peace-coast-island

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Picking herbs by the Crimson Maple River to soothe the mind and body

Medicinal herbs can help with all different kinds of ailments, physical ailments, that is. Well, there are some that can help with anxiety and fatigue, but when it comes to the mind, it’s not always easy and straightforward to treat. After all, healing takes time, and cures aren’t always a one size fits all kind of solution.

It seems like our camp and Epiphany meet ups end up being a lot more eventful than we expected. Again, it was one of those things where our paths ended up crossing, and we were here for similar reasons - that is, to collect herbs by the river.

Isabelle and Leif organized this trip months in advance because they wanted to collect herbs from certain areas where you need special clearance to get access to. Along with wanting to collect rare and usual plants, they are also looking for inspiration for future garden events. Part of the reason why those kinds of events are sporadic is because we have to prepare months in advance. And because it involves growing plants, which is a natural occurrence, there’s a lot of considerations to factor in - a lot of stuff that I won’t bother getting into detail about because it’ll take forever to explain. We’re here for the herbs and sightseeing, that’s really all to it.

The Epiphany’s here for the same, except there’s another reason for their visit. Captain Yang has relatives here, a cousin and a niece, both who are apothecaries. They’re not just any ordinary apothecaries, they happen to work for the Senlin Pavilion, which is, from my understanding, the center of Qiangshou. Yang’s cousin Aiwen had worked on and off at the pavilion for the past few decades, and in an unexpected twist of fate, her daughter Meiying has followed in her footsteps.

Meiying is said to be an expert on poisons and medicinal herbs, which caught the attention of a certain noble family, one whose head is the leader of Qiangshou known as the Tianlin. Basically, she ended up poking her nose into some affairs over there that ended up saving several lives, including the young daughter of the Tianlin, due to her extensive medical knowledge that goes far beyond the textbooks. Before she knew it, Meiying was roped into even more affairs - and inevitable drama - thanks to the young master, also known as the Xuelin, also known as the younger brother of Tianlin.

Over the past five years since she first accidentally stepped into the pavilion, Meiying has gained the reputation of the eccentric apothecary and the Xuelin’s right hand. The soil of Qiangshou is home to many rare plants, especially poisonous ones, so accidental poisoning is not uncommon, though it’s often a source of frustration for those who is not well versed in that subject. It’s no coincidence that the incidents of accidents and mysterious illnesses, as well as attempted murders and unsolved mysteries, have dropped since she got involved. Along with being an expert on all things poison and medicinal, Meiying has also found herself wrapped up in politics, as well as family affairs thanks to her connection to the Xuelin.

Right now there’s trouble brewing on the horizon in terms of various factions and family drama, which is why things have been unusually quiet at the pavilion. Meiying and her friends, as well as the Xuelin, have been told to keep out of those affairs as much as possible since it doesn’t concern them, which is why they suddenly have so much time on their hands now. Still, because his family’s right in the center of conflict, it’s inevitable that the Xuelin would get dragged into the conflict as well even though all of that has to do with matters that have been going on before he and the Tianlin were around.

Before that was going on, Captain Yang asked Meiying if she wanted to hop on the Epiphany for some adventures, and since she doesn’t really have that many opportunities to travel, she naturally accepted. After all, it would be helpful to have an apothecary on board, especially one who works with physicians on a regular basis. Although she could easily get into med school and become a doctor, Meiying’s only interested in concocting medicines and studying poisons. To her, the responsibilities of being a doctor or nurse or some other licensed healthcare position are too much of a hassle to deal with. Her current position allows her to have freedom to pretty much do whatever she wants without dealing with too many obstacles. With people like the Xuelin and Tianlin backing her up, most would not dare object to her inquiries.

The original plan was for the Epiphany to pick up Meiying, though now with everything going on at the pavilion, there’s been a slight change in plans. Yang was aware of an “unexpected development” when Aiwen told him that there was a guest who was staying with them for the time being. As it turns out, that person is none other than the Xuelin himself, known as Hongxia outside of the pavilion. And he is Aiwen’s patient, stricken down by an ailment that medicine alone cannot fix.

The way Hongxia puts it, in not so nice terms, his mental health’s too fucked up that he can’t function properly. I mean, there’s really no way to sugarcoat that - like, you’re in pretty bad shape for your body to suddenly shut down like that under a lot of mental stress. As one can expect, being a member of a high ranking and powerful family carries a lot of weight, and for some, the burdens are just too much to bear. Based on what Meiying hints, sounds like he’s the type to put others’s wellbeing at the cost of his own - in other words, he’s the sacrificial type who won’t stop until he inevitably crashes and burns out.

No wonder Meiying and Aiwen are so concerned about Hongxia, especially now that it’s clear that the source of his physical symptoms are due to emotional stress. It started out with the usual signs of overworking oneself like sleep deprivation, headaches, elevated heart rate and blood pressure - all warning signs that you need to take it easy. Apparently, it got so bad that he’s passed out at some points, which is obviously a very bad thing. It also didn’t help when he had to temporarily assume the Tianlin’s duties when he took ill, and that put a considerable strain on Meiying as well since she was tasked with the responsibility of taking care of them.

Although the Tianlin made a full recovery and has since then resumed his activities, there’s still the issue of infighting with the elders, specifically, certain relatives on their mother’s side who are intent on stirring up trouble. As the current head of the family, the burden falls on the Tianlin to deal with the conflict despite the fact that he and his mother want no part of it. Though they tried to keep Hongxia out of it, the elders seem intent on dragging him into their disputes as well, which, of course, contributed to the Xuelin’s deteriorating emotional wellbeing.

That’s the thing about dysfunctional families where everyone’s constantly fighting. No matter how much you try to avoid it, you can’t escape, not when these problems persist and no one’s working towards a solution. The current generations of Senlin’s highest nobles may be well respected now, but from what I’ve heard, they had a lot to clean up thanks to their predecessors. The Tianlin has proven to be successful in terms of righting past wrongs - misdeeds which he had absolutely nothing to do with, to be clear - but that doesn’t change the fact that there continues to be resentment and grudges within certain factions that seem to be growing worse as time went on. Sounds like an absolute nightmare to deal with.

For Hongxia, his troubles worsened when he woke up one morning unable to move his legs. Since he had been suffering from headaches more frequently, something he initially kept quiet about, the first thing they checked was for neurological conditions. To everyone’s surprise, despite extensive tests, there was no signs of anything like a tumor, lesion, or any structural abnormality that could explain the headaches and paralysis. And considering that he is the Xuelin, they checked for everything, only to be baffled when all the results turned out completely normal. If even the great apothecary Meiying and her esteemed master Aiwen were unable to explain what was going on, that is a great cause for concern.

Since pretty much every kind of physical explanation has been ruled out, the only reason left that’s plausible is that his symptoms are psychological. That’s not to say that it’s all in his head and it’s made up, it’s that when one is under a lot of emotional stress, it can manifest in physical symptoms. So regardless of the cause, the physical signs are very much real. I’ve heard about cases like that, and considering his circumstances, it sadly makes sense. Scary how something like that can happen.

And as it turns out, that seems to be the case, which is good news and bad news depending on how you look at it. The good news obviously is that there’s nothing physically wrong with him in the sense that he should be in good health - aside from exhaustion and stress. But when it comes to treating the psyche, you can’t just slap a bandaid or something and call it a day. Sure, getting away from the pavilion might have result in Hongxia’s symptoms nearly disappearing altogether, but what’s gonna happen when he returns home? It’s not like they can keep him away forever - after all, he is the Xuelin and he has responsibilities.

For now, Aiwen and Meiying’s focus is on making sure Hongxia gets plenty of rest, which is easier said than done. Yes, reducing stress will help a lot, but how does one do that? Like, you can’t just tell someone to drop everything in their life, not when the source of stress is life itself. Giving him time away from his duties only serves as a temporary solution that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the root of his problems, something that doesn’t have a clear cut answer.

Basically, it’s not as simple as taking away the thing that’s causing the stress. First of all, there’s no one tangible thing they can pinpoint. It’s far too complex. That’s the nature of emotional problems - kind of like trying to pick apart a single thread in a tangled mess of a web, is how Aiwen puts it. Mental health issues really are a bitch to deal with - maybe that’s why some would rather pretend they don’t exist, and that’s another problem entirely.

To help keep him busy, Aiwen assigned him to do a bunch of inventory and packaging stuff since he’s good at that and it seems to be therapeutic for him. She said that back then the shop and clinic was run just by her and Meiying. Then as Meiying began getting more involved in the pavilion’s affairs, it was just Aiwen running the place for a time until Meiying got her some assistants when things inevitably got busier. And with Aiwen also dividing her time between the shop and pavilion, Meiying trained an apprentice and an assistant to take over when both of them are unavailable.

However, with the current situation going on, they didn’t realize exactly how small the place was, especially when it usually housed two to three people at a time and there’s currently five under the same roof. Although things are a little cramped, they somehow make it work - that is, with the apprentice and assistant insisting on sleeping in the shack outside and the live-in patient taking residence in a walk-in closet. Even if those arrangements are temporary, Aiwen finds it unacceptable, so she’s been looking into adding a couple of extra rooms, something she had been considering for a while since taking in extra help. The timing happened to be perfect with Yang visiting and having Isabelle tag along.

Like I said, sometimes these spontaneous travels end up working out very well. We came here for herbs, Yang came to visit family, and Aiwen needed help with a possible home renovation. Okay, Isabelle and home renovation may be a stretch, but she’s a pro at this kind of stuff. Plus, us campers, I’d like to say, know our way around that as well. Nothing’s set in stone yet, though Isabelle’s working on a blueprint now, so I’ll keep an eye out for that when that gets finalized. Looks like we’ll be back here in the near future.

There’s also Yang’s offer for Meiying to join the Epiphany, which is definitely happening soon, but for now she has other matters to attend to. Since it’s best for Hongxia to stay away from the pavilion for a while, why not invite him along too? After all, what better way to get away from it all than to go out on an adventure? Of course, he’ll need to regain his strength and make arrangements before taking off, though Meiying’s pretty sure his family’s okay with it as long as it’ll help him. Since it’s the Epiphany, I know he’s in good hands.

Back to the main reason why we’re here - the herbs. Meiying’s the expert and it’s fun seeing her light up when talking about the plants and their medicinal properties. While she’s all for herbal medicine, she emphasizes the fine line between medicine and poison, which is why you must take care when concocting drugs the old fashioned way. Do something wrong and you might end up accidentally make yourself sick. What works for you might send someone else to the grave. When it comes to life and death, don’t take unnecessary risks, especially when you’re not willing to pay the price if something goes terribly wrong. Apothecaries, they take their work seriously.

For someone like Meiying, an ordinary working class nobody who stumbled into the lives of the nobles and has become somewhat of an infamous consultant, sounds like she’s got a lot riding on her shoulders. Yang described her as exceptional and even though I haven’t known her for long, I think she lives up to that description. Just on medicinal plants alone, she’s like a living encyclopedia!

The Crimson Maple River is her favorite place to gather herbs because it’s like a natural pharmacy. She wasn’t exaggerating - there’s so many different plants there, it’s actually kinda overwhelming. Of course, it would take forever to go through every single thing that grew there, so Meiying stuck to the basics. Though I think if Aiwen didn’t tell her, she easily could’ve gone on and on - not that I’d mind. Although some of the stuff she talks about kinda goes over my head, I still find it fun to hear her talk about stuff she’s passionate and knowledgable on.

Not surprisingly, we got a nice haul of herbs. The most common plant that grows by the river is called apricot sanguinary, which is often used for tea. Along with treating colds, nausea, and headaches, it also helps with anxiety and restlessness. Mix it with sparkling mugwort and you get a cocktail to help you wind down from a busy day. Take care to clean the berries well because the waxy outer layer is poisonous. A little bit won’t kill you, but it’ll cause an upset stomach. They dry nicely and are easy to store.

Wayside nightshade can be a medicine in small doses, but you have to be careful with the dosage because it’s very potent. A couple drops will help soothe pain from minor injuries like sprains, bumps, or bruises. The smell kinda reminds me of the ointment my mom sometimes uses, so maybe some of them use that. Extracting the oil isn’t too difficult so we’re gonna do that and then we’d have it on hand when needed.

Rocket inkberry yellowbark nettle is a mouthful to say, so most people call it riyne for short. I recall it being used in potions somewhere, the berries and seeds in particular. The leaves are often mixed with other herbs to treat dry cough, especially during the dry season. Its stems are dried and ground up into tablets to treat tension headaches. And the berries are often used for flavoring, the taste described as tart and sugary. The berries can be eaten fresh, but the texture is weird, like sandfruit, so it’s usually cooked down to get rid of that graininess.

Rum thimbleberry is often mixed with alcohol because of its sweetness. It’s also one of those things where you have to be careful with because it’s a very effective sedative. In fact, that’s one of the ingredients Meiying uses to treat Hongxia’s headaches. While they do help, the side effect is that it knocks him out for most of the day. Some use it for insomnia but Aiwen cautions against that, especially if you’re drinking pure rum thimbleberry, which is why it’s recommended to mix it with something to sort of dilute the effects.

Downy laceflower literally looks like lace - I’m not exaggerating! The plant fibers can actually be spun and woven into thread to make lace, which is super cool. The stems are edible, so they’re put in soups and congee like green onions and cilantro. Both flower and stem can also be dried and put in teas, or ground up into tablets. They’re effective for treating stomach aches, nausea, and cramps.

And there was a bunch of other stuff that requires a lot more care when harvesting, but to be safe, we stuck with the ones that were pretty straightforward. If you can get poisoned by handling it wrong, I’m not touching it. There were a few close calls, thankfully Meiying and Hongxia were quick to act - Laufey and Sushi have a tendency to be overly curious.

Foraging is fun but it has its risks - I’m just glad that I haven’t had any major incidents after doing it for so many years. Then again, I tend to play it super safe.

Of course, along with picking herbs, we did a bit of sightseeing. Along with wanting to show us around, Meiying also tries to take Hongxia out for fresh air. Having grown up in the pavilion, he doesn’t really have many opportunities to walk around the city, so it’s all kinda unfamiliar to him despite living here all his life. The life of a noble really is sheltered, it’s sad to see how much he missed out on.

Yeah, it would be great if he can join in on the Epiphany’s adventures. Meiying’s looking forward to it after hearing her uncle’s stories, and her enthusiasm’s contagious. Hongxia bets that the Tianlin will approve with it, especially since he knows Captain Yang pretty well and puts a lot of trust in Meiying. While it seems likely, we can’t get too ahead of ourselves just yet. Still, it can’t hurt to look forward and hope for the best.

Right now, however, it’s good to take it slow and focus on the present. Picking herbs and learning about them has been surprisingly relaxing and therapeutic for us. I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising since we’re being hosted by apothecaries? Still, it’s been fun learning from an expert who’s passionate about the subject, which in turn has made me more curious about it. And now that I’m definitely gonna be seeing more of Meiying and Hongxia in the future, I’m looking forward to learning about more medicinal herbs.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Searching for hidden gems while overcoming trust issues simply by doing our best

I try to generally keep a somewhat optimistic outlook on people, but sometimes I come across something and my reaction’s along the lines of disappointed but not surprised. The lengths some people will go to mistreat another and try to justify their behavior is disturbing, but I guess that’s in their nature. However, that doesn’t mean that they can get away with it all the time. Sooner or later, they’ll have to pay for their transgressions, and maybe that’s why it’s always good to hold out a tiny bit of hope that things will change for the better.

It’s not easy to escape a shitty situation, and it’s not easy moving on from it. Just because you’re in a much better place now doesn’t mean that the trauma you’ve experienced goes away overnight. Things like trust issues, anger and resentment, and the feeling of being broken and unlovable - those are the kinds of scars that stay with you. That doesn’t mean you can’t overcome them, it just takes a lot of time and effort, and it is far from easy.

What sparked this whole thing was two different incidents that are kinda connected in a way. But first, let me go back and explain why we’re in Yuexing for a sort of impromptu event. And what kind of activity would that be? A gyroid event, of course!

Globe gyroids are kinda uncommon and tend to pop up wherever and whenever they want. We know for certain that they tend to show up in places with high cliffs and soil rich with various minerals, and so Yuexing fits that description. And also, besides the gyroids, we’re also here to check out the jade since it’s said to be very high quality. Good thing I know someone who knows someone who can give us access to the good stuff without breaking the bank.

Connie was the one who heard about the globe gyroids and told me and Isabelle about it. Part of the reason why they invited us up here for that is so we can sort of provide a good distraction for some people who could really use a break. After the ordeal they went through, they really do deserve to take it easy.

What brought this on were Sophea’s latest clients, an adventuring trio dealing with harassment due to unsubstantiated rumors and likely just bad luck. Basically, three complete strangers came together to become an adventuring team, rising probably a bit too quickly in the ranks, causing some to become suspicious of their success. As with most cases like that, it’s just a series of coincidences and pure luck, especially when you consider their backgrounds and combined talents.

In this case, there’s the party leader Nikolai, a seasoned adventurer, so someone with a lot of expertise and knowledge when it comes to that kind of stuff. Then there’s Saff who, like Sophea, is half human and half mystical beast, so she’s someone with unique skills and life experiences. And then Cerise, who comes from a noble family of mages in another land, meaning they’re quite powerful in terms of politics and influence.

It’s not uncommon for underdogs to suddenly rise up in ranks, although it certainly does cast suspicion depending on who you ask. However, in most cases, these suspicions are unfounded - but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t instances where some people use underhanded methods to climb their way to the top. The investigations are really to protect the adventurers under question as often times these rumors are usually started by someone who opposes them, usually out of jealousy.

What made this particular case difficult is the parties that are involved. In other words, two separate but similar motives in an attempt to discredit someone. And to make matters even more complicated, it’s the kind of harassment that puts someone in danger, which is why law enforcement has to get involved. What a mess that is.

First, there’s Nikolai being outed by his former mentor. Said mentor was like a parent to him, the one who raised him to become a capable adventurer, groomed him to be his successor, blah, blah, blah. Except things didn’t go the way the mentor had planned because Nikolai - surprise, surprise - is his own person with his own thoughts, options, methods, and moral compass. Basically, his mentor’s adventure party is involved with a lot of shady stuff and he didn’t agree to that, which ultimately led to him getting kicked out.

Of course, at first Nikolai just went along with it because he had no other choice - can’t fault him for that. Still, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for being a bystander while his mentor and comrades get away with scamming others. And because they were quite wealthy and powerful, that inevitably complicated things as there was no way to fight back without repercussions.

Eventually, he reached his limit when a particular incident went too far. At least at that point, when they inevitably kicked him out, at least he’d be able to support himself for a time. He had hoped that his other party members would stand by his side, especially his now ex-girlfriend, only to be disappointed in the end. And now they’re claiming how they’ve been “deceived” by him after he was outed. Some friends they are.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to bounce back. He, Saff, and Cerise happen to regulars at a local bar, so that’s how they met. It was crowded that night and they ended up sharing a table. Then they got drunk and opened up to each other about their woes and trust issues. Next thing they knew, they headed off to the local adventure’s guild to register as a team.

Initially, they just went on missions so they could pay their bills, though as time went on, they slowly came to trust each other. It wasn’t long before they started taking on difficult missions and climbing the ranks. Really, there’s not that much to it other than that.

Saff, like Nikolai, was once affiliated with a party who later tossed her aside. She’s originally from the north, though she believes her mythical beast roots are from Yuexing, which was why she moved there. She didn’t go into much detail other than her so-called friends were just using her and taking all the credit for her accomplishments. And then one day, for reasons unknown, they decided she was of no use to them anymore, so they robbed her and left her for dead in the middle of a dungeon.

Somehow she got rescued and later found out that her party left to travel west while telling others that Saff met a tragic end. By the time she reported the incident, their whereabouts became unknown, so it’s out of her hands now. As soon as she recovered and was told to leave the rest up to the authorities, Saff left, determined to make a clean break. Although she could care less about her ex-friends, they are considered fugitives, so when they finally get caught - well, that’s another legal mess she’ll have to deal with later. Besides, with everything else going on, it’s a good thing that they’re not involved with the current situation.

Cerise, unlike the others, had no prior experience as an adventurer. Despite hailing from a prestigious clan, she was treated like an outsider because she is disabled, which they are ashamed of. She considers it a mixed blessing that her parents sent her off to boarding school as it distanced herself from them. Although she’s the eldest, she was always infantilized and bullied, especially by her younger siblings and cousins. Had she stayed home, she doubts she’d be alive by now. Yikes.

She figured that when word got out that she had become an adventurer, no one would care. Instead, what she got as a response was not only hostility, but straight up harassment from certain people in her family. Cerise knew that they had little faith in her, though she never thought that they seriously assume that she had malicious intentions or something. She was under the false assumption that if she was able to prove that she could stand on her own, she’d finally get the respect she rightfully deserves. If only it were that simple…

Instead, when they realized that Cerise could take care of herself given the right accommodations, they interpreted that as her needing to be coddled in order to do the bare minimum, therefore, she’s nothing but a spoiled brat who can’t take care of herself. Again, yikes. She stopped expecting too much from them a long time ago, but when they started making her question whether or not she deserves autonomy over her own life, it’s no wonder why it’s hard for her to stand up for herself.

Cerise and Saff’s troubles began not too long after Cerise’s family heard about the investigation. Saff was unwittingly dragged into the family drama and lost her cool when she witnessed the bullying Cerise had to put up with. So she jumped to her friend’s defense, though she admits that she overstepped her boundaries a bit - still, she meant what she said for the most part. She and Cerise didn’t expect her siblings and cousins to blow things way out of proportion, labeling Cerise as a helpless puppet and Saff as manipulative mastermind. In other words, it was a private dispute turned into a spectacle, which inevitably added even more fuel to the fire. Situations like that never turn out well for both sides regardless of who’s right or who’s wrong.

The initial investigation was nothing remarkable, just a routine thing to make sure no one’s cheating, or abusing their power, or pulling some strings - and that should’ve been it. But no, now some people with petty grudges had to come in and start up some flames of their own. And for what? Revenge? Jealousy? Or are they just a bunch of whiny bitches who can’t stand the fact that their victims are doing better without them? Beats me. Though, considering the roots of these attacks are basically transphobia and ableism, it’s pretty obvious what their angle is.

As if the harassment and bullying isn’t enough, Cerise came across another thing that’s pretty fucked up. Basically, her siblings and cousins have been making bets on how Cerise will die because, A, adventurers live a high-risk lifestyle, and so their lifespans if they’re a mortal human are obviously shorter. And B, there’s a likely chance that she would commit suicide. So they’re making bets on whether she’d die by accident, murder, or suicide - what the fuck. And not only that, they also plan on profiting from her death, making it out to be sensational tragedy or something to draw sympathy or something. I’m like okay…that’s really fucked up and disrespectful…what the fuck is wrong with these people?

In light of that disturbing information, that prompted Sophea and Connie to tell the trio to get their affairs sorted out. They may not have much to their names right now, but that won’t stop their enemies from taking advantage of them when they’re dead. In Nikolai’s case, if he doesn’t put an executor on paper, his old mentor could easily swoop in and take over. So that means nothing would stop him from not only stealing what little property and assets he had, it’s also likely that he’d bury Nikolai under his deadname, leaving him to be misgendered and disrespected for eternity. What better way to disrespect the dead than to disregard their identity?

In Cerise’s case, Sophea notes some similarities with a high profile case she took on recently that’s still on the public’s mind. It involved the downfall of a once prestigious clan following various scandals, including allegations of abuse towards the former master’s eldest daughter. The daughter, like Cerise, has a mild intellectual disability, and so her father was ashamed of her existence. Thankfully, after she was thrown out of the house, another family took her in, and the head of that family, a general whose sister is an acquaintance of Sophea’s, later proposed to her.

Not too long after Lifeng took Shuyi under his wing, the allegations came out, which Shuyi’s father tried to deny at first. Some time later, Shuyi was reunited with her mother’s family, who were forced to cut off contact when her mother married into the Yulin clan. Basically, it was an arranged marriage for political reasons. After his first wife died, the former head of the Yulin clan married his mistress and they had a daughter who was going to be his successor.

While getting reacquainted with her mother’s relatives, Shuyu and her uncle came across her mother’s will that was hidden away long ago. To no one’s surprise, the Yulin head forged his first wife’s will so he could put himself as executor and take everything for himself. There has been suspicions, but without evidence, like an actual physical document, it was only speculation. As the family suspected, the authentic will maintained her brother as the executor and her daughter as the sole benefactor. And that put the final nail in the coffin for the Yulin clan.

The last thing Shuyu and Lifeng wanted was for the whole thing to become a public spectacle, but the ex-master apparently was desperate to save face. The legal mess that followed thanks to him was a nightmare, so most legal advisors dared not to get involved. Sophea was understandably reluctant too, but because she’s well acquainted with the Tianyu clan and is known to not be easily swayed or bribed, she was the best advisor who could put this potentially drawn out legal debacle to a swift end.

Because two powerful families are involved, the case was bound to draw a lot of attention. The general public was sympathetic to Shuyu and felt she deserved what was rightfully hers. When her father realized that, he tried to justify his abuse towards her in some desperate attempt to gain favor. Obviously, it didn’t work, and that led to an infamous confrontation in the courtroom when he made some speech about how his daughter was feebleminded and that she would never amount to anything - basically shit like it’s for her own good or she wouldn’t have known better.

By then, Shuyu was understandably fed up and told her father to go fuck himself, which surprised everyone in the room because she was said to be soft spoken and somewhat passive. Then again, we all have out limits. Sophea had a feeling that if it wasn’t for the fact that he was in public, he probably would’ve killed his daughter right on the spot. In the end, the Yulins refused to accept their downfall and committed suicide, blaming Shuyu for what happened. Shuyu’s sister is missing, though most likely dead considering how loyal she was towards her parents.

There’s still a lot of unresolved stuff with the Yulin case, but at least Shuyu’s no longer in their clutches. Sophea has to work with the estate in terms of giving Shuyu the money and property that’s rightfully hers, which will take a while considering the mess her father left behind. It’s not an ideal resolution, though it’s a start. As long as Shuyu’s safe and happy, that’s what really matters in the end.

