#big spring sales event

[ismail786blog]

Explore Creator top sellers from the Big Spring Sale

#amazon big spring sale #big spring sale #amazon big spring sale 2024 #amazon spring sale #amazon spring sale 2024 #amazon spring sale dates #amazon spring sale 2024 dates #spring sale #amazon sales #big spring sales event #big spring sale 2024 #amazon spring sale deals 2024 #best deals big spring sale #spring sale 2024 #best deals spring sale #spring sale best deals #amazon must haves #best deals 2024 spring sale #amazon big spring sale must haves

[dduane]

The Young Wizards series turns 40!

...And yes, we're having a sale to celebrate. But that can wait. :)

I'm sitting here looking at the date and considering how amazing it is that, despite the changes in the publishing world, anything can stay in print nonstop for forty years.

But this book has. Here's how it started:

...Well, not how it started. It started with three things:

A newbie YA writer being deeply annoyed with a non-newbie one for (as she thought) stripping their teenage characters of their agency without good reason.

A suddenly-appearing joke involving two terms or concepts that wouldn't normally appear together: the 1950s young-readers' series of careers books with titles that always began So You Want To Be A..., and the word "wizard."

And the idea immediately springing from that juxtaposition. What if there was such a book? Not a careers book, but a book that told you how to be a wizard—maybe some kind of manual? One that would tell you the truth about the magic underlying the universe, and how to get your hands on it... assuming you felt you could promise the things that power would demand of you, and survive the Ordeal that would follow?

Six or seven months after that confluence of events, there was a novel with that joke-line as its title. A month or so after that, the novel was bought. So You Want To Be A Wizard came out as a Fall 1983 book, as you can see from the Locus Magazine ad above (from back when Locus was only a paper zine). The first reviews were encouraging.

And by the middle of 1984, the publishers were asking, "So, what's next?" A question I'm still busy answering.

There's been a lot of water under the wizardly bridge since. In SYWTBAW's case, this involved a couple/few publishers, a surprising number of covers, a fair number of awards here and there; and lots more books. (I always knew there'd be more, but how many more continues to surprise me. Which is a bit funny, considering how much stuff that universe has going on in it.)

So here we are at forty, and looking ahead to The Big Five-Oh with some interest. More books? Absolutely. Young Wizards #11 is in progress at the moment, and YW #12 is in the late concept stages. More covers for So You Want To Be A Wizard? Seems inevitable. A TV series, perhaps? (shrug) Stranger things have happened: we'll keep our fingers (or other manipulatory instrumentalities) crossed. The New Millennium Editions in translation? and in international paperback? Working on that right now. The sky's the limit.*

And meanwhile, to celebrate, just for today we'll have a sale. (Except in the UK. To our British friends, the usual sad apology: the expensive bureaucracy of Brexit has made it impossible for us to sell directly to you any more. Details here, with our apologies.)

As has been mentioned before, changes are afoot at Ebooks Direct, so this kind of sale won't be happening again for the foreseeable future. (In fact I thought we were all done with them already. But the number 40 suggested one last opportunity that wouldn't be recurring, so I thought, "Aah, what the heck? Let's.")

New things first! Today, to mark this occasion, we're introducing the "All The Wizardry" Bundle. This is Ebook Direct's entire inventory of Young Wizards works; the contents of the bundle are listed on its product page. The $29.99 price listed there is for today only, to celebrate SYWTBAW's birthday, and will go up as of 23:59 Hawai'ian time tonight. As always, should you ever lose your ebooks or need to change reading platforms, we'll change your formats as necessary, or replace the books, for free.

Just click here, or on the image below, for the "All The Wizardry" Bundle. (Please ignore the category listings under the "Pay Using..." icons on the product page: they plainly think they're in a different universe. Kind of an occupational hazard around here...)

The other, older kind of sale folks will have seen here is on the "I Want Everything You've Got" Bundle, which is the whole Ebooks Direct store—obviously including all the Young Wizards books as well: more than 2.5 million words in 36 DRM-free ebooks. Just for today, in honor of the birthday book, we're dropping the whole-store price to USD $40.00. This, too, will go away just before midnight Hawai'ian time tonight... and it will never be lower. So if you want everything we've got at that price, don't wait around.

Make sure you use this link or the one associated with the image to get the baked-in discount at checkout. (If it fails to display correctly, use the discount code "40FOR40" in the checkout's "discount code or gift code" field.)

Meanwhile? Onward into the next decade. The new A Day at the Crossings novel unfortunately won't make it out before the end of 2023; other work in-house currently has taken priority. But as for early 2024... stay tuned.

And for those of you who're Young Wizards readers, and have kept this book, and its sequels, alive for pushing half a century?

Thank you, again and always!

*Though actually, it's not, is it? As the proverb has it, "Wizardry doesn't stop at atmosphere's edge..."

#Young Wizards series #Young Wizards meta #So You Want To Be A Wizard #ebooks #Diane Duane

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Let's talk about Jump GIGA

Jump GIGA covers, 2016-2024. Volumes are published (left to right per row) as Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn releases, with 2018 and 2019 briefly breaking the pattern by having three Winter and three Summer volumes each. 2023 has an Early Spring volume in addition to the standard four.

So, people have pointed out that the 2024 Spring cover is, uh, not like other covers.

But I've only seen comparisons to other MHA GIGA covers and MHA Weekly Shonen Jump covers. Out of curiosity for what GIGA's typical marketing aesthetics might be, I put together a comparison between all of Jump GIGA's covers to date.

And, um. Some things stand out, to say the least.

First, let me clarify what Jump GIGA even is: it is a seasonal magazine from Shonen Jump, published separate from Weekly Shonen Jump. SJ is an absolutely massive brand and they have a number of magazines serialized outside of the most well-known weekly magazine.

The content of Jump GIGA is primarily made up of one-shots and spin-offs. From the beginning, a lot of the appeal has been the cool cover illustrations which showcase special merchandise that comes with the purchase of GIGA. Usually the cover also promotes big things going on related to the WSJ series, like movie events, new games, or special figurines for sale.

The marketing aesthetic has been clear from the start: the cover consists of one core illustration and a number of ads surrounding it. Most often you get a cover illustration of a protagonist, and then ads and merch for other series, e.g. Food Wars protagonist cover with One Piece film promotion and Haikyuu!! merch.

The purpose of this marketing direction is pretty obvious. Spin-offs and one-shots are not likely to generate a ton of interest consistently, so they lure people in with the cool covers and tempting limited edition merchandise of the series they already know and love. In this way, highlighting one series with the cover and different series with the merch makes sense, because maybe somebody doesn't care about Food Wars, but they definitely want those Haikyuu!! stickers, stuff like that.

Starting from 2020's Autumn volume, you can see a shift. For the first time, basically all of the merchandise is for the cover series. The Demon Slayer manga had already ended five months earlier in May, but a two-chapter spin-off was scheduled for release in WSJ during October. This GIGA was released exactly one day before the second chapter was published and it capitalizes on the hype.

After this point, only MHA and Jujutsu Kaisen dominate the cover and the merch in quite this way, with Black Clover getting attention last volume as a way to highlight the fact that it actually switched syndication from WSJ to GIGA.

Anyway, most commonly the cover illustration is a solo shot of a core cast member (usually but not always the protagonist), and if it's not a solo, it's a big cast illustration.

Only a few covers focus on two characters, and usually it's a crossover as opposed to characters from same series sharing the limelight.

Here we've got Food Wars' protagonist with the main characters from Dr. Stone and Act-Age.

The two covers most similar to the Izuku & Kacchan cover are 2022 Winter and 2023 Autumn.

Winter depicts the main trio of Blue Box in a seasonally-appropriate aesthetic. Not gonna lie, this one kinda makes me laugh--Blue Box is a romance and sports manga, and even though Christmas has a romantic air to it in Japan, instead of depicting any sort of like, hesitant but hopeful romantic energy between the heterosexual couple that actually get together later in the series, they focus primarily on the two girls being cute with the guy is a wee footnote? I mean, all right.

Meanwhile, Autumn depicts one of the protagonists with the series antagonist with a typical cool action style. I'm not very familiar with JJK, but I hear these two have got Some Drama going on, so, there's that.

The merch itself has also evolved over the years. Stickers and posters were present early on, but they have since expanded to decorative folders and now acrylic stands and coasters. 2021 Summer sees the first time the cover illustration is marketed as merch, with the Jujutsu Kaisen cover included as a decorative folder.

Right after that, the Kacchan cover of 2021 Autumn is included as a poster alongside earlier covers featuring Todoroki and Izuku.

2023 Summer's cover is a huge, wrap-around MHA cast illustration and it was published three days after chapter 396 came out, strategically timed to highlight the big shift in the final battle as Ochako vs Toga ends and All Might vs. AFO begins. Merch includes a decorative folder of the wrap-around cover and character motif stickers.

And then we get this!?

A duo cover illustration where the cover art itself has been merchandised to hell and back!?!?

Acrylic stand and pin set!?

Double-sided coaster showing bkdk greatest hits!? With volume 29's river scene cover!?

There's also a double-sided poster featuring the Spring cover with the ninth popularity poll art and a decorative bag with the anniversary art. The cover art itself is plastered all over the volume, front, back, and spine, apparently a total of 19 times.

I honestly don't know what to say about this. It feels wild that this is actually what the cover is. Obviously it is a huge marketing push in anticipation of season 7, and Izuku and Katsuki are the most popular characters, but. it just feels... unique.

In the course of Jump GIGA's publication, this direction is kind of unprecedented. Genuinely no one could have expected this. This seems to be the first time there's been this much merch for a cover. And it was a solid fucking move, marketing-wise--it's sold out basically everywhere, everyone is talking about it. And even people who don't follow the series or ship these two can't help but comment on how strikingly romantic it looks!?

I don't know how much say Horikoshi had in what the cover was, but damn it sure feels like he drew this with immense affection. I kind of wonder if he personally pushed for it to be these two, rather than the typical solo shot, cast shot, or even a protagonist vs. antagonist shot.

