#Cooking crab from frozen

[o-wyrmlight]

Guess who unintentionally boiled some crab before sitting down and listening to an analysis of Donald Trump's indictment charges like I'm fucking royalty and didn't even connect the dots until after the crab was already cooked

That's right. It's your buddy Wyrm. Eating like royalty at 4-5am today

[devonpink]

Conversion in the Deep

Far from land and deep in the sea, lives a world undiscovered by humanity. In an underwater kingdom where merpeople not only exist but thrive. Ruling over them is King Lyle, his wife, and his only offspring, Prince Dorian.

On the morning of his 25th birthday, Dorian was not his usual cheerful self but distressed, swimming back and forth in one of the castle's many gardens. "What kind of a birthday surprise was that?!" He was utterly flabbergasted over what his father had sprung on him only a half hour ago. "An arranged marriage?! With a mermaid, no less! When is he gonna get it through that thick head of his that I'm gay! Gay, gay gay!"

Unbeknownst to Dorian, his future bride, Princess Alana, was not far behind, watching and following him in curious wonderment. She couldn't help but eavesdrop. Neither could the royal guards. "It has to be a joke?" Dorian questioned, trying to keep his head on straight. "I'm sure that's what it is! There's no way my father is that-" Dorian was too lost in his own head to realize Alana had swam up behind him. So when he abruptly flipped around. Boom! They smacked right into one another, face-on. They were mere centimeters away from accidentally kissing, causing Dorian's face to immediately blush from embarrassment—he was redder than a cooked crab. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

"It's okay! I should have said something." Alana insisted, hoping to soothe Dorian's embarrassment. She smirked slightly, thoroughly amused with how awkwardly cute Dorian's nervous expression was. That pared with his muscular build making him even sexier. She swam back slightly to give them some breathing space, easing him further. However, she couldn't help but give in to her feminine wiles. "I hope you blush as cutiely on our wedding day."

"About that," Dorian anxiously gulped, assuming Alana was just kidding but didn't like the glimmer of sincere lust in her eye. He took a deep breath, hoping to reason with her. "Look, you must think this whole arrangement is as crazy as I do, right? I mean, we don't even know each other! It would never work out! I'm just not made for this kind of marriage!"

Alana looked confused, almost hurt by what he said—her heartbroken expression made Dorian uneasy, filling him with bizarre guilt. "Why not?"

Dorain gently grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to a nearby rock formation, out of the guard's sight. "I don't know how to break this to you other than spitting it right out: I'm gay. I'm incapable of giving you a happy marriage."

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Alana smiled slightly, inching herself closer to him. She laid her small hand on his massive bicep, making him unexpectedly quiver in titillation. "They don't call marriage hard work for no reason."

"What?" Dorain was surprised by her reaction or lack thereof. It's as if his confession went right over her head. "Didn't you hear me? I'm gay. Like, really gay!"

"You think you're the first?" Alana plainly said, brushing her fin against his. "It's not like this hasn't happened before. It has, and it's worked out." Dorian was stunned, frozen in disbelief but her calm demeanor. Throwing him off further, she swam around him, eyeing him like a delicious piece of meat. "Just take my parents for example."

Dorian's eyes lit up in shock, watching her confidently swim around him, trying hard not to stare at her perfect tits. "What do you mean?!"

"A long time ago, my father was in the same position you're in right now," Alana nonchalantly answered, stopping back in front of him. She seductively bit her bottom lip, still processing how unbelievably muscular Dorian was—a true muscle god.

"You mean, King Trenton is gay?!" Dorian questioned in disbelief. He couldn't figure Alana out or why he felt so funny. The more Alana talked the more smitten he weirdly became, confusing him more.

"He is, well, was. I guess you can say it's complicated, but love will do that. "Alana answered, her eyes kept making their way to his genital slit. She swam closer to him, forcing him back against the large rock formation behind him.

Inside Dorian was a swirling mess of emotions. He felt both frightened and turned on by her, which didn't make sense. He was gay, but her obvious lust for him was making him unbelievably horny. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly enamored with her as if a switch abruptly went off in his brain. "I don't understand?"

"I'm not surprised," Alama smirked, with an all-knowing look. She moved her hand up his ripped chest, making him quiver. She then gently grazed his firm nipples, which made him gasp. He was blushing uncontrollably. "God, you're so cute when you're nervous."

"Alana, please. I can't!" Dorian's heart was racing, enthralled with her heavenly touch. How could he want her so badly?

"Do you want me to show you?" Alana seductively asked, purposefully ignoring Dorian's growing concern. She moved her hand back down his perfectly toned body, heading for the genital slit in the front of his tail.

"Show me what?" Dorian asked, trying his best to keep his voice down to not draw the guard's attention. He wanted to moan so badly but kept it from coming out, which was hard to do. A few minutes ago, the idea of being in this type of situation with a mermaid repulsed him, but the reality of it only turned him on. It felt as if his body was acting on its own, out of his mental control. Was it primal instinct? Was it pure madness?

"Do you want me to show you exactly how my mother turned my gay father into a mermaid lover?" Alana rephrased, eyeing Dorian's plump lips in lustful hunger. She put her other arm around him, feeling up his manly backside. "How?" Dorian nervously asked, afraid yet intensely curious of the answer. Alana moved her hand over his slit, sensually rubbing it. His prehensile penis was in danger of popping out. "Oh, fuck." Dorian quietly moaned, trying not to alert the guard's attention. "Why aren't I stopping her?!" He thought. "Why does her touch feel so right? Why is her voice pure music to his ears? Why do I want to fuck her like a primal sea beast? How could I suddenly be so damn horny for a mermaid?!" He couldn't help but moan in sexual agony. "I don't understand why I feel so-?"

"Horny?" Alana answered, already knowing what he was gonna say. Her tone was dripping with lust, she was just as horny as he was.

Dorian sensually moaned again, unable to resist letting his massive prehensile penis finally emerge from its slit, all 13 inches of glorious man meat. Alana licked her lips, reached out her hand, and gently grasped it. Dorian moaned again, only this time more desperate. She stroked him, unable to believe the enormous size of his throbbing member. He instinctually grabbed her waist, unexpectedly loving how manly he instantly felt. They gazed at each other like lovers, as if they would passionately kiss at any moment.

"What's happening to me?" Dorian loudly pleaded, not caring if they got caught. Actually, the thought of his gay self getting caught with a mermaid was an unexpected turn-on. He then moaned loader, letting himself give in to his lust even more.

"My family's powers," Alana finally answered, after stroking him a bit more. "The mermaids in my family have a certain way with mermen. We can bring out whatever we want from them, able to mold them like clay. And the best part, the mermen love it. It's a win-win. Everybodys happy. Even if it takes a little persuading to get there." Alana slowed her stroking and played with the tip of his tapering penis with her finger, edging his lust even further. "You can't tell me it doesn't feel good, that I don't make you feel good."

Dorian moaned again in lustful agony, reluctantly loving how her finger teased his sensitive tip. None of it made sense, but he was starting to not care. All he knew was he felt good and beginning to enjoy himself. As hard as he tried, his lust was winning. He looked her straight in the eye, his gaze burning with passion. He didn't want her to stop. Damned it be her doing or not. He wanted more.

"There must be a part of you that's always secretly wanted to be normal, to be the prince your father always wanted." Alana picked her pace back up, grasping him tighter. She could sense his temptation to fully give in and was hellbent on making sure he did. "Allow me to make that secret desire a reality. Give in to me."

"Oh, fuck!" Dorian aggressively moaned, grasping the ridges of the rocks behind him. Her touch was pure heaven, winning him over. His gay resistance was hanging on by a tread.

"I'll be the perfect wife," Alana assured him, knowing she was close to fully having him. "And will make the most beautiful babies."

"Alana… I-" Dorian could barely speak, only able to moan in utter pleasure as Alana stroked him even faster. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the guards watching them with cocky grins.

"I want to breed with you," Alana hornily begged, wrapping her tail around his. Her smutty confession surprising Dorian but turning him on more.

"I want…" Dorian bit his lip, not wanting to let the rest of his words escape. The small part of himself that was resisting cried out, not wanting to give in. However, the second after Alana ripped off the shell bra off her huge tits to reveal her juicy nipples, it was over. Any last shred of resistance evaporated. With that, he finally let the truth bubbling inside him surface out of his quivering mouth. "I want to breed with you, too!!!"

