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everybodyscupoftea · 4 years

Text

anyone can cook

rafe cameron x reader

words: 3729

warnings: usual cursing, mentions of drugs

synopsis: college au, four times you cook for rafe and one time he cooks for you

Growing up, your mom taught you the importance of food. For most of your childhood, you loved cooking with her. Learning family recipes, and spending time in the kitchen with her instead of doing homework was thrilling to you. As you aged, you started to resent it, feeling like your mother was perpetuating the harmful stereotype that women are meant to be in the kitchen.

And then you left school early and came home to see the shit your dad was putting your mom through and was forced to immediately take that hard pill to swallow. Perspective was a bitch. Your mom didn’t cook to please your dad, she cooked to keep him happy enough for you to be fooled. It was heartbreaking.

You decided then that you’d not take any time cooking with your mom for granted. She loved you and she wanted you to be happier than her. For her, you could certainly fucking try. It was all going great until the storm that knocked out power, rendered the kitchen useless, and drove your dad’s patience level to its breaking point.

He’d never been that angry before, at least not in front of you. You weren’t sure what to do as he lashed out at your mom and then you, without warning and in the end, without apology. Normally if you were upset, your mom would make cookies with you, letting you use cookie cutters and dirty unnecessary dishes. That time though, you had to figure it out alone.

When you got to college, your parents helped pay rent for your first apartment. It had a good kitchen with lots of room, and your mom bought you a ton of kitchen tools, pots and pans, and other cooking necessities as a graduation gift. Her and your dad helped you move in, and that night, with shaky hands, she held your face in her hands. Tears in her eyes she whispered, “Promise me you won’t stop cooking.”

You couldn’t stop your own tears as you gulped and nodded a little frantically, “Of course not, Mama.”

Rafe lived a very different life. His real mother wasn’t in the picture and his step mother didn’t really want kids, so his experience with cooking was very limited compared to yours. Coincidentally that’s how the two of you met, outside your apartment building at 11:48 p.m. while the fire department sorted out the disaster that was his dinner attempt.

You knew it was his fault because he was very carefully trying to make himself look small. The only reason you knew what had gone wrong was you overheard the fireman talking to the landlord saying it was just a small kitchen fire in 227 and wouldn’t be too much to fix.

It was really out of character, but you walked over to where he was sitting on the curb and sat down next to him, “227?”

His head turned toward you sharply, “Figured me out, huh?”

“You were trying a little too hard to look inconspicuous.”

He shrugged, “Didn’t want a bunch of angry neighbors.”

Which you understood, so you nudged his shoulder with yours, “Well, I’m not angry and I know, but I’m not so sure I’d risk it with her,” you pointed at a lady who seemed to be ranting into the phone.

The boy followed your point and winced, “Yeah maybe not. Cooking clearly isn’t for me.”

“What were you making?”

“Kraft mac and cheese.”

You let out a loud laugh, assuming it was a joke. But then he didn’t meet your eyes or laugh along and you quickly stopped laughing, “Wait actually?”

With a shrug, he answered, “No one really taught me how to cook.”

And here you had a choice. Years and years of stored up cooking knowledge, endless recipes memorized, and a fantastic kitchen begging to be used by more than one person made the choice obvious.

“Well then take this as my standing dinner invitation whenever you want. I’ll give you my number and you can let me know when you’re hungry.”

“So, you’re gonna what, teach me how to cook.”

“Well, we can start small. I’ll cook for you first.”

One:

The first time Rafe texted you was on a night you actually had a fridge full of leftovers, but the boy who lived alone with sad eyes deserved better than leftovers. Rafe knocked on the door a few minutes later and he was dressed similarly to the first time you’d seen him, in sweats and a hoodie, and his hands were folded nervously in front of him.

You let him in, and he followed you to the kitchen, “So what’s on the menu for tonight?” he asked.

“Chicken pot pie,” you told him over your shoulder. You’d turned the oven on to preheat and had the potatoes and carrots chopped already. He stood behind you, peering over your shoulder.

Before you could continue, he cut in, “Is there something I can do?”

You thought for a minute, “You can control the music. My phone is synced up to the bluetooth speaker and I have Spotify pulled up, so have at it.”

Rafe nodded and sat down as you put the veggies into a pot and added water to start boiling them. You quickly went into your cooking zone as Rafe sat quietly queuing up songs. They were from your chill playlist and you appreciated that he was sticking to your playlists, humming along every so often.

By the time you pulled the chicken and veggie mixture from the heat, Rafe was leaning forward in his seat, and he looked excited to see what you’d do next. Reaching down, you pulled out a glass pie tin and looked over at him, “After I press the crust down, will you help me pour the mixture in?”

Rafe nodded eagerly and you made quick work of the pie crust, motioning him to come around the counter. He looked hesitant for the first time since you’d started cooking, and you tried to smile reassuringly. Returning the smile, he moved closer, “What do you want me to do.”

You held out the potholders, “If you pour, I’ll scoop.”

He picked the pot up and slowly poured the mixture into the tin and you quickly scooped the stuff that didn’t pour. Rafe set the pot down and you held the second crust out to him to press on top. He mimicked your actions from earlier carefully, and you couldn’t help but smile. You showed him how to press the edges down with a fork and he did so, slowly. Covering the edges, you let Rafe put it in the oven and then led him to the living room to start a movie while the two of you waited for it to finish.

The pot pie was a family recipe, and when Rafe tried it, the look on his face made it worth him seeing the secret ingredients your mom added to jazz it up. It felt good seeing someone enjoying your cooking again.

Two:

You weren’t entirely sure the relationship Rafe had with his family, but on fried catfish night, Rafe showed up at your doorstep unexpectedly. Fortunately, you had a few extra, so you invited him in for dinner. It wasn’t exactly what he was gunning for when he showed up, but he’d never say no to your cooking.

While you battered and seasoned the fish, he vented about his dad.

“I just don’t understand how a 4.0 isn’t fucking good enough. He’ll never give me any credit as long as Sarah does well in school and plays volleyball, I just want to be good enough.”

His words pulled at your heartstrings, and you found yourself tearing up on his behalf. You paused the music that had been softly playing in the background, “Fuck your dad, you deserve better.”

Rafe laughed drily, “I’ve done some dumb shit, this is my karma. I just don’t like it.”

“I fail to see any mistakes bad enough to warrant a parent totally disregarding their child like that. Did you kill someone or something?”

He shook his head, chuckling, “No, I didn’t kill anyone. But I had a drug problem in high school. I’m clean now, but it was me attempting to get my dad’s attention and it all spiraled out of control. Clearly it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to because my dad just kicked me out.”

You were horrified, “He kicked you out?!”

“Yeah, I went from couch to couch for a while until checking myself into rehab so I could get clean. I was tired of being dependent on something and really I wanted to prove my dad wrong.”

“God, Rafe, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged and you started heating the oil up to start frying. There was an extended pause before he softly continued, “He didn’t let me move back in, even when I showed up clean. News of everything had gotten around town and he didn’t want me to further disgrace the family name.”

Brushing a tear off your cheek, you caught his eye, “Karma will come for your dad someday. You deserve only good things, Rafe.”

With a faint smile, he tapped his fingers on the cabinet, almost nervously, “Maybe one day I’ll be able to see it that way, but for now, I just don’t.”

“I’ll keep telling you until you believe it,” you promised fiercely. And you really meant it.

You finished frying the fish, silence between the two of you. It was no longer heavy and it wasn’t as awkward as the first time, you were proud of the progress. Rafe grabbed plates from the cabinet and at your instruction, the coleslaw you had already made and stored in the fridge.

Courtesy kicked in, and you let Rafe make his plate first. You figured he deserved to feel first choice for once. He almost looked like he wanted to argue, but you weren’t about to back down, so he filled his plate and sat back at the bar, patiently waiting for you to sit down before eating.

You fixed your plate and sat down next to him before squeezing his shoulder, “Thanks for keeping me company tonight.”

Rafe laughed, “Thanks for letting me rant.”

“Anytime.”

Three:

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath and your laptop confirmed what you feared, your last bio exam had gone very poorly. It was just one test, but you weren’t used to seeing such a low grade, and you had to try really hard not to cry. Everything in you wanted to go lay down for days and forget about the rest of your classes, but the logical part of your brain texted Rafe to invite him for dinner.

He showed up not even five minutes later, and you decided breakfast sounded like the most comforting thing. You didn’t want to come across as too needy, so you didn’t mention the bad grade and tried to cover how you were actually feeling.

Unfortunately, the music you had playing gave it away. Rafe took one look at your face and the slight slump in your shoulders, and immediately wrapped you into a hug. You squeezed your eyes shut, fighting the tears, and he held you tighter.

“What happened, bud?”

“It’s nothing,” you tried to deflect, “fucked up on a bio test. We still have a few more, but it’s not a great start.”

“Which bio?”

“Molecular.”

Rafe thought for a few seconds, “I know a guy who has taken that, want me to see if I can get his notes?”

“That would be great actually.”

He smiled, “Good, now why don’t we get some happier music and get to cooking.”

And you could do that. Rafe changed to a playlist he’d made and sent to you a few weeks ago called Good Vibes for Cooking Nights and you couldn’t argue, they were good songs. A Wallows song started playing and you fell into a rhythm of pouring batter and flipping pancakes, feeling immensely better than when Rafe had first showed up.

You were thankful for him, this boy who had totally changed your life in the four months he’d known you. Four months of baring your hearts to each other in your own little ways. Rafe showing up to your apartment looking casual, not at all how he looked normally during the day. You letting him control the music and watch you cook, something so personal and special to you. It was new for the both of you.

Rafe heated up syrup while you quickly buttered the pancakes and washed some fruit for toppings. For the first time, you made your plate and sat down first. Rafe sat down next to you a few minutes later, plate heaped high with pancakes and raspberries.

After a few minutes of eating, the music being the only noise in the kitchen, Rafe turned to you, “You’re so intelligent and I don’t want you to let this one test discourage you. I know you’ll bounce back.”

“I studied so hard,” you told him, almost whispering, “I knew this was going to be hard, but I have no prior experience to fall back on, and it’s killing me.”

“But you’ll learn. Now you know how exams are structured, and you can adjust your studying habits. Next test will go great, I promise.”

You couldn’t stop it, it had been building between the two of you for months, and in your extra emotional state, you acted more rashly than normal. Setting your fork down, you turned to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. Rafe was startled, but turned to face you, not prepared for you to kiss him.

He froze and you almost regretted it, loosening your grip on his shirt, about to pull away embarrassed when he started kissing you back. Rafe tasted like syrup and raspberries, an addicting combination. Unfortunately, you eventually had to pull away to breathe, and Rafe pressed a soft kiss to your forehead while you caught your breath.

He picked his fork back up and smiled widely at you, “So that was nice.”

You blushed, “Yeah, um, sorry.”

“I’m not,” he stole a strawberry off your plate, “I didn’t want to make a move and make you uncomfortable if I was reading this whole thing wrong.”

“You, um, you weren’t reading it wrong.”

“I see that.”

Your blush deepened as he smiled wider at you. You shrugged, “So, what now?”

“Well, hopefully, now you’ll let me take you out and see where we go from there.”

“I’d like that.”

Four:

You weren’t sure if it was an out of sight, out of mind situation, but your parents planned a couple’s trip for Christmas, and you weren’t invited. Which would make this the first time in your entire life you wouldn’t spend Christmas with your family. You had mixed feelings. On one hand, you were hurt at the blatant disregard of you and your feelings, but on the other hand it gave you the chance to spend your first holiday alone with Rafe.

The two of you were eating hummus and doing homework when you decided to bring it up. He was on the floor, and you were on the couch, so you nudged his shoulder with your foot to get his attention, “How do you feel about spending Christmas together?”

He looked back at you with a wide smile, “I feel like it would be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

You grabbed a blank sheet of paper and handed it down to him, “Write down specific foods you want.”

“What do you normally eat on Christmas?” he asked, not taking the paper.

With a shrug, you pulled the paper back, “I don’t know, we normally do gumbo and cornbread and German chocolate cake.”

Rafe grabbed your ankle, shaking your leg a few times, “Let’s do that.”

“You don’t want to add anything?” you asked, hesitant.

He bit the inside of his cheek, clearly thinking, “Maybe we could do a baked mac and cheese. We had those a lot growing up before Mom left.”

“Find me the recipe and I’ll make it for you, bub.”

With a wide smile, Rafe grabbed your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, “You’re the best.”

When Christmas finally rolled around, you woke up early to start cooking. Your mom suggested a Dutch oven, something you didn’t already own, and to buy file powder instead of trying the cornstarch method. She also told you to make the cake a day earlier so you wouldn’t have to worry about it with the rest of the food.

You worked with Christmas music playing softly in the background, focusing on making sure the flour and oil combination didn’t burn before adding the veggies. The recipe wasn’t hard, but it did require a lot of stirring and paying attention and exact timing.

By the time it was ready to start simmering for about 30 minutes, you had started boiling the pasta for the mac and cheese. That recipe was simple, and you’d been playing with the cheese topping in your own time to make the flavor blend better with the gumbo, and you were pretty sure you’d figured it out.

With practiced ease, you finished it and poured it over the pasta before setting it to bake. By then, it was time to finish the gumbo, make the cornbread, and get dressed.

Rafe showed up just as you finished getting dressed and the cornbread timer was going off. He had a key and let himself in, and you knew he could handle taking the cornbread out.

“Babe, I’m here,” he called out as he shut the timer off.

“Coming,” you yelled back, smoothing your sweater down.

By the time you finally made it to the kitchen Rafe had set all of the food on the counter and he was leaned next to it in his own sweater and jeans. He held his arms out for a hug, and you walked into them happily.

“Merry Christmas, babe,” he told you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You hummed and reached up to kiss him.

“Merry Christmas,” you told him, pulling away.

“Food looks good,” he complimented, reaching for the bowls and plates he’d gotten out.

You looked over the spread and smiled proudly, “It does, doesn’t it?”

“You want to eat on the couch and watch the Jim Carrey Grinch?”

Nodding enthusiastically, you grabbed a plate, “Fuck yes.”

The two of you settled on the couch, a gingerbread scented candle burning in the background. Rafe started the movie and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, plate in his lap. You leaned into him and let out a long breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding in. This Christmas, while out of the ordinary, was your favorite one yet.

+ One:

You got home after work, exhausted. Your apartment was dark and cold and it made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. Work had been so time consuming over the past month you’d barely seen Rafe and you missed him. But if you got the promotion your boss had been hinting at, you’d get more manageable hours and higher pay, so you were grinding it out until then.

Dropping your bag by the door, you kicked off your shoes before slowly walking to the couch. Before you could sit down, there was a knock at the door. You considered ignoring it, but it persisted, so you walked slowly back to answer.

Rafe was standing there, giant grin on his face, with a steaming pot of something which explained why he didn’t use his key. It was very surreal and you blinked a few times in confusion before letting him in. He walked past you to the kitchen and set the dish down before digging through your drawer for the matches to light your favorite candle on the counter.

“Go get changed,” he urged, “I’ll get plates set up.”

Your phone rang as you were changing into shorts and you grabbed it out of the discarded pants pocket. When you saw your boss’s name, your heart rate doubled and you answered shakily. The phone call was brief, and the gist was that you’d gotten the promotion and the next day off.

Energy immediately filled your body and you ran to the kitchen where Rafe was scooping out what looked like mac and cheese onto plates.

“Rafe!”

He looked up, startled, “What’s up?”

“I got it!”

“The promotion?” he asked, eagerly.

You nodded, beaming, and jumped into his arms when he opened them. Rafe spun you around a few times and kissed you hard. Slowly setting you back down to your feet, he deepened the kiss, your hands winding into his hair.

Rafe pulled away first, pressing soft kisses to both of your cheeks and your forehead before standing up fully. You let go of his hair and took the hand he offered to you. Leading you to the couch, he sat down and motioned for you to do the same.

“Is this mac and cheese?” you asked, poking at the food with the fork he’d brought you.

“It is. I went on snapchat earlier and realized that it’s an anniversary of sorts. I wanted to make you dinner for once since I know you’ve had a long week.”

“Anniversary?”

A faint blush rose on his cheeks and he cleared his throat, “Um, yeah, a year since we met.”

You laughed loudly, “When you set your fucking kitchen on fire making mac and cheese?”

“A year ago, today. And with your cooking help, I can now make mac and cheese without setting the kitchen on fire.”

Poking at it again, you looked up at him, almost fearing the answer, “This isn’t Kraft right?”

“Of course not,” he scoffed, “I called your mom to get her recipe.”

Biting your lip to hold back the onslaught of emotions, you took in a shaky breath, “Right. Okay. Um, I love you, Bub. And this is genuinely the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Rafe kissed your temple before lifting your chin to make you look him in the eye, “I love you too, and as crazy as it sounds, I’m glad I set my kitchen on fire.”

#rafe cameron #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron fic #rafe cameron x reader #outer banks fic #obx #outer banks #college rafe

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reeesea · 4 years

Text

Something Sweet: Part Five

~sweeter shifts~

one ~ two ~ three ~ four ~ five ~ six ~ seven ~ eight ~ nine

pairing: minsung, jisung/minho

warning: mild language

words: 2k ish

summary: That feeling you get when your friend visits you at work? yeah that. Thats all this is...

a/n: Its been a little rough, but heres a short chapter i hope u enjoy <3

-----------

Felix stood behind the counter at the convenience store on the corner of two intersecting districts. He was a few hours into his overnight shift. Usually he could do homework on these late nights, but with it being summer, he found himself antsy and daydreaming his shift away. His brain was busy re-running his dance routines for upcoming performances and auditions that he had been working on, as customers periodically filtered in the store.

Not many customers came in other than the few students pulling all-nighters and night shift workers coming in for a bite to eat. Felix had begun to recognize a few faces as some had solidified themselves as regulars.

A black hooded figure came in close to 3am. Even though Felix had never really seen much of the guy's face he recognized the black hoodie and mask wearing guy as a regular around his late night shifts. He was interesting, not like the obvious tired student of the late night business worker. He had no idea what it was that brought him to the convenience store at the ungodly hours of the morning.

Felix always liked to make guesses as to what lives his especially mysterious customers lived. He had already imagined the black hoodied regular as a b-list idol group member. Then a gym instructor, but mostly due to the one time he came in with a cut off shirt and Felix was taken aback by the size of the man’s arms. Most recently he imagined that the other could’ve been a bartender, because of the pretty consistent time he arrives in the late am on weekends.

This random Thursday night though, the dark figure, back in his usual hoodie, gathered various energy drinks and cup ramens from the back shelves, and brought them out to the check out.

“Is this all for tonight?”

“Oh yeah thats all”

Felix began ringing up his purchases when the other spoke up suddenly.

“We’ve met before, I’m not crazy or anything right?”

“Huh?” Felix looked up confused as the man usually seldom said anything during his late night purchases.

“Yeah I thought I recognized your name, You’re Minho”s, Jisung’s friend’s, roommate, right?” Felix nodded in return but the confused look on his face sparked the other to remember that he was wearing a mask and hat that covered most of his features. Removing the mask revealed that behind it were the sharp features of Changbin, one of three artists that formed 3RACHA, that Yes, Felix had actually just met that past weekend.

Felix’s eyes widened at the sudden realization that one of his regulars was actually a member of his favorite group of artists. ‘Holy fucking shit, I am actually blind, godamn it Felix’

“Y-Yes, thats me. Sorry I didn't recognize you, I-uh didn’t realize that you, were uh- you.” ‘Smooth Lix wow’

Changbin chuckled at the freckled boys stutter. “That’s alright, I tend to forget that I'm wearing my mask sometimes. Anyway I recognized you when you were dancing last weekend, and when you had introduced yourself.” Felix was trying his best to internalize his anxious starstruck feelings. “We watched your performance, and I was trying to find a day to come here and tell you that your crew’s performance was really good.”

Okay yeah that was it, Felix’s eyes were practically falling out of his head with how wide his expression was. “Really? You liked it? That’s really awesome. Thank you so much. That really means a lot coming from you not gonna lie.” Felix’s pride for his crew was nothing small and the validation and praise from someone he is a fan of himself, makes his heart soar.

The smile on his face is so wide and genuine and the light that flickers in his eyes lit up the whole store, even in the middle of the night. Changbin thought that his smile felt something like sunshine, and reminded him of the warmth Jisung emitted when he was at his happiest, but of course he would never tell the other that. Changbin caught himself smiling back involuntarily.

“Yeah, we’ll have to come watch you guys again sometime.”

Felix nodded vigorously at that and finished checking out the items the older had brought to the counter. Neither of the twos smiles seemed to completely fade from their faces.

“Thank you Felix-ssi, have a good night.”

“You too!” Felix replied and bowed respectively to the older.

Changbin replaced the mask on his face but found himself still smiling at the encounter with the boy as he walked bac home.

[~roomies uwu~]

3:25 am

Lixie:

someone please fuking tell me how stupid i am

Minnie hyung:

we usually dont, to spare your feelings

Lixie:

I just embarrassed myself in front of CHangbin-ssi!!!

ALSO since when did 3RACHA live in this neighborhood

Hes been coming into the store for months

But i never recognized him until now???

I must be idiotic

Someone change my name to ‘blind fool’

It is now the only title i deserve ;^;

Jinnie bby:

It is way to early for you to be this dramatic luv~

Lixie:

The overnight shift drama sleeps for no one >:}

---

“Alright, I’ll put that right in for you. I hope you enjoy your cocktails in the mean time.” Minho flashes his sickening sweet server smile at the couple, before heading to his station to input the orders. There had been a steady flow of customers at Menu 98 keeping Minho busy for his dinner shift. Thankful to not be closing, Minho was doing his best to maintain his polite persona without glancing at his watch too often. Time always passed slower, when he found himself counting his hours.