With that case fresh in her mind, it makes sense that Sophea wants to make sure Nikolai, Cerise, and Saff get their affairs in order to avoid an incident like with Shuyu’s mother. It may not seem like a big deal, especially if you think you don’t have much to your name, but people should have a say in regards to how they want their death to be handled. It’s just basic decency and respect. Plus, in places like Yuexing, it’s also a cultural thing - deaths and funeral rites are big deal over there, so it must be done with utmost respect.

In light of finding out that certain people are making a game out of her supposed death in hopes of profiting off it, Cerise wants to know all she can about the topic of making a final will and testament to avoid being exploited when her time comes. Nikolai, knowing full well that his former mentor’s the type to disrespect someone’s wishes just because he can, also wants to delve more deeply into that - not just to protect himself, but to also protect others in a similar situation. Saff’s indifferent, mainly because she’s not a mortal, but that doesn’t mean she’s invincible. Better get those final affairs sorted out now rather than never, Sophea and Connie had warned her. They would know.

Despite the heavy stuff they’re dealing with, the trio’s glad that most of their troubles are behind them now that Sophea and Connie are helping out. Nikolai’s former mentor is currently in a lot of hot water because of an unrelated problem and now that the general public knows about his various transgressions like harassing and outing his former student, it’s safe to say that there’s no coming back from that. Whatever happens to his ex-mentor from here on out is no longer Nikolai’s concern.

As for Cerise, her situation’s a bit more complicated, but for now, the best thing she can do is shut them out, which is fine by her. Besides, with one of Yuexing’s best legal advisors around, Cerise knows that her family isn’t stupid enough to fight a losing battle unlike a certain former clan. Plus, she’s done trying to bend over backwards just to get approval from those who will never respect her. She’s found people who care for her unconditionally and won’t get mad at her for being slow and constantly make mistakes, and she’s found that to be more than enough. If certain people have an issue with that, well, fuck them for hating on someone’s happiness.

The one upside to all of this mess is that it allowed the trio to really get to know each other. The three admit to having trust issues, which is understandable given what they’ve been through, which was what ended up bringing them together. Despite being jaded by what they’ve had to deal with, it made them more determined to believe that people are still inherently good. Just because they’ve suffered doesn’t give them permission to do the same to others, and that’s what probably kept them from becoming completely disillusioned.

Nikolai said it best about how there’s a lot of suffering in the world already and it’s getting old. Break the cycle, so to speak. I see where he’s getting at and I think he’s right. People with that mindset are the ones who get things done and see to it that things change for the better.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Exploring the shops of Skybelle Mall and taking a class in dyeing yarn

It’s happening - once I went down the rabbit hole of knitting garments I was exposed to the world of yarn. They really weren’t kidding when they say that getting into fiber arts can get dangerous! To be honest though, I don’t think it’s something I’ll be doing often because of how much work goes into it, not to mention how expensive the supplies are - still, it was a lot of fun and now I have a sweater quantity of lovely hand dyed yarn!

The Skybelle Mall is the center of Skybelle City, literally and figuratively. Even though it’s a mall, it feels more like a classy resort. There’s a lot of shops and restaurants obviously, but the general vibes of all these places feel homey. While visitors come here to shop, the locals come here to unwind and socialize. It’s almost like a little town within the city.

Along with checking out the shops and classes they have to offer, Arabella invited us over to check out the community college that’s right next to it. The location happens to be convenient as a lot of the students at Fortuna Community College also work at the shops around here either part-time or under an internship or apprenticeship. Most of the shop keepers and instructors are actually graduates from Fortuna, and for a lot of them, the lives they’re living right now was considered impossible or improbable had they not come here.

What makes Fortuna unique is that over half their students come here for a new start. Their circumstances vary from growing up in a place where education was inaccessible, refugees, former criminals, abuse victims - all sorts of situations that require a clean break. Since a lot of these people likely have little to no support, the purpose of Fortuna’s Special Circumstances Program is to help them out every step of the way.

The program’s been around for almost 30 years and has a high success rate. Of course, it’s not perfect, though most who fail or drop out are more likely those who don’t put the effort in and expect an easy way out, which is not how the program works. Along with providing a good education and giving out GEDs, they also offer various services like counseling, healthcare, help with employment, programs to support those with families, housing - it’s really comprehensive.

One of Arabella’s friends from college, Kara, is now part of the English department over there. She teaches a traditional undergrad course as well as a basic literacy course in the Fortuna program. Getting a position as a faculty member in the Fortuna program isn’t an easy process because while a job like that would be fulfilling for those who truly have a passion to teach, it is by far an easy one. Because a lot of the students come from special circumstances that often require a lot of one-on-one interactions, that kind of thing obviously isn’t for everyone, especially when dealing with students who are dealing with so much that in most places, they’d simply be written off as “problematic” or “uncooperative.”

In other words, if you aren’t equipped to deal with difficult people because you don’t have the patience or it takes too much out of you, then this kind of position wouldn’t be a good fit. There’s a reason why the staffing over there is so selective because it’s understandable why some people, despite having very good qualifications, won’t last long here. And as Kara said, that’s not entirely a bad thing, but it’s one of those places where you really have to consider, “Am I willing to put in the time and effort to work with people like them?” Part of the reason why Fortuna has been successful is because they really take the time to make sure the faculty is on top of things so that they can follow through on their promises. For those at a huge disadvantage, having a strong support system really makes a difference.

Kara first heard of the Fortuna during high school through a friend whose distant cousin got their GED through there and later went on to become a physician. The cousin was from a branch of the family that was estranged, and so her whereabouts went unknown for years until by chance, a relative found her and took her in. Basically, she was kidnapped by her father when she was young, a fact that she was unaware of until he abandoned her when she was around her mid-teens, forcing her to live out on the streets for a time before her aunt was able to confirm her identity.

While exploring Skybelle, we got to meet a couple students from the Fortuna program. Aina and Saku are in Kara’s basic literacy class, both studying to get their GEDs. They’re a young married couple who left their homeland when a civil war broke out. They kinda played an indirect role in that because of their connection to the main village and the former chief’s family. The way Saku put it, there was already a lot of political instability that had been brewing for decades, so it didn’t take long for rebels like them to topple it.

They pretty much lucked out because Saku is affiliated with a former general and her comrades, who are all under protection from an outside faction that serves to help refugees like themselves. What that basically means is that they’ve pretty much severed their ties to their homeland, which in turn prevents them from being targets of retaliation by enemies who intend to bring them back by force without severe consequences. In other words, they came from an isolated nation where it was designed to keep foreigners from entering, as well as prevent those born there from leaving.

Before the war, Saku and Aina attempted to leave and were nearly executed. In fact, it was that incident that led Saku to get a pardon that involved a mission that was supposed to be impossible to complete as the officials assumed that he wouldn’t survive. Well, they were wrong. The trial proved to be difficult, even for a trained assassin like Saku, and considering what little options he had, as well as the fact that it wasn’t just his life that was on the line, he did whatever he could to complete the objective. However, he never expected to kick off a civil war in the end, even if it was inevitable.

As for the connection they have with the main village, it turns out that Aina was the illegitimate daughter of the chief. She was labeled as a punishment who should be hidden away, and she credits that to how she became different from the rest of the family as their neglect left her to her own devices. The scar on her face that blinded her right eye is a mark she wears proudly as it was the chief’s failed attempt to shut her down after she spoke back to him one too many times.

The more he tried to shackle her, the sneakier she became - that’s how it usually works in these kinds of situations. Apparently, he thought by wedding her to Saku, his most loyal weapon at the time - yikes - he assumed that Saku would be able to tie her down. Instead, the opposite happened - Aina influenced Saku to break out of that mentality of seeing himself as a mere weapon whose sole purpose was to bring destruction to maintain order, which ended up saving his life.

The arrangement started out awkward at first since they were strangers despite being raised by the same family, but over time it evolved into genuine love and devotion that made them even more determined to leave their homeland. Aina managed to get glimpses of the outside world through things like social media, which was heavily censored over there. Since she struggled with reading due to a learning disability that went undiagnosed until recently, a lot of her knowledge of the outside came from vlogs and video essays. Knowledge really can be a weapon.

Eventually, her influence began to rub off on Saku, who came to realize that there is life outside of accepting orders and taking the lives of those who don’t follow the rules. The nation basically trained children to become assassins, objects that authority figures used for their own convenience and benefit. These figures thrive on ignorance and blind obedience, so these assassins are raised to think they are nothing but killing machines.

Not surprisingly, they’re desensitized to violence and death, which contributes to how the public sees them as inhuman. To think that Saku was well on his way to becoming just another disposable tool - it’s a good thing that Aina managed to get through to him. It’s hard to break out of a mindset that’s been ingrained into you since you were born, but that doesn’t mean that people can’t change.

Of course, in order to make any meaningful change, it’s up to the other person to decide. In Saku’s case, he made the conscious decision to question the way he was raised after getting a glimpse of the outside world through Aina. He said he was also intrigued by Aina’s insistence for normality with little things like expressing gratitude, living in the moment - things that have nothing to do with bloodshed and violence. It wasn’t long before he began questioning every aspect of his life, which naturally made him an enemy as he was no longer a convenient tool for them. Again, they’re the kind of people who prey on ignorance, so anyone who questions their word is automatically considered an enemy.

Along with Aina, Saku also credits Kaori, the former general who accompanied him on his mission, for saving his life by ensuring his survival. Like him, she had long grown disillusioned with the higher authority, and so when she realized that he could be a potential ally, she encouraged him to defy fate by accomplishing the mission. Neither one ever thought something like that would set off a domino effect kind of thing, which they admit they still don’t fully understand themselves. Sometimes things just work out like that.

Basically, because of Kaori’s rank and status, she was able to use her authority to protect as many civilians as she could from the impending storm. She wishes she could do a lot more, but what little she was able to manage made a huge difference, something Saku and Aina emphasized. It was her connections that allowed a lot of people such as themselves to leave the nation safely and seek refuge in other lands.

Saku and Aina spent a couple years in a refugee camp working odd jobs so they can settle down somewhere, ultimately choosing Skybelle City because of its location as well as the Fortuna program. Kaori spent about a year in the same camp before going off traveling with her partner, a former shinobi who also accompanied Saku on his mission. The two are on the road a lot, though since Saku and Aina have a place of their own now, they stop by the city often when they’re nearby.

While she plans to keep on traveling, Kaori’s looking for a place in the city so she can be closer to the couple now that she’s gonna be a godmother to their kids. It’s still a surprise to them that in the summer they’ll be having twins, so they’re excited and kinda nervous. Aina’s glad that they’ll be summer babies as it won’t disrupt her schooling too much since they’ll be on break by the time they come. Now that she’ll be a mother, she’s more determined than ever to get her GED to set a good example to her kids. Saku felt the same - he admitted to being a bit indifferent about getting a degree until he realized what it really meant for his future.

After hearing about what Aina, Saku, and Kaori have been through, I’m glad that their lives have taken a turn for the better. Even though it’s been a couple years since they moved here, Aina says it still feels like an impossible dream that she never wants to wake up from. To think that living a mundane and ordinary life seems like a luxury to some people…

Another one of Kara’s students in the Fortuna program, Barbara, also joined us. Her story isn’t as harrowing like most of her peers as she had a cushy upbringing, something she admits to having mixed feelings about. She came from a well-off family, so she considers herself as sort of spoiled and sheltered - not in a bad way, more like that’s kinda the norm where she’s from. The best way she can explain her hometown is that life is pretty relaxed over there, which is not a totally bad thing, but it can feel kinda shallow and stifling.

Like Aina, Saku, and Kaori, Barbara’s homeland is kinda isolated and cut off from most of the world, though in her case, it’s more because of the location than politics. Back home, she was a party girl - and she still kinda is, though obviously her studies come first. Her main priorities at the time was having fun and keeping up with fashion trends, so a very materialistic type of lifestyle. That’s just how the people are over there - not exactly superficial, just really sheltered and cushioned.

Then stuff happened and Barbara got a glimpse of the outside world. Seeing how complicated and confusing the world really was, she ended up going through multiple existential crises. I imagine that it would be such a shock to her, stepping into a world where everything’s so different. Even though it scared her, she became intrigued by the complexities of life, especially after meeting some people who were patient enough to deal with her naivety, which often got her into a lot of trouble at first.

She eventually went back home, but found it stifling and unfulfilling. Her friends tried to help her, except they didn’t know how because she herself didn’t understand why she felt so restless. Then that led to another existential crisis where she tries something, putting in a lot of time and investment in it, only to get bored and jump on to the next new thing that attracted her attention. That whole act got old soon and Barbara decided that she really needed to take action by do something drastic. So she contacted her friends from Sunnyville to explore the possibility of her moving there.

For now, Barbara’s living with Rita, who she calls her hero as she was the one who helped her out so much that she’s indecisive on how to repay her. Since Rita’s birthday is coming up, she signed up for the yarn dyeing class so she can crochet something for her. Right now she’s busy adjusting to life over here as well as keeping up with classes, but when the semester ends, Barbara hopes to get a part-time job or internship at Skybelle. Once she’s saved up enough money, she plans to move into her own place, already having a neighborhood in mind that’s not too far from Rita’s. And in a couple years when she graduates from Fortuna, she plans to continue to her bachelor’s, and maybe master’s too. Sounds like she’s got a good idea of what she wants for her future - good for her!

The yarn dyeing class was a lot of fun, though potentially dangerous if I decide to pick this up more. Barbara plans to use her pink pastel yarn to crochet a throw blanket for Rita. Aina wants to knit more baby stuff, so she managed to convince Saku and Kaori to join the class too since that means she’ll get more yarn to work with. Arabella and Kara dyed a bunch of mini skeins so they can make small accessories to give as gifts. Daisy Jane went for a sweater quantity like me for a future project.

I went for a warm orangey reddish brown because I want a sweater in that color after seeing someone’s else hand knitted sweater they nicknamed the pumpkin spice sweater. Also, I don’t really have that many reds and oranges in my wardrobe, especially with my me-made knitwear. I know for sure that this will be perfect for the fall and I already have a pattern in mind that’s perfect for this yarn.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Pushing the limits when it comes to macarons and spilling tea on some latest drama

The sun’s coming out more, which means more time outdoors for campsite events. Because now the flowers are blooming, it seems fitting to throw a spring themed baking event involving macarons.

Although I like to think I’m slightly above average when it comes to baking, macarons is one of those things that I’m intimidated by. Part of it has to do with my failed attempt a very long time ago because I followed some recipe from a game - it was legit, by the way, and I had followed a different recipe from there that turned out successful - but I guess I didn’t read it carefully and things went really wrong. Basically, for some reason, despite almond flower being on top of the ingredients list, I failed to see that. So imagine my confusion when all I got was a mess of eggs and sugar.

Aside from that - which, to be clear, was entirely my fault for having 0 reading comprehension - what put me off from making macarons is the work that gets put into it. Macarons have a reputation for being finicky and whipping egg whites is not easy. It’s one of those things where you have to get just right or else it won’t work out.

Aurelie’s one of those people who’s a professional at making macarons effortlessly. Part of it has to do with them being a popular dessert where she’s from, so she has access to a lot of tips, tricks, and variations that most people living elsewhere wouldn’t have. While Marippe’s macarons look a lot like the French macarons most are familiar with, there are some differences in terms of techniques on how to make them.

In other words, the Marippe way of making macarons does require some technique, but it’s a lot forgiving compared to the traditional way of making them. That explains why Aurelie can easily whip up a batch on the spot when she’s on the go. Of course, she’s had years of practice and developed a bunch of tips and tricks to put her own spin on things - it’s amazing! Also, the idea of carrying around your own portable oven with baking ingredients ready to go just sounds super fun.

Along with Aurelie, the other participants in this event are Ayaka, Coralie, Mamrou, Akira, Hanzou, Michi, and Kana. Before coming here, Coralie, Ayaka, Akira, and Kana were working with Madeleine on a film project that ended up being scrapped due to controversies regarding the co-director. There’s a lot going on with him, so the girls have a lot of tea because they really dodged a bullet when the film got cancelled.

Basically, the whole thing was doomed from the start when Sid, the controversial figure, got involved. Madeleine was kinda roped into letting him get involved because he put her in a difficult position where if she turned him away, he would slander her. Due to complicated political stuff, as well as the attempted murder a while back, because of the fact that Madeleine is still kind of a polarizing figure to some, she had no choice but to play it safe. At least she was able to make some demands of her own, like keeping Ayaka, Coralie and Kana as part of the cast and crew.

The whole thing predictably turned out to be a disaster with Sid being a conceited egotistical asshole whose sole purpose was inflating his ego and aggravating Madeleine, as Kana bluntly put it. I caught wind of the drama online and damn, if this guy’s career hadn’t ended a long time ago, it should be as good as dead now considering how more people are opening up about his unprofessional conduct.

There’s a lot going on, however, the main thing is that he seems to have it out for Madeleine for some reason. She’s used to having enemies and pretty much all forms of slander at this point, so it doesn’t really register as a threat to her. Still, she can’t help but find it strange that someone would really go out of their way to make her look as bad as possible by trying to turn her friends against her and act like they’re doing the world a favor by doing so. Sounds like an ego problem to me.

The upside of this, however, is that he made the mistake of antagonizing Fontaine and Josette to the point that they made a joint statement on social media about the whole thing, which is unheard of. Both of them are the type who stay out of drama, mainly because their jobs require them to be impartial, as well as their preference to deal with problems swiftly and immediately without bringing attention to themselves. When someone slanders their friend, there’s no way in hell they’re gonna keep quiet. Good for them!

After the stabbing incident, it’s understandable why Fontaine and Josette have become overprotective of Madeleine. The stress from dealing with Sid caused her wound to open up again, though it was thankfully not as bad as last time. Still, that’s pretty scary. And of course, Sid spun that in a way that makes her look bad with his claims about how her incompetence was the reason why they were always behind schedule. There were a lot of problems going on regarding the production, but a medical emergency had little to nothing to do with it.

As for why Josette and Fontaine decided to speak out, it has to do with them being fed up with Sid’s ego. He basically insinuated that the only reason anyone would want to associate themselves with Madeleine was because of her former status. And now that she voluntarily stepped down as a leader to live life as a lowly mortal, it won’t be long before her influence fades and everyone forgets about her. He really made it look like she was trying too hard to stay relevant by using others, which actually describes him.

Josette said the most infuriating thing about him is how he’d act overly familiar, saying things like how she must be tired of Madeleine and can’t wait to ditch her as soon as she can. Just because she’s no longer her subordinate doesn’t mean that they can’t be friends. Josette had always looked out for Madeleine’s wellbeing, not because it’s her job as her right hand woman, but because she genuinely cares about her. So hearing Sid insist that she’s gonna eventually drop Madeleine once she’s no longer relevant irritated her. She told him that he had no business saying shit he knows absolutely nothing about, but not surprisingly, if it didn’t fit in with his version, he didn’t bother listening.

Fontaine was also uncomfortable and aggravated by Sid acting like he knew more about his relationship with Madeleine than he did, suggesting things that aren’t even close to the truth. It also didn’t help that Sid was clearly putting up an act by acting super respectful towards him in order to gain favor, which is nothing new for Fontaine. He found it outright insulting when Sid insisted that he only put up with Madeleine for all those centuries because of her position, and now that he’s taken her spot, she’s using him and his influence for her own gain.

Yikes, I’d be offended too. Why do some people like to barge in and act like they know more about you and your relationships than yourself. They really think they know it all, getting overly defensive when proven wrong despite the evidence staring them right in front of their eyes. Maybe they’re just delusional or something, I don’t know.

I haven’t known Madeleine and Fontaine for long, but from the few times I’ve interacted with them, even I can confidently say that Sid’s claims that their relationship is purely based on status and personal gains is a load of bullshit. Kana believes he’s just projecting because he seems like the kind of person who would easily toss aside someone if they failed to meet his arbitrary standards, so he’d assumed everyone would do the same with Madeleine. When it was clear to him that was not the case, he got aggressive and decided to take matters into his own hands, which obviously backfired.

Coralie also had a bad interaction with Sid that she found says a lot about him as a person. His now former assistant was his half sister who he got a kick out of bullying, and she’s starting to open up about the abuse she had to deal with from him. He didn’t like the fact that Nikka was getting along with everyone, so he thought it would be a good idea to “warn” Coralie about her. He went on about Nikka being an alcoholic and a good-for-nothing who needed to be disciplined, using insulting and derogatory language while saying shit like “It’s for her own good.”

Not only that it was totally untrue, Coralie found it insulting how he talked about alcoholics like they’re stupid idiots who deserve to be humiliated. The whole thing really struck a nerve with her because she and her mother are recovering alcoholics, so she told him off. If Nikka really did have a problem with addiction, then she deserves to be treated with compassion, not humiliation - that, she speaks from experience. Not surprisingly, he stopped talking to her after she told him off, which was fine by her considering she thought he was a creep.

Kana did not hold back when it came to criticizing him. She knows what it’s like to be in a position where you can’t really fight back because the other party will find a way to turn your words against you, so she was able to help Madeleine stand her ground. Kana also had her share of having to work with people like Sid, egotistical maniacs who think they can stand on top by knocking down others they perceive as a threat by spinning webs of lies to make themselves look good. If given the power, they can easily deceive the general public, but once you start poking holes in their grand delusions, the veil unravels and instantly falls apart.

I’ve heard a bit about Kana from Sumi, Ayaka, Coralie, and Madeleine. She’s originally from Sango and later moved to Marippe when her fashion design career began to take off. The fashion scene and culture is very different, so she got some vocal naysayers when she forged her own path by incorporating both styles, as well actively working towards making high fashion more accessible to the general public. Even though Kana’s now made a name for herself in the fashion world, there’s still some who believe her style’s too niche and is merely a passing trend. At this point, it’s kinda ridiculous to keep making those claims. And let’s be honest, it’s clear that most of that pushback has to do with elitism and racism.

Like Josette, Kana has a reputation of dealing with troublesome matters swiftly, though in her case, she goes for more unconventional solutions that get straight to the point. Coralie has to keep her in rein when things get a bit out of hand, though they’ve known each other long enough that she’s willing to look the other way depending on the situation. She’s blunt and firm in her convictions, which naturally makes her difficult to work with at times, especially with those who tend to be more closed minded and conservative. In other words, she earned her reputation and respect by staying true to herself.

After the success of Silk Ribbons and Ochre Roses, it makes sense that most of the cast and crew would be willing to work together again. Coralie had some vacation time, so she went to visit Ayaka in Sango and had a lot of fun over there. Along with meeting more of the Sango crew, she discovered two new loves: collecting figurines and tempura. Before heading home, Mamoru and Ayaka surprised her with a giant package of tempura mix, which is sweet. She actually had to store the box in a hard to reach spot so she won’t be tempted to use it all up so quickly. As for the figurines, she admits to spending a significant part of her paycheck on a bunch of merch and has no regrets about it.

Now that Kana’s part of Connie’s party, Coralie hopes they’ll get teamed up together for a mission in Sango since it’s been a couple years since Kana visited and a lot has changed about her hometown since then. Like many others, she was intrigued by the travel opportunities an adventurer has access to, which not only opens up for new inspiration, but it also allows her to get connected with all kinds of people from various walks of life. As someone whose business strives on new and innovative ideas, she’d be a fool to turn down an offer like that.

And yes, now there’s talks of a fashion event led by Kana. Nothing concrete yet as we’re at that stage where we’re just throwing ideas around and seeing what sticks. I’m leaning towards gyroid as there’s lots of opportunities for that. She’s never worked with gyroids before so she’s intrigued by the idea of crafting with them. Gyroids are just amazing things, aren’t they?

As for the baking event, it was a lot of fun! Like I said, there are some differences between the traditional French macarons and Marippe’s macarons, the biggest thing being their sweetness level. Marippe’s macarons are noticeably less sweet, which is why they can get away with making huge ones, like ice cream sandwich sized ones. Also, the way they make the merengue is much more forgiving, so it’s not the end of the world if you end up slightly over or under mix it.

Being the kind of person who likes to keep things exciting, of course Aurelie would experiment with macarons by coming up with all kinds of unusual flavors. She’s the type of person who would try weird stuff, not so much for the taste, but for the experience. Spicy, savory, bitter, or some weird combo of two or more, she’s tried it! Of course, depending on the ingredients used, a lot of them end up being fails because it messes up the merengue. Baking really is a balance of art and science.

So along with baking, part of the fun of this event is foraging for ingredients to try out. I was aware that Aurelie liked to push the limits when it comes to baking, but I never imagined she’s use fish for savory macarons. It was worth a try, but that obviously ended up as a fail. I mean, it’s impressive that she managed to turn that into a macaron, though I think that might be taking things a bit too far. Berries are considered a safe option, though some type work much better than others, specifically those that are more firm and have less juice.

And I guess it shouldn’t surprise me as much as it does, but the type of spices and herbs you use also makes a big difference. Since the camp has access to all kind of things you typically won’t be able to find anywhere else, of course we’d go all out for experimenting. I found it a good opportunity to use up stuff that’s been lying around forever, so it’s not really a waste if it turns out to be a fail if it’s something I absolutely have no use for.

Aside from coming up with unique flavors, we also experimented with other aspects. Like tempura macarons for example, which Coralie and Michi came up with. Mixed results on that as it was super inconsistent, though the successful ones turned out pretty decent. With more experimentation to tweak things out, maybe this could become a thing. Stir frying was a bit weird, even with savory macarons, but at least we can say we’ve tried it. Steaming turned out to be a mess while boiling it quickly became a disaster. Anything’s fair game when it comes to experimenting!

If I knew more about the technical and chemistry stuff related to baking, all of this information will definitely be useful. Aurelie does keep notes on the results, which she plans to share with others like Xiang. I’m kinda intrigued but also scared of what these two are capable of when it comes to the weird and unusual!

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#animal crossing pocket camp #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug #animal crossing

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Like with hopes and dreams, the flowers too will bloom again someday

Wildflowers are said to be surprisingly resilient despite their delicate appearance. It’s said that the sight of them growing in desolate places is considered a good omen, so it’s something people look out for during difficult times. There have been some cases when the flowers that emerged were once believed to be extinct, which makes their reappearance even more telling.

