#Ginseng plus

[fugitiverabbit]

Keep growing. 🌿🪴💚

[myownprivategeocity]

I FUCKIN LOVE VAPORWAVE GUYS

[wingupingu]

reimu hakurei’s grumpiness and unabashed hater lifestyle as well as her proclivity for violence makes her an asian american from arizona

[siffrins-therapist]

I did it lmao

Summary: Matthew's invited to stay at his family's estate in North Carolina to attend his aunt's funeral and finally meet his cousin Alfred. He isn't too interested in getting close to anyone from his family, not after everything his mom had said about them after running away from them almost 2 decades ago. However, as things in Scarlet Hollow go from weird to horrifying to deadly, Matthew discovers secrets his family had tried to keep buried for over a century.

How much does Alfred know? And what's his real reason for inviting Matthew in the first place?

[candiid-caniine]

Hey! Long time no see, i know i said id send you a fantasy i thought you'd like but now ive forgotten almost all of it, oop!

Life happened, and uh, i saw that you mentioned your libido being a bit low, which definitely is my case too (im recovering from depression, now that im okay id love to get my FULL libido back, or at least a good percentage of it) do you have any tips on that?

Also any recs of blogs writing in the same vibe as you? (same-ish kinks would be nice but im specifically looking for queer inclusive stuff!) it makes me 10x hornier than the regular video/photo porn!

Hope you're well, you pathetic little thing!

💫

hi friend!! ugh i feel you. sorry i haven't got any advice on regaining ur libido...we just let mine wax and wane as it will, though denial has been a big help in keeping it steady!

i've heard good things abt ginseng and some other herbs. obvs use at your own risk, mind that some herbal treatments can cross-interact with certain medications, remember that pre-packaged supplement pills are often unregulated and may contain toxins, and be aware that some herbal remedies work better on pw certain anatomy than others, and finally that many herbal remedies considered to increase libido are largely untested on trans folx!

finally, sorry it's taken so long to answer this ask...i'm autistic and have been cataloguing lol. i present to you a list of other blog recs under the cut, organized by general vibe! i've tried to primarily include blogs that do their own posts rather than those who primarily reblog :)

note that my headings may provide some context as to what to expect, but you read at your own risk and each blog will typically have its own trigger warnings addressed in the header/pinned. additionally, i've not tagged some of the ppl below because they prefer that "Men DNI" blogs not interact, and idk if "no cis men" qualifies ahah!

all blogs below are queer- and/or trans-inclusive, if not exclusive! there is no detrans/misgendering, at least I don't think - i don't tend to follow those blogs.

hard kinks (blood, knives, etc; includes primarily-cnc blogs):

@puppy-mommy , who also does general t4t kink content, but does state untagged hard kinks!

@visciousest is someone whose blog i scroll when i'm in a Certain Mood ahah,, i won't elaborate

@hell-hound-bites: just. fuck. would drool on his knife blade.

@snuff-fag: its username should give you fair warning as to how wild its content tends to get, so please browse responsibly.

@condor-bait is taking a break right now, and all my love is with him as he takes care of himself. he made me feel so valid and so fuckable as a young trans person learning to love myself in a new way, and i've always been too shy to tell him how much his content meant to me one-on-one (yes, despite its often-extreme themes!), and he deserves as much time as he needs to heal!

@unwillingfvckpuppy for mostly cnc and medical kinks! if you like his style, but not so much their harder content, he also has a more-tame main blog--i just mainly follow/scroll this one!

@vampvictim: top-tier cnc/intox stuff, plus some great knife/bloodplay :)

@cryptidtid is wonderful and holy shit i follow a lot of hard kink blogs lol. incredible

@cnc-pet: i have been following her for a long ass fucking time lol. they post a lot of really good cnc and stories, but you'll also find a lot of aftercare tips and advice on her blog! i really admire blogs who try to balance horny content with best practices

@dollobotomy

general kinky content:

@excessively-queer . just plain old good shit :) there's a good amt of edging and degradation.

@clouded-king was honestly one of my earlier introductions to the queer/t4t kink community on here and how fucking euphoric it can be :) he posts some hard kinks, but generally it's a balance of a lot of different kinks so read his pinned at your leisure!

@ / cottontailx : just good kinky nsft posts :)

@ / digitalpenetration: often specifically t4t which i love!!

@femmelovefemme can step on me :)

@bigothteddies: could not build this section w/o mentioning him :) they had a big influence on my fantasies for a long time!