Before moving on to check on a previous table, Seungmin waves him down letting him know he has a new table to wait, but not before catching his arm. Usually he would find a Seungmin attached to his elbow if the other wanted to share some gossip about a recent customer, or something of the sort. Expecting the same Minho’s ears peaked with interest.

“You got a new table.” That’s unsurprising. “And they’re asking specifically for you.” That’s more surprising.

“Wait, what?”

“I don't know, you tell me. Any rich, wide-eyed, twenty-somethings, you forgot to tell me about, hyung?”

Minho thought the eyebrow raise from the younger was a little much given the circumstances. The few seconds of silence that pass between them gave Seungmin all the information he was looking for but a sigh still escapes his lips at the stubbornness of the other.

“Well one, Han Jisung, is waiting in section B for you.” Seungmin scurries off to return to the front, a suspicious look in his expression. Minho hadn’t really brought up much of his personal life to Seungmin, but the host hadn’t stopped his prodding ever since he had turned up to work, as Seungmin says it, glowing and smiling like a newlywed. Minho wasn’t sure if he was actually acting much different since beginning to talk to Jisung, but apparently the shift in his mood was enough to confirm to his coworker that something was up. Minho already knew that Seungmin would have a field day if he found out that he had actually first met Jisung at the restaurant and hadn’t told him. But keeping his work friend on his toes, spices up his otherwise monotonous job.

---

“Good evening sir, would you like to order any appetizers or drinks to start off?” Minho found himself instinctually throwing on his polite grin and playing the part of a perfect waiter. Well, at least for the time being.

“Hm idk Min-hyung, you ordered for me last time, got any suggestions.” Jisung, seemingly unphased by Minho’s generic opening line, barely looked up from the menu as the older had approached him. Being sure to make direct eye contact, Jisung then smiled cheekily, “but I think we both know I didn’t come here for the fancy food and fruity drinks.”

Minho tried not to roll his eyes too obviously, as his smile morphed into a smirk to match the younger’s, “Perhaps, but if you don't order anything, I'll have to ask you to leave, because sadly, you can not pay just to look at my pretty face.”

“That's a shame I would've ordered five hours of that up front if it was on the menu.” The chuckle coming from Minho was enough to already ease the nerves that Jisung had been feeling since he last saw him.

“Well, Lucky for me, sad for you, I’m not working for five more hours, sorry to disappoint.”

“When do you get off then kind sir?” The goofy voice he used brought back the smile he had been aching to see, and made any of the embarrassment he may have felt worth it.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would yes.” JIsung smiled, batting his eyelashes, a part of him knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy.

“Well not to worry, it looks like I can start you off with some water, and complimentary sides, while I give you some more time to look over the menu.”

“Hyung wai-” Minho walked off but not before sending a subtle wink the other’s way. Jisung ears may or may not have turned bright red, but thankfully, there was no one there to tease this time.

---

Jisung ended up ordering another one of Minho’s suggestions, this time it was a marinated sea bass filet that came with a similar fried potato side to the burger he had chosen the first time. Although the fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, to Jisung it still felt like a fancy version of fish and chips. Minho had giggled at that when Jisung suggested they rename it some bass-related pun, ‘for the kids, ya know.’

“So are you going to tell me how what time you get off, or are really gonna let my dumb ass sit outside the restaurant and wait for how many hours it is until you’re done”

Minho laughed at the image of Jisung waiting for him like a stray outside. “Tempting I'm not gonna lie, but It's not for much longer. AND if you're interested there's a bar next door that may or may not be my usual after dinner shift destination.”

Jisung couldn’t help but smile at that. “REally? That sounds great.” He couldn’t lie that he had spent most of his free time thinking about when he could see MInho next. Probably not the best timing granted that 3RACHA has been busy preparing for their album debut, but a part of him couldn't help but feel all warm inside at the prospect of getting to know Minho better in person.

“Okay, well then i'll see you there? Yeah?”

Minho nods gently with his own giddy smile to match.

The infamous heart-shaped grin was in its full form once Minho had suggested their next meeting place, and Minho could feel his heart leaping at that happiness that Jisung’s smile emitted. Jisung about leaped out of his chair after paying. Practically dancing his way next door to said bar, and for the first time that week Jisung felt like a song was writing itself in his head.

---

“It's him isn't it”

“Who?”

“The reason that your smiling so much, but like actually, not that dead inside expression you give me when I tell you ‘cheer up’”

“Hmmm” Minho’s ability to play dumb? Top tier. Sadly Minho’s ability to lie to Seungmin? Absolute trash.

“Come on Hyung! Just tell me!!!” Seungmin was exasperated. This wasn’t the first time he had confronted Minho about what was going on, and maybe one too many times had resulted in Minho’s signature move, the ‘I don’t want to tell you, so instead will change the subject’.

Fine. “HMM hmmmmmmm….ok….maybe we’ve been talking for a while-”

“OH MY GOD FINALLY! I knew it as soon as he walked in the door. He was all heart-eyes asking for you, and for when you get off.”

“Wait, did you tell him when my shift was over?”

“God no, that's gotta be against some employee code.”

“Oh okay good.”

“But you're off now anyways right? Is he going to wait for you? Are you going out- oh my god he's definitely waiting for you. Have you seen how much he tipped? You sure he isn't some bizarre 20 year old sugar daddy?”

“Seungmin!”

“Okay Sorry, I'm just excited for you. You never tell me anything. All I know about you is that you’re a dancer and you worked in a bar before here.”

“Its was a host bar actually”

“Wait what?!”

“Well, if you look at the time. As you’ve said I have a sugar daddy waiting for me, bye bye now”

“Wait hyung what the fuck!”

---

one ~ two ~ three ~ four ~ five ~ six ~ seven ~ eight ~ nine

#minsung #lee minho #han jisung #straykids au #skz #straykids #straykids han #straykids lee know #i still can tag for shit #kpop fanfic

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eddiegirls · 4 years

Note

do you have some ~easy recipes to make? i want to learn how to cook but i always find myself too tired to make anything when i get home from work /:

hello my friend! so what i find the easiest to throw together is a stir fry bc you can really use any protein and veggies, and it’s usually done in the time it takes to cook the rice.

here’s my stir fry ~formula:

1. start the rice first, bc it takes longest. i use sticky/sushi rice, but anything will work, and you can also do quinoa/another grain. here’s a rice cooking guide!

2. if you’re using tofu (which i usually do), press it right away to drain the water. i use extra firm tofu, and i wrap it in many paper towels, then i putting a cutting board with a heavy pan/book/whatever i can find on top. extra firm usually only needs 15 mins to press, but it won’t hurt to leave it until you’re ready to cook. you can use chicken/fish/shrimp/beef/pork/etc, whichever’s easiest.

3. cut your vegetables. you can literally use anything! i put garlic in everything, but everything else varies. some ideas: onions or green onions, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, bell peppers, carrots, bok choy, snap peas/snow peas, baby corn, water chestnuts (they come canned!), mushrooms, etc. frozen veggies or the pre-cut packs in the produce section are a good idea if you don’t want to chop or don’t have time.

4. cook your protein. for tofu, i usually cut it into cubes and coat them in some flour seasoned with whatever spices i feel like (mine is usually salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and smoked paprika). then i fry it in some vegetable oil. it usually takes like...5 mins on each side, but i generally get lazy and don’t cook every side of every cube lol. you can use pretty much any protein and there’s youtube tutorials for the best way to pan fry all of them. you can also buy a rotisserie chicken from the deli and shred it, or frozen pre-cooked meats, which’ll both save a lot of time.

5. while the tofu/whatever’s cooking, make a sauce. mine is usually a random, unmeasured combination of: soy sauce, honey, some kind of chili sauce (sambal is my fave), garlic powder, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. you can 100% buy a premade stir fry sauce to make your life easier (kikkoman makes good ones, they’re usually in the asian foods section). if you wanna make your own, just start with like...1/3-1/2 cup of soy sauce and add stuff until it tastes good. it’s honestly very hard to mess up.

6. remove protein from pan and cook veggies. as a general rule, hard vegetables take longest. put stuff like broccoli and asparagus in first, then onions, then softer things like bok choy. if you can’t tell if something’s done cooking, stick a fork in and feel how soft it is. if you still can’t tell, taste it. if you’re using frozen, follow instructions on the package. put the garlic in LAST or else it’ll most definitely burn and you’ll be sad.

7. put protein back in w the veggies and pour in the sauce. cook it for a few mins to thicken it up. if you want, you can combine a tablespoon of corn starch and a tablespoon of cold water to help it thicken, but i wouldn’t recommend that if you’re gonna eat it again the next day, bc the corn starch makes it kinda gummy later on.

8. serve over rice. i sometimes add a fried egg on top!

that was longer than i intended.........and i am not done

here’s some places i usually find easy recipes:

my absolute queen budget bytes

honestly...buzzfeed tasty has good & quick one pot recipes

binging with babish’s basics series is very good for learning how to cook

i don’t really like to give conde nast my money, especially bon appetit, but i use an ad blocker to go on their basically site. every recipe is 10 ingredients or less!

pro home cooks, which used to be called brothers green - he makes, like, everything, but a lot of his vids focus on cheap and easy meals. (i haven’t watched any of his meal prep vids but i bet they’re good)

if you have a day, or even a few hours, every week that you can set aside, you might wanna look into meal prep. you don’t even have to prep entire meals; just pre-cutting all your veggies and portioning them into containers makes cooking after work/school feel so much easier.

here are some meal prepping youtubers:

mind over munch - i s2g this woman is like the queen of meal prepping. she’s also like way too perky but it’s fine bc her vids are VERY helpful even if you don’t wanna make the exact meals she makes

goodful’s professional meal prepper series - she gets paid to go to ppl’s homes and meal prep for them, and she shares a lot of easy recipes that are good for prepping and also just general tips for the best ways to cook and store stuff!

and finally here’s some easy stuff i make when i’m lazy:

i boil water for pasta, i chop up broccoli into tiny little pieces and throw it in the boiling water with the pasta when there’s like 4 mins left. i drain it, put it back in the pan, and add butter, italian cheese(s), garlic powder or a garlic herb seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. it’s so good.

premade gnocchi with jarred sauce or storebought pesto, served w whatever vegetable will take the least time to cook (i had this today with asparagus lol)

canned salmon burgers!

tuna & mayo mixed w rice, top w eggs and nori if i have it (thank u @oddesteyecircle)

smashed chickpea salad - i take a can of chickpeas and smash em w a potato masher, then i add mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice to taste, and whatever spices i feel like (usually salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, paprika, turmeric bc i like the color it adds lol). serve on toasted bread w/ whatever you like on sandwiches (i do tomatoes, hima usually does cucumber slices and spinach)

this doesn’t count as cooking really but the chipotle black bean burgers from don lee farms (we get them at costco) are incredible. i usually make em w frozen fries and microwave steamed broccoli (if u haven’t caught on i love broccoli)

bfast for dinner (pancakes from a box, scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, maybe some potatoes)

aaaand i think that’s all i have to say! when in doubt, u can always ALWAYS find a recipe on youtube for literally anything. i hope this was helpful!!!!!!!

#this is so fuckign long LOL I DID NOT PLAN THIS #food #ask #Anonymous

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jennygirl2014 · 4 years

Text

Just Deserts-Chapter 2

(It’s finally here! Sorry for the delay! I didn’t proofread or edit yet, so please don’t hate me, I will fix it up later. I just wanted to get it up. Thanks for reading!)

Chapter Summary: Tawney goes over to Ransom’s for the first time, hoping to keep it professional. But of course the arrogant asshole has to try and get under her skin.) Warnings: language, some mild racism.

Chapter 2

“This guy could be a murderer.” Kira’s voice carried over the kitchen. She was busy getting her station set up for the day, having just arrived. Meanwhile, even though it was only a little after ten in the morning, Tawney was cleaning up her mess for the day. “Or a rapist. You don’t know. Call him up and tell him to shove his deal up his ass.”

“And how else do I pay to have the car fixed without insurance?” Tawney replied as she placed the last of her dishes in the industrial dishwasher. “He was gonna call the cops!”

“We could have a bake sale. You know people love your desserts. We could raise the money somehow.” Kira walked over, wiping her wet hands with a rag.

“Cupcakes aren’t going to fix this, Ki.” Tawney finally looked her friend in the face. “Besides, I don’t even have his number.”

“Even more reason not to go!” Kira fussed, “Seriously. You’re signing up to be some creepy stranger’s house maid.”

“It’s just cooking and baking. How else can I pay to have a freaking Beemer fixed?”

“A Beemer? Fucking rich dickhead…” Kira scoffed.

“If things get creepy, I’ll leave.”

“You better. And you better not let him talk down to you. If he does, slip something extra into a pie or something.” Typical Kira.

Tawney knew her friend meant well, and she had every right to be concerned. The truth was, Tawney really was nervous about the whole thing, but she didn’t see any other options at the moment. After she had managed to get home the night before, she could barely sleep, between the adrenaline, the guilt, the anxiety of the unknown, and also not having a working air conditioner. She still managed to roll out of bed and make it into work, extra early, at 2AM, just to be sure she could leave to get to this stranger’s house by noon. Her lack of sleep was likely clouding her judgement as well, but she didn’t have time to worry about that. She was just grateful that her boss loaned her a spare key and that he had given her permission to go in so early.

She had to use her GPS to find this guy’s house, which meant keeping her phone within sight, something that she was terrified over after how using her phone while driving had resulted the night before. During the drive she was scolding herself for agreeing to this, this guy, Ransom, was a complete stranger. Hell, he could have been a real perv, especially after how he jumped at the idea of being paid in other forms the night before, something that was not on her mind at all. But he was a good looking guy, he was likely used to women just dropping to their knees for him. Well, that wasn’t who she was. And once she pulled into the driveway and finally saw this guy’s house, she was sure he was used to having all sorts of female company. He was secluded, his house hidden by a wall of trees, yet practically the whole house was made of glass. So many windows, so much to see, and like there was nothing he had to hide. Just stepping foot into this house, she was going to feel exposed.

Her car rattled into a spot next to his and she parked it. The damage on his car really wasn’t as bad as hers had been, and she eyed the scratched up side of his car before she fought with the broken handle to release the door to get out. Every foot step up to his door made her heart pound harder, and her knife bag felt heavy as it hung from her shoulder. When she was close enough to press the doorbell, she froze, thinking. She still had time to run away, she could turn back and race out of there without him even knowing she was there. How would he know? How would he find her? Maybe she could get away with this whole thing, no service required.

Just as she started to weigh the decision in her mind, the door swung open and there he stood, the same man from the previous night. His blue t-shirt fit relaxed on his broad frame, but it still showed off a certain physique that caught her eye. Hell, her eyes fell right onto his chest, and she instinctively held her breath. “Good, you found the place. I saw you walking up.” He spoke as he opened the screen door and held it open for her. Of course he saw her, all those windows. She still stood in place, like her feet were cemented to that spot on his top step. She had a sinking feeling about stepping past that threshold, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Are you going to stand there, or are you going to come in?” he grew annoyed. She put her guard up and stepped in past him.

Her eyes scanned the place. Was this the place of a murderer, or a rapist, or a crazed pervert? It seemed more like the palace of a man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, a man without a care in the world, but all of the expectation. It was big and spacey, and it made her feel so small, like she was being swallowed up. His furniture was leather, the hardwood was perfectly polished, and the smell in the air, dark and masculine, like pine, fresh and clean. She did not belong in that house, standing in her already stained chef coat, wearing the sweat and smells of working eight hours in a kitchen. This was all too pristine, too high class. She felt vulnerable.

She turned to him, to see him in his own habitat, and she was slightly alarmed to see him just standing there, eyeing her. She gulped and wet her lips, not knowing what to say, or how to even speak in such a situation. Luckily, he handled that first awkward moment for her. Not to her surprise, this man likely has no sense of shame.

“You look like you came from work.”

“I did come from work.” She replied.

“Oh.” He shrugged it off, like working a full day before going to a second job was nothing. “Come on, I’ll show you the kitchen.” He walked ahead of her and led her into a large open kitchen. The countertops were marble, there was an island range and two ovens stacked into the wall on the far side. Everything was dark rich tones with pops of stainless steel, perfectly collaborated. This was her dream kitchen, a kitchen meant for hosting and cooking large elaborate meals, and it looked like it had never been touched. He had no idea how lucky he was, or how much she envied him at that moment. “My maid, Maria, comes early every morning. She just left, so, the kitchen is all ready and clean for you.” He informed her. Tawney walked over to the island counter and set her bag down, looking around a bit more before opening up her bag and unrolling her tools.

“I clean up after myself.” She told him

“Why? I just told you I have a maid.” He pulled out a stool and took a seat across from her.

“Because I don’t like having other people clean up after me.” She replied as she pulled out a small notebook and a pen.

“Suit yourself.”

“So,” she drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, and then sighed. “What kind of stuff do you like?”

“What do you mean?” she couldn’t believe his casual response.

“Like…what kind of foods do you like?” she paused, “You have had a cook before, right? I mean, you said that last night. Clearly they must have had some recipes you preferred.”

“Okay, miss sassy pants,” he took a small jab at her before he answered, “I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I like my protein. I’m not a huge fan of vegetables or fish, but I’ll eat them if prepared to my liking.”

“Which means…?” she started taking notes down.

“Nothing boiled. Sautéed is fine, roasted is fine.”

“Okay.”

“I like a good sandwich for lunch. Breakfast I usually handle myself, just eggs and toast, so you’re off the hook there. At least for now.”

“At least for now?” she repeated his statement and looked up to make eye contact with him. “What…what does that mean?”

“It means sometimes I might like a nice cooked breakfast.”

“…I have a job, dude.” She reminded him. “I have to work.”

“That’s not my problem.” He replied with a smug smile. “You damaged my car, which means you work when I need you, or I report it. I’ll let you know ahead of time, that way you can work something out with your boss.”

“I’ll need twenty-four hours’ notice.”

“I was thinking more like a couple hours.”

“No, that won’t work.” She got annoyed.

“Okay, twelve.”

“Fine.” She gave in.

“And don’t call me dude.” He started to lecture her, “I’m not one of your homies.” That one wasn’t going to fly.

“Okay,” Tawney lifted her pen only to drop it and lay her hands on the marble as she addressed him. She wanted him to know how serious she was. “I may be young, and I may have damaged your car, for which I am sorry. But I’m here now, in a professional manner. Which means, I show you respect,” she pointed to herself, “And you show me respect. Now it doesn’t take a detective to figure out we’re from different sides of the track, but…you will not talk to me like I’m some girl from the ghetto. I worked hard to get where I am today. And if you have any qualms about hiring a black girl, you can go ahead and call the cops about your car and then find yourself another cook because I won’t stick around for it.”

Ransom looked at her with wide eyes. But then he scoffed and his expression turned to that of amusement.

“Wow. Okay. Well as long as we’re laying down rules,” he leaned in, “This is my house. I don’t appreciate you showing up in a stained uniform, it looks messy. And if you wanna talk about being a professional,” he tilted his head at her, “See what I’m saying? So, bring a clean one. No blasting music, no hanging out on your cell phone, you’re here to cook. If I had guests over, I’ll let you know, but this contract is extended to them too. If friends are here and they’re hungry, they’re going to get fed. Got it?”

“Fine.” She felt like he was just trying to even the score some.

“And I don’t have any qualms, just so you know.” He tossed that last part out there for affect. There was a moment of silence between them, like they were measuring each other up.

“We got off topic.” Tawney changed the subject back, “What do you like? As far as food.” She clarified again.

“Italian.”

“There, that wasn’t so hard.”

“If you expect respect, then you’d better start giving it too. Missy.” He warned her.

“My name is Tawney.”

“That’s right, I forgot.” He rubbed his chin, “What kind of a name is Tawney, anyway?”

“Family name. What kind of a name is Ransom?”

“You know I’m starting to regret not having you address me as Hugh.” He countered as he cut his eye at her.

“So, Italian,” she came back to topic, “What else?”

“Chinese. Not a huge fan of Mexican. Never been a fan of collard greens or chitlins.” He started to push her buttons again. Tawney realized this was going to be a never- ending battle. He thought he was being funny.

“Dessert?” she refused to let him see her get worked up.

“Oh yeah. I’ve got a real sweet tooth.” When he finished his statement, she caught his eyes scanning her again.

“Custards? Cakes?”

“Cookies, pies, brownies…”

“Is that another cheap shot?”

“What? Saying I like brownies?” he sat back and held his hands out in defense, but the smile was still sporting nothing but amusement. He knew what he was doing.

“What am I making today?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far. But Maria brought groceries this morning. Take a look around and see what you can come up with.” He stood up from the stool. “Call it an audition.” He turned to walk away, but stopped and turned to her again. “One more thing, don’t go snooping around the house. The kitchen is on this floor, there’s no need for you to go upstairs.”

“Why would I go upstairs?”

“Exactly.” He paused, “I mean, unless you’re invited.”

Dick.

“I’m just fine right here.” She abruptly closed her notebook and turned to get to work.

Ransom walked off into the living room while Tawney marched over to his fridge to figure out something. She figured she would make enough food for him to last two days, he has said three days a week the night before, so maybe she could get away with not having to come again the following day. She found some ham and roast beef for sandwiches, different cheeses, some ground beef, a couple tomatoes and a couple other things. Then she went through the cupboards next, finding pasta, different spices, but not a whole lot. She wondered what his previous cook had been doing, or how long he had gone without a cook. It was clear this guy wasn’t much into cooking for himself. Then of course she had to come up with a dessert, since he had mentioned having a sweet tooth, and really, why not do one? There wasn’t a lot available, but she could figure something out.

“When was the last time you had a cook?” she called out to him.

“It’s been like a month I guess.” He replied from his couch, where he was sitting on his phone. She wondered what rich people did during the day, by the looks of this guy, not much.

