Purple mushrooms stardew valley

I'm a huge fan of Stardew valley, rune factory series, Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons...
And sometimes when wondering in BOTW, I keep thinking what a beautiful farm (not that vanilla house) I could build there with a house, a stable for my horses and crops plus cooking, trading with the different villagers and so forth (not playing as Link or Zelda but rather creating a character with all the races available). Oh and cloths customization. A truly dream game, finding a good spot in that vast open world and placing a cabin would be breathtaking. Plus if you think about it, the world of breath of the wild is already build with all the assets as an open world. I'm not an expert but i think Nintendo could pull it off and make something like what i'm describing. Sorry dreaming too much. And we got Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a spin off so i hopped that we may got another Zelda game in a different set up.
This last days I got the same felling when wondering around Somniel and the battle maps ( It's beautiful) in Fire emblem engage. They added that cool thing where you could adopt pets. I feel like there is a potential in those worlds. Not changing their current form but rather making spin off maybe or the options to focus on something else than combat in those universes. I wouldn't want to alienate the peoples fans of those game-play loops but I wish so badly that one day we got something to cater to people like me in those beautiful crafted world. The non first party games a great but they never have that Nintendo touch (magic).
I don't count animal crossing new horizons, it was great but it didn't hit that sweet spot as a farming, sim game types.
How would you feel if the main lines games would branch out into different types of games ?
Something I wanted to share, hope I didn't offended anyone.
English is not my primary language sorry for typos.

I am planning on building a new pc for 1440p gaming on high end games as well as 3D development for open world games in Unreal Engine 5.
Would the 4070 Ti or the 7900XT be better in the following use cases?

1. Gaming: Weather it be at AAA games, VR or light gameplay like Stardew Valley
2. 3D game development in Unreal Engine 5 where I must build, render and playtest large open world environments in low to high detail

I am also wondering based on the performance of the card and the amount of VRAM (mainly for rendering the Unreal Engine 5 when developing games from low to high graphical settings).

Hi, how's your day been?
I am looking for people to play Valorant with while I am here in PH. My main is currently at Silver 1 in NA. I am not that good at the game but is still trying to learn. I'll be staying here in the Philippines for 3 months so new Valorant friends in APAC region would be really nice.
I also play GTA V, Stardew Valley and a little bit of Coral Island. MOBA is not my thing.
I speak decent Tagalog don't worry. It'll be amazing you're someone around my age.
If you're interested hit me up!
P.S I'd appreciate it if you'll be respectful and not manyak. 😊

Hello! Medyo cloudy ang mind ko today and decided na maghalf-day ngayon sa work para maglaro or talk to people. My friends are pretty busy during the dsy because of school or work rin. I hope this won't be a one-time interaction with you!
Balak ko rin magexplore ng ibang games such as Sea of Thieves, Stardew Valley, etc.
About me: • Raze player (will most likely spam Raze) pero nagaadjust rin • Likes JoJo (anime in general) • Likes IZ*ONE • Nonsense humor (will literally laugh at everything) • Working in IT field pero hindi na student • 5'5 or 5'6? (If this matters)
About you: • Not a minor (if magrant ako out of nowhere 'di pala pwede sayo jk) • Playing for fun • Yun lang??
I will also be playing outside para new environment muna dahil WFH ako (baka maisip ko lang work 'pag sa bahay naglaro).
valentine#5727 - Discord Tag adobong baboy#yummy - Valorant ID
Thank you!

I absolutely adored this game. I found it the ultimate in the type of cosiness I wanted/needed, and actually cried when it was over because I just never wanted it to end. I looked through a bunch of posts in here but didn’t see it mentioned anywhere, so I don’t know if it isn’t well known or what… but I am hoping someone else out there has played it and has some suggestions for anything with the same sort of feeling.
I am really into collections and tasks, and tend to enjoy grinding and mini games (hence my love of collecting fish and recipes, and doing the fishing and cooking mini games). Things I’m not really into are when you have to do a lot with relationships (romantic or otherwise). I also feel kind of overwhelmed when the game feels open ended without a strong story I am advancing through. (Which makes games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing kind of stressful).
I most recently played through Wytchwood, and I enjoyed it. Not to the level of Moonglow Bay, but it kind of ticked some of the basic boxes.
I have pretty much any platform available to me, so no real preference.

So I play a very big variety of games so I'm sure we'll find something in common, I'm currently playing Minecraft, RimWorld, Stardew valley Fortnite but I play much more dm me if you think we'll get along