@hazelj-xoxo: bigtime want her to cuck me. have followed her across multiple blog deletions lol

@transpidered is forever an icon!

@subspaceemo

@writefinch for great stories and text posts

edging and denial, specifically:

@6irlpet is 1 of my go-to hands-down-pants scroll sessions :)

@droolkink is my inspiration!

@flustersluts does exactly what the name implies lol. a good helping of other kink content too :)

@puppycvnt is a 10/10!

@barkwoofbarkwoofbark: we r denial friends imo!!

@strawbrrysub

@blyssful-abyss

@urhighnessbitch is a big fav <3

non-detrans genderplay:

@butchviolence does amazing butch supremacy stuff and i,,, fucking hell. even just seeing their username puts me in a Particular state of mind ahah. they also post hard kinks so be aware as you proceed!

@mtfdomme: i literally just reblogged from her today lol. tbh i want to be their little stupid pupthing. it's not all transfem supremacy undertones/overtones, but that's what i mainly follow her for, plus just general t4t goodness! also, their general personality? and the way she shuts down people who disrespect their boundaries? huge inspiration for me!

@cuntboydestroyer: take me to the animal shelter and neuter me. good lord.

@the-kind-of-dame is the main inspiration for my recent genderplay post lol

@terfbreaking-tgirl (be warned of dykebreaking if that's an issue for you)

@barbarian-lesbian is my other inspiration for the recent genderplay post

@superiorineveryway

weird asf (/complimentary; my favorite type of shit. robots, ND-focused posts, etc):

@specksizedgoddess has introduced me to things i didn't know, like...existed, and that's saying a lot as one of my special interests is kink! never knew how down bad i was to be a tiny buggirl, nor how much i wanted to be someone's stupid little robot... BIG tw tho: there is snuff and gore content here, so proceed with caution if you don't wanna see that!

@sapphling fucked me up real good with some bird!sub bondage posts awhile back lol

@nobelisha: found them through their ghost cnc post so that's why they're in this category ahah! they don't have a pinned so proceed w awareness :)

@devout-cleric: hierophilia/religion kink, and i'm something of an acolyte of hers :) if you've read this far down you may as well know i'm her Little Lamb anon lol

piss/omo:

@latenightomo

@pissheartmybeloved - their URL makes me crack up every time, plus good content!

@hold-it-a-little-longer - good scenarios/imagines!

@ohmyrashi - (i think) my original intro to omo!

monsterfucking/terato:

@septimus-moonlight was my first real introduction to trans-positive terato and i've never settled for half-fun cis-oriented terato ever since :) mind tags!

@eggedbellies as well!

@bredpun doesn't appear to be active lately but still good for a scroll!

@steamandcream

@of-mutts-and-men

[mingkismain]

Wrong Ingredient - wooyoung x reader

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an; hi guys! i think i started writing this months ago and i finally had the inspiration to finish it! this was supposed to be a halloween fic if that tells you anything abt how long my creative drought was D: but xoxo hope you freaks enjoy <333

wooyoung x fem!reader

genre; smut

word count; 3,380

warnings/tags; pwp, piv, unprotected sex [don't do that], switch!wooyoung and switch!reader [muahaha], slight overstim for reader [and woo tbh], hair pulling, little bit of aftercare

MDNI

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Becoming a potion brewer wasn't your end goal once you had left school, but it helped put a roof over your head and pay for your other hobbies. Plus, your abilities had only improved with time which helped your clientele spread out past the town you lived in. Which was how you met Wooyoung, a wizard a little older than you from a few towns over. He was one of your only clients that would make a house visit to pick up an order, you usually just delivered right to the other towns a few times during the week.

Today, Wooyoung had decided to stop in and order instead of writing to you beforehand, which led to him hanging around your place while you worked on his order. He was no different from a house cat, walking around and exploring, getting too close to what you were working on and nearly ruining it.

"Woo for the love of gods please stay to that side of my cauldron! I don't want you knocking any of my ingredients off the shelves! I don't refund if you fuck up your own order!" You huffed, readjusting your hair and getting back to your brewing.

"Alright! Sorry, just nosey, you know I have no idea how any of this works! That's like, the main reason I come see you," he wandered back over to the other side of your brewing room, reading the spines of all your potion creating books.

"It's fine to be curious but too much curiosity and you can end up with a horrible result," you stopped stirring and looked up to face him, "this has to sit and simmer for a little longer. I'm going to run outside and check my request letters. Do not touch what's brewing or you'll be so sorry." He nodded his head repeatedly.

