How far can joy travel?

I wanted to draw my Fields of Mistria farmer in the wedding dress that I imagined for her~ If only they had something like this in game.

So, your landlord/parents/home inspector/favorite movie star is dropping by, and your place is a disaster. You don’t have much time to clean it up. You’re in emergency mode. Let’s get started.

Don’t panic. Panic leads to fear, fear leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to the dark side. You can do this, but you have to stay calm.

Unlike maintenance cleaning, we’re not looking to completely unfuck one space at a time. Instead, we want to decrease the overall mess in stages, spread evenly across the whole area that we’re concerned about. If you think your home is at Level 10 filth, we want to bring the whole thing down to a Level 9, and then down from there. One really clean spot in an otherwise messy home is not going to be helpful here.

Get prepared. You’ll want to shut the computer down (or turn the modem off if you need your computer to play music). Trust me. Get your music going. Gather up trash bags, your vacuum and mop, some rags or paper towel, sponges, and other cleaning supplies. Use what you have on hand. Don’t get distracted running to the store and spending an hour browsing cleaning supplies. A multi-purpose cleaning concentrate or a jug of vinegar will be just fine.

Breaks are very important. Depending on your time constraints, work in 20/10s (20 minutes working, 10-minute break) or 45/15s. But take breaks because otherwise you’re marathoning, and marathon cleaning is no one’s friend. Keep hydrated, don’t forget to eat, and check in with yourself frequently to make sure you’re physically doing OK.

Make your bed. This will be your home base if you get overwhelmed or need somewhere clear to take a break.

Start with the garbage. Going from room to room, throw out anything that is obvious trash. Once you fill a bag, take it out. Repeat as many times as necessary.

Move on to dishes. Gather the dishes from all over your house and bring them to the kitchen. If you can, start them soaking in a sink of hot, soapy water or start loading the dishwasher. After the dishes are all in one place, spend one 20/10 getting started getting them under control.

Now it’s time for your flat surfaces. Countertops, tables, dresser tops, etc. Clear them off and wipe them down. Don’t get distracted in too much sorting and organizing. We’re in crisis mode here. There will be time to get in-depth once this is all done. The same applies to cabinets and closets. Unless you have reason to believe people will be opening closed doors, leave these alone for now.

Attack the floordrobe and shoe pile. Get your clothes either put away or in the hamper. Start a load of laundry if you need to, but keep in mind that laundry and dishes have three steps: wash, dry, and put it away, goddammit!

Get random stuff up off the floors. If something is trash-worthy, throw it away now rather than just move it around a bunch of times. Otherwise, put stuff where it belongs.

Take another 20/10 or 45/15 to catch up on more dishes, if needed.

Head into the bathroom. Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl, fill the sink with hot water and cleaner, and either spray the tub and shower with cleaner, or fill the tub up with some hot water and add cleaner and let it soak. Put everything away that’s out and shouldn’t be, clean the mirror, counters, and toilet seat. Sweep or dry mop the floor. Wipe down the sink and tub/shower, and give the toilet bowl a scrub. Mop the floor.

Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.

Vacuum everything you can, and sweep everything you can’t.

Walk outside of your house (don’t lock yourself out, please). Walk back in and see what catches your eye first. Go and deal with that.

If you’re being inspected or your landlord is coming in for repairs, spend time on whatever area they’ll be focusing on.

Give the whole place one more once-over and pay attention to anything you’ve missed so far.

It’s an old trick, but if your place is a little funky-smelling, put a pan of water on the stove on low heat and add some citrus or cinnamon or vanilla. Don’t leave it unattended or forget about it.

Take a shower, put on something clean, and eat something.

You can do this. It’s overwhelming, yes, but it is not impossible. You just need to do it. You have a list. You have directions. You have a whole bunch of Internet strangers who have been there before and who are cheering you on. You can do this, but you need to get started.