“What was your last cook’s name?” she asked another question as she found a bowl in the cupboard and pulled it down.

“Tim…something…can’t remember his last name. He didn’t stick around long.” Then he added, “They never really do.” His statement made her heart sink, she felt like her goose was cooked before she even had the chance.

“I’m going to need more things from the store, eventually. There’s not a ton here.”

“Make a list, I’ll have Maria get them tomorrow.”

“Where does she shop?”

“God you ask a lot of questions.” He turned his head from the couch to shoot her an annoyed look.

“Never mind then.” She retorted and went about her business. “Prick.” She muttered under her breath.

Within a couple minutes, she had prepared him a sandwich with apple slices and some chips. She arranged everything on a plate and called out to him when it was ready. He came over, took it from her, grabbed a can of soda from his fridge and went back to his spot on the couch to watch TV. She figured if he didn’t like ham and cheese, he would say something, and when he didn’t, she figured everything was fine and she was ready to move on with tomorrow’s sandwich. She caramelized some onions for a roast beef sandwich with swiss, and she made a garlic aioli and toasted the bread to keep it from going too soggy. Next came a lasagna, which she threw together with the cans of tomato sauce he had in his pantry, but it was lacking without any fresh herbs. Ransom saw this as he placed his plate in the sink.

“You’re using canned tomato sauce?”

“Well you don’t have a ton of fresh tomatoes or herbs, so…” she trailed off, keeping her eyes on the meat she was browning. When she noticed that he wasn’t walking away she looked up at him. “I can’t make herbs appear out of thin air.”

“Just put it on the list.” He quickly reminded her of the list and walked away. Tawney’s eyes went wide with annoyance, but she maintained her composure.

“How was the sandwich?” she genuinely wanted feedback.

“I like fresh tomato and lettuce on my sandwiches. I would hope that a cook can dress up a sandwich…”

“I’ll put stuff on the list!” she snapped at him before he could finish. The man shook his head and walked off. She puffed out her frustration and rolled her shoulders. He wasn’t making this easy.

The lasagna came out as best as she could manage without the ingredients she would have hoped for. What was most annoying about all of this was that she knew how to make good food, and she wanted that good food on her own table, but she couldn’t afford to live like that. The lasagna with canned tomato sauce was something she would whip together for herself, because it was cheaper. Here he was complaining and it was out of being lazy. Every minute in that house and every minute in Ransom’s presence reminded her of how different their worlds were. The food still smelled good, and it would still taste good, but he was just looking to find fault in all of it. Matters were made worse by the fact that she was exhausted, and that she was starving. Her stomach was rumbling and starting to hurt. It was almost like being teased, making so much food and not being able to eat. When Ransom came over to get a glass of water, he happened to hear her stomach growling. She swallowed her embarrassment and looked away as he eyed her.

“Hungry?” he sounded like he was mocking her.

“I haven’t eaten in ten hours.” She defended herself. Ransom leaned against the counter with his glass of water, watching as she washed up the dishes she had used.

“Aren’t you going to make a dessert?”

“Yeah, I’m just cleaning up a little.” She tried not to make eye contact with him, but he lingered there.

“You can eat something if you’re hungry.” He offered. Tawney was surprised by his suggestion; he didn’t seem the type to allow her to eat.

“I…I didn’t think you would…you know…” she didn’t know how to word whatever it was she was trying to say.

“I don’t care if you eat.” He snapped at her as he walked out of the kitchen. It was odd, like he was angered by her assumption. How else was she supposed to interpret his attitude? She settled on eating an apple and getting back to work.

The lack of ingredients made it difficult to think up a good dessert, but any dessert would have worked at that point. She would have to settle for the idea of wowing him with a dessert another time. The most curious part about making a dessert for this man was trying to figure out why she cared. He wasn’t the nicest guy, and she was there to settle a debt, so what did it matter? It had to have been her love for baking that made her so consumed with the idea of making something special. Afterall, she was in her dream kitchen, and not on a time restriction, she had the chance to make something special. Maybe that was the silver lining in all of this. Yeah the guy was a complete asshole, but she could really flex her culinary muscles in this kitchen. She could perfect a couple techniques that could maybe lead to a better job one day. Maybe it wasn’t all that bad.

It was about half past four when Tawney finished cooking and baking. She was exhausted and ready to call it a night, but she made sure to clean up and leave a detailed list on the counter. As she was putting away her knives and tools, Ransom came back into the kitchen. He looked around, inspecting the space. The lasagna was sitting on the stove and a plate of cookies was sitting neatly on the counter. He then turned to Tawney, as if waiting for her to explain herself.

“The lasagna just needs to be reheated, you can either cut a piece and put it in the microwave or reheat it in the oven. It’s up to you. I made a roast beef sandwich for you for lunch tomorrow. It has swiss and caramelized onions and—"

“You’re not coming tomorrow?” he interrupted her. Tawney managed the coolest face she could muster at the moment.

“You said three days a week. I made enough food that you shouldn’t need me tomorrow.” She explained to him. He huffed and turned to look at the cookies. “These are lemon ricotta cookies. I figured there was leftover ricotta, and you had a lemon, and I couldn’t think of much else. The glaze is lemon flavored with a little zest.” She described the dessert she had made. Ransom reached out and snatched a cookie up from the plate, and he eyed her suspiciously as he bit into the soft cookie. Tawney kept her gaze on him as well, trying to get a read on him. It was like some kind of standoff, like he was trying to think of a reason to make her stay longer or come over the following day. She was worried he may have hatched something in his mind, but when he looked down at the other half of the cookie in his hand and nodded to himself, she figured that was him expressing his satisfaction.

“Not bad.” He gave the closest thing to a compliment she was going to get. Screw him, she knew those cookies were amazing.

“The list is there on the counter. Anything else?” her tone sounded triumphant, and why shouldn’t it? She was proud of herself.

“I guess not.” He sighed, “So Wednesday?” he confirmed.

“Yes, I’ll be here. And in the meantime, please try to come up with a list of go-to recipes.” She politely requested. Ransom dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“I still need your number.”

“Right,” she proceeded to give him her number and he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“I guess that’s it.” Ransom excused her, and she wasted no time in grabbing her bag and heading for the door. She was beyond grateful to be leaving. The thought of a shower and a full night of sleep sounded like heaven. She hurried to the door, where Ransom opened it for her, and as soon as she stepped out, he closed it loudly behind her.

Tawney managed to stay awake on the drive home, probably because she kept her foot on the gas and the music blasting. She felt like she could breathe again, like the air was fresher and clear once she left his place. And she relished the fact that she wouldn’t have to go back the following day. She was hoping she wouldn’t hear from him, that he would just ask his maid to go shopping and that would be the end of it. Her phone chimed in her pocket, and she was sure it was Kira making sure she was still alive and in one piece, but she wasn’t going to answer it until she got home. Lesson learned. Once the car was in park and she was only moments away from stepping into her muggy apartment, she reached into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone and read the text message. It was from a new number, someone not in her contacts.

You left some crumbs on the counter. Thought you were going to clean up after yourself.

She could have thrown her phone out the window. Was this man hell bent on getting under her skin? She didn’t even bother texting him back, there really was no need to. He could be mad about it if he wanted to be, but she wasn’t going to waste her time with his nonsense, not while she was off the clock. But still, that message was another reminder of what she was getting herself into, and likely warning of what was yet to come.

“Asshole.” At least she didn’t have to hide her true feelings for him while she was out of his house.

Previous chapter here.

Next chapter here.

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #ransom drysdale #hugh ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale fanfic #knives out fanfic

15 notes · View notes

eldritchsurveys · 4 years

Text

806.

1. Humpty Dumpty: Have you ever felt so broken that you didn’t feel like you could be put back together again? >> Absolutely. And oddly enough, I’m still here, and probably not quite as broken as I imagined myself to be. Brains aren’t nearly as good at predicting the future as they think they are.

2. Jack and Jill: Have you ever tumbled/rolled down a grassy hill? >> Yes. It’s great fun.

3. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: Do you enjoy stargazing? Has anyone ever gotten a star named for you? >> It’s not something I really go out and do, but I do love me some stars. I’ve not had the star-naming happen, though.

4. Little Bo Peep: Have you ever thought you lost something that was actually right in front of you the whole time? >> Yeah, that tends to happen when I get used to putting something in a certain place and then I unthinkingly put it somewhere else one day and fuck myself up.

5. Itsy Bitsy Spider: What do you typically do on a rainy day? >> Nothing different, usually. If it rains in the morning it might change whether I go out for a walk or not, but otherwise my daily activities remain the same.

6. Baa Baa Black Sheep: Do you own any clothing made out of wool? >> I don’t think so.

7. Ring Around the Rosie: Did you know that this childhood song/nursery rhyme is actually about The Black Death? >> I’ve heard that.

8. Five Little Ducks: Have you ever gotten lost before? >> Yeah.

9. I’m a Little Teapot: What is your favorite flavor/type of tea to drink? >> I like herbal teas, particularly ginger and mint. I also like vanilla chai and the occasional fruit variety.

10. Hokey Pokey: How were you taught to understand the difference between your left and right sides? >> I don’t remember how I was taught this.

11. Old MacDonald Had a Farm: What is your favorite farm animal? >> Sheep and goats are adorable. But so are cows, especially those fluffy ones... Regardless of their cuteness, though, I couldn’t be around any farm animal for long because the smell would slowly kill me.

12. Make up your own lyric for “Down By The Bay”. >> Ha, I used to sing this song to myself repeatedly for like hours when I was a kid. I’d rather not make up my own lyric for it now, though.

13. Little Miss Muffet: Would you be terrified if a spider sat down beside you? >> Nah. I am also a spider. I like visiting with my kin.

14. Rockabye Baby: Do you feel that this is a more calming or terrifying lullaby for children? >> I just think it’s funny, because like... yeah. Why the fuck is the baby in the tree, lmao. Nursery rhymes are wild.

15. Hickory Dickory Dock: What are you usually doing when the clock strikes 1? >> AM or PM? If PM, I’m probably gaming or something. If AM, I’m asleep.

16. Pat-a-Cake: What’s your favorite thing to bake/baked good to eat? >> I don’t bake, and I have no idea what my favourite baked good would be... a good bread, I guess??

17. Why do we stomp our feet if we’re “Happy and We Know It”? Shouldn’t we be doing this when we’re angry instead? >> Eh, I guess you could do it for almost any emotion if you put your mind to it.

18. The Wheels on the Bus: Where’s the furthest you’ve ever gone on a bus before? >> From Colorado to NYC. On two different occasions. Definitely not an experience I’d ever care to repeat.

19. Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Do you enjoy boating? (ie: cruises, kayaking, canoeing, white water rafting, etc) >> I’ve never been boating. I’ve been on ferries? Oh, and once I went to a concert on a boat. That was fun.

20. 3 Blind Mice: Do you know someone who is blind? >> No.

21. 3 Little Kittens: Do you prefer gloves or mittens when getting dressed for chilly weather? >> Gloves, if I must.

22. Jack Be Nimble: Do you enjoy lighting scented candles? >> I mean, sometimes, I guess. I burn incense most often, though.

23. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear: Have you ever made a teddy bear or any other sort of stuffed animal at Build-a-Bear? If not, do you still have a favorite teddy bear/stuffed animal from your childhood? >> Yeah! I have a dog named Reese from there, I love him. Sparrow has an owl, a Pikachu, and a Squirtle, hah.

24. 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed: Have you ever cracked your head open before and needed stitches? >> Nope. I’ve definitely tried to crack my head open, lmao, but I wasn’t any good at it. (Thankfully.)

25. Hey Diddle Diddle: The cat plays a fiddle. What instrument would you like to play? >> Meh. I like singing.

26. Mary Had a Little Lamb: Have you ever brought a pet to school for show and tell before? >> No. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced show-and-tell, actually. I thought it was made up for like movies and shit, lol.

27. Once I Caught a Fish Alive: If you go fishing, do you release the fish afterwards, or do you take them home and cook them? >> I don’t go fishing, but if I did, it wouldn’t be just for the sake of it. I’d prefer to eat the fish afterward.

28. Little Jack Horner: What is your favorite flavor of pie? >> Hmm... sweet potato. Also, apple.

29. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary: Do you have a garden? What do you plant in it? >> No, we just have a fuckload of potted plants because Sparrow likes them.

30. Miss Mary Mack: Do you wear clothing with a lot of buttons? >> No.

31. Old Mother Hubbard: What is your favorite food to keep in your cupboard? >> Er, I don’t know.

32. There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe: Do you have a lot of siblings growing up? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? >> I was raised as an only child.

33. This Little Piggy: Do you like roast beef? >> No.

34. Rain, Rain Go Away: Have you ever played outside in the rain before? >> I mean, probably.

35. It’s Raining, It’s Pouring: Do you know someone who snores very loudly? >> Not anymore. My father was notorious for this.

36. Star Light, Star Bright: Do you ever wish on stars? Has one of your wishes actually come true before? >> No.

37. Here is the Beehive: Are you allergic to bees? Do you know anyone who is? Do you enjoy eating honey? >> I don’t know, I’ve never been stung by one. I don’t remember if I know anyone who is allergic. I love eating honey.

38. If All the Raindrops Were Lemon Drops and Gumdrops: What food would you want to rain down from the sky: >> I definitely would not want food to rain down from the sky, lmao.

39. Little Boy Blue: Have you ever slept anywhere other than a bed before? Where? >> Yeah. Tiled floors, subway cars, subway platforms, the sidewalk, couches, parks...

40. Do You Know the Muffin Man?: What is your favorite type of muffin to eat? >> I haven’t had a muffin in ages. I’m pretty sure I just don’t care for them.

41. Wee Willie Winkie: Have you ever sleepwalked before? >> No. Lmao, can you imagine being a sleepwalker while sleeping on the streets? That’d be fucked up...

42. B-I-N-G-O: If you had a dog, what would you name it? >> I don’t know, it would depend on the dog.

43. Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?: Has your pet ever run away from home before? Did it get returned? >> That apparently happened when I was a preteen. We didn’t even have the dog for a full month before he somehow escaped.

44. How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?: What’s the most you would spend when adopting a dog? >> I don’t know, man. I’m not even sure what the going rates are.

45. This Old Man: Do you own any knick-knacks? >> I guess I have a few.

46. 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe: When did you learn to tie your own sneakers? >> I have no idea.

47. Are You Sleeping?: What time do you typically go to bed at night? >> Between 10p and 12a. [a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

#surveys #survey #themed survey

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cozykhaos · 4 years

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A New Sun Part 8

Waking up the next morning with a pile of puppies cuddled up around me was the best feeling in the world. All of them perked up when I got out of bed and when the food bowl hit the floor, all of them did too. I would go into town today and post a bulletin about the other pups. After changing and breakfast we all went outside. I checked the soil of my crops, the ground still wet from yesterdays rain, I skipped out on watering. I would check it again in the afternoon. I used my scythe to clear the weeds to the forest, for a more defined path. I started a pile of stones and branches near the house. I would need both for any upgrades I would want to make.

I was the afternoon when I heard the engine from the truck. I started back to the house, the pups standing on the porch, all at attention. Robin and Sebastian got out of the pickup. “Puppies!” Robin’s face lit up. The pups came running down the steps and bounced around her feet. Robin crouched down and let them lick her face. Sebastian stepped around the truck, looking grumpy, hair disheveled.

“Sorry we are coming over so late, I didn’t want to wake up Sebby. He was up late last night working,” Robin said standing.

“It’s no problem. I actually forgot you were coming by today,” I let out a little laugh and scratched the back of my head. Noticing Sebastian, the puppies bounced over to him, Asher’s gray twin reached up to Sebastian, who picked her up. Robin looked between the puppy and Sebastian, who was now holding the dog like a baby and scratching her stomach. She smiled.

“Well, should we get this fence put up?” Robin clapped her hands together. Between the three of us it didn’t take long to get the fence assembled and put up. Robin had given me plenty of room to expand my crops as well. Once we were finished, we sat on the front porch, drinking lemonade and eating sandwiches that I had made.

“Sorry it isn’t much,” I refilled my glass. “It’s a small kitchen and it’s a pain in the ass to cook in.”

“House upgrade,” Robin sang.

“Mom,” Sebastian groaned.

“I’m just saying, the place is very small. And what are you going to do when you get married?” Robin asked. Sebastian started choking. “Sebby, what’s the matter?” Robin started patting his back.

“Nothing I’m fine!” He snapped and waved her hand away. Robin frowned and then looked at me.

“I’ve actually been thinking about it. But I also need a chicken coop and a barn. Thankfully most of this season’s crops are being sold. The only vegetables I really like that I’m growing are potatoes and green beans. And it’s just me so I don’t need a whole lot.” I shrugged. I had brought out a notebook and pen with me and I started my bulletin. I looked at the puppies when I was done. Ash was playing with two of his siblings, wrestling in the dust. The all black puppy slept by the door. The gray pup slept next to Sebastian, her head on his leg. I frowned, it had only been a day, but I was attached to the little guys. But they would at least still be in the Valley with me.

“I need to go put this on the bulletin board, I’ll be right back,” I stood, Ash got to his feet and watched me. “Are you coming?” I asked him.

“I am,” Robin stood and stretched. “I need to get a few things from Pierre’s. Do you need anything?” She looked at Sebastian.

“I’m good, but thanks,” Sebastian waved us off. Asher followed us into town. Feeding all 5 dogs I would need another bag of food from Pierre’s as well. I posted up my notice, letting everyone know to come see me if they were interested in a puppy and describing each of them and the genders. I made a note that if you adopted a puppy to cross it off that way others would know it was taken.

Robin stared at the page and took up the pen that was attached to the board and crossed off the gray puppy. She beamed at me and pushed into Pierre’s. I showed her the dog food that I was feeding them and grabbed another bag for myself. After purchasing toys, collar, treats and a leash we went to check out.

“More stuff?” Pierre asked.

“More puppies,” I corrected.

“Oh my!” Pierre’s eyebrows shot up into his hair line. Robin put her elbows on the counter and leaned in. “I’m getting one for Sebastian,” she smiled.

“Oh,” Pierre’s face fell and then quickly caught himself. “Oh! I’m sure he will love that!” He cleared his throat.

“I think so,” I nodded. “One of them has been really attached to him.”

“I think it’ll be good for him,” Robin agreed. We payed for our stuff and left. I helped Robin carry her stuff back to the farm. Sebastian was still sitting on the porch, now the puppy was in one of his arms, chin on his shoulder, while he scrolled through his phone. He looked up when the other dogs came running. His brows scrunched together when he noticed his mom.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Stuff for pup dog,” Robin replied with a shrug.

“Wh…what?” Sebastian stood still holding the dog. “Really?”

“Yeah!” She tossed the dog food into the back of the truck.

“What about Demetrius?” Sebastian’s tone went sour.

“What about him?” Robin didn’t look at him. “She’s your dog, not his.”

Sebastian stared at his mom in shock, mouth slightly open. Puppy licked his chin and he closed it.

“She will be your responsibility, feeding, playing, walking, cleaning up after her,” Robin ticked off the list on her fingers.

“Yeah, of course!” Sebastian nodded.

“Alright, well let’s get her home!”

Sebastian smiled at me over his shoulder before getting into the truck.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. Lewis, Eveyln and Haylee came by on Monday and gave me packets of tulips and blue jazz that they wanted me to plant for the flower festival. I still had time to plant them, so I kept them to the side for now. Lewis ended up leaving with the all black puppy that day, declaring her Pepper.

Tuesday, Sam and his little brother Vincent came by, their mother had agreed on letting them get a dog. They took the black dog with the one white spot over his eye. Later, I find out that Sam named Gnarles Barkley. Barkley for short.

Late Thursday Morning Shane came over, I was just finishing up with the days harvest, when he stood awkwardly at the edge of the property.

“Morning!” I waved to him. He gave a short wave back. There were dark circles under his blue eyes. “Can I help you with something?”

“I was wondering about the last dog you have,” he said. I looked over my shoulder where the black and gray bearded pup lay on his back, sun bathing in the dirt. “Jas, that’s my niece, she was furious with Marnie when she found out she gave a puppy away,” he scratched the back of his neck. “She’s usually a quite little thing. But she was spitting fire.”

“I can imagine,” I nodded.

“And now Vincent has one..” his voice trailed off as he moved next to me. The pup rolled over and popped up on to his feet. Ash bounded over to us, I picked him up. He had already grown in the last week. Shane, pushed his finger to the dog’s upper lip exposing the baby teeth. The pup stuck out his tongue, licking Shane’s finger, a small smile broke through.

“I’m going to call him Gandalf, because of the gray beard. Do you think Jas will be able to say that?” He looked at me. His eyes were kind.

“How old is she?”

“Six.”

“She should be,” I nodded.

“Yeah,” Shane played with Gandalf’s soft floppy ears before clearing his throat. “I should get going. Marnie was getting supplies from Pierre’s she should be done by now.”

“If you need anything let me know. He should be potty trained by now.”

“Yeah, okay thanks,” with a small wave Shane disappeared back into town.

I looked down at Ash who was watching Shane retreat. He whimpered. “It’s okay bud, we can have everyone over for a play date,” I said to him. His tail wagged.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Egg Festival, but my heart leapt for joy at the sight of the many buffet tables. My eating habits had not been the best since moving to Pelican Town and the soft layer around my tummy was slowly disappearing. I generally only ate once a day now, eating breakfast after tending the farm. The rest of my day was spent running errands, fishing or scavenging for wild crops. By the time I got home I would be exhausted and collapse into bed with Asher.