"Yes ma'am, I'll stay over here and read your books." He gave you a half salute as you walked up your stairs.

Oh, but of course, he was lying to you.

As soon as he saw you were out of eyesight, he crept over to your cauldron, peering in to see what you had made him. He inhaled and immediately went into a coughing fit.

"Gods this reeks! I can't have this shit sitting in my house, it'll drive all my company away!" He fanned his hand in front of his nose to rid the smell as he scanned your shelves for some aromatic he could sneak in. "Yeah, this'll do," he reached for a bottle you had labeled 'red ginseng' and carefully plucked it from your shelf. He had no idea how much to add, but surely a handful of this stuff would rid his potion of that awful smell. Wooyoung poured a handful [and whatever spilled out of his hand] into the mixture and watched it to make sure he didn't blow your house up.

Thankfully he didn't, but he changed the color of the potion by mistake, what was once a bright blue, now made a dull brownish hue. Wooyoung frantically scanned your shelves for something to fix his stupid mistake, surely you had something that could reverse something as simple as a color change??

There was something that caught his eye, on your bottom shelf, tucked away in the back was a bottle with the label peeling off, but from what he could read, it seemed promising.

"Hmm.. 'use in only your most dire of situations' or, something like that." He shrugged, surely that's what the barely there label said. He didn't have much time to think about it as he heard your front door close. He ran back to the cauldron, dumping the rest of the contents of the bottle into it and quickly stirring with the spoon you'd left out. He tucked the bottle into his inner pocket and ran back to your bookshelf just as your footsteps were heard on the stairs.

You squinted at him as you reached the bottom of the staircase, "I really didn't think you'd listen, I thought for sure you would blow my house up."

He chuckled weakly as he flipped randomly through one of your books, "yeah of course I would listen to you! Wouldn't want my order to get messed up like you said," he kept his eyes down at the book as you walked over to your cauldron.

"This should be done now, I'm gonna give it a quick taste test," you took your cauldron off the heat, grabbing your spoon and bringing some of the finished product to your lips, slowly sipping as it was still so hot. Right away something seemed off to you, "strange," Wooyoung moved his eyes to watch you, "Woo, you ordered just a food enhancing potion right?" He nodded. "Can you come taste this? It tastes different from the other batches I've made for you."

He cautiously got up, coming right next to you as you lifted your spoon to his mouth. Taking as much as you did, he spoke after a moment, "yeah it's sort of off, I guess."

You squinted your eyes for a second before realizing and whacking him on the arm with your spoon, "you idiot! I knew you did something to this! What did you add?!"

He backed up, attempting to run from your swings, "nothing bad! Just something to make it smell better! Ow!"

"Woo!" *thwack!* "That's what I was going to do after it was done simmering!" *thwack!* "Show me exactly what you put in here!" *thwack!*

He walked around you as you stood with your spoon still in hand and pointed to the jar of red ginseng.

"And how much did you put in?"

He shrugged, "about a handful? Give or take."

You walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him a little, "dude, when I say to not fuck with my stuff I mean it! Red ginseng is an aphrodisiac! Now we have to wait for this shit to run its course!" As you continued to shake him, something fell out of his robe and rolled onto the floor. You stopped and bent down to pick it up, you eyes nearly falling out of your head when you saw what it was.

You took a few deep breaths, "Wooyoung, I swear on all my mothers, did this come from my shelf too?"

He tried to take a few steps away but you grabbed his arm, tightly. "It might have....."

If you knew any of the spells to instantly kill someone surely your first victim would be Wooyoung.

You took another deep breath in, "Woo, did it ever occur to you that maybe this bottle was in the way back of my shelf for a reason? That maybe it's a little stronger than most of my ingredients?"

He shook his head no.

"Woo. Maybe if you had taken the time to try and read the barely there label, you would've seen that it says 'use in only your most desirable situations'. This is a very strong aphrodisiac! So not only did you add one aphrodisiac, you added another, ridiculously strong aphrodisiac to that! So now we are actually going to have to suffer while waiting for this to wear off!"

He went over to the chaise lounge chair you had by your bookcase and sprawled out on it, "alright look, we just have to wait it out. How bad could that be?"

----

Turns out it was really, really bad.