I'm KO'd, man. idek if this post is useful to anybody I'm just on my hands and knees here.

Everybody knows what we're all here for, and it's these cute boys finally getting their happy ending.

#bkdk #i'm losing it #idek how to go on #they're so beautiful #I was trying to be all thoughtful and intellectual about what kind of marketing game GIGA plays in SJ's arsenal of branding #but #this is just such a divergence from their typical approach #why are there basically no other duo covers #did the other mangaka just not particularly push for it #did other duos just not serve as attention-grabbing enough #there's nothing else like it #what am I supposed to do with this knowledge

[stevesbipanic]

It was supposed to be a one time thing.

Steve had always been in charge of feeding the kids, a self appointed position that didn't do anything to stop the mom jokes but Steve liked making sure his kids were happy and fed. He knew what it was like to come home from school and have to fend for yourself in terms of food, he didn't want that for the kids.

He had taught himself to cook and bake as he grew up, quickly getting tired of heating up spaghetti-os or TV dinners. His parents always left the house well stocked with ingredients even though they weren't there so he had to make do.

Steve liked baking things for the kids, he knew everyone's favourite cookie and cupcake flavour and made sure he made them if he heard one of them had had a bad day.

Max had been the one to ask him originally. The high school was having a bake sale and Max's mum wasn't around enough to give her the flyer and Max had asked him if he'd make those caramel brownies that she loves. He agrees as long as she learns to make them with him which she had happily agreed to.

To Steve's suprise his brownies had been a hit at the bake sale. There were a few stink eyes from some of the moms there but mostly there were big smiles and punched cheeks and "aren't you just the sweetest boy" from everyone there. The kids had nagged him for cash for the sale which they mainly used to get his brownies even though he'd told them he made extra at home.

After that, it just became a thing. Whenever there was a bake sale one or more of the kids came to ask him to make something for them, some half baked (excuse the pun) excuse as to why their own parents couldn't do it.

"Mum always burns her cupcakes."

"Dad says he only knows how to grill."

"I swear she put salt in them last time."

"Do you want to give the school food poisoning?"

"Yours are just better." Steve liked that one.

Soon the kids didn't even have to ask him, he had moms putting the flyer in his mailbox. Once he opened it to ten of the bright pink papers shoved in there. It wasn't even just bake sales. The PTA moms had practically adopted him and wanted him at all the school events, sports carnivals, school musicals, pep rallies. Everyone wanted Steve's baked goods.

"I swear you're at the school more than I was in all my senior years, Stevie."

"You're just jealous that the moms love me."

"I've always thought you're sweet, sweetheart."

Steve had even started experiment with his recipes. Robin and Eddie were more than happy to be his guinea pigs.

"Steve if I liked dudes I would marry you to eat this cupcake everyday."

"Fuck you Buckley I'M marrying him AND I'm getting to eat this brownie til I die!"

"You don't need to marry me for me to bake for you two."

"Yeah but then I'd get to brag to all the PTA moms that I have Stevie Harrington's sweet goods and sweet cheeks."

"EDDIE!"

Steve had been struggling with what he wanted to do with his life, he didn't go to college, he worked minimum wage and his parents had practically cut him off. It was at the last bake sale before spring break that one of the moms Steve had gotten close to approached him.

"Steve, honey?"

"Hey Mary, what can I do for ya?"

"Well, you know I'm in real estate and there's this sweet lil storefront down on Maple that recently flooded but it's got good bones just needs a lil love and I'm rambling but I saw it and I knew it would be perfect for you."

"Perfect for what ma'am?"

"For your bakery, hun!"

"Oh ma'am I'm not opening a bakery."

"Why not honey? Everyone loves your sweet treats and with the flooding the place is basically being given away, I didn't wanna sell it til I talked to you first, so what do you say?"

"Can I give you an answer first thing tomorrow."

"Sure hun, but don't wait too long, things like this don't come around often."

Steve had been pacing the apartment by the time Eddie got home from the shop.

"Stevie, baby what's wrong?"

Steve stopped pacing and turned towards his boyfriend.

"If you were really good at something and every said you were really good at something and someone gave you the opportunity to do that thing every day would you do it?"

"Um probably, do what you love and everything right?"

"Mary stopped me today and says there's this store that needs work but could be worth it and I could open my own bakery there Eds, mine, all me doing something for me, but money would be tight for a little while and I don't want to do anything rash and if you think it's not a good id—"

"STEVIE! Sweetheart breathe. Does baking make you happy?" Eddie had put his hands on Steve's shoulders trying to calm him.

Steve nods.

"Then do it baby. Sure money might be tight for a bit, but we have some savings, and I've got my job pretty stable now, so fuck it if it makes you happy of course I want you to do it."

Steve pulled Eddie into a hug whispering a soft thank you.

The following day Steve signed the deed for the shop on Maple St and Eddie and the party and Hopper and Wayne and the girls and everyone helped him him clean out the debris and put up new walls and paint until two weeks later it was finished.

Steve's Sweets was finally open. Robin had been hired to work the coffee to go with Steve's treats and the kids got part time jobs after school and on weekends working the register. Robin and Eddie still helped try out new recipes and soon the whole town knew about Steve's new store.

Steve still baked things for the school's bake sale but now he got to feed his friends and family and the whole town everyday and he was never happier.

#fluff #stranger things #stranger things s4 #steve harrington #st4 #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things season 4 #pta mum steve #mama steve #the party #baker steve #ficlet #steddie ficlet

[magicxc]

Holidays

Pairings: Survey Corps - their fave holidays

Word Count: 871

Warnings: none

A/N: I considered Japanese holidays for this bit but then laziness got the best of me. Like most pieces I create with these characters a lot of how I envision them will relate to western/modern culture in some way or another. Though they probably won't celebrate half of the holidays I'm about to list, I want to reiterate that this is my idea of the traits these characters possess and also they are not real. 

Eren  - Christmas

Eren is big on family, especially the family he’s made with Armin and Mikasa. It’s clear that he stands ten toes down behind them and when he gets his own family, it’ll be much the same. I actually think having kids will bring out the fluff in Eren and he’ll be that obnoxious holiday parent that's doing the most with decorations and presents. But it's honestly the atmosphere that gets him going. The holiday cheer, the kindness, the emphasis on giving - he loves it all. 

Levi - New Years

The new year signals a new beginning but also the close to another chapter. Each time Levi makes it to a new year he’s thankful but mostly shocked. From life underground to humanity's biggest threat, he never knows when disaster might strike. But, when the clock strikes 12 it's a moment of relief, one where he can sit back and relish in the thought that he’s made it to another trip around the sun. 

Erwin - Fathers Day

Lmaoo I'm not tryna make Erwin sound egotistical at all, but I was also running out of popular holidays. The day the Scouts headed to their mission to plug wall Maria was the first time we saw them get a standing ovation and it was also the first time we saw Erwin express such vocal excitement. Even though he can come off a bit aloof, I thought it was fun to see him in that way. That being said I think he’d enjoy being celebrated and can even play up the wowwwws at the macaroni necklaces and handprint construction papers lol. He would love and take care of his family obvi but it’d also make him feel good to feel that admiration in return. 

Connie - Thanksgiving 

You feed this man and he’ll love you forever. It’s his favorite holiday because it has back to back benefits. There's tons of food, a four day weekend off from work, and the opportunity to spend time with his family. He’s the type to pitch in money but over the years Connie has been more inclined to learn how to cook and has even started bringing in a dish. He’s most excited to try a Friendsgiving as he considers them family as well. 

Jean - Valentines Day

I firmly believe that Jean is a romantic. I don't think he’d be the most creative at gift giving lol but it’s certainly the thought that counts. On valentines day he goes all out - teddy bears, flowers, chocolates, etc. ya know, the usual. Although his gifts are very on the nose and sometimes he needs to be spoon fed the information, what he lacks in creativity, he'll gain in experience; learning to step his game up as the years go by. Again, sweet guy. 

Onyankopon - Easter

He more so likes the spring break aspect of it. With the flowers blooming and the sun making regular appearances, it was usually the first sign to what summer would be like. Ony enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures. So although spring break was meant to party, which he did, Ony always made the time to immerse himself in the customs of whichever country he visited. Now as an adult, he still indulged in his version of spring break as he always enjoyed the mini relaxation that it brought about; thinking of it as his summer outside of summer. 

Reiner - Independence Day

Reiner is over the whole patriotic thing, however he can't help but enjoy the events that take place because of it. There’s literally a bbq happening on every corner so he’s for sure house hopping for a plate. There's all sorts of sales and Gabi is making him put that wallet to USE hunnie. And while he doesn’t mind, he more so enjoys their time spent together. There's also the beautiful fireworks that light up the evening sky. And at the end of the day he gets to spend his remaining time with family, gathered around over good food and even better vibes. 

Armin - Mothers Day

Armin is def the type to dote on his wife. Hard day at work? He’s rubbing the stress out of your shoulders. Hungry? He’s cooking and prepping lunch for the week. Overwhelmed at work? He’s booking you a spa day. Armin literally adores his woman and enjoys any chance he has to celebrate her and Mothers Day is no exception. Expect him and the kiddies to hand make you some arts and crafts, cook you breakfast, and plan the holiday around your desired interests; with him making sure, at the end of the day, to show you why you celebrate the holiday in the first place. 

Floch - Halloween

He’s big on the spooky vibe but not to a concerning extent. Like many others he just enjoys the activities surrounding it. This is actually where Floch flourishes in creativity and fun. He’s making spooky themed treats, decorating to upstage the next door neighbor, and enjoying all the movie classics. Let's not even get started on the lengths he’ll go through to make the most life-like costumes and the parties where he shows it all off?? Top mf notch! Bonus points for getting some action at said parties.

#Emmy Writes #Emmy Tries #attack on titan #aot #aot x black reader #aot x reader #aot x you #shinjeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyojin #snk #eren jeager #eren yeager x black reader #eren yeager x reader #eren yeager x you #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x black reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you #erwin smith #erwin smith x black reader #erwin smith x reader #erwin smith x you #connie springer #connie springer x black reader #connie springer x reader #connie springer x you #jean kirstein #jean kirschtein x black reader #jean kirschtein x reader #jean kirschstein x you

[shapeshiftersvt]

Big Update Post

Hiya, shapeshifters!

