s she acting like it’ll get stolen in fifteen seconds?”

Steve shrugged. “Robin has two modes: the world can burn while she sleeps or she feels like she’s in New York City.”

Billy pushed off the island counter to go to the impressive entertainment unit taking up an entire wall of the living room. He helped himself to the shelf on which a record player sat, and perused the Harringtons’ collections. As he slid black vinyl out of its sleeve, he congratulated, “There’s hope for you yet, Steve.”

Said Steve gave him a mirthless smile and focused on Robin returning to the kitchen as the closing garage door vibrated a whole side of the house.

“Woooh,” small Billy exhaled with a piece of fruit in his hands.

“Earthqwuake!” little Steve cried, slamming into Billy to hold him close.

Robin laughed tiredly. “Just a short one. It’s already over. What’s breakfast?...Eggs? Again?”

“I’m cooking for three here, what do you want?” Steve sassed over the bowl and whisk.

Robin offered an empathetic sigh and opened his pantry. “Don’t get your apron in a twist. We’ll have French toast. Don’t put those eggs in the skillet yet.”

“Fwench toast?” little Steve piqued.

His bigger self promised, “You’ll have some when you take a break from swimming.”

Max brightened, "Oh! I brought something. They’re not much, but once upon a time, my mom shoved dolls at me. I don’t wanna think about how many of these wound up in landfills.”

She pulled out a few things from her corduroy shorts pocket and dropped them over the Barbie pool. Little Billy looked over the miniature pool noodles and asked, “What’rwe those?”

Big Billy navigated around Max blowing up a small inner tube and said, “They help you float. You can sit on them.”

The inner tube with primary colored stripes soon joined the water, and small Billy struggled to climb on and stay on. He fell off and came up sputtering, his hat floating away, “This is cwap! What is the point o’this?”

Large Billy consoled, “It’s just like the real thing. Here, drop your butt in there.”

He pushed it underwater with two fingers and waited for Billy to gain his courage. Turning around with a dubious glance over his shoulder, he sat down tentatively inside the inner tube. Billy took his strength off of it, and it floated up with the little one on it. Stable, for the most part. Little Billy smirked, “Okay. Not bad.”

Meanwhile, little Steve sat astride a noodle, happy as can be. “I’m widing a girwaffe, Biwwy!”

From the pantry, Robin emerged with a frown. “Hey big guy, where’s your sugar?”

Steve’s brows reached up but he answered, “Garage.”

Max frowned. “You store sugar in the garage?”

“My mom likes to bake, so she buys it in bulk,” he said as he pivoted to got get it, but Robin stopped him so he could stay put.

Billy teased while helping himself to the leftovers in the coffee pot, “Is your mom at a baking conference?”

Steve didn’t roll his eyes, so much as let them wander while he blinked slowly. A newfound freedom outside of high school: not having to answer to petty questions.

Except when Robin returned with the large paper bag of sugar, she informed, “Uh, Steve? The sheriff’s car is in your driveway.”

Max and Billy automatically exchanged looks, but they mirrored confusion at Steve brightening, “Hopper’s here? Good, I can finally hustle him to get these guys a bigger wardrobe.”

On cue, the doorbell rang. Big Steve went to answer it, and little Steve gazed up at Billy with large eyes. “Who’s Hopperw?”

“I think he’s the one who brought you to Steve in the first place.”

“Oh.”

“Oh,” little Billy growled. He struggled to get off the inner tube and ultimately rolled off gracelessly.

Large Billy asked, “You two got beef with the sheriff already?”

But all he got was a derisive, “Hmph!” as the small one went to sit on the pool stairs, much as he’d done in the video store when he wasn’t pleased to see Billy.

The greetings filtered into the house as Steve led Hopper into the living room-kitchen. “Yeah, they’re doing fine. They’re learning how to swim.”

The sheriff wore casual clothes today, looking like a lumberjack off duty in his plaid shirt that hung open over a t-shirt and jeans. “I see you wasted no time in telling everyone.”

Max countered, “Not everyone.”