I bee lined it to the first table, there were platters of egg dishes. Deviled eggs, scrambled, fried, hard boiled, poached, egg benedict, egg salad. Little breaded cups that looked to be filled with egg, spinach and ham. Plates of steaming sliced ham that smelled of cinnamon and honey were my first stop. I filled my plate before finding a bench. I would have to remember to ask Gus for a piece of leftover ham for Ash, who I left at home. I looked around, everyone was mingling. Eating with their friends and family. Haylee was taking pictures of everyone and everything. I smiled, I hadn’t interacted with her much, since I had returned, but I admired her passion for photography.

“Kit!” Robin called me from a few tables over and waved. She was sitting with her family, as well as Sam, his mom and little brother. “Come over here!”

I swallowed my mouthful of food before moving over to their table, taking the end seat across from Sam.

“What were you doing over there by yourself?” Robin asked.

“I didn’t want to be a bother,” I shrugged and then shoveled in a mouthful of potato salad. It was sweet and had a hint of vinegar in it.

“Oh please,” Jodi said with a smile.

“You’ll always be a bother,” Sam said with a smirk.

“Sam!” Jodi snapped, reached over her youngest son and slapped Sam on the back of the head.

“Ow!” Sam rubbed his head.

“Don’t be rude!” Jodi said through gritted teeth. I smiled and shook my head. “I would like to say I am used to it, but I don’t think that would help.”

“It wouldn’t!” Sam shook his head.

“So, Kit, how is the farm doing?” Demetrius asked.

“Honey, we aren’t here to talk about work,” Robin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Across from her Sebastian had his chin resting on his fist, leg tapping furiously. Next to him was Maru who was looking at me expectantly, I hadn’t spoken to her much either.

I cleared my throat. “Oh, it’s fine, I don’t have much to talk about any ways. My world revolves around farming and Ash.”

Sebastian looked over at me. “You didn’t bring him either?”

I noticed for the first time no one had brought their dog besides Marnie, Gandalf was chasing Jas around the yard behind Sam’s house.

“Asher gets really excited about food. Like he can’t contain himself, so I thought it best to have him stay home. Or else he would probably be slip and sliding through the egg salad right now,” I sighed. Sebastian snorted.

“I know it’s late and the seeds are hard to find, but do you think you will be getting in Strawberry seeds?” Maru asked.

“Strawberries are our favorite,” Demetrius beamed.

“Yeah, if I can find the seeds!” I nodded. “The farm is actually doing well. You can walk around now, and I finally got around to cleaning the inside. It’s hard work but I enjoy it.”

“Hmm,” Demetrius glanced at Sebastian and drummed his fingers on the table. “Some people will never know what that is like.”

“Oooookay,” Sebastian said standing. “I’m going to go check on Asha.”

My mouth dropped open, shocked at the name he had picked. I didn’t have time to speak, Sebastian was already leaving.

Robin frowned at his retreating form, she quickly hid it with a smile. “Well, I’m glad you are enjoying it.”

“I know I could never do that work,” Jodi said, she was now running her fingers through Vincent’s unruly ginger hair.

“I wasn’t so sure at first. I’m positive if it wasn’t for visiting grandpa during the summer, I would have ended up going back to the city,” I said.

“I don’t think I would mind it too much,” Sam shrugged. “I could see myself taking care of some chickens. Planting crops.”

“I know I couldn’t do it,” Maru shook her head. “I will stick to my lab thank you.”

“Lab?” I looked at her.

“Yes, I’m a scientist and inventor!” Maru smiled. “I also work with Harvey at the clinic.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. Weird question, but I’m going to ask. I found some blue prints for sprinklers. I know that is probably nothing to you. But will yo-“

“Yes, I would love to help!” Maru grabbed my hands. I noticed behind her Demetrius’s eyes narrowed, while Robin’s face broke open into a smile. “That sounds like fun. I haven’t made sprinklers before, but I’m sure it’ll be cake!”

“Thanks, that would be a huge help!” I squeezed her hands.

“Mom, is there cake?” Vincent finally spoke, he had been pushing around the food on his plate the entire time. He had only eaten a couple of grapes.

“It looks like it, but you will need to eat more lunch first,” Jodi kissed the top of his head.

“I don’t want to be slow for the hunt,” Vincent said.

“Yeah, this year we are going to beat Abbie, isn’t that right kiddo!” Sam playfully shoved his little brother who looked up at him and smiled.

“Yeah!” Vincent nodded vigorously.

“Hunt?” I looked at everyone’s faces.

“There is an egg hunt every year,” Robin said.

“And every year Abbie wins!” Vincent bagged his fist on the table and huffed. I looked around for my purple haired friend. She was at a table with her parents, head on her palm, looking at an empty plate of food.

“They really shouldn’t let her search. She is a grown woman now,” Jodi sighed.

“It’s open to all ages,” Robin shrugged.

“Or make age events,” I said.

“That’s a good idea,” Demetrius nodded.

“Maybe mention that to Lewis,” Robin said to Jodi.

“Trust me, I am!” Jodi said. I noticed Gus bringing out new plates and unveiling chocolate frosted cupcakes. I excused myself and made it over to the table. I was stuffing one in my mouth when Pam made her way over and started to empty a flask into the punch. She held up a finger to her lips. I looked away, a smile spreading. Gus gave me permission to take some ham home to Ash then handed me a plate that was stacked up in food and wrapped in tin foil. “Do you know Linus?” He asked.

“The guy who lives behind Robin’s house?” I questioned taking the plate.

“That’s him,” Gus nodded then stroked his mustache. “He rarely comes to any of these events. He is always welcome, but I know he feels out of place. Do you mind taking him this plate for me?”

“Not at all!” I exclaimed and headed towards the mountains.

Linus was sitting at his campfire, a basket of wild plants next to him. He sat up straighter when he saw me, his eyes narrowing into a squint.

“Hey, I’m Kit,” I said with a small wave. “I took over my grandpa’s farm.” I shoved a thumb over my shoulder, in the direction of the farm. Linus didn’t say anything. I cleared my throat. “Any ways, Gus asked me to bring you this.” I sat the plate down on the stump he had pulled up to the other side of the fire. He glanced at the plate before looking back at me. I frowned, looking at him, to the tent, then the plate. His gray eyes never left my face.

“I guess I’ll be going, enjoy your day!” My customer service voice tuned in and I wanted to kick myself. I started away when I heard a small. “Thank you.”

I smiled to myself and started back to the square. Sebastian was locking the front door when I was in front of the house. His eye brows furrowed together when he saw me. “Checking up on me?”

“No, I brought plate to Linus,” I said. Sebastian turned his head up towards the mountains. “I don’t know about that guy,” he said.

“He seems harmless,” I shrugged.

“So did Ted Bundy,” he pointed out.

“Do you think Linus has a trail of bodies leading to the valley?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Everyone has something to hide,” Sebastian smirked. I rolled my eyes.

Everyone was waiting for us when we strolled into town. Lewis had a big cup of punch in his hand, Pam glanced at me, her grin widening. I wiggled my eyebrows at her before helping myself to my own cup.

“Everyone knows the rules!” Lewis began, there wasn’t any hint of the alcohol taking effect yet. “You have 3 minutes to search for the hidden eggs. Whoever finds the most wins!”

Abbie was jumping up and down in place. She waved me over, I shook my head, pointing to my cup, I made a big deal out of taking a drink from it.

“Ready, set, go!” Lewis shouted and the hunters ran in different directions. Jodi started to cheer on Vincent while Shane and Marnie cheered on Jas. Gandalf chased after the girl. Sam had entered the hunt as well and I noticed him slipping eggs into Vincent’s basket. Abbie darted from one location to the next, I could tell that her basket was filing up quickly. Emily had also entered who skipped along as she went. Lewis blew a whistle, and everyone came in and placed down their baskets. Both Sam and Emily’s were mysteriously empty, while Jas and Vincent’s looked just a little fuller. Abigail still won, but I snuck extra cupcakes to the kids and they quickly cheered up.

The sun was starting to set when the square began to empty. Conveniently it was when clean up also started. Gus and Emily lingered, packing food into containers. Sam and Alex helped with stacking tables and chairs. I was on garbage duty when Mayor Lewis staggered past me a deep set frown on his face. I watched after him, he stumbled one step at a time towards the north. I looked over my shoulder at Gus, who had paused in his own task to watch after the Mayor.

“Should I go after him?” I asked.

“If you would,” Gus nodded. I set down my garbage bag and headed after Lewis. It didn’t take me long to find him, he stood in front of the old Community Center. The old building had seen better days. Ivy grew up the side of the walls, there was a hole in the ceiling and years of rain had caused a moldy film on the windows.

I stood next to the Mayor looking up at the old building. Something inside it stirred, I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it.

“Eye sore, ain’t it?” Lewis said, his voice was filled with sadness.

“It’s charming,” I said softly. “Like the farm.”

Lewis chuckled. “This is what is left of the Pelican Town Community Center. It used to be the pride and joy of the town… always bustling with activity. Now look at it. It’s shameful.”

I could hear the pain in the old man’s voice.

“These days, the young folk would rather sit in front of the TV than engage with the community.” He sighed heavily. “But listen to me, I sound like an old fool.”

“No.. no you don’t. You sound like a Mayor concerned for his town,” I spoke, touching his arm softly.

Lewis sniffed. “Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse. Pelican Town could use the money, but there’s something stopping me from selling it. I guess old timers like me get attached to relics of the past.. Ah well.”

He finally turned and looked at me. “If anyone else buys a Joja Corporation Membership I’m just gonna go ahead and sell it.” Lewis dragged his feet towards the door and unlocked it. I followed him inside, the old floorboards groaned under our feet. The ivy had found its way inside, we left a trail of footprints in the dust that coated every surface.

Lewis paused looking at a hut that was erected in the corner of the room.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

“Do you think Vincent and Jas were playing in here?” I asked.

“Must’ve,” he shrugged. “This place is even more dilapidated than I remember.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say something a familiar chirp came from behind Lewis. The apple sized creature jumped up and down waving. I gasped and stumbled backwards.

“Kit!” Lewis steadied me. “What’s the matter are you ill?”

I moved to the side of Lewis and looked around, the creature was now gone. “I thought I saw something, there!” I pointed to the spot.

“Hmm… I wouldn’t be surprised if this place was full of rats.” Lewis said.

Again, the creature appeared behind Lewis, waving its little arms. My eyes widen and a scream came out before I could stop it. Lewis swung around, but the creature was gone. Hands clasped over my I stared at the spot. Lewis turned back to me. “You’re worrying me Kit!” He was frowning.

I looked around the room. Everything was quite now, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Counting to ten before releasing it and opening my eyes. “I’m sorry Lewis,” I smiled. “I must be more tired than I thought.”

Lewis gave me a tight smile. “I’m going to head home and get some sleep, I suggest you do the same. I’m going to keep this place unlocked from now on. Maybe you can help catch that rat if you have some extra time.” He gave my hand a small squeeze before walking outside.

I stood still and suddenly my senses open up, and the magic poured in. My spine prickled at the energy. I wondered down the hall a strange force leading me. Inside a small room I found a note on the floor, I shoved it into my bag not even bothering to read it, I knew I wouldn’t know the language that was written upon it. I left the room, finger tips trailing along the wooden paneled walls that lined the hallway. The old floorboards sang their ballad as I walked upon them, the dust flaring up around my shoes as I walked towards the door. The door shut behind me and I woke up, snapping out of the strange trance.

I stumbled away from the building gasping, I clutched at my chest as I retreated. I suddenly couldn’t get home fast enough and I ran towards the farm. I didn’t stop until I was inside, the door firmly shut behind me. Ash wiggled his way up to me, a big smile on his face.

“Hey buddy,” I gasped leaning down to pet him. I skipped my other nightly chores and only fed Asher. I fell into bed. That night I dreamed of the small creatures. They chirped and danced through the Valley, life returning to the land.

#Stardew Valley #Stardew Valley Farmer #Stardew Valley Fanfiction #Sebastian Stardew Valley #stardew valley sebastian #sebastian x farmer #farmer x sebastian #A New Sun

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theglowstickchronicles · 4 years

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Guys, I was HELLA behind on FMLS90- but I'm still in it! Just caught up :) while I was waiting for the grocery store to open. Now I am off with my reusable bags to get my food for the week before coming home and continuing chores. I want to get as much done as possible before FOOTBALL starts!!! We're playing Kansas City at 4:25 today (@fatmaninalittlesuit I'm sure you'll be watching this game as well!) and I am SO NERVOUS. We have been... trash, lately. Last week's game was atrocious. I wish I had planned better and tried to go to the game, even though it would probably be crazy expensive and super cold, because my football buddies are in California on a mini vacation (their 3rd this season compared to my 0) and I only have local cable at home.

Anyway, here it is:

• 11/18 - How does holiday food play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any positive or negative traditions that impact your journey? Share one of both.

Well, this was probably supposed to be about Thanksgiving feasts but here we are on December 8th! Honestly, we don’t really have any “traditions” beyond getting together and sharing a meal. In hindsight this Thanksgiving was probably my best, calorie-wise, because my brother-in-law’s sister did most of the cooking and did a lot of sides with bacon incorporated into them and, since I’m vegetarian, I did not partake. I had some DELICIOUS food, don’t get me wrong, and she made a to-die-for caprese salad… but most of the apps had bacon and several of the sides. I ended up having cheese and crackers, french onion tartlets (SOOO GOOD), chips & dip, mashed potatoes, and a plethora of vegetable sides. It also helped that I had to work overnight Thursday into Friday so I couldn’t have any wine 

• 11/19 - How does holiday stress play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any especially stressful situations that make your physical or mental journey tough? How do / will you handle them?

Holidays don’t really stress me out, if we’re being honest. As of Dec. 6 I just need to pick up some alcohol and then some giftcards for my cousin’s kids, and I’m done Christmas shopping. I start my shopping November 1 every year. I don’t mind seeing my family -they’re dramatic, just like everyone else, but compared to my job? A few hours of family drama time is nothing. I do tend to hoard a bottle of wine to myself for the holidays but I’m not sober during non-holiday times, either, so that doesn’t really come into play.

• 11/20 - What role do family and friends play in your holidays? Are these mostly positive or negative? What do you want to change about this?

Mostly positives! I hosted my second annual Friendsgiving this year and it was fantastic. The one downside was I had been up for 44 hours but I think it went well. Honestly the only “downside” to friends/family during holidays is having to be in such close quarters with people because as much as I love them, someone inevitably has germs.

• 11/21 - Do you notice and physical / mental changes around this time of year? Do you have any strategies to deal with them?

I am always a sleepy bitch, but more so during the winter months due to the lack of sun. This M-F, not getting home till 5-6 every night, office has no window life is bullshit. We always jokes that nightshift never sees the sun but dude, until you’ve gone 5 days without sunlight, don’t even @ me. I am extra careful about taking my vitamins during this time of the year because I really do notice a difference in energy and mood without them (I have some vitamin deficiencies NOT related to my diet thank you).

• 11/22 - How do work / school commitments / events this time of year differ for you? Can this be used to your advantage in your fitness journey or are there steps you can take to minimize the challenges?

In the fall we have annual mandatory education at work which can be stressful but other than that, work does not change. This year was a little different because I picked up a second job and had orientation and have been working a lot to save up money for my many endeavors over the next 2 years (sister’s bridal shower / bachelorette /wedding, best friend’s bridal shower / bachelorette / wedding, everyone is turning 30 and wants to go all out -me included- wanting to go on more vacations, wanting to do a 29th birthday somethingl… the list is endless…. Lol)

• 11/23 - Do you have any plans to travel this year? If so, describe the challenges that creates and how you will handle them. If not, what can you do at home to set yourself up for success?

One semi-definite plan is my sister’s bachelorette in 2020! I don’t know when or where we’re going, but we’re going- which reminds me, I need to get my passport in case it ends up being Canada! I also would like to do a small trip for my 29th birthday. Originally I wanted to take a week off (I am close to vacation time caps at work) but we are OF COURSE having a new system go-live 6 days after my birthday and I’m like, top 5 most important people for the go-live. So we shall see. Perhaps a 3-day weekend for president’s day somewhere close?

• 11/24 - Share one tip with the community on how to stay healthy during the holidays.

I feel like any time I have to share a tip with the community I share the same one, but there it is: PREPARATION. For instance I have not meal prepped in 3 weeks and IT SHOWS. I’ve been feeling sluggish and gross, not working out like I should be, and not sleeping as well…. PREPARATION IS KEY!!!

• 11/25 - What are your general thoughts on gratitude and the role it plays in your mental health and happiness?

Being in healthcare puts a new perspective on gratitude. I’m answering this hella late so it’s not actually 11/25 and is several weeks post-Thanksgiving, but… yesterday I watched a daughter unexpectedly lose her mother in the worst possible way. She walked into the room and almost immediately told us to stop doing CPR. I am grateful for my family being here and healthy, I am grateful for my fellow healthcare providers, and I am grateful that this strong woman who was having the worst day of her life wanted one thing for her mother in the last moments of her life: peace.

• 11/26 - What are some past experiences I am grateful for? How did they shape my life for the better?

I am grateful for growing up the way I did. I can’t say I wouldn’t change things but being raised by who I was shaped me into who I am. I’m grateful I wasn’t just handed things and was forced to work for them. I was probably not super appreciative at age 16 when I had to pay for my own car, but as an adult I am SO happy that I learned the lesson of working hard.

• 11/27 - Who do I appreciate? Tell us about them and why you are grateful they are in your life.

Right now I am appreciating the nurse who took report from me last night! We’ll probably never meet again but thank you for listening to my rants, not judging my last-minute leaky IV (don’t worry, the patient had another one that worked fine), and for getting me out of there so quickly!

• 11/28 - It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Tell us what specifically you are Thankful for today.

On Thanksgiving I was grateful for friends, family, and awesome coworkers.

• 11/29 - What are some people / things I may be taking for granted? How can I better express my gratitude for these people / things in the future?

I sometimes take my dad especially for granted. I depend on him for things around the house that I don’t have the skills or knowledge to do, such as fix the deck or the running toilet or even hang things without punching a hole in the wall. In the future I want to express that I’d rather him teach me these things instead of just coming to do them.

• 11/30 - What are some future opportunities I have that I am grateful for?

Everyone’s wedding, and the Year of Turning 30 Extravaganza.

• 12/1 - Share one tip with the community on how to live life with at attitude of gratitude.

No one is grateful 100% of the time. I try to make it a point every day to think of what I have… friends, family, pets, house, car, food in my fridge, etc…. and remember that not everyone has those.

• 12/2 - Where are you on your personal mental health journey? What strengths and opportunities do you have?

The changing of the seasons, setting the clocks back, and the SNOW on December 1st took its toll. I am usually not a Christmas-decorations-the-day-after-Thanksgiving type of person, but this year that’s the day that worked for my family getting our trees (me, my dad, and my sister/brother in law all go together and my Dad drops the trees off with his pickup) so I decorated that weekend and began listening to Christmas music (Pentatonix, ayyyyy). It really HAS been a pick-me-up!!!

• 12/3 - What are some past experiences with mental heath work? What has worked well for you and what has not worked as well.

Personally? None. Professionally? Just what I give as a nurse.

• 12/4 - How is your mental health compared to a year ago? Are you remaining steady, improving or regressions? What do you need to do about it?

Well, this time last year I had been at my job for one day and had no idea what I was doing. Now I’ve been here for a year and know what I’m doing… 50% of the time? So my mental health has gotten better since I no longer feel like a fish out of water. It helps that I got a per diem at the bedside and have those opportunities to do direct patient care.

• 12/5 - How aware are you of your mental health? Are your your moods steady or do they ebb and flow? Are you aware when things are changing and do you have any experience / tips for heading off tough times?

Very aware of my mental health; you have to be, to survive in healthcare without getting serious burnout. I would say my moods ebb and flow, which isn’t abnormal. Tough times can be headed off by doing self care, and I don’t mean in the bath-bomb-face-mask type of way: do your laundry (and fold it straight out the dryer), wash the dishes, clean the house, meal prep… and maybe get a manicure.

• 12/6 - Have you noticed any patterns / cycles to your own mental health? Do the seasons, or specific holidays or other variables impact you in specific ways?

Not especially. Late fall / early winter tends to be hard due to the lack of sun, but I also have a vitamin D deficiency that for obvious reasons gets worse in the winter, and low vit D causes depressive symptoms.

• 12/7 - How are mental health and physical health connected? What are some of your experiences that show this in your life?

Well. In my personal and somewhat-work-related experience, being in poor physical health often has a negative impact on mental health. HOWEVER BEING IN POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH DOES NOT MEAN BEING OVERWEIGHT. Plenty of patients have normal BMIs and are in poor health, and plenty have BMIs that label them obese and are in good health. And being in good physical health does not mean you have good mental health. I guess what I want to say is that while they can influence one another, they are not directly correlated?

• 12/8 - Share one tip with the community about developing or maintaining your mental health.

Don’t let things pile up. And I mean that literally and figuratively. Clean your house and prep your food and for the love of God empty the trash from your car (no? just me?). But also… don’t dwell on things you cannot change, and don’t stew on things you can. Just do it. It will be worth the time, energy, and anxiety.

#fmls90 #fmls90 catch up

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hallsp · 5 years

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Ramadan Diary

Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, and self-reflection for the world’s two billion Muslims. The observance of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, a central tenet of the faith. The holy month itself commemorates the start of the recitation of the Qur’an to Mohammad, culminating in Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Destiny, which celebrates the very first revelation.

The date for Ramadan varies from year to year, as the Islamic calendar is based on the movements of the moon, not the sun. This year, it began on the night of Sunday, May 5th, when the religious authorities glimpsed the thin crescent of a new moon.

I decided, after some encouragement from my students, to fast for all of Ramadan as a kind of personal challenge. This is a diary of my progress.