We have some announcements to make this evening.

Here’s the short of it:

The Shapeshifters website will be temporarily down this Sunday evening, March 3, 2024 at Midnight EST.

When it comes back up, you’ll find a shiny new website that is organized the same way with a couple of exceptions.

The Off-the-Rack Sale and Holographic listings will be temporarily delisted.

The Goth listings will be renamed. You will find Rainbow Constellations, Monster Mouths, and a couple of new options listed under Cosmic Horror.

The Skin Tone listings will have brand new additional color skin tone options!

The Island Time listings will also have a new option available.

The Binding 101 FAQ will be rolled into its own section in the FAQ.

There will be a brand new Events Page!

The blog will be temporarily disabled.

If you’re curious about the long of it, keep reading.

For everyone else, we appreciate your patience during this transition! Like so many other transitions, we’re delighted about where it’s going. 

Website Downtime

Shapeshifters is finally moving to Shopify! We’ve done a lot of work over the past few months building a more organized, streamlined website that will be easier to access for you and update for us. On Sunday night, we’ll shut down the current website to pause orders so that we can migrate everything cleanly.

Off-the-Rack and Holographic Listings

The Off-the-Rack listings will be delisted to give us a chance to reorganize the remaining stock so we don’t accidentally double-sell anything. 

The Holographic listings will be delisted while we assess our fabric options. Long-time customers might notice that we’ve removed Liquid Metal and Oil Slick from the Holo listings; we’re sourcing replacements and new options throughout spring. Once we know our options, we’ll either re-launch the Holo listings, or move the currently available fabric Prism to another home so it won’t be all alone anymore.

If you’ve been eyeing either Prism or an Off-the-Rack, buy it before Sunday if you can!

Expanded Skin Tone Range

We’re very excited to announce three new skin tone options will be available after the website migration: Pine, Chestnut, and Laurel! Pine is a pale shade, while Chestnut and Laurel are both on the darker end of the spectrum.

And, the new and improved Skin Tone listings will be the perfect place to see the results of our latest photoshoot! We’re excited for y’all to get to see these photos around the site and on the listings. We sought out models of color with darker skintones both to fill a gap in the modeled photos in our listings, and to show off our darker skin tones. All of our models were amazing, our photographer was great, and the photos are fantastic! We really leaned into the cozy Vermont vibes for this one.

Events Page

We’re going to events again! Hooray!

And we’re not just going to conventions and conferences and Pride festivals. We’re also talking queer markets, fashion shows, and binder sewing workshops!

That’s right, some lucky folks in the New England area will have the opportunity to take an in-person class with Eli, our head tailor and the developer of our DIY Binder Sewing Kits. They will walk you, step-by-step, through sewing your own custom-sized binder and help you troubleshoot along the way. These workshops are designed for sewists of any level and do not require you to own a sewing machine.

If you’d like to host a sewing workshop or would like to have us at any other event, educational, celebratory, fashionable or otherwise, please contact us!

Thanks once again  for bearing with us during this transition and we can’t wait for you all to see the new site!

#chest binders #shapeshifters #events #pride #skin tone chest binders #sewing workshops #how to sew binders

[avikard]

let me tell you a little more about my SDV farmer OC Ventan? 🍓

this is her latest redesign, i really wanted to make her outfit a little closer to her personality.

Ventan has lived in the valley for six years, four of which she has been married to Elliott. she originally came to her grandfather's farm to clean up the property a bit and then sell it, as she didn't want the taxes on this unused piece of land. but then something went wrong.

as i wrote earlier, she's physically really strong. i'm starting a logically muscular physique farmers OC club!

is an old reply to one fandom ask group.

"Your character is like…

a color: Blackberry (is the color of her hair in the sunlight)

a plant: Chenomeles (this flower blooms on the tree in the spring on her birthday)

an animal: Bear (she's strong and seems as sullen as a bear)

a scent: Strawberry (it's her favorite crop)

a music: "Remember me" from "Coco" (she promised to come back)

a feeling: Uncertainty (she's constantly wondering if she's doing the right thing)"

this is art for a halloween event in the same ask group.

the event consisted of the task of depicting their farmer as a yandere. at the time i participated, Ventan was still canonically married to Sebastiane, so Abigail's name is on the tombstone.

if it were Yandere, it would be really creepy stuff.

this answer (translations of the texts will be in the descriptions of the pictures) was based on a true story!!! and perfectly illustrates Ventan's first year on the farm.

although she had no intention of staying then, she had to make the days go by while saving up money to restore the farm for sale.

more facts about her!!!

🍓 she doesn't like fishing, but nevertheless she fishes just fine.

🍓 at first sight she is a closed and even a bit gloomy person, but if you have something in common with her - most likely you will see her real friendly and soft nature.

🍓 lived in a big city all her life before moving. never liked nature and small communities until she came to the valley.

🍓 she wasn't too fond of farm work either, but over time she got used to it and even loved the routine. and the people of Pelican town too.

🍓 works most of the time with music in her headphones.

🍓 doesn't like sunny days.

🍓 all her livestock are named after planets and stars.

🍓 loves going to Zuzu City just for fun and for business.

🍓 she's hard to piss off.

…i also did her wedding to another artist's farmer OC in that ask group for a joke and we had a lot of fun. and here she is so beautiful!!!

#stardew valley #OC #stardew valley oc #stardew valley farmer #sdv farmer #sdv oc #stardew oc #Spotify

[taiyaki-translations]

A Gift to Spring Breeze - 4

Author: Mitsuki Characters: Subaru, Mao, Eichi Translator: taiyaki-translations

Mao: “Good afternoon everyone~! I am the student council president and the host of this on-campus charity flea market, Isara Mao. Thank you for joining us today!”

“Let me briefly explain the rules of the event! Everyone can hand in the items they want to donate to the largest booth located on the north side of the grounds, and the staff will determine if they can be accepted.” 

“The items that are not suitable to be given away directly will be placed on the stalls on the east and west side of the charity sale. If you’ve prepared a lot of items, you can also apply for a stall in advance.” 

“All proceeds from the sales will be used to purchase materials to be donated to the orphanage in the name of all the students and teachers of Yumenosaki. The whole process will be supervised carefully to ensure that everything is delivered properly.” 

“Everyone is also welcome to participate in the handicrafts activities on the south side of the grounds whenever they want! The handicrafts, candies and snacks prepared by everyone will be sent to the children as special New Year’s gifts.” 

“Finally, I hope everyone can have fun today, and have a happy and meaningful time ♪”

…Ahaha, I saw the producer applauding with everyone in the audience. It’s a little embarrassing~ 

I really looked like a student council president just now? Really? 

To be honest, I have always felt like I’m still far behind the former president. Thank you for cheering me on ♪

Also, this charity event seems to be running smoothly. Thank you for all your help, producer. 

Even though you have so much work to do as a producer, you were still willing to take the time to help us contact and communicate with others on all aspects of this event. It’s because of that the event could be finalized so quickly.

Leave it to the student council now! Even if it’s just to measure up to your hard work, we will definitely make the event a complete success ☆

By the way, does that big bag you’re carrying hold all the things you want to donate? If it’s heavy, shall I help you carry it?

You say it’s not that heavy…? Oh, so they’re old clothes that belonged to the producer’s brother that he can no longer wear. 

Haha, I get it, I get it. Boys’ heights increase quickly when they’re growing up, right~? 

It just so happens that I also want to donate some comic books that I’ve read, so I’ll go over to the staff with you. 

Although I feel a little reluctant to give them up, I want more people to be able to read these beautiful comics ♪

Wow, the line for donations is so long… It seems like everyone’s enthusiasm is much higher than I thought.

Subaru: Yahoo yahoo~ Sari~, Producer! Look here, give me a smile, a smile ☆

Mao: ~☆

…I unconsciously followed the producer’s lead and made a peace sign. Subaru, are you taking pictures of us with that camera?

Subaru: That’s right, I’m being conscientious and completing the task that the producer assigned to me! 

Mao: So that’s it… This time, you needed to record the details as a demonstration of how to run this kind of event in the future. Subaru is familiar with the school’s affairs and has some experience with a camera, so you asked him to do it?

Subaru: Fufun~ Eichi-senpai has given me a similar assignment before, so I’m pretty good at it now. I’ve taken a lot of good photos and videos~♪

Look, this is a souvenir photo of me with my glass marbles. I asked the staff next to me to take the photo. Aren’t they sparkly~☆

Mao: Oh, I remember that Subaru has always liked the glass marbles from soda bottles, right? It must have taken you a long time to get such a full can…?

Subaru: It’s no problem, I can always restart my collection. If they can bring sparkling smiles to the children, then every glass marble has even greater value ☆

Huh, producer? Why did you suddenly pat my head? Are you praising me? 

Haha, I feel that everyone who is willing to share what they like with others is amazing! 

For example, Hokke brought konpeito candy and gaming books, as expected. And Natsume and that yellow kid would be interested in buying  the retro games that Ukki found at his house, right? 

Aira’s stall has a lot of duplicate idol goods that he said he bought on impulse. I got a small hand light with Shinonon’s face printed on it ☆

Oh also, also, this photo—

Eichi: Oh, isn’t this Tori? He looks so cute hugging that giant teddy bear.

Mao: …Uwah!? T-Tenshouin-senpai, when did you get behind me?

Eichi: Sorry, did I scare you? Seeing you all chatting so happily, I got curious so I couldn’t help but come over ♪

Subaru: We’re just looking at the photos I took! Himemin said that he and his sister picked this bear for the children together. They even left a note saying “Take good care of me!” in the bear’s pocket. 

Mao: Ah, it looks like it’s almost our turn in line. After this, I’ll meet up with the other members of the student council to patrol the grounds. 

