#I also wanted them to be like a normal/ popular meal that would be eaten by most folk regularly | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

belicioustummy · 8 months

Text

samples

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A KINK FIC. DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE UNDER 18.

S.teve and C.esare share some onigiri.

“Damn, S.teve. That’s a lot, even for you,” C.esare said, looking at the assorted rice balls on the table in front of them. “You trying to challenge yourself tonight, or what?”

“Mm,” S.teve said. “A bit, but I was hoping to share some of it…”

C.esare looked incredulous. “You mean, with me?”

“Who else?”

He shook his head and smirked. “Yeah, not happening. I told you before, I don’t eat food, remember?”

“I remember,” S.teve said evenly, taking an onigiri. “You said you don’t, but you never said you can’t.”

C.esare chuckled, his strange toothy grin wrinkling the corners of his eyes. “Oh, you’re a sharp one, Steven.”

Being undead was different, though he’d gotten used to it over the hundreds of years he’d been a watcher. It was very hard for most things that hurt normal people to affect him. Certain actions, such as eating and sleeping, were also unnecessary. C.esare still slept. It was familiar enough that he didn’t see a point in giving it up. But when hunger didn’t come up anymore, it was easy to forget to eat. As a result, he had gradually stopped doing so. It left him a lot more time to do more important things.

S.teve, on the other hand… S.teve was alive, so he ate. And he ate plenty. C.esare was very into large men as it was, and he regarded S.teve with an admiring fascination. From his round, pretty face to his thick, strong arms to his broad, hairy chest, just being able to look at S.teve was wonderful. Being close to him to the point where he could touch and kiss and hold him… well, that was an experience. Lately, he’d found that they both enjoyed curling up together after S.teve had eaten a big meal, especially when C.esare rubbed his belly. Though they still called each other rivals, the way S.teve was comfortable enough now to relax with (and even fall asleep around!) him made it clear how much things had changed between them. It had been unexpected that they would grow so close, but honestly, C.esare wasn’t complaining.

“If you don’t want any, I’ll just have leftovers,” said S.teve. He took a bite of the rice ball. “They’re good, though.”

C.esare was unusually quiet as he considered this, watching him enjoy his food. It would be embarrassing to go back on what he’d said, but the warm rice balls did smell nice. They seemed like a far cry from the awful food his own truck served. S.teve’s burgers may have been pretty bad as well, but clearly the man had taste. If he’d still been alive, he would absolutely have taken him up on his offer to share. Then again…

“So what kind are these?” C.esare asked as S.teve finished his first one. “They put fillings in them, right?”

S.teve nodded. “These are all different. I know which ones I like, and I wanted to sample some I hadn’t tried yet.” He pointed to several in succession. “There’s crab, shrimp tempura, and fried spam-“

“Spam?”

“It’s pretty popular, apparently. I like it.” He continued. “Kimchi, umeboshi- that’s spicy pickled cabbage and pickled plum,” he explained, seeing C.esare’s confused expression.

“I know what kimchi is,” C.esare grumbled, though he wasn’t really that annoyed.

S.teve ignored his dramatics. “The last one is plain, just rice and seasoning. Oh, and I already had the tuna one,” he added. “It was okay, but not my favorite.” He unwrapped another one.

Ordinarily, C.esare would have just been content to sit back and watch S.teve partake in his meal. Tonight was different, though. Maybe it was the fact that S.teve had specifically gotten extra food for him, but he was becoming increasingly tempted to try some himself.

“Anyway,” he said, trying to act casual, “you said one of these is plain, right? I think I’ll have a little of that.”

S.teve’s eyes widened and he smiled. “Hm! Good choice.” He picked one of the onigiri up and handed it to him. It was still warm, and wrapped in a sheet of seaweed.

C.esare broke it in half- it was already small, but he wanted to take it slow. It had been years since he last had food, after all. Tentatively, he took a bite.

Immediately, he was struck by the crisp dryness of the thin seaweed, and then the warm, fluffy texture of the rice inside. It was seasoned with a salty flavoring that made him want to wolf down the rest of it like a starving coyote. Instead, he forced himself to chew it slowly, savoring each bite. It was a strange sensation to suddenly have food in a previously empty stomach when you hadn’t felt any hunger. He finished the half of the onigiri and looked up to see S.teve looking at him with interest.

“What?”

“You look happy.”

“Damn straight. Have you tried this?“ C.esare pushed the other half of the plain rice ball towards him. “I don’t know how they make it taste like that.”

S.teve raised an eyebrow. “That’s all you want?”

“No, I want to try a new one,” said C.esare, “but I don’t know how much I can eat.” He gestured to his slim stomach. “I’m- I’m a lanky bastard, S.teve. I didn’t eat much even when I was alive. For all I know, a whole one of these could fill me up for a week. But I’m not tappin’ out yet.” He looked at the table. S.teve had finished his second rice ball, so there were four left, plus the half.

“What’s left?” he asked.

“I just had the kimchi. The crab, spam, shrimp, and umeboshi are up for grabs.”

“Let me get some of that umeboshi.”

C.esare broke the rice ball in half again, while S.teve started on the plain half. The filling was a reddish orange and smelled salty. When he bit into it, he was surprised at just how sour it was. He made a face.

“Agh, that’s HEINOUS,” he said loudly. S.teve laughed- a soft, humming little giggle. “Not to your taste?”

C.esare took another bite and screwed up his face again, but a bit less so. “Actually, it’s not that bad. I just wasn’t really expecting it to taste this way.” He got an evil glint in his eye. “Umeboshi on a burger, though…”

“You have some strange ideas about being a burger vendor,” S.teve said, looking amused. “Though people might enjoy that if it was cooked well.”

“Yeah, IF. Sour plum with a burger that’s charred to ash would be terrible,” said C.esare, clearly relishing in the idea. He finished his onigiri. Having a proper amount of food in his stomach was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. He looked to S.teve. “I think I could handle a little more.”

“Want to try the spam?”

He considered it. “It doesn’t sound great to me, but maybe I’ll be wrong.”

S.teve gave him a small piece of it. The seaweed and rice was good as always, and the texture of the meat was fine. But as he chewed, C.esare frowned at the taste.

“That’s a no, then?”

C.esare shook his head. “The spices aren’t doin’ it for me, S.teve. But on the plus side, this would taste even worse if you burned the hell out of it.”

“I think that’s true for most meat,” S.teve pointed out. “You can’t go wrong with the last two, though.” He paused. “Unless you’re allergic to shellfish…”

C.esare wasn’t. He took half of the crab onigiri, which he was pleased to find tasted much better. The crab was savory with a hint of sweetness, it was seasoned the same way as the plain one had been, and…

“Does this have mayo in it?”

“Yeah, it does. Why?”

“I wouldn’t have thought it would go this well with rice.”

“Mm, I can see that. It’s basically a sandwich, though, just without bread.” S.teve patted his big stomach. C.esare realized with a start that he’d been so focused on trying the new food, he’d missed him eating the spam rice ball and the umeboshi half. He himself was beginning to feel pretty full, and S.teve had eaten more than twice the amount of food he’d had. Of course, there was the difference in size between them, and the fact S.teve was much more used to it, but even so, C.esare was impressed.

“You want to share the last one?” he asked him.

S.teve nodded. “Shrimp tempura. That’s a good one.” This time he was the one who halved the onigiri. C.esare caught him stealing a brief glance at his middle as he handed it to him. From where he was sitting, he could feel how much he had eaten, but he wasn’t sure if he was visibly full yet. Maybe when they were finished, Steve could feel his tummy. Those soft, gentle hands against his skin… He shivered delightedly at the thought and began to eat again.

The fried tempura batter around the shrimp was wonderfully crunchy, providing a nice contrast to the rice. The shrimp itself was also delicious. As C.esare ate, he made sure to watch S.teve finishing his last two halves. He could tell the clown was getting full by the way he was slowing down a bit, but he was still savoring them. C.esare swallowed the last bite and put a hand to his stomach. The feeling of comfortable fullness was something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. He was pretty sure his shirt wasn’t tight enough to show it off. It definitely felt a bit rounder than usual, though.

S.teve finished soon after and looked at him curiously. “Did you have enough?”

C.esare let out a satisfied breath. “God. I’m like a risotto right now, S.teve.”

S.teve paused for a second and looked a bit confused. Then he nodded, understanding. “Want to go lie down?”

“Yes, please.”

C.esare’s bed was just big enough for the two of them to fit comfortably. They lay facing each other, close enough to reach out and kiss the other if the need struck them. For the moment, though, they were just gazing at one another, sleepy and full of wonderful food.

S.teve was the first to bridge the gap between them, cupping C.esare’s gaunt cheek with his hand.

“So pretty,” he whispered. C.esare couldn’t help but feel fluttery inside over the flirtation, and tried to cover it up by brushing his fingers through S.teve’s soft red hair. From the expression on S.teve’s face, he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it. He decided to switch gears. Slowly, teasingly, he brought his hand down to S.teve’s stuffed belly. His long fingers brushed over the surface. Every now and then he softly pressed down to get a feel for just how much was inside. S.teve, who had his eyes closed and a smile on his face, was clearly enjoying the attention. C.esare reached under S.teve’s shirt. He let out a surprised honk.

“Your hands are FREEZING!”

“Oops,” said C.esare, smiling wickedly. That was another part of being undead- he was cold as the grave pretty much constantly. It did keep him cool in the summer, which S.teve took advantage of when he could. C.esare didn’t mind. The tradeoff was that he got to sneak-attack him like that every now and then.

He rubbed his palm in small circles from S.teve’s side to the crest of his stomach. It was easy to gauge how full of rice S.teve was. His skin was noticeably stretched from the sheer amount of food. The texture of his body hair felt fuzzy and pleasant against his hand, too.

S.teve’s stomach gurgled quietly, and he let out a contented little sigh. “Mmh… that‘s nice.” He seemed like he’d adjusted to C.esare’s chilly hands. C.esare leaned in to give him small kisses from his jaw to his neck, leaving blue lipstick marks on his pale skin. He caressed the side of his belly as he did so. S.teve pressed his forehead against C.esare’s, then brought his hand down to his companion’s slightly rounded middle.

C.esare’s breath caught.

“Is this oka-“

“Yes. Keep doing it.”

S.teve gave his tummy a loving pat. He was shy about showing affection in public, but when the two of them were alone, it was a different story. He let his hand drift over it. C.esare let out an involuntary sound. He hadn’t realized that his stomach felt a lot more sensitive when it was full. Or maybe he’d just forgotten.

“Hm?” S.teve paused to let his hand rest just below his ribs. The light pressure was just right, but C.esare felt like he’d go crazy if he didn’t feel the warmth of his hand against his skin.

“Steeeeeeve,” he said, putting his hand on top of his. “Don’t be shy about taking it under the shirt.”

S.teve blushed and gave him a sheepish grin. “I was hoping you’d ask…” He lifted up the bottom of his black turtleneck so his tummy was just peeking out. Now that it was uncovered, it was clear that his ordinarily empty stomach had filled out into a soft, healthy-looking little curve. S.teve beamed as he began to touch C.esare again.

C.esare had been right. The way S.teve gently massaged his bare stomach was absolutely heavenly. As he lingered around the tighter spots, S.teve hummed softly. He was giving as much care and attention to C.esare as he’d received from him.

“Mmmh. Does it feel this good when I do this for you?”

“Well, you seem to be enjoying this a whole lot. And I always look forward to it when you invite me over, so…”

“You deserve it, baby.” Though he meant it sincerely, there was a little note of cheekiness to disguise it. S.teve responded to this by giving his nose a little tweak. C.esare playfully snapped at his fingers when he did. Since they were both a bit too full for a proper play-fight, a silent truce was declared after a minute or so. S.teve laid against C.esare’s chest, and C.esare put his head on top of S.teve’s. Their hands still rested on top of each other’s tummies. C.esare could feel the steady rhythm of each breath S.teve took, and closed his eyes. After a while, he was pretty sure he’d fallen asleep. He kissed him on the forehead, and was surprised when he spoke up.

“… I’m glad we ate together tonight. I had a good time.”

C.esare nestled into S.teve’s hair, feeling lucky and cozy and absolutely loved.

“So did I.”

#belly kink #stuffing #b.igtop burger #s.teve #c.esare #I am doing my damndest to keep this out of searches if you couldn’t tell lol #I know the name censoring is clunky and I apologize for that… if I can find a better way I will #beliciouswrites

10 notes · View notes

calamity-jc · 4 months

Text

Mr. Pea: A Short Story

Life isn’t great at all for Mr. Pea. It isn’t even mildly good, which is understandable, because he is a pea. Nobody likes peas, or so he always heard. They’re always left on the plate at the end of the meal, to be scraped into the trash and crushed beyond recognition. It was not an enjoyable fate, and Mr. Pea dreaded it.

Right now, Mr. Pea is in the freezer. It was cold and dark, which is understandable because it’s a freezer. If your freezer isn’t dark and cold, then you might have some problems coming. Mr. Pea doesn’t really breathe, so we can’t say his breath fogged in the air, but he was still cold. And hard. Have you ever talked to a cold, hard pea? Well, let me tell you. They aren’t very good conversationalists.

Mr. Pea was dreading his fate. He was mixed in with the diced remains of what looked like carrots, along with some other peas. Now, those pieces of carrot were pretty quiet, which is understandable because they are dead. The other peas though were a different story.

There was Timmy Pea, who was mildly irritating and never shut up about how great his life is and how someday he is going to be the most famous pea that ever lived. There was Jenny Pea, who wouldn’t stop crying when you brought up that trash thing. She is more afraid of it than even Mr. Pea was, which is understandable because she’s a crybaby. Oh, was that rude? Sorry, but I’m only allowed to say things that are true. Unfortunately for Jenny Pea, she really is a crybaby. No way around it.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. The other peas. Now, Mr. Peas favorite was Ms. Pea. She was beautiful! She had soft, luscious, green skin, polished to an enchanting shine. Or she would if she wasn’t coated in frost and hard as a rock. But that’s beside the point. Mr. Pea was so in love with Ms. Pea. He wanted to rescue her from the freezer and spirit her away in a pod with him and do whatever peas do when they’re in pods together. (I don’t know exactly what, which is understandable because I am not a pea.)

Ms. Pea, unfortunately for Mr. Pea, did not feel the same. She was perfectly happy to sit in the cold freezer with mutilated carrots and listen to the chatter of the other peas. She also thought that Timmy Pea was mildly irritating, which is understandable because he really is annoying, but she didn’t dislike him as much as Mr. Pea did.