Monday, 6th May

Today was long, and hungry. I didn’t eat a morsel, nor drink a drop, all the livelong day. It wasn’t easy. I thought about food quite a lot. Bron, my roommate, is also fasting so we can do iftar together. An app tells me that the evening call to prayer, called maghrib, is at 19.27, but it began a small bit later — an agonizing two minutes — at about 19.29. Maryam, my other roommate, and raised Muslim, told me we have to wait until the prayer is finished, bless the food bismillah, and then eat. I broke the fast with some water and some dates, as is the custom, then devoured a chicken curry.

Tuesday, 7th May

Small bit easier today. Didn’t think of food so often. I was noticeably more tired though. I slept for an hour when I came home. Some strange reactions from some of the teachers to my fasting, but a lot of encouragement from fellow-fasters. Advice from other fasters includes waking at 3 or 4 AM for suhur, the pre-dawn meal, and easing into the iftar in the evenings with soup and salad. I decided against suhur, for reasons of laziness, so my fast is actually more extreme, having one meal, as opposed to two meals, per day. Broke the fast with some dates, a lot more water, and the last part of my chicken curry.

Wednesday, 8th May

Getting into the swing of things now, the hunger isn’t so obvious throughout the day, but much less energy. I’m in a very good mood, though. I’ve decided to make a fattoush salad, with the help of my Syrian friend Majd, who’s Christian and thinks I’m crazy for fasting. He also helped make lentil soup, another staple dish, with Bron, my roommate. So, this was a proper iftar: dates, soup, salad, and bread.

Thursday, 9th

Talked with the Biology teacher, who’s also fasting. He tells me that people ought to re-orient their mind towards other people during Ramadan, and that it’s not about feasting once the sun goes down. Look out, not in, essentially. More advice received: do not eat an even number of dates. Mohammad used to eat three. Broke the fast with (three) dates, and water. I made my own fattoush, which worked out very well. We also had leftover soup from yesterday, and I bought chicken tawouq, which I ate with bread.

Friday, 10th May

Today is International Day at school. The worst event for people fasting. There was food from every country on the planet. I had to borrow a tupperware container to bring the food home. Worse, today is Friday. The weekend is here. I have to go on a trip to Batroun for a bachelorette party with my friends leaving Beirut at about 5pm. Drink will certainly be taken. I can’t avoid it. Anyway, I’m not doing the fast for religious reasons, so once the sun goes down, I can eat, drink, and be merry. The hangover will be tough without a lot of water to compensate, though. We arrived in Batroun at 19:30 so I hopped out of the van, chugged some water, had a few dates, then started into the champagne. I managed to squeeze in a chicken burger in between the drinks.

Saturday, 11th May

The hangover wasn’t so bad, actually. In spite of this, I broke the fast for the first time — to drink a small bottle of water. As sins go, not so heinous. I was just so thirsty day after the night before. Religiously, you can break the fast if you’re pregnant, or menstruating, or sick. Maybe a hangover is a type of sickness? Anyway, spent the day on the beach, mostly under cover, and rested. Broke the fast back in Beirut with dates, some tuna fish, and pasta.

Sunday, 12th May

Apparently there’s an exemption on fasting if you’re traveling. I could’ve done with this on the road to Batroun! It also excuses my breach the day of my return to Beirut, I reckon. Broke the fast with dates, water, tawouq, bread, and pasta.

Monday, 13th May

People are always giving you advice when they hear that you’re fasting. Some of it contradictory. Bron was told not to drink so much water before eating at iftar. We decided to try it. Broke the fast with dates, no water, and chicken curry. Then copious amounts of water after. No obvious difference.

Tuesday, 14th May

Bron makes a strong point. Those who alter their body clocks by sleeping during the day and eating all night are cheating in a way. They’re just moving their day around, and sleeping through the hunger. It’s not a proper fast if you can’t feel the hunger. Broke the fast with chicken curry, round two, and lots of water.

Wednesday, 15th May

I feel hungrier today, not sure why. More advice with recommendations for iftar. The mindfulness coach thinks I ought to break the fast with some warm water, not cold, perhaps herbal tea, as this prepares the stomach better for eating, to be followed by three dates. He’s also of the opinion that people should be humble during Ramadan, no talking about their fast, no feasts at iftar, certainly no Instagram pictures. Broke the fast with a chicken burger from Smoked Bun, post-dates. Ridiculously nice.

Thursday, 16th May

I have a day off school today, for the funeral of Patriarch Sfeir, a Lebanese Maronite Cardinal. It was more difficult being home, actually. At work, even though I’m much more active and using more energy, at least I’m kept busy. Today, I caught myself watching cooking videos on YouTube. Broke the fast with (three) dates, and beef fajitas, but made with Lebanese bread.

Friday, 17th May

Broke the fast with a gorgeous mujaddara, a spicy mix of lentils, rice, and onions, made by a chef friend of Bron’s. Eaten with some of his delicious homemade bread, and some 961 Red Ale. Today is my good friend Enzo’s last night in Lebanon so drink will have to be taken again. What choice do I have?

Saturday, 18th May

Asma, Maryam’s friend from the UK whose working with a medical NGO in the Beqaa Valley, came for iftar. She’s a practising Muslim, so we had to lend her a Qur’an and find the Qibla, the direction of prayer. It was nice to get some more insight into the traditions. Apparently we can eat as soon as the call to prayer begins. We ate three dates, some ripe peach, and drank water, followed by mint tea. Dinner included pasta, fattoush, and more mujaddara. We also had ayran, a traditional kind of sour yoghurt drink. After dinner, we drank some Turkish coffee, then some Indian desi chai, made with ginger and milk. Finally, we had some traditional sweets, heloweyat. A proper iftar!

Sunday, 19th May

No hunger pangs at all today. I think my body has fully acclimatised to fasting. A small group of us went to see some childrens’ theatre in Tripoli, directed by a friend of ours and starring some kids from a Syrian refugee camp. It was really entertaining. The boys put on a production about a couple of swindlers selling dodgy seeds. The girls had a modern take on Cinderella. I could understand most of it, so I’m happy. We rushed back to Beirut for iftar. I decided to order a Ramadan Combo from Malik al-Tawouq: lentil soup, salad, and chicken tawouq platter, and a date cookie called ma’moul. Plus, a Miranda tamarind soft drink. The guy who delivered it was fasting and so forgot to take any money! We also ate some traditional Ramadan cheese sweets, heloweyat al-jibn, made with clotted cream called ashta, which we bought in Tripoli. They were spectacular. There’s a beautiful full moon tonight, which means: we’re half way through Ramadan! Ramadan Kareem!

Monday, 20th May

I genuinely don’t feel hungry during the day any more. Intellectually, I know I need to eat, but there are no hunger pangs. It’s not an obvious hunger. My sense of smell is more active, that’s about it. I decided to make chicken biryani today, which worked out really well. No big communal iftar today, as the final episode of Game of Thrones is available. Some things are more important.

Tuesday, 21st May

Bron invited two work friends over, a Syrian Muslim and a Jordanian Christian, and we also invited Dennis from downstairs. Bron made another batch of lentil soup, which was nicer even than the last one. She made fattoush as well. I contributed the remaining biryani. We had a huge variety of ice-creams with cones for dessert.

Wednesday, 22nd May

I didn’t eat so much today. I think my stomach is getting smaller. Broke the fast with three dates, some of the leftover lentil soup, a Mexican bean and tuna fish mix, and some fried haloumi. Fried haloumi is my new favourite food. Also, had a little pot of yoghurt.

Thursday, 23rd May

The routine now is to break the fast with three dates, and follow this with warm tea, usually mint tea. This really helps the transition to eating. Today, I had a big plate of pasta, some fried haloumi, and a yoghurt.

Friday, 24th May

It’s 38° today. It’s so hot that the cold tap runs warm. It’s at times like these that you appreciate the true value of something as simple as a glass of water. Tonight we’re hosting iftar on our balcony. Maryam made a Palestinian vegetarian maqluba, meaning upside-down, which is made with layers of fried vegetables, potatoes, and rice, which is then flipped before serving, and topped with fried cashew nuts. It was delicious. I made fattoush for seven people, complete with fried pita bread, and it was my best one yet. I was relieved, as I was serving Arabic food to Arabs. My friend Shadi brought his fiancé all the way from Damascus. We eventually made our way to Mezyan in Hamra, where I was rewarded with a free drink for boldly asking for one. It’s Ramadan, after all, the season of good will.

Saturday, 25th May

Myself and my house mates, Maryam and Bron, went to the Beqaa Valley to meet with Asma, who had invited us to iftar with her boss, Doctor Fares, and his extended family. It was such an amazing evening. Typically Syrian. First, we sat around half-talking, half-watching Arab dramas, like Al-Hayba and Khamsa Wa Nos, while the family cooked. People were coming and going all the time. We then went for a short walk with the good doctor’s kids, who were adorable. His eldest daughter, Lamar, had very good English. Then we moved to the garden where we played cards, a version of Trumps. I managed to cheat a bit with help of the kids. Finally, as the sun went down, we ate in a big group in the garden, sitting on cushions around a selection of dishes. There was soup and salad, alongside three different meat dishes: chicken, lamb, and fish. The flavours were superb. The family were a lively bunch. At one point, Doctor Fares insisted on feeding us from his hand. I also discovered that they knew one of my colleagues in Eastwood. Lebanon is a very small place! We sang happy birthday to one his kids and topped it all off with cake. It was the best iftar experience so far.

Sunday, 26th May

Went to Souq al-Ahad, the Sunday market, with Bron. Such a crazy place. We bought some spices, some olives and maqdus (baby aubergine stuffed with chilies, and then pickled) from Aleppo, and salvaged an old backgammon board. It’s a great place to wander for a couple of hours. At one stage I was offered a taste of something, and when I said I was fasting he immediately said (in Arabic): “Me too, I’m Muslim. Are you Muslim? Are you Sunni or Shi’a?” I had to disappoint him by saying neither. It was at this point that he said, with utmost confidence: “It’s only a matter of time.” We broke the fast with a vegetable curry, alongside some maqdus and some Lebanese bread.

Monday, 27th May

I was a small bit busy with work tonight so I had three dates followed by a simple pasta with pesto rosso, onions, and tomato. Naturally, had some mint tea and gallons of water.

Tuesday, 28th May

Today, I had the least amount of food yet. I just had a simple pasta with spicy tomato sauce and cheddar cheese. I couldn’t even finish it. I think my stomach has shrunk over the course of Ramadan. I’m definitely losing weight.

Wednesday, 29th May

Today was a tough day. I was in a bad mood for some reason. I think it’s to do with not having enough energy. Usually, during the whole of Ramadan, my mood has been positive. I think I need to eat enough to maintain my energy levels. Tonight I made chicken vindaloo with egg noodles.

Thursday, 30th May

I had more energy today, back to my normal self. I broke the fast with the remainder of my chicken vindaloo. Also, the requisite number of dates and some mint tea.

Friday, 31st May

Another Friday is upon us. The last, in fact, of Ramadan. Tonight is a big night for Muslims around the world. No-one is quite sure exactly when Laylat al-Qadr is supposed to fall, but most believe it’s the 27th day of Ramadan, which is tonight. It’s also a Friday, so it’s a big deal. We had our last group iftar in the apartment. This time we had three Syrians with us, so we had plenty of help with the food. We had a rice and aubergine dish, a water melon and feta salad, a tabbouleh salad, and some fried haloumi. Later, I nipped downstairs to say goodbye to some friends, before moving to Strada 51, a local bar, and winding up in a swimming pool in a club at 4am. Your typical Laylat al-Qadr.

Saturday, 1st June

I had Arabic class with my friend Majd, from about 2pm. He spent half the day preparing a chicken and rice dish to break the fast with at 7.45. Bless him. I broke the fast with this and some delicious Ethiopian soup made by our friend Jodie, called shiro. It was spicy, and the perfect match for the chicken. I followed this with a few drinks with an Irish guy visiting Lebanon for a week.

Sunday, 2nd June

I broke the fast with three dates, some water, and pasta, alongside some fried haloumi. The end is nigh.

Monday, 3rd June

I had to work today, but I’ve been given the rest of the week off work to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking. Today might well be the last night of Ramadan, but we’ll have to wait for the religious authorities to check on the phase of the moon. It will end either tonight or tomorrow.

If Eid begins tomorrow, Muslims will gather for special prayers called Salat al-Eid, which is usually followed by a small breakfast, the first daytime meal in a month. Eid is usually celebrated by visiting relatives, where gifts are exchanged, and zakat is given to the poor. The kids will get a tidy sum of money. Unsurprisingly, food is very important. After a whole month of fasting, all sorts of delicacies will be eaten.

It’s official. Eid begins tonight. The fast is over. I broke the fast by going to Tariq al-Jadida, a busy part of the southern suburbs, with Bron. We then went to Dahieh, where we had some saj with jibneh and zataar, before walking through the market in Sabra and Shatilla. We ended up back in Tariq al-Jadida looking for heloweyat. We weren’t very successful, but we were given free street food: foul with lemon, and seasoned corn. Tomorrow, I’ll go for breakfast in the morning, and then hit the beach.

Epilogue

This month has been really amazing. I’ve learned so much about the traditions of Islam, I’ve met so many different people, I’ve tasted lots of new foods, and I’ve had some great experiences.

It was trying at times, but the effort was definitely worth it. Ramadan really focuses the mind, and makes you very thankful for what you have. It’s also helped me to think more about portion size and also about my own health. Lastly, it’s helped me bond with others who are fasting, and brought me closer to my Muslim friends and students. I can now say with pride that I made it through the full month of Ramadan.

#ramadan #lebanon #diary #reporter

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sarakuper · 5 years

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New York, New York

Stop #28, Sept 28-Oct 6

We arrived in Connecticut to meet my dad and Denise, his parter, who graciously offered to keep our truck and trailer on her property while we spent time in NYC. My dad gave us a ride into the upper east side of Manhattan to stay with my mom for the night. She came downstairs with my childhood dog, Rocky, so we could introduce him to Jaxon and get them comfortable with one another. While walking them together up and down the block Mikey and Laura arrived and the 5 of us had dinner together. It been so long since we were all together for something as casual as dinner. It was so nice to all be together! Mikey and Laura slept in Inwood (upper Manhattan) that night at my Aunt Frema’s while me Sean and Jaxon got comfortable at my moms place.

Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast together, then my dad picked me Sean and Jaxon up to head to my Bubby’s in Queens for the first night of Rosh Hashana. Aunt Frema was preparing chicken soup and side dishes while also panicking about the caterers who had yet to arrive with the food they ordered for our meal. We helped set the table and get organized, meanwhile everyone else started to arrive. Denise and her son, Mikolo, Michael and Laura, and then Aunt Alane, Uncle Lew, and my cousins Aaron and Jack (who are like brothers to me). We were a total of 14 in my Bubby’s apartment and she couldn’t have been happier to have everyone there, although we missed Shelly who flying back to the states from Israel. By 6:30pm the food had finally arrived only 6 hours later than they originally called for.

Rosh Hashana was always one of my favorite Jewish holidays growing up. It celebrates the new year and we get to dip apples and challah in honey to represent a sweet year ahead. Not to mention, the main food is always delish! To our surprise, even though we catered this year, everything still tasted home made. There were FOUR types of kuggel, which is not surprising considering this is a Kuper gathering. But seriously, four!? My dad made the classic potato kuggel in addition to the cauliflower, broccoli, and noodle kuggels. There was also chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped liver (which sounds totally gross but is SOO delish), brisket, chicken cutlets, and way more dishes that I couldn’t begin to name.

I haven’t been with my family for this holiday since I moved to Colorado, and quite honestly it was so great to be together again for a happy occasion. We drank lots of wine, yelled conversationally across the table, and ate until we were stuffed. We could have had a second seating with the amount of food that was left, but again, this is typical for our family. We have major portion control issues!

As the night came to a close Bubby handed out goodie bags to all the “kids”. She usually bakes for everyone, but with her current health and age she decided it was time to buy the cookies to give out. Everyone left one at a time leaving me, Sean, Jaxon, and Aunt Frema; we all slept at Bubby’s.

On Monday morning I woke up to join my Bubby and Frema relaxing on the couch. My Bubby has the most comfortable couch in the world and I take a shloof (aka nap) on it almost every time I’m here. So, as per usual, I made myself comfortable with them.

An hour or so later my Dad arrived to go to shul (aka synagogue) at Young Israel, my Bubby’s local soul. After he gets back we have a “lighter” Rosh Hashana lunch with the many leftovers from the previous night, but before we that Aunt Frema and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood with Jaxon. My dad got back and we had a late lunch that ended around 4pm. We were so full, and I couldn’t believe that Sean and I were going over to Lew and Alane’s for yet anther Rosh Hashana meal with Alane’s side of the family. We were having ANOTHER massive meal only 2 hours later. I found Sean laying down on the couch in the room we slept in and he stared at me as he said “I… can’t… do this… again” referring to the large amounts of food we’ve eaten in the last 20 hours. Well, we did!

By the time we got to Alane’s, also on the upper east side, Sean and I decided to go very slow. Eventually we were able to eat another full meal of chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, and lots of side dishes leaving our bellies stuffed once again. Most of the Jewish holidays are like a marathon of eating, and Sean certainly got to experience it first hand.

We slept in the next morning, still totally full, and hung out with my 13 year old cousins Aaron and Jack who actually look 16. We brought over pizza and then walked to the park to play basketball. I love these boys so much, they are like my brothers! They are also my favorite people to hang out with when I come to NYC.

Our dinner plans with friends got canceled, and so Sean and I decided to have a night downtown to ourselves. Sean also wanted to stop by Soho Ink, a tattoo shop not far from Chinatown where we planned to eat dinner, and at the last minute decided to get the tattoo right then and there! He has lots of gaps between his current tattoos that he “needs to fill” and so this time he got an axe. It turns out the artist who was available to tattoo him was a finalist on the most recent season of Ink Master, a TV show.

After the tat Sean and I walked through Little Italy and Chinatown to get our “must eat while in NYC” soup dumplings. Usually we eat at Joe Shanghai for soup dumplings, but we wanted to try something new. We headed to Tiny Shanghai and ordered 2 rounds of soup dumplings, cold sesame noodles, scallion pancake with sliced beef, and chicken broccoli with white rice. Overall the food was delish but way less authentic than Joe’s. Since we were in the neighborhood we went to some of my old stomping grounds like Whiskey Tavern and Ryan’s daughter. At both places, to my surprise, someone who worked there when I still lived here still remembered me and welcomed us with free drinks and a good time. It was a fun date night for me and Sean! I kind of got the feeling Sean would like to live here for a little bit, maybe just a year or two. I would never do that again! But, I really do enjoy visiting.

Wednesday morning was a lazy morning until my mom got out of work early to spend the rest of the day with me, Sean, and Jaxon. We walked around the upper east side en route to a nearby park, but it was so hot walking on the streets we decided to sit in the shade at an outdoor table for coffee and ice cream. The rest of the late afternoon was spent prepping my favorite dish that my mom makes, fried pork cutlets with sweet cabbage and potatoes. Sam came over to join us for dinner before heading out to meet her friends. Theres nothing like a home cooked meal from my mamma <3

Thursday was meant to be spent hiking with Sam somewhere upstate but because of the cold rain we decided to skip it. Instead Sean and I met her downtown and went straight to Joe Shanhai’s for a soup dumpling lunch! Yes, soup dumplings again… we could never eat too many of those. We ordered 5 rounds between 3 of us for a total of 40 dumplings. Sean only had about 8 and the rest were split between Sam and I…. yeah… :) We continued to walk around downtown heading to the lower west side and got ice-cream at a Japanese style ice-cream spot called Tayaki on the way. Sean and I had a war of throwing shredded coconut at each other.

^^ This is what the entrance to Joe Shanghai’s looks like ^^

We walked to a place in the west village called Uncommon which had coffee, drinks, and snacks but offered endless games! I immediately thought how much the Elser’s would love it here! We paid for an “all day” pass which was $10 each or $5 if you have a student ID which Sam does. Sitting for almost 2 hours we played Ticket to Ride and Phase 10. Eventually Sam had to leave to head to class and Sean and I went uptown to take care of the puppers at my moms place. Almost immediately we all went back downtown to Uncommon to spend the rest of the night gaming. This time Tomo, Sam’s partner, met us and we started a new game of Phase 10, which really is so similar to Kaluche. For the first time in what feels like forever I won!!!! :) AND I whooped everyones butt. FINALLY! It was killing Sean, which gave me so much joy. He was trying so hard to get everyone to come after me so I would win, but Sam has been reading my posts and while she didn’t help me win, she definitely wasn’t going out of her way to try to make me lose. What a friend!

Friday morning I had brunch catching up with my friend Sarah, whose getting married just before Thanksgiving! In the evening Sean and I went to Hoboken to go to visit my life long bestie Toni and her husband of 1 year, Ross. They have a lovely apartment and welcomed us with a beautiful Shabbat dinner. After dinner me and Tone spent the rest of the night watching youtube tutorials of how to do the shuffle (dance moves) and were sad by the realization that we don’t have the same dance skills we once did. Ross and Sean were watching sports but were totally amused by our efforts to nail these dance moves. Sweaty and tired, we did not reach our goal, but we did laugh our butts off. After saying goodbye and being sent off with a bunch of goodies we headed back to my mom’s apartment for a short night of sleep; we were waking up at 4:30AM to go on a fishing trip with my pop and two cousins.

4:40AM quickly came and me and Sean got ready for a long morning on a boat. We walked to my cousins place only 15 blocks south where my dad picked us all out to head to Sheepshead Bay. We fished from 7-12pm and had such a blast! After I took a quick nap on the boat I woke up with enough energy to fish and caught 5! At one point I caught 2 at once, and in total only 2 of them were keepers. Sean caught more than 10 fish, 1 being blowfish which was so fun to see!!! My dad and cousins caught a few too, and the ones we kept were filleted on the boat and packaged to take back for my aunt and uncle to cook for dinner. On our way back to the city we stopped for lunch at Roll and Rooster, an old school place thats been around for a long time! On the drive back in me and my cousins all fell asleep in the back seat, and of course Sean snapped a picture.

