#Come get a fried fish skewer

[nemxricultrix]

by the power of fried street food I banish hunger. For everyone.

[vasyandii]

Hello! I just wanted to say that I absolutely adore your IHNMAIMS oc. I'm a OC x canon enthusiast and seeing a character so well written and adapted to the story as Vernon is makes me so excited!! Plus your art is literally amazing. I've been curious since you mentioned how Vernon cuts potions of her meal to give them to AM and how the food improved since AM got his body, what food/meals do Vernon and AM like/dislike/have as favourite? -for AM, at least from what he has tasted- Whether if it's because of the taste, flavour, etc.

Howdy Anon! Thank you so much for the kind words, I've been giddy since I got it a few days ago! I'm glad my OC x Canon content gets your stamp of Approval >:D!! 💞💞

VernonAM 🏺🖥️ Food Preferences

I think Vernon is careful in choosing the food she shares with AM because he will eat literally ANYTHING. She would try to eat things to torture herself with, extremely spicy foods, live insects, raw organs, etc. but then remember that she has to "Feed AM". So she opts out for something normal so his taste buds don't get fucked.

Or as normal as it can get, the food kind of has the uncanny valley effect as well. It looks normal and tastes normal, but she feels there's something a bit off about it (kind of like airplane food). So she often leaves criticism to the Chef™ (AM) or asks to cook instead.

Vernon isn't particularly picky when it comes to food, she'll eat it and clean her plate. She likes her food balanced, vegetables/meat with sauce and all that. If it tastes good, she'll eat it, y'know?

AM is more... difficult. Sure, he'll eat anything, but if it tastes really bad, it'll traumatize him and he'll refuse to eat it for a while.

His food has to not be touching, if it's mixed in all together beforehand he'll eat it. If there's sauce it shouldn't be close enough to where it can contaminate the food AM's eating because he WILL taste it, no matter how small the amount is. His utensils need to be a specific size, and the food HAS to be hot/warm. He needs to be able to see or know every ingredient in it.

It's observed that AM likes fried foods/anything crunchy because of how consistent they are in taste, texture, and flavour. So what ends up happening is Vernon will just include those foods into her meal, just to not eat it and have it on a little plate for him.

Vernon asks him why he can't just make food for himself, his response is "I don't need to eat, I eat when when you eat."

But honestly it's a pretty dumb question now that she's looking back on it. AM has all the knowledge in the world about food, everything ever made, everything he's never tasted. So he's basically asking Her, indirectly, "I don't know where to start or what's good. But you do. I trust you. Feed me."

Now here's some of the meals They've had together (+ AM's comments):

Chicken soup ("Too wet", just ate the broth)

Caesar Salad ("Damp, Crunchy water")

Vanilla ice cream (experienced a brain freeze for the first time, thought his body was malfunctioning)

Spaghetti Bolognese ("No I will not be mixing it, you mix it for me")

Western beef stew (He picked out the potatoes and only ate those. Thought the meat was irritating to eat.)

Baby carrots. ("You know they bleach these, right?")

Asparagus (he likes them. Needs to be warm)

Broccoli (same thing)

Cheese Pizza (Ate it, ate too much. Tummy hurted.)

Tempura (Ate too much, tummy hurted)

Fish and chips (Ate too much, tummy hurted)

Coffee, black (spat it out)

Macaroni and cheese (Ate too much, tummy hurted)

Grilled chicken hearts skewers (He liked it, but kept poking the roof of his mouth with the skewer.)

Half a Hamburger (picked out the vegetables because he didn't like them, still tasted it and gave the rest to Vernon)

Half a cheeseburger (ate it with no fuss.)

Aaand that'll be all for now :) if you made it this far, thank you for reading! If you need any clarifications, feel free to tell me!

[profoundlyfaded]

Waterfront Gossip

A wee ficlet inspired from my EmmRook romance headcanons.

Rating - U

Characters: Rook Ingellvar & Neve Gallus

Pairings: Rook & Emmrich, Neve & Lucanis

—

‘So, you and Emmrich,’ Neve broached with a lilting voice as they stood at the Minrathous waterfront eating fried fish.

Rook turned her head. ‘What do you mean?’

Neve laughed. ‘Come on, Rook, it’s obvious. The way you two just look at each other is enough to tell, so you can’t tell me you are spending all those late evenings giggling over the fundamentals of necromancy.’

‘I already know the fundamentals of necromancy. Learnt it when I was five,’ Rook replied haughtily. ‘It’s more robust debate about the safety of exploring the Fade.’

‘Really, you want me to believe that is a topic worth giggling over?’ Neve’s eyebrow arched highly towards her hairline as she spoke.

‘I suppose it depends on how funny you find early theories on metaphysicality in the Fade,’ Rook conceded. ‘It’s a very niche sense of humour, even among Watchers.’

‘You know it’s okay if you two are coming to care for each other,’ Neve said, ‘having a bit of shelter in the storm...’

‘Like you and Lucanis?’

‘That’s not what we’re discussing here.’

Silence fell between them. Rook nibbled on her fried fish as she gazed out of the lapping waves.

‘I didn’t expect for him to be so kind, gentle,’ Rook said after a moment. ‘Our eyes meet and I forget we’re in the midst of the fight of our lives. And I keep expecting him to tell me I’m too young for this, for him, and that he’s just letting me indulge my curiosity.’

Neve clicked her tongue loudly. ‘Have you seen the way he looks at you? And so what when it comes to age gaps? You’re what thirty--‘ she cocked her head to the side’’--six, seven at most and he’s what--‘

‘Fifty-three,’ Rook interjected. ‘He’s fifteen years old than me.’

‘I thought he was older,’ replied Neve.

Rook laughed. ‘It’s the whole gentlemanly persona, makes one appear older in my view.’ A mischievous smirk crossed her lips. ‘You haven’t seen him without his collar pin.’

The two women dissolved into laughter, and Rook threw her now empty skewer out to sea. She watched it bob on the languid waves, moving away from them towards open sea.

‘It must be serious if Emmrich has let you see him without his collar pin on.’ Neve’s voice dropped to a salacious drawl. ‘Whatever is next, his top button undone? Hair slightly out place?’

Rook bit her lip, and Neve laughed.

‘You have it bad,’ Neve declared. ‘Enjoy it! It’ll all be worth while in the end. Come on, it’s getting late.’

They turned away from the waterfront. ‘Seriously, though,’ said Rook as they walked up the sloped path. ‘You and Lucanis?’

‘Oh hush,’ laughed Neve.

[mosswiind]

Rook blindfolds her before they step into the Crossroads. Even with her eyes covered, she could narrate the route by heart. Neve makes a show of guessing where they're going.

“Oh, big trip to the Anderfels - I should have worn the big coat for that delicious wetland chill -”

“Of course! Just what my citiest girl wants most - darkspawn and mud, your two favorite things!”

“You know me so well! Well, if it's not a rousing jaunt to Lavendel, you must be putting me in a gondola, for an evening at Cafe Pietra.”

“They heard about your coffee crimes, you aren't allowed in. Something about ‘chemical warfare’.”

“There's nothing wrong with the coffee I make!”

The crunch of dirt under her brass foot, the oscillation between raucous noise and quiet - she feels the familiar paces of her paths through their city.

When he takes the blindfold off, they're standing on the dock in front of Hal’s stall, watching the ships. He puts a fried fish into her hands - half the sauce, well done, her favourite - and a firm hand on the small of her back. They stand in silence a while.

“This was your big plan?” she says through a laugh, “dinner at Hal's?”

“Fasta vass, obviously I'm not finished,” Rook huffs. “Come on.” He takes her free hand and wanders up through the shops, listening for anything of interest, stopping for a paper here and a drink there.

The route takes them north, through the market district near the Emporium. Wordlessly he exchanges a handful of green stones for a leather notebook, - crisp, clean. She pieces together what they're doing, but doesn't say it.

Rook stops to pet a cat on their way down to the docks.

To her spot.

He holds out a handful of perfect throwing stones.

“Rook, I -”

“I know you, Neve Gallus.”

A choked sob.

“Special never meant a fancy dinner, or an extravagant gift.” He closes the distance, tossing the skewer from his fish into the water.

She tilts her head back, jaw right, trying very hard not to cry.

“I - don't get weepy, I'm monologuing -”

She laughs as he cuts himself off.

“Special has always been showing that you're knowable. That I know you." He offers the handful of stones again.

"So I tried planning a day you would have planned yourself.”

She takes half the stones and looks him in the eyes for a long moment.

“You really are trouble.”

[rubywillkins]

Ruby's Cafe

Welcome to Ruby's Cafe, you can customise your orders of fics from this menu, you just have to select what, and how you want your fic to be..

And voila your fic is ready♥️

I do driver × female reader, driver × gn reader.

Menu

Coffee (tropes)

Americano - Office romance

Cappuccino - Holiday romance

Latte - Grumpy sunshine

Macchiato - Trapped together

Mocha - Enemies to lover(rivals)

White Mocha - Married

Frappe (tropes)

Java Chip - Forced Proximity

Hazelnut Mocha - Only One bed

Macchiato - Playboy in love

Dark Mocha - dating

Mint chocolate - hook up

"You can choose only 1 trope"

Extras

Whipped cream - Sweet sex

Shot of espresso - Rough sex

"You can choose only 1"

Milk

Almond milk - vaginal Sex

Soy milk - Oral sex

Coconut milk - Anal sex

Oat milk - Fingering

Whole milk - Hand job

Skim milk - Dry Humping

Non dairy milk - Mastrubation

Raw milk - Mutual Mastrubation

Goat milk - Penetrative sex

Hemp milk - squirting

"You can choose more than 1"

Breakfast/Appetizers

Eggs Benedict - Age play (Daddy/Mommy)

Avacado toast - Public sex

Omelette - Blind Fold

Waffles - Humiliation

Bruschetta - Edging

Spinach and artichoke Dip - Doggy style

Garlic shrimp - Lactation

Caprese skewers - Breeding kink

Meat balls - Body worship

Cheese sticks - Praise kink

French toast - Spanking

Spaghetti - Hand cuffs

Hot dog - Size kink

Mushroom Burger - Pain kink

Fish and Chips - Hickeys

"You can choose more than 1"

Main Course

Chicken Piccata - “Do I look like I’m messing around? Do I look like I won’t punish you?”

Vegetable Curry - “Move an inch and you won’t be coming tonight.”

Grilled salmon - “Fucking is a reward, but you haven’t been good.”

Beef tenderloin - “I won’t apologise for marking you up, everyone should know you’re taken.”

Beef stoganoff - “You can take it, you’ve done it before.”

Mushroom Risotto - “We’re really going to fuck here? What if someone sees us?”

Chicken Parmesan - “I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

Baked Crab cheese - “You look so good with my hands around your neck.”

Crispy squid - “Do you think, you deserve a reward/punishment?”

Cheese shrimp roll - “I don’t care if it takes all night, you will submit.”

Minced beef Mushroom - “Show me how much you missed me.”