Anyway, all Ms. Pea wanted was to someday be warmed up, preferably steamed, and then served as somebody’s lunch, where she would be mashed up by some person’s teeth and swallowed, so she could infiltrate their bodies with her tiny, mashed-up pieces and gradually take control over them so that she could live her life as a human being, which would then allow her to gain fame and popularity and gradually take over the whole world and rule over all humans with an iron fist, eventually liberating her pea brethren and forcing humans to stop the consumption of vegetables, because vegetable lives matter, leaving only meat for food and causing the eventual decline of the human species, and upon their fall, she would allow vegetables to become the superior beings, which is understandable because life as a pea is not very exciting, or so I’ve heard, and cows stink and deserve to be eaten. For now, she is content to bide her time in the cold and dark.

Now, Mr. Pea doesn’t know all that about Ms. Pea. If he did, he would likely recommend a good mental health institution for peas so that she could get herself checked out. She really isn’t normal.

A loud click broke through the darkness, interrupting Mr. Pea’s thoughts. Someone had cracked open the freezer! Light streamed from the open door, reflecting on the ice crystals lining the interior. Mr. Pea couldn’t see a whole lot from where he was, crushed between Jimmy Pea and several mangled carrots, but what he did see was the beam of light landing on Ms. Pea, igniting her frosty exterior in a glowing halo. She was breathtaking! Or she would be if Mr. Pea actually had breath to take.

A motion from the door drew Mr. Pea’s attention. A hand reached out and grabbed the clear plastic bag trapping Mr. Pea and his companions. It was time!

Mr. Pea felt panic building. What if everything he heard was true? What if he was going to be hated and left to grow cold and soggy on the plate then scraped into the trash and left to die? No! Mr. Pea tried to wriggle around, but as he is just a pea, he couldn’t. Jenny Pea began to cry, which was understandable because Jenny Pea is a crybaby, and also terrified of her imminent demise.

There was a tearing sound as the bag was opened. Mr. Pea felt himself move as he was dumped into a bowl with the maimed carrots and noisy peas. He was once again placed in a dark area. He heard a beeping noise, then the room started to buzz. Mr. Pea felt the bowl start to spin around and around. Slowly, he began to get warmer. The frost coating his green skin melted, and he was no longer cold and hard, which is understandable because he is in a microwave. He began to sweat, or he would if he could, and moisture filled the air around him. One of the mangled carrots began to scream, which scared Jenny Pea, making her cry even harder. Jimmy Pea was finally quiet, and he looked scared instead of obnoxiously confident like he usually was. Mr. Pea looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of his lady love, Ms. Pea. He couldn’t see her, though. Abruptly, the buzzing and spinning stopped, and there was another loud beep. The door was once again opened and the bowl removed.

There! Mr. Pea finally saw Ms. Pea. She was radiant! Her smooth, green skin glistened with moisture. She looked so soft and warm! Mr. Pea longed to touch that warm, green skin. He wanted to cozy up against her and enjoy her lusciousness. He wanted to be two peas in a pod with her.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. A shiny, silver spoon dipped into the bowl, scooping Ms. Pea up, along with Jenny Pea and some dismembered carrots. Mr. Pea watched terrified as his one true love was deposited onto a plate. No! Mr. Pea’s love was about to be pushed aside and then later scraped into a trash can where she would suffer a fate worse than death!

Mr. Pea watched as the spoon came down again, this time scooping up him and Jimmy! He too was deposited onto the plate with Ms. Pea. He looked at her longingly, willing her to meet his gaze. She did! What was this? Mr. Pea felt a stirring in his gut and butterflies in his stomach, or he would if he had a gut or stomach, and his core grew warm. Did Ms. Pea finally realize that she loved Mr. Pea too? (The answer is no, but we’ll spare Mr. Pea’s feelings and not say anything. Ms. Pea just saw a particularly interesting thing just past Mr. Pea and wasn’t looking at him at all.) Mr. Pea was astounded! He desperately tried to roll himself toward her on the plate, so they could be united at last.

A sinister giggle sounded above them. Mr. Pea saw a huge, bulbous face towering above him and his vegetable companions. Oh, no! He had to get to Ms. Pea as soon as possible, or that demonic face would scrape them into the trash to rot into oblivion. He pushed, lunged past the carrots and scared peas, rolling until he was just inches from Ms. Pea.

“I’m coming, my love,” he called. Ms. Pea looked at him, a dark green blush coloring her pea cheeks.

Wait, that was no blush! It was a shadow! An alarmingly chubby fist crashed down on Ms. Pea, popping her luscious green skin and her lovely green guts across the plate. Mr. Pea could only stand by helplessly as his fair maiden was mutilated before his eyes. A shadow above him distracted him from his horror, and before he could even utter a peep, another chubby fist crashed down on him, forever ending his life.

#writing #creative writing #short story #fiction #peas

0 notes

canterburynz · 11 months

Text

Biltong : Exploring Alternative Meats And Flavors In The World Of Biltong

Biltong, which comes from the Dutch word for "strip," is a dried and cured South African meat product. It's traditionally made from beef or game meat, but there are now many different varieties of biltong, including ostrich biltong, venison biltong, and even crocodile biltong Auckland.

You can get it in its most basic form—just strips of meat with no spices or flavors added—or you can get flavored varieties like peppered biltong or garlic-herb biltong. The options are endless!

The Flavor of Biltong

The flavor of biltong is determined by the spices used to cure it. The meat is cured with salt, sugar and spices (usually coriander seeds). After being hung out to dry for several days, it's sliced into strips that can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways.

Biltong is a flavorful and healthy meat to eat. It has many nutrients like proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Biltong is a great way to add variety to your diet.

Biltong is a great way to add variety to your diet. It's low in fat, high in protein and iron and contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals. It's also relatively inexpensive compared with other meats like beef or chicken.

Biltong is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium and potassium which help maintain normal blood pressure levels while boosting your energy levels during those long days at work!

Different Types of Biltong

The most common type of biltong is made from beef. It's also the easiest to make, since you can use a simple dry rub or spice mix and let it sit in your fridge until the meat is ready.

Game meats (like venison or game birds) are becoming more popular as people experiment with alternative meats, especially for those who have trouble digesting red meat. Gamey flavors are often stronger than regular beef biltong and may include different spices like garlic or juniper berries.

How Do I Eat It?

Biltong is a snack, and can be eaten as such. But it also works as a meal in and of itself. Here are some ideas for how to incorporate biltong into your daily routine:

Eat biltong by itself as an afternoon snack! You can do this at home or on-the-go--just keep some in your bag or pocket for when hunger strikes. If you're feeling extra fancy, try dipping it in something spicy like mustard or hot sauce (or both).

Add biltong to any dish that would benefit from some extra protein and savory flavors (soups, salads, pastas...). The only limit here is your imagination!

Make an appetizer tray with various types of sliced cheeses alongside different types of biltong--they'll complement each other perfectly! Just remember not all cheeses are created equal so choose wisely before pairing them up with any particular kind of jerky - no one wants blandness at their next party

Biltong is a unique and delicious meat product.

Biltong is a great way to add variety to your diet. It's a delicious snack and can be eaten on its own or added as an ingredient in salads, sandwiches and wraps. Biltong Auckland is also a great addition to soups and stews because of its high protein content.

Biltong has been around since the 16th century when it was first introduced by European settlers in South Africa as an alternative meat product that could be preserved without refrigeration.

Conclusion

Biltong is a great way to add variety to your diet. It has a unique flavor that can be enjoyed by anyone, and it's easy to make at home. If you're feeling adventurous, try making some of these recipes or experimenting with new flavors on your own!

#biltong auckland #best beef jerky #best biltong auckland #biltong tauranga

0 notes

worldfoodiesblog · 1 year

Text

Authentic Vietnamese Food? Here are the facts.

You know, eating the same type of food everyday would be really boring, so why don’t you try out a traditional 3-course Vietnamese cuisine? Well, I am just like you, I have eaten the same local Vietnamese food everyday for at least 15 years, but this helps me create the best breakfast lunch dinner course if you really want to try the authentic Vietnamese food experience. Unlike those restaurants in the States that serve the incorrect phở, I know what real phở is like.

Cơm Tấm (Breakfast)

You have probably seen or heard about this dish when you go to any Vietnamese restaurant under the rice section because it is an iconic staple to Vietnamese cuisine. Honestly, the cơm tấm I tried here are shockingly flavorful, every restaurant has a unique taste.

The deciding factor for this dish is the fish sauce, there aren't really “rules” that dictate the correctness of the sauce, it’s whatever floats your boat. Thanks to this, you sometimes might taste a bit of acidity from the citrus they put in, or a mild sour taste from lemon that melts. For me though, the best fish sauce is the one without acidity but with a little sour taste because it really compliments the main course that accompanies it.

The problem starts with the rice. About half of the US-Vietnamese restaurants I visited used normal rice which diminishes the taste. You must use broken rice grains, it literally derives from its name, the word “tấm” means broken rice. Why does it matter? Cooked rice becomes mushy when they come in contact with water, in this case fish sauce, which becomes a problem for eaters who prefer more sauce on the rice. Broken rice nullifies this problem because they still have that rice chewiness while being able to sustain a large amount of liquid and still maintain the texture. A cool tip to identify broken rice you can do is try putting the fish sauce on a scoop of rice, scramble it a bit, and see if it gets mushy or not.

Last but not least, the main course of cơm tấm is the entrée on the side, whether they are sườn(grilled rib), chả(Vietnamese omelet), or bì(thin strands of cooked pork). They perfectly capture the juiciness from the ribs, the exploding mixture of flavor with a touch of creativity from the omelet or the thickness from the pork. I felt surprised they did it so perfectly, which put a smile on my face.

Phở (Lunch)

The classic meal that you’ve probably heard of when you think of Vietnamese food, the staple of all Vietnamese culture and also the meal that was heavily changed due to American culture which is widely known as Phở.

There are Three main components make up the phở we know, the noodles, the broth, and the meat. On a rating scale, I’d rate American-Vietnamese broth an 8/10, the noodles a 1/10, and the meat a 7/10.

Weirdly, out of all of the phở restaurants I’ve been to in California, zero restaurants served the correct type of noodles. The noodles that every store uses are called bún gạo (vermicelli), which is not bánh phở (phở noodle). For comparison, bún gạo is around 3 times thinner than bánh phở which tastes unconventional if you have eaten authentic phở. This error is so bad that if you ever go to Vietnam and told the locals that bún gạo is phở noodle, you would probably get a confused and angry crowd. After all, bún gạo is used in another dish which is also another staple of Vietnam.

I can’t criticize much with the broth and meat because they taste authentic to me probably thanks to how there are many different recipes that each restaurant perfected. However, if you want to know if you are eating the correct broth, taste if there is beef flavor, or check if the texture of the soup is dense.

Overall, phở is such an iconic meal that I don’t any restaurant can mess up considering the popularity and tutorials on how to make them online.

Traditional Meal (Dinner)

Dinner in Asia differs greatly from each other because it is when families unite from a hard day of work to share dishes with each other. Therefore, the dishes are usually cooked by their family with a lot of care and love. Hence, there is a variety of meals that are served on the family table.

The first dish I’d recommend trying is bánh xèo, it is like crepes filled with proteins and vegetables that are fulfilling. The wrapper of the protein is made of rice flour which is specially made and cooked until it turns golden, giving it a crunchy texture. The fillings vary, from beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. After, you can dip the entire bánh xèo into nước mắm(fish sauce) which helps you consume the crepes.

Secondly, I recommend trying out the bún thịt nướng. If you remember earlier, the bún gạo that is used by Americans in place of phở is actually another dish on its own. Think of Bún thịt nướng as phở without the broth but instead glazed with nước mắm. This version of phở is more chewy and sour, but it greatly complements the entrée which is usually thịt nướng(grilled meat).

Last but not least, you can never go wrong with a traditional Asian rice dinner. Rice, soup, vegetables, and meat are what are usually present on a family’s table. Instead of miso soup from Japan, we have a soup made from vegetables and fruits like canh chua(from tomatoes), canh củ sen(from lotus roots), canh bí(from pumpkin or winter melon) or canh cải(from lettuce variants).

There are also many meat options but they are well known because they were inspired by foreign cultures such as steaks and barbecue items. You can probably make what you think goes well with rice (which to be honest, anything) and you are good.

Jasper Ha

1 note · View note

tastesoftamriel · 3 years

Note

Hello, Talviel! What are funeral traditions of various races? More precisely, what food traditions do families in mourning have? (for example, where i live, people give little bags with sweets to everyone, strangers and relatives, and have a big feast of food with no eggs or dairy on the day of funeral, and then 40th day and one year, and i was wondering what would different tamrielic traditions be)

Funerary food isn't something I've put huge amounts of thought into, as thankfully I haven't attended many funerals. However, I did a bit of digging and asking around, and managed to put together a list for you.

Altmer

The High Elves, right to the grave, find the need to be grandiose, yet dignified. Funeral wakes are an important social gathering, and no expenses are spared by family or friends when it comes to feasting. Everything from roast duck pancakes to almond-stuffed heron breast and vegetable tartines are on offer (as well as a lot of wine), and the more extravagant the feast, the more loved an Altmer was.

Argonians

Funerals are taken very seriously in Argonian customs, and it is traditional, especially for prominent community members, for members of a tribe to band together and make a large, fermented fruit and honey cake that symbolises the life of an individual. The cake is shared amongst funeral guests, but a large chunk is also left as an offering by the grave stake.

Bosmer

The Bosmer tend to save their precious rotmeth for special occasions, funerals included. A special dish of ground bone meal, minced meat, butter, and marrow is commonly eaten at the wake, and washed down with rotmeth as it's quite a dry dish. And no, I'm not going to be elaborating on eating the dead.

Bretons

Casserole dishes are the most common sight at funerals in High Rock, because they're easy to make and feed plenty of people. Macaroni bakes with chicken, tuna, spinach, or cheese are the most common, as well as dishes like fish pie, meatloaf, and scalloped potatoes. It's all hearty, homey food that will temporarily help you forget your sorrows.

Dunmer

House Dunmer funerary practices have thus far been closed to me as an outlander, so I can only speak of one Ashlander funeral I attended. Traditionally, baked ash yams are offered to the dead by each funeral guest, which are then mashed together with a paste of comberry, saltrice, canis root, and gold kanet. The mashed yam is served hot with a rich bone broth, and is eaten together in silence.

Imperials

The Cyrodiilic tradition for those who worship the Nine is generally a full spread of food with as many comforting small dishes as possible. Usually, friends and family will bring a dish each, leading to proper feasts if the deceased was popular. While there is no specific taboo on what foods can or cannot be eaten, strong flavours are uncommon and sometimes even frowned upon. Things you can expect to find are slaughterfish cakes, dill salad, grilled haloumi, and eggplant bake.