Looking to finishing up my wants list of games! Happy to send photos upon request
HAVE; GameCube:
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance (loose)
​
Switch (this will be categorized into three groups.)
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Loose Switch Games:
Zelda BOTW
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CIB Switch Games:
Atelier Sophie 2
Brigandine Legend of Runersia
Chaos; Head Noah & Chaos; Head Child
Danganronpa Decadence EU Version
Dark Devotion
Doom
Dragon Quest 1 2 3
Ever Forward
Final Fantasy X
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Melty Blood Type Lumina
My Time At Portia
River City Girls
Skul The Hero Slayer
YS Origin
​
SEALED switch games:
13 Sentinels Aegis Rim
Alphadia Genesis 1 & 2
Dragon Ball Super World Mission Hero Edition
Ender Lilies
Octopath Traveler II Steelbook Only
Stardew Valley Collector's Edition + Guide
Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet
Thumper
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Witch Spring 3 Re:Fine
Xenoblade Chornicles 2 Torna
YS VIII
​
GBA Games:
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King
​
DS/3DS
Fossil Fighters Frontier LOOSE
Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon LOOSE
Mario Party DS LOOSE
Rune Factory 3 CIB
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier CIB
​
​
​
PS1:
Suikoden II (loose)
​
PS3:
Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Collector's Edition
​
PSP:
Hakuoki Demons of the Fleeting Blossom Limited Edition CIB
Hakuoki Warriors of the Shensengumi CIB
MY WANTS:
LOOSE ONLY:
Pokemon Heartgold
Story of Seasons
Ace Attorney Trials & Tribulations
Mario & Luigi Dream Team
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowsers Minions
Mario & Luigi BIS + Bowser Jr's Journey
Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
Mario Party 1 & 2 N64
CIB:
Labyrinth of Refrain Switch
Guides:
Harvest Moon Back To Nature
Pokemon Crystal
Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn

Hello! It's great to meet you :D I'm Ash or Ashley, whichever you prefer, and I'm currently looking to expand my relationships and find new friends!
A little bit about me is I'm from Houston, TX. My timezone being CST (Central Standard Time) and some of my hobbies include:
Video games, reading, writing, drawing, and hanging out with friends. I'm really into games, mostly rpg! I'm into and play Fallout, Skyrim, Sims 4, Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Roblox, Path of Titans, Walking Dead, and many more!
I hope any of this interests you, and I don't want to make this long! Hope to hear from you soon :D
Please be around my age when contacting me, and I won't respond if you have any NSFW related posts or comments. Thanks!

Just looking for some chill people to play some games with ^-^ I play mostly survival, milsim, or whatever other silly games my friends and I can have fun with. I'm 36 yrs old, from Canada (mountain time zone) but sleep the weirdest hours, so I have no problem playing with any EU peeps :)
Random games I play: - RedM (Red Dead Redemption Roleplay/heavily modded) - Squad - Hell Let Loose - Rust - Valheim - The Forest/Sons of the Forest - Phasmophobia - Ark - Overwatch - Hunt: Showdown - Stranded Deep - 7 Days to Die - Mordhau - Green Hell - Stardew Valley - Dinkum - Friday the 13th - Goose Goose Duck
MANY more games too, I'm open for anything as long as it's fun /w friends
If anyone is looking to game with an older weirdo like myself, feel free to send me a DM :)

