Time for me to introduce something new to this blog: Throwback Thursday! It’s where I showcase some old/outdated designs or headcanons that I had for my MLP next gen AU. And I thought it would be appropriate to start this off with my very first fanfoal, Paula Red!
This was Paula’s original design when I first created her back in September 2012. (Geez, has it almost been 10 years already?) Her name was originally Cinnamon Apple and she was obviously created in Generalzoi’s Pony Creator back when that was really popular. As you can see, her original design wasn’t that great as she’s just Fluttershy with Big Mac’s color scheme and a different tail.
...And the cutie mark that I came up with wasn’t much better as it was just an apple slice with two of the butterflies from Fluttershy’s cutie mark.
In May 2015, I finally decided to update her design and also decided to make her part batpony. Her redesign was originally adopted from ImBorednStuff on DA if I remember correctly. She still had that lazy slapped-together cutie mark for a while until I finally decided to change it at some point.
Part Two: Paula Red. A charming combination of sweet and tart.
Summary: Y/N and Jensen meet and hit it off, until she finds out why he’s really there.
Pairing: None … yet.
Word Count: 1885
Warnings: Set post-Season 15, which I know makes a lot of people sad to think about.
Square Filled: This entire series will fill my proposal square for BTZ Bingo.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read part one! The feedback was incredibly encouraging. I’m so excited to continue this series and share it with all of you!
Masterlist
An inservice day at the school kept you busy in the morning, but gave you the afternoon to be at home. You had done what you could as far as the farm without getting more information from Mr. Kemp, so you were going to enjoy just being in the orchard for the day. Maybe you’d even venture out to the pumpkin patch.
After you changed from your casual teacher attire to jeans, an old sweatshirt, and a pair of worn boots, you headed out the front door to retrieve something from your car before you forgot about it. A shiny sedan pulled up the gravel driveway and parked behind your car. For the moment, you forgot about whatever it was you had come to retrieve and shut the driver’s side door. You hurried the keys back into the house, then returned to the front porch in time to see a tall man coming out of the sedan. He slid his phone into his back pocket, then waved at you.
“Can I help you?”
He extended his hand in your direction. “I hope so. I’m Jensen Ackles.”
“Y/N Y/L/N,” you returned, shaking his hand. It was warm and oddly comforting, having your hand in his. “What can I help you with?”
He looked at the house, peering on other side before returning his attention to you and answering your question. “I just came to check the place out. I hear good things about it.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m the owner, so I can show you around. Are you ready?”
Jensen nodded and followed you back behind the house. With the orchard in view off in the distance, you talked about the acreage of the farm, the history of the place, then talked about the apples and pumpkins you sent to the market every year.
“They’re popular locally anyway,” you sighed. Then, you forced yourself to perk up -- whoever this guy was, he didn’t need to hear about your personal problems. “Are you new to the area?”
“How do you know I’m not from here?”
There was a teasing glint in his green eyes; you prayed that you weren’t blushing but the heat in your cheeks told you otherwise. “Because most people around here who dress in Carhartt jackets and boots like you are, drive trucks not rented cars.”
“Fair enough,” he laughed. “I haven’t moved here yet, but I’m considering it.”
You smiled. “Well, it’s a great area. C’mon, let’s head out back and I’ll show you around.”
The October air was cool and crisp, but the both of you were dressed for it -- and, actually, you were used to the cooler weather. You offered Jensen a ride in the farm truck out to the orchard and the pumpkin patch, but he assured you the walk would be nice.
“Did you grow up here?”
“I did,” you nodded. “After my great-grandfather bought the place, it was handed down to my grandfather, then my dad, and when he decided he wanted to move to the Midwest, he handed the reins over to me.”
“That’s really great,” Jensen commented. He blew on his hands for warmth, then put them in his pockets. “Ever thought about moving?”
Again, you pushed away thoughts of being forced to leave. “Never. I love it here -- especially this time of year, with the Fall colors and the smell of the apples. You’d think that living here I wouldn’t notice it anymore or enjoy it, but it just … it never gets old.”
You looked at him and smiled; Jensen returned the expression. The closer you got to the orchard, you noticed him taking deeper breaths.
“Smells pretty good, huh?”
He drew in another breath before answering you. “Yeah, it really does. Is it like this year-round?”