This flower event with Leif and Nabil has two purposes. One is just being a fun event, especially since it’s been forever since we’ve really used the garden for something. I hate to admit it, but I’ve kinda fallen out of practice when it comes to planting flowers. Really, if it wasn’t for events, I don’t have much of a reason to tend to the garden myself.

The second reason has to do with Nabil’s research regarding the reemergence of rare wildflowers that were thought to be extinct. There’s one in particular that seems to be popping up in a lot of places, and they’re called Chilling Snowdrops. They’re named that because the petals kinda look like icicles and tend to grow in colder climates where there’s usually not a lot of sun.

It’s believed that the Chilling Snowdrops died out due to constant wars and natural disasters, especially in places like Karephira where the land had been pretty much obliterated to ruins. Even after nature reclaimed the area, a lot of the local flora and fauna was just no longer able to grow because of the damage. And even if some do resurface, Nabil says it won’t be like how it originally was because the environment had changed so much.

In the past year, there has been reports about Chilling Snowdrops blooming in various places. Nabil took an interest in that as he actually studied a bit about them as an undergrad because they once grew in certain parts of northern Adrikha centuries ago. So he jumped on board when the researchers invited him to join in on the study, especially after Connie showed interest in the whole thing. After all, Connie’s actually seen and worked with some of these extinct wildflower and herbs back in the day, as did Raiden, Dainn, and many other long lived individuals.

And because Chilling Snowdrops were once native to Karephira, Connie recommended that Nabil take Raiden and Dainn along as sort of consultants since they have some familiarity with the flowers. Based on their accounts, there’s no denying that these are indeed Chilling Snowdrops, which is fascinating. Like I said, wildflowers are just built different and play by their own rules.

Then Leif got involved too and wanted to meet up with Nabil, so that’s why they’re all here. Of course, Sadiki and Amina tagged along, as well as Makoto with Raiden and Dainn. Qingmei would’ve tagged along too, but she’s tied up with a mission somewhere that ended up taking longer than expected. Connie wanted to join too, but they’re also tied up with other things.

Aside from having a connection to his former homeland, Dainn has personal reasons for seeing the Chilling Snowdrops for himself, probably to get some closure, he believes. They happen to be a favorite flower of his mentor, the previous Stardust Warrior. Since her birthday’s approaching, she’s been on his mind a lot as her death still weighs on his mind.

Since I last saw him, he’s been really working hard on learning how to play the cello. He, Makoto, Raiden, and Qingmei have sort of formed a songwriting quartet, which is nice, and it’s been proven to be therapeutic for all of them. There’s something so freeing about expressing yourself through art, especially when you have a lot to unpack and don’t really know how to let those conflicting feelings out because you’ve been conditioned to keep all that inside.

The last few songs they’ve written has to do with past relationships, particularly with Dainn’s mentor Mem and Raiden’s brother. Complicated relationships are, well, complicated, especially when it involves someone you look up to. Raiden and Dainn admit they’ll never fully get over how things turned out, but they’re not gonna dwell on that as what’s done is done.

Now that things have finally settled down and he has nothing but time on his hands, he realized that in order to move on, he has to finally confront the past. Of course, in his case, it’s complicated by the fact that he’s a human cursed with immortality. In other words, it’s almost like his mortal self was a different person. Kinda like what Madeleine said about putting up an act for so long that you end up losing your sense of self.

One of the things Dainn is trying to confront is his unresolved grief over Mem’s suicide. Losing her later played an indirect role with his relationship with Raiden’s brother, and that’s a whole ‘nother story. Basically, he’s now able to look back and accept that while a lot of things went terribly wrong between both of them - usually because of shitty circumstances they had absolutely no control over - that doesn’t change the fact that they were once friends he could rely on. Obviously there’s still gonna be some resentment over how things turned out, and maybe he’ll never get over that, but he’s not gonna let that hang over him. Really, that’s the best way to accept what’s said and done.

Like he and Raiden said, the whole songwriting deal has been therapeutic for them. Dainn had never really talked about his past much for obvious reasons, but since he started getting into music, not only he’s opening up more about himself, he also seems more at peace in general. It’s good that he, Raiden, and Qingmei are healing from the burdens of their pasts. The fact that they survived is a miracle, and so they don’t want to waste that gift.

Promises is a ballad about trying to move on from someone who you used to be close to, only for them to hurt you badly in the end. Writing the lyrics was kind of an eye opening experience for Dainn as he realized how much anger and resentment he kept locked away for centuries. Of course, at the time, he had much more pressing matters to deal with that his own personal feelings seemed trivial, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was deeply hurt by those he looked up to and trusted.

The song’s basically his way of letting go of his mentor, someone who was the closest thing he had to a family, and coming to terms with her death, something he blamed himself for. He didn’t want to admit it, but even though she acted tough, she was burdened with a lot of troubles that she was never able to overcome. She hid that well, never letting on that she was unhappy, which was why her suicide came as a surprise to everyone.

He was the one who found her body and was convinced that she was murdered given her status as a high ranking knight who was known for talking back to authority. Anything was better than accepting reality, which is still incompressible to him. In other words, she was considered a loose cannon who greatly influenced those who worked under her, especially Dainn. Around the time of her death, she had become even reckless in terms of her politics and personal life, making her the target of many groups who opposed her. An impending disaster waiting to happen, it seemed.

After being forced to accept that her death was a suicide, Dainn began taking on her vices like heavy drinking, showing up late, and mouthing off at authority figures. Looking back, he realized that Mem’s death contributed to the growing instability in Karephira that later resulted in its downfall. Sometime later, he met Raiden’s brother, who stopped him from walking off a bridge. And that led to another chain of events - again, a whole ‘nother story.

Now he knows that she never intended to hurt him, though that doesn’t change the fact that she did, and that’s something he’ll have to live with. Despite what happened, he still respected her as she opened his eyes to the injustices of the world, which he believed allowed him to fight back against a doomed fate. In other words, she taught him how to use cynicism as a weapon to protect himself, and that’s what ended up saving his life.

The second song, Mindreader, is about Raiden and Dainn’s frustrations with a certain someone, particularly with the deception and lack of communication they had to deal with. Raiden’s feelings towards her brother is a lot more complicated. While time usually helps you see things in the past more clearly, it can sometimes lead to more questions than clarity - stuff that will sadly never get resolved no matter how hard you try to analyze things.

While Raiden still loved and respected her brother, the more she looks back on it, the more glaring the flaws and weaknesses of their relationship becomes. Part of it has to do with their upbringing with him being the elder and having authority over her. She didn’t mind living in his shadow too much, but as she became more independent and opinionated, a rift began to grow between them that eventually became a chasm. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried to bridge that gap, it pushed them further apart to the point that it was beyond repair.

The song highlights a major flaw regarding the low to nonexistent communication between two parties with one expecting the other to know exactly what’s on their mind by pushing them around. In the case with Raiden’s brother, she described him as sort of authoritarian, the kind who expects others to do as they’re told without asking too many questions. He was also the type to deceive people and play 5d chess to achieve something, which made him difficult to get along with.

Like with Dainn and Mem, Raiden is also at the point where she’s accepted that some things will never be resolved and there will always be some resentment, but she’s not gonna let that ruin things between her and her brother. On one hand, looking back made her realize how dysfunctional they were, and yes, it does make her angrier the more she thinks about it.

She didn’t want to admit it, but some of the stuff she and her brother went through was pretty fucked up, shit that shouldn’t have happened for x, y, and z reasons - some which could’ve been prevented, most, not so much. Sure, he was looking out for her and trusted her enough to figure things out for herself, but he also expected her to take his word and see things the same way he did. Sounds like he had a roundabout way of dealing with things.

In the end, he basically sacrificed himself for the greater good by forcing Raiden to kill him in order to avert another calamity. Since they parted ways centuries ago, so much had happened that the siblings pretty much became strangers, which she felt was his intention.

There’s no way for her to know what exactly went on and led to him being led astray by some misguided form of justice - or retribution, she feels is more accurate - and the more she thinks about it, the more she realized that it’s pointless to speculate. Sometimes you just have to leave things be and just move on. To dwell on things to the point where you find yourself spiraling downwards is not only doing a disservice to you, but it’s also disrespecting of the sacrifices that were made to ensure your future. Again, sounds super complicated - I can’t wrap my head around it and yet I can make sense of her logic.

I think Raiden’s situation is similar to Aurelie’s in terms of loving and respecting someone who raised you while at the same time not hesitating to call out their bullshit because it ultimately ended up doing you more harm than good. There are just some things that simply can’t be forgiven, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that as long as you just kinda leave it alone and not let it cloud your judgement.

Even if it’s not intentional, we all are capable of hurting those closest to us, and we have to be aware of that. I think it’s so easy to get caught up on the here and now that the long term simply doesn’t cross your mind. After all, it’s natural to act without thinking, mainly because there’s no way of knowing exactly how your actions will affect others, especially if you act without clearly communicating your intentions.

Sure, you might be doing something for the greater good, but what good is it when your actions ultimately result in those closest to you constantly questioning your integrity long after you’re gone? These are some things that’ll forever hang over us.

Mindreader kinda touches on that in a lighthearted way since it’s an upbeat, sort of dance club kind of song. The message is basically saying that the singer’s not gonna let themselves get tied up on bad communication anymore. What’s the point if you can’t get your shit together and be honest to each other? Also, it’s not up to you to have to pick up the slack when the other person refuses to be open with you and their intentions.

There comes a point where you just have to put your foot down and say, “Fuck it, I’ve had enough of your games. Say what you mean and mean what you say - stop dancing around the subject if you need to tell me something. If you keep this up, then I’m not gonna waste my time with you anymore.” People like that are so frustrating to deal with because you’re pretty much almost always walking on eggshells with them. A relationship like that just isn’t healthy.

That song became an unexpected hit, not just because of the message, the beat’s catchy too. It’s got a sick bass line with Makoto on electric bass and Dainn on cello like a double bass, coming up with this unique sound that immediately catches your attention. Raiden’s singing hits the mark as usual, and she also plays the violin, which is prominent in the song as well, perfectly complimenting her voice and the bass line. Overall, this is the kind of sound I can totally hear at a club or dance party that everyone would be singing along to.

They’re also working on a lot more songs, though because a lot of it is super personal, they can’t say if they’re gonna release it public or not. Part of the reason why they were comfortable with uploading Mindreader and Promises is the fact that the subject/inspiration/person in question are long deceased and enough time has passed that they’re not gonna get in trouble for it if someone connects the dots. Like I’ve heard many songwriters say, once it’s out there, it takes on a life of its own - and chances are, other people can relate to how you feel, and that’s the beauty of it all.

With Promises and Mindreader coinciding with the reemergence of Chilling Snowdrops, it seems almost too coincidental. Best not to question things like that too much and accept them as they are, good signs that time heals and there is a future worth looking forward to.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Tending to the windmills of Sunderlow Lagoon

To my surprise, cleaning windmills was strangely therapeutic. I mean, it’s not something I would want to do again anytime soon, just once is enough for an unusual experience. Jamie’s used to doing these seemingly mundane things, though in her case, there’s always something more than that. In other words, while cleaning the windmills is only part of the actual task, which has to do with preserving history.

Sunderlow Lagoon was once a busy city consisting mainly of humans and elven mages. However, over the centuries, the population gradually moved up north when the main road became inaccessible due to a landslide, reducing the city to a small village. Most of the surrounding places outside of Sunderlow are now ghost towns, a few which have become historical landmarks.

One of the reasons why Sunderlow remains is because the windmills are historical landmarks. They were built around 3000 years ago back when only elven mages lives there and are still well maintained to this day, though centuries of wear and tear have been taking a toll on them. Due to a pretty bad rainy season, a lot of the windmills are in need of a deep clean as well as an extensive inspection.

These days, Sunderlow’s residents are mainly human, save for one elven mage family. The only remaining elf is Merrill, a legal advisor and record keeper, the latter a position he inherited from his sister Katalina, who passed away about a decade ago. Katalina has two half human children, daughter Celie and son Ace, both who were adopted by Merrill since their father lives in another country. They’re part of the Lawine Clan, one of the few remaining elven mage families that are still active in the community.

Katalina had served as the windmill keeper and record keeper for centuries until her death at the Sunderlow Rail Crossing incident. Then her brother inherited those roles, and has since passed off the title of windmill keeper to Celie, who is now in charge of everything related to the windmills.

Celie knew she’d take over one day, though she thought it would be because her mother would want to retire. The windmills not only serve as a landmark, they also represent the partnership between the humans and the elves. Also, according to travelers outside of the area, the windmills are considered to be a sign of good luck - Merrill’s not sure where that originated from, except that people started saying that about a couple centuries after the last windmill was completed.

There’s eleven windmills in total - they built the first ten centuries ago while the last one was built as a memorial for the nine victims the Sunderlow Rail Crossing accident. Katalina and Ace were taking the bus as usual when it suddenly stalled on the railway crossing. Normally, the bus doesn’t go around that area, but there was some construction work going on that led to a detour. It also didn’t help that the bus that was driven that day was known to have a lot of issues despite various complaints, as well as pressure from the elf siblings to either fix it or replace it.

Ace still remembers the last few moments before the train hit the bus, something that’ll stay with him forever. He was sitting next to his mother that day and recalled how people were freaking out when they saw the train approaching. He looked out the window for a brief second before holding his mother and braced for the impact. Katalina was killed instantly along with 5 other passengers while Ace and around 50 others were injured.

Sunderlow is usually a quiet place, so given the severity of the accident, including the fact that their eldest resident was one of the victims, the whole thing caused quite a stir. Ace went through a long and difficult recovery as he had to relearn how to speak and write, as well as adjust to being an amputee. Merrill and Celie were grieving and dealing with their own struggles in the aftermath, though they managed to push on, not only for the sake of the town, but for themselves too.

They say that tragedy can either make or break a community - it depends on how they choose to deal with it. According to Merrill and Jamie, elves tend to be very persistent, something that can either work for or against them. It’s safe to say that because they are long lived species, they’ve seen a lot more, so it kinda makes them tougher in a sense, more likely to be able to endure difficult conditions and just push through it compared to mortals.

I recall Raiden saying that different long life species tend to have particular traits that kinda help with immortality, if that makes sense. For example, her kind is said to have a tendency to be flighty, which ends up working in their favor as they’re easily adaptable to the changing times. So, in the case of elven mages, that need to carry on with life helped Sunderlow to not just move on from the tragedy, but to also honor the lives lost and make sure history never repeats itself.

Celie and Ace credit Merrill for picking up the pieces after the tragedy, which obviously wasn’t easy for him. Being alive for centuries carries a lot of burdens itself, and to deal with the sudden loss of someone close to you, along with two grieving kids - it’s rough. He admits that he can’t live up to his sister’s name as she was the kind of person who forged her own way. He doesn’t give himself enough credit obviously as he’s achieved a lot of accomplishments himself though. It’s tough living in someone shadow, so it’s easy to underestimate yourself in that aspect.

When the people here talk about the windmills, the first things that they associate with that is Katalina as she was the most involved out of the Lawine clan in the process of building them. Merrill said the extent of his involvement was helping out with the final designs, though he later was responsible for maintenance and upkeep, especially as the windmills began showing signs of wear and tear.

Their father was running things for a couple centuries before retiring and traveling the world. By then, the windmills were falling apart to the point that the usual cleaning wasn’t going to cut it. Also, because of the landslide years earlier, many surrounding areas were becoming ghost towns, so everyone assumed that Sunderlow would eventually fall to the same fate. However, Katalina, Merrill, and a bunch of others refused to let that happen.

First of all, the windmills were, and still are, a big deal, not just to the town folk, but to travelers as well. Secondly, deserting Sunderlow would mean cutting off an entire area that was once a popular travel route, which would eventually lead to more problems in the future. One side argued that there was no point in maintaining the windmills anymore since people were leaving. The other side argued that the windmills give people a reason to come here, especially travelers who have to pass by that route, so even if Sunderlow becomes a ghost town too, at least they can leave something behind as a memory that will also serve to help travelers find their way.

After weighing the pros and cons of both sides, Sunderlow and the remaining towns decided to keep maintaining the windmills, this time with Katalina running things. And as it turns out, they made the right decision. The windmills are the reason why Sunderlow Lagoon remains on the map while the surrounding areas gradually became deserted, which then prompted officials to build a new road that was reinforced so it wouldn’t get blocked off in case another landslide happens.

The restoration process took years to complete, and Katalina was persistent about it. There were times when things didn’t work out, even a few attempts at sabotage, but Katalina quickly turned things around. Eventually, her efforts paid off, and she was sort of labeled as a hero, though she didn’t really appreciate that title. As far as she and her family are concerned, they’re just ordinary civilians like everyone else.

These days, Sunderlow serves as a checkpoint for travelers coming from a long way. Because of the mountains ahead, most choose to stay for a couple days to rest and replenish their supplies. And of course, to see the windmills, which takes all day if you want to see all of them. The general consensus is that it’s totally worth it, and having seen them up close in person, I totally agree!

For the next few centuries, things were pretty uneventful for Merrill and Katalina. They did join their parents during their travels for a time, which was how Katalina met her ex-husband, a director from overseas. While it wasn’t an entirely unhappy marriage, there didn’t seem to be much going on. Basically, they had a fling, which is unusual for elven mages, and she became pregnant with Celie. Since both parents were the old fashioned type with statuses to uphold, the couple was forced to marry. So they stuck it out for a couple years before splitting up.

Celie and Ace see their father as more of a distant acquaintance, someone who only shows up like once a year to give them gifts, ask generic “How are you?” questions, and leaves. Celie described him as someone who isn’t meant to be a parent because he lacks emotional maturity, which became apparent after the accident at the crossing. In other words, he wasn’t able to deal with Ace becoming disabled after the accident. Considering they were never close to begin with, Celie and Ace aren’t surprised that he’d distance himself like that.

As much as they love and respect their mother, Celie and Ace admit that she has her flaws, particularly when it comes to taking on too many responsibilities. Jamie said that the source of Merrill’s, and later Celie’s stress was because of Katalina’s over ambitiousness, which inevitably led to her running herself to the ground. In other words, her persistence and stubbornness can sometimes lead to her putting herself through situations where she’s unhappy with because she refuses to give up after putting so much time and effort into something. Her marriage is an example of that. And some of the questionable decisions she made over the years regarding the windmills - which is why they needed the extra help.

In short, one of the restoration and cleaning methods that was done in the past has not held up well over the centuries, especially after that last rainy season. Merrill and Katalina actually argued over that, with him being concerned about the long term while she was focused more on the immediate results. Well, he said what’s done is done - though he turned out to be right in the end. Ace and Linnea are pretty sure that the main reason why Katalina won out was because she’s the older sibling, which probably adds up.

(Disclaimer, I am the older sibling, though I doubt I’ve won arguments because of that… Or maybe I have but never realized it…)

So, cleaning windmills, surprisingly therapeutic. I think it helps that it wasn’t as physically strenuous as I thought, probably because we have a big group. Also, magic was used, which definitely speeds things up. The only downside of that spell is that it only works in small sections because if you try to clean a large area, there’s a high chance that something will go wrong. When it comes to historical landmarks, that’s not a risk anyone’s willing to take.

While the spell does most of the heavy lifting, we still have to go in and clean up some hard to reach corners, nothing too intensive. And then comes the restoration part, which is mostly simple things like applying the protective glaze and touching up on small areas. For stuff that requires more inspection, like water damage or large cracks we mark those areas off for the professionals to handle.

Watching the spell do its magic reminds me of those powerwashing videos that are oddly satisfying to watch sometimes. Like, it’s amazing to see how the bricks and tiles transform when it’s all cleaned up, almost like new.

Like I said, the windmills are worth spending a day checking out. Each windmill has its own unique and intricate design, sort of a whimsical folk art mosaic type, if that makes sense. I noticed a lot of flower motifs, which makes sense because there’s lots of wildflowers around here. They’re very colorful and bright with accents of gold and silver, something you’d expect to look out of place in nature, but they actually go well with the surroundings. If they were suddenly to disappear, Sunderlow Lagoon would look bare and desolate.

Of course, I took a lot of pics of the windmills for art inspo. I’ve been feeling art blocked lately, which is why I haven’t been drawing as much. Though I enjoy collaging, I do want to get back into drawing and seeing the windmills is exactly what I think I need. The colors in particular have been inspiring to me, probably because I don’t really play with color enough, so I want to use this as an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.

It’s amazing to learn how much history and significance something like a windmill has just by being around. Save for the last one, which serves as a memorial, the original ten have been around for centuries as not only a landmark, but a symbol of peace and good luck.

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#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Snowflakes and berries at the Nightingale Nebula

It’s winter berry season at the Nightingale Nebula, so us campers are meeting up with the Epiphany to try their seasonal berries as well as enjoy the snowy season. Maybe it seems kinda weird that we’re eating ice cream in the cold, but it’s surprisingly fitting. There’s a reason why these berries are a well known local specialty after all!

The berries that are in season right now are limboberries, clamshells, ameplums, and milky citrus. Limboberries are the most common and can be used in a lot of different things. There’s seasonal specialties like limboberry jam and limboberry milk tea, and it’s often used in pastries. The taste is sort of like a cross between a raspberry and sweet grape. When you freeze the berries, the flavor improves by a lot as it really brings out the sweetness. Seriously, there is such a huge difference between frozen and not frozen.

Clamshells are the second most popular and it’s named that because they’re literally shaped like that. I have seen a lot of people take pictures with them because they do look so unusual, like it’s unreal. Seriously, they look kinda like those plastic beads that sometimes comes in fun shapes like seashells. As for the taste, it’s sweet with hints of a citrusy tartness to balance things out. You can eat it fresh or as ice cream, which is often served in a brioche bun.

Ameplums is basically amethyst and plum because of its pretty purple color. They really do kinda look like gems, especially when chilled as they become super shiny, almost like sparkly. These berries are really sweet - like candy sweet - so unless you like that, you need to freeze them. Basically the opposite of limboberries. They’re used exclusively for desserts and sweet wine.

Finally, there’s milky citrus, which is an unusual berry that’s citrusy and milky. I don’t know why, but I find the flavor kinda weird. I mean, creamsicles are a thing, though I don’t think this tasted anything like that, more like someone poured milk into a glass of orange juice. Maybe that’s not the best way of describing it. Anyway, I don’t exactly dislike it, especially in ice cream where the milkiness shines, but I wouldn’t gravitate towards it for anything else.

As for the Epiphany Crew, quite a bit has happened since I last saw them. The main thing is that Jewel’s recovered and chose to stick with the crew, which Laufey and Landry are happy about. I was worried about her after we just barely saved her from sinking to the bottom of the Mosaic. In terms of physical recovery, she’s not quite out of the woods yet, though it’s nothing too serious that would leave lasting complications. As for the mental and emotional, it’s safe to say that she’s doing a lot better, but it’s also complicated. Just gotta take it one day at a time.

Jewel revealed a bit about what had happened that led to her walking into the river. She said her sense of time after serving her prison sentence has become a bit hazy, most likely because she stopped caring about pretty much everything by that point. From what she can remember, she ended up blowing almost her entire fortune for various reasons, the legal stuff basically being the final nail in the coffin. I recall Laufey mentioning that as a debt collector she was pretty loaded and took pride in that, so to find out that Jewel later became destitute was a shock for her.

Although Jewel had some emergency savings stashed away by the time she was released, she either gambled it all away, or it just wasn’t enough to keep her afloat. Either way, she just aimlessly wandered to various places until she completely ran out of money and began living out on the streets. Sometime later, she started feeling sick and instead of getting better, she realized that she was getting worse. And since she couldn’t afford to get medicine, Jewel felt that her death was inevitable and decided to speed things up.

It’s a good thing we saw her when we did, or else Jewel wouldn’t be here today. She had been hoping to see me again so she can thank me in person and apologize for the trouble, which she didn’t have to, but she insisted. I mean, she was a low point and we saw her falling. Maybe some people would rather turn away when someone’s sinking, even if they’re right next to them, but I don’t think I can do that. If I saw someone falling and they’re within my reach, I would try to help them, do whatever I can within reason to stop them from falling to the void. That’s the least I can do.

After she got pulled out of the water, Jewel spent about 8 days in the ICU because of pneumonia. Since she had been ill for a while and being submerged exacerbated things, the doctors were worried about potential complications. Her lungs and heart are okay, thankfully, but she said there’s apparently some issues with her kidneys that should hopefully resolve itself. So she’s been going in for regular checkups and she’s slowly regaining her strength.

As for how things are for her emotionally and mentally, Jewel summed up her ordeal by saying she fucked up big time. Just as Landry suspected, Jewel began going through an existential crisis after the Acapella incident, which led to her demotion. Back then, she was a ruthless debt collector who was willing to play dirty to get the job done, even if it means ruining other people’s livelihoods over matters that have absolutely nothing to do with the present. The way she and her former colleagues saw it, being a debt collector was a necessary job to keep the economy going, which allowed them to sort of detach themselves and see people as numbers rather than actual people. Not really a nice way of viewing the world in my opinion.

Jewel herself had a reputation for being two faced and admits to being good at backstabbing to the point that it scares her. The incident at Acapella and her subsequent demotion made her realize what she was becoming and she hated herself for it. That’s why she went down the path of self sabotage. Even if she didn’t get fired, the Interstellar Factions debt collector department shut down anyway because it was inherently a corrupt system - and according to Jewel, they probably went bankrupt with all their legal troubles they’ve built up over the centuries.

Having been a debt collector for pretty much her whole life, which she explained as predetermined fate, and revolving her whole life around that, Jewel didn’t know what else to do after getting fired. She can’t go into detail for legal reasons, but she basically joined some sort of gang/cult and got into even more trouble. Then things escalated to the point where she finally got arrested and imprisoned.