I wanted to get some opinions and feedback about this guy that I met who was really very awful in my opinion. I have a history of sexual assault and being in abusive and domestically violent relationships and he knew this.
I met him online on a discord server for people with PTSD. I’d known him for about a year when he reached out to me to play stardew valley and I forgot. He reached out to me again to watch TV with him and we started watching a lot of TV together. I have done this with other people online from the discord server and I never had issues with them. We’re both the same age, 35/36.
He started saying way too many inappropriate things to me that made me uncomfortable. He started talking about his fuckbuddies, using people for sex, speaking disparagingly about women, talking about women throwing themselves at him, saying he wished he could get a drink with me, that I was cute, and escalated to saying that he wanted to cradle my head in his lap and tell me that I was safe.
I blocked him because I did not feel safe with him anymore but it felt like an overreaction. I was having such an extreme feeling like my life was in danger from my ex again (my last ex threatened to end my life as well as threatened to hurt members of my family. I am perhaps understandably done dating for this lifetime). And I thought that I was misperceiving the situation or interpreting a threat where there wasn’t a threat.
I had a lot of regard and admiration for him and I told him that I liked him and that we couldn’t hang out anymore and I thought that he would do the responsible thing and just take space from me.
He immediately started gaslighting me telling me that the reason I was scared of him was because of my disorganized attachment. I did not think this was true. I felt unsafe around him because he seemed like an extremely unsafe and dangerous person to be around and did not know to be respectful of women. He did not conduct himself in a way that reflected the values of people that I usually feel comfortable being around. His values did not reflect those of my friends or my family.
I communicated to him that I was terrified and having constant panic attacks and I seriously don’t know or understand how dangerous he is but it seems like he was the kind of person who thinks that when a woman is scared and terrified of you that you are supposed to try to get them date you or be in a relationship with them.
Three days after expressing a romantic interest in me, he invited himself over to stay with me in my apartment.
I think he may have led me on telling me that he wanted a committed long-term relationship with me while severely abusing, manipulating, exploiting, and harming me.
He told me that I could meet with his therapist and that she would be able to provide support and relationship counseling. I made it clear to him that it was very important to me to speak with his therapist immediately because it was very severely retraumatizing to me that an unknown stranger was very insistent on having a relationship with me and it was very important to me that I could speak to someone that knew him in real life that could vouch for the authenticity of his intentions. He never followed through with this and instead started fabricating excuses for why this was too complicated.
He started pressuring me and trying to get me to do inappropriate sexual things with him on camera but I didn’t want to and I repeatedly changed the subject. He told me that that is how everyone has relationships now because it’s hard to meet people because of the pandemic and that it is how people are supposed to have relationships online now.
He told me how he was going to rape me as soon as he got here when he came to visit me. I was in shock of the things he was saying to me and I didn’t know how I was supposed to respond to it.
He kept asking me what he could do to help me feel safe. I said that I wanted to add each other on social media to see if we had friends in common so that I could feel safer that he was not a strange rando predator. He made up a lie that he doesn’t use his social media and ignored me, while also becoming increasingly frustrated and angry at me that I would not communicate my “needs” to him.
He started asking me about how I felt about surprises like wedding rings. Then he kept trying to get me to agree to go to Maine with him and I don’t fucking know why. But it creeped me out that he needed to take me to the border of Canada.
At some point I told him that I needed to speak with my dad before he came to visit me and he started fighting me about how I don’t need to tell my family that a stranger from the internet who scares me and makes me feel extremely uneasy and not safe at all is coming to visit me. And that it’s not even my idea for him to visit me, I’m basically doing it because he invited himself.
When I asked him why he so abruptly invited himself over to stay with me, and that it was really sudden, he told me that this was something that “guys do.”
He eventually blocked me because I was always terrified of him and in crisis.
All of this happened within the span of 3 months. He’s told me that he’s been working through some things in therapy because he feels like a monster even though “he’s done nothing wrong.”
It’s extremely harmful for me to talk to him at all. I am truly terrified of him as a person, and I’ve had to cut contact several times.
My mental health has been severely impacted by his actions. It’s been really awful for me. I’m almost entirely asexual nowadays and I have trouble getting close to anyone. I have no idea what is normal or not anymore but I repeatedly did not feel safe around this guy and just had several zap moments of just freezing and not knowing what to do. I think that it really hurt me that a person that I thought was a trusted friend and who I considered my safe person, who I could trust to validate a lot of horrible past experiences I’d been through, betrayed my trust so horribly like this.
My work suffered dramatically from the impact he was having on me. I am struggling with a very severe depressive episode. I’ve been quite dissociated for a while. I make a lot of strange mistakes at work. I didn’t have conditioner for a month. I almost fainted in the shower again. He reached out to me and I couldn’t sleep for days. I am worried I will need to take medical leave.
I am still trying to heal from it. I have a tendency to isolate a lot and hide a lot of abuse from anyone that cares about me. And I have been afraid to share this with my friends or talk about it. I just feel really embarrassed to tell people that this was happening to me. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, I guess.

Am a 15-year-old male just looking for a more longer-term farm on switch since my friends don't play stardew valley, it would be separate gold and default margin and 4 corners for convenience for decorating and such. If you want to play just add me on discord my user is Take_Out #2284 (all ages doesn't really matter, and my time zone is pst)

Hi everyone! I've play Stardew for what feels like forever and I have a question for the moderators of this Reddit. I found some Stardew Valley merch that I really like and wanted to post it here to share with other SV lovers. Can I or is there a better place for it and can post a store link? Thanks all!

Hi, so I am searching for a more specific game. Maybe something like this exists.
So after playing and roleplaying in Skyrim with Druid/Alchemist/Shaman mods and playing Valheim with a nice house building, I played Among Trees some days ago and I like it although it is very short.
In many games I have that feeling that your house is like ... for fun and placing some trophies, you can have it but do not need it or you only go there to craft/sleep (although there should be more than sitting at home, of course, lol).
Now it would be nice to find a combination or ... a game where survival, roleplay and owning/building/decorating a house/base is essential and not only for fun or sleeping (like in Among Trees). It do not have to be that open and complex like Skyrim and Valheim, of course. So things like Wizard, Druid, Shaman, Owner of a shop, even animals could be working!
I know it is very specific and I don't know if I explained it perfectly but maybe someone understands my wishes. In fact I am very open to try different games!
Some suggestions I found: The Long Dark: I think it is nice, but right now I am now searching for more nature/fantasy vibes and not apocalyptic Fallout 4: the same Subnautica: sounds nice too, but same as above: wrong vibe :D Stardew Valley: It is often mentioned in questions like this but I do not like this perspective

I’m a happily engaged girlie from the US/Texas, Central time zone! Looking for friends despite all my negative qualities. 🤧
If you like self depreciating humor, crackhead energy, and general anxiety, please reach out!
I game on PC, Switch, and PS5. Tend to play Warframe, the Sims, Stardew Valley, and have dabbled in some Elden Ring (though it’s different for me to not be able to steamroll all my enemies 🥲😅). But I like other games and am debating trying Fortnite because of my sister.
I’ve watched a lot of anime but don’t always keep up with what’s popular - I’ve seen BNHA but haven’t touched Demon Slayer, for example, lolol. My favorite anime is Fruits Basket or OHSHC because of nostalgia. And movie wise I’ve been on a horror and thriller kick but I also watch a lot of other genres. I also like music and listen to kpop and have several kdramas on my list that I haven’t watched it. Also if you like Netflix’s YOU than let’s talk about it! I also watch reality TV because what is going on with these 90 Day Fiancé people and Sister Wives. 😭
Also love to cook and bake!
Anyways I’m just looking for some new friends! 🥲 I work so much so pls be my friend. I am engaged so if you have any tips on how to save money while wedding planning than let me know also! 🤣