Khajiit

Moon sugar sweetens an otherwise painful affair when death is concerned in Elsweyr, and flavours are used to convey the unique characteristics of every Khajiit's life. Normally, a dish for every emotion is served: steamed bittergourd to represent bitterness, chilis to represent passion, and sour to represent surprise. Moon sugar, used ritually, reflects the Sands Behind the Stars. Loved ones carefully curate a flavour map of every life, making sure that their memory lingers on in every bite of moon sugar ever after.

Nords

In Skyrim, everyone wants to go to Sovngarde one day. When someone dies, we customarily eat what myths tell us of the food in Sovngarde (which I've seen with my own eyes and can personally attest to). Barrels of ale and mead are there to drown your sorrow, and there is an abundance of roasted meats, bread, entire cheese wheels, desserts, and much more. Different Holds also have different traditions; for example, Haafingar funerals always feature cinnamon donuts.

Orcs

Nobody puts the fun in funeral like the Orcs, which can sometimes be shocking to outsiders. Feasts are standard in clan strongholds, but feature a staple number of dishes. Fried polenta with glacier tomatoes, spit-roasted mammoth, game stew, cheese pasties, and all the bread you can eat are usually present, as well as any dishes favoured by the deceased. I once heard of a chieftain's son who loved taffy treats so much that he had an entire hill of them in the centre of the courtyard for his funeral.

Redguards

Funerals are a sombre affair for the Redguards, so food is not of huge importance. Usually, small snacks and canapés will be on offer, as well as wine and cold water. Like the Imperials, the normally flavourful local tastes are toned down out of respect for the dead. Mint yoghurt with pulled lamb on flatbread, falafel, and baked eggplant are some of the things you can expect.

#Asks #Funerals #Funeral #Cooking #Food #tastesoftamriel #tastes of tamriel #world building #Worldbuilding

283 notes · View notes

dragon-kazansky · 3 years

Text

Made with love | Helmut Zemo

Chef Zemo AU! 👨‍🍳

Gender neutral reader!

Collage by @realremyd

[Next chapter]

Part 1

You had always wanted to travel through Europe. You wanted to see those streets at least once in your life. Meet the people, attention the languages, taste the food, and maybe even do a little shopping in certain cities.

Your friend, Wanda Maximoff, came from a rather unknown country called Sokovia. When you had told her about your trip, she had brought it up. She hadn't been back home since she left, but she remembered it well. She suggested some places to go if you ever stopped by. You made a mental note to drop by her home country for her sake.

Sokovia was a declining country. It had its fair share of issues and problems, but it was still out there waiting to be discovered. The least you could do was visit on your travels.

You had passed through Spain and France, spent a few extra days in Gemany, stopping by the Netherlands to see Amsterdam. You have lost count of the photos you had taken in Austria, and it was as your stay in Poland was coming to an end when you remembered about Sokovia. The other countries you had planned to pass through would have to wait. You spent your last night Poland planning the flyover to Sokovia, luckily finding a flight that will take you to the capital.

In your pocket you kept the list of places Wanda and suggested, her hoping most of them were still there. You would of course take pictures for her.

The plane landed and you exited the airport. You wanted to see the city. A cab station near by grabbed your attention, so you hurried over. You asked the driver of the nearest cab to drop you off in the city centre. He did.

Looking around Novi Grad, you were taken in. The city was old. People were going about their business, but some even turned to smile at you as you walked along. You took in the area, admiring the buildings and the people. You were impressed and in awe with the city.

You keep an eye out for somewhere to stay, checking Wanda's list as you go incase you spot one of the places on it.

You're not sure how long you have been strolling the streets when something catches your eye. It's not a very big building, but it stands out. A restaurant. A Spanish restaurant. You smile. Spain was one of your first stops when you got to Europe, the food was one of your favourite parts.

You realise just how hungry you are. You hadn't eaten anything since before your flight. The door is open and it looks like a good place to stop.

You look up at the sign as you get closer to it. Gold letters on a purple background. There was something elegant about it.

Escorpión Morado

You look at your list quickly. It's on there. Purple Scorpion. Wanda knew about this place. You put away the list, grab your camera, and stand far enough away to get a shot of the exterior. You smile at the outcome.

Outside there were a few tables. Four, to be exact. They had a nice view of the courtyard just in front of the restaurant. The entrance was two narrow double doors, opened wide to let air into the shop, and allowing easy access for the customers to come and go. The shop being on the corner of the street allowed a view on either side theiugh the large windows. On each window was the name of the restaurant in faint lettering. You could see inside, but decided you could admire it better by going in.

Entering the restaurant, you were welcomed with a certain warmth. It wasn't too busy, but there was still several people here, enjoying themselves. You took a picture of the inside.

The inside was nice and open, plenty of room to move around. A bar was situated at the far end, a couple of people sitting at it. You walked over the polished floor and made your way to the back. You pick a stool and sit down, looking up at the menu. There were plenty of options.

"What can I get for you?" A voice asks, coming over to you. You turn your head to see who was speaking, your voice suddenly doesn't want to work.

The man comes to stop in front of you. Brown hair swept to the side, dark brown eyes, sparkling with amusement, a smile tugging at his lips. His shirt sleeves were pushed back up to his elbows, and apron was around his waist. He had very clearly just been in the kitchen.

He tilts his head to the side slightly. You had yet to answer him.

"Are you alright?" He asks. "English?"

Oh, he thought you didn't understand.

"Um, yes. I speak English. I'm sorry, I'm fine," you feel embarrassed, shuffling on the stool slightly.

"That's alright. What can I get for you?" He asks, offering a friendly smile.

You glance up at the menu again. "What do you reccomend?"

As you glance back, you see his smile widen. You had eaten tapas while you were in Spain, but you found yourself wanting to hear him speak again. There was something about his accent that was satisfying.

"Since I haven't see you around here before, I'll make a special for you. How does that sound?"

"That sounds lovely, thank you."

He smiles and leaves you to go and make it himself. You look around the restaurant again while you wait.

On the wall just off to the side, there was a plaque. You get up and walk over to it, wanting to read what was on it. There was a photo above the plaque that caught your attention first. An older gentleman, dressed smartly and looking proud. You read the plaque to find out who he is.

Or was.

Heinrich Zemo

Founder of Escorpión Morado.

He died a few years ago, leaving the restaurant to his son, Helmut Zemo. There was no photo of his son, but you assumed he was here somewhere.

Actually, looking at the photo, you could awe some semblance with the man who had served you. Was he the owner?

You look at the plaque once more before going back sit down. The atmosphere in here was nice. You could see yourself coming here every day just to pass time. It certainly seemed like a favourite spot for these people.

You smiled as you glanced over the few people gathered here. A couple by the window, just looking out at people passing by. A man sitting at the bar talking to one of the staff members, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were a couple of families taking up tables here and there.

It was very relaxing here.

You turn back around when the man returns, he puts the dish down in front of you and smiles. It looks delicious, just like the one you had back in Spain.

He stands there as you take your first bite.

You stop and look at him as soon as the food touches your tongue. It's amazing. You smile as you eat it, nodding at him, impressed.

"This is the best tapas I've ever eaten."

He looks really pleased with himself.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, especially since I was Spain not that long ago." You go for another bite.

"A traveller?"

"Yeah. I always wanted to see Europe, so I've been saving like crazy and here I am."

He leans against the counter, seemingly interested in this information. You're not complaining, he is definitely attractive company.

"And you found yourself here of all places."

"I have a friend who comes from Sokovia. She had mentioned it to me before I left for my trip, the least I could do was come and see," you told him, still enjoying your meal.

"Sokovia isn't exactly a popular destination, but I welcome you all the same. I also welcome you to my restaurant."

"Ah, so you are Helmut Zemo? I was reading the plaque over there," you said, nodding over at the wall.

"The one and only. Do I get the honour of your name?"

"So you ask all your customers for their names?" You ask, smiling at him.

"Only the really interesting ones."

"Interesting? I've been here all of five minutes. What makes you think I'm interesting?"

"When you work in a business like this, you get to know who is interesting or not. It comes with the territory. Also, moat of my customers are locals, so anyone from outside the country has to be interesting in some way," he crosses his arms and looks at you smugly.

"I see," you chuckle.

"Is that a no, then?"

"Y/N. My name is Y/N," you reply rather bashful.

"Y/N, lovely."

The way he says it with his accent makes a shiver run down your spine. You had a sudden need for him to say it again, but you also had to remember to be a normal human being who isn't going to freak out the lovely man they just met.

"Your meal is on the house."

You look up at him sharply.

"Oh no, please let me pay," you say urgently.

He shakes his head.

"No, this one is free. Only this one."

"You say that as if you know I'm going to come back," you look at him with a narrowed gaze.

"I trust that you will," he smirks.

"Why?"

"Well, you ate everything, complimented both my food and establishment, and I'm far too interesting, myself, for you only to come by once."

You laugh softly, shaking your head at him. His eyes lit up at the sound.

"Insufferable," you say, sliding off the stool.

"I'm aware, you get used to it."

You smile as you make sure you don't leave any of your belongings behind and thank him for the delicious food.

"Come again," he says.

"I'll think about it."

You leave, knowing he was smiling as you left the building. You make your way across the square, resisting looking back through the window to see if he was still there.

You pull out your phone and bring up a map. You needed to find somewhere to stay for a few nights. You didn't have to look far. There was a small hotel up ahead and around the corner. You decided to try there.

Finding it wasn't too hard. You only had to go down a small backstreet. It was out of the way and hidden, a nice peaceful place to stay for a while.

You enter. The lobby wasn't too big and it was nice and quiet. The building was old, but the inside seemed well looked after.

You walk over to the desk and smile at the man sitting there.

"Hello."

He smiles, "hello."

He spoke English too. That was good. Your Sokovian was... nonexistent.

"I would like a room for a few nights."

He nods and opens a big book information front of him. He grabs a pen and flicks through room numbers.

"How long are you staying?"

"Three nights? Yeah, three should do." You still had countries to check off your list.

He nods and asks you to sign the book. While you do so he grabs a key from the wall behind him. You pass him the book back and take the key.

"Enjoy your stay."

You nod and take the stairs up. Your room was nice. Big enough for one person and on the main street side, where you came up to get here. You could just about see the square from the window.

You sat on the bed. Perfect. There was a TV, but something told you it would be Sokovian television. Maybe you could watch it just for the sake of it.

You lay back on the bed and took our your phone, calling Wanda.

She picked up almost immediately.

"Y/N, where are you?"

You smile, "Sokovia. You were right, Wanda, it's very pretty here."

You hear her little gasp down the phone.

"You're actually there? You're making me homesick now."

You chuckle softly.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. It's a beautiful city though. I even stopped off at one of the restaurants you listed."

"You did? Which one?"

"Escorpión Morado."

"Escorpión Morado? Oh my gosh! It's still there? Did you meet Heinrich? I remember him being so wonderful to his customers."

"Actually, Wanda, Heinrich passed away a few years ago. His son runs it now, but I guess you could say I did technically meet the owner."

"My heart is saddened to hear of his loss. I do vaguely remember his son. Though back then he worked in the kitchen and very rarely came out."

"Helmut is rather lovely. He stayed and talked to me while I ate."

"Is he cute?"

You roll your eyes at her question.

"He might be," you chuckle.

"Perhaps a romance will spark and you'll be left heartbroken because you'll have to come back here and maybe never see him again. I'll be here watching you drink wine straight from the bottle and gobble down ice cream because you're utterly in love with this man you met once while travelling."

"Wanda, I need you to stop watching those chick flick movies and come back to the real world. I'm not going to fall in love with him. His food, however, is to die for."

"Oh, you're in love with the food. Spain exists, you know."

"I know, I was there, remember? Kind of missing the sun, if I'm being honest, but my God Wanda, this man can cook."

"Marry that man, Y/N. He can cook."

"Wanda, shut up," you laugh with her down the phone.

"Never. Enjoy your time in my home country, Y/N. It honestly means the world to me that you're there."

"In taking photos, don't worry! I'll be home soon, Wanda. See you."

You end the call.

You drop your phone on the bed beside you and stare up at the ceiling. So far you really liked Sokovia, very different from places you had been to so far.

You smile as you think about Helmut. He was certainly the most memorable part of your stay here so far.

Maybe you would visit him again tomorrow.

For the food, obviously.

@namethathasnotbeentaken @belle82devart @cathrin2405 @lieutenantn @wilder-fangirl @latenightartist-author @lucky-luck-lucky @hb8301 @charistory @thatoneartgalsstuff @thesuitkovian @malkaviangirl @zemosimp420 @realremyd @the-chaotic-cow @lostghostgirl94 @zafiro-draco @lazygurl05 @pinkcutiepiee @goddessofmischief03 @whovianayesha @myybebe @awesomesauce-abbie @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @zemo-is-my-muse @nonamec0s

#helmut zemo x reader #zemo x reader #helmut zemo #zemo #baron helmut zemo #marvel #AU #chef zemo au

184 notes · View notes

khloros · 3 years

Text

A resident from another planet who seems to have willfully isolated themself from society finds a strange creature that shines in the sun, doesn’t eat, and seems to have the main focus of collecting rocks. Fortunately, save for the not eating part, the two seem fairly similar and form an unlikely family.

(Aka, I wrote a found-family thing for an alien and a rover. I usually don’t write much since it’s kinda a challenge for me, and this is my first time actually finishing something! It was fun and I wanna write more in the future, and I look forward to establishing my own style!)

_____

Scientists have recovered what seems to be a garden journal from the unknown planet that our rover, Trailblazer, crash landed on over twenty years ago. Photos of this journal have only just now reached Earth, and are being rapidly translated. The first entry is seen below.

_____

The crops are failing. The cold is settling in.

I’ve watched their leaves turn color, shift from rich greens to the frail purples and oranges of our moons in mid-summer. Some are so thin that they’ve become translucent and the sun sparkles through them like it does atop a pond. The scene is beautiful and terrible. I fear for this upcoming harvest. I don’t want to ask for help, not from anyone who knows me.

The only crop that has been doing well are the kaultchish. Their leaves are hearty and will be good roasted or eaten raw. The less successful leaves may be tossed in soups and stews, and preserved for the cold seasons. Like their foliage, the kaultchish berries hang heavy in their bunches. They are sweeter than they have been in any earlier years; it almost makes up for the lack of crops produced from the rest of the garden.

Now, despite the worries of the season, this is all somewhat normal news. I am reluctant to record the rest of this day, as it has been a strange one and I’m half-convinced that it was all a dream.

This morning, you see, I was checking on the berries. They were sagging close to the ground under their weight and I had been growing worried that pests would steal them. When checking for prints, however, I found the strangest ones I have ever seen. Two parallel lines indented wide into the ground, with jagged scores creating segments inside them. At the time, I could not have imagined what might create something so strange. I initially feared of something slithering, perhaps a verestial which may consume my crops with its jaws that part like clouds preparing to storm. I don’t like visitors, you see, even the small ones.