Beef cheese rolling - “Enough, please, I can’t take anymore!”

Beef diced potatoes - “Do you need to use your safeword, darling?”

Butter fried chicken - “Slowly, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

Sirloin steak - “Do you know what happens when you misbehave?”

Grilled Pizza - “Are you holding back? Don’t.”

Lasagna - “Oh, baby, you’re drooling everywhere.”

Habenaro BBQ shrimp - “It’s my thigh or nothing, I’m not helping you get off.”

Fish tacos - “You seem more sensitive than usual.”

Tomato roasted garlic pie - “I don’t want anyone else. No one else can make me feel like you do.”

Pork chops - “So good for me, look at how much you came.”

Potato gnocchi - “Shh, just look at me, baby.”

Chicken nachos - “God, you love it like this, don’t you?”

Honey garlic chicken - “You know I’m holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don’t push your luck.”

Lemon chicken pasta - “Do you wonder what it is that makes me scream?”

BBQ chicken salad - “Why are you being so gentle with me? I like it when you’re rough.”

Ham carbonara - “It’s hot when you talk back”

Mini meat loafs - “You’re still horny? Didn’t I fuck you hard enough last night?”

"You can choose more than 1"

Water

Sparkling water - after care

Mineral water - cuddles

Bottled water - soaking in bathtub

Club soda - pillow talk

[radiantrookie]

Entrées Flavor Texts:

A good meal is like a good caper-throughly planned, well-executed, savored, and satisfying. You come away feeling fulfilled. Now, whether that means a fully belly, a full heist bag, or a backup drive full of secrets...that's entirely up to you.

Tails's Adabat Griller

I discovered this dish while traveling with Sonic on yet another adventure to save the world. You can never go wrong with a skewer, and this one showcases all the local delicacies in one ho. Thanks to Big's adviice, I added a bit of fish, too!

The Knuckles Wrap

It doesn't matter if you're searching through Pumpkin Hill, Wild Canyon, or Aquatic Mine, this wrap is just satisfying. You'll keep coming back to it and be thinking about it long after it's finished.

Rouge's Spiral Roast

I don't do anything small. My spy ops need to be thrilling. My jewel heists can't be for mere trinkets. And when I sit down to dine, I need something exquisite and robust. Never settle for anything less than the best, my darlings.

Eggman's Eggs-Quisite Lunch

A man of my genius and work ethic needs a hearty lunch to get me through the day. This hefty helping of omurice and tempura is more than enough to satisfy me. That is, of course, because I'm inspired by its plotting grin before I dig in. That is the (replicated) smile of a genius.

Trivia: This appears as an edible item in Sonic Unleashed.

Eggman's Master Meal Plan

If I'm to maintain my signature feared figure, I need a steady supply of protein and calories. I've mastered the art of fry cooking, and thus my bountiful box of golden fried goodness comes out perfect every time.

Vector's Garlic Collector

Aw, yeah! A meal fit for a king, I tell ya! Each slice is as good as the last. Every time you finish one, you'll say, "I want one more" until it's all gone! 'Course that happens a lot faster when a couple of freeloaders decide they are hungry after all and muscle in on dinner.

Vector's Tangled leads of a Delicious Mystery

Now this is where you go when you want to load on carbs when you aren't loaded. It's simple, it's cheap, it's filling, it's cheap, and you can dress it up however you like. Also, it's cheap! Just because you can make it easily doesn't mean it's low quality, though!

Espio's Hidden Truth

Like the ninja, the onigiri hides its true nature deep within--it's delicious, hidden nature. Its unassuming appearance can even fool the uninitiated. And like a well-trained ninja, it is versatile. This is my preferred recipe, but onigiri can be filled with almost anything.

Froggy's Fortune

I go fishing with my pal Froggy all the time. He's a big eater, so I catch lots of fish. He only eats bugs, though. More fish for me, I guess!

[moononmyfloor]

Riverside Code at Qingming Festival (清明上河图密码) : Food

Many of the Chinese dishes enjoyed today originated, were invented, or became popular during Song Dynasty, even though some of the names were changed over time. For example, back then "Mantou" referred to what we call "Bao" today: aka Steamed buns with fillings. But nowadays we only call buns without fillings mantou. Wonton was called "Guduo".

Morever the 4 iconic chinese cooking methods; pan-frying, stir-frying, boiling and deep-frying, all became widely used in the Song dynasty.

-Ep 24 Song Dynastypedia

.

Plum Blossom "Soup Cake" Noodles

The recipe for this comes from Shan Jia Qing Gong by Lin Hong in Song Dynasty. White plum juice is mixed with flour, the dough is cut using a plum mould, cooked in water and served in chicken soup. This dish was featured in Cdrama Royal Feast too.

.

Pure Bliss on the Tip of Your Tongue Series

Niu Lane's Pork Skewers and Wine (was also featured in Royal Feast, you can find here and here)

Recommended by: Zhao Buyou

Reason for recommendation: Long established shop with great reputation. Fresh and delicious with wine

Note: It may bring back memories so please think twice before eating!

Fish Paste Stuffed Lotus Pods (a recipe featured in Shan jia qing gong mentioned before, also featured in Royal Feast here and here. Usually it uses real Lotus pods, here it's made with dough so you can eat the entire thing.)

Recommended by: Wen Yue

Reason: Uses ingredients that available all year round, soft and delicious, sweet but not greasy

Note: An approved license is a must for litigators!

Tripe Skewers, Steamed Bones

Recommended by: Gu Zhen

Reason: Crisp and golden, tender and juicy, Kaifeng Prefecture's first choice for a feast

Note: The eating environment is pleasant, but please do not touch the pine tree in the courtyard!

Guduo at the Gate of Dalisi

Recommended by: Wanfu

Reason: The skin is thin, the filling is tender, the soup is delicious, the color is refreshing, the boss is good-looking

Note: The portion is not large, need six bowls to make you full!!!!

Wu family Mantou

Recommended by: Zhao Ban'er

Reason: Mantou Xishi's [西施 Xī Shī (c. 450 BC), famous Chinese beauty, foremost of the Four legendary beauties, the name here basically means "The Beauty Who Makes Buns"] exclusive secret recipe. Collect coupons to redeem bamboo shoot and meat steamed buns.

Note: Business is booming, so the queue is long!!

Sun Yangzheng Store's (this is a real big name restaurant that existed back then, see the link) Family Package

Recommended by: Xiao Yishui

Reason: Beautiful packaging, door-to-door delivery, excellent service attitude

Note: Eating unknown delivery can be risky, you better take photos before tucking in so you can get refunds!

.

Reunion Meal: A Lifetime With You

Zhao Buyou: "You"dunzi Pancake, Zhao Mo'er: "Mo"yu Cuttlefish

Zhao Ban'er: Stir-fried Duck with Dou"ban" Sauce, Zhao Li: Fengqi"li" Pears, Rainbow Bridge Over the Bright Moon

.

Riverside Code at Qingming Festival ( 清明上河图密码 ) : Qīngmíng shànghé tú mìmǎ Cultural Meta Masterpost

[lionsongfr]

Flameforger's Cuisine

In the Ashfall Waste natural food resources are scarce and much of their food is imported from other Flights. While neither Banescales or Coatls eat plants, seafood is a hot commodity with a large majority being imported from the nearby Churscarf Wharf of Water. Export of metal and weapons was thriving and thus provided the necessary income for the imports; however, with the Magmablood Rebellion those exports have dwindled and so has the treasure needed for seafood. Yet, the chefs of Fire are a passionate group who have traveled throughout the lands and always come back home with presents of food and drink- and of course their ability to cook some amazing meals!

 Also spice levels in this post:

MILD: Wild Mustard< Golden Pepper < Cindermint <Ashfall Prickler < Fire Ant< Firefly < Blacktongue Pepper :HOT

Scaleskin Marlin Ham- an import from Redrock cove, the tail of this gigantic fish is brined for 3 days and then coated in a toasted spice mixture of ground Pelagas Feathers, Wild Mustard, and dried Blood Acorn. It is then left to cure for 4 weeks before being thinly sliced and served with a Warm Miniature Potash chutney and Turnip bread crostini. (thanks to Josh Niland for the idea)

Grilled Firecoiler Egg Bowl - fillets of the long Firecoiler are first skewered to prevent them from curling when grilled. Then they are marinaded in Wild Catsup, Ashfall Prickler sauce, and garum (a fermented fish sauce made Anchovies).  After grilling they are put into a pot of fish broth and Wild Onions, simmered, before a Hooded Hen egg is added to be soft scrambled. The whole mixture is poured over a Turnip-Granny Smith Apple mash.   

Crown of Roast Ram-cutting and tying a rack of ram into a crown can be a difficult, but chefs often use a Blacksand Annex brand bundt pan to help retain its shape. The juices are mixed with tart Blackberry vinegar, Wild Catsup, and fresh Siltvine to create a tart and sweet sauce for the strong-tasting meat of the Ram.  Typically served with roasted Thistle hearts and baked whole Sweet Potatoes.

Rebel Red Hotpot- started by the rebels to cook food when low on fuel, it is a pot of Dried Jerky broth colored red with Crimson Jadevine. Food is quickly cooked in the boiling broth before being dipped into a ground Fire Ant (or Firefly) pepper in oil. Most common foods for the pot are: Cindershroom, Salamanders, Softshell Scorpion, Red Octopus tentacles, and Fissure Crawdads, but truly the variety is whatever you can catch that day.

Knee Kicker- a very spicy sandwich that starts with frying a recently molted Red Knee Tarantula. The fried Tarantula is then dipped in a Blacktongue Pepper sauce (import from Shadow) and dusted with powered Firefly pepper.  Then this deadly arachnid is topped with pickled Wasteland Pear slices and placed between two toasted Sweet Grass buns. Considered a deadly weapon in all Flights except Fire.

Scorpion Scampi Pizza- the tastiest part of a Scorpion Fly is its tail, which it drops after becoming an adult. Dutifully collected by smaller dragons, it is cooked in wine, garlic, herbs, and sour Miniature Potash Peach juice till barely pink. The crust is precooked before the sauce, tails, and Snow Elk parmesan (import from Ice) is layered upon it. The pizza is baked again for a few minutes (or milliseconds in the volcanic ovens) to get the perfect melty and crunchy bite!

Sweet Potato Poutine- jokingly called a peace offering to Ice Flight, this hearty dish starts with a base of thin and crispy fried Sweet Potatoes from the Volcanic Vents. It is topped with smoked rice milk curds (rice an import from Wind), Cindershroom gravy, and a spicy Cindermint pepper.

Wildfire Kebab- there are some brave flowers and plants that survive and thrive in the Volcanic Vents. They are the divine Smolderpetal, the dangerous Speckled Fire Lily, the caloric Blood Spath, the meaty Cindershroom, and the slightly bitter Cindervine. Together they are roasted on metal skewers and basted with a Ashfall Prickler sauce.