The rest of the day was spent napping before one final dinner out with my dad and Denise. Being exhausted from the long day we didn’t stay out long and went to bed shortly after. Both Rocky and Jaxon put us to bed that night. I think they had the best time together! And Jaxon certainly loves his grandma Annette (my mom) because maaaaan did she give him a lot of food and treats!

Sunday morning my dad gave us a ride back to Denise’s house in CT where we packed up our stuff, prepared the trailer, and hit the road to head back to Colorado for Taylor and Ej’s wedding! It will take us 4 days to get back to Colorado, but we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the love and marriage of two of our best friends!!!!

Thanks for reading fam, love you all!

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capriswritingnartshenanigans · 5 years

Text

A World of Beasts and Forbidden Wants

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Complication

Human/Lycanthrope. SFW. 2185 words. Catch it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18575611/chapters/44033869

Maran has enough issues trying to help their small town survive in a world where humans are on the bottom, and werewolves and lycanthropes are on top, as well as getting people to understand their wishes. It's hard enough as one of the minority of humans who didn't turn to worshiping or being used by the Beasts, but Maran is also magickally gifted far more than they should be.

In a world of violence outside of their native walls, and now with more complications with their decision to save a Lycan rather than kill him for the crimes he has undoubtedly committed, how are they expected to escape possible enslavement... or worse?

I sigh softly as rain continues to pour down outside, turning the normally soft dirt into pits of red clay mud. It almost looks like the gardens of plants are bathed in blood; mother nature can be rather morbid, even in dirt coloration.

“Maran? Maran! Are you okay?” Someone calling my name pulls me from my thoughts. I turn away from the window, squinting slightly as my eyes re-adjust to the brightly lit living room.

“Yeah, Ma, I’m fine. I was just thinkin’.” Ma chuckles softly, shaking her head with a slight smile on her lips.

“I figured, but had to be sure. You have a habit of doin’ that when the sky starts to pour.” She wipes her messed hands on her floral-printed apron, smearing off-white batter on a large part of it. “Dinner’s about ready; the batter was tryin’ to fight with me on getting into the pan, but I managed.” She turns back to the kitchen’s connecting door to the living room, and I know she’s wanting me to follow her, so I do. “Would you mind helpin’ me with supper? I know you want to break in your home, but…” She stops at the kitchen island, still spattered with flour, batter, and multiple discarded bits of vegetables and meat fat.

“But you don’t want another leaving the nest so soon. I know.” I grab the tin for compost dumping and start raking the leftovers from her prep into it. “I’ll help, don’t worry. Is pa and Eri coming home for it, too?” She nods enthusiastically.

“Yes! The miners finally hit a big pocket of coal, accordin’ to your da. He said he and Eri will be gettin’ tons more time off because we won’t have to fight so hard to get energy without… Them noticing.” She shivers, murmurs a prayer to the Gods under her voice while doing a holy star across herself, and turns to check on the shepard’s pie in the oven. Them. The Beasts, as many humans like us call them. In this part of Icarurim, lycanthropes and werewolves are the cock of the walk. Humans either worship their every step and breath, or they’re like us, living in hiding, protected by thousands of layers of magick meant to keep Beast-bloodeds out. An icy chill runs down my spine, causing my entire body to shudder.

“Well… that’s good. They’ve been working the miners so hard, from the moment the light touches the sky till well into the night. They deserve a big break, and some awarding for their work.” Instead of getting comfortable in my new home, I’d been spending the last two months spending most of the daylight time with Ma, knowing she was dealing with da’s missing presence badly. After thirty-two years together, I would say it’s hard to deal with.

I wash my hands after the counter is visibly clean, then wet a rag and apply some cleaning fluid before going back to it. Ma continues to chatter about a few more successes in the community, like the solar panels finally being complete, just need more time to properly wire everything; the gardens are responding well to the compost this year, so there’s hope for a lot more food this year, especially in winter; and there’s hope that the town will be able to expand closer to the river, which will help up our water supply. I nod along, mentally taking notes as she speaks. More than likely, when the expansions start, I’ll be called in to help move the protective spells and runes that keep the town safe. One of the “perks” of being a strong magician, I guess.

When I finish fully wiping down the kitchen island and some counters, the shepard’s pie is ready. My stomach had started to growl half an hour ago, and at this point I’m nearly ravenous at the smell. When Ma takes it out of the oven, I feel my mouth water at the full force of the smell of the vegetables, beef, and gravy cooked to perfection. The mashed potato-parsnip mix on top is golden brown, and the filling inside looks somewhat like beef stew, but with less gravy. We both quiet once she divies us out a portion of it, and we keep that quiet as we eat.

Around an hour later...

The rain finally lightened up sometime after Ma and I ate dinner, enough so that I can finally go into the main area of town and onward to getting what I need for home. Flour, eggs, a good helping of vegetables, red-spotted toadstools, gold wire… I check all of what’s left, mainly just coffee beans and more paper. I make my way through the mud, rather slowly, towards Ervini’s, a shop centered around getting more non-local items from other small human settlements around the country. The outside part of the store is painted a dark green, with large, hand-painted white letters depicting the shop’s name written above the door. It’s bigger inside than out, as per usual with shops and homes. The work of magick.

“Hey, Maran!” I hear someone say as I step in from the rain, scrubbing the mud from my boots on the welcome mat as I lower my hood. I look over to the rickety, oak wood counter as I round the large display of papers to my left. I grin when I spy Annori, dressed in a lovely knee-length spring green dress with her long, dirty-blonde hair plaited into a french braid thrown over her shoulder. The closer I come to the counter, the more her cheeks flush, and the more excited she acts. I have to swallow down a laugh as she dips down behind the counter to grab something, then pops back up with a bounce. “Your things finally came in! Erv told me to make sure I kept them on hand in case you could stop by.”

“Oh, good! Yeah, the rain finally let up enough to come into town from Ma and Da’s.” I reach out to grab the box of coffee beans and paper, letting my fingers brush hers as I do so. I sneakily watch her bite her lip as she nervously laughs and hands off the box entirely to me. I’m well aware of her… interest in me, and it makes teasing her so much more fun. “How long is Erv keeping you here?”

“Um, just until 3 or so. He doesn’t expect much in the way of customers today, and the elders are sure the rain is going to become a bad storm towards evening.”

“So he doesn’t want you to get caught in the storm.” Rather nice of him, but I don’t say that bit out loud. Erv could be a real hardass sometimes; it’s why I’m no longer working the counter in here.

“Pretty much! Especially with where I live… outer rim and all.”

“Yeah.” I look outside, and groan when I see the rain picking back up. Damn it. “Look, Ani, I need to get back to Ma’s. She’ll tear off my hide if her cornmeal gets ruint. I’ll see you soon!” I head back to the door as she calls goodbye, shifting everything around in my pack to fit in the new box. As I’m about to head out the door, I feel a hand gently wrap around my upper arm. I turn, a brow raised, and look down at Ani. Her face has, somehow, managed to turn from a dark pink to tomato red in the span of time it took me to finish moving around my pack’s items.

“I-I was wondering about something…” She looks down at our feet, and I can hear her mutter to herself.

“And that is…?” I bite my lower lip to keep the smirk from fully forming on my lips. She’s so adorable when she’s nervous.

“I was w-wondering if you’d… um… liketocom’ov’rforsuppahsometime.” The last half of her sentence comes out in such a quick succession I can’t quite tell what she said.

“If I’d like to what?”

“T-To come over. For supper. Some time.” She lets out a nervous laugh whilst her hand not on my arm twists itself into her dress. This time, I can’t keep the grin off of my face as I pull my lower lip in between my teeth for a few moments, before letting my lips pull into such a big grin my cheeks hurt.

“Absolutely. When would you like me to come over?”

After dark has fallen…

I laugh as I make my way through the thick clay mud via a small orb of light, my thoughts drifting to my day. Quite a turn of events, if I say so myself. Da and Eri are home after being only able to return home for a short time every Friday and Saturday, and… Ani finally got the guts to ask me on what I’m thinking is a date. I laugh again, the heat of my breath swirling through the fog that’s settled in after the rain. A thick fog that would normally make moonless nights unable to be traveled, but I’m good at creating light. I feel my face contort as my boots let out more squelching noises, now becoming more constant the closer I get to my home.

My home. It’s odd to consider the small cottage as my “home”, but it really is. While I have to live closer to the outer rim than Ma and Da were comfortable with, I rather enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by trees. There’s also a good amount of cleared land as per usual for homes, so soon enough I can even begin my own small garden and maybe some other self-sufficient means of living. And… maybe some chickens or pigeons for healthy meat when the river isn’t producing fish.

Just as I’m reaching the clearing to my home, I hear a low, animalistic groan. I stop dead in my tracks, my heart beginning to race as my eyes struggle to make anything out in the dark fog. I try to calm my breathing; if it’s an animal, I need to be calm. Pressing my lips together and steeling myself, I move forward slowly, willing my orb to go in front of me. It bobs as we travel, and even as we go ten or so steps onto my land, I still see nothing.

One step.

Two step.

Another groan cuts the air, somewhere in front of me, to the left. It’s closer now.

One step.

Two step.

I can’t suppress my gasp when I finally see what’s made that noise. My orb’s light casts an eerie look on the monstrosity in front of me. It lies in a collapsed heap, fur matted with mud and something of a darker red. A darker red that’s puddling around it, staining what it touches. Blood pours from the huge gouges carved into its back and sides, as well as holes ripped into its torso and limbs. How it managed to still be alive is unfathomable. I move closer to see it better, and realization dawns on me when I see its wolfish head, and the twisted look of paws and hands meshed unnaturally.

Lycan. The word whispers through my brain, sending an icy panic trickling through my chest and stomach. Its eyes are closed, but its mouth is slightly open, allowing blood and breath to escape. Slowly, slowly, my hand inches towards the shortsword hidden at my side. I’ve never killed before, but… I can’t let this thing go. Not when I know exactly what it’ll do if it survives. Unspeakable horrors. Horrors I can prevent.

Just as I manage to quietly bring my blade from its sheath, a quiet voice whispers through my head. Don’t. I pause, but don’t take my eyes off of the beast’s hulking body. Who are you? I ask.

Don’t kill him. You’ll regret it, comes the reply.

What do you mean??? Who are you?!

I am a god, a god of old who has seen what will come if you kill him. So don’t. Bring him into your home, care for him, and tell none of his presence. To kill him would end the future of your people, and to abandon him will bring to end your future. So care, and not kill, human, if you truly care for either. Great. A riddle. It’s not unusual for the gods to present themselves mentally when someone is at a turning point that could have major impact on the world. Doesn’t mean I have to like what it says, though.

Why should I spare him? He is a monster, who has likely murdered innocent humans aplenty in his numerous days! Why should he be allowed to live and not be punished?!

Heed my words, human. You’ll understand soon enough. Care, not kill. It whispers this last part over and over as its voice recedes from my mind. A final warning. Care for a beast that will likely kill me the moment he wakes. The gods have a great sense of humor sometimes.

Thank you so much for reading!!!

#werewolf #lycan #werewolf/human #lycanthrope #original fiction #original work #genderqueer main character #blood and injury #medieval meets modern world #werewolves and lycanthropes rule the world #magick #supernatural

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lime-be4n · 6 years

Text

Falling in (part 2)

Thank you to @crimsonbluemoon for proofreading, you should go check out their work.

My house is not the nicest my house isn’t the nicest on the block, but it fits my current needs. If I were to live like the amount of money I had, life would be exponentially diverse, to the one I currently live. My money can be seen through my dog, I buy the best for her and only the best.

I feed my dog, depending on my mood for the day: beef, chicken, and the occasional fish. I cook them most of the time, without seasoning, or if I feel great compared to other days I can grill it. Though I do give her everything she wants, that does not mean that she is spoiled. She is actually a service dog, she served in many missions, and she is also an emotional support dog. She can tell if I’m in a bad mood even if I feed her the same food. I don’t think I could ask for a better dog, she’s around her adult age, which is good and she’ll stay around longer.

I grab the door handle wearily. I hope my baby is okay.

The door creaked, like always, but there is something missing from my normally welcoming home. I stepped in and paused. At this moment Baby would run at me, barking, and jumping into my arms; but the house was silent. I took a gulp. “B-Baby?” My voice cracked and my eyes watered. “Hey Baby! I-I’m home!” I left the door open and walked to the kitchen looking. “Come on Baby! Please?” The kitchen was empty.

My mind was everywhere at once and the thought of every worst possible scenario ran through my head. Could it be possible those people knew where I live? I need to think positively. Then suddenly, I heard a bark on the second story; I wasted no time rushing up the bamboo wooden stairs. I panted as I called out to her once more,”Baby! Where are you sweet pea!” The bark was much louder now. It came from my ‘spare room’, I slipped through the halls and slammed open the door. “Baby?” I try to calm my breathing. She growled this time, she never growls. But I couldn’t see her, she was possibly in my safe room. But there is no way she could have gotten in there without…. My breath hitched; I’ll open the safe and let her out, as long as she’s safe I don’t care what happens to me. As I thought that she whined. “I’m sorry Baby.” I punched in the code and opened it, the wall clicked and pushed itself open an inch. I solemnly swing the door open and there she was.

Baby was wearing a muzzle and was held back by the man named Craig, the only thing different about him is the fact that he’s wearing a suit of armor. My Armor. But I let that slip past my mind, he was holding my baby hostage. My Baby. I made myself weary of my actions, I can’t have my baby getting hurt. I clenched my fists. Then remembered that I need to calm myself if I was going to get out of this situation.

A person was behind me, I could tell by their constant shifting or slow steps as an attempt to get closer to me. Wrong move. I grabbed the person, or known as paper bag head, by the vest and flipped him over. That then caused the other man, plastic bag head to attack me; his attacks were off as if they were new at brawling. Nonetheless, I did the same, in turn flipping him onto the other tall one. An ‘OOF’ came out of the paper bag head man. I was about to rotate my position when a click echoed the room.

Craig held a gun to Baby’s head, she whined. I whipped my head to her, tears dampened her fur. I was filled to the brim with fury, but not willing to bet her life for a small mistake a could have made, I looked down and raised my hands to where everyone in the room could see. “That’s more like it,” a voice from behind me, Irish. “Yeah, Finally. Now we don’t have to hurt anyone.” the African- American monkey masked whispered to the Irish cyborg looking one. I flinched at the diction of the two; I growled. The Irish apprehended me.

“Will you let her go?” I managed to bark out. My arms didn’t hurt a bit- gymnastics paid off, and soon go will soccer.

“Huh?” The cyborg Irish responded. My body tensed, “Will. You. Let. Her. Go.” He should have listened to me the first time. He finished tightening the restraints, “Duh, who do you think we are? Huh? Monsters?” He joked, clearly comfortable with the situation I’m in. “Calm your tits, dude. She’ll be fine.” He grabbed the rope that held my wrists together and lifted me up; yikes, the rope is not the securest thing to have. “Bad move ‘dude’” I kick him where the sun doesn’t shine and slipped my wrists through the holes. I then grabbed Craig’s gun and pointed it at him. “You should know, I don’t mi-” I was interrupted by a pain in my neck, I slowly reach towards and tore it out. “A vile?” My vision slowly pulsed as I turned it, fiddlesticks.

My vision then disappeared with the sound of a gun hitting the floor and the picture of a cartoon bear with a familiar face on it stuck in my head

3 1 18 20 15 15 14

My luck couldn’t get any worse.

~-~-•-~-~

What. The. Flapjacks.

I reach to grab my throbbing head. But I can’t. In fact, I- “ Can’t feel a thing?” I twitch, that was none of the voices I heard at the alleyway or house.

My head continues to throb.

My eyes are open but I can’t see, I’m wearing a blindfold- no, a sack; a potato sack. My wrists were chained, prison chains, to the floor. There’s no way I got caught already! I’m better than that.

Throbbing

The man pushed my head down to face my lap, gripping to the sack and my hair tightly. I winced a bit, “Do you know why you’re here? Hm?!? Do you?!?” I bit my lip, I won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing my voice.

It hurts.

I tried to kick but my shins were clamped to the chair. I’m immobile. He then yanked at the sack to look up while hunched over. My chains pinched my skin, I could feel the ripping and busing of it. Dill Weed!

Everything hurts.

The chains started to chatter, he’s not shaking me. I am trembling. “What’s the matter? Can’t take the heat?” Mocking me. There should not be any reason why I’m wavering, nor in pain for that matter. I have been ‘investigated’ many times to where I’ve built a thick skin- a tolerance. I don’t quite understand, did they drug me? He then finally let go and a couple of steps back. “In case you were wonderin’, usually skinwalkers are so fucking weak to this crap.” He then threw an empty metal bottle in my direction, it slowed to my feet.

Somehow, I feel insulted, for my loss of sight, but then again he called me a skinwalker.

What in the name of leaping lizards is a skinwalker?

#fan fiction #fanfic #h2o delirious #IAMWILDCAT #mini ladd #daithi de nogla #terroriser #basically i do wrk #smii7y #falling in #delirious's dog

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the1rei · 7 years

Text

Bloomin' Ross pt27

Things are still a little awkward between Cass and Rose, made worse for Cass by a foot in the mouth, and the guards arrive in time to make it all the worse.

<<< First Post <<Prev Post - Next Post >>

"That's the last one dear, go ahead and slide them in," Camellia plopped the last mound of uncooked dough onto the baking pan and nodded to Cass. With a grunt of effort, Cass hoisted up the massive wooden spatula the tray was on and slid it into the oven. She struggled a bit to get the tray off the spatula without being able to reach into the inferno but managed after a moment, and once Cass had retracted it Camellia swung and latched the oven door shut. "Thank you, Cassandra, without Rose's help I usually need the help of Claire and Ella to lift that thing."

"I bet Rose makes it look easy," Cass sighed plopping down on a chair and wiping the sweat from her brow. Looking up at the large over again she glanced curiously at Camellia, "I've never seen such a large oven in a house before."

"Oh that's because this place used to be a bakery," Camellia's eyes swept across her small home, and she gave a nostalgic nod agreeing with herself. Cass' eyes followed the older woman's but didn't seem to see the same things. "After the one who built, it moved on to a bigger shop no one could afford to keep it running, bakeries are costly businesses you know, so I ended up renting it as just a home. It's wasn't built to be a home so it can be hard at times keeping it warm when it's cold or cool when it's hot, but the price is right."

Camellia smiled, but Cass frowned. She glanced at the cot laid out in the living room up at the generously named loft and to the single boor in the house where four girls shared the only bedroom. "The servants' quarters don't seem so bad now." Cass muttered to herself though by the way her eyes grew wide, and she glanced nervously over at Camilla it would seem she hadn't meant to speak at all.

Camellia smiled softly, but not quite warmly, and Cass jumped to her feet making as if to speak. "Why don't you go and see if Rose needs help dear, I'm sure you'd rather spend time with her than me." Camellia beat her, and gently tutted Cass towards the door."

"I didn't mean..." Cass struggled to explain though she didn't resist the gentle coaxing out.

"I know dear," Camellia's smile was warmer this time, stopping at the door she added, "Don't be nervous, just talk to her."

Cass swallowed standing in the doorway, not quite looking outside, but she could hear the chatting of adults and the laughter of children though Cass couldn't hear Rose's voice among either. She paused patting the flour from her handmaiden's dress thankful for the first time that she hadn't changed before they left the castle, it was more suited for this like of work.

Stepping out of the house Cass noticed Rapunzel, surrounded by a group of girls, and a few boys, including all of Rose's sisters who were fussing over her hair, save Ella who was enamored my Pascal. Rapunzel enraptured most by telling them some story, her hands moving animatedly as she stared off into space in exaggerated wonder, the kids staring up at the princess with wide eyes.

Eugene nearly matched Rapunzel's stardom surrounded by a group of boys and a few more girls. He masked his storytelling by pretending to instruct them on how to be dashing heroes; the right thing to say, how to pose when you arrive to the rescue, how to get your hair just right. Cass shook her head at him.

Rose, however, stood alone at her table the vegetables now somewhat diminished in size as she made her way through preparing them. None of the other adults moved to assist her, in fact, the few that were watching her seemed to do so with an almost reverence. Cass just frowned at this and hurried a little towards her. "Can I help?"

Rose jumped at the sudden interruption, and Cass' breath caught in her throat seeing the large knife Rose was handling as she cut the carrot held in the other. Images of sliced finger flashed through Cass' mind, but instead, the knife just halted midway through the carrot jerking still in an instant. Glancing up at Cass, Rose blushed, which caused Cass to do the same, and pushed the locks of her still damp red hair from her eyes before forcing a smile. "Sure, you can cut the onions just let me get the knife ready."

Cass gave her a curious look, wondering if maybe it needed to be sharpened. Instead, Cass took the knife and dipped it into the cauldron of boiling water that stood just past the end of the table. For a moment Cass was taken aback as the fire below the cauldron seemed to stir but realized it was just Pyrepy when he gave a small bark, at least someone was helping. The fish was just a few paces away, and Rose took the opportunity to turn it on its spit over its own roaring fire. Past that, a row of mismatched tables set end to end stood with chairs even more mismatched on either side, and all manner of bowls and plates set out on them.

"Here," Rose's voice brought Cass back to reality, and she looked down to see the blacksmith holding the handle of the knife out to her careful not to touch the metal of the blade. "Be careful not to touch the blade, but the onion vapors shouldn't be so bad."

"Thanks," Cass took the knife in one hand and onion, already peeled, in the other positioning herself next to Rose at the table. "Everyone just here for the food, no one's going to help," Cass asked glancing back up at the assembled people some of whom were looking at them and whispering amongst themselves.

