But I wanted to show my appreciation to y’all and your support things have been rough which made me be in a sudden hiatus for a little while. But things are starting to look up for me and I wanted to make something in celebration and hopes for more activity.
I wrote this AGES ago and said I was gonna use it for bluebird summer but never did lol
Shane’s heart fluttered from across the bar, looking at the cute farmer he’d been fawning after like a twitterpated bird. Their confident but humble demeanor had immediately caught Shane’s attention, and his heart. He’d always had a bit of a thing for humble, soft-looking people, and this farmer was no different. He didn’t care if he was very obviously staring at them from across the bar with round eyes, in a drunken, lovey stupor. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to stare. He wanted to look at them until they left, or until he melted into nothing but a pile of love-mush.
“Sha-ne,” Emily said in a teasing tone. “Someone can’t help but stare at the sexy new farmer, hm?”
Shane put down his beer, turning his gaze from the farmer to Emily. “Sexy new farmer? I wouldn’t call them sexy…”
“Yeah, but you’ve still been eyeing them up and down,” Emily joked. “And you only drink twice a week. Only when theygo to the bar, and only when theybuy you a beer.”
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to go sober… I should tell them to stop buying me this stuff.” He looked to his empty glass. “But it makes me feel less bad about staring.” “Just go and ask them out!” Emily encouraged.
“They would never like a loser like me,” Shane argued.
“Shane, we’ve been best friends since we were three. Have I ever steered you wrong?”
Shane paused. “No.”
Emily sighed. “I’ll buy you a pizza.”
Shane smiled. “You know it doesn’t take much to motivate me, Emily.”
“Well, I mean, a partner and pizza is a pretty sweet two in one deal. Now go get ‘em.”
Shane decided he’d rather take his time, and waited until the next day to make any decisions. He didn’t want to be drunk when he asked them to be his partner, and wanted to really give himself some time to think and mull over the decision before he made it. He liked the farmer, and that much was undeniable. But did he really like them enough to possibly ruin any chance at friendship? He wanted to be friends with the farmer as well as the one that would hear all their darkest secrets, their deepest desires, and the one that kept them warm in bed at night. The former was good, but Shane found his heart pounding further thinking about the latter. He wanted that stupid farmer. Thinking about them brought him a great joy that nothing else seemed to replicate, the fuzzies in his heart that warmed him up like cocoa on a cold day.
He went to work that day, like usual, but noticed his mind wandering unusually. Even Sam’s singing while sweeping the floors didn’t distract Shane from the pit of nervousness in his stomach. What if the farmer didn’t like him… at all? What if they said no? What if they said yes, only for the farmer to be a horrible person that tried to hurt him in every possible way? He shook uncontrollably, the thought bringing back terrible memories, one he’d rather not remember. Ones that were best forgotten. That was when the doubt started to settle in. Maybe he shouldn’t do it at all. Maybe he wasn’t ready for another relationship yet. He should just wait until he was more ready. Maybe until Jas was older, actually. When she would be ready for that kind of change in her life…
“Shane, what’s up with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Sam poked him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and distracting him from his distraction. “Are you feeling okay?”
Sam reached out to feel Shane’s forehead for a temperature, but Shane quickly pulled away. “Yeah, Sam, I’m not sick! Just a bit… well, I’m just dealing with my emotions.”
“In a JojaMart?”
“Sometimes, I need to deal with them when they come up,” he explained.
“Well, what’s wrong?” Shane was about to reply with none of your business when he realized an open ear might be beneficial. “I’m just nervous. There’s this dude I like, but I’m worried that, whether they like me or not, they’re going to end up hurting me. I’m so used to being hurt when it comes to things like this… I’m not sure if I should trust them.”
“Oh, I see.” Sam nodded. “If they hurt you, I’ll just punch them in the mouth.” Shane jumped a little. “Yoba, Sam, don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”
“Well, if you’re not here to stock the shelves, who will be?” Sam seemed a little sad at the thought. “You should just go get a bouquet from Pierre’s, ask them on a nice date, and if they say no? Then that’s their problem, because you’re great. And if they say yes, and they end up being a total jerk? Also their problem.” Sam dipped his mop in a bucket of soapy water and passionately mopped the floor. “Things could also just go totally okay, though. But things aren’t going to go okay if you don’t give it a shot.”
Repost time! This one was based off the prompt: “Write a short involving a group of at least 3 separate parties communicating with one another via text or phone call.”
Summary: Dr. Kim Zhang, MD, a psychiatrist based in Zuzu City, alongside her personalized appointments, also hosts anonymous chatrooms for addressing her clients’ and guests’ mental health and leading them to help each other improve. This evening’s session is specifically for addicts seeking to wane from their addictions from the Stardew Valley area.
Anonymous Addiction Recovery Group - Stardew Valley Area
Wednesdays at 6:30 PM
DoctorKimZhangMD: Welcome to today’s Anonymous Addiction Recovery chatroom. Thank you all for coming!
3SpicyChickens: youre welcome
ThankTehBusDriver:whatever
DoctorKimZhangMD: It’s good to see you two back again!
DoctorKimZhangMD: I see we have a new guest with us today. Welcome ObsidianVoid420!
ObsidianVoid420:hey
DoctorKimZhangMD: In these chatrooms, we talk with each member of the group one by one. We talk about how long you’ve been dealing with the addiction (substance disclosure not necessary), what you have done to fight the addiction, and then suggest tips and ideas on how to cope.
DoctorKimZhangMD: 3SpicyChickens, would you go first today please?