Producer, you don’t have any other work assignments this afternoon, right? That’s a rare opportunity, so why not enjoy this as an ordinary high school student and hang out with Tenshouin-senpai? ♪

Subaru: Then, I’ll go and continue taking pictures~ See you later!

Eichi: So in the end, it’s just me and the producer, huh? Don’t you think it’s a date-like atmosphere? 

Oh my, your reaction is so calm, I’m a little disappointed. 

However, this serious and frank character of yours is also one of your good points and what makes you so cute. That’s why I can’t help but joke around so I can see more interesting expressions from you ♪

Hm, I smell food… That should be the students selling various home-made snacks at the nearby stalls. Even steamed buns are available. 

“Then let’s start with the takoyaki”? Haha, that’s fine with me. It’s rare to see the producer so motivated about something other than work. 

This really gives off the feeling of being at a festival and it reminds me of the time when the Kenkafes(?) was held. 

For me, that was a very pleasant and unforgettable summer memory…♪

Previous | Directory | Next

#ensemble stars #enstars #enstars translation #eichi tenshouin #mao isara #subaru akehoshi #a gift to spring breeze

[hotarutranslations]

DVD's Coming Out

Evening

Everyonee~~~❤️

Thank you for waiting~~~❤️

DVD "Morning Musume '24 Ishida Ayumi Birthday Event"

My birthday event DVD came out❤️

Yay~~~❤️

But, since just the announcement video is good, please definitely watch it~ fufufu~~~

Now I watch YouTube just like its TV, I'm doing a strange thing of watching this video of myself like its an announcement on TV! lol

It had me grinning when remembering, The feelings of when I sang, ♪Tha~nk~ you~! lol

Also, from this story, It was good during the event but,

After all,

Thinking about it becoming a DVD,

I was thinking that, I wanted to look at the camera during the ♪Fumi, Dasou yo part 🤔💭lol

With the corner part, its not in the video announcement but,

I made a pie chart on the day of my birthday,

It was very interesting so, I definitely want you to look forward to seeing it🪽

Its being sold here

It'll be on sale until April 26th (Fri) at 11:59PM

I'll be waiting for your preorders❤️

Tickets are currently on sale for the spring tour..🪽

🩵🎫e+ 🩵🎫TicketPia

May 27th (Mon) Nippon Budoukan

.🌏👏🏻

FC Advance Reception Tickets is Ongoing! The deadline is April 1st at 5:00PM⚠️

📺TV Tokyo "Ultrasound#"

Please definitely watch the TVer if you missed it🌏🪽

♪ LOVE Machine~Suggoi FEVER!

📺Hello Pro Dance Gakuen Season 11

April 18th 11:30PM~ A Learning From TSUKUSHI-san Adventure🕺

In season 10 we challenged breakin', its reairing continuously! On the 15th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, #1~#6 all at once! Check out HP for info!

Sendai Broadcast "Ara Ara Kashiko" Every week (Sat) 10:25AM~ Ishida Ayumi Goes~!

I appear once a month as part of the AraKashi Family

The previous shows, and makings, are on OX VIDEO STORE!

Also on YouTube

Sendai Broadcast Ara Ara Kashiko

Thank you for following.. Instagram💙🩵

🪩Spring Tour Has Been Decided Morning Musume '24 Concert Tour Spring MOTTO MORNING MUSUME

We'll be going around the country from March 16th!

🪩JAPAN JAM Morning Musume '24 will be performing on May 3rd!

⚾️《LIVE DAYS！～Exciting Big Exhibition Match～》 June 2nd(Sun), after the Hokkaido Ham Fighters vs. Yokohama DeNa Baystars match, Morning Musume '24 will be having a special mini live!

.👗👠 Aoyama Clothing x Morning Musume '24

📻Morning Musume '24 Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~

Airs Every Saturday, On Radio Nihon at 12:00AM~

Past Broadcast Episodes Are Available →Program Details

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! ~Expressing Love Towards My Favorite Panda-san♡ ver.~ in Adventure World

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! Mei-chan's Holiday. Adventure World with Oda-san and Ishida-san

see you ayumin <3

#Ishida Ayumi #Morning Musume '24 #Morning Musume #Hello! Project #Translation #Blog

[briankeene]

New Brick and Mortar Bookstore

At the respective ages of fifty-six and forty (mumbles incoherently), Mary and I are planning for our golden years. We have seen too many of our peers struggling to write in their later years, and dependent upon those advances and royalties from book sales. It's a sobering and frightening prospect, and we'd like a different future, with a second revenue stream so that we can continue to write in our old age. We also want to do something to give back to our peers and our community, both on a national and local level. Inspired by Dark Delicacies, Butcher Cabin Books, The Poisoned Pen, Bucket O' Blood, Mysterious Galaxy, and other indie bookshops, we are opening an independent bookstore specializing in Horror, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Bizarro, and other speculative fiction genres.

Vortex Books & Comics will open Spring of 2024 in the historic district of beautiful Columbia, Pennsylvania -- easily and quickly accessible from Baltimore, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, New York City, Washington D.C. and more. We'll carry a full complement of books from the Big Five, as well as hundreds of books from many cool indie publishers and small presses, and titles in Espanol and other languages. We'll host weekly signings, readings, workshops, and other events. We know this business, and are intimately familiar with its ups and downs, ebbs and flows. Our goal is to make the store a destination. As our record for the last 30 years shows, we believe that Horror fiction is for everyone, and Vortex will echo that. All are welcome, and all will have a place on our shelves.

We have already invested a significant sum of our savings into this endeavor. It was suggested to us by several knowledgable mentors that we should give the community an opportunity to chip in and help. If you would like to show your solidarity and support with a donation via GoFundMe, it will be put toward further set-up costs such as fixtures, security, inventory, marketing and advertising, signage, etc. thus giving us a bit of breathing room and time to make the store profitable. However, you are under no obligation to donate. We appreciate your support regardless of whether you wish to donate or not. Thanks for reading us these last thirty years, and allowing us both a place at the table. We are very excited for this next chapter of our story, and giving back to our peers and fans in an all-new way.

— Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni (Keene)

[xoxoemynn]

I see you're from Delaware. I know absolutely nothing about your state and want to fix that, so what in your opinion is the most beautiful place there?

Okay you are not alone, even people in bordering states basically know it just as a place they drive through to get to other, far more exciting places, or where they go to make major purchases since we have no sales tax.

But one of my all-time favorite places is Brandywine Creek State Park. It's so beautiful and peaceful to walk through, and even when you're driving through the valley you're just on these winding roads surrounded by tall trees and it's stunning, especially in the fall. Just look at these!

We also have some beautiful gardens that are really secluded and people tend to not even know they're there, like the Goodstay Gardens (that has a gorgeous magnolia walk in the spring) and my fave, the Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar, that are hidden behind an abandoned mansion that's been recently restored. Big secret garden vibes.

And then we also have the Mt. Cuba Center, a botanical garden with a mission to preserve native plants, and the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to lots of beautiful migratory birds.

And then just because I'm assuming most of you here follow for the pirates, I have to highlight the Kalmar Nyckel, which is a replica of a 17th century ship that was built by the Dutch for Swedish settlers. They do river cruises and pirate events, and it is pretty cool to be out on the Riverfront and look out to see this big ole ship out there.

#we may not be the most exciting of states #but we have our appeal #also we're so small truly everybody knows everybody #6 degrees of separation is way too easy a game you gotta knock it down to 3 to make it a challenge #also obligatory not my photos disclaimer #mine either did not do these places justice or had friends in them

[bardic-tales]

🎨Preview Blog Header by: @ephiemerals

👑Multiple Genre Author 📕 Dabbler in FanFiction 👩‍🎨 she / her 🍁@bardic-ventures 🎨@creative-endeavors

Please call me Nicole, NL, or by the nom de plume CJ Corvino. I am a queer author. I was born in West Virginia, the first daughter of a single mother. I made my first professional novella sale in 2017 on Amazon. In the fall of that year, I decided to write full time. In the spring of 2017, I published another novella on Amazon. I'm the recipient of a Daily Deviant on Deviantart for a raw piece that delved into a common result for someone who has PCOS: Infertility.

I currently live in New York with my husband, daughter, and three cats. I'm a regular contributor to a number of charities, including several organizations concerned with the plight of big cats.

Although I typically converse and follow all writers, I'm looking for the following:

writers who love to exchange asks and tag games

dark fantasy writers

epic fantasy writers

worldbuilders

Adult Policy

I occasionally post adult material on this blog. It will always be hidden beneath a read more line.

Ask Policy

I do allow anon asks. If I receive hate mail even one time, I block the account.

There are also times when I will go to OC creator’s inboxes and ask a few questions about their characters. I’m big on spreading content creator positivity and my followers' creations.

Fandoms Policy

I write for the following fandoms:

Final Fantasy

Inuyasha

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Uncharted

The fandoms I write for may or may not change over time, as my interests expand.

I am open to all the writeblr events. I do return every ask, but I ask that my followers are patient. I am chronically ill and have aphasia. Sometimes, I just don't have enough spoons during the day to answer everything. Other times, I'm working on my WIPs.

I am very tag game friendly. I try to complete them in a timely manner, but prompts may take me a little longer for the reasons above.

Important Tumblr Links

FAQ - a list of question and answers relating to Written Musings.

Fiction - literature related to the Arathean universe that is created by me. This is a huge verse project that centers around original work.

Tag System Masterlist - an interactive list that features all the major tags on Written Musings.

Worldbuilding - an interactive list that features all the major worldbuilding for the Planes of Existence universe.

Writing Tag System Masterlist - an interactive list that features all the major tags for my writing on Written Musings.

FanFiction Links

Occasionally, I will post my fan fictions and oneshots on here, as well as my original work. You are welcome to hide the tag: fanfiction.

Any Fandom Bingo - a list of fictional prompt writing set within already established worlds.

FanFiction - a list of fictional writing set within already established worlds.

FanFiction Original Characters - a list of characters that are featured in my fan fiction works.

Original Writing - Character Links

Dark Fantasy

Pandemonix Original Characters - a list of characters that are featured in my wip: pandemonix.