And thus they finally kissed—french kissing, indulging themselves completely in their lust for one another. Her small feminine body against his massive masculine frame was electrifying. He plunged his rugged face into her huge soft tits, sucking on them like his life depended on it. Seconds later he had his thick fingers in her tight slit, making her moan like a merslut—fueling his testosterone even more. Never in his life had he felt so masculine. He didn't give a damn if the guards were watching. In fact, he wanted them to watch. He wished everyone was here to see him finally become a real man. Dorian figured this new way of thinking was all Alana's doing, but he didn't care. It felt too good to fight. Still gay or not, it didn't matter. He was hooked and couldn't wait till the wedding night.

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:2 C:4]

(Key time!)

(You open the door leading to the next floor. There were some stairs leading up, the smell of sugar growing a little stronger. Once you could see over the top of the stairs, you saw a large sadness blocking the way!)

“A sadness!!” (Mirabelle exclaims, you all run up to a few feet in front of it.)

“It seems to be guarding the rest of the house from us.” (Odile squinted at the sadness.)

“It feels strong, way stronger than any of the others!!” (Bonnie held their new wok in both hands, standing back.)

“Get ready, everyone!!!” (Isabeau took a stance.)

(Boss time!!)

(You snap your fingers and hold out your craft sign, [Make up the time]! Thin tendrils of craft energy radiate from your scissors sign and wash over you and your allies legs. You and your allies' speed increased!)

“Big ball head.”

“BIG BALL HEAD!!”

“Wait, something’s happening!” (Mirabelle paused her attack, a scissors sign flashed on the ball.) “Was that. . .”

“Scissors sign, huh?” (Isabeau squints.) “Does it mean something?”

“Well we can probably assume that’s its current craft type.” (Odile gives you a cheeky look.) “If you ever need a reminder which one it is, Siffrin, just ask.”

(Great, thanks Odile. Mirabelle holds out her signs and little discs of light encircled you and the others, boosting your strength!)

“Guess it’s my time to shine then!” (Isabeau dashed in, craft energy crackling around his fists as he [SMASH!!]ed the big boss sadness. Odile followed up with her own craft skill, [Rock III]).

(You smirk, this was gonna be easy.)

>>>

“Welcome back, Stardust! How can I help you on this wonderful new loop~”

(Well that was embarrassing, stars. . . You lost track of the craft type about halfway through the fight, and didn’t want to bother Odile for a reminder. You tried fighting it, got hit wrong, and it just snowballed into, well. . . Well, you were back again. So, questions. . . Questions. . .)

“How come I can see where the keys are?”

“Whaaaaaat? You caaaaaaan? How can that beeeeeeee~?” (Loop giggled behind their hand.)

(You squint.) “Is it, thanks to you?”

“Maybe~ I figured you already had so much to remember, you don’t need to worry about where a silly little key is.” (They lean in close, head resting on hands.) “No need to thank me~”

(You pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh.) “Are you getting on my nerves on purpose?”

“Yes, I actually manufactured this personality especially to get on your nerves, stardust!”

(Great. You shake your head. They were doing a really good job.)

“Anything else I can help you with, Stardust~?”

(Questions, questions. . .) “Do you think I could eat some of the frozen food in the house?”

“Oh I don’t know, how about you go and find out~!” (They giggle, then tilt their head.) “Why, getting hungry while saving the world?”

(Um. . .) “Maybe? I always wanted to try crab.”

“Crab?!?! Oh my STARDUST!! Don’t let your little housemaiden hear you saying things like that!!! Just WHAT will she say!!”

(Right. . .) “I’m just curious. . .”

“Don’t worry Stardust, I’m sure your little cook has quite the meal prepared for you!”

(Yeah, you bet.)

>>>

“Just a little more!!” (Mirabelle shouted as you dashed in and slashed with your dagger.) “I-I think we nearly beat it!!”

(Take two against the big ball head, and this time you didn’t get distracted. You weaved back jus in time to dodge its counterattack.)

“GO GO GO SIF GO!!!!!” ([YOUR TURN!!] You hear Isabeau shout, heh, you were about to end this, you held out your scissors sign and wispy slashes appeared across the sadness.)

(Jackpot!! You all take the moment and charge, and in one coordinated blow, the sadness is sliced into dozens of little pieces. You stumble back, panting, and then, you breathe in, and out.)

“CRAB YEAH!!!” (Bonnie cheered.) 

“We did it. . . !”

“Alright, let’s keep moving.”

(Adrenaline was rushing through your veins like white hot iron. Your heart buzzed, your legs twitched, ready to chase down whatever was next. No, calm down, stars Siffrin get ahold of yourself. You shake your head clear, and step forward. Leading the charge.)

>>>

“Okay, who wants snacks? I have SNACKS!!!!” (Bonnie ran over excitedly.) “Today, I have many snacks at your disposal. I have. . . Some PLANTAIN CHIPS!!!!”

(Bonnie presents a bundle of chips.)

“Oooh, did you use the last of those not-bananas to make them?” (Mirabelle asks.)

“Yes. Yes I did.” (Bonnie grinned.) “Crunchy. Delicious. And full of potassium. That's plantain chips!!!”

(You all clap. You never really like plantains, but they looked nice.)

“Second snack is. . . Some boring but delicious cookies!!!”

“Great sales pitch, Bonbon.” (Isabeau chuckles.) “Boring but delicious. Cookies, the taste of home.”

(Bonnie squinted at him.) “What kinda home is boring but delicious? Za, you're weird.”

(Isa just coughed into a hand. The cookies looked. . . Okay? You could smell the chocolate from here though, and it was tempting.)

“And for our third and final snack, we are proud to present. . . Some, uh. . . O-gi-ni-ri.”

“Onigiri.” (Odile corrects.)

“O-ri-ni-gi.”

“Onigiri.”

“Onion-geeree.”

“You messed that one up on purpose.”

“Yes!!!!!” (Bonnie cheekily laughed.) “I made a bunch, AND ‘Frin can have ‘em!!”

“Did you add some ‘Frin-compatible surprise then?” (Isabeau smiled.) “How thoughtful! You can eat rice, right, Sif?”

(You nod.) “Mhm, it’s not really filling, though. I think. “

“It’s not nutritious, but you can eat it without intestinal issues?” (Odile suggests. You nod.) “Fascinating. That opens up quite a few meal ideas, right, Boniface?”

(The kid cheered.) “YEAH!! Rice. I. Love. Rice.”

“You and every other kid on this planet, Boniface.”

(It’s nice that Bonnie looked out for you so much, even at what was maybe the end of the country. All the snacks looked delicious!)

“Now it’s time!!! To!!! Choose!!!” (Bonnie pumps their fists up excitedly.) 

“I’d love some Onigiri, Bonnie.” (You ask politely. Bonnie puts a few in your hand.)

“Here!! You!!! Go!!!”

(You open your mouth, about to take a bite, but pause. Sniff, sniff. . .) “. . . Beeeeef?”

“YEAH!!!” (Bonnie looks excited.) “I remember ‘Dile put a plum in there before but I wanted you to have some so I tried it with beef!!”

“How. . . Interesting.” (Odile looks suspiciously at the onigiri.)

(You take a bite. The rice dissolves in your mouth, and as soon as you hit the beef at the center you feel your shoulders relax. So, SO tasty!!)

“Is it good” (Bonnie looks at you all expectantly.)

(There’s a long pause. Odile is very good at hiding her expression.) “. . . . . . . .”

“. . . It’s okay ‘Dile, I know you’re old and not the biggest fan of change so! I made you a plum one!!”

“. . . Thank you.” (Odile takes the onigiri.)

(You gobble up the onigiri, savoring every last bite. You close your eye for a second, savoring it.)

“. . . S-so did you like it? Did I do good as snack leader?” (Bonnie has big shining eyes. You nod.)

“Yeah, this is good.”

“Mhm!”

“. . . . . . . .”

(. . . . . . . Oh no. DON’T MAKE BONNIE SAD!!!) “THANK YOU SNACK LEADER FOR THIS SUPER DELICIOUS MEAL!!!”

“SOOOO GOOOOD!!!!! Thank you Bonnie!!!!!!”

