Random Thought

I can't believe Rudy was just introduced in New Leaf.

He just seems like a "classic" villager that would have been there since *at least* City Folk or Wild World.

Tattoo

Summary: You have been thinking of getting a tattoo for sometime and inspiration strikes on a spontaneous date with your boyfriend Ethan, who supports with your tattoo from design to after care.

Warnings: The Fluffiest of Fluff

A/N: Figured it was a good time to post fluffy!E before the vid tomorrow. <3

You always went back and forth on getting a tattoo.  When you were much younger, it wasn’t your thing.  Why would you mark you body with something permanent?  You changed your clothes 15 times before going out because your shirts didn’t look right with your boobs.  How would you decide on a tattoo?

As you got older, you realized that tattoo’s shouldn’t only be viewed as something you wanted to represent you for the rest of your life.  They could be moments, like remembering a first road trip or the album art of the band of the first concert you attended. Tattoos could be used to mark the story of your life.  

Ethan, your boyfriend, was part of your inspiration to get tattoos.  You started dating around his first couple tattoos, back when you were still unsure about them.  Seeing his leg sleeve grow, especially the tattoos that represented memories you both shared, made you want to do something special. You especially enjoyed tracing his tattoos with your fingers and laying soft kisses on them during your intimate moments.  He would often play with your hair absentmindedly, enjoying the attention. You wanted to share this interaction in reverse as well.

After months of research, you couldn’t find a tattoo that spoke to you.  Ethan always urged you that sometimes you just need inspiration from the world, not from Instagram or Pinterest.  You took it with a grain of salt eyeing some of the sillier tattoos on his leg.  The fears of younger self came rushing back to you about making a mistake.

Then, one night, Ethan had this wild idea to go camping. 

Uh huh, Ethan Dolan, camping, outside, willingly, without his twin brother.  You kept checking his temperature the entire drive to the campsite. Ethan laughed, holding your wrist firmly, but not too tight as to hurt you.  He looked at you, allowing the Tesla to take over the drive and leaned in to peck your lips.

“Trust me, when we get there, you’ll understand.” He said to you.

“I dunno...” You said, hesitantly, smiling as you pulled your wrist from his grasp to hold his hand. Your fingers interlocked and he brought the back of your hand up to kiss the back of it.  He didn’t break eye contact and you chuckled.

“Now you’re just showing off.” You said, gesturing to the auto pilot with your free hand.

Ethan shrugged smugly, giving your hand another squeeze before fiddling with music playing the car.

By the time you arrived, the sun was about to set in a couple hours. You recognized the area from pictures Ethan had showed you from a video where he and Grayson went camping without technology.   Unlike Grayson, Ethan had no intention of roughing which was easy to tell thanks to his glamping setup.  Your tent was luxurious, way too big for two people and Ethan had brought enough blankets and pillows that they could be a fort all on it’s own. For dinner, he had made vegan meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce. He also made pancakes that he tried to pass of as crepes for dessert.

“It’s all I can make...” Ethan confessed, looking away embarrassed as he placed the pot of sauce on the logs of the campfire, next to the meatballs wrapped in aluminum fall.

“Thankfully, it’s my favorite.” You said, sitting in the spot next to him, checking on the meatballs to make sure they didn’t burn.

It was so quiet and spacious.  After eating and chatting, you took a break before dessert to explore.  Ethan led you up and down a few paths, holding your hand at the steepest points.  You watched the sunset from a high point, your breath taken away.  After taking a few nature shots and photos of each other, Ethan leaned in for kiss.  His hand rested on the back of your neck and you deepened the kiss by getting close enough to sit in his lap. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders as your lips massaged his, gradually getting more rough. His tongue tapped at your lips and you parted them to grant him access, both of you now breathing deeply to keep from breaking the kiss.  While it only seemed to seconds, you could see the sky was starting to lose it’s orange hue.

“We should head down,” You said breathlessly, breaking the kiss.

Ethan pulled back only slightly, your foreheads still chuckling, his hazel eyes looking chocolate brown in the dark as he stared deeply at you.

“You’re right.” He smiled, “We can do plenty more of that later.”

You giggled and he extended his hand to help you stand up with him.  The descend was a lot scarier with less light.  You were clinging on to him, but you were also aware he was scared and clinging out to you.  It was the blind leading the blind with a chorus of “What was that?” “Where are you?” “I’m scared.” and just pure screaming.  By the time you reached the bottom, following the light and smell for the weakening fire at your campsite, you were both laughing with relief.

You enjoyed your “crepes” with fruits that Ethan had packed in a cooler along with the cold beverages you had to drink. While you were chatting, you noticed, Ethan look up at the sky.  You were about to follow suit when he grabbed your chin. He turned you to look at him and your breath caught in your throat.  Every now and then, your mind was catapulted back to when you first started dating. When your brain was still processing all of his handsome features, his cut jaw, his full brows, his large expressive eyes, his pink lips, his shinning smile, his soft, brown locks...everything that made him breathtaking.  With the campfire light shining his face, it all seemed to look brand new again and you loved it.

“Don’t look yet, I want to show you something.”  He said, and you nodded.

He could have said anything to you at that moment and you would have nodded.  Ethan chuckled.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” He asked, biting his lip softly.

“No reason...” You smiled, pecking his lips.  “So, what do you want to show me?”

“Let’s clean up first.” Ethan said, gesturing to the stuff around you both.  

You both divided and conquered cleaning up the campsite.  The final step was to put on the fire.  You decided to take on the task while Ethan got the flashlight ready to go back to your tent.  You turned off the flashlights to not attract bugs as you entered.  Despite the tent being large enough that you could stand, you both somehow managed to trip over each other.  With lots of laughs and fake bickering, you finally closed the tent and turned the flashlight on.

“No turn it off.” Ethan said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

“Oh okay...” You said hesitantly, laying back on one of the larger cushions.  You turned off the flashlight.  “Come here and cuddle me.” 

“I will, I promise.” Ethan said, his voice at a distance that told you he was still standing up.  You heard him unzipping something and you saw that he was moving the top of the tent.  There was a plastic covering on top, similar to a sun roof on a car.  From your position, you swear you could see the whole galaxy.  The rich deep purple and blues of the sky speckled with diamonds filled you. It felt like your heart was going to burst. Ethan crouched down and gently patted the cushioned floor for you. He finally found your arm and laid down next to you pulling you closer to him.  As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ethan studied your face as you stared incessantly at the sky like a kid watching cartoons.

“Are you crying?” His voice had a teasing tone, but he was whispering like he does when you cuddle at home.

“A little...” You admitted, snuggling into him. “This is so beautiful. Thank you.”

“I thought this would be a great way to show you how I feel when I look at you every day.” Ethan said, unable to make direct eye contact.

“God, E that was so corny.” You teased, but still inching closer for a kiss.

“Yeah...I know.” He agreed before closing the space between you to continue you where you left off on the mountain.

A couple of weeks later and you were at the tattoo parlor.  You had decided on your tattoo based on your camping night together.  You couldn’t stop thinking about those stars, and how they looked from that little sky roof.  You wanted to get a similar view, but add to it, with some trees lining the area around the sky.  After a few consultations with the tattoo artist, you decided a rectangle shaped “frame” on the side of your ribs designed to show a starry night in a pine tree forest.   The coloring was going to be black and white, so it had a spooky element that Ethan really liked as well.  Now, was the moment of truth. 

As you signed the waiver, Taylor, your tattoo artist, smiled at you. They looked exactly how you wanted your first tattoo artist to look, friendly, edgy, and have really cool rainbow hair and even more rainbow tattoos.

“Are you sure about this?” They teased. “I mean...this is a pretty intense tattoo for your first.”

Ethan, who’s leg was bouncing up and down next to you, perked up at the words. “Taylor, is right, Y/N.  The ribs really hurt.  You should go for somewhere with more cushion.”

“I want the ribs.” You said, standing up with more confidence than you actually had. 

“Alrighty,” Taylor said, “Come over when you’re ready.  I’ll show you one final stencil and we will get this party going.”

Ethan stood up, giving your butt a light squeeze.  Your eyes widened and you looked around to make sure no one saw.

“What do you think you’re doing, mister?” You asked, turning to wrap your arms around Ethan’s neck.

“Checking which places have the nicest cushion for this tattoo.” He grinned before kissing your forehead. “Jokes aside, I’ll be here when you need me.”

“I’ll be fine.” You assured him.

You were not fine.  You were so close to crying, but your dignity wouldn’t let you.  There were certain spots that hurt more than others, and your jagged breathing always revealed which ones the tattoo gun had just hit.  Ethan was beside you the entire time.  He was constantly giving you water, wiping your forehead, holding your head, kissing the top of your head and coaching you through it.

“It looks so sick, babe.” Ethan said, as he walked over to see how the tattoo was coming along. “You’re gonna love it. I’m actually pretty jealous.” 

You let out a hum, which you had been doing for awhile now. 

“You alright, hun?” Taylor asked, looking at you.  “If you want, we can stop and finish another time.”

You shook your head quickly. “I...wanna...finish.” You huffed out.

“She’s a tough one, Tay.” Ethan grinned, making Taylor smile as well.

“I can tell.” Taylor said, before focusing back on their work.

Ethan sat down on your other side, dipping his head to look at you since your head was bent down. He rested his forehead gently on yours and you moved your head closer to him, taking in his scent.

“It really looks amazing, Y/N. Reminds me of that night.” Ethan said, his voice soft and full of nostalgia. “But, it’s also so you. I’m so proud of you, baby. Your first tat.” 

You hummed again, trying to smile.  He continued to pat your head and speak to you softly.  Soon, Taylor announced you were done.  They helped you stand up, Ethan steadying you from behind.  You turned in the mirror and your eyes started to water.  It was everything you hoped for.  It looked great with your skin tone, even with the redness for the fresh tattoo.  

“I’d hug you, but you know...” You laughed softly. 

“We can hip bump on the other side.” Taylor suggested and you left as you turned to hip bump them.  

Taylor wrapped you up and Ethan helped you to adjust your clothes.  He practically carried you to the car.  He didn’t want to hurt you, so he was very careful with you the entire time.  He convinced you to spend the first half of your healing process at his place so he could take care of you.  You agreed, mostly because you were so exhausted and the thought of sleeping in his large bed and soft sheets was appealing.  He helped you to take off your clothes and clean up before helping you into bed for a nap.

Ethan spoiled you during your recovery.  He helped you in and out of bed, waiting on you hand and foot.  You loved the attention. Even when being intimate, Ethan was incredibly careful of your tattoo.  When your tattoo was a lot more healed, you almost wished you had a bit more time with Nurse Ethan. 

“It looks amazing, babe.” Ethan said, when he walked in on you getting dressed.  You were in your bra and shorts, about to put on a t-shirt. “Come here.” He said, pulling you to the bed.  He sat down and motioned for you to lay across his lap as he traced your tattoo with his fingers.  This was exactly how you imagined it, no it was better.  Your eyes began to feel heavy and you closed them, while Ethan continued to admire your tattoo.

“I love you, baby.” Ethan said, kissing your side.

“I love you too, E.”