Naturally, I set a trap. The worst case scenario was that I’d string up one of my neighbors by accident, and even then, well, I wouldn’t mind never seeing them again. Loud creatures, they are. Sound carries across this flat land, the wind bringing it to my ears along with spatterings of sand. I am nearly convinced that this place hates me, neighbors and dust and all.

The trap consisted of a simple device that would sense the potential thief and spring a net over it. We used to craft them as children out of twigs and hardy grass often, this was the easy part.

The hard part came when I emerged from my home this morning to see a light flaring in the bushes. I’ve never lit any lanterns in that area and the sun had not yet raised her brows above the horizon, so naturally I was apprehensive.

And curious.

I approached the thing to find that it was a trembling creature with a seemingly bioluminescent spot on its chest. In fact, as I kneeled down to view it closer, this creature seemed almost identical to a child.

Its head and body are the correct shapes and colors, its skin is tough and reflective like ours. Its eyes seem to be the correct shape and color, though a bit bigger and protruding from the face in a strange way. Perhaps the biggest difference are its feet, which are quadrupedal rather than bipedal. They look quite similar to the wheels upon wagons, which had made me wonder whether or not this supposed creature might be a children’s toy.

It is not. It is most definitely not, unless children are more terrifying than I remember. I peeled the net away from its head and, sensing no distress from it, tugged at its foot. It immediately erupted into a series of short screams, staggered one after the other for several minutes even after I had let go. This seems to be quite the good defensive technique as the garden fell completely silent after that, not even the smallest of creatures daring to chirp.

I told it such, and added, “I should try that someday, if anyone attempts to tug on my leg.” It didn’t respond, but I feel that it was more at ease with me after I spoke.

I carried on with my garden duties, watering and trimming and weeding and hoping. A few times, I caught sight of the creature staring at the sunrise as if completely enamored. I can’t blame it, the sun has always looked beautiful to me as well. It reminds me of —

As I moved from one side of the garden to the other, I noticed the creature following me. At a distance and hesitantly at first, but my suspicions grew as I observed its behavior. After tearing a foreign grass out of the garden, I noticed the creature reaching out with its own arm to do the same. It placed the clump of grass within a fold in its skin, which I saw to be filled with shimmering rocks and half-planted flowers. This concerned me. I didn’t dare hope that this creature is sentient, this warped version of our own figures. This poor, abandoned child.

Without thinking, I dropped my gardening tools and rushed over to it, scooping the creature into my arms. It was heavier than expected, and its feet dug into my shoulder, but it didn’t send off any more shouts of alarm. Perhaps it is bold of me to assume its trust, but I have forever been outcast for my boldness.

I have taken this creature — and for now, until I know for certain that it is non-sentient, I will refer to it as a child — into my home. I have a meal being rewarmed on the hearth as I document this, and I will attempt to feed the feeble thing as soon as I can.

Addition: It doesn’t seem to like soup. I will attempt to feed it bread scorched over the fire, next.

Also, I have named it Keptie.

_____

Translator’s Notes.

Untranslatable words have been italicized. The definitions and potential pronunciations are listed below.

Kaultchish is just one interpretation of a plant that seems to be one of the more popular foods on the observed planet. German researcher and botanist Elias Zimmerman held a great role in learning more about this plant, and thusly it follows some Germanic grammar rules in all Earthly languages. For English, this means that the plural is not kaultchishes, but kaultchishen. Another common way of spelling that has arisen is kowltchish, which some people prefer to use under the belief that it represents the IPA better. The IPA pronunciation, to our current knowledge, is kaʊltʃɪʃ.

The verestial [vɛrɛstjiəl] seems to be a type of animal similar to our snakes, though possibly herbivorous. There is debate over whether it is a whole genus or a subset of one.

Most seem to be in agreement that Keptie is a “cuter name”, so the official name of our rover has been changed to it. However, its former name, Trailblazer, is still common in both everyday and scientific use.

79 notes · View notes

ilovebeing-weird · 3 years

Text

The bats' secrets

Tim Drake was a duck, no he was three ducks impersonating a human. He was the ducks you saw in duck tales covered by a trench coat. Contrary to popular belief he wasn't a human. Wanna know why he is a genius? Because he is three ducks as one human. And ducks are intelligent apparently.

Wanna know why is she so awkward? Because duck! He didn't know what to do in the human world! He lived with animals all his life.

Shocked? That's what Marinette was feeling right now. Her boyfriend wanted to tell her a big secret and she didn't know what could be a bigger secret than him being Red Robin, but there was! He wasn't a human!

Now what's next? Huh? Jason's Donald? Here to take care of his three nephews, and went ape shit when he saw his nephews nowhere. He must've thought that "Tim" had eaten them. This actually made sense. Donald did have a hell of a temper.

One of the ducks whom Marinette presumed was Lui stepped forward. "I know that it must be hard for you to process Marinette but I wanted to be honest with you. I couldn't lie anymore. I am really sorry."

Marinette actually didn't know how to process that so she ran away. She knew that Ti- no, the ducks must've expected it because they didn't follow herher or tried to stop her and she was thankful for it. She ran to her and Tim's shared room before deciding against it and running to a guest room. (She could've walked but that wouldn't have been dramatic enough)

Marinette collapsed against a wall (dramatically) and sat there not knowing what to feel. She wanted to cry and scream but she also wanted to laugh. Because if you remove the whole 'my boyfriend lied to me about being a human which is actually the weirdest lie I have heard in my life and I don't know what's real anymore and what's fake' this situation was actually really funny.

Before Marinette could figure out her thoughts a knock sounded at her door. She opened the door expecting the ducks or anyone but Bruce. He awkwardly stood there for a while and they just stared at each other for a while before Bruce spoke, "I-uh-heard what happened between you and Ti-." Before Bruce could finish his sentence, Marinette interrupted him.

"Please don't call them that." Marinette averted her eyes. Bruce nodded, understanding her feelings. What the fuck was even happening anymore. Marinette had no idea. Life actually stopped making sense when she discovered that her boyfriend was Red Robin.

Marinette motioned for Bruce to come in and sit down and he began speaking again "So yeah, I heard that you know who, isn't a human? I know that it must be hard. Because you loved him. And uh, I won't say that I understand all of this because I obviously don't, and um. I don't think I have anything else to say." Bruce said, getting up. Marinette got up too and slipped on him. Bruce caught her but Marinette fell on him and before she could comprehend what happened Bruce, or the bats, flew out from the cloak he wore.

Bruce wasn't real either! He was also a bat. Not one bat, 100 bats! what the fuck is happening!? Marinette couldn't contain her scream this time and she screamed and ran away. She wanted to just go home. She wanted to forget about all of this. Just wanted to sleep and wake up to everything normal. No duck boyfriend, no vampire bat human and no Donald Jason. Well, the last one hasn't been proven yet but given the circumstances it may as well be true.

She was about to run out of the manor Alfred stopped her. "Ms. Marinette, please sit down. Dinner would be served soon."

"I-uh, I have to go." Marinette said, fiddling with the hem of shirt. Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"It's very late right now Ms. Marinette, I can't let you go out in this dangerous city alone." Marinette couldn't disagree with Alfred and if she doesn't include the whole duck and bats situation, it was a win. Alfred's cooking was to die for. Marinette sighed and went to the dining table.

There she saw that the ducks (again in the costume) and the bats (also in the costume) were already seated. She almost went to her usual seat next to Tim but decided against it and got seated leaving a gap of two seats between them. Alfred raised an eyebrow but didn't comment otherwise.

One by one everyone (they were all staying at the manor for a while, even Jason. Courtesy of Dick) shuffled in the room. They all looked at her but didn't say anything. Well unless Jason came.

Jason whistled "What's up Replacement? What did you do to anger Pixie-Pop? Huh? You two are not being all sickenly sweet and lovey dovey like usual."

The ducks scowled at him, "I don't wanna talk about it." They glanced at her but went back to their food. Marinette felt kinda bad for them, but then remembered that they hid something so big from her.

Marinette didn't feel like eating, the food Alfred made was obviously delicious but she just wasn't hungry anymore. The occupants in this house were, she didn't even know what to say anymore. Not human? Why would someone lie about being human? That's just, kwami she didn't know what to say. Like, ducks and bats are cool but there's a fucking line. You don't pretend to be human.

Marinette wanted to groan loudly, what the fuck was happening!? This is all so weird. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Damian and the duck's voice fighting "They won't let me pet them father!"

"Damian, what the hell are you talking about!?" The bats were done.

"Drake is three ducks in a trench coat!"

"Get off me!"

"Let me pet you!"

"Damian! Get off Tim!" Dick rushed to his side trying to detach them. He pulled a thrashing Damian and Tim straightened his clothes. "Grayson, let me go!" Damian started kicking Dick but he kept his grip strong. "Dupain-Cheng! Drake is lying to you! He is not a human!"

"What are you talking about Damian?" Dick was confused, really confused. Damian always fought with Tim but he never said something like this. How can Tim not be a human!? "Damian, are you okay?"

"I think you should get some sleep demon spawn, you're behaving weird."

"Shut up Todd!" Damian snarled at Jason. Jason rolled his eyes, used to it all. Marinette had a turmoil growing inside her. Damian knew? All this time, Damian knew!? And he was mad because the ducks won't let him pet them?

Okay, her life couldn't be anymore fucked up now. "Master Tim, are you okay?" Alfred helped them get up from the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks." They smiled at Alfred and went back to the table. Everyone was soon settled back.

"You've been awfully quiet today Sunshine. Is everything okay?" Dick looked at her concerned.

"Let her chill Goldie. She and Timbo had a fight." Marinette sighed internally. This wasn't true but it stopped Dick from pestering her. As soon as she had finished her meal she stood up and went to the guest room she was in before. This earned her some weird looks but they let it slide.

She sat there, her head was spinning, she felt overwhelmed from all of this. Nothing was making sense. Her head was spinning so fast that she blacked out.

Marinette woke up with a start. Tim's arms were wrapped around her protectively. Thankfully, that was all a very weird nightmare. Or was it? What if she wasn't dreaming and they used a machine on her to make it seem like it!?

She heard a groan from her side. "Bean, what happened?" Tim asked groggily. Tim was sleeping, that's a sign of danger if she had ever seen one.

"Nothing mon canard, go back to sleep. I just had a very weird dream." Tim hummed and hugged her tighter. She also went back to sleep. She needed it.

When they woke up the second time Marinette had some questions prepared. "Sooo Tim, have you been craving any bread recently?" Tim gave her a weird look.

"Bean, you okay? You know I don't like bread. Why would I crave bread?"

"Nothing, just had a thought."

"O…kay"

"Well, wanna go swimming in a pond? Have the urge to quack?"

"Mari, is this some kind of weird joke? I get it that my last name means duck but I am not a real duck." Tim asked, glaring at her. Marinette just cheekily smiled at him and went to search for Bruce.

"So, Bruce, I had some questions." Bruce raised an eyebrow at her.

"Go ahead."

"Do you like blood? As in its taste?" Bruce spat out the coffee he was drinking and started coughing.

"Marinette, are you okay?"

"Yep! Anyways, have you been hitting any blood banks recently? Have the urge to tangle your feet in someone's hair? Can you like, see or do you use echolocation?"

Bruce gave her a look which said 'are you okay? Do we need to get you checked? Did you hit your head somewhere?' Marinette just smiled at him.

Bruce just called for Tim and he came rushing down minutes after. "Bruce what happened?" Tim asked, concerned. When Bruce pointed at Mari, Tim knew what was the case.

"Come on Bean, you are gonna stay in bed all day." Tim put one hand on her shoulder and started leading her back to their room. On their way they bumped into Damian.

"Hey Damian!" Marinette chirply waved to him.

"Dupain-Cheng." Damian nodded in acknowledgement.

"Can I ask you something?" Marinette asked. Tim's face paled.

"No, Bean you're sick, let's go to bed. You need sleep." Tim said, pulling her.

"Just one question?" Marinette looked at him with those puppy eyes that he couldn't resist. He sighed and gave in.

"You may ask your question, Dupain-Cheng."

"Is there any particular reason you hate Tim? Do you secretly like him?" Damian glared at Marinette.

"I hate Drake because he is incompetent and not worthy of father's time. Do you want any other reason?"

"Bean, let's just go." Tim finally dragged her to the room and settled her onto the bed.

"What are your thoughts about trench coats? Would you ever wear one?" Tim knew that something was wrong with his girlfriend. He just jumped on the bed with her and cuddled her back to sleep. That's really the only thing he could do.

🐕 dog emoji to apologize

69 notes · View notes

blueknightdg · 3 years

Text

Consideration and Generosity

----------------

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noire, DCU

Characters: Marinette, Damian

----------

She sat on a park bench that day; the weather was hot yet, cloudy.

Despite the uncomfortable sweat clinging to her being and the buzzing noise of her surroundings, she smiled happily. She would do anything for inspiration, even endure the blistering feeling of the sun.

Soon enough it has been hours since she began to sketch and draw designs for clothing she wishes to make true.

She feels her head is off, so she takes a break to answer a text from her mother.

----------

(Mom) Marinette, are you still at the park? It's been five hours.

(Me) Yep! Just taking a break.

(Mom) Just now? It's really hot outside, have you eaten? What about water?

(Me) Don't worry! I'm fine! I stayed in the shade the whole time.

(Mom) Okay, but I want a picture of you eating.

(Me) Okay, I will. I love you!

(Mom) I love you too.

----------------------

Marinette, packs her sketch books and other materials a way in her bag. She stands up, only to tip over onto someone walking past her.

"Hey, you-"

The person stops to keep her from falling all the way down.

"Uh... I'm sorry, I guess I should have taken a break earlier."

She tries to break a way from the strangers grip. They let her go easily. They began to walk a little further a way with a eye in her direction. She sits down again to collect herself. She takes a few breaths and thinks about how to get up without falling and embarrassing herself.

"I wish I packed a water bottle or something, I knew it was hot but I thought I would be fine....", she thought to herself.

She checked her bag in case she just forgot. Lo and behold there was a water bottle in one of the outside pockets.

"Huh....? That's strange, I was sure I......oh well.", she shrugged it off as her forgetting.

Feeling a little better, she carefully stood up. Having not fallen, she smiled and picked up her full bag. She walks in the direction of a small restaurant to eat, since she wouldn't make it home before hunger got to her.

She walked like she wasn't being followed. Casual and slow, she took in the buildings a round her. The same as her memories told her, but still just as beautiful.

Once she got to an empty table, she sat her bag down in front of her. The waitress walks up to her with a smile.