Zeeba Berry Bars- a sweet treat that with came about from a truce between Fire Flight and Centaurs. Ration Pouches filled with oats and nuts formed the base of the bar, and the center is a mix of Strawberry and Blackberry jam. The top is striped with a sweet frosting dyed black with powdered Cindervine.

Flaming Peach Souffle -a testament to any chef’s ability, a Souffle is a risky and rewarding dessert. Miniature Potash Peaches are finely chopped with sugar and cooked in saucepan with the egg yolks. The egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar (which is also metal processing agent that prevents oxidation) are beaten into stiff peaks and gently mixed with the peach mixture before being added to ramekins and cooking. A smokey Grassland Grain bourbon sauce is poured over top and set alight to the delight of the diner.

Blue Flame Boulevardier- a cocktail made of Red Banana Liqueur (which is actually blue), Grassland Grain bourbon, sweet vermouth (import made from Light’s grapes or Ice’s sugar beets), and Pelagas Feather Campari. Stirred with ice and then strained with into a chilled glass, it is garnished with a slice of Wisp Fruit.

[recurring-polynya]

Izakaya Kamenoya, Part 4

All right, it is time for the final article in my series on Izakaya Kamenoya, the bar all the shinigami drink at in filler episodes! Today, I will be making a valiant attempt to identify what kind of food items are available! Bleach is rather famous for portraying food as blobby lumps, so wish me luck!!

The history of izakaya is pretty interesting, but they basically evolved out of sake shops that started serving food to attract customers and also to entice them to hang out (and keep spending money). They tend to serve small plates, which are shared. This can span a really wide range, though, from just a few basic bar snacks, up to a fancy restaurant. Izakaya Kamenoya tends towards the more full-service. According to the article I linked above, people didn't do a lot of cooking at home in the Edo era--they cooked rice at home and purchased pickles and other simmered goods to top it with. This fits right into the Seireitei to me--shinigami have demanding jobs and disposable income (at least moreso than Rukongai folks), so they love to eat out.

Check out this Ladies' Night Spread, for example:

That looks like two big platters of sashimi in the middle to me, and that's clearly tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) on the far right.

The episode very kindly gave us this close-up of Assorted Meat Skewers.

I am not quite sure what the brown slabs served over lettuce are...tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets), perhaps?

In this shot you can also see some little fish. This looks similar to a picture I found of eihire (grilled stingray fins, served with mayonnaise), so I am assuming this is a something similar.

Boys' Night Out is going to be less fancy, because the boys in question are broke, but it's generally the same stuff-- sashimi, tamagoyaki, skewers, BUT they also have this cool table-top grill! It's called a shichirin, apparently, and is often used to grill yakitori, which it looks like exactly what they're doing. I feel strongly that this is a thing Iba is super into. Like, you go out drinking with Iba, you know he's getting the shichirin. The fact that shichirin translates to "seven wheels", cements this even harder into my heart: it is both grilling (manly!) and a reference to Squad Seven, what is not to love?

How about captains? Ukitake and Kyouraku seem like a pair of guys who enjoy a good meal.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT FISH.

So. Um. Well, it looked to me like it was a fish that had been made into sashimi and then the sashimi was sort of arranged over the skeleton of the fish, with the head in tact (If you are not able to tell how I was able to discern that from this potato-quality screenshot, it's fine, I'm not so sure either). Anyway, I looked that up to see if it was a thing and it sure is! It's called ikizukuri and you do it while the fish is still alive. Today, it's a controversial practice, but Soul Society be Soul Societin'!

In less upsetting news, it looks like they each have a little cup of chawanmushi (egg custard with savory mix-ins, like mushrooms or shrimp). Also, lots of skewers and bowl of colors (pickles maybe?)

I also have this shot from Kyouraku and Amagai's first venture, but I can't tell what anything is:

Clearly a less impressive spread, but they only just got there, so maybe there's more to come. Croquettes in the middle perhaps? I would guess that those little square cups are matcha pudding but Kyouraku hates matcha. The smaller plate kinda looks like more skewers, but it also seems to small to be skewers.

Moving on the other end of the price scale, what does the Extra Value Menu at Kamenoya look like? I'm sure Hisagi and Kira know!

The anime did not give much help here. It looks like they have more of those ?tonkatsu?. Kira's got a plate of...sliced cucumbers maybe? The beige lump in the middle has some colored specks in it, so I'm guessing a fried rice of some sort.

As a final note, I love these little blue cups of orange bulbs that Kira's emotional support team is enjoying here (also more tamagoyaki). They seem like they should be easily identifiable, but they don't look like anything in the two dozen "things to eat at an izakaya" articles I read for this. Is it a fruit? Is it chestnuts? If you have an idea (or you can identify anything else that I couldn't) please let me know!

earlier posts in this series: (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)

[hey-august]

We have dad bod Buggy yes but have we considered how we got there: eating and drinking and partying just for the love of it

Gorging himself on delicious smoked fish and fried chicken and fully-loaded hot dogs to get his strength back after a hard day of captaining, loosening his belt just to squeeze in just a few bites more

Drinking beer by the pitcher and rum by the bottle to drown his sorrows live it up because who knows what happens tomorrow (and to show off he can do a one-man keg stand by detaching his hands and holding up his own ankles)

Sleeping off a belly stuffed full of good food and good drink and then waking up the next day to do it all over again

You know it, anon! Something about the appetite this man has is endearing in its own right.

Big ol' bites of food, chugging drinks that he enjoys, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, which just smears his face paint and leaves grease on his hand - it just works for him. Let's not talk about the way he licks his fingertips though, especially when he catches you watching. We might be here all night. 😩

I am a firm believer that Buggy is a snack food junkie. He makes sure the kitchen is stocked with all sorts of goodies. If Buggy's the one shopping, he comes back with more than what was on the list. What? It looked good! And he's right...it is delicious.

He also waltzes back onto the ship eating some greasy fast food or something decadently sweet. How could he say no? It smelled delicious. It's a lil treat and he absolutely deserves it. 😤

And there's the whole circus thing. Let's expand that to carnival food because I think they go hand in hand. Candy apples, cotton candy, popcorn, peanuts, yes yes yes.

Funnel cakes, sausage and peppers, deep fried everything (Buggy with deep fried pickles and an ice cold beer? heaven), corn dogs, skewers of meat - all sorts of sweet, savory, spicy, salty, cheesy, and hedonistic food becomes available.

There doesn't even need to be any circus plans. No captive audience. Let's just turn it all on - bright lights to dazzle, loud music to set the mood (and chase away the noisy thoughts), copious amounts of alcohol (sorrows, what sorrows), fantastic food, and good times.

[malsfefanfics]

OC Profile: Medee

Art by la-horrorosa, edited to icon size by me.

"I've only known Lady Medee for a short time. But she is incredibly intelligent, and a devoted member of the Vestra family. Though as I get to know her, some of her children's more interesting quirks have suddenly made much more sense. She seems to know things just before they happen, and can tell who is right behind her without even looking. Also, Sylvain seems to avoid her like the plague." --Edelgard, about Medee.

Full name: Medee von Vestra (Formerly Medee von Anavros) Nicknames: Witch (by her enemies) Birthday: 14th Day of the Great Tree Moon, 11XX Age: Unknown Crest: None Family: Iason von Vestra (Husband, deceased), Hubert (Eldest Son), Rosamund (Daughter), Tancred (Youngest Son), Absyrtus (Younger Brother, deceased), Chalciope (Younger Sister, deceased) Nationality: Adrestia Titles: Soaring Faith Scholar, Healing Matriarch, Mother of Faithology Voice Claim: Coleen Clinkenbeard (Yuko Ichihara in xxxholic)

Interests: Faith study, Magic Experimentation, Science, Alchemy, Autopsy Likes: Science/Magic, Flying, her children, Pretty Rocks Dislikes: Her husband, Nobility, The Church, Tomatoes

Favorite Meals: Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Bourgeois Pike, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Vegetable Pasta Salad Liked Meals: Sautéed Jerky, Cheesy Verona Stew, Peach Sorbet, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Grilled Herring, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish Disliked Meals: Gautier Cheese Gratin, Daphnel Stew, Notes: In meals with Tomatoes, she picks them out. Do not ask her why she dislikes them.

Tea Preferences: Crescent-Moon Tea, Bergamot, Four-Spice Blend, Chamomile, Almyran Pine Needles

Liked Gifts: Any flower, Arithmetic Textbook, Blue Cheese, Coffee Beans, Tea Leaves, Riding Boots, Ceremonial Sword Disliked Gifts: Goddess Statuette, Landscape Painting, Legends of Chivalry Notes: Gifting her "Legends of Chivalry" will cause her motivation to go down and for her to vanish for the rest of the day.

Lost Items:

Silver Scalpel: A tool meant for carving into things. Looks well cared for and belongs to a set. There's a mark of an old Adrestian family on the handle.

Silver Masquerade Mask: A full-faced mask meant for festivals and feasts. Looks refined and elegant, yet it is very unsettling.

Quilted Children's Blanket: A blanket specially sewn for newborns, meant to last for decades. It has the names of many relatives on every square.

Starting Class: Noble Preferred Class Path: Noble –> Monk/Soldier/Myrmidon –> Mage/Preist/Pegasus Knight –> Warlock/Bishop –> Gremory/Dark Flyer Strength: White Magic, Black Magic, Dark Magic Weakness: Axe Budding Talent: Sword Personal Skill: Spoon Full of Sugar - Restores 5HP to any Magic Unit within one square of her if their HP is at less than half at the start of your turn.

Weapons Starting Levels:

Sword: C Lance: D Axe: E Bow: E Brawling: E+ Reason: B Faith: B Authority: E+ Heavy Armor: E Riding: CFlying: B

Base Stats: (At Recruitment)

HP: 35 Str: 13 Mag: 29 Dex: 17 Spd: 16 Lck: 11 Def: 10 Res: 19 Cha: 14

Learned Faith Spells: Heal, Nosferatu, Rescue, Silence, Abraxas Learned Reason Spells: Miasma Δ, Bolganone, Luna Λ, Meteor, Agnea’s Arrow

Recruit Requirements: Crimson Flower Exclusive - Must have all three Vestra Siblings

Potential Supports:

Byleth

Edelgard

Hubert

Rosamund

Tancred

Constance

Lysithea

Sylvain

Felix

Seteth

Flayn

Manuela

Alois

Hanneman

Shamir

Crit Quotes:

Silence!

You need a time out!

Let's test that hypothesis!

You'll need a doctor.

Bedtime for you.

DO NOT SPEAK HER NAME! (Against any Kingdom Commander)

Mother's here, darling!

I will not pray for you!

Defeat Quotes:

That experiment failed. Best return to the drawing board.

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must withdraw.

That was....very unfortunate...…

My dear children....I'm afraid.... your mother won't be coming home.....

Chalciope....I'll see you soon, sister.....

And so.....House Anavros truly ends with me.... (if her children all died in battle)

Skill Level Increase Quotes:

This should help my experiments.

This will impress Tancred.

Rosamund will enjoy this.

I shall make use of this for Her Majesty.