You began to count the stones on the floor to distract yourself from the worsening symptoms. Nothing was working. Every time you got to five or six your brain would reroute to all of the nasty things Wooyoung could do to you. You had to keep shaking your head to reset your thoughts but things kept getting worse and worse. As time went on and you tried to wait it out, you kept moving your eyes from the floor to Wooyoung’s hands, to the seam where his pants met, mind drifting to wondering how big his cock might be, if he knew how to use it, what he sounds like. You could feel your skin growing hotter, face starting to flush, more dirty thoughts were starting to crowd your brain. Your vision was about to go when Wooyoung called your name,

"How long can this go on?"

You met his eyes, "I'm really not sure, I've never had this happen before."

He began to crawl forward on the lounge, "well, what if we did something to help get rid of the symptoms?"

Your head was already starting to get foggy, without thinking you started to crawl towards him, "and what should we do?"

You met him at the edge of the lounge chair, nose to nose, lips just barely touching. He turned his head so he could whisper in your ear, “I think we should fuck each others' brains out, on this chair, until the symptoms wear off. And maybe even after they wear off I'll continue to make you feel good, yeah?"

Your breathing hitched and you swore he could hear your heartbeat, he turned back to meet your eyes and you leaned in to grab him in a deep kiss, crawling up to lean back on the chair with him under you.

"Aw, pretty girl wants me to make her feel good? That what you want?"

You whimpered and nodded your head quickly. The aphrodisiacs were putting your body into overdrive, rendering you unable to think about anything other than getting this man inside of you. You were grabbing at anything you could reach, shrugging his robe off his shoulders, followed by yours hitting the ground; soon it was a frenzy of fabrics flying around the room until you were both naked. In the mess of taking clothes off, you two had switched positions on the couch, you were now lying under Wooyoung, which gave him perfect access to your entire body. His lips began kissing and sucking and biting all over your neck, leaving small hickies that would surely darken as he continued. His hands wandered all over, unable to find a spot to rest. From groping your ass, to moving up and grabbing your tits, flicking and tweaking your nipples as he moved. His lower half wouldn’t stay still either, his cock constantly grinding against your bare pussy, making you leak onto the lounge and only aiding in making you feel like your skin was on fire. His lips continued biting and licking at your neck, moving up to your ear and lightly biting it, letting go to whisper, “what do you need babe? tell me what you want.”

You sighed and moaned, trying to hold on to the last bit of sanity you had, “fuck me Woo please, please I need you so badly right now I’ll do whatever you want just please get inside of me.”

He moved his head so he could see your face, dropping one of his hands down low so he could line up with your entrance, watching your face change as he guided the tip of his cock up and down your slit, hitting your clit each time, making you moan and groan as frustration started to build up. He grinned, “what’s the matter baby? can’t wait? that desperate to have me?”

You sighed as he bumped your clit again, “yes I don’t know how you aren’t! Please just get inside of me—” he finally pushed into you, cutting off your train of thought as he bottomed out inside of you. You hadn’t gotten the chanced to really look at how big he was, but from the stretch you could tell he was decently big, enough to make you drop your jaw and let your legs fall to either side of him. He locked eyes with you and flashed a wicked grin as he continued to push into you. You turned your head to the side, unable to hold the very intimate eye contact with him. Just as you felt him fully sheathe himself inside of you, he groaned and whispered into your ear, “if I had known you felt this good, I would have fucked with my order much sooner."

You had no idea how his brain wasn't as foggy as yours right now, the aphrodisiacs rendering you nothing more than a mumbling, moaning mess underneath him. Your hands against his back, dragging your nails down the expanse of it was your last ditch effort to try and stay on Earth.

He started to pound into you, strong arms caging you in on either side of your head. Eventually, one of his hands found its way down your body and to your clit, lightly rubbing it in time with his thrusts.

You moaned loudly at the added stimulation, not too far away from climax, Wooyoung picked up on that and kept the same pace, but leaned down towards your ear to continue whispering absolute filth to you.

"Come on pretty girl, I know it's right there just come for me."

"You're taking me so well, such a good girl."

Your orgasm hit you so quickly you didn't have time to register it even happening at first, hitting you so hard your back arched off the lounge, Wooyoung sealing your lips in a kiss as he continued to fuck you through it. After you came down, he pulled out,

"I'm not done with you, think you have the energy to get on top?"

You shook your head yes, and he flipped you two over, you now sitting right above his achingly hard cock, lining it up with your entrance and sinking down with a hiss. Wooyoung moaned loudly at the new position. You began to bounce your hips up and down, the lounge slightly creaking under you two. You sat up a bit so you could look at the man under you, an idea popping into your head immediately. You snaked your hand up to the column of his throat and gave a light squeeze at the sides, earning a gasp and another moan from Wooyoung.