5 simple exercises to awaken dormant muscles

Great news: she loved it. Super tasty apparently. Great success. Along with the kidney-sensitive treats we found, it was a nice way to supplement her diet. Unforseen long-term consequence though: she loved it so much she began demanding it throughout the day. Like, would come up to us and meow, and meow, and meow, and not stop, until we got up, went to the kitchen, and got her some cat drink.

And by doing so on demand, we have unfortunately created a monster: no matter what we are doing at home, Dozy knows that if she sits next to you and meows, 1) you know what she wants, and 2) you know that she will not stop until you get it for her now. And when you do get it, she gets extremely excited. She will bum rush the kitchen door as you enter. She will run around your feet as you open the can. She will let out the creakiest, crunchiest, most nails-on-the-chalkboard meow you've ever heard if she thinks you're not going fast enough.

I do not begrudge her this. It is gratifying to care for a creature whose most ardent desires are so simple that it is this easy to fulfill them. But I am a little sad, because I know in my heart that I have never loved any comestible as much as she loves this cat drink. She has a pleasure of a purity and intensity that I will never know.

Anyway, if it's not too much, I guess I'd like to know how u think the cast would take that? Would they actually give a shit? Yknow the works

Though to be more specific I'll request specifically the Bachelors/ettes + Cal, apologies of this ask was a bit long

My Farmer is also from a disgraced branch of a noble family! (long story, short version she's technically a Hawthorne) So I've actually thought about this a bit!

But okay, boiled down,

How would the Bachelors and Bachelorettes react to the farmer being disgraced/exiled royalty!

Adeline:

a bit shocked

she feels like she should've known, either by mannerisms or just by name

but over all she cares about as much as the farmer does

which is to say, your previous title is neutral to her, but your feelings on the matter she actually cares very deeply about

would def try and talk woes of being in a position of power

Balor:

A lot shocked actually!

He never would've guessed it, you seem so down to earth!

Finds it pretty fascinating, if only cause that's one hell of a story to tell

I think some part of him thought about how previously he might've seen you as a mark but now he honestly could never do that to you and he mostly comes away from it all really reflective about how much has changed for him since coming to Mistria and how much he's changed

ultimately he's bound and determined to pay it little mind

you as a person are far more valuable to him than any title you once held

(...it's still KINDA cool though to hang out with a disgraced royal lol)

Caldarus:

very surprised

he never would have guessed

asks a lot of questions about your life as a royal and what royalty is like now and what your country was like

feels like you two have a new found point of comradery, since he also seems to have fallen from grace

at least he thinks

it's all a little hazy

he's mostly just curious and sympathetic

he hopes his questions aren't too bothersome for you...

Celine:

extremely shocked

a little flustered

torn between if she can still treat you like a close friend or if she should be more proper

ultimately falls on treating you like a close friend, cause that's what you are to her

does think the whole ordeal is wildly dramatic and romantic

but also hopes it wasn't too traumatize of an experience for you...

what kind of flowers say 'sorry for the loss of your crown'???

Eiland:

super shocked which is ironic cause I think out of everyone he cares the least??

at least he cares the least the fastest

WHOA! REALLY?! Uh--- neat I guess! :)

I think at first it doesn't really matter to him

but on reflection he actually thinks maybe he kinda knows the feeling

the pressure, the dismissal, the way on some level you might feel like you've failed

ultimately though he goes back to not really caring

I mean, he cares A LOT about your feelings

but he's actually kinda glad you ended up in Mistria

even if the way you got here wasn't the best, his life has only gotten better since having you around

(it's maybe a little selfish, but it is how he feels...)

Hayden:

pleasantly shocked

never would've guessed it since you're such a natural at farming

a bit curious, def shyly asks if he can ask you questions

doesn't think too too much of it though

he knows what it's like to be around someone of great lineage (Henrietta)

Juniper:

goes back and forth with feeling as though she should be impressed and disappointed

on the one hand, you're a ROYAL

on the other hand, you're a DISGRACED royal

boo

this could've been fun

well if you have any strings you could still pull she wouldn't mind knowing

oh, and if you need someone cursed for dethroning you or your family, she'd like to know that too

gotta stay in your good graces, just in case ;)

(it's def not cause she's always wanted to put a massive curse on a bloodline for a friend)

March:

yeah so??

you were royal once, but you're a farmer now

and it's not like he even knew you back when you were royality, so he's not gonna treat you any different

even if you were royal, that doesn't earn you THAT many points anyway

(low key though, he's a little intimidated)

(also confused about how to feel)

(whatever, who cares)

Reina:

WHAT?