My cousin Melissa not able to come back on Monday to talk more about the family because her youngest daughter got sick and it turned out she had appendicitis. Everything is OK but we were sorry we didn't get to visit with her some more. That afternoon our neighbors in the campground behind us came home with a smoker grill.  I asked if he needed any unloading it, but they were OK. We watch them put that grill together for the next 2 and a 1/2 hours. They worked really well together, unlike most married couples. After it was over, he asked if I wanted a beer. My initial reaction was no, but then my upbringing kicked in and if someone offers you a beer you take it and we socialized with them for an hour or so. They had just sold their house and bought a fixer upper at quite a discount so there having it remodeled. Russ is a pipeline inspector and he had worked for a Tulsa company for a while but had never been there or met the owners. It turns out his family is from Sicily and we had a lot to talk about. His wife Sandra is retired Special ED teacher at a junior college . We had a really good visit for a couple of hours before they had to make dinner and get ready for work the next day.  We tried to find 2 batteries for the RV at Sam's Club but they only had one so we headed for Rocklin to visit that evening with Allison and her friend/fiancé’ Andre. We didn't know what to expect, but it was a warm welcoming. They had ordered brisket and barbecue chicken with baked potatoes and some corn bread rolls.  It couldn't have been better. They are also members of a local winery so they had some of their own wine that we could try. We spent the next 4 hours reminiscing, recalling visits with her dad and his memorial service, etc. Turns out they had traveled to New Zealand on the North island. When I said I had jumped out an airplane in Australia Allison said she had done the same thing recently. She is a nurse at a urgent care center and Andre is a project manager for PGE so he works out of his home. They were both physical fitness buffs and Andre has a wall of medals and certificates from all the half marathons, five-and-ten K races and triathlons he has done. Allison did CrossFit until she tore ACL and her right bicep. I think now they more or less just try to stay in shape. They are really a fun couple and we predict years of happiness for them in the future. They are just moved into their new house a few months before we got there and they have been able to make a lot of the selections for the granite flooring etc. They live in a strict HOA a community and are still awaiting approval for their backyard landscaping even though no one could see it but them. It's a weed patch now. 

 May 5

 We drove to Beale Air Force base by way of Forest Hills bridge, a cantilever bridge that is 730' above the river.  It’s the tallest bridge in California and either the 3rd or 4th highest bridge above the river in United States. I just had to go see it. When we got to the Air Force Base we had to get a visitor's pass versus just going on base like we have been doing. They were very friendly and helped us get it done as quickly as possible. We thought we only had one night with full hookups and one night dry camping, but as luck would have it the person who was coming in on the 6th cancelled so we got to spend 2 nights in a regular campsite. It's nice with a lot of families living here who probably work on base.

May 6

It is very warm 91 yesterday and a high of 86 today. There is a good breeze and the AC is working. Not sure where we will head tomorrow because a lot of the national parks we want to see and some have roads still blocked by snow pack. Again, we won't get to see everything we thought we would on this trip. It's better than nothing though.

My freezer hinge repair didn't hold up so I had to find a piece of sheet metal to repair the hinge today. Luckily, I found a guy who thought Outside the Box. The auto repair shop Lady said I would have to go to the Body repair shop to get a piece of metal, but this young gentleman said we have a scrap metal box outback. He said let's go look there and the 1st thing I saw was an old fluorescent light fixture that had “tab” on it that was exactly what I needed. He got some tin snips and we fashioned a piece to match the paper model I had. I predict he will go far wherever he works. The part worked perfectly and we think our hinge will work well enough to get us back home. One of our neighbors stopped to talk. She and her family had just arrived a week ago from Madrid.  Her husband is a fighter pilot and they have 2 young children 2 and 5. We had a nice conversation with Jennifer. Their background is farming from Illinois, around Springfield. She said you probably don't know where that is. It’s just where my ex-wife was born. We had a nice talk and they are living in the RV waiting for housing on the base. More to follow in a few days.

Hey, you know how I tried to restart Fallout 4 properly around my birthday with a new Victor save? Yeah, uh, ran into a few issues with crashes and whatnot and had to start again! Fortunately, after much fiddling and poking and whatnot, I seem to have finally gotten myself a save that’s at least somewhat stable, so this here should be my final Victor Sole Survivor to go through the game with. Allow me to go through some of the pertinent points of my playthrough with you:

Appearance: Yeah, I had to redo him again -- at least this time I’m a bit happier with the eye spacing. He’s always going to look rather weird simply because I’m trying to translate a Tim Burton character into flesh, but I think I did a pretty good job under the circumstances!

...As for his fashion sense, he found the chestpiece and whatnot in a suitcase by Sanctuary, and the hat gives him +1 Intelligence and thus is giving me a bit more experience for his early quests. He’s not here to look good, he’s here to level up.

Stats: I ended up having to tweak his SPECIAL, mostly because I forgot just how many points you get at the beginning, and because I wanted to pivot slightly with how I designed his build. Here’s what he started out with:

Strength: 3

Perception: 3

Endurance: 7

Charisma: 2

Intelligence: 7

Agility: 4

Luck: 2

He’s still a high Endurance/Intelligence build, but I’ve decided that Agility is probably going to be his third “main” stat, because perks like “Moving Target” (harder to hit when you’re sprinting) make sense for him. (I mean, dodging like crazy was how he survived so long against Barkis!) I’ve already boosted it twice -- once with the You’re SPECIAL! book that you can find in Shaun’s room, and once through a level-up. I’ve also boosted his Perception thanks to the bobblehead in the Museum of Freedom. As for perks, he’s currently level 5, so I have the following:

Scrapper Level 1 (scavenge more uncommon components from scrapping things)

Gun Nut Level 1 (basic gun mods)

Armorer Level 1 (basic armor mods)

Given Victor’s whole “thing” in this universe is that he’s something of a tinkerer and good at modding things, this felt appropriate. :p

Mods: Because it’s not recommended to play without them! Certainly not without the fixes. . . Anyway, my complete mod list as of now is below, if you’re curious. I did try to vaguely group them into “these mods are part of the same category and/or go together,” but it’s not perfect. Still, if you see anything you find interesting, feel free to go to the link and check it out!

Fallout 4 Script Extender (https://f4se.silverlock.org/): Allows for script changes, enables certain other mods and serves as my game launcher through Vortex

Achievements Mod Enabler (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/15639): Enables achievements in a modded game; requires manual install (extract files into Fallout 4 folder)

Mod Configuration Menu (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21497/): Adds a menu for configuring compatible mods; uses F4SE

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4598): General bugfixes and small improvements

Crafting Highlight Fix (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/27479): Removes the crafting “highlights” overlay so you can actually see your items while crafting; uses F4SE and requires MCM (to adjust things like how power armor pieces are highlighted)

Elevator Buttons Fix (Contraptions) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20664): Fixes floating elevator buttons from Contraptions (buttons can appear miles from the actual control panel)

Rusty Face Fix (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/31028): Fixes the rusty face glitch that may occur with the PC and NPCs (turning faces brown)

Nuka-World Bottle Scenery Fix (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/17853): Fixes the giant bottles that can sometimes spawn in Nuka World instead of the regular-sized models, completely obscuring the game world

No Aggro Impact Landing (Power Armor) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/9019): Stops friendly characters getting aggroed if you jump from a great height and land near them in Power Armor

Vault 81 Molerat Disease Immunity with Power Armor and Hazmat (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/5646): Stops you getting infected with the Molerat Disease if you're wearing full power armor (chance of infection goes up with each missing piece of armor), or if your companion gets bit; lesser chance of infection if you're wearing a hazmat suit

CryoFreez Fix (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10000): Fixes the bug where, if an enemy dies as a result of the Cryolater or other cryo-based weapons, they will respawn in a weird “dead” state with no AI

Cattle Feeders Immersively Filled (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/11998): Two files; first adds a filled water trough for brahmin to use, second fills the vanilla feed trough with plants

Worthwhile Caps Stashes (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23464): Increases the amount of caps in stash and have them contain other junk items; also makes the stash tin itself a junk item

Piper Interview Restored (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21829): Restores some cut questions post Piper’s interview about your pre-war life

Dumpster Diving (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/33474): Adds new containers to open dumpsters with new and amusing junk to collect

More Grind-Free Game Settings (from Thuggyfied – A Fallout 4 Mod List) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/41435): Removes the need to get “Local Leader” Rank 2 to make crafting benches; quest markers display from five times further away; followers no longer auto-attack non-hostile Radstags; settlers run to the summoning bell; Jet doesn’t show up in pre-War coolers and containers (just Vault 95); pipe weapons no longer show up in Pre-War safes or trunks; ability to craft a “Jetpack Ring” at the chem station (I mainly got this for the first two items)

Useful Pulse and Cryo Explosives 1.1b (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24848): Tweaks the cryo grenade’s damage output and fixes the “dead enemy AI respawn bug” for cryo grenades; tweaks how the pulse grenade works, making it affect robots and turrets more strongly and removing damage to organic enemies (though the explosion can still stagger them); also changes the crafting recipes

Wasteland Survival Guide 5 - More Map Markers (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/26367): Changes Wasteland Survival Guide #5 (available in Gorski Cabin) to mark not only Diamond City, but also Goodneighbor, the Glowing Sea, Boston Airport, and Quincy

Strong Back Improved – Weightless Equipped Apparel (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/17361): Improves the “Strong Back” perk to first halve the weight of worn apparel, then make it entirely weightless, and give more carry capacity out of Power Armor

Diamond City Plus (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/19293): Updates Diamond City with new shacks and interiors to the lower stands (including an arcade and a laundry!), along with new NPCs to populate them; also adds a proper farm with brahmin and chickens by the mutfuit plants

Commonwealth Wilderness Overhaul (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/41008): Adds lots of little scenes, objects, and creatures (including rad rabbits, rad chickens, and wolves) to the Commonwealth Wilderness to fill it out and make it more interesting

Nuka World Open Season Extend II -- Assignable Factions - Recruitable NPCs (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/47209): Allows you, post- the “Open Season” quest, to attract settlers to Nuka-World who can then be sent to regular settlements, and populate the parks and main market area with more traders, or various faction NPCs! (So if you really want the Minutemen to hold Nuka World after you gun everybody down, you can use this – though if you want them to come and HELP you gun everybody down, you need a different mod)

Flashy(JoeR) - Advanced Needs 2 - Customizable Survival Mode (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/40440): A customizable “survival mode” that allows you to play with a character who needs to eat, drink, and sleep periodically without necessarily dealing with some of Survival Mode’s other stuff (namely, the lack of fast travel in my case). Comes with expansions for being a playable ghoul, food spoilage, and other activities if you’re into that, and a patch for “Campsite – Simple Wasteland Camping” so you can use the two together.