Oh, I know Hubert will find this delightful.

Hmh. Interesting.

Even an old crone can learn something.

Level Up Quotes:

Every day, a little life.

The Anavros Standard.

I suppose I'm still rusty.

You'd be impressed what age can do.

Eventually we learn all we can.

Gift Quotes:

Liked Gifts: Oh, sweetheart. You're far too kind to an old lady like myself.

Neutral Gifts: How thoughtful. Thank you, darling.

Disliked Gifts: Well, I was in need of something to test this new potion on.

[dominickeating-source]

Celebrity Chef by Barbara Binstein (Canadian TV Guide, Sept. 22, 2001) Dominic Keating's salad is an Enterprise-ing venture

It's back to the future as the crew of the new starship Enterprise prepares to trek to the stars for its maiden voyage. One hundred years before Scotty even dreamed of beaming anyone up, the first to enlist was munitions expert Lt. Malcolm Reed, a spit-and-polish, by-the-book English gentleman, played by the cheeky Dominic Keating.

Growing up in Leicester, England, 100 miles north of London, Keating fondly remembers watching the original series. "I remember when my dad bought our first colour TV, and I loved Star Trek in colour," he says. Keating acquired his future itchy phaser finger 'practising my Vulcan pinch on the playground'. And when Keating ventured to America in search of stardom, he became hooked on Star Trek: The Next Generation. "I was interested in TNG because Patrick Stewart had the lead role and he was one of the forerunners of English actors coming to Los Angeles, doing what I'm doing now".

It may be one small step for some, but it's a giant leap for Keating to get to another galaxy far, far away, the kitchen. With the help of his girlfriend, Jill, Keating claims he's good at grilling salmon, and can concoct a mean salad with fried zucchini and pine nuts in it. It's just something that kind of invented itself.

"The success of the salad is no to over-fry the zucchini, not crisp, but not soft either". Keating adds, "and if you do it in some sesame oil it's all the better. I often stick the frying pan out the front door just to let it sit and cool down. Other tips? Go easy on the dressing. "I find that North Americans tend to douse a salad with the dressing, so I'm really fussy about that", he says.

With Keating manning the torpedoes as Lt. Reed, it's full speed ahead aboard Enterprise. May the sauce be with you.

Zucchini and Pine Nut Salad 6 cups/1.5L salad greens, mixed 2 cups/500mL baby spinach leaves 1tbs/15mL olive oil 1tbs/15mL sesame oil 2 small zucchini 1 small yellow squash large red onion, sliced 1cup/250mL grape or small cherry tomatoes cup/50mL pine nuts, toasted

Balsamic Dressing cup/50mL olive oil 2 tbs/25mL balsamic vinegar 1 tbs/15mL green onion, finely chopped 1 ts/5mL brown sugar 1 ts/5mL Dijon mustard

Wash salad greens and spinach leaves; trim and dry thoroughly; set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve. Cut zucchini and yellow squash into � inch slices. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and sesame oil. Add squash slices; cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add onion, cook, stirring until squash is tender-crisp. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and balsamic dressing. In a large salad bowl, combine salad and contents of skillet; toss until well combined. Garnish with pine nuts and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 181 calories, 4 g protein, 16 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate

Grilled Salmon Satay with Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 lb/750g salmon fillet, skinless (about 1 inch thick) 2tbs/25mL vegetable oil 1 clove garlic � cup/125mL minced onion, finely chopped � cup/125mL red pepper, finely chopped � cup/50mL white vinegar � cup/50mL brown sugar 2tbs/25mL fish sauce 2tbs/25mL soy sauce Optional fresh coriander, chopped

Soak 12 wooden skewers in water to cover for at least 10 minutes to prevent scorching. Cut salmon piece across the width of the fillet into 12 slices. Thread salmon strips onto skewers. Place in single layer in a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate.

Sweet and Sour Sauce: In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and red pepper; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; simmer 2 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Cool to room temperature or cover and refrigerate. Makes about one cup (250mL).

Just before cooking, arrange the salmon skewers on a lightly greased, foil-lined broiling pan; pour � cup (125mL) sauce over. Leaving the skewers on the foil, broil or grill the salmon on the barbecue about 5 to 6 inches form the heat source for 3 or 4 minutes or until opaque. Pour remaining sauce into a serving bowl; cover and warm on high for 1 minute in the microwave. Garnish with chopped coriander, if desired. Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 298 calories, 28 g protein, 15 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate

Source: www.dominickeating.com

[oozmium]

Ranking the smt ivf collab Cafe as someone who will never have the chance to taste it ft. probably inaccurate translations of their names

Part 1 featuring the actual meals because I forgot tumblr has an image limit

1. "Godslayer" Meat Platter

We got steamed chicken and duck meat with some salsa and salad... that sounds yummy but man idk why but this just looks so unappetizing. I mean at least I can stomach duck though so I'd totally be open to eating this. But also it doesn't look like a sizable portion so hm.

6/10: presentation kills this meal sorry Nanashi

2. Dagda's Large Fried Rice

Good god this is a lot of rice... I'd imagine this would pair well with Nanashi's meal. Looks like a nice batch of fried rice but I have to take points off for the overkill on the sesame seeds... I want my rice not seeds... though apparently the seeds are inspired by Dagda's color scheme so huh.

7/10: it's rice. Too much seeds. I'd complain it's a big portion but the famitsu article notes this is meant for 2-3 people so that's fair.

3. 阿修羅会御用達 悪ピザ (tls to smth along the lines of Ashura-Kai Purveyor Pizza?? I didn't trust the machine tl so I'm putting the kanji)

Now this is something I'd definitely eat. A nice piece of pizza bread will always make me happy. The famitsu article notes that this was the meal most recommended by reporters.

There is one other thing to note about this one: it's meant to be split between two or three people! ... like Hallelujah and his "Bro".... 😦

10/10: I'm not immune to pizza bread and reporters really liked it so I'm sure it was delicious

4. Asahi's Energetic and Healthy Coriander Salad

This one is really cute, although I have to admit I've never tried coriander but there's a first for everything! The flower is a very cute touch too, but I'm a picky guy so the peppers are a bit of an ick for me... I can't eat them in salad it needs to be put in stuff like a sandwich for me to eat it.

7/10: unsure on if this would be tasty but the presentation really sells it!

5. Flynn a la Mode (aka Furin a la Mode)

Ooo now this is a yummy looking dessert! Would absolutely demolish it (sorry Flynn).

They said the pun was unintentional; instead the idea was everyone's beloved Flynn wanted to make a dessert everyone loves (I hope I'm reading that correctly 🥺)

9/10: I'd give it a 10/10 (and it really deserves one) but I'm very picky on those extra gummies surrounding the pudding...

6. Jonathan's Grilled Beef Tongue

Er. Apparently chosen for Jonathan for its elegant and luxurious taste ... anyway this looks very yummy and it gets extra points for the kewpie mayo 🤤. The onions are a nice touch too... guess I have to concede and agree this is really elegant!

9/10: I've never tried tongue personally but the kewpie mayo would be enough to get me on board with eating it.

7. Father's Fisherman's Meal

They want you to think Walter's dad caught the fish that went into this meal... I laughed a bit ngl. Anyway I'm always down for poke-esque meals I guess it'd come down to the quality of the meat 🤔 though the amount of fish in there might leave me wanting more...

6/10: unsure if I want to give this higher bc I don't personally know how the fish tasted... also could use more fish.

8. Fairy Forest Mushrooms

Maybe they're not appetizing to you but I absolutely LOVE mushrooms. They're so yummy to me and especially when you add some nice butter for extra flavor... mmm very yummy 🤤.

8/10: I'm biased I like eating mushrooms I'd devour this in a heartbeat

9. Gaston's Long Skewer Platter

This was the 2nd funniest item on the menu (you'll see the funniest one soon). Other than that, skewers are always tasty with some soy sauce and lemon for extra flavoring... although apparently it was a guessing game to discover what was inside the skewer?

7/10: unsure if i wanna play skewer roulette with Gaston 😦

[thedilucharem]

A Collection of Headcanons - Food & Eating Edition!

Can They Cook?

Yes, for the most part.

Due to his time outside of Mondstadt, Diluc can make quick, efficient meals with what could be found as well as branch off into more technical meals and food.

Childe always prepped food and helped out in the kitchen while he still lived with his family, so he can cook for himself and others with a higher success rate.

The only things Beidou knows how to make are fried fish fillet and grilled fish on a skewer, but she's been doing it for so long that they come out perfect each time.

Zhongli can cook and he can do it rather well, but with his in-depth knowledge of Liyuen cuisine and his habits, the cooking time for the meals takes days to conclude if he did it his way.

Besides his signature meal, which is his granny's recipe modified by him a bit, Itto cannot cook to save his life as any cooking done by him is guaranteed to put him in some sort of trouble.

Can They Bake?

Barely, perhaps in theory.

Diluc can make some tea and cookies in theory, but it would take more time than he's willing to spend in the kitchen. He would probably ask Adelinde to help him with it if he tried.

Childe's mother did most of the baking and he's passable at the basic dough, but anything more elaborate than that and he's a lost cause. He's too impatient to do something for that long.

Even if The Alcor could have an oven on it, the ship is made of wood and that is highly flammable. Beidou doesn't even like pastries and sweets that much anyway, so she wouldn't even try.

Zhongli is the only one here that would bake as a hobby, but as stated before, he would take days as he would be extremely particular about which ingredients he uses.

The last time Itto tried making cookies for his grandma, he gave himself intense food poisoning. This is why Shinobu has a certification in baking specifically.

More under the cut!

Diluc -

Background

As someone who's enterprising and self-starting as well as a member of a family who has been in the wine-making business for centuries, he's going to know a thing or two about growing food.

I personally think that grapes are not the only thing that grows in the Dawn Winery, as he would have orchards for types of apples and cherries, berry bushes for valberries and wolfhooks, and maybe some citrus trees if he can manage it.

He would also have some beehives for the help of pollinating all of his crops and to also get some honey (he and some of the staff planted some flowers to help along with this as well).

He wouldn't really be planting crops like corn, wheat, and barley all that much as he mostly dabbles in wines, but there's no one saying that he wouldn't do it down the line.

Diluc has been trying to breed and develop certain types of grapes for more non-alcoholic drinks and juices, and this has had mixed results so far.

I also feel as if at some point, he will begin to dabble in some vegetable gardening for more of his own personal enjoyment as he ages in years.

Habits

Diluc may know a great deal about growing food, but this is nothing compared to him eating food.

One thing that is certain about his meals is that no matter what they are, they will be quite large as he will burn through that and more before the day is done.

When he's not working as hard as he usually does, he'll have more filling things such as mashed potatoes and gravy, a nice stack of pancakes, a stuffed omelet, or a large helping of bacon. Perhaps at the same time.

While he is on the clock, however, he'll opt for something quick and nutritious that can be eaten on the go, such as some toast with jam and butter, a granola bar, or some fruit.