“I feel so ALIVE!!! THANK you Bonnie!!”

“. . . . . .” (Odile took a second.) “. . . Mm, good food, yum yum.”

“. . . Yesssss!!!”

(You take your time, finishing up your onigiri. It tasted so, so good but you were still hungry. Less hungry, now, but still hungry. But, that’s a later problem. You lay back for a moment, just take a second, then check in with everyone, then onwards and upwards.)

>>>

(Second floor!)

(You had just investigated the gardening room, and before that met a housemaiden frozen in time. Mirabelle had a bit of a moment, but, you had to continue. If you wanted to unfreeze them, you have to beat the King, after all. And each step through the halls brought you closer and closer to that goal.)

(The hall turned to the right, with a door on the wall in front of the turn. Well, in you go!)

“O-oh! It’s the Head Housemaidens office!” (Mirabelle jumps in.) 

“Someone like her definitely has some good stuff, right? Like keys! Or snacks!!!”

“Or information. Let's look around.”

(You do just that, big desk first. You open the drawers and start rummaging around, listening to your party as you look.)

(The Head Housemaiden. In charge of, well, everything here. Makes sure everyone’s happy, everyone’s healthy, that the kids get educated, houses get repaired, organising events, all of it. All on her shoulders, and on top of that is great at crafts too! Stars, you could never imagine doing something that complicated. The Head Housemaiden was supposed to defeat the King, too, but. . .)

(There’s nothing in the drawer, annoying, keep looking, there’s a childs drawings of the Head Housemaiden, random notes, a closet, bookshelf, not much. There’s some notes posted to the wall about the King.)

(Odile glances at Mirabelle.) “Why do you even call the King "the King"? Vaugarde isn't a monarchy. Isn't "King" just a title he chose?

“Yes, but he chose it. . .” (Mira says a bit awkwardly.) “Calling him something else would just be rude?”

“Yeah, that's just basic manners.” (Isabeau adds, Odile just lets it go.)

(Continuing around the room, there’s a pile of neatly sorted papers. Looking through them, there seems to be a bit of everything in here. A petition to serve more bread at lunch, notes about some recurring dream, a cheesy, mushy love letter. . . No, nothing here.)

(Welp, that was pointless. You lead the rest of the party out.)

(As you go to continue down the hall, the hairs on your neck stand up on end. You turn just in time to see a giant boulder crash down in front of the Head Housemaidens office. Blocking it off.)

“. . .”

“. . .”

“. . . There was nothing important in there, right? So this is fine?”

(Yeah, it should be fine. You lead the party on. Just a few meters down the hall sat a heavy metal door. You try the handle; locked.)

“. . . Sucks.” (You look back.) “Any idea where the key could be, Mira?”

“I’m, not sure. . .” (Mirabelle thinks, tapping her chin.) “It. . . Could. . . O-oh no.”

“Uh oh?” (Bonnie says in a questioning tone.)

“I-I, I think, I-I think it was in the head housemaiden office.”

“Uh oh!!!”

“Urgh. . .”

“I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry!!! I should've remembered, why didn't I remember!!”

“Hey, don't worry about it, Mira.” (Isabeau pat her shoulder.)

“Yes, you're not to blame here. If anything, it's Siffrin's job to look out for things.” (Odile glances at you.) 

(Hey. . .)

(You step away from the door, the others were already spitballing on how to get passed the door or the rock, what to do. . .)

(You hear a chime in your ear. Wh-)

[Hey stardust! Sorry to interrupt, but I am here in your head to beam you some amazing advice~ Did you hear that chime just now? That’s there to inform you that you are stuck in time! No matter what, you won't be able to progress further in the House in this loop.]

[Only thing you can do is find a way to loop back. Woopsies! Say, didn't you see some tears on the way here? That could work~ (Also come say hi sometime! I'm so lonely. . . Sob sob. . . Do you feel sorry for me yet. . ?)]

(. . . Great! Thanks, Loop. You look around, the others are still discussing what to do, and you could explore the rest of the house, but. . . No, looping time. While they’re distracted, you walk over to the tear and reach out.)“. . . Siffrin? What’re you-” (Mirabelle reacts too late, you touch the tear.)

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Maltosio

Maltosio is a restaurant located in Linkon City. It's where the protagonist and Dr. Zayne meet for a late lunch (in the Falling For You: "A Frozen Promise" Bond story). The protagonist mentions that she used to walk by this street often on her way home.

Apparently, the location was previously a pet store. From what I could see, there are two separate Honest Coffee locations right next to it (one across the opposing street and one across the street directly to the right of it). And, according to Zayne, there's a bookstore nearby.

Here's what their menu looks like:

Today's Special:

Sirloin Steak:

Sirloin Steak with Garlic Sauce, Pan Seared Asparagus. Cream of Mushroom Soup, Matcha Almond Tofu, Taro Ice Cream

Grilled Salmon:

Grilled Salmon with Morel Mushrooms, Coconut Seafood Stew, Vegetable Salad, Iced Coconut Latte, Wild Berry Cheesecake

Seafood Pasta:

Seafood Pasta with Basil Crisps, Slow-roastsd Tomatoes, Nachos with Guacamole, Garlic Bread, Caramelized Apple Tart

Lunch Special (Available 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM on weekdays):

Lunch Special for One:

…se & Egg Toast, Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, Spicy Fries, Creamy… Soup, Chocolate Mochi Cook-... Taro Ice Cream

Lunch Special for Two:

Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta, Shrimp Risotto with Parsley, Fried Cod Fillet, Fried Onion Rings, Crab Salad with Green Melon, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Honeyed Grapefruit Juice, Berries Ice Cream, Taro Ice Cream

In this scene, we can see that the protagonist ordered the Lunch Special for One while Zayne ordered the Sirloin Steak.

And for their dessert choice, they both selected the Taro Ice Cream pictured below.

Here are some more photos of their offerings:

The cheesecake this customer is seen enjoying doesn't look like a Wild Berry Cheesecake to me. Perhaps there's a secret menu we don't know about lol. But it still looks delicious!

[greatest-ball-of-fire]

Fireball can I please have the Gregor Recipe with your special spice?

The closest thing I can find that you have on your planet is Crab and Vegetable Soup (for a vegan version, just skip the crab and use vegetable stock).

Ingredients:

3 pounds of claw or lump crab meat (picked free of shells)

1 bag of frozen corn (or 3 cups fresh)

1 large can of tomatoes

1 squash or zucchini, diced

1 cup of frozen or fresh chopped green beans

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

1 small broccoli or cauliflower or both, chopped or diced

2 diced large carrots

2-3 diced celery stalks

1 diced medium onion

4 minced garlic bulbs (or 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic from the jar)

2 boxes/about 6 cups of stock (vegetable or really any stock or broth will do)

Salt and pepper to taste (at least a teaspoon)

2 bay leaves

2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add Old Bay Seasoning or Leblanc’s Creole Seasoning to taste (start with half a teaspoon and go from there)

Drizzle of vegetable oil

Fireball special version ingredient: Chili flakes

Directions: Get a big pot, heat the oil and add all the vegetables. Cook the vegetables. Add the stock to the pot. Add the crab. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and other seasonings. Cook. This is a giant pot of food. Just cook it until it’s all hot. Taste the broth as you go and add more seasoning to taste. Add chili flakes. Take out the bay leaves before serving.

Serve hot with bread and butter! Make sure there is prijand and more chili flakes on the table for the bravest eaters.

[cffeine]

sometime after learning where dazai lives, chuuya realizes dazai’s shipping container doesn’t have any sort of refrigerator, and he is literally surviving off of canned crab and the like.

in retaliation to this half-hearted suicide attempt, chuuya buys a cooler and shoves into it frozen foods dazai won’t complain about being unable to heat up because he doesn’t even have any way to cook.

chuuya is eventually so annoyed by this that he gets into the habit of sending dazai off with a string of curses and a couple meals in tupperware that he collects from dazai’s home every time mori sends him over to drag dazai off to work

[thestormynobody]

A Sisters Wish

Note: This takes place after this fic. You can probably read it on its own but I personally recommend reading that one first. Thank you once again to Nube for beta reading for me <3

There was an old legend in Bambouche: You must pick up the prettiest shell you can find. Once you do that you whisper a desire into it several times. Some tellings say three, others five or even nine. Having done this you take the shell with you. Keeping it close and safe until nightfall. When the stars are at their brightest you would whisper your wish one more time into the shell then return it to the sea. 