need three more people to play stardew with !!! 17+ is preferred

Since I've gotten so many dms, ONLY people from the US/Canada, aged 20-24 please and thank you.
Hey y’all (please read the entire post before dm'ing), I’m a 20F college student looking to make new friends, online or in-person ◡̈. I’m really into playing games (Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Pokémon Games). I’m very much into reading and writing, specifically poetry. I love all kinds of music and I will gladly share my Spotify playlists with you.
I’ve gotten into going to the gym, so gym buddies would be great. I’m also a big movie buff, especially horror movies, and to go along with that I love true crime. I’m looking for someone that would be down to call, text, or FaceTime, especially to get off Reddit because the messaging system is not that best.
I'm looking for people in the US and Canada and in the age range from 20-24, if you are not in this range, I won't feel comfortable talking with you. Let me know your age and general location (country/state) and open with something more interesting than 'hey' and 'hi', put in the effort.
My dms are open though ◡̈

Remember to only post about either designs or architectural things you have made in Stardew Valley, this is not for any random posts. So please refrain from posting just random things you have done/found in Stardew.

First-Previous
​
Novelty.
It had all been a novelty.
He’d spent most of his life in the city, and where he had experienced the countryside it hadn’t been… complete, he supposed. As an MP he had been stationed wherever the men were. He’d seen the Belgian and French villages where the soldiers bunked, but those places had been dead. Or maybe not dead, it would’ve been more accurate to say they were frozen.
The farmers had either fled or joined the enemy, the women had either gone with them or hid away in their houses, the animals were pilfered either on High Command’s orders or by the average enlisted, and the children had all been evacuated for safety.
Meaning that those places were… lifeless, yes, lifeless. The dirt was undisturbed, the gardens overgrew their boundaries, the stables were all left empty, and the hamlets became nothing more than a simple barracks with all the associated activities.
But this place… it was filled with life.
Instead of the stink of unwashed bodies, the air choked with the smell of freshly plowed dirt, animal manure, and the ever-present damp from the irrigation. When he wished to go somewhere, the roads he walked were unpaved, and instead of being able to take a streetcar, he was relegated to horseback.
It all had been a novelty, but after two days, said novelty had worn off.
It had all become thoroughly grating. Every detail, every small thorn, it all infuriated him. The villagers eyed him with suspicion, their submission to the noble rankled his politics, and their ignorant habits rubbed his own in the exact way to cause anger.
But then there was him.
“There, right there!”
“Yes sir, I see the damage. How can you be sure that-“
“Damn you man! How many times have I told you that my people would never steal from me!?”
“Sir…” Hoehne drifted off, stifling his frown before readjusting in the saddle, then, as though the thing had tightened to annoy him, his uniform’s collar.
“There must be something you can do! Have the bloody outsiders already castrated our Emperor’s men!?” Hoehne had to give the man credit. Despite his visible agitation he managed to not raise his voice, sitting perfectly on the line between a stern rebuke and a snarl.
“Sir, I can report your complaints, but I cannot act on them until I get back to Hamburg. After that, it is out of my hands. The women decide what the bureaucracy is focused on.”
“You trust women to handle affairs?”
Hoehne stifled the groan, his agitation mandating that he fiddle with his kit.
“Sir, it is not a matter of trust, it is a matter of me being forced. They are my superiors in rank, while you are my superior in only class.” Ah, the perfect hidden dagger for dealing with both old men and with nobles, and especially when they are one and the same. Acknowledge superiority, while stating submission to military order.
Said man, ‘Herr’ Weizenbauer, squirmed atop his mount, his gray mustache quivering as he glared off at the broken fence.
“Then it matters not, victory or defeat, Germany still circles the drain?”
“It appears so sir. I give you my word that I will-“ both of them jumped, an unnatural series of rings filling the air as though a spirit had brought along their handbells. Hoehne was the first to recover, realizing it was the ‘omnipad’s signal for his attention.
And thus, an order.
With a bit more speed than one would expect of a conscript, he fumbled with the leather pouch and retrieved the glass rectangle, tapping excitedly with his fingers when he read Krises’s name on the alarm.
“Are you still a captive?” Bliss, perfect bliss, the dry sarcasm washing over him like water in the middle of the Sahara.
“Yes, what do you need?”
“Given his son’s tardiness, tell the head of House Weizenbauer he is required for a meeting in the Berlin Palace on October twelfth. Attendance is mandatory.”
And Hoehne’s water evaporated.
“Sir, I have been informed that you are needed in Berlin.” The old creature broke from glaring, looking at him with a bit of surprise.
“The thing has told you that? No matter, what is the need that I must attend to?”
“It does not say sir, only that you must attend a meeting in the Berliner Schloss on the twelfth of next month.”
The man glanced down for a moment, thinking, and then turned his wrinkled face back to Hoehne. “Never mind that, there truly is nothing in your power to deal with these bandits? Several of my boys have already volunteered. I have arms, powder, and shot, and they are all veterans. You could lead them, I doubt it would take more than a day.”