He will occasionally indulge in a bit of snacking, which will be a piece of jerky, trail mix, or dried fruit as he's often out and about when he starts getting hungry after a meal.

Likes & Dislikes

Despite him being raised in proper aristocratic fashion and having the privilege to be a picky eater, I will say that he is the type to eat his greens responsibly as any adult does, but if he was given a choice, he would opt for an option with meat in it.

Some of his more favored dishes feature red meat and pork exclusively and are almost always slathered in butter or cheese.

He also has a bit of a sweet tooth, as his favorite drink is grape juice and he's been shown to like more subtle sweets.

So naturally, he's not going to like anything strong and bitter, like wine.

In terms of dislikes, he's not that into fish and would opt out of having it if there were other options to be had as he is not a big fan of the flavor or the texture.

Diluc absolutely will not eat anything that is overly spicy. He wants to eat a meal, not set his mouth on fire.

Childe -

Background

Of course, he knows how to fish, but specializes in ice fishing and the creatures that come out of it, so he can cut, prep, and cook just about anything that comes out of the water.

I would imagine that Childe also has a bit of a green thumb, as I would expect his family to have a small garden for the warmer spring and summer months.

On that note, sometimes some people in the village would forage for berries and wild plants during this time to add a little bit of variety to their diets.

I don't think he had a high-quality meal typical for 'well-off' folk until he was promoted into the Fatui Harbingers, as military food is hardly a step up from home-cooked meals.

Sugar or anything involved with it was rare enough for Childe to only expect sweets on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

His family would likely have chickens that have adapted to the conditions, as they are easier to maintain and look after than bigger animals, so he had eggs and chicken occasionally.

Habits

In the remote village in the middle of Snezhnaya's version of Siberia, food would occasionally be hard to come by, so you ate what you were given.

Childe has retained this mentality, the intensity of it really coming to light in the midst of the Abyss, where the 'food' was more than questionable by normal human standards.

So he'll eat anything that's edible, including leather if it comes down to that, but he draws the line at outright cannibalism (or so I hope).

Normally, he has a small breakfast to get him going, a decent lunch if his schedule allows for it, and a dinner in which the size fluctuates depending on if he's still out or free from work.

He makes sure to eat as it is fuel for his body, but he also seems like the type to rip and tear until it's done, so once the adrenaline wears off, he undergoes the endeavor of heavy snacking.

Not much of a drinker, despite the culture he comes out of. Most of the fire-water he's had has been moon shined from his neighbors or the real intense stuff the Harbingers have.

Likes & Dislikes

Childe doesn't have anything that he won't eat, but this doesn't mean that he won't choose something else when there are choices.

Childe loves his soups and stews, that's for sure. To him, all of them are good, but it's better if seafood is used as the base and is in some of the food as chunks.

He almost always chooses seafood when he's out and about, whether it's grilled, steamed, boiled, fried, or whatever, but if there's none to be had, he'll fall back on meat most of the time.

While he won't be picky about it, he doesn't like eating greens and fruit that much, but if they're flavorful and robust, he'll be more inclined to eat them.

Childe likes to say that he doesn't have a sweet tooth, but despite his honesty in certain areas, he is absolutely lying about this. He just practices an uncharacteristic self-control over it.

Beidou -

Background

Like Childe, there's nothing that Beidou will not eat, but it wasn't because of wintertime or similar circumstances as much as there was simply nothing much to be had. No food is bad food if it's edible.

If she couldn't forage for it, it was likely snatched away from some vendor or passerby that wasn't paying attention, and that's when she wasn't caught.

The moment Beidou had that first bit of cooked fish from some villagers, however, it was an instant connection that would stick for the rest of her life.

If you ask Beidou to cut up a fish, she'll ask you which way as she holds an almost encyclopedic knowledge of fish cuts and preparation.

Due to various circumstances, Beidou taught herself to cook relatively simple meals that could be made on an open fire or with only a few ingredients.

On rare occasions, she would get paid for odd jobs with a decent meal or some food, and this would be rationed for a day or two if it was possible.

Habits

Back in those days, fruits were plucked from trees, things were snatched from stalls, food was salvaged from places, and fish were caught when she got the chance. You ate what you managed to get.

When she eventually got employed by a crew full-time, their rations and meals were what she lived on and ate, so I can't imagine that snacking is something she does.

After eventually coming into her own and gaining a substantial amount of money, she would have plenty of options in terms of what she could eat, but she mostly keeps it simple.

There are a lot of greens and vegetables that she purposely incorporates into her meals for the sake of health and variety to ensure she can operate at full capacity.

You cannot tell me that Beidou did not try everything under the sun upon making landfall in Mondstadt, Inazuma, Sumeru, etc. for the first time.

She had her first drink after her first encounter with Haishan and hasn't stopped since, though it's currently nowhere near to how much she used to drink regularly.

Likes & Dislikes

Like it was said with Childe before, Beidou is not picky with her food. She will eat what is available for her to eat and that's it.

As someone who also willingly subjects herself to Xiangling's new dishes and attempts, she'll eat just about anything that's considered edible.

This does not mean that she does not have preferences; if she's on land and she doesn't have to eat ship rations, she won't, as she'll prefer just about anything else.

She likes foods served warm, which could be grilled, stir-fried, boiled, or anything to do with the heat in the cooking process.

Beidou is nowhere near Yelan's level of eating raw Jueyan chili peppers, but trust that there is a robust amount of spice in her meals.

She's not necessarily a fan of sweets all that much and doesn't like things that are too plain and bland. She also doesn't like things that are cold by design or otherwise unless it's alcohol paired with the meal.

Zhongli -

Background

Before we start off, we must acknowledge that this man has had the time to gather the knowledge and wisdom to cultivate a truly immaculate palette for food.

This, however, does not mean that he always had it and as such, I believe wholeheartedly that before, he ate of the fruit of the trees, the roots of the ground, and the meat of the creatures. Which creatures these were would remain a mystery lost to time.

Marchosius introduced him, the other adepti, and the people of Liyue to the concept of cooking food and as such, he developed a fondness for good food.

Slowly, he learned from Marchosius and the other adepti who had mastered it before him, and so he became quite good at preparing food.

Nowadays in his life as a mortal, he mostly eats out and samples what there is to taste, but he is more than willing to prepare a meal for others and himself.

Habits

Despite him forgetting his wallet, he manages to eat three decently-sized meals a day.

These meals are optimized for nutrition, flavor, and presentation as well as the contents thereof.

If he's not eating food from outside, the prep time of his meals takes no less than three hours at a time.

A good chunk of his paychecks (or the funeral's finances) go towards the food that he buys for himself, as he sources his food from no less than the high-end of what is available.

If he's out and about, he'll buy a snack from one of the vendors in the streets. This could be a chicken skewer, some sweet thing, or a small bowl of fresh fruit.

Food is a very communal experience for him, so it is highly likely that he will strike up a discussion and talk while eating the meal.

Likes & Dislikes

Zhongli is extremely particular about what he eats. He's lived a multitude of lives and knows damn well what he likes.

Anything that comes out of the ocean is getting written off unless it doesn't look like it, and even then it's highly unlikely that he'll put it anywhere near his mouth.

Every meal must be accompanied by tea, juice, or alcohol. If there's water, it must be flavored with something.

Unlike any senior citizen one may associate with him, Zhongli will not stand for anything plain or bland in his food. In his eyes, it defeats the purpose.

He will eat every non-seafood dish from Wanmin Restaurant, but in the case that it's not Wanmin he's eating at, he likes things with a broth or soup base, sandwich-like foods, and hor dourves.

Zhongli isn't opposed to spice, but he doesn't want it to overwhelm the rest of the meal.

Arataki Itto -

Background

If one is to blatantly ignore the in-game model and solely focus on lore, one can come to the conclusion that Arataki Itto is huge, but he was not always that big.

In fact, it can be said that after the fact of his parent's deaths, he was tossed out onto the streets and had his fair share of malnutrition on top of everything else he endured.

As such, he would forage around for food and eat it, regardless of if he could or not, which meant that at a young age, he suffered from allergic reactions to soybeans.

He would also play games and hope to win snacks back in that day as well, but as one would imagine, there were much higher stakes at play than the light-heartedness of the matter today.

Now in the current day, he does get a good fraction of food from this method and the ready accessibility of food in general lends credence to his size.

Habits

The types of food he eats are more things that can be carried in his hands and finger foods as he's on the go and running around.

If he is mostly left to his own devices, there is a higher chance that he will skip meals in favor of whatever he's doing at the time.

As such, he's doing a lot more snacking than actually having a proper meal, much to the consternation of his deputy and the concern of his granny.

One particular thing about Itto is that he more or less acts as if meals are meant to be shared amongst friends more than anything else.

Whether it's lavender melons roasted over a fire, sitting at a ramen cart, standing at a booth in a festival, or just simply being amongst friends with food involved, Itto is definitely happier with people around.

He's naturally inclined to play with his food in a sense, such as competing to see who can eat it the fastest, how much of it he can eat, and things of that nature.

He's also one to share his snacks on the occasion that his typically competitive mood leaves him or he notices that someone is without anything to eat.

Likes & Dislikes

If I haven't brought it up enough, then let me state it clearly: He does not like and cannot eat soybeans.

Even dismissing the blatant trauma associated with the bean in its unrefined form, he will be at risk for a fatality if they're around.

After he was taken in, this was figured out relatively quickly and as such, adjustments to Inazuman staples were made.

As a result, he will eat pretty much anything and occasionally forgets that no, his granny did not make this food and he should check before eating it because there might be soy in it.

Outside of that, he'll eat pretty much anything, but he leans mostly toward sugary sweets, drinks, and big heavy meals.

Ramen is a favorite dish of his and after he was introduced to Almond Tofu, he hasn't had enough of it, but he'll always have a lollipop on him if it isn't already in his mouth.

Bonus! - Headcanons

In the fishing competitions they have, Beidou consistently comes out on top, leaving Childe and Itto to fight over second place. The winner gets to prep the fishy dish how they like.

While Diluc's affinity for mixology and making drinks isn't even brought into question, he prefers cooking to baking.

Itto is not a fan of slime condensate but loves jello and as such, no one will tell him what's in the jello.

If there's one thing Childe won't willingly eat, it's dark chocolate.

Zhongli has compiled a small cookbook with some of the adepti for his own personal use and circulation amongst friends.

Despite being readily willing to try Xiangling's newest culinary creations, Beidou is no stranger to the bouts of her bowels staunchly rejecting the crazier ones.

Diluc has gone hunting for his own food more than once.

The only thing they can agree on in terms of food is that no one in their right mind would eat nothing but bread or rice as a meal.

[sunsetkrp]

             𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐊𝐑𝐏'𝐒     𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆     𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 !!

the pop-up spring carnival is coming to sunset galleria !  our spacious center plaza will be filled with fun indoor rides and attractions open to all shoppers, and free to employees once they’ve completed their work duties !  the carnival will run nonstop from may 13th to may 20th, so be sure to cram some fun in when you can !  click the read more for additional information on the attractions and some fun thread ideas +  make sure to tag all event threads with ‘sunsetevent: spring carnival’. note that taking part is entirely optional, but i hope you all have a blast !

𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒

disco pang pang — the dreaded legend is back; the infamous disco pang pang is a large, circular ride that spins and bounces without safety restraints. factor in mischievous ride operators trying to forge love connections between various riders by bouncing them into one another, and you certainly have a thrilling experience. ride at your own risk !

petal to the metal — your traditional bumper cars, doused in purple flowers for the spring festivities !  mercilessly target your friends, your family, your coworkers or even that special someone with some light vehicular combat !

ferris wheel — a smaller version of the beloved classic, take a relaxing spin above the upper mezzanine levels with friends and cast your eagle eye on deals in your favorite shops !  children must be accompanied by an adult !

lotus swing — an elevated, rotating swing ride designed to look like a blooming lotus. catch the cool breeze and a dose of playground nostalgia where you and your cares can fly away !

bom banghag — the biggest thrill the carnival offers, bom banghag is a stunning garden green and magenta roller coaster that wraps around many other attractions with strategic precision. collect your action photo as a free memento on the 80 degree drop capturing your childlike joy or traumatizing fear !

𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒

flower pop — throw pastel darts at a wall of flower shaped balloons !  depending on how many you pop, you can win a spring theme plushie in various sizes !

air hockey — challenge your friends to classic game of air hockey !  the winner player of a best of three series will score a ton of tickets, which can be turned in for multiple different prizes !

skee-ball — test your throw with some internationally beloved skee-ball !  if you can aim things just right, you might be taking home one of the adorable spring flower onesie costumes  !

boxing machine — have a strong arm ?  participate in this test of strength, then !  throw your best punch at out tough punching bag and let the machine calculate your score !  this one’s just for fun, but you can certainly win some bragging rights !

pachinko — the popular japanese game in which you release a ball through a maze of pegs to see where it lands !  if you have the accuracy for it, you’ll do extremely well, and the coveted assorted snack gift box will be yours !

mini basketball — if you possess any b-ball skills, this is the game for you !  with a dozen separate hoops and a ten ball limit for every turn, the adorable bird seed pouch prizes go to the best baller !

water blast race — use your flower bomb water gun to hit the target and get your daisy to grow to the top faster than your friends’ !  to the winners go charming best friend tees adorned with matching ‘spring queen’, ‘spring king’ and ‘spring royalty’ logos !

𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

kimchi-buchimgae (spicy, crispy kimchi pancakes)

tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes)

dakgangjeong (sweet, crispy korean fried chicken)

fish cake skewers

american cheeseburgers and french fries

kkwabaegi (twisted korean doughnuts)

gamja-hotdogs (deep fried hotdogs covered with french fries)

sweet potato sticks

patbingsu (red bean paste shaved ice dessert)

boba tea

pepsi & coke products

lotte products

watermelon soda

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐒

muse one is terrified of roller coasters, but may be willing to ride alongside muse two who is a thrill ride fan and has offered to hold their hand through the experience.

muse one and muse two have gotten extremely competitive over pachinko, due to both wanting the biggest assorted snack box prize. neither of them can seem to pull ahead of the other.

muse one accidentally bumps into muse two and spills their drink all over them. what was meant to be a fun time for each of them has gotten off to a terrible start.

muse one and muse two have been targeted by the disco pang pang ride operator, who keeps bouncing them into one another. will any chemistry develop, or just bruises ?

muse one was just about to order some dakgangjeong, but muse two ordered the last batch and now there’s gonna be a ten minute wait.

muse one and muse two are both in a long line for a popular ride and are forced to make conversation to pass the time.

muse one hasn’t been able to win themselves a prize, but muse two swoops in thinking they’re cute, determined to win the prize to gift to muse one.

muse one and muse two came to the carnival separately, but end up spending the whole day together lost in nostalgic bliss after reminiscing about the same ride.

muse one accidentally drops their phone from the lotus swing, but it’s luckily caught safely by the attentive muse two.

muse one and muse two had agreed to meet up at the carnival, but one of them has too much work left to do, so the other forgoes having fun to help them finish up.

muse one and muse two get stuck on top of the ferris wheel during a mechanical issue.

muse one and muse two had an argument in front of customers, and now they’ve both been placed on clean up duty for the carnival as punishment.

muse one is not into the boisterous scene of the spring carnival, but muse two is determined to get them to see the fun side of things and let loose for once.

[chimini3]

MAKEUP THE BREAK UP

Park Jimin | Chapter 2

SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Park Jimin x OC

Synopsis: What happens when Park Jimin’s biggest what if comes back into his life? His friendly neighbor, childhood best friend, high school lover, and now his makeup artist?! Amidst the 2020 outbreak, the last thing he needed was Seong Areum making his heart skip a beat and fill his stomach with air. What will he do when unspoken words threaten to slip past his tongue? Would he take the chance of ruining a healing past? Or would he let her slip away once more and let himself get lost in the lights?

Warnings: inaccurate timeline (I did my best to research I swear), teenage flufffff, not beta read

Word Count: 6.0k words

The Years I Loved You

[2010]

“I’ll wait for you no matter what.” 

Jimin stared into my eyes as it stung from emotions I couldn’t keep at bay. 

What he had confessed to wasn’t supposed to happen, right? 

We can’t be like that. We’re practically family, right? 

Although now it made sense how JiHyun would describe me as ‘family’ to his friends though Jimin always avoided that term in describing me. All this time I thought I just hadn’t earned the title of being family when it was really because of this. But now that I look back at it, I never described them as family either. It was always ‘friends, family, and The Parks’. 

“I thought you— you like Jessica. Jimin… I’m— I’m not some second opti—“ I stuttered through my sentence though Jimin quickly cut me off.

“Areum. I never liked Jessica.” Jimin was stern in his statement as he reached out to grab my hands. 

His fingers were cold against mine. The Autumn air was approaching Busan though the cherry blossom trees were still bright pink and blooming as we entered September. 

Jimin had invited me to accompany him to dance lessons and a stop at Seodong’s Maze Market to buy a few things for his mother and for us to eat lunch as his treat for me tagging along his errands. 

It wasn’t like accompanying him was much of a chore to me either way. I enjoyed his company during our commute. Having him around also made me feel more safe in going out. 

However, I didn’t mind when he bought me a Tteokbokki skewer with fish cakes and sausages as soon as my gaze fixated on the vendor cooking in the stall for a second too long. Perhaps I was a bit hungry from all the walking and commuting, especially since Jimin’s dance lessons were at eight in the morning and the commute already took an hour. 

He also bought two Tokkebi Hot Dogs when he watched me devour the rice cake skewer like I was starved. The deep-fried hotdogs covered in batter and french fries were simply too irresistible for both of us though he asked for them to be wrapped as he planned for us to properly eat at a seat somewhere less crowded, which was a better idea considering how messy I could be when eating street food.

He also bought us Hotteoks to ‘balance our palette with something sweet’ whatever that was supposed to mean though I never rejected Hotteoks, they were my favorite afterall. And just when we were approaching a more peaceful benched area of the market, Jimin had to let his eyes wander to a stall selling Tornado Potato.

It was great. I felt so full afterwards so we planned to walk to the nearby Oncheoncheon Park. A riverside park that had just the right amount of buildings to nature ratio and had cherry blossom trees lining the river. It was a place too good to not confess his feelings.

But it just caught me so off…

“Jimin.”

“Areum.” 

I stared into his eyes, hoping to see something that could help me say the right things, but I didn’t know what to say. I was found dumbfounded and speechless.

His eyes held so much love, so much care, so many overwhelming feelings that I knew somewhere deep in me wanted to reciprocate, but I was scared. I’ve always been scared.

Whatever he had confessed to could change everything. I didn’t want anything to change. I didn’t want to lose everything like I did before. 

Jimin inhaled as he caressed my hands. 

“You don’t have to answer now. You can take days, weeks, months, or years. I’ll wait. I’ve been waiting for five years. I can wait longer.” He brought my hands to his lips as he carefully pressed a kiss on them.

It felt fuzzy. Perhaps even funny, but it felt good too. Against the cold winds, my stomach and heart swelled with a warmth I was unfamiliar with.

But it was scary.

Why did it feel like that? Why did I feel like this? 

It’s scary not knowing.

“Jimin. We— we…”

“Areum, I needed you to know this. I’m sorry if it caught you off guard but I needed to say it to you because I know this feeling is real and it isn’t just some infatuation.” 

He was apologizing, yet to me there was no mistake.

“I can court you. I’ll ask Mrs.Seong. I’ll ask Mr.Seong. I’ll ask Ahnna ssi. Aaron hyung added me on KakaoTalk a few months ago, I’ll ask him too!” 

He was hopeful and I couldn’t help but smile as he smiled back.

Perhaps a few days of courting would make him take his confession back? But did I really want him to take his confession back? I loved him to death seriously, but did I love him like that? I wanted this, but did I really? 

We’re young. One mess up and we can’t take it back. Did I really want that?

Well, it turns out I did.

Three months and Jimin was still persistent. The effort he went through to ask permission from my parents, his parents, Ahnna, and Aaron had made my heart flutter like the movies described it would.

The transition was practically seamless and it scared me how easily the people around us adapted to the fact that he was courting me. It scared me how even I didn’t see a change except for an added amount of sweetness, he was still the Jimin I knew. 

The Jimin that shared his newest song obsessions and dance moves. The Jimin that loved Kendo and was top of his class. The Jimin that was consecutively the president of his class.

It was as if he was courting me the whole time.

Here I was thinking he’d be the one changing his mind when I’m the one up at night doubting my feelings and questioning my emotions.

I didn’t want to lead him on, though it felt as though I was leading myself on. 

There would be days when Jimin would be too busy in preparations to graduate that he couldn’t find time to talk to me and it always made me feel bad in my stomach. As if his mere existence was an oxygen mask to my decaying lungs. 

It wasn’t like that before, was it?

I never knew I badly needed his attention like this.

“Happy Birthday to you~!” 

We all sang synchronously before Jimin blew out the candles of his red velvet cake. The restaurant was one we knew Jimin loved to dine at from time to time so his friends had reserved a long table just for us, his friends, and JiHyun’s friends. Some of them I knew though most of them I only knew by face. 

We all started dining in the Chinese cuisine of the restaurant as most broke into smaller conversations though I only listened. Sitting beside Jimin as he conversed with his Just Dance Academy friends.

“What will you do with what Saen sunbaenim said last Saturday?” Jimin’s friend asked as another friend nodded to see what Jimin had to say.

“My parents are thinking about it. Seoul is too far for their liking, but they agree that if I’m really passionate about it then why not.”

“Ahh okay, that’s good. At least they understand…” The friend had more to say though I had zoned out as Jimin turned to look at me.

“You okay?” He asked as I answered him with a nod. 

Was I okay? 

I always enjoyed Chinese cuisine but I’ve barely got anything in my bowl, and I know Jimin took note of that by how his eyes flickered to it.