It was said that once a long time ago a fisherman was lost at sea, thought to be dead by everyone. His partner made a wish in this way and  within three days he had returned home safely, though with no memory of where he had been the whole time.

Of course. No one really took this seriously.  After all, it was a little silly, wasn’t it? Just a tale told by the older folks to keep the kids entertained. So then, why was she rowing a boat out onto the water, a shell nestled into her pocket? In the initial days after Petronille was unfrozen she had scoured the town for any sign of Bonnie. She was glad they had managed to make it out ahead of the curse but, now she didn’t know where they were and that thought terrified her to her core.

 It took everything within her to not just set off out of town looking for them. She was no stranger to rash decisions but even she knew this was a terrible idea. Bambouche had been frozen for months. They could be anywhere at this point. She needed a general idea of where to start looking. She’d sent letters out to neighboring towns but she knew there had to be others looking for lost family members as well. Her letter was likely one among many and the waiting was driving her insane. 

So. Why not do this? Couldn’t hurt. Besides, being out on the water has always calmed her so, if anything, it is an excuse to find some time to center herself and come up with a new game plan. She pulls the shell from her pocket and whispers into it. 

“Please, let me know that Bonnie is safe and let them come home soon.” 

It’s. What. She. Wants.

With that, she dips her hand into the water and releases the shell, watching it sink out of view. Nothing happens. Not that she really expected anything to happen really. It wasn’t like Bonnie would just appear on the boat next to her… Though part of her wishes they would. She misses them so much and not knowing if they’re okay is about the worst feeling in the world. 

She lays down on the floor of her boat and looks up at the stars. She hasn’t really been sleeping well and knows tonight will be no exception. Might as well stargaze. She remembers the old fisherwoman who’d taken her under her wing when she’d first arrived alone and scared with a baby Bonnie. 

She hadn’t made herself the easiest to approach but the woman had done so anyway. Showing her how to properly catch and cook fish so that she and Bonnie would not go hungry. She’d known so much about the stars. Often talked about them when they spent late nights fishing together. You could navigate using the stars if you knew what to look for. She had said something else that had stuck with her too… Even if you couldn’t see them they were always there, watching over the people below. It was a connection all people shared.

The thought that no matter where Bonnie was, they were still under the same sky brings the smallest bit of comfort to her now. She’d see them again. No matter what.

Her thoughts come to a stop as a streak of light trails across the sky. A shooting star? Maybe this was some sort of sign? Not that she was…particularly religious in one way or another. But hey, she’ll take some divine intervention right now if it means helping her find her sibling. 

Huh.

That’s getting really close. 

TOO close. 

OH CRAB.

She bolts up right and starts rowing for dear life out of the trajectory of the light that is rapidly approaching. It still nearly flips her boat when it makes impact with the water. “Oh crab oh crab oh crab-”

Wait.

Did that shooting star look…person shaped?? She could still kind of see the shape as it sank quickly under the water. It does look person shaped!! Did a person just fall from the crabbing sky?! 

Without thinking she dives into the water after whatever-whoever this is. The water is dark but fortunately they are very bright. She swims after the quickly sinking light and manages to grab onto something solid. They’re surprisingly light actually. She hauls them out of the water and somewhat ungracefully gets them into the boat. 

So. That’s a person that just fell from the sky…..and their head is a star. Why not? She was frozen in time for months and that was already pretty weird. This might as well be happening. They don’t seem to be moving. Are they dead...? An impact from that height would be pretty devastating to most people but most people also don’t have stars for heads so who knows what the rules are here. Can she do CPR on something that doesn’t have a mouth???

She hesitantly reaches to see if she can find a pulse when suddenly the star’s eyes fly open, they sit bolt upright and grab her wrist. This catches her so off guard she suplexes them right back into the water. Oops.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

There is a star in her boat. They have their arms folded over their body and are looking out across the water. Probably cold. She was too, the water wasn’t exactly warm after all. They don’t seem…mad about her dunking them back into the water really. They'd been more disorientated than anything and as startled by her as she'd been by them grabbing her.

“Thank you.” They say at last after a long silence. 

“Don't mention it.” She is trying so very hard not to ask the obvious question. It’s probably rude to ask someone why they're a star so she settles on the other question at the forefront of her mind:

“How the crab did you end up falling from the sky??”

They stare at her for a moment. “Stars do that sometimes.”

“...sure, but they don't usually also talk.”

“Have you ever met another star?”

“...I suppose not.”

“Well there you go~! Hm. Though I do suppose there must be another reason I'm here. Did you perhaps make a wish?”

“How-?”

“Star.”

“...riiight.” She feels a mix of both hope and skepticism. 

“Your sibling is safe.”

!

“More than that, they're one of the saviors of Vauguarde. You should be proud~”

“Bonnie fought the king?!!” 

Why would anyone let a kid even attempt that?!  But… If they're okay and also kicked the king's butt then…yeah. She's crabbing proud. Then again…

“Why should I believe you?”

“Other than the fact I am a sentient star who dropped in to give you the news? Well. Hm. Let’s see-” They close their eyes for a long moment.  

Something whizzes past her head and they pluck it out of the air. “Ah, here we are.” 

They hold it out to her. It’s paper, folded into the shape of a crane. Paper Craft letter sending was nothing new but the shape is different than what she is used to. Also, they generally weren’t this good at pinpointing someone's location. 

She quickly unfolds it and reads it over using the light emitting from the star. The first half is in an unfamiliar handwriting. Neat. Formal. The writer states that her name is Odile and recounts the circumstances of how the saviors met Bonnie and why they'd allowed them to tag along on such a dangerous mission.

…And she got it. Odile was 100 percent correct that Bonnie would have followed them no matter what they said or did. They were stubborn like that. The letter explains the party’s plans to set out for Bambouche as soon as they are fit for travel.

She moves on to the second half of the letter and her heart skips a beat. She knows that handwriting.

Hey Nille! Everyone says you should be unfrozen by now. You better be!! There's so much I wanna tell you but Dille took up too much of the crabbing paper with “adult stuff”. She said we could send another letter soon though. You should write back so i know you're okay. Though i guess itd be hard to know where to send it when we're on the road. Ill ask where to have you send one next time i write. Did you know in Ka Bue they send their letters folded like birds instead of butterflies? It seems a lot more hard to fold it like that to me but Dile makes it look easy. Aw crab im running out of room to write. Dont go anywhere okay? We're coming to you. Write you again soon! This is Bonnie by the way.

Crammed in the corner because they'd written too large to give themselves the space to say everything they wanted to say was a tiny “Miss you.”

A tear darkens the paper. They're okay. She is so relieved. It seems her wish really did come true. She turns to the star, “Thank you…?”

There is an awkward pause, then they seem to realize she’s fishing for a name. “Loop.”

“Thank you Loop. This means a lot to me.”

“...don't mention it.”

The two sit in silence for a while.

“So… now what?” she asks.

“.....”

“Heh…haha-” they start laughing, much harder than she felt the question warranted.  It takes them a bit to regain their composure. 

 “You know. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

Previous chapter Next chapter

[buffetlicious]

For the Braised Fried Fish Maw Seafood Treasure Soup, the staff portioned it into ten smaller bowls before serving it to us. Not sure if it is because I am holding a camera, but my bowl came with more chunks of crab meat and fish maw. Basically, a seafood soup thickened with starch so the ingredients seem to be suspended/frozen in the soup. Black vinegar and white pepper accompanied this soup so feel free to add some to it.

Well, the Roasted Crispy Chicken with Prawn Crackers was warm and tender to eat, it however wasn’t crispy at it. And just like everywhere else in Singapore, they referred to this deep-fried chicken as a roasted chicken. Sprinkle a bit of the salt & pepper before putting it into the mouth. A lacklustre dish but thank goodness, the prawn crackers were crispy though.

This Steamed Hybrid Garoupa in Hong Kong Style was cut into sections just before they served it to us. This hybrid grouper is probably a cross between the giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and brown-marbled grouper or tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) and given the Dragon Tiger Grouper (龙虎斑) name. The fish got to be very fresh to be steamed and cooked with just a simple condiment of soya sauce, julienned spring onions and cilantro leaves for garnish. The end result, sweet springy flesh with collagen like skin that is so good to eat.