When she woke up in the hospital, Jewel admitted that she was disappointed. Laufey said she was listless, kind of like a robot on autopilot. Fionna said it was the same for her when she woke up from her coma. You expect the sweet release of death only to find yourself pinned rock bottom and forced to live with the fact that you’re alive - meaning, you have no choice but to face the consequences of your decisions.

They say that dying is considered an easy way out, but is it really?

The crew held a meeting and it was pretty much unanimous that they wanted to take in Jewel if she had nowhere to go. While Jewel didn’t refuse, she questioned why they cared about what happened to her. The way she saw it, she didn’t deserve to be alive, though she also didn’t want to come across as ungrateful to those who risked their lives to save hers. Landry made it pretty clear that the offer wasn’t a transactional thing and that she should only accept because it’s what she wants, not because she felt that she owed them. In other words, she has to decide for herself, not what she thinks will make others happy.

Having been in the same position herself, it makes sense that Fionna would be able to reach out to Jewel. Although she wasn’t actively suicidal, Fionna was at such a low point where she didn’t care whether she lived or died because her troubles were piling on and she didn’t know what to do. Instead of dealing with their problems, they ignore them, preferring to run away rather than admit their mistakes. It’s a dangerous downwards spiral that’s difficult to get yourself out of, especially because you don’t realize that you’re in trouble until you’re in too deep. To some, they fall into this trap that they’re always doomed to fail because it seems like there’s no way out of this mess.

That said, even if it seems endless, and even when you yourself caused your own misfortune, your troubles will eventually pass. To quote a certain fortune teller, “Bad times are just times that are bad.” Sure, your problems won’t go away overnight, but no matter how bad a situation is, there will always be some sort of solution. Of course, depending on the situation, you have to work at it, and that’s often easier said than done. Some people just don’t want to work at it, preferring an easy way out so they probably don’t have to think too much about the consequences of their actions.

Fionna was given two choices when she woke up, which were, to put simply, live or die. At the time, she reluctantly chose to live, not just by breathing, but also by rebuilding her life from the ground up. She’s emphasized that she got lucky with things like a reduced sentence in a prison that’s actually more like a rehabilitation center, along with a good support system that really wanted her to pick herself up again. It became clear to her later on why they chose to send her there rather than some actual prison, and she’s grateful to them for that.

Even after serving her sentence, Fionna chose to stay as a staff member because she found meaning in her life over there and wanted to help others like they did for her. She might have overstayed her time there, but that’s another story. She mentioned that she was a flighty person back then, which contributed to her inability to put much effort into things because she just didn’t see the point. In other words, when the going gets rough, she gets going in the opposite direction.

It seems like Fionna’s heart to heart did Jewel a lot of good. She admits that she’s still on the fence about whether or not she wants to live, so she’s taking Fionna’s advice and playing it by ear. Laufey noted that after that talk, Jewel began acting more like her old - real - self and her recovery drastically improved. Her reasoning was along the lines of “I’m tired of fucking things up, I just want to do something right for once.”, which I think is a good reason to keep on going. Take control of your life rather than have it control you.

Along with the berries, there was another reason why the Epiphany’s visiting the Nightingale Nebula. A couple years ago, one of Della’s friends was murdered and her case had been unresolved until now. However, there’s been speculations that have been going around for a while that one of Della’s former superiors from the Eagle Stellarons is responsible. It wasn’t until during a recent fight with her old man that he accidentally revealed some things about the former captain that could potentially open up a can of worms, so to speak.

Della’s friend was basically killed for criticizing the Eagle Stellarons. As for how she met Della, it started out as an online friendship, then they found out that they weren’t too far from each other, so started hanging out in person. Marina was the one who opened Della’s eyes to her faction’s glaring faults and it was clear that her colleagues did not like that.

According to Yang and Della, it wasn’t like Marina was strongly opposed to the Eagle Stellarons, nor was she trying to be an activist, she just had some opinions and wasn’t afraid to voice them online. She didn’t have any ties to certain organizations or higher ups, she was just an ordinary person from an ordinary family, so the chances of her murder being a random occurrence was highly likely.

Since Marina was her only friend outside of the Eagle Stellarons, it makes sense why Della wanted to get to the bottom of this. She had a nagging feeling that she might have been responsible, though she couldn’t figure out why. She tried to reach out to Marina’s family, but aside from her mother, the other family members didn’t see the point in trying to get closure, which she doesn’t blame them for.

And not surprisingly, her colleagues were saying things along the lines of, “Why do you care about some nobody?” I think the appropriate response would be along the lines of, “Because they are somebody, someone who was once living and breathing just like we were.” Believe it or not, we do mean something to at least one person - it’s not like we exist in a vacuum.

So it turns out that Della’s former captain is a fucking creep for various reasons, and he apparently might be a serial killer. Damn. Della said he could never take criticism well, but she didn’t think he would resort to silencing those who he didn’t see eye to eye with. Out of all his known victims, only two aren’t affiliated with the Eagle Stellarons in any way - he only found out Marina and the other person through stalking his subordinates on social media.

There’s obviously a lot more to it, but Della has no interest in finding out more. She never saw eye to eye with him on pretty much anything, not to mention that he was often bullying and harassing her. Whatever happens to him, she doesn’t care as long as he rots in hell while his victims get the justice they deserve.

Now with that out of the way, Della’s been working up the courage to visit Marina’s mother again, preferably with the two of them alone. She was understandably hesitant because of her ties with the Eagle Stellarons, which is understandable. After all, around these parts the view of the Eagle Stellarons were somewhere between neutral and somewhat critical.

While we got a head start on picking berries, she went off on her own. A couple hours later around lunchtime she returned in much better spirits. Marina’s mother was alone and she was understanding of the whole situation, as well as grateful that Della came all this way to see her. As it turns out, she had been following the news of the Stellarons downfall and was aware that Della played a role in that. Now that’s one less thing weighing on her shoulders.

The berry picking was a lot of fun! Since they grow on really tall trees, we have to ride towering snowbeasts to reach the branches! Just as the name implies, they are massive! You have to get on a super tall platform into order to get on, and for a shorty like me, I needed a small ladder to get a bit of a boost. Along with being tall, they’re also wide enough to seat two people as well as small baskets for us to collect the berries.

As for the view up above, it was amazing! I was afraid that since we were on an animal it was gonna be wobbly, but it’s surprisingly steady. Obviously you can feel the platform move when it walks, and even then it’s not too terrifying. Plus, we have to stop to pick berries. It was a little scary being so close to the branches because you’re basically screwed if we move and something gets caught. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened and it didn’t take long for me to get used to it.

Overall, it’s a totally unique experience that I would highly recommend if you’re comfortable with heights, as well as getting up close and personal with a bunch of trees, which I think is worth it for the berries they have to offer!

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Accepting the end of an era and the beginning of the unknown

This neon gyroid adventure kind of went off a tangent, though not in a bad way, just completely unexpected. Basically, it was just a fun, chill event accompanied by some friends and stuff. Marlo and Don happen to be the area as Don was doing an article on a former big name star attempting a comeback - long story short, that took another direction thanks to the wise words of a fellow former star.

In the meantime, Connie felt that some of their friends could use a bit of a break and felt that the camp was a good place for that. And on a bit of an unrelated note, a couple other friends decided to tag along as well to keep things lively - and also, who wouldn’t want to turn down a vacation? After all, when it comes to events, the more, the merrier!

So, along with Don and Marlo, Connie and Pai brought along Ayaka, Aurelie, Coralie, Fontaine, and Madeleine. For the latter three, it’s their first time out here, and especially for the latter two, they never really had many opportunities to travel far. In fact, they’ve never been outside of Marippe until joining Connie’s party not too long ago.

Coralie’s the newest member, having joined after working with Connie to solve a twenty year old cold case while working on a short film directed by Madeleine for a film festival. Ayaka was part of the film project as one of the lead roles as the younger sister while Coralie played the elder. Coralie said she kind of stumbled on the role by accident as she originally came on to be a consultant, only for Madeleine to encourage her to be in the spotlight after seeing how well she and Ayaka got along.

The film they made was an original script by an acquaintance of Connie and Pai’s who was running into a lot of trouble before filming even started. He has some ties to Sango, which was how he got Ayaka involved. Connie ran into to him while he was sort of having a meltdown over his misfortune and because they owed him a favor, they took that opportunity to help him out. So that’s how Madeleine and Coralie later got involved.

Thanks to Connie and Madeleine, things finally turned around. Though there were a lot of challenges along the way because of low budget, Silk Ribbons and Ochre Roses won an award, which wasn’t surprising considering who’s the director. The film’s not available yet, so Madeleine will let us know when it’ll be up as soon as she hears something. The story’s about two sisters on a journey to Heaven while getting revenge for their village’s demise, taking down any obstacle that gets in their way, inevitably putting their lives on the line. Sounds like an interesting movie and I can’t wait to see it.

As a result, Coralie and Ayaka became close friends and pen pals, bonding over their love of books and theater. According to Pai, Coralie can be intimidating, which is kind of expected from a captain from the security patrol, but outside of that, she’s a chill person who admits to being a bit of a nerd, especially when it comes to her favorite books. She certainly didn’t expect to make her acting debut in something directed by Madeleine out of all people, so she was pretty much like, “Wait, you’re serious? Hell yeah!” when Madeleine wanted her to be part of the cast.

Like Ayaka, Coralie didn’t have a lot of experience acting other than dabbling in theater. Of course, most of Madeleine’s experience comes from theater, so she made it work and helped the others transition into the medium. The whole thing surprisingly came together very well even though it was kind of cobbled together, so that’s really amazing.

And then after riding a high wave on the film’s success, Madeleine sort of came crashing down. It’s kind of a long story, and it sort of intertwines with Don’s assignment. Basically, Madeleine started considering her future after putting it off for so long - meaning, sorting out her affairs through a will and other legal stuff. Because they’ve known each other since forever and he will long outlive her, it makes sense that the one to execute her will and final wishes would be Fontaine.

500 years of working alongside each other is pretty much a big deal, and even though they’re no longer colleagues, they’re still friends. According to Fontaine, Madeleine was the one who shaped him to be the person he is today as the Guardian of Justice, a role he has taken seriously ever since being granted that position by her. He has, and always will have a lot of respect for her and what she’s done in ensuring that the people of Marippe have a future to wake up to. A lot of heavy stuff here.

Basically, Madeleine is like Eliane in which she was immortal, but then sacrificed her divinity for the greater good, essentially turning her into a human - an overpowered one, if you will. What that pretty much means is that she will eventually grow old and die like a human - except if it’s like Eliane, she still has a lot more time compared to normal humans. Still, that gives her, at best, maybe a century at most - assuming nothing bad happens before then. However, this is all conjecture, and something that really shouldn’t be dwelled on too much. It’s just that it’s kind of an adjustment to go from being immortal to mortal, so there’s some things Madeleine wants to get straight before it’s too late.

Unfortunately, life has a funny way of playing jokes on you. Obviously, Fontaine was concerned when she brought the subject of her will and final testament up, so she had to reassure him that she wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon. Well, this where life sometimes likes to play jokes on you. Madeleine waved off her broken leg as some freak accident, but we later found out that there’s a lot more to it.

In the meantime, Don had a special assignment doing an exclusive article on Marilyn Bright, a now retired Broadway star who was super big back in the day. Marlo happens to be a huge fan of her as she was an inspiring role model for a lot of people in theater. Along with her talents, she was also known as a diva on and off stage, which made her even more notorious.

However, these days she’s considered a washed up celebrity. It’s not that she’s no longer good at what she does, it’s more like she’s been living in the past and using that to promote herself, which gets old quickly. It also doesn’t help that her attitude makes it difficult for others to work with her, which is believed to be the main reason why her fame declined. Looks like her big ego turned against her.

At first, he was reluctant because Marilyn was known to scare people off if their work wasn’t to her liking, but Marlo insisted. Things were rough at first, then Madeleine intervened and knocked Marilyn off her high horse. Turns out that Marilyn’s a fan of Madeleine, and of course, she asked if she was gonna made a comeback, to which she answered that she’s no longer interested in being in the spotlight and is perfectly content behind the scenes.

I think having Madeleine there to sort of rein Marilyn in helped a lot. Don said if it wasn’t for her, Marilyn probably would’ve kicked him out early on. She’s dealt with temperamental actors, so she knows what to do in order to get them to cooperate. She and Marlo also know how to appeal to her ego. A part of that involved getting the rest of us involved to give her moral support by showing Marilyn that she can still attract new fans.

As we kinda expected, a comeback didn’t happen for her. Except, this time she was okay with how things turned out. Aurelie thought it would be a good idea to go down memory lane and find some inspiration for Marilyn to reignite her spark for performing and that made her reevaluate things.

I have to say, it’s refreshing hearing stories about the past directly from the source that’s not glorified versions we hear in the media, but instead, something a lot more down to earth and real. As we got to know her more, she became less of a celebrity and more like an actual person with a lot of history and stories to tell. She definitely mellowed out compared to when we first met her.

I think while going down memory lane, it allowed Marilyn to look at her past in a different way. Madeleine said the same thing happened to her when Connie talked her into being an artistic consultant. She apparently hit the nail on the head when she figured out that Marilyn’s discontent comes from her always striving for the top and yet never be satisfied what she already has. It’s easy to be blinded by what you don’t have and what you should reach for that you fail to take notice of your surroundings.

To quote Marilyn, she’s been looking up for so long that it ended up giving her a crick in the neck and she developed tunnel vision, a sentiment that Madeleine experienced herself. I think it’s easy to be lured into having to be better and better, to aim high and to never be satisfied until you surpass expectations. But it’s not healthy to always aim for the pinnacle, especially if that’s the only direction you intend to go.

I’m glad that Marilyn came to the realization that her worth’s not defined by her fame and popularity. She made a mark in musical theater, and that’s not something to take lightly. Fame is fleeting, but legacy is forever. Like Madeleine said, it’s not stardom she’s been after these days, it’s the fear of being forgotten. Even if she’s no longer a big name star, I don’t think she’ll be fading into obscurity any time soon.

Once she accepted that her days of being a celebrity are over, Marilyn decided that it was time to bow out for good and enjoy her retirement. She said her last major role was a fitting swan song anyway, and she should have left it at that, ending on a high note. After all, she’s in her 80s now - though she doesn’t look or act like it- and while she’s still active, she’s not so keen on trying to keep up with everything like when she was young. Funny how clear things can finally become once you’re honest with yourself and what you want.

And that’s about the gist of it. Well, for Marilyn, that is. Don’s working on the article, so I’m looking forward to reading it when it comes out. Good to see that she’s ready to move on into a new phase of her life rather than get stuck living in the past. If only life can easily be wrapped up like that.

As for Madeleine and Fontaine, that sort of side tangent has made them really consider their futures. Especially in Fontaine’s case - hopefully not anytime soon - what things will be like for him when Madeleine’s no longer around.

Even with a long lifespan, immortals still can be killed, and most of them die with a lot of unfinished business that those they left behind are still trying to pick up the pieces from. Because of the mess their predecessor left behind regarding bearing the burden of confronting the calamity that would befall Marippe in the future, it makes sense that Madeleine didn’t want her successors to go through the ordeal of carrying the weight of the past to ensure another tomorrow.

Though, considering what she unintentionally put Fontaine through, she figured that an immortal is bound to leave behind some sort of burden, especially on those who they are close to. I guess that’s a price you pay for living so long and being a witness to history. I don’t know who said this - probably Raiden - something along the lines of the more older they get, the less they understand because they might have seen too much and that clouds their judgement. It’s not so much that immortals tend to think they’re invincible, it’s more like their sense of time is kinda warped as time has usually been on their side. So for most immortals, their deaths are usually sudden, without warning, and often full of regrets.

Madeleine mentioned that she suffered a lot these past few centuries, all for Marippe’s sake. And while she’d willingly sacrifice herself again if another disaster were to happen, there’s no guarantee that she would survive the mental anguish. She never went into much detail about her past, but I get the idea that Madeleine went through a lot - which is an understatement, I know. For someone who was a witness to a lot of not so good things, the pain and suffering she had to endure is unimaginable, especially for a mere short life mortal like me. It’s no wonder why she fell into a depressed state even after the disasters were averted.

From my understanding, Madeleine had to constantly pretty much put on an act - multiple acts, really. The way she described it, initially, she kinda saw it as acting in a play. Seems simple enough, right? But then things got complicated and she had to put on multiple faces, different personas, play by all kinds of rules, pulling strings left and right, all for the sake of keeping the peace and appeasing the general public. Politics, always complicated stuff.

While her dramatic and charismatic persona was what made her popular among the people, there were a select few who could see through her facade, Fontaine being one of them. However, she had no choice but to push those like him away, because she knew the second she let a tiny bit of her true self show, it’ll be harder to keep up an act. She was playing a dangerous game, so she didn’t want any one else to become a potential target because they were close to her.

Eventually, Madeleine lost her sense of self to the point that she was simply going through the motions, describing herself as some sort of trophy that’s always on display, shiny on the outside, dull and hollow on the inside. All everyone saw was the surface because she couldn’t let anybody get too close, and that took a toll on her. She admitted that she already broke a long time ago, but the reason why she kept going was because she just didn’t know what else to do because she had long forgotten her old self. Not to mentioned that if she failed, she would never forgive herself. To carry the weight of the world in your hands like that, I don’t know how she managed to survive.

Connie and Fontaine pointed out that Madeleine was the overtly sacrificial type - if the fates told her that she had to spill her blood in order to restore order amidst chaos, she would plunge a sword through her heart without hesitation. She willingly became a pawn in order to avert a disaster that wouldn’t take place until centuries later by forming a pact with Lady Roselyne and dedicated her life to maintaining that delicate balance of nature. Once the disaster was averted, she felt empty, not knowing what to do with herself afterwards, while for everyone else, it’s back to business as usual.

It took some time for Madeleine to finally regain her footing - with a bit of pushing and prodding here and there. Everyone assumed that she’d resume her acting career since theater had always been her thing. But after the ordeal she’s been through, putting on an act and all that, it makes sense why she’d be averse to that. Aside from an emergency cover, Madeleine has no other plans for her acting career at the moment. She’s perfectly satisfied working behind the scenes as a director and consultant, something that allows her to finally be herself as well as show off her strengths as an artist.

Still, even with a new lease on life, that doesn’t mean the past is completely out of the way. Madeleine originally said her broken leg was the result of some freak accident and left it at that. But then, while running around, we found out that there’s more to it. Basically, she also got stabbed and her wound somehow reopened, resulting in a trip to the ER. Well, that’s a jarring omission. But I get why she and Fontaine wanted to keep things quiet, which was the main reason why Connie brought them out here. Thankfully, she’s okay and Fontaine’s making sure she doesn’t move around too much.

As for what happened, Connie said someone from her past had a score to settle with her. Things got physical, so Connie had to subdue the other person. Madeleine thought she could cover it up, but obviously that didn’t work as Fontaine soon found out and was understandably paranoid about her safety afterwards. The broken leg was nothing, but being stabbed in the chest is a pretty big fucking deal.

And this was like a couple days after she was reassuring Fontaine that she wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon. See what I mean when I say that life can sometimes play cruel jokes like that?

She really just casually dropped the fact that she did in fact die for like a couple minutes, but they aggressively revived her, so it’s all good - I guess? Damn, I guess being immortal kind of desensitizes you to this kind of thing. Fontaine and Connie obviously didn’t think her sort of joking tone was funny though, especially since Fontaine was said to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he realized the severity of the situation. Who can blame him?

So he was kind of freaking out when he saw the blood - as any reasonable person would because it was a lot, not to mention that she was wearing a white shirt. Thankfully, it was only a superficial wound, just some loose stitches or something, so they just cleaned the wound up, added some extra bandages, and let her go. It wasn’t like she was running around doing flips or something - she’s on crutches, after all - it might be the crutches, I don’t know, but it’s just one of those things that randomly happens?? Scary. Well, as long as Madeleine’s okay and not in danger of bleeding out then I guess it’s all good. Knock on wood to be safe.

I’d say Fontaine, despite being on edge the whole time, is handling things as best he could. While he was fretting over her, Madeleine told him she already lectured him once and doesn’t have the energy to go over all that again. But she did keep reassuring him that she was fine, she’s safe, and all that. Meanwhile, he kept apologizing for not being able to intervene even though there was nothing he could’ve done. He’s usually a calm and composed person, so it was a bit startling to see him so frantic. It’s obvious how much he cares about her.

Considering that Fontaine and Madeleine are around the same age and have pretty much known each other for most of their lives, I get why Fontaine’s being overprotective. After all, it must be hard for him to accept that there will be a time when the one person who’s always been by his side will no longer be around, and it’s clear how upsetting that is to him.

Madeleine, on the other hand, seemed kind of surprised that he felt so strongly about it. The way she saw it, she just made sure her affairs were sorted out and expected him to handle the rest when the time comes. She’s accepted her fate, honestly not really feeling any strong feelings about it. She just didn’t realize how it would affect Fontaine because it never occurred to her how much he cares about her. It’s easy to underestimate the effect you have on others, especially when you don’t really have a high opinion of yourself.

Aurelie said that since stepping down from the Court, Madeleine tried to distance herself from former colleagues like Fontaine, Josette, and herself. Even now, she’s still kinda hesitant to reach out to them even though all three are open to being friends with her. Fontaine goes out of his way to make sure she’s doing all right, though because he’s a bit socially awkward when it comes to delicate situations, Aurelie believes that’s why things are kinda lopsided between him and Madeleine. She also said that Josette’s in a similar position where she wants to help Madeleine as much as she can, but doesn’t want to overstep, especially if the other party’s hesitant and she herself isn’t the best at getting the message across. Sounds like a complicated situation, though it sounds like they’re all trying to work things out.

Things have finally calmed down after that, so we’re just taking it super easy now. We have enough gyroids anyway and crafting is a chill activity. Aurelie and Marlo thought it was a good idea to basically push Fontaine and Madeleine to a corner so they could finally get some things out in the open. Although they already talked it out once, it’s clear that they still have a lot of unresolved stuff to tackle. Given their long history together, it’s gonna take a lot more than a couple serious heart-to-hearts before they can finally bridge the gap between them.

That said, I have faith that things will work out for them and make the most out of the time they have together. The future is full of unknowns, so it’s good to hold on to something or someone you can rely on, especially when you know that there’ll be a time when you have to part ways. To quote Connie, the life of an immortal is often a long and lonely road.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Building cute mechanical robots to bring a smile to someone's face

I can’t remember the last time we had a crafting event related to mechanical stuff, specifically robots. Daisy Jane and I were just visiting to catch a performance at the opera house when Connie managed to snag some tickets for us. It was done by a local theater troupe, which was why that was possible, though just barely.

Seems like they weren’t exaggerating about how just putting Madeleine’s name on something will make crowds instantly flock to it. In other words, if it was a larger scale sort of thing, like the more renowned and well known theater troupes, they would be sold out in an instant, so getting tickets would be near impossible, especially if you’re not from these parts.

The show is called A Butterfly’s Rose, a loose adaptation of a mystery romance novel. According to Aurelie, who has tried to read the book several times, the story has a good premise, but the writing makes it difficult to follow. She said the best way to describe the author’s writing style is superfluous, which she finds a shame as it could’ve been good. A lot of people felt the same, and so it’s been adapted to theater multiple times in hopes of making a coherent story.

Prior to Madeleine and the Allaire theater troupe’s version, the last adaptation was done about 50 years ago. What makes this current adaptation different is how much it strays from the source material - in a good way. Basically, Madeleine took a lot of creative liberties and managed to condense the story by only focusing on one aspect and expanding on that.

What’s interesting is that the characters she chose to zero in on were Bea and Florentin as their parts are often left out of most adaptations. From my understanding, they’re more like supporting characters, but they kinda set the stage for everything else that’s going on, so they are important. Madeleine says she gets why they’re cut, and that’s why she wanted the spotlight on them because, like many aspects of the book, there was potential, but it all got lost in the chaos.

Since I know absolutely nothing about the source material, I find the play a good standalone kind of thing. I mean, I’ve been told that it’s a very loose adaptation, so the source material isn’t essential to know. Rather than going for a faithful adaptation, which sounds impossible and probably wouldn’t translate well to theater anyway, they went for the inspiration route, which they pulled off well.

I found the drama and musical numbers engaging, and based on the standing ovations, so did the audience. Pai did say that getting Madeleine involved is sure to elevate things, not because she’s practically a celebrity, but because she knows what she’s doing when it comes to the arts. The others note that she’s a lot happier working behind the scenes, especially now that she’s free to do whatever she wants without being burdened by her past.

While the show was the main reason why we’re up here, we also wanted to come to chill and hang out, as well as explore more of Marippe. Now that the cleanup is done and reconstruction is almost finished, things have been pretty much back to normal. Aurelie’s hometown, Marillon, was hit pretty hard, so they still have a bit of work left there, though it’s nothing they can’t handle, she says.

Compared to the last time I visited, the difference is like night and day. Sure, it’s a busy city, but things were a lot quieter back then, mainly because a lot of places were closed. It was also cold and rainy because it was winter, so obviously there wasn’t gonna be a lot of people outside. Plus, there was the fact that I didn’t really spend a lot of time at the city as we were underwater exploring some ruins.

We didn’t really have anything planned after the show, so we tagged along with Connie and Pai. Well, mainly Pai because Connie had some important matters to attend to outside of the city. It ended up working out well because Layla, Melody, and Bennett are visiting too because they were dispatched on missions here.

Then we tagged along with Topaz as he was commissioned by someone to make toy robots for a pediatric oncology ward. I remember Beryl saying that Topaz often works with mechanics and occasionally takes commissions for custom stuff.

Apparently, he often gets mistaken for an engineer from the research institute, and when they find out he isn’t, they often ask why. Truth is, Topaz doesn’t really have an answer other than he’s not the studious type, so he just says he doesn’t have time, which isn’t completely far from the truth. After all, he’s said that mechanics is more of a hobby for him and he wants to keep it that way.

Since this is a special commission, Topaz is looking for help, so this is where we come in. He wants to make it special for the kids, so he’s going above and beyond not just to make toys, but companions for these kids. Like, for example, one kid wants a koi fish that sings their favorite song, while another wants a penguin that can act like a pet - unique stuff like that. Obviously, Topaz wouldn’t have given the kids the options to personalize like that if he couldn’t do it, so I guess that says a lot about his abilities.