You flashed a wicked grin at him now, "aw does that feel good? I had a feeling you would like that." You added a little more pressure to his neck and bounced with more vigor on his cock.

He looked up at you and whimpered, "yes, yes I fucking love it please don't stop." He gripped your hips tightly, likely bruising them in the process, encouraging you to keep at the pace you had set.

All that could be heard throughout your house were the sounds of creaking from the lounge you two were on, and combined moans from the both of you. You could tell that he was getting close from the way his whimpers got higher.

You released your hand from his neck, opting to pull at his hair lightly as you bent down to whisper in his ear, "come on pretty boy, I want you to come for me, give it to me."

He started to buck his hips up into you, rapidly chasing his high. Your second orgasm wasn't too far behind, you took your hand out of his hair and reached back down to rub your clit, trying to finish nearly at the same time as him. His moans grew so rapid and desperate, you knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Your second climax came with a blurring vision and ringing in your ears, moaning so loudly as you came around him for the second time. Shivering and shaking as he pulled out of you and finished on your chest and stomach, moaning and groaning as he rode out his high.

You both sat there for a moment catching your breath, trying to register if the aphrodisiacs had finally worn off yet. You still had this buzzing feeling on your skin, groaning with frustration.

Wooyoung sat up on his elbows and looked up at you, "do you still feel it too?"

You huffed, "yes. I thought that would have fixed it."

He laughed as he flipped you two back over, "let me see if this will help."

He lifted your legs onto his shoulders as he got down onto his knees, face right in line with your still throbbing clit. He licked a long, painfully slow stripe up your slit, causing you to loll your head back and let out a low groan, already feeling close again.

Your hands found purchase in his hair, lightly tugging at it to encourage him to continue. He groaned at the sensation, sending vibrations through your body, giving you chills down your spine.

He continued to lick and suck at your clit, adding his fingers, curling them into you. You gripped tighter onto his hair, feeling like you could tip over the edge at any second.

Before you could get there, he stopped and sat up, earning a whine from you.

He took your legs off his shoulders, "get on your hands and knees, I want to be inside of you again."

You happily complied and flipped over, wiggling your ass a little at him, earning a slap on your cheeks. You let you another loud moan as he lined up and entered you with ease, beginning to fuck you into the lounge again.

The sound of skin slapping on skin could be heard throughout your house as he pounded into you, his hands gripping onto your hips to keep you from sliding down. Your orgasm from before already creeping up on you, Wooyoung decided to snake one of his hands up your back and into your hair, pulling you so your back was flush with his chest.

From this angle you could feel every inch of him, hitting that spot inside of you that was about to send you over the edge, he brought you closer by your hair and started to kiss and bite your neck, making you moan loudly. He chuckled as he let up on you, admiring his work of purples, blues, and a little bit of red that now adorned your neck. He moved up a little more to bite your ear, and that, combined with his thrusts and his grip on your hair, was enough to send you toppling over the edge again, making you nearly scream at the sensation. He left kisses along your cheek, jawline, and neck as you continued to ride your high.

"Think you can hang in there a little more? I'm so close baby." He loosened his grip on your hair, letting you fall forward onto your elbows.

"Yeah give it to me, come for me again, Woo." He moaned and picked his pace back up again, focusing on his orgasm as you laid there and took it.

He gave you a couple more hard thrusts before he was pulling out again, finishing on your back this time. You let your hips fall as he stood up, both of you taking in deep breaths.

You weakly stood up, now very aware of how sticky you felt. You huffed, "I think that finally did the fucking trick, I'm exhausted but I absolutely need a shower before I lay in my bed."

He laughed at the state of you, "yeah. Definitely. Sorry about that, let me help you." He guided you up your stairs and to your bathroom, keeping a hand on your waist as he turned your shower on, making sure the temperature was alright. He pulled back the shower curtain and allowed you to step in, following in behind you.

Once you both were cleaned off he turned the faucet off and guided you to your bedroom, helping you get dressed as you offered him something to wear.

You looked up at him as you crawled into bed, "you coming?"

He stared at you, "are you sure?"

You laughed, "of course I am! I'm not just going to let you go home after all of that!" He smiled as he crawled into bed, snuggling up behind you.

"Of course, I also want to make sure that the effects really, truly wore off, you know?''

You heard him chuckle behind you, "Oh yeah, of course."