The Braised Whole 10-Head Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Spinach was up next but the process of waiting for the next dish to be served was a long one as in-between the hosts are showing us video stories of the newly married couple and plus the live singing by the friends and band. Ten pieces each of the abalone and sea cucumber sitting atop a bed of blanched Popeye’s favourite green vegetable. Why 10 you may ask? Because a table usually seat ten people so the food portions are divided equally so each get a piece of everything (for the expensive ingredients that is). The only complaint for this dish is that the spinach is on the bitter side.

Like an overturned basket or nest, spilling out Deep-Fried Prawns with Black Truffle Mayonnaise Sauce. If there is anything to change for the presentation, I would move the red and green coral lettuces from under the eatable nest and placed it in the nest for a more dramatic effect. Anyway, these truffle gratings lend an aromatic and earthy fragrances to the classic mayo prawns topped with orange flying fish roe. My colleague and I detected a mild spicy hint of wasabi in it but another colleague said it is from the truffle and mayo combo. Differences aside, this is one dish I won’t mind having again.

I always love this noodle served at the end of the dinner courses just before dessert. The Braised Ee-Fu Noodles with Yellow Chives and Straw Mushrooms is a usual staple at wedding due to the fact it is also known as longevity noodles (寿面). Normally, I would consume more than a bowl of the yi mein (伊面) but that night I was already quite stuffed from the dishes served and I was leaving room for dessert. :D

By the time the last dish was up and the clock was ticking closer to 11pm. The warm Teochew Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Coconut Milk with its gooey and smooth yam (taro) paste and whole gingko nuts smothered in thickened coconut milk is bursting with sweetness and a great comfort to many of us Singaporeans. I liked the fact that the chef tuned the sugar level to just sweet enough as I preferred mine not too saccharine. Anyway, I just had to ask for another bowl as it was just too good to pass up.

Dinner is now over and after shaking hands with the groom, bride and their respective parents, it is time to head to the train station to catch the train home.

[onenakedfarmer]

ANNE SEXTON “The Poet of Ignorance”

Perhaps the earth is floating, I do not know. Perhaps the stars are little paper cutups made by some giant scissors, I do not know. Perhaps the moon is a frozen tear, I do not know. Perhaps God is only a deep voice, heard by the deaf, I do not know.

Perhaps I am no one. True, I have a body and I cannot escape from it. I would like to fly out of my head, but that is out of the question. It is written on the tablet of destiny that I am stuck here in this human form. That being the case I would like to call attention to my problem.

There is an animal inside me, clutching fast to my heart, a huge crab. The doctors of Boston have thrown up their hands. They have tried scalpels, needles, poison gasses and the like. The crab remains. It is a great weight. I try to forget it, go about my business, cook the broccoli, open and shut books, brush my teeth and tie my shoes. I have tried prayer but as I pray the crab grips harder and the pain enlarges.

I had a dream once, perhaps it was a dream, that the crab was my ignorance of God. But who am I to believe in dreams?

[toprecipe24]

Rich & Creamy Shrimp and Crab Spinach Dip with Garlic & Parmesan 🦐🦀

🦐 Ingredients 🦀

For the Dip:

1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped

1 cup lump crab meat, drained

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (or 1 cup frozen, thawed, and drained)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For Garnish (Optional):

Chopped parsley

Extra parmesan

Red pepper flakes

📝 Instructions 🧄

Sauté the Spinach & Garlic:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.

Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted (or warm if using frozen). Set aside.

Mix the Creamy Base:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir until smooth and creamy.

Add the Cheeses & Seasoning:

Mix in mozzarella, parmesan, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Incorporate the Seafood:

Fold in the cooked shrimp, crab meat, and sautéed spinach. Stir until well combined.

Bake the Dip:

Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish or skillet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.

Serve & Garnish:

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley, extra parmesan, or red pepper flakes for garnish.

Serve warm with toasted baguette slices, tortilla chips, or crackers.

💡 Pro Tips:

Seafood Options: Swap shrimp or crab with lobster or scallops for a luxurious twist.

Make It Spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a splash of hot sauce for extra heat.

Dairy-Free Option: Use vegan cream cheese, mayonnaise, and parmesan for a dairy-free version.

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

Chat writes the plot! Time for more 👑🐲🐟 KotD!

(I realize we might have to retcon a bit if the vote goes certain ways, but I didn't want to limit you guys. Have fun, go nuts, describe to everyone your perfect stewjon head canon, no matter how unique!)

Want to be on the tag list? Have an idea for next chapter? Clicked the wrong option? Reblog or Comment! New? Check the very bottom for the Ao3 link. Latest chapter is down below the cut!🔥

~King of the Dragonfish: Chapter 8~

Not far from the cave system, in the opposite direction of the geothermal vents, is a living grave. Every now and again one of Naboo's massive oceanic beasts meets it's end to natural causes, and sinks into the deep. Here, new life is born.

This particular corpse of a ketho whale has been here longer than Maul has, and with it's slothful rate of decomposition, it may very well be here after he's gone. The deep water chill keeps the body all but frozen, as the mound of it feeds billions of tiny lives. Starfish, squid, shrimp, eels, octopus, crab, manta, and more. No other places in the deep sea have as much variety of life as the grave mounds do.

To Darth Maul, this place is his personal grocery store.

“Hmmm,” the sith hums, floating upside-down and perusing the options.

His favorite are the shrimp. Individual mouthfuls that crunch pleasantly. But can a Kenobi eat a shrimp? He knuckles his forehead, trying hard to remember. So much of Before was lost to him. The jedi was... human? Possibly?

…did humans eat shrimp?

He couldn't recall.

Annoyed, he makes a note to demand answers, later, and gathers a sampling for now. The brown tree fruit… whatever it was called… the inside was not nourishing enough to survive on, he knew that much.

With a sweep of the force the sith lord selects his victims. A few plush crabs, half a colony of little blue shrimp, a few colorful yellow and black fish that he knew tasted buttery and sweet, with a long eel-

He recalls, suddenly, eating barbeque eel on… on… the home place. The red world, with swamps and cliffs.

Maul catches two more eels, wondering if he can make them taste like… before. Perhaps he would cook his food for once? Some of this would need to be heated for the jedi to even stomach it. Probably.

With his catch writhing and confused in an intangible net of force, the dragonfish sith turns back for the warren of caves and tunnels.

He arrives to find the jedi in just his pants and sleeveless vest, busily rinsing his inner tunics with fruit water. His much abused leather boots were clean and shiney nearby, still wet.

Maul sloughs himself up onto land, dragging dinner up with him.

“Will that not simply make your robes sticky?” he questions the other man, skeptical of the tactic.

“They're not ripe, so they're not sweet in the slightest. I'm hoping…” Kenobi shrugs, “it's an experiment. I suppose we shall see.”

“Mnh.”

The jedi stands, turning to him while wringing out the excess fluid. “What have you got there?”

Grinning, Maul tosses the panoply of pissed off sea creatures at him. “Catch.”

The noise Kenobi makes when he takes eel to the face brings such joy to him.

The creatures scrabble for safety as the jedi backflips further away from them. “Wha! Pfss- guh- MAUL!”

Wheezing with mirth, Maul recollects his catch, and presses them all on the surface of the magma rock to boil them dead.

Kenobi looks on in horror, speechless.

After a brief grilling, Maul piles the results together at the base of the slowly deforming orb, and curls up beside it to begin eating. He picks up an eel first, of course, interested to see if the cooking would make it taste like barbeque.

It does not.

It is still good though.

The jedi lays out his clothes to dry and approaches, one hand tucked into an elbow, the other cradling his chin. He mutters, “... at least it was quick,” then clears his throat before speaking up. “Is any of that for me, or was the food throwing just to be for your own entertainment?”

“It is not my fault you cannot follow simple instructions, Kenobi, but yes. Eat what you will," Maul offers, smug.

The man sinks down onto the stone floor, watchful, and starts poking through the options.

Stupid jedi. Doing something now when he is expecting it would be boring and predictable. He will wait until the other man's guard is lowered before tormenting him again. Obviously.