To be honest, I was dying from nerves. I knew I wanted to say something about it, but I needed the right opportunity. I needed the right moment.

“You sure? You’ve barely eaten. Do you not like the food? Are you feeling unwell? We can order something els—“ 

“Jimin, I’m fine, seriously.” I sent him a smile as my hand went to wrap around his bicep to squeeze and ease his worries before sliding down his forearm to interlock my fingers with his hand. 

It took him a second to realize I was holding his hand though he quickly reciprocated it by squeezing my hand back. His short, soft, and warm fingers interlocked with mine and his lips didn’t hide a smile from my gesture.

“Tell me whenever you need something.” Jimin said and it took me a while to understand that he literally meant if I needed to eat anything. 

My dominant right hand was the one holding tightly with his as his less dominant left hand was the one clutching mine. 

Jimin let out a giggle as I blinked slowly at our hands. He took his own chopsticks and grabbed a boiled dumpling from the serving plate, dipping it in the sweet soy sauce before telling me to open my mouth. To which I gladly accepted the gesture, chewing on the warm dumpling that suddenly made my appetite better than before. 

“I don’t want to let go, but you have to eat. Promise I’ll hold your hand again though.” His tone was sweet and it caused that warm fluttering to occupy my stomach again. 

He looked at my lips and he wiped off some sauce with his finger before hesitantly letting go of my right hand.

The rest of the night went without a hitch. I had gained a better appetite and ate whatever dish Jimin suggested or outright placed on my plate. Jimin was smiling all night and would occasionally graze his fingers against mine which never failed to make me that giddy type of nervous.

“We should get going, we’re the only ones left in the restaurant.” Jimin said with a chuckle as he looked around the now-empty Chinese restaurant.

The remaining friends and JiHyun nodded in agreement as we paid the bill and left the establishment. 

It was already turning ten in the evening, the longest I had stayed out as my mother always placed me on a strict curfew. 

We all waited at the bus stop for the correct bus that was supposed to drive us for twenty minutes. Before we would have to get off at a bus stop that is only a ten-minute walk from our apartment complex. 

“Jimin hyung, Eomma said I can sleep over with Chulwoo and you can come pick me up tomorrow after your dance practice.” JiHyun showed Jimin a text from their mother as the older was skeptical though nodded when he confirmed it by receiving a text from their mother. 

“Careful. Get home safely Chulwoo. Are your parents home?” Jimin was anxious about leaving his brother to commute on a different bus with his friends. Jimin was always so reflective with his anxiousness. 

“Yes Jimin hyung, the five of them including JiHyun will stay at my house.” Chulwoo reassured as Jimin nodded and the boys celebrated.

Their bus arrived first and we waved our goodbyes to them as Jimin made sure to get a clear look at the bus.  

“Calm down. Have trust in JiHyun, he wouldn’t do anything too stupid.” I interlocked our fingers as we were the only ones left at the bus stop.

Jimin let out a sigh before turning his head to look at me. 

“Did you have fun?” He asked me as if my enjoyment was the one that mattered for the night.

I let out a chuckle as the air that escaped my lips turned into a light fog in the cold winds. 

“I should be the one asking you that.” 

“I asked you first though.” He smiled as he squeezed my hand. 

“I did. Your friends are nice and the food was delicious.” 

He stared at me just a little longer before looking at the road in front of us. I was about to ask him if he enjoyed his night though I could tell he wanted to speak again.

“You didn’t eat much. Do you want to stop by—“ 

“I’m stuffed, Jimin.” I laughed as I really did feel like I was about to float to the night sky at how bloated I felt.

“Eomma would kill both of us if we stayed out a minute longer.” I spoke in a more serious tone as I saw a slight frown from Jimin as I rarely said no to food, moreover free food that he’d buy for me. 

“She already texted me three times. I think it’s time we go home and rest, you still have Dance early tomorrow morning.” My voice was barely a whisper as I leaned my head on his shoulder. The warmth from his coat hugged my cheek, much to my relief.

Jimin took a few minutes to even breathe normally though we couldn’t bask in the comfort of that position for long as we saw our bus approach our stop. Despite the late time, workers and students alike still filled the bus though we were fortunate enough to find two seats near the back row.

We rode the bus peacefully, stopping at stops where some passengers had to go and slowly the bus had started to empty. 

“You can sleep, if you’re tired. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.” Jimin said as he saw my eyes droop a second too long. However, I didn’t want to rest and leave him the responsibility of staying awake. 

“I’m not tired. You need someone to keep you company during the ride.” I smiled at him though he only raised a brow at me.

I leaned my head back to his shoulder once again, promising to only rest my head though not to sleep. The earbud we shared that played Jimin’s playlist had tangled and I kept my fingers awake by fiddling with it. I watched the dark roads pass by us as the bus kept going through the roads to our side of town.

“Areum.” 

“Jimin?” I opened my eyes to feel the bus come to a stop. Had I fallen asleep?

“Wake up, we have to get off the bus.” His voice was ever so gentle as I heard the bus doors open. 

I nodded my head as he stood up after he removed his earbuds from our ears and placed his phone in his coat pocket. He waited for me to check if all my things were in my bag before guiding me to walk out of the bus in front of him. His hands were steadily hovering over the curve of my waist to prevent me from bumping into something.

Once we were off we started walking on the familiar road back to our apartment complex. I still felt tired from my accidental nap though I forced myself to sober up from the tiredness and to properly walk as I had more important things to tend after.

“Jimin.” 

“Yes? Areum.” He added my name and I realized it had sort of become our thing to respond to each other with the other person’s name. 

“Did you enjoy your birthday?”

“Of course, I did.” Jimin smiled as we walked side by side.

“You’re finally fifteen… it’s been ten years since we became friends” I added. I was completely clueless about how I’d lead the conversation to where I wanted it to end up, though I trusted myself to say the right words.

“Technically I turned fifteen ten months ago, but yeah… it’s nice.” 

I could tell he was skeptical about where the conversation was going. Our friendship was past the small talk phase years ago. Why would I suddenly engage in this conversation so randomly?

“Only nice?”

“It’s been progressive.” He said it slowly as if to gauge my reaction to the particular word he used to describe his year.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I meant… First and foremost, I finally confessed to you. I’m pretty sure I knew I loved you when I saw you worried sick for me at the hospital, so finally saying it felt like a weight was off my chest and I had nothing to hide.” Jimin explained as I licked my lips at how he had revealed that he’d already gained a crush on me halfway through our friendship. 

“Then I discovered dancing a few years ago and now my parents are letting me go to Busan High School of Arts…” Jimin smiled as he gauged my reaction to his planned High School. 

I never knew he wanted to go to a specific high school. I guess I never asked, though now I knew it was highly unlikely for us to see each other again in school halls after he graduates.

I wasn't one particularly keen on art-related careers, not that I even had a proper thought about my future. My plan is more so on graduating and find a typical corporate job that’ll suffice my needs and wants. Jimin thinks my mind will change if I give it more thought, but that’s the thing… I don’t have the will to think, I just go with whatever the people around me decide for me. That’s why I’m plainly waiting on what my parents’ next decision is before I start thinking about high schools and colleges. 

Perhaps that’s also the reason why I’ve probably buried my attraction to Jimin, then only started acting and reflecting on my true intentions when Jimin was the one to confess.

“Areum?” 

I looked up at Jimin as he looked at me with confusion and concern etched onto his face.

“Jimin…”

My voice was barely audible though it was loud enough for him to hear. We stopped at a small one-way street about five minutes away from the apartment building. He was waiting for me to say something, which was terrible because I was also waiting for my brain to come up with the right words to say.

“I… It’s going to suck when we won’t commute together anymore…” 

“Hey! I’m still going to commute with you and JiHyun. I’ll still pick you up after school too! I’ll probably lessen my participation in Just Dance Academy during the week, and I’ll make up for it by joining a dance club or something. I might quit Kend—“

“No! What?!”

“It’s a difficult schedule to fit it all in but I’ll still find time for you.” Jimin smiled as he slowly reached out for my hand to caress.

“Jimin, you really shouldn’t. You should most probably fill your Saturdays too to advance on your dreams…” 

“I need a rest day too. I need two days of rest.”

“Don’t quit Kendo… JiHyun loves the time you spend together in Kendo and Taekwondo.” 

Jimin smiled at me as he nodded.

“I’ll still leave my weekends for you.”

“No. You need Sundays for family and rest. I don’t want you overworking yourself.” I let my strict voice out as I saw Jimin raise a brow.

He pouts as he now brings both his arms around my lower back to pull me closer to him.

“You are my rest.” 

He said it so matter of factly that I would’ve believed it though I can’t fathom how dealing with me could be so relaxing to someone. Was the rest he was talking about include getting eight stitches in his eye?

“Jimin, I’m serious.”

“Yeah yeah… I’ll still be home all day, and I mean I’ll be all over the apartment complex.” He smiled a goofy toothy smile and I couldn’t help but let a smile creep up my face.

“I’ll still miss you.” I forced my smile to a pout as a cold rush of wind passed by us. 

Goosebumps ran through my skin as I saw Jimin’s cheeks tint with pink from the coldness. He was about to say something though I interrupted him, just because I didn’t want to give myself the opportunity to pussy out of the moment.

“We should probably make the most of our time still seeing each other…” I managed to meek out. My voice was cringed and squeaky though the wide eyes and raised brows that Jimin looked at me with told me he understood and heard every word I meant.

I brought my arms to hug him, pushing our bodies closer together whilst I switched my gaze from his eyes to his lips. I just prayed that he understood what I meant.

“Eumi… are you?” 

I could only bring myself to nod as I brought my face closer to him, hoping he wouldn’t reject me. Hoping that he was indeed still waiting for me, waiting for my answer. Hoping that he hadn’t gotten impatient and stopped without telling me.

[2011]

“Happy 14-month anniversary!” Jimin smiled as we entered the small pop-up amusement park. 

“What a weird number to celebrate.” I laughed as Jimin only pecked a kiss on my cheek.

I was beyond freezing. The red coat I had on with faux fur was simply not warm enough over the striped off-white and black sweater dress I had over black leggings. Though Jimin looked fairly better in his jeans, shirt, and unzipped hoodie under his black coat. His hair rested on his forehead though the strands were swept to one side.

Our families had just gone out for Christmas preparations together since this was the first time in a long time that Aaron and Appa had come home to Busan for the holidays. The five of us had come to Busan together since me, Eomma, and Ahnna had spent the earlier part of December in the States before deciding to come home, much to my delight as I got to spend my first Christmas in a very long time back at home with Jimin.

Our parents and family had taken to getting together fairly easily. Aaron and Appa had doubts, they saw Jimin as extended family and it was weird knowing we were together, but they grew fond quickly when Jimin would regularly give them more updates on what I was doing than I or Eomma did.

A simple dress I wanted or a new makeup palette I liked was information passed over to Aaron in the States and the next thing I knew I was being sent the items I had wished for just a few weeks ago right by our door.