“Yes sir, I am sorry, I have already spent too much time here for my superiors liking. I must return to Hamburg.” He grumbled for a moment, frowning off at nothing before giving a single dismissive wave. Hoehne didn’t spare even a moment, not trusting the Noble to bring up yet another complaint, and thus another delay. With a bit more force than necessary the MP tugged on his horse’s reins, taking off down the dirt road at a brisk trot, only slackening in the saddle once he’d fully escaped the man.
Back to civilization.
-
She’d figured out how to describe it, or maybe not describe it, not perfectly, but she’d figured out how to… categorize it, yeah, that sounded right.
Reactive to active. Defensive to offensive. Bitter to sweet.
That was the transformation, like the doctors had replaced his brain, not his legs, and it showed her the galactic similarity.
Whether they were Shil’, Rakiri, Senthe, Gorkve, or Human, nobles are nobles.
Ma’tellie watched from her bench, Otto, the trains, the passengers, the conductors, the entire world, all of it acted correctly, until it would suddenly shift. One moment she would see the man in one place at the booth, speaking with the attendant, his posture making him look just a step from fully irate, the world would flash to darkness, and then he’d be in a new spot.
She needed a powernap, and Otto didn’t seem to be making any progress.
So, she simply leaned back on the bench.
“Ma’tellie! Wake-” Otto teleported, clicking his finger in her face and making her lurch awake.
“-You-” She couldn’t pick out the words, so she groggily reached for the translator and flicked it on.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah- Y-yeah- just…”
“It’s no matter, we’ll have to find a hotel.” He almost snarled the last word, continuing, “apparently the commoners have all lost their discipline. First that sergeant dared strike his… nevermind,” again, he practically snarled, but took a deep breath to regain himself.
“Something has happened, and the attendant won’t tell me what. There aren’t any trains East at this time. It seems we shall be delayed.” The bad news hardly hit her, and the frown that would’ve only been a resigned pout before barely even registered in her mind, the simple promise of a bed pressed it to the side. Though the frustration on the man’s face quickly vanished, Otto swapped to pure concern.
“You didn’t have to wait for me to wake up from the surgery. It is not proper for a woman to lose sleep over a man.” Her own heated up, and the exhaustion made the thought slip out of her mouth.
“I wanted to- Well- I wanted to see you smile.” The man flushed ever so slightly, before regaining his composure, “well… thank you. Now, let’s get you into a bed, come.”
Again, the change made itself apparent. He grabbed her hand, pulling her vertical before snatching their bags before she reached them, leading them both out of the station.
-
They were going to be late, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
The moment they entered the room, Ma’tellie charged for the bed. Tearing off her dress first, then her boots, her socks, and finally removing her underwear. She didn’t stop to throughout the process, she didn’t pay even an ounce of thought to the action, instead dropped each article of clothing as she half-ran, half-stumbled towards the mattress.
The immodesty put some heat on his face, but the trail of clothing turned it into humor, which became a full chuckle when she lay down, or more accurately, fell down, and immediately began snoring into the pillow. He went to remove his own shirt, but hesitated before unfastening the first button.
It wouldn’t be proper to join her uninvited, and even if the small couch had looked more comfortable, he didn’t think he was capable of sleeping.
The whole world was his!
He could use the stairs at his leisure, he could walk the street without a care, he could simply be without needing aid…
Otto turned to his own luggage, popping open the latches and searched through the clothing with quivering, excited hands. For the last five years he’d been in uniform, and in the past half a year he’d transitioned between the alien’s hospital wear, his work clothing, or said uniform without fail. Thus, pulling out his town-suit felt like pulling Excalibur from the stone. Only as he finished buttoning his collar did his hand brush his face, and another rush of excitement tore through him.
He hadn’t shaved himself in months!
He immediately began to search his luggage, before realizing that the razor would be with Ma’tellie’s things. Just as his hand reached the bag did another thought race to the forefront, giving him pause. He had been able to shave himself, at least had been able to after his hands had stopped quaking, but the woman had always insisted she do it. She’d always seemed to want to do it.
Perhaps… perhaps he could be an ape in a suit, at least for a day.
Maybe he could get a haircut while he was out? Though, what hairstyle would she have preferred? Father had always let mother cut his hair to her own liking; how did the men of her people keep theirs?
He decided against it, he’d ask when she woke.
At that he looked back towards her. Taking the opportunity to admire her form. The fact that she was both face down and spread eagle made the musculature in her back pop out and her breasts mushroom out from beneath her. Even her leg made her look more appealing, hanging half of the bed and pressing out her backside.
Otto couldn’t help the grin, only for an edge to slide across his heart.
He hadn’t done enough, he hadn’t… no, wasn’t treating her properly, not by a mile. Ma’tellie seemed satisfied with the… rendezvous, but that wasn’t proper. If he’d been casting judgement on a man doing exactly as he had, it would’ve been beyond critical.
No, he ought to… well, give her a gift? He wasn’t sure, perhaps something would come to him whilst testing his limbs.
-
She was out.
It wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t quiet, it wasn’t loud, there were no vivid dreams, or any dreams at all, it was just… nothing.