"They all really like my cooking; they say it's best when I do it myself. I don't mind," Rose shrugged not even looking up as her blade chopped rhythmically through the carrot and Cass watched as each piece grew thinner as she moved down the fattening vegetable, then gathered the proportioned pieces and dumped them into the pot with a single motion.

"Wow," Cass whispered and looked to her onion. Taking up the knife she cut through the useless end which fell away, so far so good and Rose was right then vapors seemed to be neutralized. The second cut went down at the wrong angle, and Cass tried to correct it halfway through creating a comically uneven slice of onion. She tried again, but this attempt was even worse, and Cass remember why she had never been asked to do more than scrub and peel potatoes at the castle.

"Don't be so nervous," Rose's voice wafted over, crystallizing as Rose's hand fell gently over Cass'. Cass' hand immediately ceased shaking as her heart jumped into her throat and it became a little hard to breathe. "You're never nervous with your sword, just imagine you're on your practice course."

Cass' mind tried to think of the practice course or anything besides the warm slightly rough hand that held hers, but she couldn't. The sensation banished every thought from her mind until she had to look over at Rose's reassuring face and say, "Could you let go of my hand?"

Rose eyes grew round, and she jerked her hand back to her chest, "I'm sorry, I-I..." Instead of an explanation Rose fell silent and began slicing the skin off a potato with such speed that even despite her good dexterity it was impressive she didn't cut herself.

Cass also tried to say something, but she could no better find words than Rose. The kiss still hung over them making things awkward; it was such a silly thing to be awkward about, Rapunzel had done the same in fits of joy what was different about this. Cass knew the answer to that and didn't want to think about it further. Instead, she thought of herself, a sword and her practice course; the onion fell apart in perfect slices.

Cass was ecstatic as she moved from one onion to the next cutting them in perfect proportions and no more than a few tears coming to her eyes. Finding her voice, she was about to thank Rose when an authoritarian voice cut in over the crowd. "What's going on here? There was celebration sanctioned on this street today!"

Everyone looked up to see a pair of guards approaching, one a large, gruff fellow, the one who had spoken, and the other a skinny young fellow who was probably a recruit. "You can just block the street whenever you feel like it; people need to be able to get through!"

The crowd collectively scoffed at that, and a murmuring rose from them about how no traffic save their own came through the street. This collective protest didn't phase the guard held up a hand to stop them, only to fall silent himself as a small figure stepped into view. Her arms cross and surrounded by a hoard of wild children it was the princess herself Rapunzel. "We're just having a little get together here, but if it's against the law for them to do so without approval then I hereby as Princess of Corona approve this gathering."

The guard gaped openly at the appearance of the princess, his young partner nearly growing faint. Rapunzel smiled at this reaction, "If you like to stay then you may do so by all means."

Rather than answering the guard's eyes swept over the people again only to fall on Cass who shied away hoping not to be noticed. "I see," He turned back to Rapunzel and nodded, "very well Princess." Then he tuned back to his partner, "Go back and tell the captain we have a Code Maroon." "The recruit nodded and quickly dashed away as the older guard turned back to the crowd and nodded and began pacing around the crowd.

Rapunzel frowned at and looked to Cass who, guessing her question shrugged looking equally confused. "Hey, what's a 'Code Maroon'?"

The guard paused and as any proper guard would instantly and truthful answered the Princess' question. "The Captain's daughter is on a date."

#tangled the series #cassandra #rose #cassandrose #ross

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drtanstravels · 7 years

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In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia. Now it was time to make a move to Barcelona.

Tuesday, September 5 We packed all of our luggage into the back of our Mini and it was time to hit the road, down the freeway to where we’d be spending the night, Peñíscola. Yes, people have constantly reminded me that the place sounds like its name resembles that of a phallic-themed carbonated beverage, but this was an awesome place and not only because parts of season six of Game of Thrones were filmed there, not by a long shot. Here’s a bit about Peñíscola:

Peñíscola, anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d’Irta along the Mediterranean coast. It is a popular tourist destination Peniscola, often called the “Gibraltar of Valencia,” and locally as “The City in the Sea”, is a fortified seaport, with a lighthouse, built on a rocky headland about 220 feet (67 m) high, and joined to the mainland by only a narrow strip of land.

The present castle was built by the Knights Templar between 1294 and 1307. In the fourteenth century it was garrisoned by the Knights of Montesa, and in 1420 it reverted to the Crown of Aragon. From 1415 to 1423 it was the home of the schismatic Avignon popeBenedict XIII (Pedro de Luna), whose name is commemorated in the Castell del Papa Luna, the name of the medieval castle, and Bufador del Papa Luna, a curious cavern with a landward entrance through which the seawater escapes in clouds of spray.

My arch-nemesis, Google Maps, led us to the location without a hassle, but then decided to cause problems once we were there. The road into the old-town seemed to get quite narrow once you passed the gate at the end of the beach so we parked the car and tried to find out hotel on foot, however, as we were getting out of the car someone walked up and told us we would probably get a fine if we parked there because the parking was only for residents after a certain time in the afternoon. Looks like Anna would have to try and get us around those tiny streets, initially built 700 years ago, long before the invention of the automobile and with the purpose of catering to foot-traffic, horses and carts at the most, in mind, in order to locate our hotel, the Dios Esta Bien. Back in the 1970s, my parents drove a Mini and that’s when they were legitimately tiny cars. Both of my parents are well over 6′ (182cm) tall and this was during a time of afros and platform shoes, them getting in and out of that thing would’ve looked like a clown car at the circus. Things are a little different now, new models of Mini are on the road, such as the one we had rented, and they aren’t that small anymore. If anything, they are probably slightly larger than most small car models these days. The screenshot of the map (right) was taken later in the night on the beach after dinner, the road we were more than likely on at this particular time was the Calle Saiz de Carlos and we had to make it to our hotel. Not an easy task, especially when you’re driving on the opposite side of the road to what you’re used to on streets so narrow that you can’t even open the doors in some parts. You know it’s a tight fit when the locals on the street are cringing and curling up their faces as you slowly meander through the lanes, so Anna eventually stopped in a tiny parking lot and we devised a new plan; Anna would wait in the car in case there was a problem with parking, I would set out on foot and try to find the hotel. Those tiny streets get a little difficult to navigate when your map isn’t working, however, I followed it as best as I could and decided to find a cafe so I could use their wifi, but accidentally stumbled upon our hotel in the process. The hotel manager was sitting out the front, having a smoke when I found him and burst into laughter when I told him our predicament, telling me it happens quite often. He walked down to the car with me and offered to Anna to drive it up to the Dios Esta Bien, to which Anna gave a resounding “Yes!” We had luggage on the back seat, meaning there was no room for anyone to sit so we just walked up to the hotel and met him there. We checked in, took our luggage three floors up the extremely narrow staircase to our room and then drove the car back down to where there was a carpark we could actually use. The stressful part was officially over, we could now walk out and get a taste of Peñíscola (pun absolutely intended):

If a truck can do it, then it can’t be that difficult

Walking down the street to our hotel

The view from our room

The stairs are a bit tight

For some of us, anyway

Walking down to the carpark

Anna navigating one of many tight turns

Looking at the castle from the beach

Panoramic shot of the beach

Looking back into town

Jamon again!

The face pedestrians made when they saw Anna trying to take the really tight turns

We walked around, checking out Peñíscola and stopping off at random places for the occasional latte, but before long it was time to eat again. We looked for a while, deciding between several really good looking restaurants, but then stumbled upon Taberna El Ánfora and the decision really just made itself. There is a kind of poorly translated description from the restaurant on Trip Advisor that says:

Our restaurant offers our guests a traditional Mediterranean seafood cuisine. We have our menu with a characteristic dishes of our establishment and others that vary from fresh fish, to offer our clients a different way to taste the Mediterranean fish and seafood. The chef Daniel Colom cooking style dishes “sailor fishing boat” will offer a unique experience and move you with its variety of typical dishes of sailors the world of “seafarers” We wait for you.

I guess what they were trying to say is that all of the food is freshly caught and that the chef/owner, Daniel Colom, goes diving daily for fresh shellfish so if something isn’t available, it’s because he couldn’t catch any that day. Once inside the restaurant, lobster traps act as lampshades and the walls and ceiling are adorned with treasures and artefacts the chef has discovered while diving, broken antique vases from the ocean’s floor, that type of thing, however, photographs aren’t allowed unless you are eating there. We pulled up a seat, ordered a variety of stuff, some we were familiar with and some we’d never even heard of, such as sea nettles, which tasted kind of like deep-fried oysters but a quick look at wikipedia and it tuns out that they are actually of the jellyfish family. Once we had ordered, Daniel took us inside to show us around, look at all the stuff he had salvaged and pose for photos in sailor hats similar to those worn by Donald Duck and Japanese schoolgirls.

The food was spectacular, we followed it up with some free shots of some local alcohol and then took a long walk around the beach before heading back home. Some scenes from the night:

I would eat here nightly if I could

My view while we were having dinner

Just Anna and myself looking stupid again

A cabinet with some of the stuff Daniel has salvaged while diving

Fortunately, we’re in the background of this one

Octopus and potato stew

Sea nettles

With Daniel Colom

The most bored person I think I’ve ever seen

Looking at the foreshore

The sea at night

Walking back to our hotel

Wednesday, September 6 Today Anna was going to have to navigate those crazy back alleys again in order for us to be able pack our luggage in the car, but that’s not something you can probably do on an empty stomach so we decided to wander around the castle and then go down to the pier area, have a coffee and get some lunch. After walking around, looking at the buildings and watching the fish swim in the water, we settled into another great little seafood restaurant called Puerto Mar. Yet again, we ate ridiculously well, feasting on a different variety of sea-snails to usual, as well as razor clams among other miscellaneous sea creatures. I’ve always loved Spanish food, but I could eat the seafood in Peñíscola every meal for the rest of my life and be completely content. In an effort to delay driving the car back up to the hotel, we walked around the beach for a while, just taking in the scenery, but it was inevitable; Anna would have to tackle those extremely compact laneways, but yet again she pulled it off superbly and before long we were packed and making our way to Barcelona. When we arrived we dropped off our car at the rental place near our hotel and it turned out there was a scratch in the paintwork, most likely from all of those sharp curves, but luckily she paid for full insurance to begin with. To quote the man who served us when we returned the car, “You could’ve just brought back the steering wheel and it would’ve been fine.” Once the car was sorted, we checked into our hotel, which was located near the conference centre where the 2017 Euretina Congress was being held and, although our hotel was nice and on the beach, there wasn’t a whole lot else around the general area where we were staying. We looked around a shopping mall, Diagonal Mar Centre, that was located behind our hotel, but that was just like the countless malls back home in Singapore. Once we were done wandering around there, we had dinner and a few drinks, then decided to cash in that night and make the most of the following day. Still, it was a day well-spent:

In the lobby of the Dios Esta Bien

This little guy decided to check out the view with us

It’s pretty relaxing here

Walking around the castle

Anna and some houses

Making our way along the pier to the restaurant

Puerto Mar

Where to begin?

Well, how about with these?

Taste so good

Some clams

Probably should de-stress again before trying to drive back up to our hotel

This was one of the wider streets!

It’s amazing that there was only one small scratch on the car in the end

Thursday, September 7 Anna had to present at the conference on Friday so it was best to make the most of one of our only full days together in Barcelona. The plan of attack? Get some coffee and go take a look at Sagrada Familia:

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Gaudí’s work on the building is part of a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop.

In 1882 construction of Sagrada Família commenced under architect Francisco Paula de Villar until 1883, when Villar resigned. Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Familia’s construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Since commencing construction in 1882, advancements in technologies such as computer aided design and computerised numerical control (CNC) have enabled faster progress and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. However some of project’s greatest challenges remain including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolising an important Biblical figure in the New Testament. It is anticipated the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí’s death.

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona’s cathedral, over Gaudí’s design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí’s death disregarded his design, and the 2007 proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain’s high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said “it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art”, and Paul Goldberger describes it as “the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages”.

We arrived at Sagrada Familia and Anna had managed to score tickets online that allowed us to go 65m (213′) up the basilica’s Passion Towers, a process that is only possible by elevator, however, the descent back to ground-level involves walking a very narrow, winding staircase consisting of over 300 steps. Here’s how we saw our time both outside the basilica, as well as inside:

The main basilica

Looking from the side

Anna in front of the entrance

Inside

And the other end

Panoramic shot inside

Once we’d been up, we would have to walk down a staircase like that

The view from one window in the Passion Towers

Same view, but obscured by Anna

A small stairwell to the other tower

Still under construction

Apparently that’s the route we took

It’s a long way down

Some people are dicks

One of the numerous scale models inside

To exit the building, in typical style you must go through the gift shop, but en route to the store the walls are lined with many highly-detailed scale models of what the finished building will look like, hand crafted by designers and artists. One can’t help but think that they would be a lot more closer to completing the building if they put that effort into the actual basilica, as opposed to building so many models of it. These things aren’t small, either!

Following Sagrada Familia was to be the interesting part. We were about to spend the rest of the day shopping, making our way into the city and eventually ending up at La Rambla, the site of the Barcelona terrorist attack just three weeks earlier. If you haven’t read part one of this post or have just plain forgotten the details, here’s how it went down:

On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died 10 days later on 27 August. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another person in order to steal the victim’s car to make his escape. Nine hours after the Barcelona attack, five men thought to be members of the same terrorist cell drove into pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six others. All five attackers were shot and killed by police. The night before the Barcelona attack, an explosion occurred in a house in the Spanish town of Alcanar, destroying the building and killing two members of the terrorist cell; including the 40-year-old imam thought to be the mastermind. The home had over 120 gas canisters inside, which police believe the cell was attempting to make into one large bomb or three smaller bombs to be placed in three vans which they had rented; but which they accidentally detonated.

We weren’t worried at all, if anything it would most likely be safer because everybody would be on their guard and there would be a lot more security around.

The two of us made our way through the city, admiring some of the bizarre architecture and happy in the fact that this was going to be our home for the next few days. Eventually we arrived at La Rambla and there were very few signs that anything had happened in recent times. La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian mall, closed to transport, that stretches for 1.2 kms (0.75 miles) with many shops, bars and cafes, however, there were no shrines or memorials, but a large police presence with police cars and armed officers blocking every possible entrance point. Besides that, it seemed like it was back to business as usual, people appeared relaxed and at ease. That was until a car backfired and everyone flinched in unison, that terror still present in their eyes as they mentally flashed back to what they were doing several weeks earlier when they first heard the news, but the fear subsided again soon enough.

The entire day I couldn’t work out why I was getting such dirty looks from some people, then it dawned on me — I looked like a Trump supporter. I was wearing the t-shirt I received when I bought the VIP package to see Ween on the President’s Day weekend in Broomfield, Colorado last year which has Dean and Gene Ween satirising Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln respectively, with a parody of the American flag behind them, the stars replaced with Boognish logos. To top off the look, I was also wearing a red cap advertising a pizza store that, in actuality, looked a lot like a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat on first glance. From now on I’ll actually look in the mirror before I walk out the door.

A lot of the stores around the area were similar to what we would find in Singapore, but there was still some pretty cool stuff around and Anna could’ve happily spent every cent she had. After we tired of looking at the shops, we had a couple of mid-afternoon libations in La Rambla, stopped off for some dinner and then found a shisha bar that had some pretty decent Palestinian beers, something I had never seen before. Here’s how it all looked from our perspective:

I bet elves live in this building

Maybe this one, too

La Rambla

They didn’t actually sell them

Yes, apparently this is an actual plant…

…as are these chilis

Enjoying a drink on La Rambla

A mural in the shisha bar

I really do look like a redneck

Anna going a little red

Almost time to go back to the trailer and brush my tooth

Don’t worry, our trailer’s in a nice part of Barcelona

Friday, September 8 Friday was to be Anna’s first full day at the Euretina Congress, she was also making a presentation, offering me the opportunity to explore the city by myself. I made the 45-minute beachside walk into town, stopping off for a coffee along the way, and spent most of the day in the same way as the previous afternoon, but just looking at record stores and stuff that I like to do when I’m alone in a new city, but particularly exploring the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona:

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district.

The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city’s Roman wall and several notable medieval landmarks. Much of the present-day fabric of the quarter, however, dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area, along with the former Sinagoga Major.

The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

We had already seen a decent part of the Gothic Quarter the previous day, but because I walked into town this time, I got to approach it from a different angle and find new parts. See for yourself:

When the beach looks like this, it’s a perfect day for looking at the Gothic Quarter

Water tower in Barceloneta Park

I know nothing about soccer, but I thought this might have something to do with FC Barcelona. Turns out I was wrong.

Walking around the Gothic Quarter

More of the Gothic Quarter

Still more

Columbus Monument at the lower end of La Rambla

Barcelona Maritime Museum

Pretty saucy for Baghdad, but I guess the spelling isn’t much to go by

El Portal de Santa Madrona de Barcelona

Although I could physically do it, I couldn’t spend all day walking around town because I had to attend a ball with Anna for the conference that night in Casa Llotja de Mar, a 14th-century stock exchange. Finally, the people that Anna has conference calls with every Wednesday to discuss a journal article they are writing would be able to put a face to the torso of the man who keeps accidentally walking into the background of the screen of their calls in nothing but his underwear. Again, the food was outstanding and a great night was had by all, except until I realised I was wearing the exact same clothes as the last time I ate with Professor Holz, Anna’s boss in Germany. He didn’t notice, but he got a bit of a chuckle out of it when I showed him a photo. I think in the future I might make a point out of wearing that shirt and those pants every time I know he is going to be around.

Saturday, September 9 This was to be our last full day in Spain, so we intended to make it count. We both love flea markets so the first stop was to be the Encants Vells Flea Market:

Barcelona’s Encants Vells, also known as the Mercat de Bellcaire, is one of the oldest flea markets in Europe and dates back to the 14th Century.

In 2013 Els Encants relocated to a stunning new purpose built 3 story structure opposite the Agbar Tower.

The emblematic mirrored canopy houses 500 stalls; a mixture of junk shop, antiques fair, jumble sale and old school market all rolled into one.

In addition to second hand books, ornaments, cameras, furniture and clothes, there are also stalls selling new clothes, furniture, decorative items, toois, hardware and electronics. Not to mention 2 bar/cafés, several small antique shops and a shop that sells electric bikes.

The 33,306 m² canopy was designed by Fermin Väzquez and is without doubt one of the most impressive modern market buildings in Europe.

Okay, I’m struggling to believe those dimensions as well, 33,306 m² (358,503 feet²) seems somewhat unrealistic, but this place was still pretty damn huge! Needles to say, it had a bit of everything so we were rather content for an hour or two, just pawing through other people’s crap.

The reflective ceiling

I love stalls like this

The entrance

Reflecting on life choices

I said this place was enormous

Porn and paintbrushes in the one place. Convenient!

After we had finished, we had the chance for one last great meal and my hair was still done from the ball the previous night, so we went down and pulled up a seat in a Michelin star tapas restaurant called Tickets. Apparently you need to book weeks or months in advance and according to the Michelin Guide they supposedly only open for dinner, but we just got lucky; it was raining outside, they were just opening for lunch for some reason, maybe something they only do on Saturdays, and they must’ve had a cancellation or something, but they were able to fit us in. But even if we had to wait months on a booking, it definitely would have been worth it! Here’s how Time Out describes Tickets (it’s also one of the only descriptions I could find that didn’t consist of a review longer than this entire blog post!):

The Adrià brothers have triumphed again with this ambitious Barcelona-based round-up of their philosophy of tapas. With four different sections – seafood, the grill, sweet treats, and little inventive surprises – you’ll get ‘El Bulli’ versions of all tapas from all over Spain. Squid in its ink with almond paste or grilled watermelon are just a couple examples. Dining here implies a trip through Ferran and Albert Adrià’s culinary wisdom, emphasizing the playful nature of eating. A true dinner party, we would say.

Here’s a look inside Tickets, a portion of the tapas we tried and a few more scenes from around Barcelona on our last day in town:

Someone looks excited

Anna thought these chairs were pretty cool

A little under-dressed with our bloody marys

King crab leg

Don’t be fooled, that is actually creamed cauliflower next to the caviar

Octopus

Quail up next

Cooking it beside our table

And done

Now into the dessert room

Frozen cheese and berries

Tickets cheesecake

Down a lane

A bar at tapas time

Barcelona Cathedral

A lamppost

I probably would’ve named it something else

That night, a whole bunch of the doctors had dinner together and the younger ones amongst us went out to a bar for the night. Anna and myself still had to get up the next morning for a reasonably early for a flight, but we still managed to stay up and party on until the end, our dignity intact.

Rosa and Anna

The whole crew

Sunday, September 10 Our flight was at 11:00am so we needed to be at the airport at around 9:00am. We managed to do it, albeit exhausted, and due to the time differences, it was 7:00am on Monday by the time we got back to Singapore. We caught an Uber home from Changi Airport, Anna re-packed and went straight back to the airport again in order to fly out to Myanmar at midday to do volunteer surgery in a remote village for a week. That woman is a machine! I was left for the week with this thing, but it was too interested in the jamon bone we brought back for it to really pay attention to anyone else. Looks like I’d be spending some time at the pub

That does look tasty…

Our entire trip to Spain was a blast; Sitges was a fun night, Valencia was a nice, relaxing break, Peñíscola was breathtaking, and Barcelona was all that we expected. Thanks again to Rosa and Roberto for letting us stay at your house, we didn’t actually expect you to move out for us, and we’ll be back again for next year’s conference.