REALLY?!

SHE WANTS ALL THE DETAILS /NOW/!!

She also wants to know what the strangest thing you've eaten is!

and the best!

what kind of stuff do you even cook for royalty???

THE KITCHEN IN A PALACE MUST BE AMAZING!!

TELL HER EVERYTHING!!!!

(also low key, high key, she thinks it's sooo romantic! Like something out of a novel!!)

Ryis:

a little shell shocked

not sure how to act around you for a bit

he thought that Adeline and Eiland would be the most 'important' people he'd ever talk to

and here you are telling him your royalty??

or used to be???

crazy

wild

honestly the shock only lasts about a day or two though

when he thinks about it, nothing about you has really changed

you're a part of the town now so, even if he didn't know how you were before, he knows how you are now

and that matters to him more anyways

Valen:

surprised, but it also all makes sense now

she always wondered how someone whose seemingly a rolling stone with little money to speak of was so well taken care of

you're extremely healthy and your teeth are basically perfect

she is a little fascinated about what kind of health care a royal gets

and if there's anything more outlandish the passes between court doctors

but honestly this changes nothing for her

Sure, here's my disorganized recipe from hell, cobbled together from various websites and experiments. I just realized that I pasted the caramel and pastry cream in the wrong order... It's easier if you make the pastry cream first and clean that pot for the caramel. I'm on mobile. Will fix.

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1 box white cake mix, using egg whites. Bake. Flip onto a wire rack.

2/3 box spice cake mix (save the rest to turn into batter later, or portion the batter and bake it on the side.) I add extra allspice. Bake in previous pan.

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Caramel Ganache (kinda):

1 cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup butter, salted or unsalted

White chocolate and hot milk ganache (pre-prepare or don't; pour hot milk over the chocolate and stir until thick but fluid consistency. Use the same method over dark chocolate to make a separate, thicker ganache for later).

Heat until fully melted and amber, without burning. People say don't stir the sugar; I don't think it matters much for a cake like this and I stir it to help it melt faster after it has started.

Add the butter pieces and stir until smooth. It's gonna look scary. Just keep going.

Add the white chocolate ganache until reaching desired consistency. This is done now. Transfer to a holding container and immediately wash your pot. Filling the pot with water and letting the leftover scuz simmer on low helps.

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Pastry Cream (it's just custard with butter, apparently) (ALSO NOTE: I never have a ton unless I make a thin tall cake, but this amount offers an appropriate texture. Maybe double this exclusively if you can make it look pretty. IMO, I'd turn this into a mousse to stabilize it, but I haven't. Spicetrekkers Walnut Espresso Blondie has a good custard->mousse setup.)

▢ 2 cups whole milk

▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar

▢ 1 large egg

▢ 2 large egg yolks

▢ ¼ cup cornstarch

▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar

▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean, split open, to add to the milk during heating)

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and granulated sugar. Gentle simmer/steam. Do not boil.

Whisk together 1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks, ¼ cup cornstarch, and ⅓ cup granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth and pale.

Slowly pour about half of the hot milk into the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent curdling.

Immediately pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Return to medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until fully melted and incorporated.

Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled (can use freezer initially, if you want).

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Layer as per image. Layer as follows:

Spice cake → Caramel ganache → White cake → Plain pastry cream → Pastry cream with add-ins → Dark chocolate ganache with oreos if you want it that way → Crushed biscoff cookies

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It is very reminiscent of a typical Southern dump-cake, but if you organized it. It's fun. With work, it could be kind of classy?