“Tell me, Kenobi, did the tree fruit satisfy your thirst?” he asks, popping a shrimp in his mouth and smashing it with a crunch of his many excellent teeth.

“The coconuts? Yes… thank you. The pile will last me a few days," the man returns.

Coconuts. They are called coconuts. Of course.

Kenobi picks up an eel, handling it's rubbery length with a disgruntled look. “... I don't suppose I could have a small knife? Temporarily? I need to cut this to cook it properly.”

Maul squints at him. “You are lying, jedi.”

The man huffs, holding the limp eel up, “I am not. This is an entire eel, and not a small one either. I need to remove the guts, and filet it, then grill the slices.”

“Why would you remove the guts? The organs are the best part,” he says, even more certain that Kenobi was simply making things up.

The jedi makes a face, “Hardly.”

They glare at each other for a moment before Kenobi looks away, scowling. “Fine, I shall just… eat something else.”

Maul watches him gather up the thin black and yellow fish, and levitate them on top of the rock. He… just leaves them there. For minutes. The cave starts to smell different because of it.

“Your fish is burning, jedi,” he tells the man.

“No it isn't,” Kenobi replies.

Maul rises up on the coil of his tail, looming at something like nine feet tall to peer over top of the rock and look at the crisping bodies. They aren't any more black than before, but they are turning colors.

“They are becoming brown…”

“Good,” the man says, nonsensically.

With the force, Kenobi flips them without getting up to look. The underside is significantly more brown.

The dragonfish sith sloughs back down to the floor, thoughtful. This was cooking… he had cooked, before, many times. This was right, yes… meat turned colors. It… denatured the proteins.

He doesn't know what ‘denatured’ means anymore, but the word itself remains. Maul scowls, trying to poke at the idea.

He looks up at Kenobi, “How… denatured do you need to make… the protein… to make it edible for… humans?”

The other man hums, calling the crispy fish dinner down to himself, but holding it midair for a moment as it dissipates heat. “For humans? Oh, well, I suppose it depends on their immune system. Anakin likes everything mostly raw… but I've known others that wouldn't touch anything uncooked unless it was a plant.”

Ahah. ‘their’. Kenobi was not a human himself then.

“... and your kind?” Maul asks.

“Hmm… I suppose I prefer my own dinner well done, if only for the result of warm, spiced food,” he says, and brings one of the fish closer to himself to begin nibbling. He makes a face at it. “Mng… of which this is not. I'm glad you've brought back scaleless fish, but the flavor does leave something to be desired.”

“You are lucky I feed you at all,” he tells the fool, sneering.

Kenobi sighs, “I suppose anything is better than starving. Though I would really prefer a pan, oil, and some spice to go with it, even just salt…”

Maul gives him a look.

He scoffs. “Yes yes, I know, stop making that face at me. Beggars can't be choosers, I know.”

They eat until both are full, Maul devouring considerably more than Kenobi. He dumps the extras back into the water. The remains might attract future snacks.

“Well, sith,” the jedi says from his spot beside the magma ball, “what now? I'm fed, I'm watered, I'm warm. For the moment, I'm not dying. What are you going to do with me? Torture?”

Maul grins as he returns from throwing the extra away. “Are you excited at the prospect?”

“Certainly not,” Kenobi drawls, crossing his arms.

The dragonfish sith sways closer, passing him by. The other man clearly doesn't want him at his back, so the motion forces him to turn. As Maul circles, Kenobi keeps turning to face him.

Exactly as intended.

With the jedi's attention on his face, all the way turned around from where they began, Maul draws the end of his tail up to whip at the back of Kenobi’s calves.

The jedi makes a little hop, predicting his flanking attack with the force, but he still turns to look behind him. His mistake. Maul takes that opportunity to close the distance, getting a grip on the front of beige vests. Kenobi spins back around, arms shoving outward defensively.

One of his palms slams into Maul’s sensitive gills, painfully, making the sith snarl and take a snap at the offending limb.

Kenobi tries to tumble backwards, to get away from him, but the grip on his clothes is only joined by a tail curling behind his knees, dragging the jedi in.

The prey in his grip fights him, skilled in the force and so much more interesting to subdue than the mindless wildlife outside.

Kenobi works an elbow free, and tries slamming it point first into the tail spiraling about his hips. Maul barely feels it, but he starts trying to capture that free hand all the same. While he's on that, the jedi side steps his tail, and then drops his weight heavily while pushing downward with the force.

Maul loses hold on him entirely.

The jedi folds, rolls, and does half a cartwheel, kicking him in the arm. Then he falls backwards to gain space. The sith gives him none, closing the distance again and snatching at his ankle as the other man spins away. He misses, and has to try two more grabs before he gets a hold of an elbow with a gleeful noise of success.

Kenobi attempts to bite him, with his human-similar jaw and his flat white teeth. How precious. The dragonfish sith giggles, and nips at the air near his fingers. The jedi recoils, desperate to protect the digits of his sword arm, sending a gale of force into Maul so strong it sends him toppling over backwards.

Unfortunately for the other man, he's got a good grip on Kenobi’s arm, so they both go over backwards.

Maul cackles as they fall.

Kenobi bellows.

They tussle on the floor like it's just any old bar brawl for the better part of ten minutes, until -finally- Maul's sheer tonnage and more than a dozen feet of solid muscle wins the fight for him, yet again.

He bears down on his prisoner, grinning with all his many teeth as the man cries out in pain.

“Weak jjjedi,” he croons, so close to Kenobi’s face that the green glow of his eyes illuminates both of their expressions. “I am beginning to think our first battle was a fluke. You cannot seem to best me.”

The jedi struggles under him, trying to get any limb free, fighting for every inch. “It's not my fault you weigh as much as a bantha!”

“Oh? But you like my weight.”

Kenobi shifts left, trying to wriggle his way out of the hold. “What in the blazes makes you think that?”

Maul hisses in amusement. “You roam in your sleep, jedi. You came to me many times last night, seeking my scales and burrowing into me.”

The man underneath him makes a horrified face, his efforts to escape stalling. “I did not!”

Maul lolls to the side, laying beside him instead of on top, pulling those pale hands to his chest and pressing the palms over his hearts. His long black tail curls up and over the man's legs. “Does this position not ring any bells, Kenobi?”

Blue eyes stare down at his hands, at the red and black that peek through his fingers. “...”

Delighted by the other man's emotional upheaval, and the way it made the force around them feel, Maul pushes the gambit a little further.

“How about if I do… this?” he says, sacrificing a hand to bring Kenobi's body closer to his, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, affectionately. “Are you going to nuzzle me again, I wonder? Going to curl up on my chest and drool?”

“No!” the jedi exclaims, shimmying backward.

Maul allows it and watches him with an inviting look, finding that this little facet of Kenobi’s fear was… particularly entertaining.

“Oh? But you slept so well, did you not?” he accuses.

Kenobi covers his eyes with a hand. “It's… it's nothing to do with you. I simply sleep better when…”

“Held?” Maul croons.

The jedi growls, without answering. Delightful.

Maul snickers, playfully snapping his teeth near the other man's neck. Kenobi turtles, glaring at him. “Would you quit that? I know you're not going to actually bite me. I'd be dead in minutes, and that would ruin all your bloody fun wouldn't it?”

The sith draws back humming. The rage in Kenobi’s eyes is… pleasing. Anger is good. He understands.

“Hnnn… I offer you a trade,” he says sweetly.

The jedi's struggles calm, and he stops ducking into such a hilarious and pathetic little ball, but his expression remains pure suspicion. “It's hardly a trade if I'm coerced into it while disarmed and bound,” he complains.

“Do you think I care?” Maul asks him pleasantly.

Kenobi huffs. “Fine. What's your trade, sith?”

“I will promise not to bite your neck, or near it, if you tell me of your species. At length.”

The jedi blinks, slowly, waiting with an expectant air. Maul raises a brow at him.

“You… want to know about… stewjoni?” the man asks, baffled.

“Yessss,” the dragonfish sith assures.

He is missing too many pieces of Before. The jedi will serve him, as prisoner and informant.

🔥🔥 don't forget to reblog tysm! 🔥🔥

-Tag list- (Comment if you want added!)