Sunshine Tidings – No Ghoul and No Corpse (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/47044): Will eventually remove ghoul and human corpses from Sunshine; assigns Professor Goodfeels protected status if he hasn't already been disabled

Croup Manor Waterfront Extended (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/47144): Adds another chunk to Croup Manor's building area so you can actually access the water on the nearby beach for purifiers and whatnot

CWSS Redux V4 – Craftable Working Showers Sinks Baths Toilets Urinals Kitchens Etc (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/14326): Adds craftable, usable bathroom equipment and some kitchen equipment in a separate workshop menu so the Sole Survivor, companions, and settlers can go to the toilet, shower, and have pretty kitchens

Vault-Tec Workshop Overhaul Redux (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/43643): Fixes some errors with the Vault-Tec DLC items for Vault 88 and adds newer, better versions for some other items (e.g., better lights, in three variations depending on computer specs)

Wearable Backpacks and Pouches (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3258): Adds a backpack workbench and a variety of upgradable backpacks to the game (three files – standard, ballistic weave addon, power armor capacity addon)

Campsite – Simple Wasteland Camping (and HD Sleeping Bags) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/11734): Adds a book to Sanctuary (the root cellar) that allows you to make camping gear at the chem station and set up camp in the Commonwealth whenever you want

The Mobile Mechanic – Portable Workbenches and Junk Scrapping (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18262/): Allows you to make a portable, customizable workbench for scrapping junk and in-game crafting anywhere

Atelier – Paint and sculpt (Unsupported) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/36485): Allows you to make and mix paint, paint pictures (for the "Well Rested" XP bonus), and work on a sculpture; also has settler-ready versions to increase happiness in settlements. Unsupported and glitchy ("Well Rested" perk sound will play incessantly if you try to paint, with the animation popping up when you disengage from the easel – keeping this mainly for the look of the thing for Victor’s house)

Fallout Instrument Pack (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/46604): Adds four playable instruments to the game, along with a small (and unfortunately bit glitchy) quest to unlock the ability to craft them; also has two new instrument-themed weapons

New Recipes (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12276): 60-ish new recipes added into the standard categories, with unique effects and healing (like new teas under Beverages)

Fine Dining (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/33128): Adds a “Fine Dining” section to the cooking menu with six new recipes, with strong effects that require a (reusable) steel plate as well as the food; also adds milk and cheese as items to be found in the world

Culinary Masterpieces – Useful Food (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/16055): Adds a “Culinary Masterpieces” section to the cooking menu with new recipes, and the ability to plant tarberries, hubflower, bloodleaf, and rice (after buying it from the Abernathys)

Apple Trees 3.2 (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/40388): Adds an apple and pear orchard to the game near Vault 111, and a “Fruit Recipes” section to the cooking menu for apple and pear-based food; also you can grow apples and pears for food in settlements

Tales From The Commonwealth (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/8704): Extended quests and companions mod – features new characters, new locations, and new quests across the Commonwealth, along with three new companions (contains additional file for DLC commentary from the new companions)

Tales From The Commonwealth Visual Fixes (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/43974): Patch to fix some of the broken precombines and visual bugs from TFTC

Tales From The Commonwealth – FaceGen Data (For PhysOp or Vanilla) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/45148): Patch to help provide face generation data for TFTC; vanilla file used

We Are The Minutemen (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/6443): Overhauls the Minutemen, giving Preston a new outfit, making patrols more common and more powerful as you level up, giving you a command table to make Minutemen, and cools down the frequency of radiant quests

Better Companions – No Conflicts (Accuracy Version) (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24233): Improves companions – in particular, making them more accurate and better at sneaking

Settler and Companion Dialogue Overhaul (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/41785): Increases the variety of companion lines while adventuring; gives certain companions their own radiant quests; gives settlers more variety in what they say to you while visiting settlements (acknowledging you as Minutemen General, complaining less)

Realistic Conversations Fallout 4 (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/32514): Makes conversations between NPCs more realistic, adds variety

Settlers Of The Commonwealth (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/8704): Adds unique new settlers to the Commonwealth that you can recruit

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Hunters of Flesh and Money Part 4 Arthur Morgan x Reader

Fletcher has requested help from Arthur in dealing with a nuisance.

TW: violence 

The heat is ON boys! This is becoming one of my favorite works and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have!

Part 3 

Part 5

Master list

The sun was blinding and the streets of Saint Denis were bustling and busy. The sooner you could leave the city the better. If it were up to you, you would’ve skipped the noisy city all together but Cripps had a buyer and as he says, money is money. It was a needed trip, after an easy delivery you were able to make it over to the tailor to replace your torn raggedy garments that were destroyed in your run in with the wolves.

You wiped the sweat from your brow, this muggy heat didn’t agree with you- but neither did the pungent smells of civilization or the constant noise of chaos. The wagon was parked just across the street from the tailor, you rubbed your temples as you descended the stairs, your head was throbbing. Your eyes were on the ground and you didn’t even see the man until you crashed into his chest. “Oof! Sorry bout-“

“Fletcher?”

When you looked up, a familiar face was smiling down at you from under the brim of his hat. You returned his smile, “well, if it isn’t Mr. Morgan. What brings an outlaw like you into the big city?”

He scoffed, “I could ask you the same thing.”

You shrugged, “had to run a delivery for my business partner. Decided I’d stop and grab some new clothes while I was around.”

“How ya healin’ after that by the way? Ain’t seen ya since we did that job together.”

You gave him a thumbs up, “healed up just fine.” You gave him a look over and he looked better than you remembered. His clothes looked newer and he looked more cleaned up- his beard was trimmed and styled and his hair wasn’t so wild. His sleeves were rolled to accommodate to the southern heat and you couldn’t help but notice his strong forearms. You cleared your throat in an attempt to pull your mind from the gutter. “I told you my business here, how bout yours?”

He rubbed his neck, “oh, just runnin’ round for Dutch. I actually just stepped out for a drink and some air.” He paused. “New business partner, huh? What kinda business are you runnin’ outlaw?”

You smirked, “wouldn’t you like to know.” Your eyes flickered to the late afternoon sky and an idea came to mind. “Actually, would you like to know?”

“Well I just asked, didn’t I?”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t be a smart ass. Come with me.”

He followed behind to your wagon and whistled for his horse. As the two of you climbed up you began to explain. “An old friend a mine who travels with me had the idea.” You flicked the reins and the wagon lurched forward. Arthur’s Arabian followed close behind. “Ya! He’s got a talent for makin’ things and I got a talent for killin’ things. I bring him animals and skins and he turns ‘em into... well anything really. When it’s time to sell to a buyer I take the supplies and deliver.”

Arthur raised his brow, “sounds like you’re the work horse of the operation.”

“It ain’t a big deal. I like huntin’ and not every delivery is easy. Between bandits and rival traders Cripps probably woulda been shot by now if I let him do the deliveries.”

Arthur tried to ignore the pang of annoyance. You had never mentioned traveling with another man, now you’re running a trade route with him? He shouldn’t care, you’re just another woman he’s met on his travels. A beautiful woman, who can fend for herself as well as he can. “Jesus!” He cursed as you ran over a rock and the wagon shuttered and jumped as if it was about to fall apart.

You gave him a sheepish smile, “sorry.”

His gaze remained on you as you turned your attention back to the road. A beautiful, rough living woman- who can’t drive a wagon to save her life. The ride to your camp wasn’t long- set up in Scarlet Meadows just between Rhodes and Saint Denis.

“It ain’t much,” You said as you climbed down the side of the wagon. “But its home. Can’t keep too much, we move camps every couple days.”

Arthur was impressed- what did you mean ain’t much? For two people the campsite was huge and flourishing! “Yall are really movin’ all this every couple days?”

“Ol’ Cripps is usually the one who does all the movin’. But I didn’t bring ya here to discuss living arrangements.” You took a seat beside the fire and beckoned for Arthur to join. As you talked you skinned the rabbits you had killed that morning. “I brought ya here to discuss business. Ol’ Cripps is out of tannin’ supplies and I need to go grab some more before nightfall. Usually it’s more than easy enough for just one man on the job. But I’ve acquired a bothersome business rival.” You paused to cut a piece of meat from the rabbit carcass and cook it over the fire. “He’s costin’ me some real money. I’ve had Cripps move us every day and he still finds us. Haven’t been able to get Cripps supplies ina coupla weeks now.”

Arthur raised his brow, “One man is givin’ you this much trouble?”

Your lip curled in disgust. “He’s got an...annoying specialty.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “What kinda speciality?”

“You’ll see.” You handed him a piece of cooked meat and picked up the skins. You gave him a quick nod to follow. “Cripps!” You shouted. The man looked up from his butcher’s table.

Arthur felt relief when he saw the older man look up from his table. The man looked at least Uncle’s age and when you slapped the rabbit skins down, the exchange of smart ass comments and passive aggressive insults eased his looming jealousy. Arthur wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, he watched the way your face contorted and twisted to show every emotion and the fierce fire behind your eyes. Stubborn, hot headed, and ready to beat the every living hell out of a man- he liked that. He straightened his back when you turned back to him.

“You comin’?” You asked as you passed him, walking in the direction of the hitching posts.

“Awright I’m comin’. We not takin’ your wagon?”

“Naw, well take the horses this time. In case that bastard comes after us again I ain’t losin’ a whole carts worth of supplies- that would send me into bankruptcy!” You fed Garbanzo a carrot before mounting him and Arthur mounted his steed as well.

“Let’s ride!” You shouted, and your horse shot out like a bullet.

Arthur rose beside you easily. Your horse cast a shadow over his, but his girl was built for speed, not power. “Where we headed?”

“We’ll pick up the supplies from the general store in Rhodes. I want to try and stay off the trails as much as possible, let’s turn off here.”

Arthur clicked his tongue and the two of you cut off into the trees. The pace slowed slightly as to not run into trees.

“Keep on the lookout for a rider with an all black Arabian, he usually keeps a bandana over his face.” You called to Arthur. “And keep your gun on hand at all times, he has a nasty habit a comin’ outta no where.”

Arthur nodded and pulled his new guns from their holsters- two brand new semi auto pistols.

You eyed them and nodded, “those new? I ain’t seen you packin’ anything like that.”

He nodded and smiled smugly. “Ain’t even used ‘em yet.”

You returned his sinister smile as you pulled your golden Mausers from your side and nodded. “Well maybe today will be yer day.”

Arthur kept a watchful eye as the pair rode through Scarlet Meadows. Carefully scanning every cliff, rock, nook, or cranny that could hide the potential bandit. As you passed the red barn and Rhodes came into view, Arthur relaxed. “Looks like your friend may not show his face today.”

You shook your head. “He’s not tryin’ to kill us, he’s tryin’ to get our supplies. He ain’t gonna try to touch us til after we leave.”

Arthur nodded. Your adrenaline began pumping as you entered the town- the streets were damn near barren but that’s nothing new for this dusty little town. It still made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. As you loaded the supplies on the horses, Arthur kept a watchful eye on the surroundings. You had to admit, it was nice to have company on the ride and the additional set of eyes was helpful as well.

As quickly as the two of you entered town, you were now booking it back in the direction of camp. Your hands were sweating around the grip of your pistols now. If you lost this round of supplies Cripps would be out completely and you had already lost two different suppliers for “being irresponsible with product.” You worried this little cash cow you had made for yourself was going to run dry. You kept your eyes forward and cleared your mind- you had to be ready.

Arthur’s eyes scanned the cliffs around him- his eyes narrowed as he spotted a lone rider. His eyes couldn’t distinguish much, but as the rider turned and began barreling down towards them, he was certain the horse was black as night. “Rider on the cliff, headed our way!”

“That’s him alright, let’s kill this bastard.”

Arthur pulled his rifle from his back and lined up the scope. His breathing evened and as he focused, time crawled in front of him- this was his specialty. But time around this man did not stop, he was still barreling fullspeed ahead and no matter how hard he tried Arthur couldn’t line up his shot. “What the hell?”

“It’s his specialty, I can’t get a shot on him either, the Slippery Bastard.” You said between gritted teeth. You had been hoping it was just you, but this guy, this slippery bastard couldn’t be aimed at and he was speeding closer and closer to you.

“What the hell are we supposed to do if we can’t get a shot on this guy?” Arthur yelled.

“I don’t know!” You cried.

The slippery bastard barreled down and blew passed, you unloaded your mausers and couldn’t get a single shot. “Shit!”