“Good. Keep it that way. I already have the Wheelers on my case. One dating my kid and the other pestering the station for journalism every other day is enough. Well...I know a lack of forgiveness in that face.”

Both Steve and Billy furrowed their brows at Hopper approaching the island counter. The explanation came soon enough in Hopper saying, “Still not over that apple incident, huh?”

Small Billy stood up and accused, “You twicked me!”

Little Steve agreed, “It wasn’t verwy yummy...”

Big Steve came to stand next to Billy as the latter interrogated, “Apple incident?”

Hopper moved out of Robin’s way to make French toast as he explained, “I cut a piece of apple for them to eat. The station’s secretary is always trying to get me to eat green stuff.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Not a Granny-Smith.”

Hopper nodded apologetically. “The little guys can’t do sour. What can I say?”

Small Billy had a lot to say. “You made my tummy uppy! And yourw apple was shit!”

Hopper lifted deadpan eyes at Steve and Billy. Steve shook his head. “No way. You delivered them talking like that. And Ellie’s, like, the pickiest eater alive. Why’d you give them something acidic?”

“I suppose I was still in shock at seeing both of you in tiny form,” Hopper responded. “The M&M’s made up for it, though. Right?”

That gave little Billy pause. He crossed his arms and scoffed, “Barwely! Cwunchy water’s shit!”

“Okay, sweet B,” Robin consoled over the sizzling on the stove. “You’ll have French toast soon.”

Max had approached the counter by this time and unconsciously set her hands on the granite. Little Steve sat down on her fingers to finish his cheerio, inducing small Billy to join him. Their heads were large enough that the proximity allowed Billy to nuzzle his hair against Steve’s. Their larger counterparts stood riveted to the display until they warily glanced at each other with weighted silence.

After the initial shock of their touch, Max recovered to ask, “Where did you get them, anyway?”

Hopper sighed, “I couldn’t tell you where they’re from. I assumed they were the original Steve and Billy just...shrunken. But they didn’t know who I was, and you can imagine my relief when Steve answered the door after I brought them here. Beyond that, I assumed they were safest with, well, themselves.”

Robin countered, “That doesn’t explain much.”

Hopper plucked a small piece of watermelon for himself and finished, “I don’t have any answers for you. I assume they came, in some part, from their original selves. Looks like I was right.”

Robin brought a plate and knife to the island and cut the first slice of French toast into strips as Steve informed, “They’re more expensive than you’d think.”

“People always are, regardless of size,” Hopper smirked, but Steve’s pursed lips and flat gaze made him realize, “You’re saying you need money?”

“I’m saying it’s only a matter of time before I lose a shirt or something. They only have, like, two outfits. Some pajamas and different shoes would be nice. The only store that carries their size is place on Magnolia Street.”

Hopper’s lips disappeared under his mustache. He didn’t like that at all. He guarded, “You seem to have made it out of there all right.”

Steve scoffed. “The shopkeeper watches me like I’ll steal something.”

Hopper’s gaze switched to Billy. “And you?”

“She likes me,” he grinned. That earned an openly disgusted grimace from Max and a nose wrinkle from Robin.

The latter realized aloud, “You don’t like being hit on by old Bettys, Hop?”

“I have every reason to be terrified,” he declared.

Robin laughed while Steve otherwise deflated somewhat. “Why am I the red flag customer?”

Billy responded as he took a bite of toast and tore off a couple pieces for the little ones, “You’re too pretty for her tastes.”

Steve pointed wide eyes at the counter with a sassy shake of his head. “I’m not the one with big blue eyes and pants that don’t fit.”

Max and Robin locked gazes but said nothing. They didn’t have to, as the little ones got their first taste of French toast.

“Woooh!”

“It’s like pancwakes!”

“Spicy! Cinnamn. Cinnamwon...”

Big Billy consoled his smaller self, “You got it,” and they watched the latest sugar rush run around the pool.

#you know it's a comfort fic when all i'm doing is talking about food #harringrove #wrecked-fuse #neonponders #like magnets #pocket!au #pocketverse #hoppers like 'plot? no plot'

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