Along with me, Daisy Jane, Pai, Layla, Bennett, and Melody helping out, Topaz also found another helper, a visitor from abroad who’s in a bit of a bind. While the rest of us handle tasks like gathering materials and some basic crafting, Topaz and Misha did the more technical stuff. I’d say it’s not that much different than gyroid events, maybe just a bot more intensive, which I found refreshing.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Bennett and Melody, so it’s nice to catch up with them. Bennett’s visited Marippe a few times and actually met the toymakers Topaz occasionally works with. Apparently, one of them was so inspired by him that he made a limited edition board game based on his adventures in Marippe. However, the gameplay was said to be a bit confusing and it didn’t really sell. Still, it made for a nice collector’s item if you’re into that sort of thing. Now I’m kinda intrigued.

Melody’s been busy doing doubles for Connie by going on various missions abroad, research on the side, as well as training Aurelie and Coralie, another new member of Connie’s ever growing adventure party. She’s one of the few members who’s on call, meaning that anyone in the group can call her over and she’ll be there, even if it’s overseas.

Even though she’s part of the same guild as Bennett, her job’s more of an office type thing where she doesn’t have to come in often, leaving her with a lot of free time on her hands while still being paid really well. Some have actually accused her of being paid to do nothing because of her hotshot adventurer parents, which is obviously not true. In a way, they did kind of hand that job to her, but they wouldn’t have recommended her to reconnaissance if they didn’t think she was up to it, nor would she have decided to stick with it.

With the process of getting clearance to travel to Sazona about to begin, Melody’s prepared to begin gathering information to prepare for what’s ahead. She did a thorough job with Adrikha and Marippe, and so by now she’s got a routine down. It’s a lot of work and someone has to do it, so why not her? She finds the work engaging, not to mention that she’s one of the first to travel to a new place. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Along with just wanting to travel and adventure more, another reason why Melody’s doing doubles is because she just got her own place, which happens to be in the same building as Meggie’s. She still has a lot to do, and part of it has to do with her not being home a lot, but since moving is expensive, especially when you’re starting from nothing, she just wants to be safe in terms of finances. Thankfully, the rent is low, which is why Meggie’s able to stay there.

Living on your own for the first is exciting and scary, so I wish her the best.

Speaking of new living situations, Layla’s on the search for a new place too. She went from living in the dorms to a campus apartment because it was cheaper. However, she’s not too satisfied with the housing arrangement as she’s living with four other people. Her roommates aren’t bad, but she’s more of an introvert, so having to share a space with them has made her feel kind of cramped.

What prompted Layla to move was that a couple weeks ago, one of her roommates got doxxed. Basically, a neighbor of the roommate plagiarized one of her short stories by tweaking some things and submitting it to a magazine for publication. The roommate considered suing, but then decided to talk things out with the neighbor, who was uncooperative and basically dared her to sue.

Roommate decided not to press the issue further as she saw it was pointless. Then for whatever reason, the neighbor decided to dox her and now he’s in a lot of trouble obviously. After all, he didn’t put her at risk, her housemates are also affected by it. Damn, fuck that guy.

Campus security has been helpful in terms of keeping everyone safe as well as trying to help those who want to move. Since Layla’s a student, her options are kind of limited at the moment, but she’s on the waitlist for a single dorm. She literally got an email this morning that there will be an opening soon as someone’s moving out, so that’s good news. That means when she gets back in a couple days, she’ll have a dorm ready to be moved in. That’s a relief!

Topaz’s assistant, Misha, is from overseas, though his mother was from Marippe and was actually a research engineer from the institute. He had hoped to follow in her footsteps, but realized early on that he wanted to branch off. As for what exactly that is, he’s still trying to figure that out. In short, he’s made some bad investments for some sort of project and is trying to dig himself out of that hole without having his family involved. Apparently, the last time that happened, his mother had to intervene, which I can imagine was embarrassing, and his reputation took a hit because of that.

It’s a good thing he ran into Topaz, who was looking for an assistant with specific skills. Pai says it’s not uncommon for her and Connie to run into people like Misha who are stuck in bind and need help. While getting paid is a factor, Misha also hopes this experience will help him bring some insights he can use to hopefully salvage the project. As for what it is, he says it’s hard to explain in layman’s terms because it’s super technical, but to put simply, he might have been too overambitious.

The reason why the painter, Desiree, commissioned Topaz is because of her son, who passed away a couple months ago from cancer. She had talked about her son as if he was still alive and really wanted to make something special for him. We later found out that her son basically grew up in the pediatric oncology ward and was said to be inquisitive and artistic. All he wanted was to be healthy enough to run around and play like other kids his age. Such a simple thing to ask for, and yet it was basically a fantasy for him.

About a year ago, his cancer became terminal. which made him depressed and withdrawn. Desiree tried her best to lift his spirits up, even giving him the possibility that despite his grim prognosis, maybe a miracle can still happen. In the end, however, that was not meant to be.

How sad it is to watch your child slowly wither and die in front of you? It’s not fair for a kid whose life is just beginning to just be taken away like that. No wonder she chose to live in a fantasy world where her son’s still hanging on for a miracle. I remember hearing something about how some people would rather believe a beautiful lie rather than confront the ugly truth, and honestly, who can blame her?

I think talking with the kids at the cancer ward was an eye opening experience for us, one that Desiree really needed. A handful of these kids are sadly terminal and they have their ways of coping with their futures, which is basically making the most of whatever time they have left. It can’t be easy, especially for those who have been sick for most of their lives, to live with the fact that your life is ending before it can begin.

So, along with making toys for the kids, we were helping Desiree deal with her grief. Misha seemed to be right when he realized that she was dealing with a lot of regrets, which isn’t uncommon. He was close to his mother, who died unexpectedly not too long ago, and that was what prompted this project, which was based on her research. In a way, he wanted to sort of cement her legacy, though he doesn’t think he’s doing a very good job of it considering the predicaments he’s in. Sounds like he was close to his mother and understands what Desiree’s going through, so it makes sense that he was able to reach out to the grieving mother.

After learning the full story, Topaz and Misha decided to go all out to create something special for Desiree. She had requested a heron and gave them her son’s illustrations as reference, which look like they came out of a fairy tale. According to one of the nurses who took care of him, he wanted to be a painter like his mother. Since he was often in bed, he would make up fairy tale stories with his paintings. Unfortunately, as his illness progressed, holding a paintbrush became difficult for him, and when he could no longer do that, it seemed like he lost the will to fight.

The heron took Desiree by surprise, especially since Topaz did a really good job of turning a painting into a physical object, like it was taken right out of the paper. He also gave the heron a voice, using various quotes from the story. Maybe for a moment she thought that her son really was right there with her, and because she could feel his presence, she could finally say goodbye to him. A bittersweet ending all around.

Of course, the kids enjoyed their companions, and now Topaz has more requests from other floors. Since he has the time, he’s gonna work something out. Misha’s not planning to go home anytime soon because of his predicament, so he’s happy to help out too. He said that he mainly tagged along in hopes of finding a distraction, but instead, seeing Desiree’s ordeal made him confront some things he’s been trying run away from, like his own grief. Despite the challenges he’s dealing with now, Misha’s determined to honor his mother’s memory like the heron and Desiree’s son. I wish him luck.

No matter how long or short your life is, it’s bound to leave an effect on someone. Regardless of what you might think, your absence will be felt. I know it’s hard to believe, but as I got older and experience more of the world, I realize how true it is. As insignificant as you think you are, as long as you exist, you’re still leaving footprints regardless of how much or little of an impact you think you have. And I think that’s what makes being alive worth it.

Now that I think about it, these robots aren’t simply just companions for these kids who are fighting tough battles with uncertain futures, but they’re something for them to leave behind, a reminder to the world and to their families that they once existed, that they will never really be gone. A lot of the more complex requests came from those who know their time is limited, so they want to offer a parting gift to those closest to them. I can imagine how special these companions will be long after they’re gone.

#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Go with the flow like the autumn koi and swim away without a care in the world

I should strive to be more like the autumn koi in the Moonlit Choral Brook. They follow the rhythm of the river like it’s a dance, always moving forward. I wonder how the world looks from their point of view through the crystal clear water.

We’re in Sunburst Villa for a fishing tourney involving autumn koi obviously. They’re kinda like the village’s mascot, so it’s no exaggeration to say that they’re everywhere. I don’t mind, I think koi are pretty, especially the autumn koi with its warm and vibrant colors.

Along with the journey, there’s MellowCon, an anime convention where Alexi and Emma are attending. Of course, I got a couple signed prints from them, one of them having been commissioned from Cheyenne, who regretfully couldn’t make it. Luckily, the next convention Alexi’s going to is about half an hour away from where Cheyenne lives and they have plans to meet up with some old college friends during that weekend.

We’re also hanging out with Jamie and the Linnea Squad for some sightseeing. Jamie wanted to treat the Linnea Squad to a vacation when she found out an old friend and her traveling party was in the area, so she introduced them to us.

The fishing tourney has been fun in a chill, low-key kind of way. I always prefer events more of that pace than something big and extravagant. Sure, those can be fun, but they also can be draining. For me, fishing is about taking it easy, so it makes sense for it to be a low stakes kind of thing. It would be nice to catch lots of huge fish and get a nice trophy, but that’s not a priority for me. I’m just here for the cool sea creatures.

MellowCon was also fun, although it’s not really my scene, so I didn’t really spend a lot of time there. To be honest, I really only hung around Alexi and Emma because I’m not familiar with the other shows and games over there. Really, I only know a very small handful of characters they play, specifically from Pillars of Stone and Flame. Still, it was fun looking around and seeing all the art and cosplay.

At least I was able to get into the conversations revolving around Pillars. Along with Emma and Alexi, it seems like a lot of the English VAs really kicked off their careers with Pillars - and most of them happen to be fans of the game too. The new update’s coming next week with a new exploration area and story chapter, both which I’m hyped for.

Along with the excitement for the new update, we also talked a bit about that dev, the one who was memed in an interview for coming off as a snob — and rightfully so, to be honest. Apparently, she made a spectacle of herself in a podcast by being sort of passive aggressive towards the fanbase. From my understanding based on translations, she doesn’t like the criticism towards the writing, except she kinda blows it out of proportion.

I mean, I kinda get it, but at the same time those criticisms are usually valid. I got interested in Pillars for the story and exploration, and while I am invested, I find the writing to be uneven at times. In other words, when it’s good, it can be really good, but when it’s bad, it falls flat. At least, in my opinion, the story has improved a lot since the beginning, though pacing seems to be its weak spot.

The podcast also goes a bit into Constellation Matrix, which is another game produced by the same company as Pillars, and that was what prompted the dev’s rant as she worked on both. I don’t know too much about Constellation Matrix’s lore, but there’s a lot of comparisons made between the character Fury and Pillar’s October - who happens to be played by Emma - in terms of their character arcs being similar.

From the gist of it, Fury was a fan favorite, at least until the writers butchered her character arc so badly that she died an anticlimactic death. In other words, she was a well written character with a lot of potential to take the story in another direction. Fans speculated that the writers didn’t want to commit or something, so they decided to kill her off and then act like she never existed. Of course, fans protested and the phrase “offed like Fury” became a thing. Even the company and the devs poke fun at it occasionally.

I mean, imagine screwing up so badly that you sort of became a cultural phenomenon, like, damn. I can see the parallels between Fury and October, which are likely intentional, though I think I have faith in Pillars to not pull an “offed like Fury” with October. I mean, October’s second character story chapter’s coming out in the new update, so she’s not disappearing from the spotlight anytime soon. Really, the only thing I’m worried about at this point is the pacing, especially later on when the story begins to focus on other characters.

And on an unsurprising note, that dev isn’t a fan of “offed by Fury” and went off on a tangent on why it was necessary for Fury to die and people were too dense understand what it meant for the narrative or something. I didn’t understand most of it, but she seemed really defensive over that for some reason, which is what people are memeing over because it really is ridiculous.

Aside from hyping about Pillars, the biggest highlight of MellowCon for me was seeing Alexi and Emma with their fans. Both of them never imagined that they’d make it as voice actors, not with the way their families discouraged them from pursuing it. And now here they are, living the life they never imagined would be possible if they hadn’t taken the plunge. It really is amazing to see.

Alexi had a pleasant surprise when her brother showed up with his friends to support her. She mentioned that out of her family, she has a difficult relationship with her oldest brother and their father after the accident. The way she describes it, they see her as damaged goods, a traumatized amputee who should be ashamed to be alive. Sounds harsh, but that’s just the sad reality of how some people are.

While things are far from ideal between Alexi and her brother, at least they’re talking. It’s sad that they used to be close, only for him to pull away when she needed his support the most. She said the worst thing was that he was being dishonest, always making up excuses to justify treating her like she’s less of a person. And when her voice acting career took off, she felt that his “support” was purely superficial, as in he only cared when it benefitted him.

As for her father, not only he looks down on her, he also thinks that voice acting is not a real job. His response to her getting more recognition as a voice actor was basically along the lines of, “Do these people have anything better to do? Aren’t they tired of her yet?” How rude.

Alexi said she wasn’t super close to him as they didn’t really have a lot in common to begin with, but they got along pretty well back then. She described him as old fashioned, the kind of person who thinks that people should just develop a thick skin and get over it. Basically, although he’d never say it outright, he’s ashamed of having a disabled and mentally ill daughter.

By now, Alexi’s accepted that they’ll never see eye to eye. She admits that she can be difficult, though I don’t think that’s an excuse for him to cast her aside like that. Sounds like the kind of person where there’s just no winning with them. When you’re at your lowest, they make fun of you for being weak. And then when you stand up for yourself, they complain that you’re unreasonable and stuck up. Sometimes you just have to say “Fuck it, I’m not bending over backwards just to get your approval.” Alexi’s been through a lot of shit and she doesn’t have time to deal with people like that. Good for her!

Then we met up with Jamie and her friends, the Linnea Squad and Caerwyn’s adventuring party. Linnea and her comrades are still traveling with Jamie from time to time, mainly because they need a mentor figure to look up to. They’re still at large, so going off on their own isn’t the best option.

Linnea’s still trying to reason with Jet and Gabe, but it seems like her pleas go in one ear and out the other. There’s no point in forcing them to talk if they refuse to, so she has no choice but to let it go. She and the others are still hoping for a reconciliation, but knowing how stubborn and hardheaded their friend is, they’re gonna need a lot of patience before things settle down. As long as he’s not causing trouble, and potentially putting the rest of the squad at risk, Jamie advises that it’s best to leave him alone for now. Sounds like a tricky situation, though I think the squad’s handling it well.

As for Caerwyn, she’s an elf mage who’s adventuring with her apprentice mage Salka, and Kalle, a warrior from the Glacial Mountains. They were planning to travel further up north, but they encountered problems at the Hallowed Pass. There was another member, a healer mage they picked up during their travels who later parted ways not too long ago, right before the group headed towards the Hallowed Past.

The ordeal the party experienced over there caused a considerable setback, but since they’re not on a strict schedule, it’s not that big of a deal. Basically, there were a bunch of curses and monsters acting haywire to the point that the roads became inaccessible. Caerwyn said it was just their luck that their healer mage just left because he happened to have an innate immunity to some of those curses, which would’ve made cleaning up a lot more easier. Still, it wasn’t anything that Caerwyn couldn’t handle.

While Caerwyn and Salka took care of the curses and flying monsters, Kalle handled the beasts and whatever physical obstacles came their way. The whole cleanup took nearly four days and they succeeded in reopening those routes, a feat that Caerwyn said would be considered impossible for most mages and warriors. I don’t think she’s exaggerating, otherwise, I think Jamie would’ve called her out.

Those four days really tested their stamina, especially for Kalle, so they have to take it easy for a while before going back on the road. Since they have to cross the mountains and blizzard season is approaching, which can get deadly in these parts, the group figured that it’s not worth risking their necks out there. Along with overexertion, Kalle also sustained some injuries while fighting, so he had been on strict bed rest orders.

Caerwyn and Salka are almost fully recovered while he still has to take it slow. And of course, he’s gone a bit stir crazy from being in bed all the time, but at the same time too tired to really do anything. That can be a drag sometimes. At least he was well enough to join us on the tourney for a bit and catch some autumn koi.

Since there’s no way of knowing when’s the next time they’ll cross paths again, Jamie and Caerwyn have a lot of catching up to do. Jamie says Caerwyn doesn’t have the best sense of time because she has a long life, so Salka often has to keep her in line or else she’d be taking them on detour after detour. After all, she may have all the time in the world, but for us humans, we don’t really have that luxury.

Salka has explored the village in and out, so she’s become our tour guide. The three of them tend to do their own things when they’re staying somewhere for a while. Caerwyn likes to look for shops that sell magic stuff, according to her, shadier a place looks, the more likely you are to find some treasure. Jamie wasn’t exaggerating when she said that Caerwyn’s a walking tome on magic. While she’s off doing that, Salka’s exploring the shops and replenishing on supplies, and Kalle’s running around helping the locals out.

There’s a cafe that’s not too far from the tourney, so it’s become our hangout spot. Not only the pastries are good, they also have these cute autumn koi rice cakes for the occasion. It’s kinda become our thing to end the night with rice cakes, green tea, and a couple card games.

The nightlife is pretty active here, so Caerwyn and Salka have been using these game nights to seek out a new member to join their party. As their journey goes on, they realize that they need a healer, preferably a licensed medic. The guy who left, Emlyn, wasn’t a medic, but he was a mage who Caerwyn considers a genius. Not only he’s immune to most curses, which is considered unusual, he can easily heal ailments that are difficult for even the most experienced mages. And the worst part, according to Caerwyn, instead of putting his gifts to good use, he spent most of his life living with regrets. Based on her tone, I wonder if she’s speaking from experience.

Before going off their separate ways, Emlyn left a notebook on various spells and medicinal herbs for common ailments, which has been a godsend for them. While that alone has been helping them get by, Caerwyn’s open to recruiting a medic just to be safe. According to her and Jamie, those kinds of mages are considered to be very niche, which is why it’s hard for them to find one. Basically, mages aren’t very common, and licensed ones, especially in the medical field, are very few and far between. Emlyn happened to be a unique case, so their replacement has some big shoes to fill.

Well, like Caerwyn says, there’s no rush. It’s not healthy to live life burdened by worries and regrets. Sure, there are things that are outside your control, but don’t let that stop you from living. Although Caerwyn’s made a name for herself as a powerful mage, she says she can’t help but feel like she hasn’t done enough, which is why she’s on this adventure now, to take it slow and really get to know her companions before she inevitably outlives them like most of her friends.

After getting burned out with the incident at the pass, she said seeing the autumn koi swimming in the river reminded her why she and Salka set out on this journey in the first place. Instead of a definite endpoint, they’re just going with the flow like the koi, and they’re content with that. Even if you decide to stop moving, the currents will take you along anyway whether you like it or not, so you might as well let it carry you away. You’ll end up somewhere, and you have the choice of exploring your surroundings or just burying your head in the sand. Like I said before, sounds like Caerwyn’s speaking from experience.

It won’t be long before we all go our separate ways again. Jamie hopes it won’t be too long before she and Caerwyn cross paths again. There may be no guarantees, but considering how much Jamie travels, Caerwyn bets that they’ll meet up again in the future, and hopefully introduce her to their medic. From how Jamie, Salka, and Kalle talk about her, Caerwyn is an interesting figure, one who I really hope to meet again in the future if fate allows.

Read on AO3

#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Nothing like sweet treats and snowy lotus wine to treat a weary mind

The Snow Pearl Blossom Inn and Teahouse is such a tranquil place up in the mountains that’s perfect for a retreat when you want to get away from it all for a bit. There’s something about the cool, crisp mountain air that really wakes up your senses. It’s kinda jarring at first, but after getting over the initial shock, it’s kinda exhilarating, like an adrenaline rush.

Isabelle managed to made a reservation for us, and coincidentally, we ran into some friends there. Turns out that Shen is an acquaintance of the owner’s grandparents, so he managed to get a good deal, which he extended to us. He invited Tao, Pai, Nahla, Sadiki, and Nabil on the retreat as they all just came from missions assigned by Connie.

Guess Connie’s still doing overtime, though the others say they don’t mind too much, especially when it basically turns into a paid vacation when things go smoothly and quickly.

The main reason for this retreat is because Shen and Sadiki are concerned about Nahla. She’s been under a lot of stress lately because of work, and a particular incident resulted in her getting suspended for acting out of line.She says it’s been a struggle to turn off her work mode, but she’s doing her best.

It’s not easy having to be on top of everything, so pretty much having an entire fucking country on your shoulders (simple overexaggeration), is a pretty fucking stressful position. Then add on to the pressure of not making the same mistakes as your predecessors who you worked hard to overthrow.

I’d say it takes someone with special qualities, like being levelheaded and rational no matter what, to be able to handle all that, which is why Nahla took on that role. But even she, someone who’s lived a long life and has a different perspective compared us mortal humans that allows her to see things from a different angle, is still prone to emotions over taking logic and having her judgement clouded by outside factors.

Basically, she says it’s one of those situations where the little things pile up, and then suddenly a big thing blows up and you’re just like, “Fuck this, I’m out.” Most of it has to do with work, some outside of it, mainly to do with Katsumi causing trouble with his attitude, which often rubs others the wrong way. Nabil has gotten into so many disagreements with him over such trivial things that he’s gone out of his way to avoid him whenever possible, which thankfully isn’t too difficult. Sadiki, on the other hand, has a higher chance of running into him because they’re both at Dharma most of the time.

At least Sadiki and his colleagues can easily threaten Katsumi whenever he causes trouble by threatening to report him directly to Nahla, which usually shuts him up. Apparently, according to Nabil, there was this one time when Katsumi got involved in something that he shouldn’t have been poking his nose into, and Nahla - rightfully so - went off on him in front of some colleagues, revealing a terrifying side to her.

While Nahla agrees with Nabil that Katsumi needs a good shaking from time to time, she believes the lectures should be done in private. Being a public figure, I imagine it’s easy for something like that to easily blow up and be easily taken out of context. Pai doesn’t seem to get along with him at all and said whatever reason Nahla yelled at him for, he probably had it coming.

I’ve heard that some are intimidated just by her presence, but once you get to know her, she’s very approachable and friendly. Some have made the mistake of assuming she’s helpless and naive because of young and small she looks, and they couldn’t have been more wrong. She’s a master tactician who isn’t afraid to play dirty if necessary, and sometimes you have to stoop low and make questionable decisions in order to get shit done. In other words, she’s very much a do whatever it takes, and make necessary sacrifices if need be while taking full responsibility type.

She’s a tough boss, but as long as you do your job and not cause conflict, all should be good. If not, she won’t hesitate to put you in your place.

The incident that sort of pushed her over involved the negligence of a former faculty member and the death of another. Nahla, Sadiki, Connie, and Pai were doing an investigation with some researchers in some desert ruins when a lot of things went wrong due to several oversights by the head researcher, the one who got fired.

As a result of the head researcher’s incompetence, as Sadiki puts it, a mechanical device that was supposed to be deactivated went out of control and collided with another ruin device that was operated by Nahla, Sadiki, and Rana, a graduate student researcher. No one had time to react as it happened so suddenly, and the vehicle flipped. Sadiki was thrown a short distance away and had to use pieces of the debris pry open the door to get to Nahla and Rana.

It would be a while before Connie and Pai were able to get to them, not that it made much of a difference for Rana. Nahla said she wished that Rana died immediately from her injuries, especially after she and Sadiki had to watch her suffer for what felt longer than a mere few minutes. What happened was that her head hit the steering wheel in a way that fractured her neck and skull, something that would usually kill someone instantly. Instead, she somehow survived and suffered greatly for a couple minutes by having almost continuous seizures. All Nahla and Sadiki could do was watch helplessly as there was nothing they could’ve done. Sounds horrifying.

Afterwards, an investigation was conducted and concluded that the head researcher was negligent in his duties. Basically, he ignored a lot of safety protocols, which was part of the reason why Nahla and Sadiki were keeping a close eye on him. Along with Rana’s death, there was a bunch of other things that he was guilty of. Safe to say that this guy’s career in academia is over.

It would’ve been over and done once the investigation wrapped up, but Rana’s death still hung over everyone. Rana’s family is planning to take legal action against Dharma, which Nahla said is justified. In fact, she was actually the one who suggested that they do that. While she is doing whatever she can to help them, she understands why they consider it futile as it won’t bring her back. Still, they’ve been cooperative throughout the whole thing, far more than she imagined, so at least there’s that.

The head researcher, however, had been difficult to deal with. He was actually part of the reason why Nahla told Rana’s family to take legal action. Sadiki said he used every excuse under the sun to avoid responsibility, blaming everyone and everything while claiming he didn’t do anything wrong. He even tried to tamper and conceal evidence, which got him into even more trouble. Talk about digging a grave for yourself.

Eventually, Nahla got fed up and that resulted in a confrontation. She tried one last time to reason with him, and when that failed, she beat him up. As in, she knocked him to the ground and kicked him a couple times before having to be restrained. We agree that while it was justified, she went too far, and she knows that. Especially for someone in her position, that kind of reaction was unprofessional, not to mention it can be considered an abuse of power.

While Nahla doesn’t regret her words, she wished that she handled it more tactfully. I mean, I don’t blame her for losing her temper like that, but that doesn’t make it right, even if he deserved to get his ass kicked.

So that’s why she’s taking time off and trying to rebalance herself. After being a homebody for a couple weeks, which did help a bit, she was starting to get a bit stir crazy, so Connie dispatched her to some missions. Because their powers and combat skills synergize well, Connie usually puts Nahla and Sadiki together.

Those two, along with Shinobu and Yelan, make a team that’s unofficially dubbed “Thunderbolt Tree”, where Nahla is the tree because her powers are plant/earth based, Shinobu and Sadiki being thunderbolt as they both can control lightning, and Yelan tying everything together as the rain with her ability to control water.