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an; hehehe hope you guys like this one :D lmk what else you wanna see from me! also this was cross-posted onto my AO3 account

[captain-mj]

I don't know if anyone has asked yet, but I'd love a part 2 of the horangi/konig mafia AU.

I absolutely adore the characterisation and I am starving for Horangi finding out who Konig actually is!

This was a bit longer than I was expecting but here ya go (smut at the end)

Part 1

König brought Horangi slightly better food after his bath, smiling at him. He watched Horangi start to eat for a few minutes. Horangi looked up at him and swallowed. “You okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Are you feeling better?”

“Much. It felt nice. Feels nice being clean.” 

König nodded and smiled at him. “Rest now, ja?”

Horangi nodded before admitting. “Still exhausted from those pills.” He was visibly leaning over and as soon as König took the bowl, he slumped back into the bed. “Done nothing but sleep since I got here.”

“You’re injured. It does that.” König pressed his hand to Horangi’s forehead, making sure there was no fever. The paranoia that Horangi might develop an infection was still high, but he seemed to be doing well. He gently helped Horangi to lay back down and put his blanket over him. Horangi’s eyes had started to glaze over and he was light enough that König could move him around. 

König left him to sleep and stretched. He then rolled his shoulders before pulling his hood back on. 

The person who bought Horangi, his dad’s previous right hand man, had the decency to at least look sheepish when he saw him. 

“In my defense, I thought he’d be good for you!”

“I do not need… whatever he is.” 

“He’s whatever you want him to be. He has no family. Came to this country after being kicked out of his last one. No friends, just gambling debt. An easy mark.”

König sighed and shook his head. “Declan, while I appreciate you looking out for me, I am just fine.”

“Leon. You’re socially anxious and useless when talking to people on your own. Whether you want him as a translator, boytoy, bodyguard, friend, I don’t care. I just thought he’d do you some good.”

“...Bodyguard huh?” König had been considering it. He liked Horangi honestly. Very cute. Small. Even with the new scarring, he was handsome. Once it healed, König had no doubts he’d be stunning. What little conversation they had managed to have proved he was intelligent. Spoke enough German to know what König meant, even if he clearly wasn’t fluent. He’d be a good bodyguard, even if that wasn’t something König really needed. It meant they’d be close and if he didn’t want to deal with a social situation, his bodyguard could do it. 

“I’ll wait until he’s recovered.” 

Declan nodded. “Glad you’re seeing my side. I just want what’s best for you, kid.” 

König wrinkled his nose, but didn’t point out that he was 24 and Declan was only in his earlier thirties. Not the closest, but close enough for it to not make sense for Declan to try acting like his dad. 

Plus, König’s dad was dead and he wasn’t looking for a replacement. He didn’t particularly like the one he had. The man started a criminal empire and then died during a crucial part of it. And now he was stuck dealing with this. 

König sighed. “Alright, Declan.” He dealt with his normal duties, still constantly thinking of Horangi. This was going to be complicated. 

It was the fourth day now and, after making sure his hood wasn’t on, König was bringing Horangi more food. He asked the chef to make him something special for him. They provided a soup made mostly of chicken and ginseng. It smelled fragrant. König would have to try it. Probably would taste good. 

Horangi looked excited when he handed it to him. He clearly recognized it and immediately started eating. His face looked a bit red and König reached out, gently placing his fingers to his face. Warm, but not feverish. He’d keep an eye on it, but he was sure it would be fine. 

Horangi sipped the soup and glanced up at him. “How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Most Korean parents make this for sick children. We’re in Austria. You’re clearly Austrian.”

König shrugged. “Just asked them to make something you like.”

“You’re not the one cooking?” Horangi tilted his head and König wondered if he had any idea who he was. He sat on the bed next to him and watched him curiously. 

König realized he hadn’t responded and winced. “No. I’m not. I’m just… your caretaker.” 

“Ah. Do you know who I’ll be working for?”

“KorTac.” 

Horangi paused and looked up at him. He didn’t give much of a reaction besides that. Not even a flicker of emotion for König to interpret. “Ah. I owe them money.”

“Your debt has been cleared.”

“What could I possibly do that’s so useful they’d be willing to do this?” 

König stared at him. 

Horangi frowned. “You have to know something right?”

König must’ve reacted because Horangi was leaning forward. “Look, if they don’t give the job to me, that’s fine. But please, tell me what my job is if they give it to me.” He grabbed König’s hands. So confident. Tiger was fitting for him. 