Arthur had an idea. “Fletcher, lead him up that hill there!”

You nodded, pushing your spurs into Garbanzo you pushed him up and the bastard followed. Bullets whizzed by and you cursed, he never resorted to guns until now. Just as you rode up the top of the hill a bullet hit Garbanzo and he buckled and whinnied in agony. “Banzo!” You cried.

Hot tears welled in your eyes, you grabbed your shotgun from your back and pushed back the tears. You would make this bastard pay for what he’s done. As he shot up the hill, you fired wildly, just one shot of slug would be enough to debilitate him at least if you could just land one single shot! He circled you once, aiming his rifle down at you. When he stopped, you pulled the trigger. The empty clicking of the shotgun made your blood turn cold, out of bullets. Everything seemed to slow as he raised his rifle to you, you didn’t have time to reload or draw your pistols, he was right in front of you and you couldn’t land a damn shot.

Arthur came out of no where, jumping from his speeding horse to tackle the man down from his own horse. The bastard’s shot was knocked high in the air and it shook you to the core.

Arthur hogtied the man easily, outmatching him in strength ten fold. “Awright,” Arthur said proudly as he lifted himself off the man. “Got yer man, what do we do with him?”

After no response, Arthur turned in your direction and his heart dropped. You were on the ground beside Garbanzo, no longer moving. He approached you slowly now, his voice soft. “Fletcher? You okay?”

You sniffled and wiped the tears from your cheeks as you stood. “Yeah,” Your voice broke. “Just tellin’ him bye. He was such a good horse.” Your voice broke again on the last syllable and Arthur moved closer now. He wrapped his arms around you, at first hesitant to how you would react. When you slumped into his arms and wrapped yours around his waist he tightened his grip and buried his face in your hair. This moment was not a long one, but in that moment the world seemed to stop around the two of you and neither of you wanted to pull apart. You were the first to loosen your grip and sighed shakily. When Arthur released you he spoke, “what do you want to do about this guy?”

You remained quiet as you grabbed the reins of his black Arabian. You said no words as you led the horse to its master. Your eyes were cold as you stared him in the face and put a bullet in the head of his horse. The man screamed and cursed as his horse crumpled, his words were muffled by the gag Arthur had placed on him. He was silenced as you placed a bullet between his eyes. Arthur stared in disbelief as you sniffled and wiped your nose a final time before looting the dead body in front of you. You cleared your throat. “Give me a ride back to camp?”

Arthur nodded and didn’t say a word. It was easy to forget this beautiful woman who couldn’t drive a wagon to save her life had almost as high a bounty as him. How many people had she killed? As many as him? More?

You broke the silence. “You mad at me?”

“For what?”

You rolled your eyes. “Killin’ that man and his horse.”

He shrugged. “I done worse.”

You laughed breathlessly. “I’m sure you have.”

By the time the two of you arrived back at camp, the sun had fallen and the night sky was twinkling with stars. Cripps greeted you sarcastically. “The mighty heroes return. Hey, where’s that big horse a yers?”

“Dead.” You threw the bag of supplies at Cripp’s feet. “But we killed that bastard that’s been givin’ us trouble.”

Cripps felt heat rush to his cheeks in embarrassment “oh.”

You sighed, “I need a drink, how bout you Mr. Morgan?”

He scratched his chin, “I dunno, my camp is a good little ride from here-“

You tossed him a bottle of whiskey and he caught it. “I got a spare bedroll, you can stay here tonight.” You opened a bottle of whiskey and drank deeply while staring into the fire. “It would be nice to have a friend to drink with tonight.”

Arthur looked down at the bottle of whiskey and then to you. For the first time, you didn’t look like an outlaw, or a beautiful woman, or a hunter, or a threat. In that moment, you looked tired. You looked like a woman mourning the death of her closest friend- Arthur could relate. He opened the bottle of whiskey as he sat down beside you. “Ya know, I had a horse not too long ago- her name was Boadicea. Gorgeous, fast, most loyal horse I ever had. She got shot in the gun fight when we was fleein’ Blackwater. I think I broke a rib or two in the fall but that didn’t stop me from yankin’ the feller who shot her down from his horse and beatin’ him to death.” He sighed. “They ain’t just animals. They’re smart, Hell I think most of em are smarter than us.” He chuckled and placed a hand on your shoulder. “I’m real sorry bout your horse.”

You gave him a sad smile and leaned into his hand. “S’okay. I reckon I’ll have to ride to the stable tomorrow and pick out a new one.” You scoffed. “The idea of pickin’ out a new horse while grieving is almost insultin’ but it ain’t like I got a choice.” You paused. “I saw your wanted poster when I was down there not long back, what did you do?”

He groaned. “It weren’t even me who did it!” He sighed. “Don’t matter. I don’t think I’ll ever make it back west. Dutch is talkin’ crazy, bout leavin’ the country? I want to believe him but...”

“But that don’t sound like a good plan.”

He chuckled, though he didn’t find any humor in it. He lifted the bottle to his mouth and tipped it towards the sky. “I just want to go home. This land ain’t my home and never will be. The air here is too humid, too much-“

“Civilization?”

He met your eyes and felt like he was looking at a reflection of himself. “Yeah,” he breathed.

You smiled, “I miss it too. I go back when I can, but Cripps says the eastern territories are better for robbin’ and tradin’. I guess he’s right bout that, but it feels like them damn bounty hunters are movin’ in closer and closer.” You took a long gulp of whiskey and it made your stomach hot. “I miss bein’ free.”

“Amen to that.” Arthur raised his whiskey in a cheers and you clinked your bottle against his.

You belched after taking a deep drink of whiskey. “Why don’t we just go back?”

“S’cuse me?”

“Me n you. Cripps could find a new business partner, your gang can go to to whatever country they want. Me n you can sneak back across the West Elizabeth border. We can go anywhere ya like, Hell we could even cross the border to Mexico.” The alcohol had debilitated your thought filter and you felt your cheeks turn hot.

He exhaled a deep breath. “Fletcher that’s...”

“Forget I said anything.” You stammered. “I know it was a stupid idea.” You chuckled nervously, “guess the whiskey is hittin’ me faster than I thought.”

He sighed, “it don’t sound stupid at all, it actually sounds great.” He paused. “But we got people to take care of.” He looked at you with a smile. “It’s a nice dream though, Herbert.”

You choked and spewed out your whiskey, earning a hearty laugh from Arthur. You stared at him in disbelief. “Wha- how did you-?”

Arthur tried to contain his laughter as he pulled a parcel from his satchel and handed it to you. When you opened it, it revealed your wanted poster- and not one with your alias. You tossed it into the fire and crossed your arms.

Arthur wiped the tear from his eye and sighed, “Herbert Fitzgerald, huh?”

“Shut up.” You said in annoyance.

“What the hell kinda name is that for a woman?” He snickered.

“A family name goddamn it! And a name you ain’t ever gonna call me.” You snapped.

Arthur was not intimidated by your lash out in the slightest. “Why? I think it’s a lovely name.” He joked.

You rolled your eyes and scoffed. “I cain’t believe you found that. Where the hell was it?”

“Riggs Station I believe, buried under bout ten bounty posters.” He took a sip of whiskey. “That’s quite a price you got on yer head, girl.”

“Ya know, I bet my head alone could pay off yer bounty. Why don’t ya try’n turn me in?” You tipped your bottle to the sky and finished off the last drops. “Catch up, Mr. Morgan.”

He followed suit and tossed his now empty bottle. His eyes trailed you as you got up to grab two new bottles. “I don’t foresee it bein’ that easy.”

You gave him a mischievous smile as you leaned down to hand him a new bottle. “I didn’t say I’d let ya, I said you could try.”

Arthur’s eyes were hooked on the way your lips curved around the syllables, your face only inches from his. There was a moment of electricity in the air and suddenly his throat was dry and his mind was not working to form words.

His face was illuminated by the firelight and it made him look almost angelic. His lips looked so soft and supple, his stubble around his cheeks defining his square jawline. You caught his eyes flicker to your lips and the heat swelled behind your cheeks. Your heard was pounding in your chest and all you could think to do was hide. You cleared your throat and sat back down, a good distance between the two of you. With your head spinning from the alcohol you were finding it harder to keep control of your own emotions.

The silence between you felt horribly awkward and heavy to Arthur. Had you noticed his blatant staring? He was certain you couldn’t see how his chest clinched at your close proximity. He felt like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was thankful when you finally broke the silence.

“Don’t you dare tell Sadie you know my name. She’d kill us both.”

When he braved to look at you, you were smiling kindly to him. A glimmer in your eye he wasn’t quite sure he had ever seen. He just shook his head, “that woman scares the hell outta me. She’s a fighter that one is.”

You nodded. “She’s given me strength more times than I can count.” You looked up at the sky and sighed. “I oughtta be travelin’ with the herds, ya know. That’s how the best traders do it. But I caint bring myself to distance myself from Sadie.” You paused, quite drunk. “I think I quite enjoy your company as well Mr. Morgan.”

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. He wasn’t a confident man, but he was quite certain that there was a hint of flirtatiousness behind your eyes. The liquor didn’t hinder his boldness either. He scooted closer and smirked, “well, I think I’m takin’ to your company too.”

Your head was swimming, he was close enough now that you could feel the heat radiating from him. The voice in the back of your head wasn’t screaming to stop now, so you didn’t. You leaned your head against his shoulder, he responded by resting his head on yours.

He held his breath as he slowly inched his fingers closer to yours. When they touched, he felt your body jump slightly and he held his breath. When you didn’t shy away from his touch, his fingers entwined with yours. He let out his breath when you squeezed his hand. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. The whiskey was the force pushing him, forcing him to swallow his fears of rejection and reminding him how lonely he’s been over the years. Just the sensation of another hand around his had him feeling light headed. He looked down at you and you were looking up at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and inched his head down slowly.

You were caught in the moment, everything felt floaty and for the first time in god knows how long, you felt a genuine romantic connection with someone. He was moving closer now, and you moved too, you knew you wanted it. But as his eyes closed and his lips were within inches of yours, the voice was back, screaming st you to stop this foolishness. It was loud as a train whistle and you pulled back so fast you almost lost your balance. Guilt bled it’s way through you as you watched him open his eyes, only briefly did his eyes betray his emotions and they were crystal clear: confusion, hurt. He looked at you and you couldn’t meet his gaze. “I-we should uh...it’s gettin’ late.” You mumbled as you stood.

“Oh...okay.” He cleared his throat. “You’re right. You got that spare bedroll?”

“Oh! Ah, yes.” You dug around your tent and grabbed it. When you handed it to him, he grumbled a thanks but didn’t look you in the eye. “Goodnight, Arthur.” You said softly as you turned towards your tent.

“Night.” He called as he unrolled the bedroll beside the fire.

Neither of you slept well that night. You tossed and turned in shame and regret. Why did you pull away like that? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone? But you knew you had to push him away, like everyone else. He was too good for you and the thought of something bad happening to him made your chest seize in pain. You were doing both of you a favor, or at least that’s what you told yourself. But if that were true, why did you have such a strong urge to go to him, desperately longing to feel his lips against yours?

Arthur lied awake, his own demons tearing him apart from the inside. How could he be so stupid? He swore to a life of celibacy long ago, knowing he lived a life too dangerous for a family. He had hoped it would be different with you- a woman made from the same cloth as him- but he was wrong. What a fool he was, believing a woman of such high caliber would even be interested in a raggedy old wretch such as himself. He knew better than to act on his emotions, for the sting of rejection never gets better. His mind replayed the image of you jerking back over and over again, tormenting him and reminding him of just how big a fool he was.