Perfect nothing.
And it didn’t last.
The peace was tossed away… something was thumping on her skull like a hammer on the walls of a ship. She tried to ignore it, to furrow her brow against it, but it wouldn’t give up. Finally, it became too much for her, for her temper, and she snapped.
Opening her eyes felt like rolling up wet paper, the organs felt like they were covered in sludge, her throat felt hollowed out, her tongue had gotten too big for her mouth.
And she was furious.
Ma’tellie’s brain boiled with anger, and she immediately flipped onto her butt.
Only to melt.
“Grüß Gott!” Otto held a sausage into her face, and the smell of fat hit her. The surprise jammed her mind, and she stupidly stared at it. At that he shook it a little, waving it under her nose. She went to bite it, only for him to pull it away, waving her towards a full platter of food.
Goddess, she was hungry.
In the blink of an eye she was there, sliding into the chair, grabbing a meat-tube in each hand, and shoveling them into her mouth. When she finally pulled her face out of the pile, mainly to breathe, she saw that the noble was still standing by the bed, frozen in shock.
That had been a misstep! They- Their women are supposed to eat small porti-
The panic was swept away, the man’s warm laughter filling the air as he walked over to join her. He set her omnipad onto the table, put the sausage back onto its pile, and then pulled out a packet of little wooden firesticks. In his last act he lit what she recognized as ‘kerzen’, the four little fires sitting atop the wax sticks and covering the table in a yellow glow.
Huh, she hadn’t noticed the lights were off, and the sun had started to set.
What was he-
Otto pushed a napkin into her hand, laughing when she jumped, before pushing her omnipad into the now grease free palm. Ma’tellie was still half asleep, and still half stumbled with surprise, thus it took a moment of staring at the object to get over the confusion.
The translation app let out a beep, and he began speaking.
“How was your sleep? Sofija told me you raid the pantry and hide away to eat, so I went for a larger serving than I think either of us could manage. Your people do not eat alone, no?” Again, her head wasn’t cooperating, and after gawking at him for a few seconds her brain managed to formulate words.
“Oh! Uhhh, no, yes- I mean, yes, we eat together.”
“Wonderful, I also found us a treat or two.” He ducked down, returning with a bottle from beside his chair, flourishing the dark brownish item with a bit of pride.
“Have you tried Cognac?” The translator cut out the last word, indicating that it was a proper noun, while his absolutely glowing smile indicated it was a luxury. Ma’tellie responded by simply shaking her head, gesturing for the man to continue.
“A dessert, please, eat.” He gestured for her to continue, and Ma’tellie finally suppressed the hunger. It took a moment, but she found the fork and knife, grasping the ceramic handles and daintily continuing to eat. Though, she still practiced her usual caution, sneakily watching the man show how the specific dish was eaten.
He cut a slice off the sausage, using his fork to scoop a small amount of the yellowish seed paste onto it, before finishing the assembly with a larger scoop of the vegetables. With a sigh, she realized that she’d seen this one before, going through the motions of adding the ‘mustard’ and ‘sauerkraut’ together with each bite.
When she glanced back up from the meal, the man was watching her. His eyes glancing over her form as though he was gauging her reaction to the setup. Ma’tellie quickly turned back to the food, letting out an appreciative hum before looking back, a flutter going through her chest at Otto’s little smile.
“Are you feeling up for some activity after this?”
“Huh? What do you have planned?” The smile grew, and the man pulled more from under the table, flourishing them with the same pride as before.
“I’d- well, I visited the local barracks for a suit for you. I know how to swim, I thought we could go visit the Elbe, I could teach you how.”
She hid the surprise of course, beaming at him as she responded.
“You went into a- Wait, why do you assume I don’t know how to swim?” she couldn’t help the coy grin.
He didn’t hide his own, “ah. Well, I was going off my own experiences of course. I taught several of my own subordinates how so that we could more easily cross rivers. If I may be prideful, I would say I have gotten proficient in it. Is the sport more common among your kind?”
A plan immediately formed in her mind, “yes. You might still be able to show me a thing or two though.” Playing into his bias earned the best response she could’ve imagined. Otto straightened up more than his usual near-perfect posture, though it still didn’t overcome his discipline, he didn’t shake with excitement.
“Can I- we try the cognac? I’m interested.” That caught him off guard, the man jolting into motion as he reached back for the bottle, the now recognizable grin replacing the simple joy from before.
He looked like a naughty child.
“I suppose, no reason for formality if we have plans.” The bottle let out a popping noise as he pulled its plug, the glowing man producing two extremely small and almost ornate glasses. She thought that she should sip it slowly given the small portion, but the man tossed it back in one gulp, leading her to match him.
And she had to restrain the hack.
Strong, strong but familiar. Almost like a Red Grain but… matured, heavy. Still sweet, just a little bit thicker, and with a weaker taste of berries, but spicy. The strength of the alcohol combined with it to leave a burn from her lips all the way to her stomach.
When she blinked the tears away, the heat in her face became plasma.
He was grinning, hiding his laughter in his napkin, “sorry. I suppose I should have warned you. I’m guessing you won’t want another drink?” Even with the translator removing the inflections from his voice, his face still let the cheekiness leak through.