Jimin and I were also happy, at least from what I’ve gathered. We weren’t perfect, but we tried our best for each other. We learned to give space when we needed it and learned to be there for each other when others couldn’t. We kissed. We shared our heart-fluttering moments. We were as content as we could be for high school lovers.

“It’s not a weird number! Fourteen is lucky!” Jimin’s words brought me back to our topic at hand.

“How so?” 

“Fourteen is the half of seven.” Jimin smiled as we watched JiHyun, Aaron, and Ahnna walk ahead of us whilst pointing at the different rides they wanted to go on.

“Seven isn’t your lucky number.”

“And how do you know that?”  

“You’ve always said it since the day we met that you liked the number three!” 

“Hey! Can’t I have multiple lucky numbers? I heard the saying ‘Lucky Number Seven’ at a show once.” He spoke the three words in English and I had to give it to him, he was getting better at how he pronounced it though I didn't have much to tell as I wasn’t the best either.

“Jimin ssi, Eumi ssi! We have to ride the sea dragon together!” Aaron looked back at us though I only laughed at the scrunched face Ahnna had.

“I think I’ll stay with Ahnna. Maybe we’ll ride the carousel or bumper cars while we wait for you guys to ride all the intense ones.” I smiled as I saw my nine-year-old sister smile brightly at me. 

“I’ll come—“

“Oh come on! Jimin you have to!” Aaron persuaded as I turned to a straight-faced Jimin. However, I knew that he wasn’t one to particularly consider amusement park rides as a leisure activity.

Jimin’s eyes flickered to mine though with a fix to his posture and a forced smile he nodded and walked towards my brother and his brother whilst Ahnna skipped over to grab my hand.

“Unnie, we should go to the bumper cars first! Then the carousel, and we should go to the Ferris Wheel too!” Ahnna started pointing at all the different rides and the boys were quick to turn around from their conversation on what rides they wanted to go on.

“Woah woah! We will ride the Ferris Wheel all together, with Eomma and Appa.” Aaron spoke up as he pointed to our parents buying food from the stalls.

Ahnna started pulling me away as the boys also started walking to the ridiculously long line of the Sea Dragon ride. 

Ahnna and I enjoyed our ride of Bumper cars and Carousel, rides that didn’t have too long of a line so we got done fairly quickly before we settled down to sit at the table beside our parents to eat snacks on. 

“Eumi unnie, how long will the oppas take? I want to ride the Ferris Wheel already!” Ahnna grew impatient as I only shrugged my shoulders.

I didn’t want to send them a text and make them hurry when it was their only time to hang out as boys, and the lines for the rides my brother enthused about on the way here had the longest lines so it would be understandable for them to take longer to ride.

“Come, let’s play some of the games first while we wait.” I grabbed Ahnna’s hand tightly in mine to ensure I wouldn’t lose her. I excused ourselves to our parents before we walked to the side of the park where multiple carnival games were in booths.

We did a little Bottle Ring Toss, Whac-A-Mole, and Bean Bag Toss before I spotted three familiar figures walking from the food booths. 

“They’re finished.” I pointed to the figures as Ahnna turned to recognize the faces of the boys we’d waited for.

“Yay! Let’s go to the—“

“Wait, Ahnna. We’re honestly so exhausted from the sea dragon and the line for the haunted house that I think we should play a few games before we go to the Ferris Wheel next.” Aaron explained as I sent him a disapproving shake of my head as I knew how long Ahnna had been waiting to get on the Ferris Wheel though I didn’t push it when I saw the faces of the two Park brothers.

I crouched down to Ahnna’s height, watching the frown that played on her lips.

“The Ferris Wheel line is still long anyway. Why don’t we let Aaron oppa win you a few prizes first before we go up? The carnival won’t close anytime soon, don’t worry.” I smiled as she nodded. I quickly fixed her hair before standing back up to see Aaron sigh into the cold wind. 

“Okay fine… I’ll win you some teddy or something.” Aaron groaned as he grabbed JiHyun and pointed to a row of basketball game machines.

Jimin came up to me and Ahnna, patting my younger sister’s head and sending her off to follow our brothers before he took my hand in his.

“Next time I think I’ll join you and Ahnna at the Carousel.” Jimin let out a breathy laugh through his teeth before bringing his lips to peck a kiss on my forehead. 

“It can’t be that bad…” 

“It wasn’t… the lines were just terrible and you know I don’t usually like that stuff.” 

“Then what do you usually like?” 

“I like you.” 

There it was again, that fluttery feeling I felt more than a year ago. I thought I’d lose that feeling when I’d come accustomed to Jimin and his smooth and nonchalant lines and actions, yet here I was nearly fifteen months later and I still felt like my cheeks had turned into my personal hot pack and my stomach still did its little dances.

We neared the basketball game machines beside Aaron and JiHyun though there was still significant space in between us. I made sure Ahnna was securely in between the two boys as they threw balls in the hoops before I turned my full attention back to Jimin who had already fired up two machines. 

“You should pick a prize already. I’m about to show you my amazing basketball skills.” Jimin smiled cockily before his machine started and his focus went to throwing never-ending balls on the hoop.

“Have you ever even held a basketball?” 

My question didn’t need a verbal answer as we both equally sucked at throwing balls at a hoop. Jimin had thrown one so bad that it went out of the compounds of his machine and the rest of his time was spent with him chasing the ball through the crowd. It was hilarious and had certainly gotten Ahnna in the mood to smile again though I was on a whole other level with my deafening cackling as Jimin took a walk of shame back to the machines with people and staff eyeing him strangely.

“I’m not related to that guy. Ahnna, Aaron, let's get out of this weirdo’s vicinity.” JiHyun threw Jimin a side eye as he pulled the two away from us and onto a game of water guns and plastic cups.

“Hey! I’m hyung to you!” Jimin shouted though he still laughed with a shake of his head as he was turning back to look at me.

“You’re awful at basketball.”

“Likewise.”

I threw him an offended look though it was completely all for jokes.

“I didn’t throw a basketball over the machine at least.” 

“It just means my skills are too much for the machine to handle.” Jimin said it so confidently that I bursted out laughing again and this time he too had to laugh at his ridiculousness.

“I guess I’ll never get my prize then.” I looked up at the array of prizes before turning back to start walking towards the boys and Ahnna at the water gun game.

“I’ll get it for you next time.” 

I smiled at what he said though I doubt he’d get better at basketball.

We played a round of water gun shooting before Jimin and I realized that today was simply not our day and we opted to stay a distance from the group as we joked about their serious competitive faces.

We let them play a few more games. Aaron had managed to win a small keychain teddy bear for Ahnna. It wasn’t what she expected though it still brought a smile to her face. 

We rested for a good five minutes on the benches before we all got in line for the Ferris Wheel. It was a small and scarily unstable-looking Ferris Wheel though that didn’t stop all of us from grouping ourselves to fit in four carts. My parents were in one cart, Jimin and JiHyun’s parents were in another, me and Jimin had our own cart which left the three to share their cart.

The park was slowly emptying and our batch would be one of the last for the night so we were bound for a more peaceful and perhaps extended experience.

“Areum…”

Jimin’s tone was suddenly serious which made me turn to him with a slight frown. 

“Jimin?”

He seemed a bit lost for words as he only stared back at me blankly. I gave him a few seconds of silence before I had to call for him again.

“Is everything okay, Minie?” 

I softened my voice. The nickname wasn’t one I used frequently now. I used to use it more when we were kids, but as we grew and our relationship evolved I grew to call him other nicknames though to me nothing would beat calling him by his name plainly. Something about him only saying my name and me saying his name in reply felt right. It felt intimate without needing to be affectionate in any way.

“Yeah… I just had something to talk to you about for a while.” 

Jimin sounded nervous as he started fiddling with his fingers on his knees.

“What is it?” 

I kept my voice calm, soft, and open though deep inside whatever this ‘something’ was killing me. I softly placed an open palm over his fiddling fingers as he kept eye contact with me.

“You know how everything is going well in my school right?” 

“Yeah…” I slowly nodded as I didn’t know where the conversation was leading to.

“Well… My Hagwon recommended that I start auditioning for companies in Seoul sometime next year…” 

He was slow and careful with his words as if he gauged what every muscle of my face did as he let out every syllable.

“I thought really hard about it. I really love Busan, I love my after-school break dance club, I love my friends, I love my family… I love you. But… I— I just…” 

He started to mumble his words, stuttering his syllables as his mind seemingly didn’t get to catch up with his mouth on what he should say next. His gaze faltered as his knees started bouncing, though managed to interlock our fingers as I held his hand tightly with reassurance.

Jimin had big dreams. Everyone knew that. If he didn’t wish to become a dancer then he would probably become a taekwondo Saseong. 

No one could stop Jimin from achieving those dreams unless a loved one had told him to stop. Only someone he cherished and considered more important than himself had the power to stop him. So when I entered his life as more than a simple friend. I had made it my biggest priority to never hold him back.

Join a different high school than me? Go ahead.

Join an after-school break dance club that would mean he couldn’t pick me up after school anymore? Go ahead, I can commute with JiHyun safely.

Fill your Saturdays with extracurricular activities like Taekwondo, Kendo, and Dance Practice? That sounds great! Everyone should engage in their hobbies and interests instead of drowning themselves in studies!

Perform with your club? Yes! I’ll come to support you!

Go to Seoul and leave me behind for dance? 

I don’t know. I wanted to be selfish and say no. I know he wouldn’t leave me if I did say no, but I loved him. I’ve never felt love like this for anyone else before, so I’ll say yes to everything that makes them happy. 

Perhaps I can find a way to cheat the system and go up north with him.

“Jimin.” 

“Areum.” 

He locked eyes with me as I sent him a tight smile that I tried hard to come out as most reassuring. I squeezed his hand tightly before I began to speak.

“I love you too.” 

I brought his hand up to my lips and pressed a light kiss on top of it. I can already see lights shining in his eyes, or was that because of the Ferris Wheel?

“Jimin, I’ll support you with everything, you know. Whatever it may be as long as you’re happy.”

“But you should be happy too…”

“I’m happy when you’re happy.” I said without missing a beat.

It was true. I’d be happy with whatever Jimin did as long as he did it for himself to be happy.

“Have you told your parents about this?” I asked as he visibly calmed and started playing with my fingers.

“Not yet. That’s why I told you first. I wanted to see what you thought first before I bring the idea up to them.” 

“And what I think is that it would be an amazing opportunity. Studying in Seoul can teach you more and being with a company sounds cool!” 

I hyped him up as he chuckled.

“I might debut or something. You’ll have to stop listening to all your other K-pop songs and only play mine on repeat.” He challenged, though it sounded like a win-win situation to me.

“Great! I get to listen to my favorite voice all day!” I smiled as Jimin looked away laughing.

Though when I squeezed his hand again he was forced to look at me. Our eyes met as we reached the top of the Ferris Wheel. 

His gaze went from my eyes to my lips as the space between us closed and our lips met in a chaste kiss at the top of the Ferris Wheel.