@obimaulartfire @savageopressbignaturals @icequeen8043 @moonsickvampire @maulish

New? Start from Chapter 1! 👇🏽

[ladyhoneydee]

10 First Lines Challenge

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able to and see if there are any patterns!

Thank you @linktheacehero, @sparklyhyperbole, and @korokposting for the tags! I was flattered to be tagged so much, especially by writers I admire :))

Lines under the cut (my pattern analysis was a little long-winded lol)

Icebreakers: "Link jammed the ice pick down into the same lump of frozen sludge for what felt like the thousandth time and sighed."

this peppermint winter, this marshmallow world: "Zelda knew something was wrong with Link from a mile off."

An Afternoon in Dalite Forest: "Once a year, they travel to Mount Satori."

Shadows and Sorrows: "Bright light, shaded in blue, illuminated the Triforce mosaic over Lake Hylia."

in the light and the air: "Hateno summers were notoriously long, warm, and sticky."

The Hermit Crab Ditty: "Link realizes she's in love with Marin in the midst of a musical phrase, and blows so hard into her ocarina that the note shrieks like a seagull."

You Are In Love: "Zelda hadn't seen Midna since they were both six years old and under three feet tall, sharing a nanny while their parents were enmeshed in diplomatic relations."

A Shard and a Ring: "Midna hadn't been this nervous since she was sixteen."

Under the Bluebell Moon: "The air smells of pine and safety."

At Break of Dawn: "Nights always fell quickly over Medlir."

As for patterns, the first thing I notice is that I have a tendency to start off with something that will be important to the premise of the fic (1, 2, 3, 6), or imagery that helps immediately introduce the reader to the setting (1, 4, 5, 9). If I'm not doing that, I'm usually providing a hook that will develop into the rest of the fic's events or ideas (5, 7, 8, 10). The other thing I notice is that I wanted to edit (and did, a little bit—don't tell anyone hehe) almost every line for 4-10. Given that these were the last four fics from my month-long Song(fic) Challenge from last year, which I did not edit at the time and have not yet gone back to fix up, this isn't a surprise—but it is lighting a fire under my ass to edit those sometime soon lol.

Tagging @cooking-with-hailstones, @zeldaseyebrows, and @karama9!

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:2 C:3]

"You okay, Sif?" (Isabeau was kneeling down in front of you. You were panting, sadness defeated, air clearing up from that sweet smell of sugar that was driving you mad. In, out. In, out. In. . .)

"I-I'm fine!" (You laugh, nervous. It had been hard to fight that sadness while struggling with your own sense of smell. Luckily, the others were able to pick up for your useless self.) "Juuuust needed a second."

"What's with your nose anyway." (Bonne asked.) "Like, mine's good but yours is weird."

"Haha, I dunno." (You get up, wiping your nose.) "Alright! I’m Good to go!"

(You lead the party out of the room, weird star thing in hand. You feel Odiles eyes on you.)

>>>

(Huh! A kitchen! You had used that star charm to pass through the wall of tears, and ended up in a kitchen! You don't question it. You do, however, smell something in the air. Something that wasn’t sweet sugar, finally.)

(You check the shelves, yep, there’s juice! You hand them to Bonnie. You look at the plates, everyone else talks about them, you're just impressed at how high it goes! Alright, enough of that, you swing past the counter to the rest of the kitchen-)

(OW!!!)

"Woah!!" (Isabeau sounds shocked.)

". . . Siffrin." (Odile looked at you.) "Did you hit your hip on the counter, and meow?"

(Uh-) "N-no-"

(Odile smirks.) "Okay, mrrow."

"MADAME?!?!?" (Mira says in shock. You all have a good laugh! Ow, that, hurt.)

(You open a closet, there's a key inside. You got the EGG KEY! You hand it to Bonnie, they chomp on it. There's a whole nice conversation about why eggs are such a THING in the Change Belief. Breaking and destroying to change. Something like that. Bonnie gives you the egg key back.)

(. . . You wonder if you can eat eggs, since they're just birds, really.)

(Looking over at the sink, there's a few things here but-)

"WOK!!!" (Bonnie exclaims.)

"W-what is it??" (Mira looks over, worried.)

"WOOOOOOK!!!!" (Bonnie grabs the Wok in the sink excitedly.)

(. . . Bonnie got a wok!! You're not exactly what a wok is, but, Bonnie has one now! You continue looking around. There's a pot of bubbling food on the stove, frozen in time.)

(You sniff at what's in the pot.) ". . . I think they were cooking, crab?"

“WHAT?!?” (Bonnie jumped up and looked in.)

“EEK!! CRAB?!?” (Mirabelle tugged on her coat.)

“W-what is happening?!?” (Odile looked between everyone, confused.)

(You were asking the same thing, the others were still shocked at the food choice! You LIKED crab! It tasted so, so, SO good!! The shells were the best part!)

>>>

(You pause on the way back, what WAS that door, anyway. The second door on the right side. You walk up to it and knock. It felt very sturdy.)

“I don’t think anyone’s home, Sif.” (Isa comments, the others chuckle.)

(You look for a lock. . . . Uh, there’s no lock?)

“Have you never seen a lock like this before, Sif? (Isabeau asks, leaning in.) “It's a special kind of Vaugardian lock! Instead of a key, it needs specific words to open!”

“Words. . ?” (Odile asks.)

“Yes, you just need to say the words aloud!” (Mira answered enthusiastically.) “I think they call it a, uh... An openphrase?”

(Openphrase? You turn to look at her.) “Do you know the openphrase for this one?”

“Uhm. . .” (She tugs on her coat.) “I don’t know, maybe, maybe the store owner in Dormont knows? I saw him walk in here a few times now.”

“Well that stinks.” (Bonnie pouted.)

“Too late to ask now!” (Isabeau smiles.) “Chin up, it’s just one room.”

(You look the door up and down. An openphrase, huh. . ?)

>>>

(Huh! An armory?)

(Looking around, yeah! It’s an armory, the row of spears proves it.)

“Why the need for an armory with weapons anyway? Does the house get attacked often?” (Odile asks, looking around.)

“Oh! Not at all! Well, apart from right now of course. But! This is just one of the many classes offered by the House of Change!” (Mirabelle happily explained.)

“The Jouvente house does this too! Most people put their weapons on a wall to look cool.” (Isabeau asks.)

“Like that?” (You ask, pointing to the sword on the wall.)

“Yeah!! Like that!!” (Isa chuckles.) “Actually, that sword does look very rapier-like. Wanna take it, Mira?”

“Hmm. . . Taking things that aren’t yours is bad. . .” (Mirabelle said innocently.) “But yes. I will take it.”

“You got over that quickly.” (Odile comments as Isabeau grabs the sword for her.)

“Nille made a hammer and put it on our wall once.” (Bonne adds.)

“Oh? What happened?” 

“Hammer too heavy. Wall broke. We had to share a room for MONTHS!”

“Tragic.”

[You got the NEEDLE SWORD! You give it to Mirabelle.]

(It’ll be fine, the people who made the sword will understand. You continue on, going to the other half of the room, then freeze. You, don’t, remember what the big metal slab is but you DO remember the big forge. Forge, used for,  making weapons, and has, okay, o-okay-)

“Iiiit’s alright, Siffrin!” (Isabeau says encouragingly.) “It doesn’t look like it’s on, plus any fire would be frozen, right?”

“Just take your time!! W-we don’t need to check over there if it’s too much, alright?” (Mirabelle adds.)

“Phobias are no joke.” (Odile turns.) “We can check again on the way back, so you can mentally prepare. And if it’s too much, we just move on.”

(You nod, hiding your head in your cloak and hat, embarrassed. . .)

>>>

(The key works!)

(You all continue through the hallways, cutting through sadness as you go. The rooms of the house did feel a bit, weird? Out of place? Not how someone would design a house? And Mirabelle confirmed it, everything was shifted around.)

(Luckily that hadn’t been a problem, yet. Continuing forward, you made it to a few dorm rooms. You decided to skip the left room for now, you could smell a lot of stuff from there and it made you nauseous. You go to the right one and look around. There was a soft bed, some paper on a wall, and a notebook with scribbles on it.)

(Looking through one of the closets, there’s a lot of arts and crafts supplies, and. . . Oh! There’s a pile of hand-drawn cards. You pick one up.)