3SpicyChickens:sure
3SpicyChickens: since college, I sometimes drank, like in parties or with friends
3SpicyChickens: it started being a problem about five years ago, but I didnt accept that it was until a few months ago
3SpicyChickens: since the incident, ive been trying to cut down. I still go to the bar, but I go home for a couple hours first. I started drinking only one beer each night rather than three or more
3SpicyChickens: I tried to go without the one beer like dr zhang suggested last week, but its hard. I make it a couple hours, but during the last hour the bar is open, I end up buying one
ObsidianVoid420: have you tried choosing a s***ier beer?
DoctorKimZhangMD: ObsidianVoid420, please refrain from swearing.
DoctorKimZhangMD: But ObsidianVoid420 has a good point with choosing a different drink. May I suggest water?
ThankTehBusDriver: water is so boring
ThankTehBusDriver: wat about sparkling cider?
DoctorKimZhangMD: With or without alcohol, BusDriver?
ThankTehBusDriver:…
3SpicyChickens: sparkling water might work
DoctorKimZhangMD: Good idea! Let us know next week how well the sparkling water works 3SpicyChickens.
DoctorKimZhangMD: ThankTehBusDriver, your turn.
ThankTehBusDriver:fine.
ThankTehBusDriver: I only joined this group a couple weeks ago cuz my kid asked me to
ThankTehBusDriver: I dunno what her problem is
ThankTehBusDriver: since my bus got fixed, I work now. if anything, I feel more justified in spendin my hard-earned wages on beer.
ThankTehBusDriver: we can bettr afford it now
DoctorKimZhangMD: So have you or have you not cut down since last week, BusDriver?
ThankTehBusDriver:…
ThankTehBusDriver:no
DoctorKimZhangMD: Have you considered that your kid may be trying to look out for you?
ThankTehBusDriver:…
DoctorKimZhangMD: Studies show that driving while hungover can be just as dangerous as driving drunk, even after the alcohol has left the body.
DoctorKimZhangMD: Your child may want you to be safe at work, and spend positive time with you after.
3SpicyChickens: doc’s right. my goddaughter said I seem happier when im not drinkin much.
3SpicyChickens: and its easier to connect with her when im sober. Im not complaining about headaches as often
3SpicyChickens: i cant always make the best choice for myself, but I can do it for her
3SpicyChickens: i want to be the godfather she believes me to be
DoctorKimZhangMD: Thank you, 3SpicyChickens. I can see that your goddaughter means a lot to you.
DoctorKimZhangMD: BusDriver, will you talk with your daughter before our next meeting?
DoctorKimZhangMD: Talk about her interests, your hobbies beyond drinking? Favorite movies, shows, games? Perhaps you can find an activity you two can enjoy together after work.
ThankTehBusDriver:…
ThankTehBusDriver: ill think about it
DoctorKimZhangMD: Thank you, BusDriver.
3SpicyChickens:heh
ObsidianVoid420:lol
DoctorKimZhangMD: Jokes aside, ObsidianVoid420 are you willing to share your experiences today?
ObsidianVoid420:idk
ObsidianVoid420: i came here to see if this group can help me with smoking
ObsidianVoid420: i hadnt realized it got so bad until i went through a full pack in a day
DoctorKimZhangMD: In many cases, people are driven to addiction because it serves as an escape. 3SpicyChickens, ThankTehBusDriver, would you share what you each were trying to escape?
3SpicyChickens: emptiness. I felt like life was never going to get better again, and didnt know how to enjoy the present
ThankTehBusDriver: im still angry at my ex
ThankTehBusDriver: its been 20 year
ThankTehBusDriver: drinking lets me forgit that b******
DoctorKimZhangMD: ThankTehBusDriver, please do not swear.
ThankTehBusDriver: B****** DONT COUNT AS A SWEAR!!
DoctorKimZhangMD: ObsidianVoid420, do you know why you smoke? What emotions you feel and what leads you to feel that way? You don’t have to share why if you don’t want to.
ObsidianVoid420: yeah i have an idea
ObsidianVoid420: i just feel angry and annoyed all the time
ObsidianVoid420: but i dont know how else to calm the nerves but by smoking
ObsidianVoid420: nothing else works
DoctorKimZhangMD: It sounds to me like there is something to either confront or accept. If it’s something that cannot change, it seems you have not fully accepted it yet. And if it’s something that could change, you are unsure if it will, even if you try. So you escape instead.
ObsidianVoid420:…
ObsidianVoid420: d***, you nailed it
ObsidianVoid420:sorry
ObsidianVoid420: er… what do i do now?
3SpicyChickens: you try.
3SpicyChickens: try something. start small if youre not comfortable with big yet
3SpicyChickens: and be patient. sometimes results come slowly
DoctorKimZhangMD: Exactly what 3SpicyChickens said, ObsidianVoid420.
DoctorKimZhangMD: It’s okay if no big changes happen right away. Like water flowing over a rock, it will take years for the rock to become smooth.
ObsidianVoid420: like how you can make a lot of changes to programming code, but little to no results will show until the last change is complete
ThankTehBusDriver: …yeah, sure
DoctorKimZhangMD: Actually, that’s a very good way to look at it! Would you let us know what change in your metaphorical program’s code you make by next week?
ObsidianVoid420: …er …sure
ObsidianVoid420:ok
ObsidianVoid420: if im back next week. i might be busy with work
DoctorKimZhangMD: Whenever you can make it, I’m here for you.
3SpicyChickens: I’ll probs be here too
ThankTehBusDriver: no promses
ObsidianVoid420:thanks
DoctorKimZhangMD: Alright, and that concludes our meeting for today!
ThankTehBusDriver has left the chatroom.
DoctorKimZhangMD: Remember your assignments!
DoctorKimZhangMD: Thank you everyone for joining today, and I hope to see you next week!