When you awoke the next morning, your head was pounding. You stumbled from your tent and groaned as the morning sun drove its rays through your skull. “Christ,” you groaned.

Memories from the night before lazily trickled back to your mind, hazy with the fog of inebriation. You were stretching your back when the memory of Arthur’s attempted kiss came back and it shook you to the core, stiffening you where you stood. Your eyes scanned the camp, he was no where to be found. In his place was a neatly rolled bedroll and a small piece of paper.

Fletcher,

I appreciate your hospitality in allowing me to stay at your camp. Know the favor will always be in return if you need it. If anyone gives you trouble again, don’t hesitate to write and I can lend a hand- or atleast drive the wagon. I look forward to our next meeting.

Yours, Arthur

You wondered if he remembered the kiss, his note seemed to remain in the same casual yet friendly tone as all of his letters. You hoped he was too drunk to remember, the memory lost in the haze of drunken stupor. The look of pain in his eyes in your memory caused your stomach to twist. Before you could get a rein on your thoughts, you imagined how those plump lips would’ve felt on yours. Butterflies rose from your stomach and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t push the feeling of regret from your gut. You tried to tell yourself you did the right thing, but you never considered yourself a very good liar.

Mt. Hood & Portland, Oregon

Stops #10 & #11, Aug 9-13

For the fourth morning in a row we packed up and hit the road. We’ve been on the go go go ever since I got back from NY and we have been looking forward to settling into a spot and having some downtime.

I’ve noticed our travel days can be rough and Sean and I often get hangry (anger caused by hunger). I also learned that I really dislike shopping at Walmart, but damn it’s so cheap. Either way, we decided after this stop that we will no longer food shop there. With their low prices and ample space for parking a trailer we will see if we actually stick to that.

While en route to Mt. hood we also had to stop at an auto parts store because Sean wants to fix something that’s leaking in the truck. After several stops along the road we finally hit the last hour of our drive and a storm rolled in. We saw Mt. Hood in the distance hiding behind dark clouds. All of the sudden the sky is raging with lighting and thunder. It too another 10 minutes before the rain reached us, but when it did it hit hard. The lightning was far in the distance, but we had a clear view of it. And damn, there were some epic lighting strikes. Jaxon was hiding in the back seat as best as he could, squeezing himself behind the bottom of his dad’s seat as much as possible. He’s such a daddy’s boy 😝

When we arrived at our camp spot we nestled ourselves in between the trees and scoped out the rest of the grounds. This camping spot is beautiful, but sadly there are signs warning of closures because too many people leave trash behind and don’t dispose of their waste properly. You have to bury your poops 6 inches deep, at least! And always pack out your trash. It’s a shame that people don’t follow these protocols. Anyway, I made quesadillas on the first night and they actually came out so yummy! One of the things we bought was a rotisserie chicken and we spent 5 minutes shredding it to keep in a container so we could add it to any meal. Why didn’t we think of this earlier? It’s so convenient and also so tasty!

The next morning Alexis and Dou (Mamadou) arrived to camp with us for the next three nights. I spent the morning cleaning the camper and Sean worked on the car. We are so excited to have company to be able to socialize with people other than each other. Unfortunately, just before they came, water fell off the awning of our trailer and right into my lap as I was working on my laptop. I put rice on the keyboard and as per google’s suggestion, leave it off for 48 hours. For this reason I’m super happy we have internet at this campsite... Once Alexis and Dou arrived I taught them how to play kaluche while Sean worked on the truck. Man, I forgot how slow this game moves when you play with people just learning. It reminded me how much I sometimes hate this game 😂.

Later in the evening we hiked over to Trillium Lake, about 1 mile from our campsite, to fish and relax on the water. Dou had never fished before and was so pumped to, even though him and Sean got no bites. I guess the Kuper curse follows me around! Everyone else around us was catching fish left and right...

The night ended with lots of food, snacks, and kaluche until we all fell asleep. We planned to spend the next day in Portland, and that’s exactly what we did.

Portland is such a cool city! We were all impressed and fantasized about moving there. It was way more diverse than I expected and while I could tell it’s similar to Denver in that it’s changed a lot in the last 5 years while several more people were moving there, it was also clear that it’s managed to keep its originality. After a very fattening brunch we headed to the weekend market where we shopped, people watched, and ate some more. I accidentally left my camera in the trailer back at our campsite, so I was only able to capture some moments with my phone.

At the market I got a henna tattoo from an awesome lady named Aisha. I chose an elephant because I cant get those majestic creatures off my mind ever since Africa!

We watched some live music, drank smoothies, and even ate ice cream stuffed donuts. Alexis kept saying how full she was but would then eat more. Preggo life.

Coincidentally my cousin Jesse from NY was also in Portland with his wife Kristen and kid Owen! We met up with them in the late afternoon to catch up.

That night Alexis and Dou made us some quesadillas as we hung out and just laughed a lot.

The next morning we did not wake up early like we said we would for a hike. Instead of setting an alarm like we planned we woke up whenever our bodies felt like getting up and slowly made our way to the trailhead. Tom Dick and Harry Mountain trail was 9 miles out and back with 1,700 feet elevation gain, and the views were beautiful!

If you haven’t noticed yet, Alexis and Dou are expecting a baby in Jan and so I encouraged us to feel her belly in pictures. Sean opted out 😅

When we got back to our site it had finally been over 48 hours since I started letting my MacBook dry out, and so I tried turning it in. Big mistake. I learned later that only fried more parts inside. That time it turned on, but the display was busted. After that it did not turn on again. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been super bummed about this ever since it happened. I feel like my computer is my outlet for so many things. It holds about 20,000 photos currently, at least half of those are from my childhood. It’s my way to download my photos in the highest quality now that I finally bought a DSLR camera, and using tumblr has been like writing a journal- reflecting on everything and showing everyone makes me feel good. And now I don’t have my laptop to do that with. It’s not the same from my phone for so many reasons. So yeah, I’ve been pretty moody. At this point I made the plan to bring my computer into a tech company that could fix it in Portland. We planned to drive through Portland to head to the coast anyway, but instead of heading north along the coast into Washington, we will now have to go back to Portland to pick my laptop back up, and hopefully fixed. 

Anyway, it was so great to have Alexis and Dou with us, the four of us got along great... but also Sean and Dou have the cutest bromance. Anyway, they loved the camper trailer living and are thinking about getting one for their little fam. I can’t wait until that baby comes too!! They will have such beautiful mixed babies, me and Sam (our other bestie) have been waiting for this to happen for a while! Also I cannot get over Alexis pregnant. She is so small and yet so large. I even took a selfie with her belly 😍

Thanks for reading, love you all. 

The Bank Heist (my campaign)

At the start of the session the party assaulted a werewolf. after this they realized they could commit a crime, move to a different town before word reached that town and they could commit another crime.

Here's a list of crimes

Grand theft auto (they stole a NewTimeyHorse (basically a horse with a car chassis on top))

Murder (at least 6 counts)

Theft (they stole 2 jars of duplicating bees)

Destruction of private property (they broke a glass elevator to a floating city)

Braking into a castle

The Beginning

The party started this idea by returning to where they camped outside of town the night before, at the camp they saw 4 guards inspecting the campsite. the 2 rogues in the party (Dist and Bob) used sneak attack to murder the first 2 guards while The bard (Mr. Tyner) and the barbarian (Vinilinc AKA Vin) dealt with the other 2. after murdering the guards the party stole their armor and gold before getting on the NewTimeyHorse the party had stolen the day before. the party traveled to the nearest town with a bank and began to form a plan

The Plan

They began by scouting the bank. In the bank they found 2 guards inside and 1 outside. Dist and Bob broke into the back through the employee entrance, while Vin and Mr. Tyner convinced the guard out front to get drinks with them (which failed because he would get fired.)

The Rogues noticed that employees would walk into the back and put some money in a deposit box or take some out. The plans to stop employees from were

Knock out the employees when they walk in the room. This plan was dismissed when they realized the other employees would notice someone not coming back from the room

Convince the employees that Dist was an employee. This plan was dismissed when they decided that Dist was well know enough that it wouldn't work (because the party was a bit of a countywide legend)

Thunder clap. No. Just no

Bob discovered 3 pounds of rotten meat in his bag. and thus the plan was set into action

The Execution

Oh boy, the execution.

The plan was put into action by the Rogues when Bob threw 3 pounds of rotten meat into the main room as Tyner unleashed 10 THOUSAND BEES INTO THE BATHROOM. Then released them into the main room. After this Bob locked the door... because they didn't check for a lock. After unleashing the bees, Tyner returned to the getaway NewTimeyHorse which he had parked by the employee entrance. The mix of rotten meat and 10 THOUSAND BEES caused everyone in the bank to evacuate.

Phase 2. Bob unlocked the bank vault only to be met by a iron golem who pointed to a photo of an in uniform employee, then at Bob and looked angry, so Bob closed the door, he opened the door again, the golem still looked angry, so Bob closed the door again. Bob then opened the door pointed to Dist and said "My friend here forgot his uhh uniform and wanted to check out the photo" this worked... then they left the room because the still golem looked angry. So they called for Tyner who walked into the room, Bob closed the door and Tyner cast calm emotions on the golem, the golem punched him against the metal door which left a Tyner sized dent in the door, and knocked out Tyner. Bob dragged  Tyner out of the room.

Phase 3. Vin walked into the main room and cast sacred flame on the 10 THOUSAND BEES causing them to die, Vin then cast raise dead on the bees which became 10 THOUSAND FLAMING UNDEAD BEES. Vin then sent the 10 THOUSAND FLAMING UNDEAD BEES after the golem which began swinging wildly and destroying safety deposit boxes, spilling money everywhere, the party began shoveling money into their bags and putting it into the getaway vehicle, after a few minutes of this the party got in the NewTimeyHorse and drove off

Conclusion

In the end the party received 2k gold each and 1k xp each. They're now setting off for world domination

Out of place

I got one from my cousin, Steve, that Id like to share. Keep in mind that I might be missing a few details and Steve could just be bullshitting me but he seemed awfully serious when he told me.

Steve is an outdoorsy person, likes to camp and hike and stuff. He never gave me specifics on where he was with this story so could be anywhere in a forested area in the wilderness.

He said it was late September, early October, something like that and this was in 2004 I think. Steve said he set up a little campsite in a small clearing no bigger than like a large living room. The first night everything went fine, no troubles at all. But that afternoon, quite a while after hed woken back up, he felt oddly drawn to somewhere off in the distance in the forest. He said he was like on auto pilot and wasnt fully aware of what he was doing.

Steve said he wasnt too far away from the campsite into the trees when he noticed what looked like a toppled over grave. Thats how he described it at least, a rectangular slab of stone. But he said it was weirdly out of place and “it definitley didnt belong there”. He said it looked polished, sorta glossy and reflective. There was no writing or scrawling on it, it was smooth and plain. But despite it sitting on a pile of dead leaves, there was no forest debris on it. No twigs, fallen leaves or even moss on it at all. This was very unusual especially considering to his knowledge there was nobody around for miles but it looked like itd been placed there very recently. At that moment, Steve said that he felt as though he had been picked up and dropped randomly somewhere on Earth and had zero clue as to where he was. He said even though he could clearly make out the red canvas or nylon or whatever of his tent maybe twenty five feet or so behind him, he said he was just utterly confused and totally unfamiliar with his surroundings.