Paranormal Romance

Timeless Souls Original Characters - a list of characters that are featured in my wip: timeless souls.

Tag Lists

General - a list that my readers can either comment on, like, or reblog, so they can be notified every time I publish character introductions, world building, and other general WIP posts.

One-Shot - a list that my readers can either comment on, like, or reblog, so they can be notified every time I publish a one-shot.

Series - a list that my readers can either comment on, like, or reblog, so they can be notified every time I publish or update a series.

Tumblr Games - a list that my follows can either comment on, like, or reblog, so that they can be notified every time I play a Tumblr game.

Outgoing Links

Archive of Our Own - This is another option that my audience has to read my FanFiction. It can feature smut works.

BlueSky - This is my Bluesky account. I don't really use it yet, but I will soon.

Wattpad - This is another option that my audience has to read my original work.

Pandemonix

Supernatural meets the Witcher Dark Crusade. Where knights battle demons, and a forbidden romance ignites. Destinies entwine amidst the impending apocalypse.

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, and Paranormal Romance

POV: past-tense, third person limited

WIP Stage: The Leviathan method: Building Scope

tag: #wip: pandemonix

Timeless Souls

Interview with a Vampire Meets Fifty Shades of Grey. Timeless Love. Where love transcends time and fate weaves its threads. Destinies collide in an eternal embrace.

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotic Fiction, and Thriller/Suspense

POV: past-tense, third person limited

WIP Stage: 30 Days of Worldbuilding

tag: #wip: timeless souls

#blog index #about nl #long post #writeblr intro #writing #fanfiction

[atwooozi]

Almost Perfect (Sebastian x Fem!Farmer) Chapter 7: The Egg Festival

Warnings: Slow burn, personal struggles, anxiety, depression, eventual smut

Summary: Angeline prepares for the Egg Festival, determined to make a good impression. The quaint festivities in Pelican Town contrast with city life.

A/N: Angeline prepares for the Egg Festival, determined to make a good impression. The quaint festivities in Pelican Town contrast with city life.

READ ON AO3

Chapter 7: The Egg Festival

Spring 14

Angeline felt like she was starting to get a grip on this whole farming thing. Sure, her body was sore all over and she had to force herself up a mountain every day just to get clean, but things were coming together. She looked over at the field and smiled. There were still some larger rocks and tree stumps, but it was such an improvement compared to when she first got here. 

She had a decent amount of crops going and she was getting money together to for some chickens. She couldn’t be sure but she felt that if her grandpa were still around he’d be proud of her progress. 

She checked the time and it was 8:00. She didn’t have time before the Egg Festival and she didn’t want to be late so she tossed her tools in her chest and made her way up to the mountain. She didn’t want to go to her first festival covered in dirt and sweat. While the people of Pelican Town might be understanding it just wasn’t the impression that Angeline wanted to give. She felt more comfortable with a bit of makeup and freshly washed hair if she was going to be out in public.

Once she was satisfied Angeline left the bath house. She had decided on a pink sundress and giving her hair a bit of a wave for the occasion. It was ten minutes until 9 and she didn’t want to be late, especially since this would be her first big event in Pelican Town. Angeline trekked down the mountain path to town square. When she made it into town she couldn’t help but smile. She thought the effort that Mayor Lewis and the rest of the towns-people put into the festival was sweet. 

She loved seeing all the baskets of hand-painted eggs and colorful pennants decorate the buildings. It felt so quaint. Nothing like the forced festive feeling she’d get in the city where there was always a sale on every major holiday. 

 Speaking of sales, Angeline made a note to stop by Pieere’s booth before taking her leave. The large bunny plush he had was taunting her to take him home.

At this point, Angeline had met most of the villagers well except for the poor farmer that was stuck up on the mountain because of the rock slide. Damn Joja, they were lucky that they didn’t kill someone. 

She got a good feel for most of them and while some were a bit rough around the edges she didn’t think anyone was awful. In fact, Haley had grown on her quite a bit since she helped her with her hair that day and Shane still scared her, but she could see that he was dealing with much harder things beyond a new person moving into town. While both could be a bit abrasive at first they were actually both pretty thoughtful in their own unique ways. At least, that’s what Angeline would tell herself when Hayley would say she smelled like grass or when Shane would tell her to fuck off. They were nice! Just a bit too honest at times.  

“Hey Ange!” Sam called all the way from the other side of town square. Angeline laughed to herself and gave a small wave, hoping that was enough to appease the blonde for a bit so she could greet a few people before settling with his friend group. 

“I see you’ve made some friends.” Robin said as she squeezed Angeline’s shoulder as she nodded towards Sam and the rest of the trio, with the addition of Victor. 

Angeline shrugged, “Honestly, I think Sam could be friends with a rock so I’m not too sure.” 

Robin laughed, “Yeah well, seeing as how Abigail and Sebby don’t run away when they see you I think it’s safe to say they’re your friends, too.” Robin looked over towards the trio and gave a small smile in their direction.

“Maybe.” Angeline shrugged. 

Angeline still felt a bit hesitant to say that she was friends with Abigail or Sebastian. They were both a bit of a mystery to her. Abigail had been nice to Angeline at the saloon but they didn’t interact much after that. Sebastian was okay the day before with his mom, but she couldn’t be sure if that was forced politeness because he was with his mom or what. 

“Maybe” Robin agreed. “Well don’t worry about me, go mingle with the young people! You can be old later.” 

Angeline smiled at Robin and waved goodbye to her, Demitrius, and Maru. Sam was practically beaming, she was surprised she didn’t go blind when she looked at him. 

“Hey farmgirl.” Alex called out, stopping Angeline in her tracks. 

Angeline changed direction from heading towards Sam, to making her way over to Alex, Haley, and Sophia. 

“Good morning you guys.” Angeline said as she smiled at the three. 

Haley sighed and smoothed out Angeline’s hair. “Morning.” She pouted at Angeline. “You need to put some product in your hair so it doesn’t get so frizzy. It’s going to get worse during the summer.” 

Sophia giggled. “Don’t worry Angeline that’s just Haley’s way of being friendly.” Sophia tugged on Haley’s elbow to get her to stop. “She nags because she cares.” 

Angeline nodded and gave a small smile. She felt awkward and unsure of what to talk about. “Are you guys enjoying the festival?” 

“Hell yeah, look at all this protein.” Alex said as he nodded towards the tables. 

Haley rolled her eyes at Alex and crossed her arms over her chest. “The flower dance is better.” 

Flower dance? Angeline was about to ask the group what the flower festival was when Victor tapped her shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think Sam is going to explode if you take any longer.” 

Angeline looked over her shoulder at Sam with Victor and he was hardly exaggerating. Sam was bouncing from foot to foot and when he noticed Angeline looking his way he gave a big wave. “Hey!”

Angeline smiled and laughed to herself as she walked over with Victor to the little group. 

“Happy Egg festival.” Angeline said with a smile. 

“Hey Ange, settle something for us.” Abigail said with her hands on her hips. “Is the egg hunt just for kids?”

Angeline thought about it for a moment and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“She’s not giving you the full story.” Sam shook his head. “She beats Vincent and Jas every year, it kind of ruins it.” 

“She already said no!” Abigail retorted. 

Angeline frowned. “Well…I don’t think that means that Abby shouldn’t participate, b-but it is sad that Vincent and Jas haven’t won.” They were just little kids after all, it wasn’t a fair competition against someone in their twenties. 

“I’m just helping them build character or something.” Abigail pouted. 

“I don’t know, Abigail.” Victor said thoughtfully. “I mean, Maru and Sophia participate, too, but it’s more for the fun of it not sport.” 

Abigail huffed. “You guys all sound lame like my parents, right Seb?” 

Sebastian put his cigarette to his lips and turned around to blow the smoke away from the festivities as if to avoid the conversation entirely. A smart man. However, this action only irked Abigail more. “Ugh! You all suck.” Abigail frowned. “I-I’m going to hang out with Penny and Maru.” she stomped away towards the two unsuspecting girls.  

Angeline frowned. “Is she going to be okay?” Abigal didn’t run away but she did stomp away did that mean they weren’t friends? She'd have to ask Robin later. Maybe she could give her some insight on the violet haired girl.  

“Don’t worry about it.” Sebastian said as he blew some smoke out of the corner of his mouth in the opposite direction. “This happens like every other year.” 

Angeline nodded and quietly glanced up at Sebastian. She was still getting used to him talking to her. It was only a few sentences here and there, but because it felt so rare it always gave her a fluttery feeling. 

Sebastian’s voice was a nice even tone with a slight rasp that Angeline suspected was a result of his smoking or because he hardly spoke, maybe a bit of both. She wondered what caused Sebastian to finally decide that it was okay to speak to her. Was he finally comfortable enough with her or did it just become too much work for him to ignore her? It didn’t really matter why. It was just nice that she was finally allowed to take up a small bit of space in his life. 

“Ange~?” Sam said in a sing song voice as he jostled her shoulder. 

Angeline jumped a bit causing Victor and Sebastian to both glance her way. “S-sorry. What’s up, Sam?” 

“The egg hunt is starting.” Sam said as he nodded towards the town square. “You gonna join?”

“Are you?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, I like to help Vincent.” Simply adorable. What a good older brother.

“Not much help because of all the sneezing.” Sebastian quipped as he stubbed out his cigarette. 

Sam pouted at his friend. “Yeah yeah go brood over there, you might burn in the sunlight if you’re not careful, Alucard.” He waved the shorter man away, causing Sebastian to flip him off. Angeline giggled at their interaction. She was envious of how comfortable Sam always felt she wished she could be as easy going as he was. 

“I am going to stand over there, but it’s because I’m feeling hot, not because you told me to.” Sebastian clarified as he made his way to stand under a tree. 

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart. “ 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll try it seems like fun.”Angeline shrugged as she looked at the people crowding around the Mayor. She looked over at Victor. “Are you going to join too?” 