“No, I- I would like another.” He was still toothily grinning as he poured the next two, and when he turned back to his food, she decided to do the same.
And it was not to recover.
Deciding to stop being so reactive, Ma’tellie side eyed him as he ate, watching him drink the amber liquid and smile.
It was… different, not aimed at her, almost not even aimed at the drink itself. His eyes were a bit glossy, staring past the cup, and then past the world behind it.
“Is- Do you prefer that drink?” Otto snapped out of it, looking back at her and chuckling.
“No- well, it’s strange. I’m fond of this variety over all others, it is… special. I saw it in the shop and jumped to buy it.”
Ma’tellie would have to sneak that bottle away from him, or take a picture of it, could come in handy later.
“How’d you find out about it? It your father’s favorite?” That was comical to him, a single laugh escaping before he covered them with the back of his hand, “no. I imagine that father would turn his nose up at it for the sole reason that it comes from France. It was actually the British that led me to it.”
Bri- Oh! One of the powers that was in the war. Before she ask, he confirmed the thought.
“It must’ve been… Early fifteen if I remember correctly. We were scheduled to leave the line in a few days, and things were relatively quiet.” He paused, and she didn’t dare interrupt him. He’d never spoken on the fighting in any specifics, and watching his face roll over the memory left her giddy.
He didn’t show any pain.
“Just before the evening, a small shell landed out in no man’s land. Being the Lieutenant for that section I got called up of course, and we were on alert for an attack. Though none came, there wasn’t a single bomb for the rest of the evening. Now, we hadn’t know it at the time, but the battle lines were intersecting an old Chateau- ah, sorry, French estate. The rock of the area was chalky and hard, so the shell holes all filled up with water. When the blast hit, one of my Sergeants heard a crumbling noise and then the sound of water flowing, and quickly brought it to my attention.”
Again he paused, taking a breath and refilling his cup, quickly drinking it down with a shiver.
“Of course, I had to have it checked. If it was a British mining attempt then command had to be alerted, and things had been dull in the week prior, so I personally lead the expedition.” Ma’tellie caught herself leaning forwards, and didn’t correct herself when he noticed.
“When we happened upon it we certainly felt like fools, arriving to what we found was a cellar bristling with weapons. But instead of turning back, I chose to explore further, and thus we took our cutters and fashioned a rope from a decimated portion of razor wire. It felt like we were exploring some ancient dungeon, and the treasure we found only reinforced it.” At that he hefted the bottle, and when she quirked her head he chuckled.
“Three bottles of Cognac, resting in that place since before Little Napoleon took power.” Again she quirked her head, and he immediately corrected with, “ah. Sorry, eighteen fifty, sixty-eight of our years ago.” She gave an ‘ah’ of acknowledgement, waving for him to go one, resting her face on her knuckles as she watched him.
He grinned, and continued, “so we made off like bandits. I took the cognac and shared it among my Sergeants and a few fellow officers, and then sent the other two to my superiors. Told my men that they each were allotted two bottles of wine, and as much beer as they could carry so long as I didn’t catch them drunk.” After a second, he stifled a laugh, and then doubled over when it escaped.
“I still wonder if the British saw us. Were they all preparing for an attack? Quaking in their holes while we carted away beers in the moonlight?” Ma’tellie chuckled along with him, not finding as much humor in it, but still seeing the absurdity.
“Well, are you full? We could clean up-“
“I already paid the staff. They’ll handle it, are you read to go?”
“Yes, let’s-“ He was already up, the excitement overpowering his will and letting a few quivers pass over him. He made to grab her and pull her along, but stopped, glancing down from her eyes.
“Ah… I doubt that your peculiarity will excuse your…” he trailed off, still looking below her eyes.
Oh, yeah…
She was nude.
Ma’tellie pushed out her chest.
-
Thank the Goddess that he’d thought about it.
It was weird, it seemed like something he would have done mentally, but also something he wouldn’t do physically. She’d helped clean his trophies, she’d both seen and read about his medals, intellectually she knew it was the type of thing he should do.
But… well, she hadn’t actually seen him do something like it before.
He’d always been… inert, inactive, like his initiative to just engage with the world had been blown away with his legs.
But they were back, and thus, that old thing she knew had existed showed itself for the first time.
The night was cold, freezing even, and only the marine-issue swimming suit beneath the dress that the farmwomen had sewn let it be bearable. Honestly, now that she looked around, it was almost like a cold version of a Shil’ summer. The humidity of the sea filling the blue night sky with fog, a slight gust of wind, and a tinge of salty humidity in each breath.
Yeah, Shil, but cold.
Otto picked up the pace, pulling her along ever so slightly in his excitement. Ma’tellie immediately sped up to match him, pulling the noble tighter against her side to ward away the cool evening. It was so strange, so wonderfully abnormal, to walk with him side-by-side, her arm wrapped under his.
It was perfect.
They finally reached the end of their journey. The stone road reaching what looked like either a canal or a reinforcement to the river, a high wall of similarly stone bricks raising the walkway above the tide by fifteen or so feet. A few people walked along the canal, illuminated by the gas-powered streetlights, but it seemed like most of the natives had already gone in for the night.