You shrugged. “Depends on what’s blooming or in season. We’ve got a few different types of apples, so that we have some available to sell most of the year -- but yeah, that apple scent is there most of the time.”
“Refreshing.”
You were glad he thought so. Maybe he’d come back more often to get the smell of the orchard. Or to see you. However it worked out.
Cool it, Y/N, you told yourself. You’ve got enough going on without adding a guy into the mix.
You knew you were right. Licking your lips and toning down the flirtatious smile, you cleared your throat.
“Have you ever picked your own apples?” you asked, reaching for a basket at the end of one of the rows of apple trees.
Jensen shook his head. “That I have not done.”
You handed him the basket and told him to follow you. “C’mon. We’ll change that right now.”
* * * * *
He watched her as she walked the row of trees, her eyes searching all of the apples on each branch, until she found the perfect one for them to pick from.
“You wanna start from the bottom, and pull from the tip of the branch. It’s okay to pull them a little under-ripe, so they store for longer. Just pull and twist.” She demonstrated the motion for him, dropping the plucked apple into the basket. “Sometimes they’re okay towards the top, too. Depends how fresh you want them. Go ahead, give it a try.”
While she retrieved another basket so she could pick some herself, Jensen gave picking a couple of apples a try. The smell of the freshly-picked apples was overwhelming, in a good way. After only a few minutes, he got into a groove, and the bottom of his basket was covered.
“Maybe I should slow down,” he chuckled, showing her the contents of his basket. “Am I doing okay? Yours look more ripe than mine do.”
He eyed between the two basket concerned that maybe he hadn’t been on quite the roll he thought. If he had picked this many apples that weren’t supposed to be picked yet, he was going to feel pretty crappy.
“Those are great,” Y/N returned. “I’m picking some that are more ripe because I want to use them today.”
“What are you making? If you don’t mind me asking.”
She shrugged. “Applesauce. Way better out of a crockpot than a jar, lemme tell ya. I figure I’ll make a good batch and jar some to send to the market.”
“Market?”
“The Farmer’s Stand. There’s a few farms besides mine that grow stuff because it’s been handed down over generations, not for a living. They sell our stuff and keep a small percentage. I’ve sent applesauce there before, apple butter, cookies -- a lot of different things. The locals love it.”
Jensen made a mental note of the name of the market. Maybe he’d stop there before heading back to the hotel later. Whatever it was about the way Y/N talked about the farm and the apples and the pumpkins and the baked goods, it made him want to try it all. More and more, this place was seeming to be a good investment opportunity.
He broke out of his thoughts to see her reaching for a particular apple on a higher branch. Jensen stepped up behind her and pulled the apple off the branch, just the way Y/N had shown him to do.
“Here you go.”
She turned a little so that she could look up him. Maybe it was their proximity, maybe it was the way that she smelled like apples and cinnamon and a hint of vanilla. Whatever the reason, he suddenly felt much warmer than he had when he arrived.
Y/N cleared her throat and sidestepped away from him. “I only need a few more, then I’ll take you out to the pumpkin patch.”
He waited patiently while she found the apples she needed, then they went back to the main house. They left the apple baskets behind the house. Y/N informed him that the pumpkin patch was further away, so they would take the old farm truck out there.
“Don’t bother with the buckle, it doesn’t work,” she laughed, pulling away from the garage. “So, tell me. What’s got a monster-hunter from Kansas out here on the East Coast?”
Jensen did a double-take. “A what?”
Y/N laughed again. “Okay, that was a lame line. I was trying to find a clever way to be honest about knowing who you are, but maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut.”
Jensen smiled. “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting it, is all. Thanks for being honest.”
He wasn’t really sure why he wasn’t honest at that point. He could have answered her question, but he was concerned that it would ruin the afternoon. The subject of his role of Dean Winchester was dropped, and they made pointless banter the rest of the way out to the pumpkin field.
* * * * *
When they made it back to the house, Jensen found himself a little disappointed that their time together was over. Sure, he could find an excuse to see her again -- and, truth be told, he probably would.
“I’ll get you a bag for the apples. Do you want one for the pumpkin, too?” she offered.
He shook his head as he slipped out of the truck. “No, just for the apples is fine.”