"Hello! Here is the menu, please take your time. Though I do suggest today's special! Mushroom soup with broccoli, carrots, and rice."

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

The waitress leaves her be and she focuses on the menu. It seems that this restaurant is all about healthy living.

She hums to herself as she thinks of her order. However, everything sounded wonderful and she couldn't decide. Then she heard a waitress bring someone's order of a tofu and veggie stuffed bell peppers with a side salad. So she looked over to see the meal and found that it looked delicious. She also saw they ordered tomato juice.

Looking at the menu one more time, she located the meal, drink and picked out a dessert on her own.

As soon as she put her menu down, the waitress came up to her with her pen and notepad out.

"Ready to order?"

"Yes, I would like the Tofu and Veggie stuffed Bell peppers with a side salad, tomato juice, and the vanilla, soy bean ice cream."

"Would you like a topping?"

"Yes, let's see....oh! The coconut sprinkles and strawberry drizzle."

"To repeat: Tofu, veggie stuff bell peppers, side salad, tomato juice, vanilla soy bean ice cream with coconut sprinkles and strawberry drizzle?"

"Yes."

"Okay, we will right on it!"

Marinette took out her phone as she waited. She texted her mom, that she was at a restaurant nearby. Her mom reminded her to send a picture of her eating.

A few minutes later and her food was brought to her.

"Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem, dear, tell me if you need anything!"

The waitress leaves to let her eat. She sends a picture of her food to her mom, who responded with the words 'smile and heart'.

--------

Change perspective

--------

His day was normal. He woke up and dealt with the hooligans that plagued his life. He was currently in Paris as a part of a stake out group. His family dispersed during day to do individual actives. His father wanted him near by, but he argued that he didn't need to be monitored.

His father conceded by saying he must practice being considerate of other people and to update him on how it is going and if he needs help. He was more than reluctant to agree. Regardless, he did.

He didn't like the loose nature of his apparel for the day, but had no chouce due to the heat.

Though by no means is his clothing loose in comparison to others definition. He prefers to be dignified at all times.

Most of the day, he had nothing report to his father that was particularly considerate until he notice the ragged look of a girl a round his age. She looked dehydrated and ill. He scoffs at her lack of self preservation until he notice she was immersed in some kind of sketching. He also remembered his has to be 'considerate' today so he will say she was lost to passion. After all, this is Paris, the city known for passion.

He watches her as she unconsciously squints and makes a grim expression at times. She sways ever so slightly.

In his observations, she stopped her work to look at her phone. Her condition is not well. He walks a little closer with a water bottle he bought. The moment he walked next to her and she stood, he stabilized her and slipped the water bottle in her bag as she spoke, trying to clear her head. She was drenched in sweat.

"Father better be grateful, I am being more than generous with being 'considerate', disgusting.", he thought with distain.

He hurried a way from her only to stop a short distance a way to watch her more and to sanitize his hands; to rid himself of the horrid feeling of her sweat.

The girl swayed less than before, but after updating his father of what happened, he was ordered to tail her. What if she collapsed? His efforts would have been in vain if that was so.

He was slightly frustrated and her slow pace did nothing to help. He only felt a bit better at her choice of eatery. He saw that she was heading for a Healthy Living Restaurant and went a head of her to sit down. He typed to his father that the girl was trying to decide what to eat. He was instructed to do what he thought best if he were to interfere at all. So he picked the most sensible option for her condition, in return, she followed and added something to her order.

He ate quietly and finished before her. He then left a large tip; the service was quick, the food palatable, atmosphere was pleasant and he doubted the girl had much on her. Enough to pay perhaps, but she would then be left with nothing else.

She seemed to be middle class, and the middle class does not make much little wealth, to him at least. Sure, her clothing was quite good with quality, but her manners weren't all that remarkable and nothing else about her was either.

Polite, is what she was. Quiet, unnoticeable, and polite.

To him, she was a foolish girl that dreamed too much and did little for her own well-being. Truly the epitome of moronic whelps.

After he left the restaurant, he watched from a distance. Through the window, he saw her tempt to pay, only to be denied. He smirked, perhaps he should visit this particular restaurant again and maybe even invest a bit?

He felt his phone buzz, his father typed, wanting to be updating on the status of the girl. It became apparent that some of the hooligans are now aware of his sudden punish- mission. Yes, this is a mission.

Protecting such weak plebeians is the duty of his father and him, also the unsightly hooligans- not well in his opinion- but he shall add them this once.

"Father is surely proud of how 'considerate' and 'generous' I am.", he believes, "Excessively so."

------

The day ends with Marinette safely returning home and the still mysterious young man facing his mismatched family.

The young man remained considerate as he ignored the jeers of the hooligans until he realized, he didn't have to any more and retorted as though his words came from the high heavens.

---------

The next time he checked in on the young lady, he had some knowledge of her background he shouldn't and decided to continue to see to it that she is well taken care.

"It's called being an arrogant, egotistical xsshxle with a God complex. She doesn't need your 'consideration', she is not a charity case!"

One loud problem claimed as he tuned him out.

---------

The young man did visit the restaurant once more and she was there. She would visit often and order the same thing as he had the first time. There were times she ordered something else and he would try things she experimented with, minus the meat.

She ordered meat less and less the more she came to the restaurant, he noticed. He had no clue why, since she obviously had no problem eating it.

He didn't order sweets as often as she did, but he would on occasion, get something with a little bit of sweetness to it; like the dried fruit sandwich with any type of sauce it can come with. The sandwich had fresh, and air dried fruit. There would be other ingredients and such to change the flavor of the sandwich, making it a popular item on the menu.

------

Change Perspective

--------

She felt like she has seen the same guy a lot over the past two months and is slightly worried. After some thought to it and the more she believed she was over thinking it and that it was pure coincidence. She did know, however, he had good taste in food and art. Plus that animals are so cute!! He couldn't be all bad if animals liked him.

She would walk a little closer and sometimes walk a little farther from him and since he never moved, she felt better. It really was a coincidence to her knowledge.

Eventually, she would would stop seeing him. He was a tourist, so of course he would leave at some point. Still, she was a little sad.

Oh well, school is starting soon, maybe she'll make friends to fill the loneliness her pretend friend left her.

She liked to pretend this stranger was her friends and that they hung out, since she saw him in most places that she was. She saw him at the restaurant and sometimes the park and rarely he would be at the museum. Technically he wasn't everywhere and not as frequent as she made it seem like he was, but if was often enough to remember him.

"You should have talked to him, get his number."

"But then he might have thought I was hitting on him! I just wanted a friend..."

"Sweetie, look on bright side! Either you can cherish memories that made you happy or you can forget him and move on. You don't know what life has in-store for you, it could be fun!"

"Thank you, mom. You too dad, I will see what happens."

"On that note, want help me frost some cakes?"

"Yes!!!"

-----

The end.

#marinette #au #maribat #damian #daminette

67 notes · View notes

thepettymachine · 4 years

Photo

A Different Kind of Jam Legacy Challenge for TS3

Honestly I just wanted to make another challenge that involved colors and had a theme but then it changed into something completely different so I thought I share.

The Jam Legacy is a 9 generation legacy challenge based on fruits you can put into jams/jellies and has a specific color palette if you choose to go with it. Each generation is a quirky bunch and meant for some weird gameplay. So if you enjoy weird gameplay, nice fall colors, and maybe 9 generations of fun, this might be your jam.

For those who wish to do this in TS4, @nadzicle created an excellent conversion of this.

Tag: jam legacy or “@” me

Rules:

All requirements that are needed for the generation are in the “Ingredients” section.

Have fun and do what you want.

Gen 1: Strawberry

Everyone loves strawberries. They are sweet and popular just like you. You love getting to talk and meet new people at every chance you get and everyone loves how friendly you are. But your desire to help people has been the main driving point in your life. As you tend to others, you also tend to neglect taking care of yourself. As a workaholic, your house is a mess, your children don’t get to see you anymore, and your personal life is in shambles. Need to take some PTO if you ask me.

How to make Strawberry:

Ingredients:

Career: Doctor

LTW: Super Popular

2 Traits - Workaholic & Slob

20 Friends

Skill - Charisma

Directions:

Must have the Workaholic and Slob traits

Have 20 friends and maintain those relationships until the next generation.

Neglect your children’s skills (No teaching toddler skills, helping with homework or teaching teens to drive)

Can only clean the house once a week.

Must cancel any other interaction and no outside help

Master the Charisma skill

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 2: Peach

Peaches are nice and juicy, just like your creative process. You enjoy creating as it brings joy to you and those around you. But as a child, your parents neglected you as they were focused on anything and everything but you. So you found love from others and in other places where you felt like you mattered. You deserve a treat and you also treat your children to whatever they want. They’re spoiled rotten.

How to make Peach:

Ingredients:

Career: Self Employed (Painter/Writer/Sculptor)

LTW: Illustrious Author

3 skills - Painting, Sculpting, and Writing

10 Lovers

Found Family

5,000 dollars

Children

Directions:

Master the Painting, Sculpting, and Writing skills.

Have 10 different lovers throughout your lifetime/at the same time

Go to the spa/stylist once a week because you deserve it

Have a maximum of 5,000 in household funds. Any amount over you spend on unnecessary items/furniture/activities

Have a close relationship with your children (spoil them rotten)

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 3: Grape

You’ve always had a dream where you had a big beautiful ranch that would allow for you to take care of your horses in peace as you flaunt your wealth to those who envy you. But working hard for that money is just too much of a hassle unless someone has already done the work for you. If you want to maintain your dream, I guess you gotta marry big or have them die trying. In the meantime, you invest your money into the local businesses around town and have a side gig for nectar making. Then invite those haters to your ranch only for them to be reminded just how much better you are than them. Have a sip of that wine.

How to make Grape:

Ingredients:

Career: Equestrian

LTW: The Jockey

Skills: Nectar Making, Mixology, and Riding

3 pieces of property

2-3 horses

A ranch

Directions:

Own a ranch/farm that’s worth more than $150,000+

Have 2-3 horses

Master the Nectar Making, Mixology, and Riding skills

Host a big party at least once a week

Own 3 pieces of property in town

Win a competition on the highest level for Racing

Marry a rich sim and have them mysteriously die from unknown circumstances

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 4: Plum

You’ve always believed that the universe has the answers to the questions you’ve always wondered. Like why is the sky blue? What really happened to Bella Goth? Was my parent really killed for the insurance money or the inheritance of the ranch? Sometimes these questions are left unanswered which is why you investigate the truth, supernatural or not, because it is waiting out there to be solved. Might as well document it for the views.

How to make Plum:

Ingredients:

Career: Private Investigator

LTW: Pervasive Private Eye

Skills: Logic and Social Networking

A 5 star blog

1 death

1 death flower

A death cure (ambrosia & death fish)

Directions:

Master the Logic and Social Networking skill

Have a 5 star blog

Have a death flower in your inventory so you can meet the Grim Reaper and beat death once

Have a sour relationship with your living parent and bring back your dead parent (if you can/applicable)

Be turned into a supernatural and then find the cure to be turned back (optional to be human again)

Be abducted by aliens and have an alien child.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 5: Pumpkin

There’s always been an obsession with finding ways to tinker and fix things with you. You’ve always found comfort in creating something with your bare hands and you tend to enjoy your own company and make few friends since you live far away from everyone else. It’s mostly because you need the space for your inventions and experiments with time travel. Wait what?!You also pride yourself by living off your own land and deciding not to feast on your animal companions you find in the wilderness as they are your only friends.

How to make Pumpkin

Ingredients:

Career: Inventor

LTW: Renaissance Sim

Skills: Inventing, Handiness, and Science

3 children

5 woodland creatures

Trait: Vegetarian

Directions:

Master the Inventing, Handiness, and Science skills

One of your children have to be from the time machine

No more than 3 kids in the household

House must be as far away from the town as possible

Own at least 5 small pets in your home.

Everything you cook must come from your garden, so no grocery shopping from the fridge

Must have the Vegetarian trait.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 6: Pomegranate

As a child, you’ve always wanted to see the sights and travel from your little corner of the world. But your heart has always yearned for a big family you never received for when you were younger. To have two worlds come together, you decide to do most of your traveling in spring/summer and stay at home in the fall/winter seasons. When you’re at home, you spend time with your children and cook their favorite meals all while joined by the fire. And when you’re not at home, you are traveling those big adventures you’ve always dreamed of doing and to bring home the stories and souvenirs your loved ones will enjoy. What a good life indeed.

How to make Pomegranate:

Ingredients:

Career: Stay at Home Parent

LTW: Seasoned Traveler

5 children

Skill - Cooking

Directions:

Spouse has to be from a different world than you

Have 5 children and have a great relationship with all of them

Master the Cooking skill

Celebrate each holiday at least once.

Cook everyone’s favorite meal at least once

Own a complete collection of artifacts from any destination

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 7: Orange

Listening to stories growing up about meeting new people and exploring new worlds has put the call of adventure into your heart. But with the limited time in this world and so many resources on your hands, you’re kinda indecisive about what to do. So basically you just do about everything on an impulsive whim. Joined a band, check. Streak in public, check. Fought a shark, check. Got eaten by a cowplant and lived, check. Turn everybody into a zombie, thought about it. Go to the future and create a dystopian future, oh there’s an idea. Yeah you’re not settling for a while. Not until you find your greatest adventure.

How to make Orange:

Ingredients:

LTW: Jack of all Trades

1 best friend

10 skills

10 jobs

3 moves

1 great adventure

Directions:

Know 10 skills but never master any of them

Spend your life finding the greatest adventure that no one else in your family has done before.

Greatest adventure is defined by you and what you believe is an adventure.

Marry your best friend as an adult

Move 3 times in your lifetime

Have at least 10 jobs under your belt (but you don’t have to reach the highest level in any of them)

Do the most dangerous inappropriate stuff at least 3 times a week.

Streaking/Skinny dipping/making out with a married person/fighting a child/etc

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 8: Kumquat

You can’t stand the status quo of things and you definitely can’t stand the injustice that society normalizes. So something has to change, rather through art or always fighting the system, you believe in changing the world. One step at a time.

How to make Kumquat

Ingredients:

LTW: Street Credible

Rebel Status

2 local protests

1 skill - Street art

3 enemies

1 change to the world

Directions:

Pull pranks as a teenager on all your neighbors

Get kicked out of college

Reach level 10 of the Rebel status

Protest at least 2 times a week

Master the Street art skill

Have 3 enemies

Can not have a typical career/9-5 job

Contribute to the future - create a utopia/dystopia for the future, become a politician as an adult or become a teacher to teach the youth. Up to you.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Gen 9. Blackberry

Growing up, you’ve learned how to always fight for the things you love. Through the strums of your guitar, you’ve created a melody that others can get behind when they are sad, angry, or happy. It’s the battle cry of your performance and the applause of the crowds that keep you going. It’s just that sometimes you wish you had someone to keep you going when things get rough as well. At least you have your bandmates, right?