Shen and Nahla actually go way back, and they occasionally get teamed up together for missions. Like with Nahla and Sadiki, Shen and Tao often get paired together because they work together well. However, Pai remarks that having all four work together in a team is a bit unusual. It’s not that they don’t get along, it’s more of the fact that their combat abilities are kinda “mismatched” was the word she used. Basically, it was one of those very niche situations where a team like that could actually work if they can coordinate their moved well. By this point, they’ve been with Connie and Pai long enough that they’re able to think on their feet and work with whoever they’re teamed up with.

The missions they were assigned went smoothly, though the last one ended up being canceled. Since they don’t have anything after, they were planning to hang around anyway. They were looking for places to stay when Shen found out that the Snow Pearl Blossom was not too far from there and booked a reservation.

Along with its tea and wine, Shen says the mountains are home to various medicinal herbs. Part of the reason why he decided to hang out here is to collect some herbs for Nahla, one of them called the sunshine stalk. According to him, it helps deal with the physical and mental affects of stress. Just take a bunch of dried stalks and make a tea out of them. They’re common around these parts, so we got as much as we can as they store easily.

The second herb that Shen recommends for dealing with stress is called a cotton pebble, a flower that can also be used in tea or as a flavoring in desserts. It can also help with hair loss, which can be a side effect of stress. Nahla didn’t really notice it much until she was fixing a hairpin and found quite a few loose strands on it. To make matters worse, she was at a meeting, and a lot of people saw it, including Sadiki and Haitham, mainly because she apparently zoned out after seeing the hairpin. Sadiki said it was a rare occasion to see Haitham somewhat surprised.

Though, in all seriousness, that must have been scary. I’ve had issues with shedding a lot myself, so I get kinda nervous when I see a lot of loose strands. Turns out in my case, I just shed a lot, which apparently is a thing for some people. I guess it wouldn’t be such a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that my hair wasn’t already on the thinner side to begin with.

I’ve had good luck with a hair treatment that noticeably reduced my shedding to a somewhat reasonable amount, so hopefully the cotton pebble might help somewhat too. Nabil the plant expert is able to verify Shen’s claims about the flower and he’s been hoping to bring some back home to study. It can’t hurt to try out.

The snowy lotus wine is a local specialty made from a rare lotus that only grows in icy waters. Because it’s a protected plant, we aren’t allowed to pick it. However, Shen managed to get Nabil a permit to take a couple samples to analyze back home. Apparently, the owner’s friends with a botanist who happens to be a fan of Nabil’s work and they spent quite a bit of time nerding out over medicinal herbs. I always enjoy seeing people’s eyes light up whenever they do a deep dive into something they’re passionate about.

I would describe snowy lotus wine as sweet and icy, kinda like ice wine, but more herbal-y to balance out the flavors. Even though it feels cold, it actually warms up the body, which is why it’s popular in these parts. They even have a non-alcoholic version that’s a bit more sweet, but just as effective to warm up the body on these cold winter nights.

And to pair with the wine, we have red bean pastries and black tea rice cakes. The sweetness of the snowy lotus perfectly compliments the richness of the red bean paste and the strong black tea flavors of the rice cakes, making it perfect to enjoy in front of a crackling fire. Along with its sweet treats, the teahouse is known for its various noodle soups, using unusual combinations of herbs to make their signature broths. I’ve never had anything like it and I’ll miss it when I leave.

I think being out here did us a lot of good. Like I said, the harsh chill really wakes you up! Nahla and Shen are having a good time catching up with each other and enjoying the scenery. Pai described Shen as sort of like a grandpa who takes in all kinds of people under his wing and spends a lot of time telling stories of the olden days. Her description of him really is accurate. And I enjoy listening to him talk about various topics - he somehow can make the mundane quite interesting!

Pai also suspects that Connie put Shen and Nahla together for more reasons than “They’re best suited for these missions,” and I agree. Shen’s concerned about Nahla’s wellbeing, obviously, and while he knows that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, he can’t help but worry from time to time, like an older person looking out for the younger. It’s clear that they have a lot of respect for each other. Plus, Nahla always speaks formally with him, although he’s trying to get her out of that habit as he insists that they’re equals. She’s trying, but they say old habits die hard.

He says thanks to Connie and Pai, they have more excuses to meet up with each other unlike in the past, so it’s about time they finally become good friends rather than just casual acquaintances. I’ve heard from many who lived long lives that one of their biggest regrets is not spending enough time with those they care about. Or, on a similar note, not taking enough time to get to know someone until it’s too late. Immortal doesn’t always mean invincible, and many have learned that lesson the hard way.

Seeing Shen and Nahla, I think my biggest takeaway of this retreat is to live in the present. Life is fleeting and always moving forward. Hard times will pass and it’s never too late to turn things around. Use the good stuff, step out of your comfort zone, and let others know how you feel. And most importantly, live for yourself. We will all fade away eventually until there’s no trace of our memories left in the world, so why not make the most out of the time we have now?

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Unexpected encounters in the waters of the Mosaic Resort

What better way to get away from the long monotony of cold winter days than a bright and sunny resort? Landry called me up as she and the Epiphany just got back from a long mission and are planning to stay at the Mosaic for a short break. Not only the Mosaic’s a couple hours from the camp, there’s this crafting item called mosaic stones that Isabelle and Reese have been interested in getting their hands on.

Of course, things worked out on our end since I don’t have anything going on - same for Isabelle, Daisy Jane, and the others. The Mosaic Resort’s usually super busy, which is part of the reason why Isabelle and I kept putting off a visit there. Mosaic stones aren’t rare, but it feels kinda weird for us to come in and take a bunch of them when there’s so many visitors around. At least around this month when business is a bit slow, I won’t feel as bad for taking all these pretty stones back to the camp.

While the Mosaic Resort is known for it’s architecture, the real magic of the place is underwater. It’s home to many unusual plants and shells, almost like a world of its own. And of course, there’s the mosaic stones, which are named that because they really look like mosaic tiles. I can’t wait to see what we can make out of them.

While the main reason for the trip was to explore the underwater and collect little treasures, we got kinda distracted by another unexpected discovery. It’s kind of a long story that started a few years back and there’s still a lot of gaps to fill in. Unfortunately, with the person in question unable to really say or do anything, all we can do is speculate for now.

To start, a couple years ago, Landry had an encounter with a debt collector from the Interstellar Factions known as Jewel. Not only she was very well known in her department for her work ethic, she also always had two companions by her side. One is her pet starfox Sushi, the other being a teddy bear named Strawberry Milk, who she kept in her messenger bag full of documents and records. Simply put, she was a big deal in both a good way and a bad way.

Landry described Jewel as someone with good intentions, but was severely misguided. She and Yang can go on about what’s wrong with the Interstellar Faction’s debt collector department as a whole and why that whole department eventually fell apart, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. In other words, it’s kinda similar to the situation with the Eagle Stellarons in which it poses itself as a noble cause when in reality, they’re nothing but a bunch of self serving backstabbers who benefit off of other people’s suffering.

Damn, to think that those people were the ones in power, and to have been for so long. At least now they’re forced to face the consequences and pay the price for their actions. What comes around goes around, I guess.

Since I’m comparing the debt collectors to the Eagle Stellarons, I guess Della and Jewel are alike in that regard. While Della had never interacted with Jewel personally, she’s heard of her, at least, how she operated. Seeing their similarities, it makes sense why Della’s interested in knowing more about Jewel and what happened to her after getting expelled from the Interstellar Factions. Some similarities Della pointed out were that they both basically got their position through nepotism, and they never really saw eye to eye with their superiors to the point that they thought distancing themselves from the main group makes a difference.

In an attempt to figure out Jewel’s motives, Della has her own theories based from her perspective and personal experiences why so many people with good intentions are unintentionally complicit in causing harm, and why so many of them refuse to own up to that. I appreciate that she’s taking the time to reflect on herself and is willing to hold herself accountable, as well as admit that she has a lot to learn and unlearn. It’s not a black and white situation, and in reality, no one really falls into a clear category of “good” and “bad”, which is what I think trips up most people when trying to analyze stuff like this.

The biggest takeaway Della got from the fallout of the Eagle Stellarons is this: No matter how good your intentions were, even if you’re being as selfless as possible, you are still capable of doing harm, especially when you feel that it’s necessary to step on other people in order to get things done. Also, you can detach yourself and denounce the other party all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you were complicit, whether intentional or not, of contributing to the conflict. That was difficult for her to accept, and she admits that she’s still struggling with it, but that’s the truth. You can either own up to your mistakes and learn from them, or you can bury your head in the sand and play ignorance.

Again, this ties to Landry’s description of Jewel as someone who wants to help people, but her methods of doing so ultimately do more harm than good. Part of the issue was the nature of her job as a debt collector, and those from the Interstellar Factions were known as two faced for good reason. Laufey also met her briefly in the past and thought she was a nice person at first because of how friendly she was. She said Jewel gave off the impression that she was solely there for business and lecture, nothing out of the ordinary.

In reality, Jewel was responsible for evicting an entire neighborhood over a 300 year old debt that was practically impossible to pay off that had absolutely nothing to do with the residents who had been living there anyway. She and Landry later found out that Jewel intentionally stirred up conflict between the neighborhood and the city so she and the debt collectors could take over easily. But even after all that, Laufey said she seemed kinda conflicted, which probably explains why she ended up defying orders later on.

And that leads to the last encounter Landry had with Jewel that led to her demotion. Laufey was tagging along with her on a trip to Acapella to attend a celebration after helping the planet with a crisis a while back. Jewel was there to put a damper on the celebration with a centuries long debt that shouldn’t have existed in the first place due to various circumstances.

So Jewel and her people just came marching in guns blazing and the people obviously protested. And like the previous encounter, she successfully pitted two sides against each other with her proposed solution, which would basically make the citizens forever indebted to the debt collectors. Not wanting a repeat of what happened last time, Laufey tried to take matters into her own hands by trying to reason with Jewel as well as encourage the people of Acapella to stand up for themselves when the other debt collectors tried to push them around.

Long story short, the situation escalated to the point that Jewel and her subordinates were giving conflicting information, resulting in even more chaos and fighting. Laufey said it seemed like she really wanted to help Acapella’s people, but she didn’t seem to understand why they didn’t accept her solution. From how it sounds, Jewel sounds like the kind of person who comes in thinking she knows what’s best for everyone without considering how they might feel about it.

From my experience, I find those kinds of people difficult to get along with. Sure, they may have good intentions and genuinely want to help, but the problem is that they think they’re above everyone else. They expect you to be grateful for stepping in when they’re really just walking all over you and talking over you. Sometimes it’s good to have an outsider’s perspective, but not so much when they flat out ignore your own experiences and feelings. It’s like they’re too blinded by potential that they can’t see the real and tangible that’s often right in front of their faces.

And then there’s those who get overly defensive when you ask them to take a step back. I don’t know, it’s kinda like they expect you to be grateful to the point that you willingly accept what they say and do without question. I really don’t like the whole “I know you better than you know yourself” kind of attitude some people hold. It’s even worse when they do it because they secretly don’t like certain parts of you and would rather see you as an idealized version that fits their standards.

According to Laufey, things got really messy before Landry came in to save the day. After pointing out the glaring flaws in the solution Jewel proposed, Landry made some calls and put her and her subordinates in a difficult position. In other words, Jewel and her people crossed a lot of boundaries that exist for good reasons, and given the situation regarding Acapella’s debt - which, again, should have been forgiven considering the circumstances - Acapella has every right to take legal action against the Interstellar Factions.

Like Laufey said, Jewel seems to be a reasonable person. She realized that she dug a hole for herself and accepted that the only way out was to take full responsibility for what happened. Not only that, she also went out of her way to personally apologize to Acapella’s officials for the troubles she and her people caused. As for the sincerity of her actions, the others felt that she was genuinely remorseful about how things escalated.

All Landry knew was that Jewel got a demotion and a cut in pay. As for what happened after, she had to do some digging. The incident at Acapella seemed to set something off in Jewel as she began defying her orders and acting out. She speculates that it’s a combination of her feeling the need to save the day while trying to one up her detractors. Again, good intentions, but severely misguided to the point where she became nothing but trouble.

While the Interstellar Factions’s debt collectors already have a bad name, Jewel seemed intent on driving their reputation further into the ground than it already was. They were already shady to begin with, and so Jewel pretty much put the final nail in the coffin by highlighting everything wrong with them. Not too long after Jewel was fired, the Interstellar Factions was pressured to shut down their debt collector department.

From there, this is where things get hazy. Landry’s still trying to find out more information, so this is all she has for now. Jewel got herself tangled up with some people with questionable track records. Eventually, she got into a lot of legal troubles and later served time for reasons currently unknown that likely have to do with a murder case. So, her records are likely full of red tape with the word redacted written all over them. Not surprising, to say the least.

And that brings us to the present. According to records, Jewel was released about a month ago. After getting kicked out of the Interstellar Factions, it seems like she went on a downward spiral, throwing her professionalism and rationality out of the window. Because of all the legal troubles and the bridges she burned, by the time she got out, she basically had nothing except for Sushi and Strawberry Milk.

With nowhere to go, she likely wandered around until maybe she decided that she had enough and just gave up on life. And that was probably how Jewel almost ended up at the bottom of the Mosaic River. Had Landry not run into Sushi and Strawberry Milk, Jewel would be dead by now.

We were collecting mosaic stones and admiring the scenery when Jiangyi spotted something in the distance. Landry and Laufey recognized the frantically swimming figure as Sushi, who, in turn, recognized them. Seeing how distressed Sushi looked, Landry followed her. Let’s just say the last thing I’d expect to see is someone trying to let themselves be swallowed up by the waters of the Mosaic.

As it turns out, it looks like we just barely got to her in time. Good thing we’re all CPR certified, which meant we didn’t hesitate as soon as she got out of the water - something we were told pretty much improved her chances of survival by a lot. She was already breathing again by the time the ambulance came.

Right now, Jewel’s stable, but in bad shape. Since she has no emergency contacts or family, Landry’s stepping in and keeping tabs on her. Although we saved her from drowning, she has another hurdle to overcome - pneumonia. Since she’s been living out on the streets for a while, it’s no surprise that she’s in a weakened condition. Landry and Laufey almost didn’t recognize her if it wasn’t for her unusual hair colors, which is a sort of beige white with light blue and purple streaks.

Because she has to be sedated for the ventilator, there’s not much we can do but wait around and hope for the best. There’s no way of determining exactly how long she’s been sick and without treatment - a couple weeks at most - and so the doctors don’t know if there’ll be complications. Even if Jewel recovers physically, her mental state remains a concern. After all, she intended to kill herself, and given what we’ve uncovered about her situation so far, I mean, who can blame her?

Landry has been apologizing for putting a damper on our adventure by being concerned about Jewel’s wellbeing, but I don’t mind. She’s clearly worried about her, and if Jewel truly has no one else besides her companions, Landry should be with her. Laufey’s saddened by this turn of events too and is really hoping that she pulls through. We all are.

For now, we’ve been carrying on as usual, exploring the Mosaic Resort and collecting mosaic stones. Yang managed to talk Landry out of camping out in the hospital waiting room, reminding her that the Epiphany’s a family and that she shouldn’t be shouldering this alone. By that, he means that not only she should take some time for herself, but also let the others help her out. Isabelle, Daisy Jane, and I offered to take shifts too, but Landry said it wasn’t necessary, though she appreciated the gesture. Still, we felt it would help to accompany the others, mainly Laufey, Della, and Fionna, so that’s what we did.

Fionna’s been there before, life just barely hanging on a thread when you’re at your lowest. Aside from physical recovery, she says the will to live is what really determines your fate, is how she puts it. Sure, Jewel might be in for a rude awakening when she comes to, but she has to accept that she’s here, she’s alive, and what happens next is entirely up to her. It’ll be a long road, and far from an easy one.

After learning about Jewel, I can’t help but be invested in her too. I hope, especially for her sake, that she pulls through. This may be beside the point, but I think she’d be a good fit for the Epiphany. I mean, she’s a lost wanderer in need of a clean slate - and it seems like Della and Fionna are the closest to understanding what she’s going through. We were lucky to have found her when we did, so we want to make sure that she’s in good hands.

Life can be full of unexpected twists and turns. I really hope this is one of those good moments where small actions can make a positive impact.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Campfire soups, an unexpected snowfall, and the question of whether some things are better off left alone

What’s the best way to deal with an unexpected winter storm? Piles of warm, cozy blankets, piping hot tea, and yummy soups. To be honest, it wasn’t like we really had anything planned outside, not with how cold it’s been lately. Getting all nice and cozied up in front of a fire is my ideal way of spending these long and often freezing winter days. It’s good - and I think absolutely necessary - to set some time for yourself to be a potato in the dead of winter.

Before the snow hit, I was meeting up with Lana, Michi, Hanzou, Eiko, Lan, and Ruby in Goldcrest, which is about 45 minutes from the camp. They were helping out someone over there, and Daisy Jane and I got sort of involved too. Basically, someone wanted to confirm the identity of a missing person, so Connie asked Michi to handle the case since he’s a detective. So he recruited Hanzou, Eiko, and Lan to help out since they happened to be there. And by chance, the requester, had also hired Lana, which was why she finally received a break in the case after all these years.

Then Ruby asked to tag along as she happened to have some connection with the missing person, though not in a good way, and she needed to warn the others about what they were getting themselves into. In other words, the ending is not what everyone expected and since then, it’s been on our minds. It’s just one of those things where nothing really gets resolved and its completely out of our hands. I can’t help but feel a little let down, but sometimes things just don’t work out and you just have to leave it as it is.

About 25 years ago, Blaire’s younger brother Ricky ran away from home. Blaire said he left out of guilt after accidentally causing a fire in the house. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but the second floor of the house required extensive repairs. Being the youngest out of eight, Ricky was often left out, often unintentionally. After getting into a lot of trouble because of the fire, which involved him using a soldering tool unsupervised and leaving it unattended, he probably thought the family would be better off without him.

Because of the repairs going on in the house, Ricky was going to stay with his friend in the meantime. Ricky used that opportunity to escape by telling his friend’s parents that he was gonna stay with his brother instead and having his friend cover for him. With everything being sort of hectic and all, by the time the family realized that Ricky was missing, he had already left the country with an infamous con artist known as Ash.

As for how Ricky ended up with a con artist is a bit of a long story according to Blaire. The year before, the family had a run in with an elderly man who caused quite a bit of trouble by trying to break in. Once they realized that he wasn’t dangerous, just somewhat senile and very lonely, Blaire and her siblings insisted that their father not press charges. Since he had nowhere to go, the family let him stay for the winter. Then after that, they made some calls and got him in contact with some old friends in a city a couple hours away.

It was by chance that the old man was featured in the newspaper on an article about a charity event. When Blaire’s sister noticed the clipping hanging on the fridge was missing after Ricky disappeared, their father immediately took a bus to Ornament Beach. By then, Ricky had been missing for a little over two weeks.

They later found out that Ricky did arrive at Ornament and asked about the old man’s whereabouts, only to find out that he passed away not too long ago. The one who informed him was a friend, the con artist Ash. According to the locals, Ash took Ricky in and it wasn’t long before they were causing trouble. Ash was known for being slick, which was why he often got away so easily. After taking Ricky in, he became more daring with his scams. Eventually, their troubles began catching up with them and so they fled.

Since then, there was no trace of Ash and Ricky. The family was told that it was unlikely that they could be found, especially if they left the country and changed their identities. Blaire held out hope that something would come up, as did her father. She said the family fell apart when Ricky disappeared, though she felt the bad luck really began with her mother’s death months before. Other misfortunes that later followed were her older brother’s failing marriages, her oldest sister’s unexpected death, and her younger brother’s legal troubles. Blaire considers herself lucky that she’s led a relatively uneventful life.

After years of searching on and off with no luck, it was Lana who finally got something. She didn’t want to get Blaire’s hopes up, but it seemed like a lot of things were adding up. To confirm her speculations, she reached out to a local guild in hopes of finding more information about the mysterious individual who might be Ricky. When she found out that he might be troublesome, Lana got concerned, which was why she felt that she needed reinforcements just in case. Given what we uncovered about Ricky and what he’s been up to, I think she made the right call.

Michi and Lana were able to confirm that Rick and Solace are the same person. Ash had trained him well in the art of being a master con artist. Although it’s been years, Blaire felt very strongly that Solace is indeed her brother, nothing how much he resembled their father. I imagine that it was hard for her not to walk right up to him, a thought she said crossed her mind many times while tailing him. Obviously, doing that would end up causing unnecessary trouble. Michi, Lana, and Ruby have dealt with con artists and scummy people, and they know from experience that people like Solace are on a different level.

About 10 years ago, Solace had been living in Marippe. When Ruby heard about Michi’s assignment, she really hoped that she was wrong when she saw his picture. Beryl understandably didn’t want her to tag along but she had to confirm her suspicions. It wasn’t easy for her - and she absolutely didn’t have to. However, Ruby didn’t want Blaire and her family to get hurt if Ricky did indeed turn out to be Solace, especially once they find out what he’s been up to.

Just as we dreaded, Solace was more than just a con artist. Ruby said she never forgot the faces of her kidnappers, the guys who were intent on turning her into a child prostitute. She and her brothers were living in the streets after their mother died, so they became street performers in order to survive. They later caught the attention of some noble who was later convicted for human trafficking. He took Ruby and her brothers in, spoiling them with lavish gifts and insisting that they were like his own children. And then he turned on them by selling Ruby to a friend, another noble who had a thing for young girls.

Ruby obviously didn’t go into much detail, but she recalled that the man had a couple companions with him. The younger man stuck out to her as the man referred to him as inexperienced and eager to learn, which is ugh. It didn’t take long for Ruby to figure out what was about to unfold. Thankfully, before the noble got his hands on her, the authorities came rushing in. She didn’t recall what happened after, though she suspected that the young man and his companion likely fled. If they stayed in Marippe, she would have heard something about them.

Hearing Ruby’s story was more than enough to make Blaire reconsider. Yeah, that’s a horrifying experience. I’m glad that she managed to escape, but even if nothing ended up happening, that kind of thing scars you. What is wrong with some people? If someone I grew up with ended up like that, I don’t know what I’d do either. It’s one of those things where once you find out, you can’t go back and now it’s ruined.

And not surprisingly, there’s also circumstantial evidence that Solace is involved with human trafficking. Lana and Michi have their sources, so let’s just leave it at that. Blaire was understandably in shock and kept going back and forth on whether or not she should tell her family about what she uncovered. Like I said, I really don’t know what to say or do. Maybe it’s one of those situations where trying to get closure does more harm than good.

I wish I could say we were able to help Blaire out, but sometimes things are just left hanging in the air. She said she needed more time before deciding as it’s not something you can just casually tell your folks. Like, how would you even start? “What’s up guys? Good news, I found our long lost brother. Bad news, he’s a fucking creep who scams people for fun and forces young girls to sleep with him.”

I think I agree with Ruby when she told Blaire that the brother she once knew as Ricky no longer exists. Maybe it’s better off to say that he died a long time ago - it beats telling the family what kind of person he became. The family’s suffered through so much, the last thing they probably need is even more pain. Blaire said Ruby’s got a point, though it’ll be hard for her to lie to her family, especially to her father. Again, it’s a difficult call to make, and it’s ultimately up to Blaire to decide what she wants to disclose to her family.

Eiko, Michi, and Hanzou fully agree with Ruby while Lana’s kinda on the fence. It makes sense for her to be the kind of person who cares about getting the truth out, even if it’s hard to accept or could potentially cause more pain. Though she also agrees with Ruby on her reasoning, she feels that maybe telling the family that Ricky died is going a bit too far. But again, maybe it’s better off for the family to think that so they can move on.

Despite how things turned out, Blaire thanked us for helping her out. Even though the truth was difficult for her to accept, at least she was able to find out what happened to her brother. She also reassured us that we shouldn’t feel bad and that in a way, she did find some closure. As for the rest of her family, she obviously needs time to figure out what to say, if she decides to tell them.

Lana and Michi are used to cases ending sort of anticlimactically without a clear conclusion, but they still can’t help but feel inadequate sometimes. However, like Blaire said, it can’t be helped. Sometimes you just have accept things as they are and resist the urge to look into it further, especially when it’ll cause more problems down the road.

Although the whole thing’s still on our minds as we can’t help it, at least the snow’s helping us as sort of a distraction in a good way. This is one of those times where I don’t mind chopping a bunch of veggies as the repetitiveness is quite relaxing. Not mention that the end product - soup - is always worth the effort.

Potato soup is always my go-to when there’s a lot of vegetables that need using up. It’s hearty and filling without it being too heavy, especially since the recipe I loosely follow doesn’t use cream. I specifically looked for a dairy free recipe so I wouldn’t have to use cream and cow’s milk. The recipe calls for soy milk, but I don’t usually have that on hand, so oat milk works. Of course, the texture won’t be the same, but I actually prefer that as it’s still creamy, but not too heavy. Also, the recipe dairy free, but I really only use the recipe so I can make the roux part, so I add cheese and butter, as well as any other veggies I have on hand. It really is a versatile recipe, which is why I often make it.

Since the special fireplace we have holds three pots, we made two other soups. Hanzou, Eiko, and Lan wanted to recreate a seafood soup they had in a restaurant they visited not too long ago as we happened to have all the ingredients on hand. Since they’re pretty sure the restaurant uses a lot of MSG, the taste isn’t exactly the same, but they felt like they did a pretty good job of replicating it. However, they did have to cut down the spice level, so Hanzou made some tweaks to the recipe to make up for that, which Eiko said improved the recipe. It wasn’t hard to put together, just a lot of prep work, and it turned out good.

The third soup we made is more of a stew that kinda combines two recipes. Ruby and Lana came up with the idea to combine them, so it was sort of experimental as we weren’t sure how it was gonna turn out. The reason for that was because they had a recipe in mind, only to find out that we were lacking something. And since both recipes were kinda similar, they figured it won’t be a bad idea to combine them. That’s how we got this hearty meat and veggie stew that’s perfect for a cold winter evening.