She smiled at him, and he felt warm all over again. They both retrieved their apple baskets -- each with a pumpkin added -- from the bed of the truck, and went around to the front of the house. She left him on the porch to retrieve a bag for him, so Jensen sat on the top step to wait for her.
Another sedan pulled into the driveway behind his, immediately causing Jensen to panic. He checked his watch; based on the time, he had a good idea who was going to be getting out of that car, and it was going to put an end to his pleasant afternoon.
The moment Bartholomew Kemp stepped out of his car, Y/N came out of the house, handing him a paper bag. She looked up at the sound of the car door shutting. With a frown, Y/N skipped down the steps to greet the visitor. Jensen set the bag and the basket to the side and hurried to join them.
“Mr. Kemp, what are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Y/N greeted, exchanging a polite handshake with the older man.
Bartholomew pointed to Jensen. “I was trying to get here first so you and I could discuss it beforehand, but I’m actually here to meet with this gentleman. Mr. Ackles, I presume?”
Jensen returned the other man’s handshake. “Please, call me Jensen.”
Bartholomew nodded. “Bartholomew Kemp. I take it Y/N already showed you around?”
Jensen chanced a glance at Y/N; rightfully, she was fuming. He could tell, even if she tried to mask her anger. “She did. It’s a great place.”
“That it is. Why don’t we take our own walk around, and we’ll talk numbers?”
“Sure, that would be great.”
Bartholomew made way toward the trees, almost the same trail Jensen and Y/N had taken earlier. Jensen turned to thank Y/N for showing him around, but she was already storming towards the house, stopping only once to send a death glare in his direction.
Welcome to the side blog I made for my MLP next gen: The Barkerverse! Here is a picture I drew of the seven main kids in this ‘verse. (From left to right, starting in the back)
Lightning Flash: Son of Rainbow Dash and Soarin
Tarte Tatin: Daughter of Applejack and...somepony, as well as the step-daughter of Coloratura
Paula Red: Daughter of Fluttershy and Big Macintosh
Emerald Shine: Son of Rarity and Spike
Libra: Daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Tempest Shadow
Spiny: Son of two unknown dragons and adopted son of Twilight Sparkle and Tempest Shadow
Marshmallow Fluff: Daughter of Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich
This blog is still a work in progress, so there’s not much to look at ATM. But I’ll be uploading more content on here soon, starting with the explanation for how this AU diverges from the show’s canon. Stay tuned!
My first McIntosh-adjacent apple of the season was overshadowed by the hangover of a nightmare. I had dreamed that I committed vehicular manslaughter. Shortly thereafter, I had asked a man in my dream to take the dream away. "I'd have to put it in the sided pool," he said, referring to the polygonal above-ground pool to his side. I walked into the supermarket in a daze, aware that prior to the vehicular manslaughter I had been lost in a mall and attacked by angular, 8-bit creatures. I do not know whether he threw the dream into the sided pool, but I doubt I would be able to remember the dream if he had.
In a pool of apples, the Paula Red struck me as a bit meek. Its flesh was dusty and subdued, its shape emulating the result of a half pump under the hydraulic press. Its voice would probably jump an octave or two when speaking to new people, which would send it into a spiral of self-consciousness. The Paula Red was not grafted or pH tested or perfectly conditioned; instead, it was discovered in 1960 in a ravine in Michigan. Testing revealed it to be a child of the Duchess and McIntosh. Paula Reds grow best from August to October, putting my Paula Red 4019 in the seasonal sweet spot. 4019 had come from a farm in Clintondale, NY. It was a bit mealy, but light, and quite juicy. I could see how it leant itself well to apple sauce.
In my Paula Red research I also stumbled across an archival delight -- the UK National Fruit Collection. Curated and managed by the University of Reading alongside the Fruit Advisory Services Team, it contains 3,500 named fruit cultivars (including apples, pears, grapes, and others). Each fruit has an accession record, noting its genetic fingerprint, picking time, flowering time, and material availability. There are archives everywhere for all those with eyes to see. I had so much fun exploring the fruit records that I almost forgot about the phantasmagorical horrors I had witnessed the night before.
had my first paula red apple today. The experience I will remember forever. It has a softish texture like an Golden Delicious/I want to say Empire apple. It's just not as sweet as an Empire apple. And apparently they're basically the first good apples of the season :)
I would have posted a picture but I was too excited to eat it that I forgot :X