Then he said that two things happened very quickly. First, he felt an ice cold wave of air hit him. Like a cold wind on a frigid winter day despite it being relatively warm for early autumn and there was no wine present, the branches on the trees hadnt moved and the leaves on the ground didnt budge at all. Second, he heard what sounded like a loud, deafening clap, like someone clapped their hands just once, really hard and it echoed across the valley.

Next thing he knew, the sun is already dipping below the horizon and its pretty dark in the woods. Only a split second earlier it had been about 3:30 in the afternoon, now it was closer to 8:00 at night in the blink of an eye. Steve said he did not see the stone on the ground anywhere and he booked it back to his tent, scared out of his mind. According to him, it wouldnt be a good idea to pack everything up right at dusk and try to make his way back to civilization during the night so hed have to wait until morning to do so.

Now Id love to say that this was some creepy alien story like he saw UFOs flying overhead or there was like a skinwalker or wendigo or something because those are creepy but that was about it... except for one other thing. He said he barley slept that entire night, all the while he heard a seriously creepy sound not far from the tent. Steve said it sounded like “someone snoring” and it mightve simply just been a sleeping animal like a bear or mountain lion. Not too sure if they snore but Im guessing they do. Anyway, he said he waited a little bit after dawn broke until it was fully light out. He packed up his shit and got out of there, with the feeling he was being watched the entire time until he left the woods.

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/babsii/hikerspark_rangers_of_reddit_what_is_the/ekb2a9d/?st=jx1lyikk&sh=779ff3bb

Bats What I Like About You - Part 5

The story: During a camping trip, Poppy tells a campfire story about a magic wish-granting tree which is believed to exist in the Troll world. However, Branch doesn’t believe in the story and says that magic wish-granting trees don’t exist. His disbelief gets the better of him when he finds the tree and before he knows what is going on with it, it casts a spell on Branch, causing him to transform into a vampire bat and believe that the tree does exist! Now stuck as a bat, he has to try to get himself back to normal with the help of a bat named Feng, who tags along with him for the rest of the adventure.

You already seen what had happened in Part 4. Now get ready for Part 5!:

Branch and Feng sighed with relief to see the bat farmer disappearing out of sight.

“I think we lost him, buddy!” Feng remarked.

These words hit Branch straight into his mind. He glared at him and sputtered “BUDDY?! Why’d you call me that?!”

“Oh, because we’re buddies now, right?” Feng replied. “There is no reason to grumble like this! Tee hee hee!” He started to laugh at Branch but he hovered closer to him, growling with dissatisfaction. 

“Listen here, pipsqueak! Now I’m grumbling because you’re such an annoying little creature!” he sneered, almost baring his fangs. “Can you please get lost? I’m really kind of over with the whole bat flying stuff already!”

“Oh, hohoho!” Feng chuckled. “I’m not annoying! Does shouting at me like this look too annoying for you?”

“Yeah, genius!” said Branch. “I bet I wasn’t made to be too soft for a Troll or a bat like you!”

He began flying off to the darkness, wanting to get back to the campsite, when Feng appeared out of nowhere, hanging upside down on a branch and startling him.

“Wait! Don’t go!” he begged. “Can we just be friends? Just for this time?”

Branch grew frustrated. “Quit your whining! I want to get back to the camp! Poppy and the others are worrying about my absence!” he complained, flapping his wings up and down.

“Okay, alright,” Feng said, but then realized what Branch is trying to say. “Who’s this ‘Poppy’ and why you worry about-”

“Okay! It’s nothing personal about that ‘Poppy’!” Branch protested, blushing awkwardly and flailing his wings and putting his claws over Feng’s mouth so that he would not explain the truth about his own friends! He was afraid that he might realize he was a Troll turned into a small fuzzy bat wanting to get himself back to normal, blow his identity and admit that he loves Poppy. He knew he had to do something about it. “I...don’t think you can talk about that for now!”

“Okay, I see,” said Feng. “You must be one shy little bat.”

“Hey, excuse me? I’m not shy! I’m made to be brave!”

“Brave?! Oooh, tell me what past encounter you’ve faced with all that bravery in your heart? Tell me, tell me!”

Branch sighed. “I only thought about escaping the nocturnal animal professor.”

Feng’s face fell. “Oh...but I’m okay that I managed to save your life until this time I heard you sing!” he said that until he smiles.

“For the last time, you already heard me sing like an angel,” Branch argued. “Everybody knows I’m such a good singer!”

“Can you sing to me that song when you are in the cage earlier again?” pleaded Feng. “Pretty please?”

Branch couldn’t take it with this annoying creature. He yelled “SHUT UP!!! I don’t think I want to! And please stop hanging upside down like that?! It’s so annoying when you do that!”

Feng folded his wings around his body and told Branch gently “This is how a bat sleeps. They do this every time to keep themselves warm from the dark!”

Branch scowled. “Has the world clearly lost its mind?! I gotta fly back to the camp-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” said Feng, stopping him from flying off again. “You may get caught again if you leave me alone here. Do you want to sleep with me here? It will be morning soon. See?”

He pointed to the sky. Branch can see that the sun is almost going to rise. This means bats need to sleep in the day and be active at night. Otherwise, these creatures would have a risk of getting sunburned as well.

“I don’t think I can really do that!” he said, shaking his head. “Why do bats sleep like that?”

“Bats need to sleep in the day and become active at night,” Feng explained. “Come on, kid! Try to sleep with me! I think you would look adorable like this!”

Branch thought for a moment. But he wanted to tell Poppy about the Great Wishing Tree that turned him into a bat. He knew he had to make a solution.

“Fine, I’ll sleep here with you,” he grumbled. “But promise me you won’t do something too annoying in front of me!”

“Okay!”

Branch flew to the branch where Feng is resting on. He rested himself on a space beside him and seeing how he demonstrated on folding his own wings around his body, he did the same.

Feng laughed. “Awww, aren’t you cute like this?”

“For real?!” Branch moaned, snuggling himself with his wings tightly shut around his body. “Was this supposed to be an easy way of making fun of my size?!”

“Hahaha! Oh, I’m sure you’ll learn to get over it! Now let’s have some nice beauty sleep here. We’ll have a great night tomorrow!” After Feng said this, he closed his eyes and snored. Branch raised an eyebrow with confusion before he began yawning and sleeping too.

Tomorrow’s another day... he thought to himself through his sleep. It has to be great...

An owl hooted in the distance as Feng and Branch snuggled tight with their own wings and drifted off for the morning.

The next morning, Poppy woke her friends up with her cowbell.

CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

“Hey, gang! Rise and shine! Ready for the day today!” she said cheerfully

At hearing the sound, Smidge, Biggie and Guy Diamond emerge from their tents, yawning and stretching.

“Finally!” said Smidge proudly. “Time to reflex mu muscles!” She began doing some impressive workout moves which amuses Poppy. She giggled.

“Good morning, Guy!” Biggie said with a yawn.

“Morning, Biggie!” Guy sang in his auto-tuned voice. “What a fine day this morning!”

“So guys? How’s the day?” Poppy asked.

“Feeling great!” her friends answered, grinning.

“Does that mean we have to still stay here, Poppy?” Biggie asked her.

“Nope! Today we’re going home!” she said. “We’re done for this camping trip today!”

“Oh my gah. It was bound to happen,” Smidge replied. “The wildlife here seemed a little noisy for me!”

“Yeah, I agree with Smidge,” Guy explained. “An owl kept hooting in our ears all the time!”

“Aw, don’t worry, gang!” Poppy reassured them. “I’m pretty sure you all are a little annoyed by all the fuss here!”

“Really? I almost got glitter wax in my ear!” Guy said, pointing at his ear. “Hold on!” He reached for his ear, which disgusts his friends so much. They all cried out “Blech!”

“Will you stop that, Guy?” Smidge protested. “That’s too disgusting!”

“No, it wasn’t!” Guy said, shrugging. But glitter bursted out of his ears and he blushed, humiliated.

“Idiot,” Smidge sighed, smacking her face.

“Branch, it’s time to go!” Poppy called for her boyfriend. “Come on out now!”

But there was no response. And there was just silence.

“Uh...Poppy?” Biggie asked. “What is going on?”

Poppy nervously smiled for a second. Then she hurried over to Branch’s tent and knocked on the entrance. “Rise and shine, Branch! It’s time to leave the camp!” she chirped, hoping for him to respond.

Once again, no response.

Poppy grew frustrated. “Branch, you’re such a heavy sleeper! Let’s go! Wake up!”

She went inside the tent, scrambling around every corner in search of him. Biggie, Smidge and Guy watched from outside to know what is going on. Finally, Poppy emerged from the tent with a worried expression on her face.

“Guys,” she said. “Branch’s not in his tent!”

The Trolls gasped in horror.

“Oh my gah!” Smidge said. “Why?!”

“I’ve searched his entire tent but it seems like he’s not in his sleeping bag! Where did he go?!”

“Poppy, calm down,” Biggie told her. “I think he already went home to his bunker.

“Great idea, Biggie!” Guy said. “Let’s all try to search for Branch in there just to be sure he makes it home safely!”

“Sounds like a fun challenge!” Smidge agreed. “Let’s do it!”

So all the Trolls pack everything up, including Branch’s things and his tent, and headed back to the village, in search of their friend.

                                                To Be Continued...

                                             Stay tuned for Part 6!