UPDATE: Just before I was about to publish the end of this story, more violence kicked off in Catalonia. From the video’s description:

Footage from the Catalonia Independence Referendum has shown what appears to be Spanish police brutality against peaceful demonstrators in Barcelona and elsewhere. Catalan officials say at least 337 people have been injured in clashes as police try to prevent voting in Catalonia’s independence referendum. The Spanish government has pledged to stop a poll that was declared illegal by the country’s constitutional court. Police officers are preventing people from voting, and seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations. In the regional capital Barcelona, police used batons and fired rubber bullets during pro-referendum protests. The toll of injured was confirmed by a spokesman for the Catalan regional government, as well as the region’s health department. Separately, the Spanish interior ministry said 11 police officers had been injured.

Looks like we got out just in time!

Traveling to Spain in the Wake of a Tragedy, pt. 2: Peñíscola and Barcelona In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia.

#attack #Bacilica #Barcelona #cathedral #Euretina #flea markets #food #Game of Thrones #Gothic #La Rambla #Peniscola #Seafood #terrorism

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edgystuff · 5 years

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The Old World Diet

Want to stop your constant fatigue, brain fog, feeling of being bloated? Want to start waking up early, jumping out of bed? Want to have more energy than you remember ever having? This diet can do that for you.

Growing up in France, food on the table used to always come well prepared - peeled, cooked until very soft, prepared at home. Many dishes were following traditional recipes that had been perfected over centuries. Since globalization had not quite happened yet, fruits and veggies were locally grown and only appeared when in season - and even then I wasn’t that big on them, I was nuts about nuts. Grass-fed red meat was consumed no more than once a week, and chicken was a delicacy, reserved for special occasions, freshly killed from the local farm. A pet peeve I developed was snack packages being left open - see, they would go stale within a couple days. No human ate corn really, it was known to be animals food. I can’t remember any exposure to soy, except in my teenage years when I started enjoying Asian food. And above all fresh baguette, pasta and other white wheat derivatives were the basis of our energy.

Since I was quite the rebel and had a tendency to question absolutely everything, especially when it came from my parents, I was very suspicious of the French countryside food traditions. For me a lot of that food selection and meticulous preparing was akin to old wives’ tales. Moving to the US in 2003, then in my early twenties, was a pivotal moment for my diet. I started following all these pseudo-health advices, eating a lot more varied fruits, vegetables and legumes. For the first time they came to me with skin on, partly cooked, sometimes raw, because see otherwise “you lose all the vitamins.” Any fruit could be obtained all year round, though it seemed quite tasteless. Meats were on the menu every day, especially chicken which was the cheap every day option.

Fast forward about 15 years and I had developed many debilitating health issues: massive fatigue and brain fog, blank memory, blurry vision, constant constipation. My brain felt just like a piece of plastic. I would find myself just sitting in my car in a daze. I would sometimes go a full week without going number two (it’s quite a terrible feeling). Most of the time I couldn’t gather any energy to exercise, feeling just knocked out. This made me doubt everything, even my mind - maybe I was just utterly depressed and it created all my health issues? But I realized over time that certain food didn’t make me feel good, although it was so hard to pinpoint which ones. I was supposed to be eating healthy food, following the nutrition advices of many well crafted science-backed blog posts. I had tried gluten free and other arbitrary subtraction diets for months at a time but nothing seemed to feel good past the first couple weeks of positive placebo effect.

Then one day I decided to try something: to forget about what is said to be healthy, and instead to go back to my childhood diet. Exit many fruits and all the obscure grains, legumes and veggies I never heard of before age 20. Shoot for high quality meats, and less often. Satisfy that craving for bread and pastries. Well almost immediately I regained energy. Within a few weeks I was feeling my normal self again, with most symptoms gone. Within a few months, my sharpness and energy reached unprecedented levels - my brain was like overclocked, I could visualize decades-gone events sharply by memory, and my high levels of energy felt almost scary.

This was not the happy ending quite yet. Since I did not really understand what was truly bad for me yet, I then went through many relapses for another 2-3 years. Often times I was pressured by others to eat “healthy”, or I would convince myself that maybe I wasn’t sensitive to some food anymore. Maybe I was just dealing with a lot of stress of early parenthood and could not quite make the food choices I wanted. But finally it came together in 2019 when I put together my experiences with the teachings from the Plan Paradox book. Although the book has its flaws and shoots in too many directions, the main teaching is that plants don’t just give food away to us for free - they absolutely defend themselves with the largest chemical arsenal known to mankind! It makes so much sense, and is why animals need to have a very specialized diet to be able to handle a narrow set of food - and why it can take them hours or days to properly digest things. But somehow humans are now believing that they can eat anything, any time, and keep on with our crazy active lifestyles. Coming up with my new diet, I thought a good description would be “Old World Diet” for bringing me back to what Europeans refined over centuries.

Whole grain food, or how to kill you GI

Principles and rules

What are some principles of a good diet?

Your body and mind should feel good at most times. You should start feeling better right away, there is no “die off” period during which “some dying bugs release chemicals” (the die off period is the most common excuse for bad diets).

Your weight should stay same or reduce, even though you are eating until full satisfaction.

Your GI should not hurt, feel bloated or constipated in any way. Regular daily bowel movements, typically in the morning.

The ideas of the diet can fit in a blog post, not a 700 page book.

Here are the main rules of the diet:

Stick to refined foods as much as possible. Refined doesn’t mean that you should go for chemicals - it means that the food was prepared in the “most evolved way” to make it the easiest to digest - shelled, peeled, deseeded, cooked until soft, etc.

Stay away from anything too sweet, especially fructose, which tricks your body into eating a lot of it. Many fruits are evolved to make you fat.

Stay away from anything known to be poisonous, or which may not be ripe for consumption. This seems obvious, but apparently not, look at all the potatoes.

What (bad stuff) you don’t eat is more important than what (good stuff) you eat. Stop harming yourself.

Supplements and vitamins are great. They are the way to bring back what was lost in processing - without the poisons.

You eat what the things you eat, ate.

The food list

With this in mind, the Old World Diet:

Main grains like wheat and rice are fine, but only in most refined form like white flour and white rice. Baguettes and other breading, white pasta is all good. Prefer bakery items that have risen by yeast (break up gluten) and are vitamin enriched. But stay away from whole grains! This includes most of corn based products, like corn flakes and most breakfast cereals. Also no to oats and other whole cereals found in most energy bars.

No legumes: anything soybean / soy based is off. Same for most bean and pea families. They are some surprise entries in this category, like peanuts and cashews (not nuts) which must be avoided.

Real nuts (shelled and peeled) are your friend. Best are pistachios, hazelnuts, and pecans. Almonds are fine but prefer peeled or as a flour.

Reduce meat consumption and shoot for highest quality like grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken.

Fish and seafood should be your main protein, as long as wild caught to avoid corn feeding.

Milk should be A2 casein (coming from southern european cows). There are brands that promote A2 (like the A2 brand). But really, truly, just stay away from milk altogether if you can. It’s got enough calcium to build a cow, along with an overdose of vitamin D that increases its absorption. Hypercalcemia is a very debilitating condition. On the other hand, butter has little casein so is fine, but prefer yellow-colored European style butter.

Limit fruit consumption to only local, organic and very ripe fruit. Rule of thumb: it should smell very good. Still many fruit have high doses of fructose and are the surest way to become fat. Avocados are fruit, and although they don’t have the usual sugar, they personally make me feel really bad.

No nightshades! Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant are off the menu. Maybe once in a while if peeled, deseeded, ripe and well cooked. Tomato paste may be ok.

Having a bit of regular sugar or maple syrup is fine, since they both have 50% or less fructose ratio. In general just avoid sugar and ban any fructose rich food (like honey).

For alcohol, the best is some clean white wine with lower sugars, like Sauvignon Blanc. Some red wine feels ok too, but it varies quite a bit based on skin content and amount of aging. Many beers seem to too much of the original lectins (the bad proteins attacking your gut) and are not aged long enough, so in doubt go for very clear Belgium-style ones. Overall the harder alcohols like whisky seem to be much easier to digest.

Overall it is close to the Plant Paradox diet, but with notable differences:

White wheat flour (with gluten) and white rice are fine really. Enjoy these delicious breads and pasta. That’s where you can draw most of your energy, and digesting them seem really easy once all of the gut-attacking substances are removed. Take the ones enriched with iron / thiamine / etc.

Avocados are not fine. Overall double check that the food is not banned in the FODMAP list.

White wine or champagne seems to go better than red wine, even with the need for sulfites.

A2 milk, so easy to digest. But really just ditch the milk.

Great: traditional white bread, enriched with vitamins

Easy dinner: sardines on a brioche bun, with white wine

Trusting our history rather than pseudo-science

Fairly simple diet isn’t it? Personally I have been feeling amazing and lost quite a bit of weight after just a few weeks on it. GI is working like clockwork. This diet just brings you back to the most evolved food humanity was using before the health craze shifted us off track. What we are seeing really with all these bad “healthy” diets, is that modern science and medicine have become self-fulfilling. They are somehow telling us what healthy foods are (which they are not, besides for animals with specialized digestion that have plenty of time to digest them), which in turn make us sick in ways that are impossible for your body to fix (mostly auto-immune diseases, so your body IS the attacker) and finally we are given medications to fix ourselves (but they are just about reducing the inflammation and pain really). It’s time to stop this vicious pseudo-scientific cycle. Think about it - humanity mostly evolved by preparing their food better than animals, starting with the discovery of fire for cooking, which gave them their huge advantage over animals. It is time to enjoy the benefits of humanity’s experience and live a pain-free, energy-filled life.

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yotsutama · 7 years

Text

SS1.9.2 - KING'S GAME

Part 1 Side Story Chapter 9.2

Proofread by Sophia @aseria ♥

Side Stories

Mitsuki: Yay! I caught my fifth fish!

Iori: I’ve caught four fishes. We only need one more so there’ll be enough for everyone.

Riku: Uuh.......

Iori: Nanase-san, please catch at least one fish.

Riku: That’s because the fishes always go to you Izumi brothers! That's cheating!!

Mitsuki: They also swim to you, right? You just miss the right timing…… Look! Now! Pull the rod!

Riku: But I really don't know how…… Eh? Ah! Aaah………!

Iori: The fish got away from you again……

Riku: Damn itー! I'll catch at least one for myself! Ah....!

Mitsuki: Whoa! Are you a fool!? Don't throw the bucket……!

Iori: You just released all of the fishes we caught!!

Riku: Sorry!! Catch them! Hurry and catch them!! Fish-san, the Izumi Brothers are over here so come back!!

Nagi: Great! We finally lit the fire!

Yamato: The fire is weak so let's hurry and cook something. I'm sure the fish and curry are ready by now.

Tsumugi: Ah! Before that, I want to try something, is that alright?

Yamato: Ooh. What is it?

Tsumugi: Ehehe. It's this!

Nagi: OH! What a beautiful glass ball!

Tsumugi: It's a marble ball! I heard that if you place a marble ball in fire, then put it in water, it would form a pretty crack!

Yamato: Heeh. It's already pretty just as it is, we don't need to crack it, right?

Tsumugi: Y, you are right……

Nagi: But I want to see it too! Let's do it, let's try!

Nagi: How long should we put it in the flame?

Tsumugi: They said for around 10 minutes!

Nagi: I can't wait! There are lots of things that are hurt, and cracked, but still beautiful in this world.

Nagi: I am sure we, and this jewelry too, are the same Yamato.

Yamato: Haha…… You're such a romantist, huh, Nagi.

Tamaki: Haahh……

Tamaki: Ughー……. I'm tired……

Tamaki: Peeling carrots and potatoes is troublesome……

Sougo: Playing hooky?

Tamaki: ……gh, I'm not! That's dangerous! Don't point your knife at me!

Sougo: Try your best. If we show that we get along properly everyone can be rest assured.

Tamaki: You're making everyone rest assured while sacrificing my rest-assurance…… Notice that already……

Sougo: During groupwork, we have to match ourselves with others.

Tamaki: In that case, I hate groupwork.

Sougo: ..............

Tamaki: …… Do you like curry?

Sougo: …… I like it. I like spicy food, that's why.

Tamaki: I will try my best to make curry if you want to eat it. I prefer that kind of groupwork.

Sougo: …… What is the difference?

Tamaki: Sou-chan. Rather than peeling potatoes or carrots, peeling to Sou-chan's true self is harder.

Sougo: …… I see.

Tamaki: You said that without understanding what I meant, right? This guy…

Sougo: I'm thinking about it now.

Mitsuki: Ughー! We only have half the fishes we caught now!

Riku: I'm sorry……

Iori: It's okay as long as you understand.

Nagi: Mitsuki! Please look! This is the jewelry I made with Tsumugi and Yamato!

Mitsuki: Ooh! It's sparkling! So pretty!

Tsumugi: It's so pretty, isn't it!

Yamato: You caught lots of fishes, huh. Fish from the river are hard to catch so it must have been hard for you.

Iori: It would have been easier if Nanase-san didn't release them.

Yamato: You released them back into the river? You're so kind, Riku.

Riku: E, ehehe.

Tamaki: Look! We finished the curry!

Nagi: OH! It looks so delicious!

Tamaki: Smells nice, right!

Yamato: You look so happy, Tama. Did you get along with Sou?

Tamaki: I got excited after we added the curry powder! About getting along though……

Sougo: We got along! Tamaki-kun tried his best.

Yamato: I see, I see!

Otoharu: Okay! Everyone, eat a lot! Then let's play a game after we're full!

Riku: Wow! What game?

Banri: It's a healthy King's game!

Yamato: What's the point of playing if we have to play it healthily?

Banri: I thought that too, but it must be a safe game and we didn’t have any other ideas, thinking about it was really hard, you know? Here, I'll give you a frisbee.

Yamato: I don't really understand but, Manager is participating, right?

Mitsuki: Old man, you're so dirty!

Riku: Eh!? I, it's dirty? Will there be an order like ki, kissing?

Otoharu: There won't. If anyone gives Tsumugi-kun a weird order, I'll be the pinch hitter.

Nagi: OH…… What a dandy pinch hitter……

Sougo: So strict……

Iori: I have a bad feeling playing King's Game with these people……

Otoharu: It's fine, it's fine! Let's drink and eat, and get excited together!

Mitsuki: Okay then, let's start! King's Game!

All: Yayyー!

Mitsuki: Who is the Kingー!?

Tamaki: I'm No. 3.

Yamato: Don't say it yet! I'm not the king, how about you, Banri-san?

Banri: I'm not too.

Mitsuki: Who is it? Wait, it's actually me! I wonder what I should orderー. I'm the first so let's make it easy!

Mitsuki: No. 1 has to write their name using their butt! who is No. 1?

Nagi: It's me!

Riku: Ahaha! It's Nagi! Do your best!

Nagi: How do I do it?

Mitsuki: Use your butt as the pen, and write your name alphabetically in the air!

Nagi: WHAT? Can I do it normally with Japanese?

Mitsuki: No, you do it like this……

Nagi: OH! So it's like this?

Tamaki: Ahaha! Mikkii is the King but he did it together with him!

Sougo: Ahaha. They’re so cute.

Iori: They are so cute indeed……

Yamato: It would be nice if a girl did this though.

Nagi: This is my first time drawing a sign using my hips! It was a nice experience. Okay, let's draw again!

All: Who is the Kingー!?

Yamato: Ahh, it's me.

Tsumugi: Yamato-san! What is your order?

Yamato: Onii-san will guess your number correctly.

Tsumugi: .........?

Yamato: Manager, what number are you? No. 3…… No. 7…… Umm. No. 6 should lend their knees as the King's pillow!

Mitsuki: Don't sexual harass her!!

Otoharu: Yamato-kun. If you want Tsumugi-kun's knee-pillow then I'll lend mine for you.

Yamato: Fairness is important in King's Game! Manager, what number?

Tsumugi: I am number 2.

Yamato: Ahhー! I was wrongー! Let's end this~

Tsumugi: Is it okay to end this without asking who is number 6?

Yamato: It's definitely a guy though…

Riku: Come to my knees! Yamato-san!

Yamato: So Riku is No.6! No, a guy's knee-pillow is a bit……

Riku: Don't hold back! I have never played King's Game so I'm happy you picked my number!

Iori: Nanase-san, do you really mean what you just said? (anyone usually don’t like it when the king picks their number so)

Riku: Hurry, hurry!

Yamato: ...........

Yamato: Then, I'll do it quickly……

Mitsuki: You are so weak to Riku~

Banri: ……gh, fufu…… A male’s knee-pillow……

Nagi: OH! I shall take a photo of this!

Yamato & Riku: Peace~

Mitsuki: Okay then, let's do it again! Who is the Kingー!?

Banri: Ah, it's me.

Tamaki: That's so nice…! I want to be the King too!

Banri: Then I'll make it easy! No. 1 should poke No. 10's forehead!

Mitsuki: That's sounds like it’ll hurt! Who is No. 1?

Sougo: …… I, It's me.

Mitsuki: And No. 10!?

Otoharu: Me!

Sougo: Boss!?

Otoharu: It's me.

Sougo: Ugh…… My stomach……

Banri: Boss, I will say this first. I didn't peek at your number.

Otoharu: It's okay. It won't affect you.

Otoharu: Now, Sougo-kun! Don't hold back, do it with your full power!

Sougo: I understand……

Sougo: ...............

Sougo: Here!

Otoharu: ……gh, he really did it with his full power……

Sougo: I'm so sorry! Without thinking, this finger has damaged Boss' forehead……

Otoharu: It's fine, it's fine.

Sougo: Let me apologize again……

Tamaki: Let's do it again, again! I want to be the King!

Nagi: I want to too!

All: Who is the Kingー!?

Nagi: Yeyy! It's me!

Tamaki: Damn itー!

Nagi: Okay, I shall state my order!

Nagi: No. 1 is being confessed by No. 2. but suddenly, No. 3 interrupts them……

Iori: Please wait. What kind of game is this?

Nagi: And when No. 2 and No. 3 are fighting each other, No. 4, as a pizzaman comes to deliver a pizza when he finds No. 5 threatening his hostage, who is No. 6.……

Mitsuki: What the hell!?

Yamato: It’s still going!?

Nagi: But, No. 5's mother, No. 7, comes to stop her child, but the truth is, No. 7 is actually No. 1's long lost sibling……

Tamaki: Complicatedcomplicatedcomplicated…………

Nagi: And then, No. 8 who is an alien comes to take No. 4 back to their home planet. In the end, No. 9 who is the Forest Fairy solves all of their problems!

Riku: That's so long……!

Nagi: Now! Let's start! Beginning from No. 1 who's called out to by No. 2!

Tamaki: What do you want, calling me here all of sudden.

Otoharu: I'm sorry…… I have something to tell you, Tamaki-kun.

Tamaki: What?

Otoharu: Actually, I…… I've been in love with you, Tamaki-kun.

Tamaki: Seriously?

Riku: Wait……!

Otoharu: You are……!

Riku: Tamaki! I love you more!

Tamaki: Rikkun, you, about me……

Riku: I won't hand Tamaki over to you, Boss!

Otoharu: I won't either! It's win or lose, then!

Riku: I accept your challenge!

Nagi: No. 2 and No. 3, punch each other!

Otoharu: Here! here!

Riku: Take this!

Nagi: OK! Now, No. 4!

Sougo: I am here to deliver your pizzaー

Nagi: Perfect! No. 5 and No. 6!

Iori: Please don't come closer! Do you want me to kill this person?!

Mitsuki: Help me! Please, spare my life……!

Nagi: No. 7!

Banri: Iori! It’s me, your mother! Stop this stupid act already!

Iori: Mother……!

Nagi: No. 1! Realizing that No. 7 is actually your long lost sibling!

Tamaki: Big bro……!

Banri: You are my long lost little brother, Tamaki! …… Eh, wait, what is my gender?

Nagi: You're a mother so female.

Tamaki: Big sis……!

Banri: No! You're not Tamaki-chan!

Nagi: Great! Now, No. 8 as the alien!

Tsumugi: нυяεнυяεнα αℓιεη.

Mitsuki: Manager, seriously!?

Tsumugi: sσυgσ-sαη, ι нαvε cσмε тσ тαкε yσυ нσмε.

Sougo: Aah, my home planet is calling for me…… What should I do…… I haven't delivered the pizza……

Nagi: Last one! No. 9!

Yamato: Leave it to me!

Sougo: You are!?

Yamato: I am the Forest Fairy! I will solve everyone's problems!

Nagi: No. 9! Please dance the Forest Fairy’s dance!

Yamato: I didn't know about this……!

Nagi: No. 1 through No. 8! Tell him all of your problems!

Otoharu: Aah, I want to confess but I can't calm down……

Riku: How long should we keep punching each other!?

Sougo: Should I go back to my home planet, or should I deliver the pizza……

Iori: Even if you're my mother, I can no longer be stopped!

Mitsuki: Help me! I'm going to get killed!

Tsumugi: нυяεнυяεнα αℓιεη.

Nagi: As you can see, everyone is troubled! Now, No. 9! Do the solution’s Dance!

Yamato: Damn itー………

Yamato: Lalala~ the Forest Fairy’s Solution Dance~

Nagi: Bravoー!!

Nagi: Ok! It's a happy ending!

Iori: …… It finally ended……

Yamato: …… That was so embarrassing……

Mitsuki: You did well until the end…… That's amazing, you're a true man……

Riku: Manager, you looked like a real alien!

Tsumugi: Thank you very much! Sougo-san's acting as a pizzaman is amazing too!

Sougo: Thank you. I tried to show that I was riding a bike by gripping both of my hands.

Nagi: King's Game is so fun! I want to be the King again!

Tamaki: Let's do it again! I'll definitely be the King next!

Yamato: I'm tired already……

Tamaki: But I haven't even been the King once!

Mitsuki: Be the King, then. I can guess your order anyway.

Tamaki: Seriously? Say it!

All: Give a King Pudding to the King.

Tamaki: …… Correct……

To be continued....

#idolish7 #idolish seven #never play king's game with nagi #tamaki is cute as always #mezzo not understanding each other again #i like it. yes.#sidestories translation #yazutranslates

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