(The card’s upside down. Turning it over, there’s a lady in a field of grapes, surrounded by nine stars. Weird.)

“Why does that pillow look so comfy…” (You look over, Isabeau was leaning over the other bed.)

“It has a strange shape, though, doesn't it?” (Odile leans down and picks the pillow up.)

“That’s. . .” (Bonnie jumps up and grabs it from Odiles hands) “That's not a pillow! THAT'S A HAT!!! JUST LIKE MINE!!!”

(Mirabelle giggled.) “First a wok now a hat! You’re really lucky today Bonbon!”

“Yeah!!” (Bonnie looks chuffed.)

(You keep looking around, next is a dresser with art books on top of it. Digging through, you find a key! You got the BROKEN EGG KEY!! You toss it up and catch it, before showing it to the others.)

(Odile put a hand on her hip.) “In someone's drawer? What a weird place for a key. . .”

(Bonnie leans up and makes grabby hands at the key. You give it.) “Definitely not a very king-like place, huh!!! That's pretty stupid of him!!!”

(Isa crosses his arms.) “I'm not sure... Hiding keys in places like drawers isn't very King-like, yeah, but it means they're harder to find since it's not a very expected place. . .” (He gestures to you dramatically.) But thankfully we have our good ol' Sif to help us find them!

“Thank you, Siffrin! Good job, Siffrin!”

“Yaay, good jooooob.”

(Odile claps her hands sarcastically, and everyone joins in. You take an overly dramatic bow.)

(You’re doing a good job!)

(You got a [Memory of Keys!] With this equipped, you’ll be able to remember exactly where keys are kept!)

>>>

(O-okay, okay, take two. You breathe in. . . And out. . . You walk into the armory.)

“We got your back Siffrin!” (Mirabelle cheers. You hide your head in your cloak, blushing.)

(Okay, it’s not even lit, just go. You walk to the other side of the room, and to the metal slab. Uh, it’s, goes with the forge. . . Uh. . .)

“An anvil, Siffrin.” (Odile offers.) “To go with the forge.”

“And the little stone is a sharpening stone!” (Isabeau adds.)

(O-oh yeah! You smile sheepishly.)

(You skip over the forge and turn around, checking the table. There’s more juices here, good. You hand them to Bonnie then quickly leave.)

“Well done Siffrin.” (Odile sounded, genuine?)

“Y-yes!! Very well done Siffrin!!” 

“We’re all really proud, Sif!” 

“I don’t get why it’s such a big deal.” (Bonnie pouts.) “It’s just a stupid forge.”

“Phobias are strange like that.” (Odile comments.) “Something that you’d expect to trigger it might not, and simple things that look innocent might make you shake. Right, Siffrin?”

(You keep your eyes down.) “Y-yeah. . Like, the torches.”

“Oh yeah!” (Isabeau looks up at the touches on the walls.) “I’ve never seen you get super skittish around candles and lamps.”

“Well it’s a small flame, high up, and is used to give light!” (Mirabelle thinks aloud as you walk.) “I guess it’s not as scary?”

“I guess that makes sense.” (Bonnie huffs.)

“And you don’t remember what caused it?” (You nod.) “That’s alright. Perhaps if we know what started your pyrophobia, we’d be able to help you get over it.”

(You glance up at Odile, smiling sheepishly. That would be nice.)

[the-inkwell-variable]

oc questionnaire

thank you for the tag, @willtheweaver!

i'm going to answer as aura from why should i be careful? i'm going to die anyway!

Is there anything that creeps you out or otherwise scares you?

aura: oh god, so many things. you know those videos of cavers squeezing themselves through the tightest spaces? i can't watch those. they freak me out. i'm a little bit claustrophobic. like, i can't be in a bathroom with the door closed and the lights off - i freak out. um, what else? centipedes give me the ick. i like spiders but i can't let them within touching distance. the whole *gestures broadly* pregnancy thing too, that creeps me out. oh, and i can't do anything with zombies after dark. no movies, no games, no books, no nothing. gives me nightmares. weird, right? because they're so cool, and yet they give me nightmares. i'm sure this isn't going to become a major problem later on.

Are there foods you do not eat? If so, why?

aura: so, being autistic, i have a very...visceral reaction to foods i don't like. they literally make me puke. i can't even be around the smell for a lot of it. um, i don't like fish - shrimp is yummy, and i adore crab rangoon, but those are the only fishy things i can tolerate. potato and egg salad as well. i think it's the consistency? because i love potatoes and eggs. uhh, onions. i can do onion rings and fried onions, but raw onions are so nasty. oh, and cabbage. cooked cabbage, not the raw cabbage they put in cole slaw. i feel so bad about fish and cabbage, because i would love to go to japan someday, but a lot of their food has fish and cabbage in it, and i can't eat that. sad face.

Would you consider yourself someone who is good with children? Why or why not?

aura: um... i mean, i'm a firm believer that children should be treated kindly and with respect, right? they're little people, and how you treat them stays with them forever. so i try. i really do. but i'm just awkward in general, and kids make it ten times worse because i don't relate to them, y'know? i'm in my thirties. it doesn't help that i, um, don't really like kids that much to begin with. i think they're annoying and obnoxious. i know they're still trying to figure out the world and their place in it, and i try so hard to be patient with them, but...god they're annoying. i avoid them when i can and when i can't? i try my best to be kind, but also to get away from them as quickly as possible. go to vivienne, little children. she loves kids and she's so good with them. you'll have an infinitely better time with her, trust me.

TAGGING @asher-writes - @rookitowrites - @badscientist - open tag!

YOUR QUESTIONS ARE:

do you like to make your space cozy? why or why not - and if yes, how?

after a long day, do you cook, order take-out, or heat up a frozen meal?

what is your favorite season, and what makes it special to you?

[ghost-type-writer]

Alphabet Writing Tag!

Ty for the tag @theeccentricraven

Rules: give a sentence for each letter of the alphabet! (Can compose or get from your WIP)

Most of these are from my wip Mage of Hearts, and two other projects I haven't named yet.

A - A girl looked down on the lands of Awen through a curtain of frozen breath.

B - "Because you lied to me." she spat through grit teeth. "That place ate my sister and you told me she ran away."

C - Candle light was the sole comfort in the stone room, it's faint warmth her only distraction as the vines sucked her life away.

D - *Did it know where they were?* Eran held his breath as the sound of footsteps on the roof stopped above them.

E - "Encore!" screamed the shrimp as the crabs clapped their claws. It was quite the queer sight, a crustacean's applause.

F - "Forget your fears my dear." the old woman said pushing forward a cup full of purple smoke. "And you never have to fave them."

G - "Grasp tight all the threads that make you, you." he said leaning in as if to share a secret. "You wouldn't want to get unraveled in a place like this."

H - "Hani, I've known you my entire life. I'm not going to fall for one of the lines you feed to merchant's daughters."

I - "I don't mind. It's rare I get a chance to speak with someone my own age." replied the prince.

J - "Just now I was enjoying the view." she candidly replied.

K - "Kill the kid. We don't have anymore time to waste."

L - Like her aunt all those years ago Kenzie squeezed through a crack in the world and fell into a great shifting void.

M - Maybe it was the blood loss, but all he could think about was the way her lips had felt.

N - Now had passed, and now was never. Yet another door closed forever.

O - "Outsiders are beings comprised of pure mana. Your assignment this evening is to list the names of the inner and outer elemental variants."

P - Potatoes stand at the top of the vegetable kingdom.

Q - Quarrel not with quails, a Brachan saying which reminds one not to worry about small problems.

R - Ronald McDonald, beloved fast food mascot, has just been arrested in relation to a series of violent home invasions carried out over the past few weeks. More at 9.

S - "So what all are we cooking for this prince? asked Hani.

T - The tall man laughed. "And who's gonna make us leave, some runty tavern wench?"

U - Using the man's forward momentum Hani twisted and threw him over her shoulder onto the hard tavern floor.

V - Vengeance is a hollow prize.

W - "Was he handsome?" Wendy shamelessly asked.

X - "Xibalba is lovely this time of year. You simply must visit." said the bat.

Y - "You can take your man here and leave, or I can teach that same lesson to whoever's next."

Z "Zahir has always had the heart of a wanderer." Sari said with a fond smile.

Tagging: Noone. I'm new here :p