Camping will be so cost efficient

guest star: Written by yours truly: Taylor

This is the story about the events that transpired on November 24, 2017. This really happened to us. I swear. But first let me start out with the bit of a preface: Before Ashley and I came to Australia we decided we really wanted to camp as well as stay in hostels. “This will be so cost efficient”, “camping is fun, and we wont have to stay in hostels and we can have our own space.” So we go online, searching for the best backpacking tents, space conscious and light. Sleeping bags and sleeping pads that can be stored compactly, flashlights, pillows that can be inflated or rolled up tight, anything small we could fit in our bags. I have to mention that these items that can be super compact tend to be much more expensive, but “it’s okay Ashley we’re going to be camping TONS, it’s worth the extra money.” Flash forward 2 months… Ashley is lugging around a 10 pound tent on her back which has not moved since the day we left. My sleeping pad has remained in my bag, taking up space and those damn pillows have yet to be blown up. Ashley comes to me and says “Okay, we’re finally going camping.” She plans it all out we’re going to rent a car and drive there. We sit the night before planning our next day, so excited, oblivious of the horror that is planned for us the next day. The plan was for Ashley to wake up around 7 am in time to pick up our rental car for 8am. We plan to head to bed early as tomorrow is a big day. I wake up to a slight rustle of Ashley who’s alarm did not go off around 7 as planned and instead it is now 755am. The rental car place is approximately a 20 minute walk away. I look at my belongings thrown across the floor as if a tornado has gone through the room and she looks at me and says “SOOOO, you’re not packed.” I reassure her that by the time she gets back I’ll be packed and have breakfast started. We should’ve probably looked at this and gone hmmmm, maybe instead we’re in store for a bit of an interesting day but no, we still looked forward with optimism. We lug our 1 million pounds of luggage (that’s what it feels like I swear) into our 2014 Toyota Yaris (YAY A YARIS) and take off from Newcastle. We stop at Big W for some odds and ends and to Anaconda (the best camping store in the world) before we head out. Ashley has a revelation that she’s forgotten her after bite cream (prescription stuff that has been our SAVIOUR from misquotes thus far) at the hostel. Off we go back to hostel to search the room, its not there. Which surprised me as it honestly looks like cream someone would use for their Hoo Ha and I’m not sure who would want that second hand. We continue on for our 2 hour drive towards Crowdy National Park. We have a nice drive talking when Ashley finally clues in: “Wait, I think we were supposed to turn back there.” I get on the phone to look up and it turns out we had gone past our turn off. The GPS gives us 2 options: 1) continue on this route, it looks like a larger loop but it’s apparently only 7 minutes slower or 2) turn around and go on our original route. Maybe if I we had’ve picked route 1 we would’ve had a different day. We turn around to go on our original route. We turn off into a small little town and follow the GPS towards what looks like a dirt road. It’s okay, our Yaris can handle it. We go down this road, gravel a flying and bumping, Ashley quickly realizes that in order to not do damage to this small car she has to drive about 15 kph. About 7 km into the drive Ashley turns and looks at me. “Oh my god, that’s why that long drive was only 7 minutes longer, this 24 km drive is all backroad.” Well we’re too far in now it doesn’t make sense to turn around now. We’re fine. We travel at an agonizing 15 kph, bumping up and down in the Yaris Ashley evading the HUNDREDS of pot holes and me attempting to not throw up on her from the constant stopping and turning around the stupid pot holes. We finally arrive at the campground after what felt like hours, Yaris all dirty, us hating the stupid roads and cursing that we didn’t turn around earlier as we probably broke everything under the car. Get our campsite and as we’re setting up look up and see wild kangaroos EVERYWHERE. We’re ecstatic. At least 5 we can see just right in front of us. “Oh my god we’re camping with kangaroo’s, how cool!” I quickly get on the phone with mom and brag about these roos running wild right beside us. We get our tent set up and head back to the RIGHT ROAD (the one who should’ve taken originally) towards town. We go to the grocery store and starting getting groceries for the next 3 nights. We needed an “Esky” (Australian for a cooler) and have seen these really cool styrofoam esky’s you can get from the grocery store. We buy that along with sausages, hot dog buns (perfect ones) and other random groceries. We head back to the car load in our groceries Ashley begins to pull out of our spot. *HONK* *BANG* *ASHLEY SCREAMS* We look behind and we’ve collided with an extremely large utility truck. We get out and our left tail light has been smashed out and not a scratch on the truck. I look up and hear a lady scream, the truck is rolling backwards towards us… He jumps in his truck and gets in it in time to throw the brake in and stop it from hitting us and another vehicle. We quickly realize this is going to be 50/50 and he has no damage so he can leave. No information required. (Big mistake we know) After getting in the vehicle Ashley looks at the contract from the rental company and realizes that we need to prove there was another vehicle in order for the amount being taken from us from 398$ to 900$. In order to have that we needed his information so the insurance company could call him and confirm there was 2 vehicles involved. New plan: we’ll go to an auto shop and get them to fix it before we take it back on Monday night. Perfect. First shop: we’re moving, we can’t order parts. Second shop: I don’t have a part and neither do my other 2 shops, you’ll have to call and get it ordered and get them to fix it back in Newcastle before you return it. Done. It’s shortly before 3, we head to the liquor store (clearly we need it). We’ll call the Newcastle shop when we get back to the campsite to order the new part. And find Molson Canadian (SUCCESS) head to the check out. We stand in line and *Smash* a guy drops beers right behind us at our feet. Alright sweet our bad luck is just radiating now. We look beside us and see a white 2 door truck with a utility trailer as the back. No. It can’t be the same guy. We turn around to find a driver. We automatically see about 5 of the exact same vehicle. Ashley waits for the driver, its not our man. We drive through the lot and I hear Ashley yell and lay on the horn. I turn and look and a truck is about a foot away from T-boning us on my side. You’ve got to be kidding me. We drive back to the campground. Turns out the most common vehicle around here is a white 2 door utility truck. Everywhere. We stop back at the store to talk to the lady who yelled at the guy when his truck was rolling. I go in and talk to her. Apparently the man is in there every few days and she will call me with his information the next time he’s in. Okay a win. We get back to our tent and crack open a well deserved beer. Its been a rough day. I call the Newcastle shop to order the part for the car, the deadline to order a part before Monday was at 3pm. It’s now shortly before 4. Sweet. So I guess we’re going through insurance now, we better hope to god get that guys information. I go to check on my sleeping pad which “self inflates” the one I just “Had to have” and “It’s okay to spend a little extra money on it” because “I’ll be using it all the time.” It has only inflated on one half and has no indication that it’s going to get any more blown up. Sweet. Sleeping should be fun. Okay time for some food. Yay. We planned for Australian Beef sausages with fresh hot dog buns and some chips and salsa (fancy I know) Im pulling our food out of the car to put into the esky and take over to the BBQ as I notice a few kanagroos within about 20 feet of me. I see a Joey poking out the pouch of a mom. (ADORABLE, RIGHT?) The joey hasn’t quite got all his fur on him and he looks slightly like a rat but his ears are adorable and his head is poking out in his moms tummy. The cutest thing in the world. I kneel down and stick my hand out towards the group of 3 roo’s and the mom comes towards me. I almost cry into the esky while loading it as this is the cutest thing ever. She comes up to me and Ashley starts snapping pictures. Im petting her as she starts to hop by me. I turn to Ashley to see if she got the picture and I see the mom casually start walking towards our dry food bag. No. She’s not going for that… Ashley quickly goes to pick up the bag and just as she does the Mom reaches in with her paws and grabs our bag of hot dog buns! I yell NOOOOOOOO (im very excited about these buns I kept poking them all afternoon) I lunge toward the bag as the mom has no picked it up in his paws. I attempt to rip it from her paws but she’s stronger than I suspect, there I am, pulling back and forth a bag of hot dog buns, losing to a kangaroo. I scream and pull as the hot dog buns going flying. I scramble attempting to pick them up before she can get them (the little thief) she’s managed to get one and is trying to put it in her mouth, I snatch it away and go NO. Swatting my hand at her. I grab all the buns and the bag and try to run for the picnic table by the BBQ. By this time all the campers have gathered. (oh honey haha look at these helpless Canadian girls fighting with kangaroos) But oh no, we’ve left the esky behind. Have no fear, Ashley gets a second wind and grabs the handle of the cooler and takes off. *SMASH* I turn around to see Ashley holding the handle of the cooler in her hand but the styrofoam and contents of the esky are no longer attached to the handle and are scattered amongst the ground surrounded by ice. I look at Ashley who just says, “I’m going to cry.” The noise of the cooler smashing on the ground has scared off our kangaroo friends. We sheepishly pick up the contents of our old cooler and make our way to the BBQ. At this point we’ve said “You’ve got to be kidding me” or “What the hell kind of day is this?” At least a dozen times, but this time we’ve really had it. We finally clean up the mess and make it over to the picnic table and BBQ. We take out a beer each. A toast: “What a shitty day, here’s to an awesome night.” I take out the sausages, which at this point I’m like yes. Okay something delicious. Perfect. I assumed they were more like hot dogs. And tried to tear off the outer layer which I assumed was plastic like back home. It's not. Turns out they wrap their sausages in “edible collagen” and you don’t have an option to not eat the collagen because it all falls out when the wrapping isn’t on it. I don’t know how to explain this so I can help you understand how unappealing this “sausage” looks like. It was like mince beef, add some water and gelatine and stuffed it into an intestine. The outside was browning but the inside you could squeeze the meat out and it would come out. I’ve now had it. I turn to Ashley: “I’M DONE WITH THIS, TAKE ME TO THE PUB.” Ashley: “But I don’t want to waste the food.” Me: “THEY WERE 4$” Ashley being the intriguing foodie that she is, insisted she try the dog food so she puts it in the bun (i’m sure it was the one I wrangled from Sheila (I decided to name the mom roo) She takes one bite into it and the collagen part goes no where but the meat comes squeezing out the end of it. “NOPE. NOPE, I’M DONE.” Ashley: “Its actually not bad.” I’m hangry. As I type this I sit at a hotel restaurant chomping on garlic bread, Ashley and I exhausted from this day, going over it, like did this really happen. We got lost and ended up on the worst road possible, bumping up and down, damaged our rental car with still an unsure way to fix it, almost got t-boned, disappointed by our camping gear, wrestled a bag of buns from a kangaroo, broke our esky, lost our ice and anyway to cool our things for the next 3 days, wasted food and likely became a vegetarian. We have now gotten back to the campground and have forced ourself into our tent, not allowing ourselves near fire, anything sharp or pointy or near other people, just in case we’re contagious. The moral of the story is don’t lose your after bite cream.

Portugal Road Trip with a Toddler

Portugal is breathtaking. Travelling around Portugal made me appreciate each little moment. Morning coffee on a beach, looking at the ocean, tasteful veggies and, obviously, all the traditional sweets.

We went there in a high season and it was still amazing. Especially the Northern part of Portugal, which is very van friendly, people helpful and sympathetic, the views spectacular. It felt like I’m in a country perfect for me. My problem is that I love to be on the road. I do not stay in one place longer than 1-2 days, as I am always curious what's next. Tomasz got used to it, Mia is just like me. Sometimes, when we found a perfect spot and I want to stay for longer, she simply said "let's go auto". She's the boss. I also love life in my campervan, which is not as photogenic as the previous one, but I love it like crazy. It means, that when I wake up somewhere on the coast with the perfect view of the ocean and I can accompany it with a good cup of coffee - it's my private heaven. I do not mind a very small space, nor showers from a cup. But it's me, so if you prefer a proper pressure in your shower, there's plenty of beautiful and not pricy campsites.

To start with I just want to write that it’s almost too easy to travel around Portugal in a van. We stopped at a campground only once as there was no need at all.

Some more practical knowledge:

-internet is easy over here, you can buy 30GB SIM card which worked everwhere :D

-highways are paid, at some parts there are only cameraswhich take pictures of your vehicle, so you have to pay it later on. We did it in a post office.

-laundry - you have Inter Marche supermarket with washing machine and dryer and well. It'slocated outside of the store,so you can make loundry (20 minutes) and meantime get some supplies. Easy and fast.

-places, where you can refill water, get rid ofgrey and black waste are almost everywhere. There is this website that can help a lot, I mostly used this one. For water you can always stop on a gas station, it's usually next to the air machine.

-showers - we took it in a van (super easy to refill water and get rid of the grey one), but you can find some on a beach and on gas station.

-stopping for a night - there’s so many beautiful spots to stop. It’s really easy. At some point I could not believe that we’re staying in such unique spots.

-food - we did cook a lot as we like it. But, seriously, Portugal is so delicious that you want to eat out from time to time. Obviously prices in Porto or Lisbon are higher, but when we stopped in smaller towns or villages we had meals of our lifetime for a surprisingly small price. There’s so many things to try… You can also buy an octopus or fish from a fisherman and BBQ it.

Our route:

First stop was in Caminha - Vilarelho. There was this long and beautiful beach, totally empty. Just. Behind a corner there were groups of people. I remember being surprised that they all stay in one spot, when the other beach is so much better. I went back an hour later and the wind almost blew me away. Now I get it :D But still, the beach is amazing. I am not a sunbathing kind of a person, so for a walk it was great.