Victor smiled and shook his head. “Oh no, I’m no match for Abigail so I’m just going to sit this one out. Maybe next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that!” Angeline called as she made her way to where the small crowd was forming with Sam.   

~*~

Sebastian sighed as he watched Sam and the farmer. He wasn’t sure if he should consider her a friend. He started to talk to her if only it was a few words here and there, but that hardly means anything. He only spoke a bit more to Maru and that was his half-sister, so he had a hard time thinking of what to consider the girl. He liked looking at her. Especially given her outfit choice for today. That he was sure of, but he didn’t know anything about her other than the obvious. 

Sebastian glanced over at Victor and he frowned slightly. Victor seemed to have an easy time talking to Angeline. They always exchanged smiles and little pleasantries. They seemed to get along well and those two were very easily invading his friend group and pushing him out, at least, that’s how it felt. He was easily being replaced and while Sebastian would remind himself that this should be a good thing so that when he did leave Abby and Sam would adjust to his absence easier. It still sucked, his heart still hurt when he thought about it and despite telling himself that he would be okay when he left for the city he admittedly felt scared and a bit lonely.

“Is everything okay?” Victor asked, pulling Sebastian from his thoughts. 

“Yeah…” Sebastian trailed off. “I’m just tired, long night.” 

Victor nodded and left it at that. If there was one thing he appreciated about the other man was that he knew when to drop a conversation.

Sebastian put his hands in his pockets and looked towards the square as Lewis announced the winner of this years egg hunt. Much to his and most likely the rest of the town’s surprise Sophia had won and Abigail the former reigning champ had come in third. Sebastian looked over at the runner up, Angeline, and grinned a bit as he saw her celebrate with everyone else that Abby had been dethroned. Sure, it was a bit mean, but Abigail had it coming for all these years of spoiling the fun for the little kids.

~*~

“That was so fun!” Angeline said as she made her way back over to Sebastian and Victor with Sam and Abigal following behind. 

Abigail pouted and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“No one likes a sore loser, Abigail.” Sebastian smirked. 

“Shut up!” Abigail pushed Sebastian and he chuckled. 

Angeline studied the two. She wasn’t exactly sure what their relationship was. At times Abigail seemed to cling to Sebastian but then on other days she seemed to want nothing to do with him. Maybe when you’re friends with someone for so long the boundaries blur a bit more? The exchange for whatever reason gave her a bit of a queasy feeling. Or maybe it was all the eggs? She wasn’t exactly sure.  

“So…is that it?” Angeline asked the group as she looked around to see the older residents start to pack up. 

“Basically.” Sam shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as he was thinking. “We could…play video games at my place if you’re not ready to go home yet.” 

“I’m gonna pass.” Abigail said, “I’ve got a date with the Prairie King.”   

“Give the king my regards.” Victor bowed his head slightly. “I have some work I need to get to, so maybe another night.” 

Angeline nodded and waved Abigail and Victor off as they made their way home. 

“Samson!” Jodi called, waving her son over to where her and Vincent were. It looked like Vincent was getting restless and harder for Jodi to handle on her own. 

Sam groaned at the use of his government name. “I guess we’ll have to take a rain check. Sorry guys.” Sam jogged his way over to his family and easily scooped up the difficult Vincent. What a sweet big brother he was. 

Sebastian coughed which pulled Angeline back to reality. It was just the two of them now. Usually someone else was around to act as a buffer. She felt an urge to run after Robin or Sam one of them would could help her.

 Angeline opened her mouth to try and think of something to say. “Um…” She wished lightening would just strike her down now. Should she talk about the chicken coop? Would that be weird? Would he even care? Why was this so hard?   

“I-It’s, uh, almost frog season.” Sebastian said as if trying to help Angeline break the silence. 

The comment stopped Angeline dead in her tracks. She laughed, not because it was funny, but just so unexpected, especially from Sebastian. It felt like something that Vincent or maybe even Abigail would say. “What?” 

Sebastian frowned at Angeline’s reaction. He turned his gaze away from her, a dusting of pink covering his pale cheeks. “Nothing…” 

“N-no…I wasn’t making fun of you.” Angeline shook her head and gave Sebastian an apologetic smile. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Sebastian sighed and looked at Angeline, studying her expression to see if she was being honest. “Well, it’s almost frog season.They come out during the summer.” He played a bit with his long bangs. “They usually come out when it’s raining.” 

Angeline nodded as she listened. “Do you plan on catching any?” 

Sebastian shook his head and put his hands in his pockets. “No, my mom isn’t a big fan.” He pursed his lips slightly as he thought about it. “When I was a kid I tried to keep one in my room as a secret, but she got rid of it.” 

“Aww, I’m sorry that sucks.” Angeline gave him a sympathetic look. “Did the frog have a name?”

A deeper blush took over Sebastian’s face and he looked away as he debated on whether or not to tell her. “It was…” he mumbled the last part which made it difficult to hear.

“What did you say?” Angeline leaned in a bit closer. 

“Froggy” Sebastian said louder, causing Angeline to pull away. That was the loudest she had ever heard him speak. “I was seven, okay?” He defended himself as he started to fiddle with his lighter.  

Angeline giggled. “I think Froggy is a good name.” 

“Th-” Before Sebastian could get his words out Sam clapped him on the back causing him to grunt. 

“You guys are still here?” Sam asked as he rejoined the group with Vincent in tow. 

Angeline looked around and was surprised, the bustling square was now empty. Aside from the in-season flowers even the decorations were gone. 

Damn, despite being so small this town moved pretty fast. She’d have to try for the bunny plush next year, if there was a next year in her future. “Pelican Town sure moves fast.”

“That’s cuz of the flower dance!” Vincent said as he jumped in place, begging for attention. 

“Flower dance?” Angeline asked as she ruffled Vincent’s strawberry hair in greeting, getting a smile from the boy.  

 Sam groaned and Sebastian looked less enthused than usual. Haley seemed excited about it earlier. If she liked it how bad could it be?  

“It’s the worst event of the year.” Sam said as he hid his face in his hands from horror? Or was it disgust? Maybe even pain? Angeline couldn’t be too sure. “Ange, the suits they make us wear. You can’t see it. It’s too shameful.” It was embarrassment, so close!

“It can’t be that bad.” Angeline said as she looked over at Sebastian. He just shook his head. 

“It’s so much fun, Miss Angeline!” Vincent said as he stepped in front of her to get her attention. “Everyone gets all dressed up and my brother and everyone dances.”

Everyone dances? Angeline tore her attention away from Vincent and stared at both Sam and Sebastian. She couldn’t picture either of them dancing. “Really?” 

“Yes.” Sam sadly confirmed. He looked like he wanted to fall to his knees and sob. Poor guy. 

“I’d avoid it if I were you.” Sebastian said as he fiddled with a cigarette in his hands. Maybe it was an anxiety thing? He was toying with his lighter just a bit earlier. He must not have wanted to smoke in Vincent’s presence. 

“I think I need to see it for myself.” Angeline said. She didn’t want to miss Sam and Sebastian awkwardly shuffling around. It sounded too good to miss.  

Vincent nodded in agreement and tugged on Angeline’s hand. “Yeah! We can dance together!” The young boy started to spin around. “I’m gonna be the flower queen!”

Angeline smiled at Vincent and nodded. “It sounds like a plan, little man.”

Sam took himself out of his stupor and grabbed Vincent’s hand. “Well, I’m gonna bury myself in a hole. You guys have a nice night.” Sam and Vincent waved as they made their way to their house. 

“It can’t be that bad.” Angeline said. 

“It’s bad.” Sebastian said as he lit his cigarette finally. Angeline looked up at the taller moody man. She never thought smoking was attractive, in fact, she thought it was the opposite, but for some reason when he did it, it looked so, so hot? 

Objectively, Sebastian was beautiful, but did Angeline think he was hot? The thought almost scared her. She hardly knew the guy. For all she knew he could hardly stand to be around her. 

Angeline shook her head and shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to see.” 

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah…later, happy egg festival.” He said as he made his way towards the mountain path. 

Angeline waved goodbye to Sebastian and watched as he walked away. She was surprised by how much he spoke to her today and without someone else to facilitate the conversation. It felt less forced and more natural than their usual interactions. It almost had her feeling excited. No, stop. This is a small town, he’s just being polite because he has to be. 

Angeline sighed to herself happily and made her way home. She wasn’t actually sure if she had befriended Abigail and Sebastian yet, but she was getting close or so she thought.

#i hate tagging #sdv #sdv sebastian #stardew sebastian #stardew valley sebastian x oc #fanfic #fanfiction

[merrock]

HAPPY MARCH !

The shortest month, plus its little extra day, has come to an end. And March is here! A springy, fun month. We have a lot of little mini events to help you do some plotting and get some fun interactions going, plus two big events happening in town. And it's a great time to get out and (hopefully) start enjoying warm temperatures and sunshine. Happy March!

ON THE CALENDAR !

March 1 -- World Candle Day (mini event) -- from 9AM to 7PM, head to Collab for candle-making demonstrations, not to mention lots of sales from local vendors!

March 2 -- Read Across America (mini event) -- do a little reading at the Memorial Library, Community Center or Children's Museum! Donations also accepted.

March 8 -- International Women's Day (mini event) -- a day to honor the women in your life with a little bit of kindness.

March 12 -- National Plant a Flower Day (mini event) -- plant a flower! By the time you can put it in the ground, maybe it will be ready to bloom.

March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day -- INFORMATION HERE!

March 19 -- First Day of Spring (mini event) -- just get out and enjoy some spring, whether it's a walk, or tending to some flowers!

March 20 -- Day of Happiness (mini event) -- a day to be happy and to make everyone around you happy, too. Basically? Smile as much as you can!

March 21 -- Day of Forests (mini event) -- head over to the Merrock State Park to take a long walk in the woods, led by the park rangers to keep you safe.

March 25 -- Waffle Day (mini event) -- free breakfast at the community center for anyone and everyone who wants to come out and enjoy!

March 30 -- Easter Egg Hunt -- INFORMATION HERE!

IMPORTANT STUFF !