How to make Blackberry

Ingredients:

LTW: One Sim Band

Career: Band member/Singer

4 Skills: Guitar, Drums, Piano, and Bass

2 failed relationships

1 comeback tour

1 true love/soulmate

Directions:

Master the Guitar, Drums, Piano, and Bass Skills

Create/Join a Band

Have 2 failed relationships before finding the one

True Love Checklist - Attractive, Compatible Sign, 2 similar traits, and the Virtuoso trait

Become a 5 star celebrity

Quit the band to have a solo career as a Singer

Reunite as elders for your comeback tour

Thank you for trying this challenge. Feedback is always welcomed.

Edit: 10/22/21

#this took me about a month and a half #i was too stubborn to abandon it for something of a simple theme #but i just didnt want to do the nsb and decided to make something different #so enjoy my challenge if it works for you #sims #ts3 #the sims 3 #sims 3 #ts3 challenge #ts3 legacy challenge #jam legacy challenge #this is why ive been mia lately and also cause im tired from work #might play this later

694 notes · View notes

skellebonez · 3 years

Note

if you still wants prompts, how about 9 with red son after being taken in by tang and pigsy, seeing how they, mk, mei, and sandy all act around each other and being completely bewildered and out of his element around an actually affectionate family dynamic?

I had an idea a while ago about what might have happened if WBS had left one of those wisps that possessed the Bull Clones in DBK after episode 10, something she could use to try to manipulate him much more subtly and from a distance behind the scenes, so I'm gonna play around with a smidgen that here (so this ended up a little long... ok a lot long... SUPER LONG, 2K words). This is set between episode 10 and the Lunar New Year special, a little canon divergence.

How long have you been standing there?

The last few weeks hadn't been easy on anyone, but it hit Red Son harder than anyone else. Everyone had been hurt, physically at least, but Red’s hurt was on a deeper level... he'd thought everything was at least back to the status quo after Xiaotian had fought his possessed father.

He had no idea that the fight would be the catalyst for being forced into leaving his parents.

Oh, he had tried to stay. For a while everything had actually been pretty ok, his father was less cold and one minded on gaining power, but it quickly became apparent that something had gone wrong. He tried to talk reason into his father when he began to lash out at him, a little more every day, but after what had happened last time he couldn’t argue without his chest feeling tight and the words sputtering as they escaped his lips. His mother had tried as well, and she had managed to get through to him for a moment before that familiar blue light shone in his eyes and they realized exactly what had happened.

It was at her urging that he leave after that. For his own protection, she said, and Red didn’t know why that brought up so many conflicting emotions. DBK has fixated on him at the White Bone Spirit’s insistent manipulation, once again latching onto the notion of him being a traitor (and that hurt even more the second time around somehow) and she feared she would not be strong enough on her own to keep DBK from nearly succeeding in what he had failed to do last time. They had agreed on a plan, one that would have PIF playing along and pretending to banish her son so she could try to keep DBK under her watchful gaze while Red Son was at the very least out of harm’s reach.

It hadn’t taken him long to realize that he wasn’t safe anywhere alone. His mother had kept in contact with him at first, back when he tried to stay in his old apartment. DBK had made short work of that plan and Red realized quickly that if his father considered him a traitor and his mother wanted his safety before anything else he would need to swallow his pride and do the one thing he hadn’t planned on trying.

He went to Pigsy’s Noodles and asked for shelter... After he was body slammed by Noodle Boy and his two companions there, naturally. He supposed now that the reaction was relatively warranted.

The first thing they asked him was “How long have you been standing there?” since he was completely soaked in the rain that was pouring outside.

It was the scholar, Tang, who had listened to him most out of anyone. He seemed to be well versed in the stories of the White Bone Spirit and knowing the fight Xiaotian had put up against his father (and seeing the news stories of DBK smashing a random apartment) he was more than willing to give him a chance. Xiaotian had seemed willing to help after a time and once his stomach started growling and he admitted he had not eaten a full meal in over a day (and had been eating the worst meals he had in a while due to always being on edge) while hiding Pigsy had scowled and told him to sit down and wait. It was an awkward silence that fell over everyone.

The bowl of soup the pig demon placed in front of him was the best looking and smelling thing he had seen in days and he could barely hold himself back from scarfing it down. It was delicious, not that he was ready to admit so out loud. “Perfectly adequate” was what he had said when asked, around a full mouthful of noodles no less. He doubted it fooled anyone.

Though he hadn’t known what to expect when he asked for help, where they would send him or if they would even say yes. He thought maybe he would be sent to stay with Sun Wukong, though that would have been the worst possible outcome given their less than stellar history, or been told to stay with Xiaotian in his cramped tiny apartment. What he hadn’t expected was Pigsy to lead him out by the shoulder with a firm grip toward his and Tang’s apartment.

They’d given him their spare room and an old mattress and a set of rules. No going off on his own for his own safety (though he had a sneaking suspicion they also didn’t fully trust him which was honestly fair). He would work with Xiaotian on his deliveries or in the Noodle Shop (the idea of driving with Noodle Boy all day made him shudder and he hoped he would be set to work in the kitchen instead most days, but he bit his tongue). He could leave only if he stayed with Xiaojiao or Sandy. No catching things on fire (again, fair). Try not to fight with Xiaotian and Xiaojiao too much.

They tried to work out some kind of payment but he knew his father had no idea how bank accounts worked so he assured them he would at least be financially stable.

And things just... fell together somehow.

In time he started calling Xiaotian and Xiaojiao by their names rather than the nicknames he has given them. He found he actually quite liked Xiaotian’s music and driving delivery routes was not as bad as he feared. Xiaojiao had shown him the wonders of street racing (in disguise and the less Pigsy and Tang knew the better) and they bonded over mechanics. He had met Sandy and his many cats and learned that he was both a cat magnet and, according to Sandy, needed anger management (and also bonded with him over mechanics). He’d seen Sun Wukong only once, very briefly and neither saying a word in awkward silence. But somehow he could tell the monkey looked sad as he flew off back to Mount Huaguo.

Soon enough Pigsy had allowed him to help making soup and as it turned out while his own preferences for spicy food weren’t exactly popular with most normal clientele it drew an entire new group of food challengers. Pigsy seemed more than appreciative of this.

Tang, meanwhile, was overjoyed to have someone to talk to about all his stories and scholarly pursuits that wasn’t just Xiaotian and an annoyed (if, Red eventually realized, affectionately so) Pigsy. It was honestly quite fun to discuss topics he knew about and learn things even he had not known, learn how humans had passed down stories of demons he knew long ago, and just enjoy mildly antagonizing Pigsy in good fun.

This was all stuff he almost could have anticipated given what he knew about them all already. What he hadn’t anticipated was how... affectionate they all were.

Oh, some things he expected. Pigsy and Tang constantly being together? That wasn’t much unlike his parents. Xiaojiao grabbing him in hugs and pulling him around? He had seen how she was with others, that seemed in her character. Xiaotian bumping shoulders with him all the time? Much the same. Granted, he flinched every time this happened out of reflex.

But his confusion had started when Pigsy had ruffled Xiaotian’s hair on the first day Red Son worked in the noodle shop. The action baffled him, especially when the other young man swatted away the chef’s hands in annoyance, but there was a smile on his face and a laugh in his voice that belayed that he hadn’t hated the action.

He saw how much Xiaotian and Xiaojiao hugged, threw their arms over their shoulders, playfully punched each other. How Tang would also ruffle their hair and how Pigsy would move Xiaotian with a firm hand to where he needed him to be walking to. How Sandy would just gather everyone up in massive group hugs out of the blue.

He saw how Pigsy sometimes, when no one else watched, gave Tang the free helping of noodles he hassled him for with a smile. How he frowned after Xiaotian as he walked up to his apartment on shaky legs that were tired from a day of work and fighting demons. How Tang and Pigsy would sometimes reach over the counter and hold hands for a second before going back to what they were doing. How one time he had seen Xiaotian and Xiaojiao sitting back to back on his bed when he was sent up to get them and just... enjoy each other’s company.

He heard the nicknames and saw the casual brushes of hands and bumps of shoulders and smiles and gazes and it...

It made him realize how alone he had been with his mother, before his father had returned. How he almost always had Bull Clones for companions as he worked on his machines, how she rarely gave him casual touches of affection. Even after his father had returned she had been somewhat cold to him. His father was far more concerned with opening the box that started all of this, though he did not know how much blame to place on his father’s neglect itself or the influence he was under.

He loved his parents and he was certain they loved him. He had to be certain of that. But he could no longer deny they were not... affectionate.

So when one day Tang had reached out to grab his shoulder he had panicked.

Luckily he hadn’t burned the man, he had jumped back when he felt his hair flaming up, and he apologized profusely (when had he started being apologetic for his actions? maybe he was just afraid they would second guess giving him a chance and kick him out) for almost harming him.

It surprised him even more when Tang apologized and asked if he was the one ok, saying he didn’t mean to startle him and he should have asked before touching him. He honestly didn’t know what to say, staring at the man before Pigsy had managed to get his attention. Again, he apologized, saying he just didn’t expect it and that it was alright. He didn’t care as long as he wasn’t surprised again.

Something changed after that. Every morning when he woke up Tang and Pigsy made it a point to just nudge him in some way after getting his attention. A grip on his shoulder, warm and firm. A nudge on his arm. At first he tensed or flinched just like when Xiaotian or Xiaojiao touched him, but after a while he just... got used to it. Soon their gentle affection didn’t elicit any reaction and after that he realized he was starved for this kind of attention. He wanted more, not much, maybe he could stand his hair being ruffled a bit now.

And so he started to return it. He grabbed Xiaotian’s arm one day to get his attention and the look of surprise and joy on his face told Red that Pigsy and Tang must have told him something. He started sitting closer to him in the tuk-tuk, no longer pushing away when a bump made their shoulders brush together. He sat closer to Xiaojiao when they played video games or worked on blueprints for their rides. He allowed Sandy’s cats to have free reign of him (within reason) and accepted the hugs and nudges the large man had clearly been holding back from him (he was never able to initiate contact first, the other man was too touchy for him to beat him to it).

He started tapping Pigsy on the shoulder at work for his attention. He didn’t sit two seats away from Tang anymore, instead sitting right beside him.

And a few weeks later when Tang reached up to ruffle his hair the same way he did with Xiaotian he paused, looking at Red Son for permission. He nodded his head yes.

He knew why his old rival seemed to like them so much now.

80 notes · View notes

xiaomoxu · 3 years

Text

LUCIEN - Taste Date

SPOILER ALERT!!

A date from CN server which hasn’t been released on EN server yet. Might contains some spoiler.

The projector in the living room flickered, and the music at the end of the movie was intertwined with the warm sunshine. In this space that belongs to me and Xu Mo, there is a warmth day after day.

I looked at the scrolling subtitles on the screen and yawned.

Xu Mo: Do you think the movie is boring?

Xu Mo turned his head and looked at me with a faint voice as always, but the smile in his eyes was a little bit more than usual.

MC: Nope. The movie is very interesting. I especially like narration, music and mirroring.

MC: It's the movie you picked.

As I said, I leaned against Xu Mo again, leaning my head on his shoulder.

MC: I just relax suddenly and feel like I'm lazy

MC: Obviously I did all kinds of imagination before the holiday, but when I could really rest, my brain went on strike, and I didn't even bother to think about the plan.

Xu Mo: However, if you don't plan well, this rest day will also slip away unknowingly.

MC: There is nothing wrong with this principle

MC: Then we will discuss how to spend a full and rich rest day tomorrow.

MC: But right now... just rest with nothing to do for one day, okay?

When I looked up at him, I was amused and blinked earnestly. Xu Mo seemed to squeeze my face helplessly.

Xu Mo: You...

Xu Mo: Do you want to watch another movie?

Before I had time to agree, Xu Mo's phone on the table rang untimely.

The caller is Aming.

Xu Mo pressed the hands-free button after answering the phone, got up and walked to the cabinet where the discs were stored.

Aming: Professor Xu, sorry to disturb you.

Xu Mo: what's happening?

Aming: Do you have any arrangements for today? The previous experiment has made some progress, I would like to trouble you to follow up.

Xu Mo paused when he picked the DVD.

Xu Mo: is it urgent?

Aming: It's not actually too late after the holidays.

Aming: However, there will be a few academic conferences and postgraduate papers that you need to check. Time will be a little tight.

Xu Mo: I know. Leave it until after the holidays.

Aming: Alright professor, take a good rest.

As the phone hung up, Xu Mo also chose the DVD. And I, who was listening silently beside him, suddenly had a thought.

MC: Xu Mo, I have a plan!

Xu Mo: Yes?

MC: Since it's a holiday now, there shouldn't be many people in the research right?

Xu Mo: Well, that's right.

MC: Then I will go to work with you!

As if shocked by my sudden suggestion, Xu Mo raised his eyebrows and said again to confirm.

Xu Mo: Go to work with me?

MC: Yes! This way you can spend the rest day with you without delaying your work.

MC: And it satisfies the condition of "fullness and richness" very well. Isn't it a great idea?

Xu Mo: I do not deny that this is a feasible method....

Xu Mo: But my work is probably not as interesting as you think

I shook my head vigorously.

MC: It is not an opportunity every day to see Professor Xu's work side up close.

MC: This holiday plan will definitely be the one I wanted to start a long time ago.

MC: "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation" project adds an important record!

Although I have “sneaked in” here many times because I gave Xu Mo a lunch box or helped him take care of the plants in the office...

But walking into the office with him in this way and watching him sitting behind his desk up close is still a new experience.

MC: Xu Mo, you just treat me as if I'm not here, just do your usual work normally!

Seeing that I had quite taken out a notebook to record his daily momentum of work, Xu Mo gently tapped on my head.

Xu Mo: Well, now that producer MC is fully prepared, then I will cooperate well.

Xu Mo: But say it in advance, even if you feel boring, you can't run away.

MC: Pftー don't worry, I won't!

I hope our "cooperation" today will be turned well.

I held back a smile, sat pretentiously on the sofa in the corner of his office, and waved to him.

The so-called "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation" project, only "observing Xu Mo" is my real purpose.

The person in front of me always seemed to be able to cooperate with my careful thoughts, and would not pierce easily.

For me, seeing Xu Mo's work in a rare way is already the most interesting thing for me.

Xu Mo sat behind his desk, his narrow eyes could not see emotions, only the light spots on his face swayed playfully with his breathing rate.

We didn't speak for a while, and typing sounds regularly echoed in the office where only the two of us were alone.