König grabbed his hand back, comparing them. They both had calluses on their trigger finger from guns. Little cuts from handling knives. Horangi had a line across one of his fingers like it had been purposefully cut. König had a line across his palm and little pale lines across his fingers from rings. 

“The boss’s bodyguard.”

Horangi moved closer. “Why would he need a bodyguard?”

“He doesn’t. You’re just for show.” König pulled away from him and stood up. “Finish eating. You should be focused on your recovery.”

Horangi frowned and stared up at him. “Who’s your boss?”

König smiled brightly. “He’s nice. Don’t worry. Again, nothing for you to worry about.”

Horangi did not look sure but he clearly decided to accept it for now, not like he had much of a choice. He finished eating and let König rebandage him. König examined him, making sure everything looked okay. 

“You’re healing well, Horangi.”

Horangi nodded slightly and rolled his shoulder. He winced. “Still hurts but not as bad.” 

König nodded and lightly pressed his fingers to them. His fingers were cold against the cuts but Horangi didn’t move away. 

“Yes. Healing very well.” He patted Horangi’s hip, completely missing how red that made his face. “I’ll find some shirts you can wear.”

Horangi nodded. “Not many people have seen me like this. Don’t tell anyone, yeah?” He looked up at him, mostly undressed with his hair rumpled. The only real covering a pair of boxers a size too big and bandages. 

“I’d never tell a soul.”

König was pulled away on the fifth day and the sixth. He supposed he shouldn’t have expected to get to spend an entire week doting on his new toy. Even if Horangi was without a doubt the most fun thing he had had for a while. 

König kept his hood on. It was the easiest way to make himself not anxious as he talked with Horangi again. 

Someone else had been feeding him and he wondered briefly if someone else had bathed him. He hadn’t told them to, but he hadn’t told them not to. Horangi could probably do it on his own, König only did it that day because he was a little too drugged up. No better fucking have. The thought made König’s stomach churn. 

He had someone else bring Horangi to him. He tried to look intimidating or at least mafia boss like. Something better than what he felt like he was. 

Horangi knew immediately. The height gave it away and he blushed. He shrank down a bit, swallowing. “Ah…”

“I’ve decided you will be my bodyguard.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Sir?

König wasn’t sure if he liked that. He wasn’t sure if he liked that at all. “Horangi. No need to be like that. We’re friends, ja?”

Horangi nodded a little, looking more nervous than he had been when he was first at König’s mercy. 

“No need for formalities.” König didn’t understand where this nervousness was coming from. Nor did he understand where his own confidence did. It felt unnatural. 

“Why didn’t you wear the hood around me?”

“Did I need to?”

Horangi didn’t seem to understand the question, but he nodded nonetheless. “So, I really am just for show. Arm candy?”

“Something like that.” This was better. Horangi got over whatever stumble he had there and went back to his cool, confident self. König liked it. Good quality to have. “First job is tonight. Meeting at a casino. You’re not going to be playing any games, understood?”

Horangi nodded. “Can I have a mask too?”

“Yeah. Sure.” König smiled. This was going so well. 

Horangi was currently trying to fix this person, this tall and cruel looking person, with the shy caretaker he had. They were clearly the same person. The eyes gave it away and the height confirmed it. With the hood on, he looked different in a way that was hard to put into words. His posture more tense and his body held with a poise that normal König didn’t have.

König. 

Name made sense now. 

He got his mask and quickly covered up. The scarring was hideous. Still fresh. He was not looking forward to the period of time where they’d harden and turn red, but hopefully they’d fade to white soon. Maybe he’d get lucky and they wouldn’t actually scar, just heal. He doubted it with how deep they had been cut into his skin, but would could hope. 

Horangi still didn’t get why he was chosen for a bodyguard. Besides a little street fighting in Korea to make extra cash or defending himself, he didn’t actually know that much about fighting. He had considered joining the military but hadn’t at the last minute. And again, König clearly didn’t need him. There was something else here. Some purpose he served that he just wasn’t getting. 

Regardless, he accompanied König, feeling a little funny standing next to him now. Before, despite his height and build and how attractive he was, he was just a guy. Random employee. It felt different now. He shouldn’t just be standing next to him. 

It didn’t help that König was wearing a suit. It looked stunning on him and Horangi knew he’d need to get sunglasses so he could stare next time. 

König was not very good at cards. It translated to him making virtually no bets and barely paying attention to anything he did. Horangi tried not to correct him whenever he made a mistake. He was talking to someone in German and, seeing as he only knew what German he did from Duolingo, he couldn't really keep up. 