FRESH MONTH, FRESH START -- every month is the chance to start fresh and dive in with a clear head! if you feel like you've been needing to get yourself into a good headspace, get back to writing... take the first of March and make it your goal to do that.

GRAB STARTERS -- remember that one of the easiest, most fun ways to get interactions going is simply writing up and replying to open starters. please make sure to check the page when you log in, or keep an eye out for starter alerts!

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY (part 1) -- while roleplay absolutely is just for funsies, remember that when you join a group, you agree to be a part of that group, and that others rely on you for activity. everyone can handle different activity levels, and that's okay! but people are still dependent on one another to be able to be active and contributing, please keep that in mind.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY (part 2) -- and ooc, it's just as important to remember that we're a little family here. be kind to one another, even if it's just a nice word on an ooc post, or messaging one another, or reaching out to those who are asking for plots. we've always been a tight-knit, close group, let's work on that! and remember: building a good, happy morale? that's on all of us to work together to do.

GOALS FOR THE MONTH !

ADMIN -- add some new locations to our town.

ADMIN -- post a new task this weekend!

PLAYER -- get organized; find one way to help yourself get more organized when it comes to replies, do a little spring cleaning to get things tidied up and easy to handle!

HAVE A GREAT MARCH !

#merrockadmin

[the-gloomth]

Closet Sale 2.0!

Our first Closet Sale was a big success! We can’t wait to host our next one on April 6th!!!! All the seller spots have been reserved and we have a ton of new participants with fresh styles to give your spring looks some new energy! RSVP on facebook event! -Tae

View On WordPress

#closet sale #doll funeral shop #sales event #second hand clothing toronto #second hand lolita toronto #shopping event #toronto doll funeral #toronto lolita store

[redwineconversation]

Ellie Carpenter The Australian Article (June 30, 2023)

I'll be honest, I was - and to be frank, still am - in two minds about posting this, because I feel there are certain passages which invite nutcases to harass Carpenter and/or van de Donk, and I don't want to be responsible for enabling that kind of behavior.

On the flip side, there's also interesting facts / stories in here, and I think it provides an insight on a player that if we are still being honest with each other, we don't really know that much about.

Blah blah not associated with The Australian, if OL Comms wanted to chip in for my AC bill whom am I to say no to that, etc etc.

ELLIE CARPENTER THE AUSTRALIAN ARTICLE

It's the biggest game of her life but Ellie Carpenter is being carried off on a stretcher. The replay is a sickening sight, causing groans among the 32,000-strong crowd. Her left knee has buckled beneath her, leaving the 22-year-old thumping the ground in agony. Her Women's Champions League final is over and maybe so much more.

Waves of pain from her ruptured ACL make it hard for the young Australian to think clearly as she is lifted off the field after only 13 minutes playing for her club Lyon against Barcelona in Turin on May 21 last year. And yet, at this moment, she is focusing harder than she has ever thought possible. The girl from Cowra, the former child prodigy of Australian soccer, wipes the tears from her eyes and stares straight up at the sky as if in a trance.

"Count," she tells herself as her stretcher makes its way out of the stadium to the applause of the sympathetic crowd. "Count the months."

"I was thinking, 'Oh shit, what month is it?' Carpenter recalls. "It's usually a 12-month recovery [from an ACL injury] and I needed to count the months until I could play again. So in my head I was going like 'June, July, August' and then I'm like 'YES, YES, YES, I'll make it. I'll recover in time for our World Cup."

Almost exactly 12 months later Carpenter, now 23, bounces into a cafe in central Lyon, France, with her blonde hair in a bun, wearing a T-shirt and shorts and a grin on her face. It's a wet spring day, but the sun is shining again for Carpenter after a horror year. She is back on the field, playing again for Olympique Lyonnais, the best women's team in the world. Off the field, she is happy and in love. She has bought a house just outside Lyon with her partner and teammate, Danielle van de Donk, one of the best footballers on the planet, who also plays for the Netherlands national team.

Across the English Channel, the superstar captain of the Australian Matildas, Sam Kerr, is kicking goals and doing backflips for her club Chelsea. For Carpenter, who is as important to the Matildas' backline as Kerr is to the forward line, the stars are finally aligning for Australia's tilt at the biggest women's sporting event, the FIFA Women's World Cup. "I don't think I'll realise how big it's going to be until I walk out for that first game," she says, cradling a hot chocolate. "We have a team that could do something really special, we have great players who are in form and we are playing in front of our home crowds. It's gonna be massive. I think we have a really good chance but I don't want to jinx myself," she says, tapping the table for good luck.

If the rapid-fire ticket sales are any guide, Carpenter may be underestimating the reception that awaits her and the Matildas.

The World Cup, to run from July 20 to August 20, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will see an estimated 83,000 watch Australia's opening match against Ireland at Sydney's Accor Stadium - more than double the Matildas' previous high attendance of 36,000. The opening match was moved from the 42,5000-seat Sydney Football Stadium to the 83,000-seat Stadium Australia (known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes) to meet the surging demand for tickets. At least 15 million people are expected to attend the games in Australia and New Zealand with an estimated worldwide audience of two billion. FIFA predicts the World Cup will encourage up to 400,000 girls to take up soccer in Australia.

"It's crazy now, women's football," says Carpenter. "I've seen it go from here to here," she says, moving her hands towards the sky.

Marketing surveys show the Matildas have overtaken the men's Wallabies rugby union in popularity, something that would once have seemed unthinkable for a team that only formed in 1978 and for years had to play on substandard ovals. The small crowds that came to watch them play in those days were mostly family and friends.

"it's incredible to see where this team has come from to be one of our biggest sporting brands ... so many players have paved the way for this moment," says Heather Garriock, who played 130 games for the Matildas between 1999 and 2011.

For years Matildas players were paid a pittance, having to hold down second jobs while playing for the national team. In the early days one player recalled how a teammate called the coach before an international match to say she would be late because her shift at Woolies didn't finish until 530pm. In the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Matildas were so desperate to secure sponsorship and public support that 12 of them posed naked for a calendar to get attention. Fast forward to today and the Matildas are a household name, and Kerr is arguably the most recognizable Australian sports star in the world. In May, wearing a sharp black suit, she carried the Australian flag into Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles II.

But it will take more than Kerr's soccer royalty of the Matildas to realise their dream of winning a home World Cup.

On a cold spring evening in London on the eve of the coronation, Kerr is playing to script, slamming the winning goal for her team Chelsea against Liverpool with just minutes to go. As she leaves the ground I ask her what she thinks about having Carpenter back with the Matildas for the World Cup. "Ellie is one of the best players in the world," says Kerr, who described Carpenter as "irreplaceable" when she injured her ACL last year. "We've missed her and she's a great personality to have on the team... I'm feeling good, I'm feeling excited [about the World Cup]."

A few days later, Carpenter is sprinting up the right wing, weaving the ball around her teammates during morning training near the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium on the outskirts of Lyon. It is just over two months since she made her comeback from her injury and the previous weekend she was one of the team's best players in their 3-0 win over Dijon.

She calls out to her teammates in French and jokes with them in French, but if she makes a mistake on the field, the word "shit" rings out across the ground in an Aussie twang.

Her bilingual world in Lyon, a French foodie capital crammed with UNESCO World Heritage sites, is a reminder of just how many lives Carpenter has squeezed into her 23 years. "It all started here," she says, pointing to a tattoo on her ankle that shows the outline of Cowra, her hometown of 12,500 people in the Central West of NSW. "it's one main street, two sets of traffic lights, a place where we knew everyone and everyone knew the Carpenters."

Looking back, Carpenter's unlikely rise from the streets of Cowra to international soccer star was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because she lived the real-life sporting fairy-tale. This was the tell in which a determined young country girl becomes a prodigy of the game, shattering every barrier in her path to find herself playing for Australia at the age of just 15 and then at the age of 16 at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the youngest ever female footballer in the world to compete in an Olympics.

The curse was that she was so good, so early, that she was a kid playing among adults, being thrust into the spotlight aead of her time, before she was ready and before she had the to grow up. "I hated it sometimes," she says. "I was always the youngest. People would say, oh, you're the youngest ever Olympian or you're the youngest ever to score a goal, the youngest thing, the youngest that. I was playing with people who were 10 or 15 years older than me and you had to mature very quickly. It was hard with the pressure, the spotlight, the critics... I wasn't prepared for that at the time."

"I've been in the public eye since I was 15 and now people think I'm 30 but I'm still just 23, one of the youngest on the team."

Belinda Carpenter still scratches her head about how her daughter fell in love with soccer. "She was highly energetic, she never sat still but she did all sports - a bit of athletic, AFL, soccer, cricket, even triathlon, cheerleading and trapeze," she says. Belinda and her then husband Scott, who were Physical Education teachers in Cowra, encouraged Carpenter and he older brother Jeremy to dabble in any activity that took their fancy. "Ellie also did ballet, so she would play football in the morning and then go to ballet with muddy knees under those pink stockings," Belinda recalls.

"I think I always knew I would be a sportsperson, because ever since I could walk I was running," says Carpenter. "I think I could have done any sport really because I was also good at swimming and athletics. I was a tomboy. I didn't really have a normal childhood. I never went to parties like other girls, I just wanted to play sports."

She played soccer from an early age but her path as a serious player began by accident when, at the age of about seven, she watched her brother Jeremy train with the NSW country soccer team. "I was just on the sidelines waiting for him, juggling the ball on my own, when the coach came up and said that I could join their next session. I was the only girl and the boys were much older than me. I don't remember this but apparently I was like, really good, smashing all the boys."

Belinda and Scott decided to give both Ellie and Jeremy the chance to compete in competitions across the state. This required a brutal schedule of long drives for training and games. "Honestly I can't believe they did that for me," Carpenter says. "From Cowra we used to drive to Canberra every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which was more than two hours there and back, and then sometimes we would play in Sydney which was four hours there and back on the same day. I would spend so much time in the car, doing my homework or making up quizzes and things just to pass the time."