Along with making soup, we’ve also been doing some knitting. I’m starting the Traveler’s Cardigan and the wool yarn is so soft and nice to work with. Ruby and her brothers finished their cardigans from our knit along and she brought it with her to show me. She’s very happy with how it turned out, especially since it’s her very first garment. Her brothers also finished their cardigans and she showed me pics. The Epiphany crew also finished theirs not too long ago, as did Connie and Pai and Eloise. I’m happy to say this first knit along was a success!

As for the follow up, we agreed on the Traveler’s Henley tee. I’m still working on finalizing everything, so it’ll be a while before we get started as I want to make sure everyone who’s participating have all their supplies. I’ve extended the invitation so it’ll be much bigger, which means it can be a bit hard to manage. Again, it’s not finalized, but along with everyone from the first knit along, we’ve now got at least 20 more participants, which is exciting!

I never expected it so turn out so well, and that’s kninda making me nervous. And with a turnout like that, I obviously have some projects in mind for future knit alongs. I don’t want to just limit ourselves to garments, so I’ve been looking into accessories like hats and scarves and maybe shawls if anyone’s interested. I don’t wear shawls so I don’t know if I’m interested in making one, but I’ve seen a lot of people make them and they look nice. Socks, I’m iffy about since I’ve never done them before, and I’m afraid it’ll put off the beginners. But obviously, that can change as time goes on.

For now, I’m fine with basic patterns that still keep things engaging so it won’t bore those who are more experiences while not be too intimidating for those who are still learning the basics, which is what this group mostly is. Thankfully, there’s a lot of patterns out these days that can easily satisfy knitters of all skill levels.

Lan also gifted us with tea from Danyang Village, which is known for their pu’er tea. I’ve been really into black tea lately, so this was perfect! Ruby happens to be a tea aficionado and is curious about Yuexing’s tea. While she’s traveled Yuexing Harbor a few times for missions, she has yet to visit Danyang. Apparently, Connie and Pai have yet to visit Danyang too despite being well acquainted in Yuexing Harbor.

According to Lan, it doesn’t really make sense location wise since Danyang is closer to Marippe since it’s up north while the harbor’s more to the southwest. Ahen again, Connie somehow decided to take the long way by traveling from northern Adrikha to Port Maritoise in southern Marippe rather than the more conventional route of Danyang Village to Petrichor, which is a much shorter route. Not to mention that Petrichor is much closer to the city than Port Maritoise.

Then again, if Connie and Pai hadn’t gotten lost in Port Maritoise, they wouldn’t have run into Ruby and Beryl, and later Eloise, Fontaine, and Lady Roselyne. So either way, it all worked out in the end. Though for an experienced adventurer, Connie is said to be somewhat unreliable when it comes to navigation. There’s taking the scenic route, and then there’s Connie doing whatever. Hard to believe that it won’t be long before I hear about their escapades in Sazona and Melovka!

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Traveling back in time by rocking out to jukebox tunes

Stepping into the Checkerboard Shake Diner feels like traveling back in time, especially when jukebox begins playing. Even though this place now sticks out like a sore thumb as it’s in the middle of nowhere, I think it’s quite fitting how it ended up like that.

According to Dixie, the town of Diamond Prosper was once a hub of activity, with its humble beginnings as a miner town, hence its name. Although the mines were quickly abandoned, the city kept growing as attention was shifted towards the Moonrock Forest and its moonrock oak.

By the time the Checkerboard Shake came around the 1950s, Diamond - the Prosper in the name had been completely dropped since then - was a bustling city that served as a checkpoint in the forest. Without the city, travelers would have to travel through dense trees and high mountains before finding civilization, which would be near impossible as it was super easy to get lost. That was why the location worked in its favor.

However, due to a variety of reasons, including the dwindling number of moonrock oak trees, Diamond went into a steep decline. But again, because of its convenient location as a checkpoint, even after people moved out, several places remained up and running to this day. Along with the Checkerboard, the other remaining establishments are the Golden Sun Inn, which is the oldest building in Diamond, a general goods and gift shop, and a couple admin buildings.

Dixie’s good friends with the current owner of the Checkerboard, the granddaughter of the founder. That’s why she invited me, Daisy Jane, Almie, Emilie, and Valerie here. Another reason is that Connie told Dixie that Pai and her group were traveling from Eventide, which is from the south of the forest, so they’ll have to stop by Diamond on the way back.

The funny thing is that not too long after Connie said that they have to stop taking in new recruits for a while so they can recoup the costs of taking in 6 people in such a short time, they received an offer from Aurelie of the Phantom Rose that they couldn’t refuse. After all, the Phantom Rose is a big deal in Marippe, and they helped Connie and Pai out a lot - not to mention that the boss is a pretty cool person. To refuse her offer would have been a foolish decision!

While that means tightening the purse strings for a little while longer and splitting up to take on more missions, Connie says it’s not too difficult to work through. Besides, with the Phantom Rose officially backing them now, they consider it an investment that’ll benefit all parties. After hearing from Beryl, Eloise, and Connie about the power and respect the Phantom Rose holds, especially its boss, I figured that it won’t be long before I meet her myself as she would inevitably become one of Connie and Pai’s traveling companions.

So that’s why Pai and the others - Aurelie, Eloise, Madeleine, Xiang, and Ruby - were in Eventide. Aurelie just finished orientation with the guild so now she’s in training while Eloise and Madeleine are almost finished with theirs. Pai said because of the holidays it took a bit longer for Eloise and Madeleine to get all their training hours in, which is why they’re playing catch up now. At least with things picking up again, Aurelie won’t have to wait as long before becoming a full fledged party member and be able to go on more adventures, something that she’s been looking forward to.

Eloise described Aurelie as a ball of sunshine, and I have to say, she’s spot on! She’s weathered through a lot of storms throughout her life, especially after her father died and she took over as the head of the Phantom Rose. Aurelie was also instrumental in protecting the civilians during the earthquakes and floods that nearly wiped Marippe off the map, nearly losing her life in the process when her hometown was hit hard. It can’t be easy for someone in her position to weather through a crisis of that scale, but she persisted and the Phantom Rose’s reputation rose because of her.

Once things have finally calmed down and the reconstruction of her hometown took off, Aurelie can finally relax. While there will always work to be done regarding her duties as the head of the Phantom Rose, Aurelie isn’t going to let that stop her from living her life. Although she respects her father for all he’s done as the former head, she always wished that he took the time to live for himself. After all, it’s not healthy to tie yourself down to something and make your life revolve solely around that.

From how she speaks about her father, it sounds like Aurelie has conflicting feelings about him. It’s clear that she loved and respected him, but she’s also critical about him as a person and how his principles made him somewhat difficult to get along with. Not in a bitter or resentful way though, more like a nuanced standpoint that allows her to look back and sort of analyze what worked and what didn’t and how she could learn from those experiences. She gets that while people comparing her to him and saying that she’s becoming more like her father is intended as a compliment, she can’t help but feel a bit miffed about it.

Madeleine was well acquainted with her father and admitted that she initially made those comparisons too before really getting to know what kind of a person Aurelie is. As someone who was often compared to her predecessor, Madeleine gets where Aurelie’s frustration’s coming from. Sure, they may share some of the same qualities that makes them well liked and respected, as well as common goals and aspirations, but aside from all that, they’re two different people with their own dreams and worldviews. The point is not to be just like their predecessors, but to forge their own path and lead the way without being shackled down by the past.

Dixie has some friends in Marippe, so she’s been informed about what has been going on over there. She was also acquainted with Aurelie’s father, and while she got along with him, she agreed with Aurelie’s criticisms, particularly when it came to shouldering the burdens of being the leader of an organization.

In short, his biggest flaw was that he was the kind of person who felt responsible for handling things alone and taking matters into his own hands while leaving others in the dark, even at the cost of his own life. Aurelie has come to understand the reasoning behind some of his questionable decisions, but that doesn’t change the fact that despite his intentions, he ended up causing more problems down the line.

Dixie’s seen a lot of people like him go down a road where they can’t turn back. sure, he sacrificed himself for the greater good, but was that really necessary? For years, Aurelie struggled to pick up the pieces after her father’s death, causing her to resent him for a time. If it weren’t for Connie and Beryl, she wouldn’t have been able to uncover the true motive behind her father’s death, and in return, help Beryl and Ruby with their predicament as those two incidents were linked to a much bigger problem.

After meeting Aurelie, Dixie says she’s gotten a good enough grasp of her personality that she can day that she’s a lot different compared to her father. First of all, she’s straightforward, which Dixie finds really rare in people of her position. Aurelie is the kind of person who admits to her shortcomings and is willing to ask for help rather than pretend that everything’s fine when it’s clearly not. Madeleine also pointed out that had she downplayed the seriousness of the impending crisis in an attempt to keep morale up like her father probably would have done, that could have backfired in the worst possible way, potentially leading to even more casualties.

It’s not easy to judge whether or not to conceal information to avoid unnecessary anxiety and dread or being honest about the severity of an impending disaster, so you have to carefully weigh your decisions. Sounds like Aurelie had been making the right calls. Again, not an easy thing to do, and she deserves all the respect for that.

Not too surprisingly, Dixie’s also acquainted with Madeleine and Fontaine, though it’s been years since she last saw them. She had been curious to find out how Madeleine’s been doing since she stepped down from the Court. Pai had mentioned that Madeleine was a lot easier to get along with when she didn’t act like a stuck up diva, which was apparently an act she had to keep up to protect herself because of her position. Since meeting her, I have the impression that she was around the same ranks of those like Fontaine, Roselyne, and Aurelie.

From how it sounds, Madeleine willingly stepped down and is intent on closing that chapter in her life. She said what’s done is done as she fulfilled her purpose, but that wasn’t without making some grave mistakes that she implied ultimately led to her resignation. Sounds like the kind of person whose records are full of redacted information - an interesting person indeed.

Despite a rough transition after resigning, Madeleine finally found a second lease on life as an artistic consultant and director. Aurelie said she used to be part of a theater troupe, though as her work in the Court took over her life, she made less and less appearances on stage, her last one being a couple years ago. Everyone naturally thought Madeleine would return to acting since she was incredibly popular because of her immense talent, but she wasn’t up for it.

However, she was willing to work behind the scenes and help Connie and Pai with a struggling theater troupe, which in return, broke her out of her depressive episode. Despite having no directing experience prior to that, she was a natural at it. Aurelie said it wasn’t surprising considering how much experience she has with theater, not only on the creative side, but also with the logistics and business side of things.

The whole thing was intended to be a one off deal, but Madeleine ended up doing such a spectacular job that now she’s been getting offers left and right. Then again, according to the others, just her name alone is enough to draw a crowd, especially after she suddenly reemerged in the public after weeks of silence following her resignation. While Madeleine finds it a bit overwhelming, she found that she wasn’t too opposed to the attention, especially after coming to terms with the fact that living in obscurity would never be an option for her.

I got curious and checked out some of her work, and yeah, it is impressive! I mean, aside form being immensely talented, she’s also the reason why the performing arts is such a huge part of Marippe’s culture. Along with theater, she also performed with several notable orchestras either as the star or as part of the ensemble. I can really see the passion in her eyes when she’s on stage, whether it be the star or in the background - it’s no wonder why people wanted her back on stage.

While Madeleine still has a passion for the arts, she’s more interested in working behind the scenes these days. She finds being a director and artistic consultant fascinating, though it can be exhausting at times, but worth the sleepless nights. As for acting, she’s not as entirely opposed to it, but she considers it a very low priority, especially since directing takes up a lot of her time and energy. As for being a musician, she has been working with a local symphony orchestra - mostly for fun - though they want her to perform front and center. She’s not entirely opposed to that either, but nothing set in stone on that yet.

After hearing so much about Madeleine, I’m hoping to catch a show directed by her when I visit Marippe again. After all, theater is such a big part of the culture over there, so it’s one of those things worth checking out. She might not see it as a big deal, but it’s clear how much of an influence Madeleine has on Marippe’s art scene. Maybe it sounds a bit unbelievable, but she’s been around for centuries, so it’s safe to say that she knows the arts really well.

The Checkerboard has been a nice change of pace for everyone, myself included. Dixie spoke with the owner and so we got the whole place booked to ourselves for a day. Since it gets really slow and quiet during the winter months, it really was no problem at all as the owner was happy to have some company. We even got access to the kitchen, which was nice.

Of course, with Xiang here, we had fun cooking up a storm. Since it’s a 50s themed diner, our creations were basically milkshakes, burgers, and fries. sure, they sound simple, but they’re easy to jazz up with a variety of different things. As soon as the owner told Dixie that the kitchen was ours for the day, Xiang stocked up on a lot of ingredients so we can get creative.

Like I said, the jukebox really sets the mood. Dixie says it’s a real antique that has been well maintained over the years. A Checkerboard stable, they say, along with its cypress gold vanilla malt shake and Checkerboard Classic double cheeseburger with fries. The classics are called classic for a reason.

Flipping burgers in the kitchen, dancing to the jukebox to an oldie but goodie, and sharing coffee while hanging out with friends - it really felt like a legit 50s diner! It’s a prime example of the more things change, the more they stay the same kind of thing. Maybe we should’ve dressed like they did in the 50s for a really immersive experience!

With Xiang being known for her creativity and Pai and Aurelie being the type who’s not afraid to try the weirdest things, even knowing full well that it’s risky, they came up with some interesting creations. Obviously we made a lot of really good things, but it’s fun to kinda spice it up with the wild and weird - well, minus the potential food poisoning part. Thankfully, we managed to avoid that.

Aurelie also brought along some ingredients for baking, so we made a bunch of desserts too. Turns out that most of Pai’s gang are sweet tooths with Aurelie being a pro baker. Her specialty are macarons, which takes a lot of skill. She whips them up like it’s nothing and it’s amazing! In fact, one of the first things she did when she first met Connie and Pai was offer them some freshly bakes macarons that she made on the spot with a portable oven she happens to take with her often. Well, that’s one way to make a first impression!

Eloise has been looking forward to meeting Xiang after hearing about her culinary creations. Even though Xiang’s traveled to lots of different places, it still blows her away that people are interested in what she cooks up. Eloise said she’d be willing to try Xiang’s experimental dishes, but a lot of them are really spicy and she has a sensitive stomach that really can’t handle heat, which she says is a shame.

Then again, where Xiang’s from, they eat hot peppers like it’s nothing. Xiang has a really high tolerance to spice, though nowhere on the same level compared to some of the elders in her hometown, who she describes as scary. Dixie, I would say, has a fairly high tolerance to spice too. Same with Emilie and Almie.

As for me and Daisy Jane, our spice tolerance has definitely gone up, so maybe we’re like a lower middle level sort of thing. Valerie and Aurelie like to think they have a slightly above average spice tolerance than most. Aurelie likes eating spicy food, but her tastebuds and stomach don’t really see eye to eye, which she jokingly blames on culture clash.

Madeleine has been trying to cook for herself more and found that she really likes spicy food. Unfortunately, a lot of spices she has come to enjoy aren’t readily available in Marippe so she has to buy them online, which can be pricey. So Xiang and I insisted on making a trip to an Asian grocery store on the way home so she can stock up on pantry staples.

Also, the place we’re going to has a lot of Asian snacks so we’re gonna get a bunch of those too as a lot of what they have isn’t stuff we’d find normally. Since the Marippe girls aren’t too familiar with Asian snacks and are interested in trying them out, it’s gonna be fun. As for me, I’m gonna be stocking up on tempura seaweed snacks. Those things are kinda expensive, especially for half a bag of air, but they’re soooo good, especially the spicy flavored ones.

I hope the Checkerboard sticks around for years and years to come. There’s a reason behind its longevity - I can’t quite describe what it is, though maybe nostalgia has to do with it. The place might be nothing spectacular according to its owners, but clearly something is keeping that place alive, and I think it’s the jukebox.

I swear, it must be magic or something! Why else did it hold up so well after over half a century without ever needing repairs or replacement parts? I wasn’t exaggerating when I felt something as soon as I slipped a coin in - the others felt it as well! We can’t quite put our finger on it, but it was a carefree feeling that made us want to throw our worries to the ground and float freely away in the sky.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

The joys of being mediocre in something you enjoy

There’s something freeing about accepting that you don’t have to be good at something you enjoy doing. I think it’s natural for us to feel like we have to be decent at something in order to keep going at it. There’s nothing more frustrating than putting all your time and effort into doing some sort of activity or hobby only for it to turn out kinda eh, or for it to just completely fall short of what you envisioned. That alone, I think, takes a lot of fun out of it.

Having been there many times, I find it kind of acts like a roadblock. It also doesn’t help that most of us have it hammered in us the expectation of “If you can’t do it right, then don’t bother doing it at all.” sort of mindset. Even though most people who say that probably intended it to help you, it, in fact, does the exact opposite.

Hobbies are supposed to be fun. I think that’s something we need to remind ourselves from time to time. And if it stops being fun, you can put it down. There’s no shame in trying and failing - gotta repeat that to myself from time to time.

While Raiden, Qingmei, Makoto, and Dainn were visiting, I took out my violin for the first time in years. Even though I’m kinda rusty, I still can still play a couple decent tunes. Although I’ve played the violin for five years in school, I didn’t get much out of it, except maybe a casual appreciation for orchestras and classical music.

To be honest, I wasn’t the best at playing the violin, which was why I was usually in the back. I liked it enough to stick with it for so long, but I wasn’t aspiring to be a maestro or anything. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t so hung up on the fact that I was just okay at playing. It also didn’t help that the teacher we had through middle and high school was kinda pretentious in a snobby way - but that’s a really minor point. Basically, being part of the school orchestra gave me something to do other than academics, but other than that, it was meh as I pretty much just went thought the motions by doing the bare minimum.

Makoto’s been hanging out with Qingmei and Dainn a lot more, and he kinda prompted them, and the other demon slayers to pick up a musical instrument. Raiden’s quite musical as she knows how to play quite a few different instruments as well as sing. She’s the one who got Qingmei into piano, which then led to Qingmei getting into songwriting.

And unexpectedly, Dainn jumped in on the songwriting too despite having absolutely no prior musical experience. Even though he downplayed his contribution to Star Blessed Slumber as merely just a translator and his singing as passable for someone who never sang a note ever, Raiden noted that he seemed to have a lot of fun with the process. I mean, it makes sense considering that it’s a whole new and different thing for him, especially since he grew up in a culture and upbringing that didn’t really place as much emphasis on the arts.

Sometime later, Makoto offered to teach him how to play the cello. The whole thing was literally Dainn being like “Oh, this is so cool! I wish I could play something” when he saw Makoto play with an orchestra. And then Makoto responded along the lines of “Why not start now?” And he was like “Wait, what?” Then there was some back and forth with Dainn wondering if this was a good idea or not while Makoto was encouraging him to give it a try. Finally, he said, “Why not?” and picked the cello.

Several months later, he’s taken well to the instrument. It goes to show that you’re never too old to pick up on something new. Dainn started out from scratch, being unable to read a note and not knowing the basics, to playing songs and picking up all sorts of new skills. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so enthusiastic about something since picking up the cello - neither have the others. I guess after being known as a warrior for most of his life, it’s nice to have a change of pace and pursue something he never considered before.

Raiden was surprised when she saw Dainn with a cello, even more so when she saw how seriously he was taking his lessons. Then again, he tends to be a serious person, though that’s probably more of a product of his upbringing. Plus, there’s also the way he was raised to put 1000% effort into everything, and nothing less. Obviously, it took a lot of practice for him to get where he is now - that’s something that takes time and dedication, not just talent alone.

In terms of technical skills, he’s still got a long way to go - mainly because he’s still very much a newbie. I can’t really judge on that since I’m no expert on the cello, but I do know that playing an instrument isn’t really something you can learn overnight. Like with Qingmei, Raiden insisted on documenting Dainn’s progress on learning how to play, and it’s provided a lot of useful insights. It’s also nice to have something to look back on and see how far you’ve come, especially when you start off going in totally blind.

Obviously when you start out, it’s gonna be rough. Everything is new and unnatural, so it takes time for you to get used to it. You either get frustrated enough to throw in the towel, or you persist and keep going until it clicks and finally makes sense. And then you keep going, learning more and more new things. The more you do it, you either keep at it, or eventually lose interest and move on to something else.

And I think while trying - and struggling - to learn something new, the fun and joy of it kinda gets lost. After all, it’s hard to enjoy something if you’re struggling to get the basics down. Not to mention that there’s this mindset of “If you’re not getting it right, then what’s the point?”, which takes away the incentive of picking up something new. That shame and embarrassment of not getting the hang of something really stops you in your tracks. It’s even worse when people around you are like, “Don’t bother, you’re not good at it anyway. Do something more productive with your time instead.”

I don’t consider myself a perfectionist, but I do fall into that trap of giving up and getting frustrated when I don’t get something right after putting a lot of effort into it. That nagging thought of maybe I’m wasting my time kicks in and it makes me kinda regret even trying in the first place. It’s a frustrating cycle that’s easily imposed on you either by yourself or others, often without realizing it.

Qingmei’s gone a long way since she learned how to play the piano despite having no prior musical knowledge whatsoever as well and now she’s writing music. In her case, she never really set out to be good, she just wanted to pick up a fun hobby. Being a swordfighter and adventurer for pretty much her whole life, Qingmei realized that she needed to have interests outside of those in order to get out of a rut, which was the main reason why she wanted to learn piano - other than it being something that looked cool and fun.

Dainn’s reasons for picking up the cello were similar. He was basically raised as a warrior ever since he could walk, and so his life revolved around that. Going from a lowly foot soldier to practically straight to the top as captain wasn’t something he planned, more like predetermined by the elder knights - something he’s kinda resented as time went on. Since he didn’t have any other aspirations, he just did as he was told because it never occurred to him that he was allowed to make his own choices. He speculated that maybe if it weren’t for the fact that he was from what they called “The Streets”, rather than a noble like most knights were, maybe he would have been a lot more sheltered and isolated.

The more I learn about his past - which is not much, really, - the more I get why he seems kind of aloof and keeps things vague. I guess after spending centuries fighting a losing battle without really understanding why it had to be you who suffered, but doing so anyway out of obligation, it’s no wonder why he struggled a lot after the calamity passed. And somehow, he survived despite all odds. So what happens next since you’re still alive and kicking? Raiden was surprised that he chose to stick around, though it makes sense why considering that he had nowhere to go and wandering the wilderness probably wouldn’t do him any good since it’ll be more of the same, except maybe being even more lost and directionless.

Obviously, most people don’t have extreme scenarios like that, but it’s my long winded way of saying that it’s good to have a wide range of interests and not let yourself be boxed in. But in order to do so, you need to be able to step out of your comfort zone and not be afraid to do things badly. After all, you need to start off somewhere before you get good. And even if you still aren’t that good, if you enjoy it, then that’s all that really matters.

Do it for yourself. Don’t let other voices cloud your mind with unwarranted criticism, especially when that critic is yourself.

As I’ve said, I was inspired to take my violin out after all these years. Seeing how enthusiastic Dainn and Makoto are, I really wished I appreciated playing the violin more. I mean, it was a school thing, and I’m pretty sure no one in an intermediate orchestra set out to be professional musicians, but still. At least I do have an appreciation for classical music and orchestras, even on a superficial level as in they sound good and I think more people should get into them. I have been getting into more artists who are known for incorporating classical elements in their music - a genre that’s often considered old, outdated, and kinda inaccessible - and introducing modern audiences to them, so I guess that’s something.

So we had some fun playing around with our instruments and I didn’t feel self conscious about my playing at all. I was surprised that playing the violin still came somewhat naturally to me - that’s muscle memory, I guess. Maybe I’m not the best at playing, but that’s not gonna stop me from trying. I doubt I’ll be picking up my violin again anytime soon, but if I feel like it, there’s a lot of songs I’d want to learn how to play. I won’t be playing in any symphony orchestras - not that I want to, that sounds too intimidating! - but I’ll be playing for me, which is for fun and curiosity, and that’s more than good enough.

And despite playing the violin for five years, I never mastered the vibrato, which is a shame because I want to be able to do it, even just for the sake of sounding like I know what I’m doing. Dainn asked me if I had any tips on vibrato as he’s been struggling with that and I said well, we’re on the same boat. But there’s nothing stopping us from attempting, which we did.

How did we do? Horribly. Did we know what we were doing? Hell no! And it was funny, actually. Nothing like bonding over being bad at something and getting a laugh out of it. I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it someday - I’m counting on it!

That said, it would be nice to be able to master the vibrato. I mean, these days, you can find tutorials on pretty much anything. So if I ever decide to pick up my violin and learn a bunch of new stuff, I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too hard to find something. But again, I’m not really looking to becoming a maestro, though I’m open to playing more for funsies. I think for me, the freedom to be able to choose what you want to get out of an activity that has less to do with improving your skills like it’s a competition and more with improving out of curiosity does more to retain my interest.

Along with jamming out as an improv orchestra, we’ve been doing quite a bit of baking too. Baking is another thing that I’m not always the best at, but I enjoy nonetheless. I mean, I’d like to think I’m kinda above average when it comes to baking since I do it kind of often. I don’t tend to gravitate towards complex recipes that take a lot of steps and prep, but I do like to occasionally challenge myself with a recipe that’s slightly out of my comfort zone.

While I’m happy to say that most of my baking turns out good, I have had a few flops here and there - some which unfortunately end up being a waste. I try to salvage it because wasting food is not good - and in most cases, thankfully, it’s still edible, just not something I’d want to have again - but sometimes, usually for the sake of your stomach if it’s that bad, you have to give up and call it a day.

Maybe our impromptu orchestra session made us a bit more daring than usual, which was why we decided to challenge ourselves a bit in the kitchen. Then again, with Raiden taking charge, she tends to encourage us to push our limits. She is an expert on making all kinds of desserts, and so if you want to tackle a recipe that seems kinda daunting to take on alone, ask her for help. Even if it doesn’t turn out successful, at least we’ll have a good time trying to figure it out!

The toughest recipe by far was this angelcloud cake, a recipe that Raiden randomly found online in some ancient cookbook. Part of the reason why she chose this recipe was because she kinda expected us to fail. At a quick glance, the way the recipe is written is…well, I guess cramming in your life’s story in a recipe has always been a thing. Not to mention that it’s really disorganized, so even if you read through the recipe several times, it still doesn’t really make a lot of sense. And we’re pretty sure that there’s a lot of errors as the logic behind the measurements don’t really add up.