Xu Mo: Is it connected to the intranet?

Xu Mo didn't stop his hand movements and spoke naturally

MC: Yep, it's already connected.

MC: However, the network speed of the highest biotechnology institute is really fast

??: After all, we have a lot of data to process, and it will be troublesome if the network cannot keep up.

With a soft knock on the door, a familiar voice heard outside the door.

Researcher: Amin told me that the professor was not coming today, and he was probably going to accompany MC. I saw that the office light was on, and it was strange.

Researcher: Unexpectedly, you came together.

The other party was one of the researchers who followed Xu Mo as a researcher, and I had met Xu Mo several times before.

Xu Mo nodded lightly in response, and I also smiled politely at him.

MC: Do you have a job to talk about? Then I first

Researcher: No, no, I will go back to the lab now. Professor, you are busy, I won't bother you.

The researcher winked at us jokingly and waved away.

Xu Mo raised his eyes and looked at the direction the person was leaving, then smiled and said to me.

Xu Mo: It seems that when I didn't know, the researchers around me had a better relationship with you.

MC: Because everyone is very kind.

Xu Mo: A lot of things have been added to the office unknowingly.

Xu Mo smiled and pointed to the blanket on the sofa.

MC: Of course. My goal is to make it comfortable and easy to work with!

Xu Mo: Then I will wait and see.

In the next few hours, Xu Mo's typing sound never stopped.

Occasionally, a few researchers came in to submit materials, and because they were all familiar people, they directly handed me the documents that needed to be sorted out.

In this way, I also feel a little happy to be around Xu Mo and do something for him.

But....

Xu Mo: Ugh...

Hearing Xu Mo's sigh for many times today, I walked behind him and massaged his shoulders and neck.

You keep sighing, is your work today not going well?

Xu Mo: Is not. It's just that the efficiency is not as high as usual.

MC: Is it too tired?

MC: Xu Mo smiled and took my hand, leaned a little later, half leaning on me.

He took off his glasses and put them on the table. The eyes that looked at me were full of clarity, and there was no fatigue.

Xu Mo: If you are here, I will be distracted.

Xu Mo: Are you hungry, do you want to eat first?

The noon daylight gradually slanted, and the crisp keyboard tapping in my ears stopped.

Xu Mo stood up and moved his shoulder and neck slightly.

The work is more cumbersome than I thought, and it may take more time.

Xu Mo: Why not we have lunch together?

MC: It would be nice if Professor Xu Mo could eat as well as he did today in his usual work.

Xu Mo: With your strict supervision, I am getting healthier day by day.

Xu Mo got up and put on his coat, and naturally brought me a coat and hat.

Xu Mo: For the restaurants nearby.

Seeing Xu Mo's thinking, I interrupted him first.

MC: Today I am here to do "Professor Xu Mo's Ecological Observation", so just go to the place where you usually eat.

Xu Mo: But I usually.....

I can probably guess what he said subconsciously. I squinted at Xu Mo.

MC: Did you really eat well under my supervision?

Xu Mo: ....

Xu Mo: Compared to before, my life is indeed much healthier. Especially the love bento you sent, I ate them on time.

MC: Huh?

MC: What about when I didn't send it? Is it not on time?

I did not let Xu Mo go, but further "questioned" him.

Xu Mo: Overall.... it is on time.

Xu Mo turned his gaze away with a rare guilty conscience, and gave an ambiguous answer.

MC: Then take me to the place where you usually eat now.

MC: I have to supervise the cunning big fox Professor Xu!

Although I am always amused by him accidentally, I will never compromise in this kind of place.

Xu Mo: Alright, I get it.

Xu Mo: In the future, I will follow MC's requirements more strictly and try to ensure that I work and rest regularly.

Seeing that I couldn't help but Xu Mo could only sigh and surrender.

Xu Mo took me to a small restaurant near the research center.

Most of the diners who come and go in the store wear badges from the research center.

MC: It seems that this is still a popular meal of the research center.

Xu Mo and I stood at the end of the ordering queue, looking up at the short menu. The dishes were almost occupied by sandwiches, burgers and pizza.

MC: But the food does not seem to be too rich...

Xu Mo: Yes. After all, people usually think more about how to make eating time the most efficient than enjoying food.

Xu Mo: If you have not forgotten to eat, you will choose food that is portable and can be eaten as quickly as possible.

Xu Mo: So you can finish a meal while walking or working.

Xu Mo didn't look at the menu and ordered a sandwich when it was our turn.

It seems that he does come here often.

The clerk clearly placed the order and settled the bill. The smooth and streamlined movements are in line with efficiency aesthetics.

MC : I'm going the other way with you, and I will never give up any chance to enjoy food

MC: Occasionally, I ran for a cup of coffee during my lunch break.

MC: After all, eating is a very happy thing.

Xu Mo: Yes. Indeed it is.

MC: Xu Mo looked at me as if he missed and said with joy.

Xu Mo: I didn't think three meals a day were important or pleasant.

Xu Mo: But I found it now.

Xu Mo: This feeling is especially strong when you eat the rice cooked by this "Snail Girl".

Almost as soon as I was seated, the clerk had already delivered some nice sandwiches.

MC: Huh? Is this restaurant serving food so fast?

The sandwiches on the tray are very rich in content, some vegetables and meat, and it seems that there is an egg in it.

MC: Is this your usual lunch?

Xu Mo nodded and unpacked.

Xu Mo: The sandwiches in this shop are very popular in the research center.

MC: Is it because the nutrition is balanced and delicious?

Xu Mo: Would you like to taste it?

Xu Mo smiled and split off a corner of the sandwich and handed it to me.

While talking, other meals were also delivered over.

In such a comparison, I always feel that the sandwich in front of me looks very simple.

But as the saying goes, the food is not good.

MC: Well.... the nutrition seems to be very balanced.

I returned Xu Mo with a bright smile.

Xu Mo: Doesn't it taste good? It's better to say that it was just enough to swallow it just now.

MC: ....

MC: It must be that the ingredients used in the store are more particular, right? It can add rich nutrition.

Xu Mo: It's just ordinary ingredients.

Xu Mo: From a nutritional point of view, meat is somewhat insufficient, and the intake of carbohydrates and protein is definitely not enough.

I tried to maintain the smile on my face, somewhat worried whether the store would hear this straightforward conversation and swept us out.

Xu Mo: However, it has a unique advantage that it can become the favorite food in the hearts of researchers at the research center.

I opened my eyes slightly and listened carefully.

Xu Mo: High speed.

MC: What?

Xu Mo: The serving speed is very fast, if it is taken away, the speed is even faster.

MC: So that's all...

Xu Mo: Someone once did statistics...

Xu Mo: If you order this sandwich in this restaurant, you can save at least 13 minutes and 22 seconds even during peak dining periods.

As I listened to this so precise and unnecessary data, my brain gradually emptied.

Does the research scope of the research center cover this kind of place?!

Xu Mo: This statistical report covers all shops within a walking distance of 20 minutes, and the credibility is very high.

MC: That's it, everyone at the research center are so strictㅡ

Xu Mo was amused by my lack of emotional ups and downs, and he pushed my burger toward me.

Xu Mo: But the taste of other dishes should be normal and worth eating.

Sure enough, the beef Hamburg, which looked very tender and juicy, basically reached the standard of "delicious".

Compared with the tasteless sandwich just eaten, it can be called "delicious."

MC: So, do you usually eat this kind of food for lunch?

Xu Mo: Yes. This is considered to be one of the most optimal in all aspects

Xu Mo bit the sandwich in his hand and explained the facts calmly.

MC: Although time is important and this sentence is also very long-winded, I still think three meals a day are very important

MC: After serious work, it is worth rewarding yourself with delicious, nutritious and balanced food.

MC: Eating enough and sleeping well is not only a guarantee of life, but also a statement to myself: Today I am also living seriously.

Facing my serious "preaching" Xu Mo stretched out his fingers to smooth my frowning brows, and smiled a little happier than before.

Xu Mo: It is as expected.

Seeing me looking at him a little puzzled, Xu Mo smiled and fed me a piece of French fries, and continued to speak.

Xu Mo: Several times, when I ate sandwiches from this restaurant, I wondered how you would react if you came here and ate the same food as me.

Xu Mo: When you taste the taste, you will definitely hesitate to say it bluntly.

Xu Mo: You will definitely tell me after listening to my reasons for choosing it, to eat well and take care of yourself.

Xu Mo: My guess was not wrong.

MC: Hm....

MC: Why do you think of me at this time?

Xu Mo: When you encounter all kinds of things, you will always share with me

Xu Mo: Every time I receive a message from you and learn about every bit of your life, I am very happy.

Xu Mo: Of course I would want to do the same thing.

Xu Mo: Rather, it is the most normal thing to unconsciously think of the people you care about in every bit of your life.

Xu Mo's tone was light.

This is indeed an ordinary thing.

But this kind of thing, being said so bluntly and seriously by him, still makes my cheeks hot.

MC: You, why don't you hurry up and try other foods?

MC: This pizza looks delicious. Would you like to try it?

As if to conceal my feeling of making a fuss about "normal things", my body has already taken a step before my reaction.

(karma CG included)

I picked up the pizza just baked and handed it to Xu Mo.

MC: Is it a sweet pizza that you haven't tried before, try it?

Xu Mo didn't take the pizza I handed over, but just bent down and bit the tip of the pizza.

His snort rubbed my fingers, it was warm and a touch of humidity.

The reduced distance is like a switch that flashes a similar scene in my mind.

Xu Mo: is good?

Xu Mo who bit the pizza opened his eyes slightly.

MC: Is the pizza with cheese, blueberry and honey taste too weird?

I looked at Xu Mo's face and tried to find the answer in his expression.

Xu Mo moved closer to my side and bit off the cheese.

Probably the pizza that was just out of the oven was still a little hot, Xu Mo didn't speak immediately, but motioned for me to try it too.

MC: It is good!

On the first bite of the pizza, I also opened my eyes wide and nodded to Xu Mo frequently.

MC: it's nice!

MC: Unexpectedly, there is such a delicious thing hidden in a place so close to the research center!

The little beauty and surprise that I suddenly found, the joy that I shared with my favorite person the first time...

The scent of blueberries and the sweet taste of honey are intertwined, and the heart is full of satisfaction.

Xu Mo: It seems that I am too underestimated and I am too used to this restaurant.

MC: Coming with you today is really rewarding!

Xu Mo: Indeed it is.

As Xu Mo said, he picked up another slice of pizza and handed it to me, his eyes were softer than the lemon-colored sunlight outside the window.

Xu Mo: Even if I'm very familiar with the things I am used to, when I'm with you, it will always be different.

Xu Mo: It seems that as long as I look at you, I won't miss all the beautiful things.

Xu Mo's voice is still so faint, with some warmth and softness in the heart.

MC: In the future, I will continue to work hard to discover the little beauty in life.

MC: So Professor Xu will continue to rest assured with me.

He did not speak any more, just smile and stretch out his finger and wiped the corners of my mouth.

There have been many times when he used the same tone and tone to explain a certain theory and a certain truth for me.

Just now, he told me more facts about himself.

Small, ordinary facts have not been verified by large sections of papers, nor are they new discoveries that shock the world.

But it is absolutely correct and constant like any other law that constructs this world.

It was enough to make my heart beat faster than usual.

--- END ---

I’m sorry if there’s some mistranslation. Kindly tell me if you found some :) thank you for read it~ ^^

#mlqc spoilers #mlqc translation #mr love spoilers #mr love translation #mlqc lucien #mlqc xu mo #mr love lucien #mr love xu mo #mr love date #mldd date #mldd lucien #mldd translation #MLQC

108 notes · View notes

cienie-isengardu · 3 years

Text

Lin Kuei: food

RELIGION <> ORIGINS / ARCHITECTURE <> FOOD <> FOR THE LIN KUEI <> ART <> CRYOMANCERS <> LIN KUEI SOCIETY <> MONEY & MATERIAL GOODS

The continuation of the morgianesffs-blog’s awesome list of questions about Lin Kuei. I initially divided them into smaller categories and the food will be the subject of the essay.

For the formalities, the original questions:

Food. What foods do they normally eat? What foods do they like? What foods don't they like? What foods do they absolutely love so much they'll stop what they're doing to get it?

I guess the Lin Kuei take on food may be stricte pragmatic one - they eat what is available. Preferable something that will keep them in top shape but everything will do, if necessary. Self-sufficiency and the art of survival are part of training so Lin Kuei would not have any second thoughts about eating stuff that people normally would not even think about. At the same time, there is a big chance that every adepts to some degree suffered from hunger and thirst, either as a part of punishment or test for endurance or a simply lack of skill to catch (steal) the food. I doubt the clan cares to feed warriors any fancy food, even more since the Lin Kuei headquarters (Temple / Fortress) is usually located in a harsh environment in which food is hard to grow to begin with. Because of this natural disadvantage, hunting seems like a good additional food source. It fed the clan but also gave opportunity for adepts / warriors to show their skills and gain experience (or in case of coming back with empty hands, bring them shame?). MK: Armageddon had the ice beasts marauding through the Arcika region - killing them could provide: food, furs, maybe some magic ingredients and safety.

Also, Lin Kuei knew about and used portals leading to Outworld - one of old comics, Battlewave #5, outright says the clan had a hidden passageway.

So the Lin Kuei could also get food from different realms, either by stealing the necessary stuff or as payment.. I kinda think that Lin Kuei has a system of related villages that serve the clan and satisfy the material needs like food and clothes. Maybe they pay tribute to the clan out of fear or maybe it is a more symbiotic deal?

Anyway, I don’t think the clan would spoil their people with any fancy food to keep the rigorous discipline in check - albeit the clan could put on a suitable feast in honor of a respected guest/client like Shang Tsung if the occasion required it. At the same time, I don’t think it is forbidden to taste new dishes once the warriors were on mission. Especially not on a long-term kind of job when clan members must pretend to be normal human beings.

Because of that I suspect that those warriors who work undercover in various parts of Earthrealm and/or Outworld may indulge in eating all sorts of food, from expensive to the cheapest trash food. Whatever the budget / occasion would allow them, at least. And who knows, maybe the warriors like to challenge each other to eat the weirdest possible food, as some sort of courage test? Or just for personal fun? You know, like many young people do taste the freedom once they are on their own, far away from a strict “family”?

At the same time, in times when there is not enough food, I can see the best parts or full portions being given to the most useful / essential members so the position in hierarchy may influence what and how much warrior is allowed to eat. Because let's be real here, (the old) Lin Kuei does not have a good track with empathy for weaklings.

Now, I’m gonna head into headcanon-ish territory, so keep that in mind, please.