By the time Carpenter was 12, it was clear that she had natural talent but could no longer be nurtured from Cowra. So Belinda quit her job and moved with both the children to Sydney so they could attend Westfield Sports High School in Sydney's west, which had a specialist sports program.

It was a big school in a big city, a culture shock for a country girl. "It was a huge change, I became this small fish in a big sea," she says. Not long afterwards, her parents divorced, a time which she describes as difficult and sad.

The following year, aged 13, Carpenter went to watch the Matildas play in Sydney. "I think there was a maximum of 1000 people there but I watched the national team play and I was like 'Oh, sick, I want to be that.' Then two years later, I was on that team. It was crazy."

Carpenter's precocious talent turned heads in the soccer world at that time, and things unfolded quickly. She broke into the "Mini-Matildas" under-17 team at the age of 14, and when she turned 15 signed her first professional contract with the then W-League club Western Sydney Wanderers. The coach was so impressed with her that she didn't even need to trial for the team.

Carpenter's ambition was such that although she began her career as a midfielder, she volunteered to be a defender when the Mini-Matildas said they needed defenders only because she didn't want to be cut from the squad. "I was like, I want to be in the team so I will play wherever."

In March 2016, when she was still just 15, Carpenter made her debut for the senior Matildas, playing in a 9-0 victory over Vietnam.

Not long afterwards, she was playing for Australia in the Rio Olympics, the first of the strong of "youngest ever" firsts that she would soon tire of. "Obviously I was so young - I think I was the youngest in that team by five years," she recalls. "So I guess I was kind of on my own. Some players were 30 years old and some of them were a bit like 'Who is this 15-year-old who has come into the team?' and some people don't want you there because you might take their spot. So some didn't like me being there, but you've just gotta keep going."

After the Rio Olympics, Heather Garriock, who was then coaching, says that she noticed that the 16-year-old Carpenter was struggling. "I could see she wasn't doing well with the massive comedown after the hype of the Olympic Games. So, you know, I just put my arm around her - and since then I've always put my arm around and taken her under my wing. She just wanted to be the best and to get better every day.

"She is so driven to win and yet she's got such a nice nature, a humble kind of girl who will always give you her time."

Carpenter says she was forced to grow up quickly, but with the help of people like Garriock she eventually found her rhythm and adapted to the ever-growing public glare of being a Matilda. "I think it took me a couple of years, until I was about 17, to come out as Ellie," she says.

In Year 10 Carpenter dropped out of school to pursue her dream of being a full-time footballer. "She wasn't at school very much anyway," says Belinda of her daughter's busy soccer schedule. "I just told her, 'Go do it, because if it fails and you don't get to where you want to go in soccer, we will go back and figure out the education route'."

When Carpenter was 17 she was pursued by the US National Women's Soccer League team Portland Thorns, in Oregon on the US west coast. She signed with them but, in those days, women were not allowed to play until they turned 18. The club was so keen for her to play that she signed a contract literally on her 18th birthday, and played the following week, racking up yet another series of "youngest evers." "That's why I was the youngest ever player and the youngest ever person to score a goal in the NWSL at that stage," she says.

Carpenter says life in the US was a shock "because it was so different to Australia." Belinda recalls that her daughter would often FaceTime her during dinner just to have a companion to speak with. "Until she found her feet I would often hang out with her on the phone while she was having dinner at a restaurant or something when she didn't really know anybody.

"Even though Ellie is really outgoing, with a wicked sense of humor, I think she is also a bit guarded about who she lets in."

Even so, Carpenter says she enjoyed her two years in Portland where she regularly played in front of crowds of 20,000. By this stage she had become a fixture of the Matildas team, playing in the 2019 World Cup in France where they made it to the round of 16 and then the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where the Matildas made it to the semi-finals.

By the time she turned 20, Carpenter was being pursued by the strongest women's team in the world, Olympique Lyonnais. She recalls the moment she learned that Lyon wanted to recruit her. "I was like, 'Are you serious?' It was Lyon and I was like, 'Are you sure they want me?' I mean, if Lyon calls, you go to them wherever you re because they are the best in the world." This is no exaggeration - the team has won eight Champions League finals in the past 12 years, including give in a row between 2015 and 2020.

But Carpenter's arrival in 2020 wasn't so easy. "It was the time of the COVID pandemic so the city was shut. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't know French," she says. So she began her life anew yet again, throwing herself into French lessons and making friends at her new club. She impressed local fans by trying to speak French at press conferences, albeit with an Aussie twang. She also fell in love with Lyon itself. "I love it, it's beautiful - not as nice as Sydney but it's still beautiful." As soon as she arrived, she also saw why her new team kept winning championships. The fitness, the training, the skills were next-level, even for Carpenter. "She called me up and said, 'Um, Mum, these players are really, really good," recalls Belinda. Initially she found it hard to break into her new team, and she won her first European Championship with Lyon in 2020 without taking to the field when she was on the team as an unused sub.

"I don't think many people understand what it really takes to be a football player," says Carpenter's teammate and partner Danielle van de Donk. "You win trophies and everyone thinks it is a high but no one really knows about the lows." Van de Donk, who has been going out with Carpenter for about two years, says she has the rare ability to lift the team's morale singlehandedly. "She is the most energetic person I know, she is very, very positive, and off the pitch she just brings a different kind of energy to the room - even when she was injured the coaches were saying to her, 'Bring your energy to the team, we need it,'" says van de Donk. "She is already a star but she is just going to get bigger and bigger. She is only 23."

Van de Donk says she's attracted to Carpenter because they are "similar people in life", adding "It's kind of wild, she is from Australia, I'm from the Netherlands, and we are buying a house in Lyon - it's very cool."

After that tricky start at Lyon, Carpenter became a regular in the team - until the 13-minute mark of last year's Champions League final. "It was just sickening to watch her go down," recalls Belinda, who was watching the game live in the middle of the night from her home in Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast. "I actually said when I watched it, 'She does not go down and she does not stay down'."

Carpenter's injury came in two parts. The first came when she was tackling an opponent near the corner post and her left knee twisted in the tackle. Carpenter hobbled off in obvious pain. But she was desperate to come back on, and tested the injured knee in front of the team's medical staff. "I remember being on the sideline and they were testing me and I was like, 'Is it strong, can you feel my ACL?' And they were like, 'Yeah I think it's fine, so you want to go back on?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, it's the Championship Final.' So I ran back on and then I was like 'Oh, something's not right'."

Back in Wamberal, Belinda was horrified to see her daughter run back onto the pitch. "We were like, 'No, no, no, don't do it," she recalls.

Moments after returning to the field Carpenter moved to intercept a long pass. But as soon as she changed direction her knee gave way completely, severing her ACL and sending her to the ground.

Van de Donk, who was watching from the sidelines as a substitute, had torn her own ACL as a teenager and knew what lay ahead. "I saw her go down and instantly I knew it was wrong," she recalls. "It was horrible to watch."

But once Carpenter counted the months and realised she could still potentially play in the World Cup in Australia, her mood lifted. Lyon won the match 3-1, giving Carpenter her second championship and yet another first as the only Australian to win two Champions League medals. After the match, despite having her injured leg in a splint, Carpenter joined her teammates in the celebrations on the field, swimming precariously on her crutches and then hopping on her one good leg as she held up the Champions League cup. She then flew back to Lyon with the team and continued the celebrations. "I was in so much pain, so I just took lots of painkillers but then we went to a restaurant and partied in Lyon drinking champagne until 5am."

The next morning Carpenter woke with a hangover to the bad news she had feared. She needed a full knee reconstruction and would be out of the game for up to a year. Recalls Belinda: "The first thing she said to me on the phone was, 'I'm getting an operation, I'm going to get better and I'm going to play in the World Cup.' It was all about the World Cup."

That has been Carpenter's singular goal ever since. In those early months after her injury when she could not run, she followed her rehab plan like it was Holy Writ - long hours in the gym keeping the muscles working followed by swimming, physio, massage and the hardest of all: patience.

"I had to learn a lot about patience because I am impatient," she says. "When I was finally able to take my first jump again I actually cried with happiness." At times Carpenter wondered whether she would be the same player when she returned, but mostly she says she kept her mental demons at bay.

"It was a long journey for her and she was a bit insecure in the beginning, she struggled for about three weeks," says van de Donk. "But after that she was OK, she just powered through - and now I think she's much stronger than she was." Carpenter, for her part, puts a gloss on the whole saga, saying she believes it gave her a much-needed break from the game she'd been playing almost non-step since she was a child.

Today, Carpenter's football routine is very full-time. She goes into the club from around 9am to 4pm most days to do a mixture of training, gym recovery and sponsorship. Then she plays on weekends, often traveling. She works with a nutritionist and also a psychologist. She estimated she gets one day properly off each month. Such is the profile of the team in Lyon that she now gets recognised in the street, and after three years here she says she is now fluent in French.

"Ellie has always known the path that she wanted and she has just followed it completely. That is pretty incredible for a 23-year-old," says former Matildas player Garriock. "She is already one of the world's best players and her energy and leadership are crucial for the World Cup. She has achieved things at 23 that others wouldn't achieve in their whole career. I have no doubt that she will be the captain of the Matildas in the future. She has all the leadership qualities and the big game experience."

Carpenter is now on the home stretch of her quest, hoping to stay in form and avoid injury until the World Cup begins in three weeks.

Although she loves playing for Lyon, she says there's nothing like going home to play with the Matildas. "It's like going back to your family." she says with a grin. "We've all known each other for years. Everyone is so close, We can all laugh at ourselves and we look after each other. It's such a good, strong group. I don't know how to explain it but I have a special passion when I play for the Matildas, it's unique. For me, this World Cup is the top of the top it's probably the best thing I will ever experience."

So how far can Carpenter and the Matildas go in this World Cup?

"We've never seen an Australian team like this," says Garriock. "This core of players like Ellie Carpenter, Sam Kerr and Caitlin Ford have played together in World Cups and big tournaments since they were 16 years old. They are in their prime and this is their moment. It is written for them."

#all good love stories start in the rain #ellie carpenter