That said, I’ve been curious about where exactly this recipe originated from. Raiden went down a rabbit hole trying to uncover the recipe’s origins, but because it’s ancient, there’s not a lot. With what little information that’s available, it’s all conflicting. The conclusion we came up with is that it was probably one of those recipes that was probably passed down by families where no one bothered to write it out because everyone knew it. The one time someone decided to put it in writing, it ended up being inaccurate, and that’s the one that survived the passage of time. Go figure.

Sure, there were frustrations when things turned out badly, but it wasn’t so bad that we ended up wasting a bunch of perfectly good ingredients. I think it helped that we kinda knew it wasn’t gonna work, but we wanted to try to figure it out anyway because we were curious. The fun kind of fuck around and find out.

Even though we didn’t end up with a light and fluffy angelcloud cake, the final product, a somewhat dense and lopsided buttery vanilla cake, turned out pretty good. Raiden knows how to salvage a failing recipe and managed to turn the sad mess of merengues into a really thick cake batter. She did take a huge risk by putting a lot of butter in there, but it somehow worked. Without it, I can’t imagine how the cake would have tasted - probably super bland and dry.

Then we baked cupcakes, which went a lot more smoothly - not to mention that we had a lot less dishes to wash. We put up a poll and it seems like everyone was in the mood for matcha strawberry cupcakes, which go well with tea. As the snow keeps falling, tea has been our go-to drink to warm us up.

What better way to spend time cooped up inside than with music and cake?

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

On the hunt for glacial gyroids at Lumina Peak

At last, I got to tag along a space adventure with the Epiphany! The crew just tied thing up with a space mission at Lumina Peak and since they have nothing else going on, they decided to hang around for a bit. Landry called me and Isabelle up when she heard it was glacial gyroid season, and so that why we’re here.

Even though it hasn’t been long since I last saw the Epiphany squad, I think they’re really starting to come together, especially now that Fionna’s finally here. At this point, it’s safe to say that everyone on the team has an interesting story from what I can gather so far. They’re all here to sort of get a second lease on life after being dealt a shitty hand too many times or are stuck in a slump.

Landry’s been feeling restless without a purpose since her biggest space expedition ended. Laufey is trying to move on from what sounds like a traumatic past that she can barely remember - not sure of that’s a good thing or not - so she hopes these space adventures will fill that hole. I don’t know too much about Yang and Jiangyi other than them seeing and experiencing a lot and that has left them with a lot of regrets and they want to change that. Then there’s Della, who’s still dealing with the fallout of disbanding the Eagle Stellarons along with family problems.

Needless to say, I think that’s why Fionna fits right in. Maybe it’s still too early to tell, but I think the Epiphany is not only appropriately named, but I also think this could lead to something greater for this team. It doesn’t seem long since they got together and I’ve already heard stories about them and their good deeds. At the rate they’re going, it won’t be long before they become legends, sort of like Raiden, Connie, Jamie, and countless other wandering travelers.

Speaking of Raiden, she’s actually part of the reason why the Epiphany decided to hang around. Like us, she’s also interested in sightseeing and grabbing some glacial gyroids. She also wanted to check in on Yang and Fionna on Lian’s request. Turns out that Yang is well acquainted with the Dānchún Lǔmǎng and that kinda has to do with how they know Fionna.

Although Fionna’s well known in a place called The Fortress in the deep underwater of Marippe, she actually had no connections over there. According to Connie, even though the Fortress is in Marippe, it’s sort of its own jurisdiction with its own laws and stuff. To the general public, it’s a prison, though the staff and former inmates prefer to call it more of a rehabilitation place, which seems to be more accurate. That probably explains why most of the staff, including the guy who runs the place, were former inmates who chose to stay even after their sentences were up.

Fionna’s story begins further back, long before she ended up in the Fortress. She came from some cold and unfeeling city where life was just going through the motions. She said that it’s probably for the best that she can’t remember too much about her hometown aside from how it made her feel insignificant. She lived in a small run-down apartment with her familiar, Twig, and was barely making enough to support herself as she kept jumping from one job to another.

Really, the only thing that made her life bearable were her friends, and that’s the only regret she had when she left her old life behind. She doesn’t know what the authorities told them, but she believes they’re under the impression that she was killed in the explosion with Nikolai and Twig and countless other civilians.

While a part of her wants to check in on them and see how they’re doing, she figures that doing so would bring unnecessary pain. Sure, she could ask someone to drop by and watch them from a distance, but she said it wouldn’t be the same as seeing for herself. I mean, the universe is a massive place, but even if the chances of Fionna running into her old friends is probably very unlikely, that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Even so, I agree with Yang and Raiden that there’s nothing wrong with wanting some closure, some things are better off left behind. That’s not to say that she should or she shouldn’t, more like it’s ultimately up to her to decide whether going back is gonna help her or hurt her.

By chance, Fionna and Twig accidentally fell into a portal that led to Nikolai’s lab. Fionna described Nikolai as a sad old man who had the world at his fingertips - or so she thought - and yet he was as lost and unmotivated as she was. He was dimension hopping in hopes of bringing back a lost loved one, except he ended up tearing holes into the fabric of space and time. That was how Fionna and Twig ended up stumbling upon his lab. Taken in by the weird, wonderful, and dangerous, they immediately offered to help Nikolai out.

Fionna said it started out fun at first, mostly because no one knew what they hell they were doing. It wasn’t long until an overzealous Time Watcher with a grudge against Nikolai began chasing them down, and that caused even more problems later down the line. But that’s beside the point - Fionna tried her best to summarize, but it’s kind of a lot to take in.

For someone who lives for the thrill of the chase, Fionna was having the time of her life. Unfortunately, now that she looks back on it, she feels nothing but grief and resentment towards herself. In other words, the bad overshadowed the good. A good thing she picked up during that time was learning how to wield a sword. The downside was that she used her newfound combat skills to cause trouble, which she described as her misguided way of helping others. It took her such a long time before realizing that her attempts to help others wound up hurting them in ways she never imagined. Ignorance, she said, really can mess with your brain. I believe it.

After realizing that her playing hero has resulted in actual casualties, Fionna came to the realization that she had been acting without thinking about the consequences, something she said she really had to learn the hard way. Her time in the Fortress really hammered that down for her, especially after meeting other people who were a lot worse off than she was. Instead of being the hero she thought she was, Fionna was actually a firestorm leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Even now, she still beats herself up for being so stupid and ignorant.

To make matters worse, there was a growing rift between Fionna and Twig. Like her owner, Twig was a thrill seeker who was always jumping from one thing to the next, never really thinking about the consequences or the long term. That was part of the reason why they got along so well at first. But when Fionna decided to set some ground rules, as well as try to open Twig’s eyes to what’s really going on, Twig wouldn’t have it. Then again, she’s an animal - some sort of a hybrid between a deer, cat, and tanuki - so Fionna figured that maybe she saw things differently compared to humans.

From what I’ve heard, the relationship between a human and their familiar is a big deal because they’re so few and far between. Gaining a familiar isn’t like making friends, it’s more like fate putting them together for a reason. Basically, to break that bond though discord is kinda like giving fate the middle finger - source, Jamie, not me. So if a familiar and their owner are headed towards an impasse, that’s not something to be taken lightly.

In the end, the trio’s troubles finally caught up to them. Fionna has long lost track of how many dimensions they jumped through, except that it was enough to cause a catastrophe. As for the consequences, Fionna said she’ll never forget as long as she lived. An entire universe obliterated. Yes, gone, zip, zilch, nada. Like, holy shit. The disaster easily could’ve destroyed a lot more than one universe if Nikolai hadn’t sacrificed himself to mitigate the damages.

Fionna was prepared to die too, and so was Twig. So it was a shock when she woke up in a hospital room with a million tubes and prods attached to her. She later learned from a doctor that during the final explosion, she was thrown in the opposite direction - away from the destruction - and that was probably what spared her. Nikolai and Twig weren’t so lucky.

Because Fionna’s life was hanging in the balance for so long, her trial and hearing was postponed indefinitely. Even after she woke up, she was far from being out of the woods. The way her doctor explained it, she was kinda revived as a part-cyborg human. After all, it was a miracle that she even survived such an event, but not without some scars - or several.

Between physical therapy, routine medical exams, and counseling, as well as adjusting to using a wheelchair, a hearing aid, and prosthetic limbs, it’s no wonder why Fionna referred to that time as a blur. That was when she was introduced to Lian and Yang, the latter being involved in the designs for her robotic arm and leg. Due to her miraculous recovery, Fionna’s considered one of the institute’s biggest success stories.

The trial proceeded as expected. Fionna pled guilty and was more than willing to spend the rest of her life locked up in a cold and dark jail cell. She knew that once she recovered enough and could no longer be a guinea pig for the institute, her past would catch up with her eventually. Funnily enough, while she felt as lost as when she first started out, she said she was resigned, almost at peace with her fate.

In a way, she felt that there was no use fighting against it, not after spending most of her life running around to avoid consequences when she messed up. Though it wasn’t their intention, the trio massively fucked up by disturbing the delicate fabric of space and time. And instead of addressing the problem, they made things worse by running away and making the same mistakes over and over again while avoiding the root of the problem. As the sole survivor of that catastrophe, Fionna felt that it was time to finally take responsibility and shoulder the burden.

For whatever reason - Lian and Yang getting involved, or the authorities taking pity on Fionna - she managed to get off easy. Looking back, she’s now grateful that things worked out the way they did. Instead of the usual proceedings, which was probably a really severe sentence given the whole obliterated universe thing, Fionna was sent to the Fortress to serve her sentence. And so she spent 10 years as an inmate.

According to Connie, the Fortress is a place for exiles. While most of the prisoners are from Marippe, there are some from other parts of the universe. It’s like their own world down there, full of unspoken rules and such. But what makes it unusual is that a lot of former inmates actually choose to stay for a while after serving their sentences. A few even become part of the Fortress. In other words, I guess it’s not your average prison - or rehabilitation center.

During her time at the Fortress, Fiona became a medic assistant at the infirmary. When she chose to stay at the Fortress, she was promoted to head nurse’s assistant for night shifts. Her reasoning was that since she spent so much time hurting others, the only way to make it up is to dedicate her time and energy to heal others. Raiden told Fionna that she reminded her of an old friend who shared the same logic, no doubt she was referring to Sakura.

Yang and Lian kept in touch with Fionna over the years, hoping that she would one day have a change of heart and leave the Fortress. Despite being somewhat cut off from the outside world, Fionna was well informed about current events, especially when Marippe was headed for a crisis. The Fortress happened to be close to the seal that prevented the seas from engulfing the land and they narrowly avoided a crisis there when part of the seal broke.

Long before seeing Fionna jump into action during an emergency evacuation, the warden felt that Fionna outgrew her time at the Fortress. Both Fionna and Connie described him as someone who initially comes across as intimidating, bit in reality he’s actually pretty laid back and somewhat unserious sometimes, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a force to be reckoned with. Fionna says he’s been in the Fortress since he was a teenager and worked his way to the top. Maybe because of what he’s been through, that’s what drives him to make sure others don’t end up like him by making sure they have every available opportunity to turn their lives around after hitting beyond rock bottom. Sounds like an interesting person.

And like many others after a crisis, Fionna began to wonder about life outside the Fortress. Yang had reached out to her twice about the Epiphany, only for her to decline. As it turns out, third time was the charm, but the timing was off as Fionna was helping the Fortress deal with the aftermath of the floods and earthquakes. Thankfully, the worst of the flooding happened in the lowest levels of the Fortress, and not in places where there’s a lot of foot traffic or full of important documents.

While the recent events of Marippe was what finally pushed Fionna to leave the Fortress, she believes there’s another factor, something she felt for a long time after serving her sentence. There’s that restlessness she always had, and forced herself to temper, along with a general affinity for adventure. Part of her reservations with the Epiphany was her fear that her dreams of adventuring were ruined by past experiences - and pretty much any sort of excitement in general. In other words, a self-imposed prison of her own making.

So far, Fionna’s been having a great time with the Epiphany. She said the others were right about her missing the outside world, something she didn’t realize until she stepped out of the Epiphany and into a brand new place. Although she has some reservations about accidentally causing harm, Fionna was surprised at how easy it was for her to take off with the others.

While she’s curious about the world around her, she holds back and waits for the others to make a move first before exploring. Like Landry said, it’s all about the baby steps. Fionna seems to be the go-getter type, so hopefully with time, we’ll see more of that side of her. It’s understandable why she’s so hesitant about every move she makes given that she’s associated with destruction. She’s learned her lesson, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was involved in something disastrous, and she doesn’t hold it against those who can’t forgive her.

Given how much the Epiphany travels, Fionna believes it’s inevitable that she’ll eventually run into someone who knows about her past. That was another reason why she initially declined Yang’s offer, a fear that held her back from leaving the Fortress. Eventually, she realized that she can’t keep hiding from the past - again, the whole dealing with consequences thing.

Maybe that’s the main reason why Fionna had to leave, and why being part of the Epiphany will be good for her. She said she spent most of her life thinking “What’s the point?” and using that as an excuse to be flighty and do whatever she wanted without considering how her actions would affect others.

Sure, she made a bunch of poor choices and caused a lot of suffering because of that, but doesn’t mean she has to hold it over her head for the rest of her life. Just as it’s okay for others not to forgive her for what she did, it’s okay for her to learn from her mistakes and move on with her life. I hope Fionna’s able to gain a second lease on life like the others on the Epiphany.

From past experience, I’d say a gyroid hunt is a good way to not only explore a place, but to also get to know other people. Fionna and Laufey were curious about gyroids as they do sound unbelievable. I mean, how can these little things make all kinds of cool stuff? Even though I’m somewhat an expert on them, they still fascinate me. And even if we don’t make something out of them, they make nice collectibles.

The Lumina Peak is a small planet that’s kinda like a snowglobe. It’s full of charming little villages straight out of a Christmas movie, except it doesn’t feel like Christmas is being shoved in your face. Instead it’s got its own thing going on, sort of like a whimsical vibe that you associate winter with. And although there’s a lot of light snowfalls, the weather’s actually ideal for spending a lot of time outside as long as you’re well dressed. Another opportunity to wear my hand knit sweaters is a win for me!

And by the way, the knit along has been going super well! We’re all on the sleeves now, so as long as sleeve island doesn’t take over, it won’t be long before we’re done with our cardigans. It makes me so happy to see how everyone’s doing, and even more excited now that there’ll be a follow up with the Traveler’s Henley. Other than that being a thing now, I don’t have the details sorted out yet as I want to get our current one done first. What I do know for sure is that more friends will be joining the knit along and I’m super excited for that! Maybe I can make this sort of a regular thing…

Seeing how much fun we’ve had hanging around Lumina Peak exploring and making cute trinkets, I’m hoping to get together with the Epiphany again to do more activities like this.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #animal crossing #headcanon ramble #diary of a junebug

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Getting in some last minute shopping at the Old Town Plaza

The Old Town Plaza in Northpass has been hustling with activity as practically every shop has a big sale going on. Even the gang at the Beauchamp Ranch is benefiting from the influx of visitors, which is part of the reason why us campers are here to help them out.

Thankfully, the activity at the ranch, while it’s been keeping us on our toes, is not too hectic that we end up being overwhelmed. For the most part, the pace is ideal in a way that we’re not just standing around most of the time and we’re able to just hang out and chill.

Of course, since the ranch’s outside of the city, we didn’t expect much foot traffic compared to the plaza, and the team prefers that. I mean, the reason why the ranch’s a bit out of the way is to get away from the big city. The location’s actually one of the main reason why the ranch has lasted so long, because it’s a good distance away from the city without feeling like in the middle of nowhere. Being in the middle of a pretty forest is also a nice perk!

Along with us campers, Maddie, Richard, Josie, the kids, and Anya are here too. It was a nice surprise to see Anya as it’s been forever since I last saw her. It’s been a really long overdue reunion for Anya, Richard, and Maddie - a couple years, at least. She was also part of the original Edelton gang along with Richard’s brother Brandon, who has kinda fallen out of touch with the others over the years.

There’s also a few others part of the Edelton gang who the others haven’t spoken to in years. Maddie was part of what they called the OG group. Being the oldest, she kinda stepped away after graduating high school while the other girl in the group who was the same age as her wound up having to repeat a grade because she missed a lot of classes.

Maddie was usually the voice of reason, something she kinda had mixed feeling on as she got older and began distancing herself from everyone’s antics. Being three years older than Richard and Brandon, and six years older than Anya, it was natural that she was eventually gonna drift away, especially when she began looking into colleges.

I find it funny to think that once upon a time Maddie actually used to sit for Richard and Anya, which was how they got to know each other. Richard said he and his brother often got into mischief, which was why their mother didn’t trust them to be alone when she had to work late. And Anya, being young and impressionable, often joined in on much of the mischief, as did her brothers. From the way they described their past, it sounds like a carefree time.

Then came the S.S. Edelton, a fancy cruise ship that Anya’s family also owned and became a home for Anya and Richard for a couple years. Along with it being a traveling home, they also provide high school education while traveling the world. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, Maddie was unable to join them because she already finished high school, though she did stop by to visit a few times when their travels lined up with her study abroad semesters.

By then, most of the Edelton gang revolved around Richard and Brandon and their friends. Anya was still involved in shenanigans with the brothers, but she eventually drifted too, especially as they got older and began focusing on their futures after high school. After all, when you’re young, a three year age difference is a pretty noticeable gap sometimes.

Richard has mentioned that his time at the S.S. Edelton was a rough patch that he doesn’t look back on fondly for many reasons, which he says is a shame because of all the travels and new experiences. He said had he not have been an intellectual snob too busy trying one-up everyone, he would have actually taken the time to enjoy seeing the world.

It wasn’t until I saw him briefly talk to his ex-girlfriend in Adrikha - the one he said he regretted treating badly - did I fully understand exactly why he was glad that he didn’t end up going Ivy League. That said, I think it’s a good thing that I can’t picture him as an arrogant academic who only cares about status and prestige and thinks they’re better than everyone else because of their degrees. Funny how much our futures can change based on what does or doesn’t work out.

The S.S. Edelton school program only lasted for about three years, so Richard’s cohort was the final graduating class. Anya was bummed that she and her brothers weren’t able to graduate from there, which would’ve been nice since it’s their family sort of deal. Her older brother was a junior and she was a sophomore at the time, while her younger brother never got to attend.

While going to a school where you get to travel all the time was fun, Anya and her brothers found it hard to adjust back to a traditional classroom setting. She began her junior year in some expensive private school that later got into a lot of trouble when a lot of people - including herself and her brother - got sick from toxic mold in the building. Anya didn’t care much for the place anyway, so she was glad when her parents decided that she and her brother would transfer midyear. In fact, it was Richard who suggested that she go to Peace Coast Academy and she’s grateful for that.

These days, Anya’s busy traveling the world, vlogging her experiences as well as designing fashion. She started working for Lofty Threads, a small indie clothing company that launched last year. I’ve heard a bit about them and their clothes look nice. Maybe when a sale drops, I’ll make an order because there’s some clothes I saw that I really want. A couple things I have my eye on happen to be Anya’s creations, so now I definitely have to get them.

Like I said, Anya, Richard, and Maddie were long overdue for a reunion. This is Anya’s first time at the ranch, something she’s been looking forward to since Maddie told her what’s been happening over there. It’s nice seeing the three of them together, hanging out and sort of reminiscing about the old days. People often come and go, often without much of an explanation or reason, so it’s something special to have those kinds of friends where you can easily pick up where you left off like it’s nothing.

Junia, Nina, and Joe are doing well too, being busy now that the ranch is fully up and running. They have a couple ranch hands now and they’re looking for more people for the bakery and Junia’s shop. It’s amazing how much has changed since I last visited the ranch!

Since Junia’s got a sale, of course, I had to buy something. So I got this cute set of bowls and a couple sticker sheets, all which I can’t wait to use! Part of the reason why she’s having this big sale is because she plans to take a well deserved break. During that time, Junia hopes to recharge her creativity, as well as make some changes to how she runs her shop as she’ll have a team to train when she gets back.

Now that Junia’s been on HRT for two years, she said she couldn’t be happier. Aside from her brother, the rest of her family has always been supportive. Of course, it’s not perfect, but they made an effort to understand, and that’s what really matters. Sure, she might have lost some friends who refuse to accept her as Junia, even more so the longer she’s been on HRT, but she’s accepted that it’s their loss. People like her brother can deadname and misgender her and talk behind her back all they want, and at this point, she simply no longer gives a fuck. If her toddler nephew can easily accept that Junia’s Junia, then grown ass adults like her brother have no excuse.

Nina’s doing well too, and they seem to be more self reassured too. Along with keeping up with their personal blog, Nina’s also writing articles in other places. A couple former Love: Hacked colleagues actually reached out to them and asked how they were doing, as in they genuinely wanted to know. Nina said it seemed like after the lawsuits were settled, a lot of their former colleagues were more honest about their experiences there, which is a good thing.

I find it a miracle that someone like Nina was able to last that long in a place like Love: Hacked. I mean, I don’t know too much about it but from what little I do know, it’s something I’d steer clear from. Dating apps are kinda iffy in my opinion, so something like Love: Hacked that turns dating into some sort of game really rubs me the wrong way. Poor Nina was forced to string along a bunch of men desperate for love and write articles that basically make fun of them. In Nina’s words, she went through dates like tissues and playfully stomped on their hearts like it was nothing.

If Junia hadn’t made her come to her senses after becoming her nth victim, Nina said they weren’t sure what was going to stop them. By the time they got to Junia, they were so burnt out that the whole routine was just nothing. Do this, do that, write the damn article, and get paid. Scroll through the app and start the cycle over again. Not to mention the misogyny and general shitty behavior by the higher ups, which also contributed to why Nina and so many others were stuck in that cycle. And then there was the Hologram fuckery, which was the final straw for Nina as they knew it was over.

Again, it’s a good thing they got out when they did, especially when shit really hit the fan with that company. At least now with the legal stuff dealt with, the company can no longer bother Nina and it looks like they can finally close that chapter for good. They weren’t expecting much giving past history, so it was a nice surprise when they got a huge check from the settlement without having to do too much in terms of interacting with toxic former co-workers.

Thanks to the ranch hands, as well as Maddie and Junia, Joe and Junia have a lot less on their plate. If it weren’t for their team, they wouldn’t have been able to take a day off. Junia’s been looking forward to getting some new art supplies from the sale as she plans to try out a bunch of new and different things during her break. There’s a couple stationery shops and yarn shops we want to check out, which was the main reason why we wanted to go to the plaza.

Since shopping at the Old Town Plaza was an all-day thing, we also hung out at the coffee shop and had lunch and dinner over there. It started out chilly, but it’s nothing a warm cozy hand knitted sweater can’t help with. I may not be a prolific knitter, but I’ve made quite a few pieces this year - many which have become wardrobe staples - so I’m proud of that!

I’ve got some patterns saved for garments I want to make, so this was the perfect opportunity to get yarn. And since they’re on sale, I can also buy more so I can build my stash. There’s something so satisfying about making my own garments, no wonder there’s a community around that. Although I’ve been a knitter for a long time, it wasn’t until when I started making garments and got involved with the fiber arts community that I really got into the hobby.

The knit along Daisy Jane and I are hosting has been a lot of fun, so I’m hoping to do another one. If I decide to stick with it, I plan to expand the knitting circle and do a variety of projects. In fact, Jamila’s Traveler’s Henley Tee that I want to make seems like a good follow up to the Classic Novice Cardi. Now that I think about it, I really hope I can make it happen!

So for my next project, I plan to cast on another one of Jamila’s patterns, the Traveler’s Cardigan. It’s a round neck dropped shoulder cardigan that’s also kinda like a jacket. I don’t know why, but I’ve been really into making cardigans. Maybe it’s because they’re so easy to style with and are super versatile for all kinds of weather. I do want to make more sweaters, but seeing that I don’t like turtlenecks - or anything with a high neckline - while that doesn’t necessarily limit my options, it’s made me a bit picky. Not to mention that sweaters are usually worn when it’s colder.

For the Traveler’s Cardigan, I chose this pretty heathered rose (yes, I know, me and my pinks and neutrals!). When I saw the pattern, I wanted something sort of like tweed or variegated since the pattern is simple and basic, which makes it perfect for yarns like that.

With the Traveler’s Henley, I chose this pretty olive green bamboo cotton yarn that will be perfect during the spring and summer. I don’t think I own a henley, which was why this pattern caught my eye - aside from it being part of Jamila’s Traveler series. I swear, at this rate, I’m gonna be knitting all her patterns!

And for the Nighttime Walks cardigan - not a Jamila pattern - I chose this lovely silver and muted light blue yarn that gives me springtime vibes. It’s a basic dropped sleeve v-neck cardigan that’s basically a wardrobe essential. What caught my eye about that pattern is the fact that the button band’s double knit, which I’ve never done before. I’ve seen some cardigan patterns with that kind of button band, so I’ve been curious about it.

As for the other stuff, I got a notebook (again with me being predictable!), some gel pens I’ve been wanting to try out, and a couple washi tapes. The notebook is size A5, clothbound with a pretty pink plaid cover and 120 gsm dot grid paper. The pens are in the colors merlot, forest green, dark ochre, purple gray, and sequoia brown. Not only the colors are gorgeous, the pens also feel super nice and smooth to write with. I wanted to get more colors from the same line, but they didn’t have them in stock, which is a shame, As the washi tapes are got were in a set of neutrals in grid patterns. Simple, but they add a nice touch to my journal pages.

Now that the sales at the plaza are over, things have quieted down at the ranch. Joe and the others really worked hard to fix the place up, so it’s been an honor to see how much Beauchamp Ranch has come alive over the past several months. To celebrate surviving the hullabaloo, Joe treated us to some of the winery’s best aster wine and we made a toast to the future.

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#animal crossing pocket camp #diary of a junebug #headcanon ramble