I know it is a pretty popular joke (included even in the game itself as part of “friendship” finish moves) that Sub-Zero likes ice cream but honestly, I do think that cryomancers in fact prefer cold food over anything else.

(Human hybrid) Cryomancers are said to develop their powers as an young adults(*) and growing the freezing skills with passing time (which Bi-Han being the exception to the rule because he developed ice ability earlier than usual), so the older they get, their bodies are more and more adapted to hold the toll of cryomancer nature (like temperature dropping to negative degrees?). So getting inside them anything remotely warm sounds more like torture than feeding.

(Of course, it could be the other way, as needing the hot food to keep cryomancers from freezing from inside but the drastic temperature differences are not human-friendly. First aid in case of frostbite even cautions against heating the body too fast with too high a temperature to avoid negative effects. Which is why I’m sticking to cryomancers preferring cold food over anything warm)

The cryomancer kids may be less sensitive to the difference between temperature of their bodies and eaten food / drink - though I suspect cryomancer genes should not be dismissed even at such young age - but in all fairness, I can’t imagine Bi-Han or Kuai Liang eating anything else than raw food, preferably not touched by fire or at least deep-frozen / cold and ice-creams are both cold and can provide necessary minerals / calories to keep them going.

So yeah, I can totally see Bi-Han and Kuai Liang buying dozens of ice-cream boxes for breakfast, dinner and supper like it was the normal thing in the world. And probably keeping various deep-frozen foods in the fridge and eating it raw. To Tomas, Sektor or Cyrax’s horror, whoever was unlucky to be stuck with cryomancers on an undercover mission. Okay, I lied. Bi-Han would probably just send others to do the shopping so he would not need to deal with annoying people.

Bi-Han and Kuai Liang are capable of eating and drinking hot food because they were forced to learn that. That is why Kuai Liang was capable of brewing tea and why he used such a ceremony as a sign of good will toward Hanzo Hasashi even though drinking hot tea is, by nature, painful.

As for taste, I think both Bi-Han and Kua Liang like plain flavors. Especially Bi-Han with his minimalistic nature. Kuai Liang seems more willing to taste different food and drink under Smoke’s challenge or suggestion. Ice creams may be the exception but less because cryomancers care for taste in itself and more because they are okay to eat any flavor as long as it is cold and available. Otherwise, they may just freeze various liquids (water, milk, juice) and eat them as ice creams. Something that actually could be pretty frustrating for other warriors if they left a carton of milk out of sight for a moment only to find Bi-Han or Kuai Liang freezing it and eating its content with a spoon. Because of that, the idea of coffee or tea with milk could be problematic (controversial) matter. Bi-Han accepts only Hydro’s need for milk added to coffee or tea - once Hydro gets it, the rest of milk is a fair game. And Cyrax seems to be bold enough to guard any open carton of milk or juice and keep it out of reach of Bi-Han, especially if he was the one responsible for shopping.

(Also, if Bi-Han even decided to smuggle the outside food for young Kuai Liang, I think it wouldn’t be anything sweet. More like frozen french fries just to tell his little brother how earthrealm people eat it heated up. Just imagine the shock and outrage of little Kuai Liang at the human stupidity!)

Comics!Hydro, as a close companion of Bi-Han is the most used to weird cryomancers eating habits. Because of water-related powers, Hydro likes everything liquid or with liquid consistency - soups, broths, jogurths, smoothies, everything will do. Somehow not really into meat. Also, the one advantage of such power is that Hydro can feed on water if necessary.

In contrast to cryomancers, I imagine Tomas actually likes deeply fried or smoked stuff. Because without a fire there is no smoke and I like to think Enenra draws energy from fire / heat. Except the moments when Tomas is triggered by something from his past - then the smell or taste of burnt / burning meat (skin, hair) disgust him completely. May actually not like ice creams. Otherwise, he likes Czech food or in general, Central European / Central Eastern European cuisine because its taste is one of few things he remembers from his previous life. This is Tomas’ comfort food.

For me, Sektor with his obsessive behaviour is the one that tries to balance his food and reject the idea of eating anything for fun or out of curiosity. He wants to be in perfect shape and does not care for taste at all. To some degree, he also worries about how the foreign food will affect his strength, weight or body shape when on a long-term mission. The same as Bi-Han, Sektor is the last person that should be sent on shopping. However in case of the older Sub-Zero the problem lies in his abrasive nature and how he doesn’t conform to social norms (thus standing out too much) while Sektor won’t buy anything unless he reads the whole ingredients list and all additional information put on the package. Which means a shopping trip that takes like 10 minutes at best for other warriors usually takes Sektor around two hours, at least. You send him alone to shop for food and you are going to be hungry for the next few hours.

Considering how Cyrax is the most normal (balanced) Lin Kuei, he probably has the most healthy approach to food. Will eat anything that looks good, including fast foods ‘cause why not, it is cheap, edible and takeaway. And trust Cyrax to convince Sektor to eat that damn food too (the trick is to not let Sektor read what is - or is not - inside his meal). I don’t think Cyrax has a favorite kind of food because he doesn't like to limit himself. The same as Smoke, he may miss cuisine from his homeland but the general idea is to enjoy small pleasures like eating good food with companions.

Also, Cyrax is the only one that should be trusted with a shopping list if the Lin Kuei group for some reason ends in a shopping centre. A shopping list and the control over the trolley.

(Frost, like Bi-Han and Kuai Liang is all about cold / frozen food)

(*) From Mythologies Sub-Zero: “Sub-Zero learned of his ability as a young adult [...]. The ability to harness the element of cold is one that takes years of practice. It's full potential realized only by those who've mastered it at the latest stages of life. Sub-Zero's skills have the ability to develop much faster than those of the other Lin Kuei.” The fact that Bi-Han A) learned of his ability as a young adult and those B) develop much faster than usual at least suggest most modern cryomancers get their ice powers rather as grown up.

36 notes · View notes

fangirlyah · 4 years

Text

✦ pumpkin pie - Edmund Pevensie x Reader

summary: MODERN!AU secondary school starts, and your life is completely different from the pevensies’...would it be possible for them to connect in some point?

warnings: none

word count: 2k

a/n: present / past

the rain was pouring outside of the apartment on a sunday afternoon. even from your bed you could hear the soft sound of the bonfire in the fireplace burning out and smell the scent of the coffee you did a few minutes ago.

being in college wasn't easy, not just because of all the work and study you had to do, but also because it meant being apart of your family for a lot of time. you were lucky though, edmund was by your side.

you met at secondary school and hate each other right away. he was this bad boy wannabe with the perfect life and you were the girl who always wore a smile on her face, even in the darkest times.

there’s a saying that the adviser and helpful friend was the most hurt one, and in this case it was true. an empty home and a cold meal waited for you every day after school; you were the few people in school who didn't live there, you weren't a pupil because of the fact that you lived only five minutes away from school, so no one walked you to your house or make you company for a few streets. sometimes you thank that, because you knew no one would appear at the door to welcome you home and it embarrassed you a little.

at the age of eleven, you already had a key to your front door and you knew how to make a meal from scratch, your mother said it would help you in the future, but sometimes you just wished to watch your mom make dinner and help her with it, like all the other kids. but you were mature enough to know that, since your dad left you, your mom had to work double shifts to pay food and expenses.

a thing you liked to do when you ate at the kitchen counter alone, was to close your eyes and imagine the pevensies sitting beside you. a large table and exquisite food in it, everyone laughing and having a good time.

being an only child wasn't easy, so when you watched the two brothers and sisters being so close you usually felt jealousy, you were so alone and so scared to admit it. you had friends who never came to your house nor knew your situation. one of your friends was susan pevensie, although she was older, you two had made an incredible bond when a school assembly took place and you two ended up sitting beside one another.

for someone would be weird to hear that you hated edmund pevensie when you held such an admiration for the closeness of the family. but there was an encounter once that made you burn that feeling in your skin.

it was in the first week of school, you were still a little girl and he hurted you some much and edmund didn't even know. you remembered that it was lunchtime and you sat beside the first person in sight, no one was friends with anyone yet. that morning your mom had put you into a taxi cab and sent you to secondary school like a package, she put the ingredients of a sandwich in a lunch box and you put it together on the way to school.

if you think very hard, you could still feel the embarrassment you felt when you took your badly done sandwich.

“who made that foulness?! does your mother doesn't cook for you?” edmund was still a kid when he said that, so he didn't know that not everyone had a mother who cooked fancy meals every day. he was still a kid to notice how much you started hating him after that. in fact it took years for him to find out your dislike. he realized one day you greet peter, susan and lucy but not him; edmund didn't think too much of it, a lot of people didn't find him dearing.

“christmas eve is in two weeks! this few months passed in a rush” one of your classmates said, she had always been fond of any holiday celebration.

“what are you guys going to do?” every girl at the table started talking, the only thing that you could hear over all of the crashing voices was that katie was planning on visiting her grandparents at yorkshire.

“and you, y/n? you didn't say anything” of course susan would notice, you slapped yourself in your thought; it would have been more simple to say some nonsense while everyone was speaking. now the attention was on you and you only had a few minutes to think of a movie scene you had watched, and make it yours. what did blair waldorf do for christmas eve in season three?

“I think my grandma it's coming..” lie, she was dead “she makes this amazing ginger cookies every year” lie, she sucked at cooking while alive.

everyone seemed convinced, you weren't an open book so that simple false details of your life left them satisfied. but again, not everyone. susan pevensie had stopped you by the stairs and invited you to her home for christmas eve’s lunch. you accepted right away, saying that your grandma had texted you saying she wasn't coming; you knew she didn't believe but she left you alone, so it was enough.

when the day came around, you stood in front of a mirror. your sixteen year old self adorned by a delicate dress, nothing special just an a-line dark purple dress. you opened the clutch bag on your hand and counted the pounds inside, it was enough for the train you just had to resist the urge to buy a snack from the trolley.

the pevenises’s house was thirty minutes away from yours, so before you stood in front of the principal door, you had time to rehearse what you would say or how you would act. the idea that susan may have told her family about your solitary christmas situation, put you more nervous. you decided to push the thought away, but when you saw her mom open the door with such a pity face, you realized you were right. you knew that the woman didn't do it with any bad intentions but you felt bad when she grabbed the pumpkin pie you had made and watched you with even more sorrow.

nevertheless, the night was pretty good. better of what you had experienced if you had stayed and ate spaghetti freshly thawed.

“we are really glad you made it, y/n” peter said while he served more potatoes on his plate.

“I'm actually the delighted one, this food is really appetizing” lucy smiled beside you, proud that she had helped her mom do all the food.

“what would have eaten at home? I know you are a great cook!” your friend susan said “she makes the best cinnamon cookies ever!”

“emm...probably i would have made some pigs in blankets and some brussel sprouts for my mom” it was the first time you talked sincerely with someone about what happened inside of your home.

“is your mom not such a great cook as you?” mister pevensie asked.

“she doesn't have the time to, so... i learned how to do it and now I’m better than her” while his family laughed, edmund realized why you hate him so much. it was years ago, but still to that day he wondered why the pretty and nice girl was softhearted to everyone but him. now he knew, edmund had hurt her feelings in first year and it seemed that she didn't forget.

the classes returned to normal, after the holidays, he tried his best to like you. edmund had tried carrying your books, helping you with chemistry when you struggled and even checking that you are not forgetting anything in the classroom when you went home. you kindly rejected his offers; a part of you still had resentment but the other one told you it was stupid to keep umbrage to something that happedns years ago.

it wasn't still a friday afternoon, it was raining and you hadn't brought a coat to school. it was the only evening they had free, and edmund decided to ask if you wanted him to walk you home, even if it meant wasting his entire afternoon.

for the first time you accepted.

the first two streets were a complete silence. in the third you talked.

“i know i already thank your sister, but...i just...i had a great time at your house before the holidays, so thanks...again” the freckled boy giggled at your adorable shyness, making you smile. you always knew he was a handsome young man, but..since when the school blue hat suited him so well?

that phrase started what would be a nonstoping conversation until you reached your house. turns out edmund liked your pumpkin pie a lot, and he wanted to ask you if you would do some for him but he didn have the courage; you told him he didn't have to be shy around you, but you were around him. your house wasn't as big as the pevensie’s, but it was big enough for three two people.

“thank you for coming with me, I know this cost you your free afternoon” no one was home, as always, so you had no rush for coming inside but you supposed that he wanted to go back already.

“it’s the least I can do after what I did…” you were facing each other, for the first time ever.

“we were children, edmund” you tried to pretend you didn't care.

“i didn't knew anything about you, that was why-”

“you don't have to pity me” you interrupted him, that's why anyone knew about your mom, because the first thing people did when they found out was to pity.

“I'm not, I'm admiring you” it was true, he thought he couldn't survive in your place; a scramble egg was science for him, imagine making a whole meal. you smiled at him while he did the same.

“goodbye, edmund pevensie” as you walked to your porch you heard him go:

“goodbye, y/n y/l”

the entire weekend your head concocted thousands of ideas of how to talk to him again, what would you be your excuse? after hours of thinking you got the perfect plan.

monday morning you entered the school gate with a little paper bag in your hands. you would be lying if you said that your hands didn't start shaking slightly, when you saw him go down the stairs with a sleepy face. he saw you immediately as your gaze was in the thing you were holding.

“hey edmund” he stepped in front of you, ready to go to the canteen and grab breakfast.

“hello, y/n” kids passed beside you, but neither of you were popular enough to catch the attention.

“I...emm, I cooked some pumpkin pie and… I did too much so I decided to bring you some” lie, you did it just for him, you just ate a bite to taste it. he grabbed the package from your hands with a smile.

“would you eat it with me?”

“hey honey!” edmund’s head appeared at your bedroom’s door “is there any pumpkin pie in the fridge?”

“ed, you are going to get sick of it if you keep eating it like a maniac” you left the book, that was in your hands, at your bedside table as you saw him get inside the room and head to you. he laid down gently on you, giving you a kiss.

“I won’t, I promise” his smell always gets to you, how he smelled so good all the time. you shared an apartment near your collage, and one of its good things was the scent that came out of the bathroom every time he showered.

“you have been eating the same dessert since we were sixteen, and now we are twenty-one, how did you not get tired of it?” that day had been a long one, full of study and stress. so when the night came and the rain started, the first thing you did was to make a nice dinner for you two. he was finishing his coffee and started starving pumpkin pie.

“that pie started everything between us, I can't get tired of it” he kissed your lips and you let his tongue go into your mouth. how was it possible that you ever hated him?

#edmund pevensie #edmund pevensie x reader #edmund pevensie fanfic #edmund pevensie x y/n #fanfic #fanfiction #one shots #y/n #the cronicles of narnia #prince caspian #modern!au #pevensiees

134 notes · View notes