Otto was entirely uncaring for their surroundings, leading her down to the water’s edge, practically bouncing down the stairs given his excitement.
“Alright, I asked around, apparently this portion doesn’t have too strong a tide. Should be safe to have a dip, do you-“ Ma’tellie cut him off, having slipped out of the dress while he was turned away from her. With all the grace expected of a Shil’, she dived in, practically flying under the water before turning back up, bursting through the surface with a little spin.
“Good idea on the swimsuit!” Truthfully, the water was freezing, but the standard issue wet suit kicked in immediately. If it had covered her head, hands, and feet, it would’ve been perfect. Otto didn’t respond to her words, standing stunned with his mouth hanging open ever so slightly.
Finally, he recovered from it, setting the omnipad back down onto the pavement before beginning on his own clothing. Of course she watched, floating on her back and tilting her head to look at him. Giggling as he struggled out of the strange, dull, black and white clothing he seemed so proud to wear. Once he’d unbuttoned the top though, the giggles became full blown laughter, especially once he’d gotten his pants off.
“What?”
“It’s just- Is that a swimsuit?”
“Yes!?” His face flushed ever so slightly as he tugged on the blue striped, white cloth that made up his trunks and shirt.
“Well… I just didn’t expect that is all. Come on!” He had a moment of indecision, of self-consciousness, but eventually he followed her into the water.
And it wasn’t just his swim wear that was ancient.
He paddled over to her, keeping his head above the surface the entire time. When he reached her, he tried to float alongside, kicking and readjusting every ten or so seconds.
Ma’tellie pressed the air out of her lungs, diving beneath the waves before shooting back up at his side. He flinched, losing his focus, and sinking, but she pulled him to her chest before he even had time to struggle.
The heat of his face felt wonderful.
When she spoke, they were too far from the omnipad, and thus she leveraged her practice. “I… you good swimmer I thought?” Her mouth stumbled over the words, her poor German struggling and grating along her throat as it escaped. His blush got worse, and when he turned to hide his eyes, it only pointed them at her tits, making it grow redder.
“-not as good as you.” She didn’t know the first word, but the idea was clear enough given his restrained pout.
“Come… I… I show how, yes?” He nodded, but the pout stayed stuck on. Ma’tellie restrained the squeal, and then with every ounce of her will she slid from his warmth, kicking a few feet away from him. She ushered for him to follower, her cheeks straining from how wide her smile had grown, and the man jumped to comply.
Again, he paddled, keeping his head above water and visibly struggling against the waves.
Did they- had they not figured out swimming as a culture? Or at least ‘real’ swimming? She’d never even considered that as a thing.
Ma’tellie giggled at him through the entire process, and especially when he squawked a word she didn’t know. It was too much for her to handle, absolutely too much, the combination of his tuskless face, the almost toddling way he swam, the pout.
It all combined into the purest, physical form of the very concept of ‘cute’.
She couldn’t help it, she wrapped her arms back around him, pulled him up to her face, and locked her lips with his.
-
Of course, he had jumped.
It wasn’t a needy embrace, more of a… pleasant thing. Like a hummingbird, fluttering from his lips and down into his chest.
When she pulled away from it, that feeling became all the more pronounced. Her pure joy radiated out, washing over him, and he returned it.
The plan had worked, but the mere fact that it did so made him feel like a bastard.
He had been non-attendant, non-reciprocative, non-masculine. That she showed so much joy showed that he had been too cold, too lost, and he would never allow it to be that way again.
Ma’tellie gently shoved him away, coasting backwards like an otter with a clam. Finally she brought herself to a sharp stop, opening her mouth but unable to find the correct words. Instead, she simply pointed to her own eyes, and then to him, very deliberately showing her strange swimming technique.
She lay down forwards in the water entirely, just as she would lay out on a bed, using her arms like a waterwheel to pull herself forwards while her legs kicked behind. Slowly she increased her own speed, circling about him in the gloomy water, moving at a pace unmatchable by a human.
Yes, he had been good at swimming, but he didn’t need to make an excuse.
Yes, he hadn’t done so in months, yes, his new legs provided a strange balance to his body, and yes, the foreigners had some strange technique.
But it must have been more than that. She moved like a torpedo towards a ship, like a dolphin towards a fish, sliding through the water with an almost unnatural grace. Yes, their race must have been gifted with the ability by God, there was no alternative explanation that would come to his mind.
Finally, she ended it with a display, diving bellow the surface, disappearing into the murk, before shooting back out. Just as she had the first time, she burst forth from the river, flipping once through the air before landing with a great splash. When he blinked the liquid from his eyes, she had already swam the four or so meters between them, wrapping him up in her embrace once again.
Another kiss, and then in broken, halting, wonderful German, “turn for you?”
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*Sorry guys, guess it's been a bit. Life has been getting in the way, but I hope you enjoyed this late Valentine's Day Weizenbauer Chapter. The story will be picking up pace here soon, so chapters should be coming out faster (aka, not two months in between posts).