There was also a beautiful little town with delicious ice creams, pastel de nata (it was my first tasting after a break so I had like 5) and beautiful tiles everywhere. There was also a great market, but as I was holding Mia on my hands all the time, no pictures from there.

In this beautiful town, it was the first and last time we stayed at a camping site.

Braga - wow! This is a city with a history and it’s simply beautiful. I was positively surprised that there was not so many tourists. Easy to park a van - another surprise. We had lunch at Mini Sport, which was such a cool experience! Only locals, delicious fish and super nice owners. Mia loved the fish as well, so win-win. This was also the town where Mia gave her first public performance - she started to sing on a street, kept doing it for the next 30 minutes and asked herself to sing one more time constantly.

Agucadoura - has a beautiful long beach. This is a beautiful little town and we did not see any tourist over there for 2 days. Just look at this beach! I had the happiest moment over there, while sitting in the evening in our van, windows open, watching sunset. Just beautiful! At some point local men came to me and asked if that was my van. I was sure he wants me to move it, but he suggested a better place to park it. It was a much better place and he made us stay there two days.

Porto - you have a whole guide over here.

Cappella Sr. Da Pedra - beautiful little chapel on a beach. When I got there it was super foggy and it looked like a scene from a horror movie, so cool! It was 6am, I was there all by myself and I loved it. We stayed there for a night, in a parking next to a beach.

Sabrosa - we got there to see all the wineries, but it got to 42*C, even the wind was hot so we run away. But it was stunning for a moment. If you get into this area, go to Restaurant Veladouro in Pinhao, the food was amazing!

Costa Nova - this little town loves stripes and each house is covered in it. It was full during the weekend, but I can imagine that off season, it’s much calmer over there. They have a beautiful long beach, great street market and quite awesome spots to park for a night almost on a beach.

Piodao - it was a treat just to get there. The views were stunning, my ‘Sweetheart’ almost gave up a few times and we could drive only on 1st gear at some points. But we did it and it was worth it. Maybe it’s because we got there around 9pm and left before 10am, but there were no tourists at all. This is one of the most beautiful villages I saw my life. So authentic. I met a woman doing her laundry in a pond, she was so friendly with Mia. This is also the place where Mia met a tiny dog and decided to become best friends with it. She sat there, talking to it and refused to leave.

Obidos - town surrounded with a wall, you can walk around it and be scared, as sometimes I just wanted to glue to a side. Obviously, it was worth it. All buildings are white with elements of yellow and sometimes blue. Portuguese towns are so beautiful. We stopped there for a lunch break, but I can imagine that it’s really beautiful early in the morning, when there’s not so many people around.

Peniche- it’s surfers area and you feel like you’re in Australia. Boards everywhere, many cheaper places for a bite and great mood. If I was only surfing…

Ericeira - is surfers’ favourite as well. A beautiful little town not so far from Lisbon. I liked walking around the narrow streets and to find a tiny restaurant or a store. I also love that it’s all white with elements of blue. Very photogenic.

Praia de Santa Cruz - beautiful town, very friendly with an incredibly beautiful coastline.

Praia das Azenhas do Mar - this is one stunning town on rocks. It is super tiny, has an incredible restaurant facing the ocean and a small natural pool with the ocean water. In the evening you can observe fishermen and it is so relaxing.

Nature Park of Arrabida - this is something! Green, impressive with hidden beaches.

Comporta - it’s kind of a Portuguese Venice, but not at all. It is something that you want to see and experience. Long narrow wooden bridges getting you into fishermen boats. The sunset was incredible.

Praia da Vigia - another of my most favourite beaches. It’s located in Melides and it’s 40km long. There are hardly any people around and I loved it. Mia was running around, there was a feeling of space and you can do some horse riding over there! Can you imagine riding a horse on a beautiful beach? It’s the most amazing experience!

Porto Covo - this is a lovely little town. In the morning, fishermen go to look for octopus in between rocks and it feels homey. I hope to go back in winter and stay in Casa da Cabeca da Cabra , so I can enjoy walks next town ocean and feel the atmosphere of this area.

Praia do Brejo Largo -it was not easy to get there and to leave as well, we even got stuck. But it was definitely worth it. During the season the beach was almost empty, at least in the evening. It also is beautiful. You can walk around the dunes, which was pretty awesome as well.

Zambujeira do Mar - we all loved it! It’s a small town located on a rock and it’s definitely impressive. Beaches were cool, people friendly, the food good, beer cold ;) It’s one of my favourite spots, such a sweet vibe. We were walking around with Natalie and photograph everything possible.

Praia de Odeceixe - beautiful spot for a night, but on the other side of the river. We even put some lights outside as it was so stunning over there. The beach is wide and I saw quite a few surfers. In the evening, it’s empty and perfect to wander around.

Sagres - we mostly visited the port. It is tiny but full of life. Early in the morning you can meet many fishermen and they were super friendly. They must be, as they all take care of the many cats living over there.

Fortaleza de Sagres - beautiful minimalism, stunning views, awesome walk. Even Mia did it!

Sagres is also called the end of the world and at night the sky is covered with stars which you centrally see. We stayed overnight in Raposeira, on the rocks and it was definitely worth having this drive. There was also a man driving in his van around all the crazy spots where vans usually stop and selling fresh veggies and fruits (home delivery, well… almost).

Monsaraz - I am not being original over here, but, yet again, a stunning town. I could stay there for weeks, just to watch the sunset. It’s located quite a drive form a coast, but it’s worth it! Go there! It will be hot, really hot, but thankfully there are lakes in this area, where you can cool yourself down. We did :) I remember sitting on stairs, waiting for a table in a restaurant, chatting with friends and feeling happy.

Odemira - magical beach stop. Parking on a cliff, I can definitely imagine staying there for a night.

Praia dos Estudantes - definitely worth checking out and definitely very early in the morning, unless you like crowds. Lagos is a busy place during the season.

Almancil - our last stop. South is beautiful, but during the season so crowded that it made me miss north. Nevertheless, definitely worth seeing. I hope to be back, but this time of the season :)

Fruits Basket (2019) – 01 (First Impressions) – Anywhere Can Be Home

Honda Tooru’s backstory is almost comically tragic: her father died of an illness when she was three, and one day her mother was killed in an auto accident. The only relative who’d bring her in was her pensioner grandfather, for whom she didn’t want to be a burden.

Then his house needed months of renovations, so he told her it might be best if she moved into a friend’s house…only she felt too bad about staying at her one friend’s tiny apartment or to be another mouth to feed at her other’s. So she started living in a tent she bought on sale.

Unbeknownst to her, this tent is on private property belonging to the Souma family, one member of which, Yuki, is in her class. When they cross paths while she’s exploring her tent’s surroundings, she meets Yuki’s older cousin, Shigure.

When Yuki and Tooru walk to school together, his fan club, “Prince Yuki” aren’t having it, and give her a multi-pronged verbal attack. She’s saved by her yankee BFFs, Uotani and Hanajima, who you’ll remember, are not aware that their lovely friend is essentially homeless. But they have her back. In exchange, she helps them ace Home Ec by doing all the cooking, which she’s of course happy to do.

After school, Yuki walks with Tooru and they discuss the Zodiac (a subject first broached when she saw Shigure’s Zodiac knickknacks). In particular, Tooru voices her love of the Cat, even though it has no official place in the Chinese Zodiac. Tooru declares the Cat an “idiot” and that the math was never there for it to begin with. Before Tooru rushes off to work, Yuki tells her to look out for her health—no doubt sensing how thin she’s stretched.

After Tooru gives her appalling sad life story so far, through which she’s remained strong, upbeat, and committed to taking care of herself and burdening no one, we see her working so hard at her job that her older co-workers consider her a godsend.

Later that night, as she’s walking (or more accurately teetering) “home”—to her tent—she’s spotted by Yuki and Shigure, on a stroll of their own. That’s when she first learns she’s squatting on Souma land. Shigure can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of a high school girl living in a tent…but as Yuki says, it’s not that funny. And it isn’t! It’s heartbreaking!

It’s doubly heartbreaking because no one, not even someone as strong-willed and determined as Tooru, can go to school, keep up with her studies, and work as many jobs as she can to pay for that school, all while living in a tent. When Shigure hears a wolf howling, that indicates to him that there was a landslide nearby; possibly near her campsite.

They rush there to find her tent buried under a huge mound of earth, but because the photo of her mother is in there, she starts clawing at it, despite the fact she’s already running on fumes and about to keel over from fever and exhaustion. Shigure makes sure she’s in bed at their place while Yuki employs thousands of rats to help him dig out Tooru’s effects.

Wait…thousands of rats? What’s that about???

Before falling asleep, Tooru tells Shigure about how her mom only had a middle school diploma, and wanted her daughter to experience high school life rather than go right into the labor force. Tooru also recalls the last morning her mother was alive. She’s haunted by the fact she was studying all night and so slept in and didn’t get to say “itterasshai.” 

It was the one and only time she never said it, and that was the day she was killed in the accident. Like I said, Tooru’s story would be ridiculous if it weren’t presented to straight-forwardly and soberly. Once she’s out, Yuki admits that compared to her, he’s spoiled beyond belief.

After a dream of her mom that has her waking up with tears in her eyes, her first thought is to recover the picture, only to find Yuki outside, picture in one hand, and her other stuff in the other. He says there’s an extra bedroom on the second floor, and she’s welcome to stay there until the renovations at her grandfather’s are complete.

True to form, Tooru doesn’t want to be any trouble to them…but she isn’t. Besides, he and Shigure were just talking about how their household is in dire need of someone who is good at cooking and cleaning; Tooru likes doing those things—she even cooked for her mom! So it’s not like she’s going to be a freeloader.

All she has to do, Yuki says, is be Tooru and “go at her own pace.” That moves Tooru, because her mom said those same words to her.

It doesn’t take long for Tooru to learn that she’s not going to be the main source of trouble here, nor a source of strangeness. There’s plenty of that in the Souma family, as while they’re airing out her new room, a guy named Kyou who was lurking in a tree bursts through the ceiling and picks a fight with Yuki.

In the ensuing chaos, Tooru trips on a piece of wood and lands in Kyou’s chest in a kind of pseudo-hug. Kyou instantly transforms…into a cat. Her first thought is to rush him to a hospital, but a piece of wood falls on her head, and she falls into both Shigure and Yuki, transforming them into a dog and rat, respectively.

So there you have it; the secrets out: the Soumas are a family of animals representing the Chinese Zodiac, who normally have human form, but transform when hugged. Shigure understanding the wolves’ howling; Yuki’s inherent hatred of cats, it’s all explained. But more importantly, Tooru is no longer on her own.

There are people—strange, supernatural people, but people all the same—who have opened their home to her, and won’t hear of her roughing it any longer as she works herself into another fever. And while neither Yuki or Shigure represent a pig, their place is a mess, which is where Tooru’s skills come in. It’s a mutually beneficial situation.

I’m happy for Tooru, and can’t wait to see how her new housemates handle her discovering their secret. I may have gotten into this show nine weeks late, but it’s right up my alley, with a winning premise reminding me a lot of Kamisama Hajimemashita. Of course, that show is based on a manga first published seven years after the original anime adaptation of this show, so this has the older pedigree.

In any case, there’s a lot of warmth, moving drama, lighthearted comedy, and plenty of potential for romance here, and I’m looking forward to catching up with the rest of the anime-watching masses on what looks like one of the Spring’s consensus best.

By: magicalchurlsukui