Horangi tapped König’s shoulder and made a sign that he was going to step away. He needed both a drink and to use the bathroom. 

A different man appeared as he was washing his hands. Horangi looked up at him, glad he had the mask on. Neither talked as they washed their hands. 

He said something in German and Horangi had to stare blankly before he tried English. “You here alone?”

“No.” 

“Ah, partner?”

“Nope. Boss.”

The man nodded and dried his hands. “Will business keep you busy all night?”

“Yes.” Horangi left. He followed. It made him a little irritated. “Listen, buddy. I appreciate the interest, but I can’t.” 

“Who’s your boss? I’m a pretty important person around here. I’m sure he’ll understand.” 

“I don’t want your attention.” Horangi said rather firmly. 

His face changed before he grabbed Horangi’s shirt collar. “Listen up, you little…” He paused and looked up. “Ah. Leon.” 

König growled. “Arthur.”

“Didn’t realize he was with you. My apologies. Though, if I’m allowed to borrow him…”

“You’re not allowed. Nor are you allowed to be touching him.” 

Arthur’s hands dropped. “No hard feelings right? He’s pretty and new. You know I like to touch other people’s things.” 

König stepped around Horangi rather politely before slamming his fist into him. Horangi expected that to be it but they were on the floor before he knew it. He just kept hitting him. Blood start to stain the ground and Horangi looked around, expecting panic or someone to grab him. Everyone just watched. Some of them looked almost amused, like König did this often. Maybe it did. Horangi put his hands on König to pull him away but as soon as he did, König stopped and got up. He yanked Horangi along. 

Horangi sat in the car, trying to process what he just saw. König’s hands were still bloody and it had gotten on his hood. There was an overbearing silence. It wasn’t the violence that caught him off guard. It hadn’t been the worst thing he had seen. More the suddenness. There hadn’t really been a reason why.

His hands flexed and Horangi’s attention narrowed down to that point and only that point. He had a hard time breathing. 

Horangi glanced at König and saw him staring back. The hood kept him from seeing anything but his eyes. Gorgeous blue that stared into him almost accusatory. A warmth twirled around his guts but he tried to ignore it. 

“I would’ve gotten the guy. You didn’t have to defend me.” Horangi hissed, deciding to beat König to the punch on being angry. 

König just continued to stare at him. 

“It’s my job to protect you.” Horangi insisted. 

König sighed. “Hong-jin.” 

Hearing his actual name was like getting punched in the gut. He didn’t even know how König would know it. 

“This is affecting you.” 

“I watched you beat a man to death. Yeah, it’s gong to rattle me.”

König tilted his head. “No. That’s not what I mean. Your pupils dilated and you’re breathing faster. If I told you to spread your legs, I have a funny feeling there’s even more signs of how turned on you are.” 

Horangi stared at him, trying to ignore that he was in fact hard. He bit his bottom lip, glad that his mask covered it up for him. Where had all of this confidence come from? Where was the anxiety riddled medic he had been dealing with?

Who the fuck was he?

König sighed softly. “Horangi. I’d never force you to do anything.”

Horangi’s breath got faster at the gentle tone and the words. 

“Do you want this?”

“Yes, sir.” Horangi answered a little too fast. 

König clicked a button and the privacy screen came down to cover the partition. It meant the chauffeur wouldn’t be able to see whatever happened. 

Horangi swallowed and wondered if he could tell König what he wanted and didn’t want. Should he tell him now? Would König care? 

The man himself had moved closer while he had been distracted. He cupped his face gently and then pulled off Horangi’s mask. König traced the little tally marks with a weird amount of reverence. He followed along Horangi’s lips next and he felt like he was going to shake out of his skin. 

Then, König moved to his throat, gently running his fingers along the column of it. His hand circled his throat and Horangi felt… small. König’s hands were rather big compared to him and he tried not to think about that too much, but they were huge. His other hand started to undo the buttons on his clothes to expose more skin to him.  

Horangi let out an embarrassingly soft noise. He couldn’t help it. König smiled at him and Horangi pushed his mask down and his hood up just enough to kiss him. They laid against the seats and König bit Horangi’s lip hard. 

His hands finally got Horangi’s clothes off and they ran down his sides, making him have goosebumps. His legs were pulled open and then König was finally touching him. He was so gentle as he stroked him but it felt… a little calculated.

Horangi didn’t care though, thrusting up into his hands and letting himself stay pinned. König twisted his hand slightly whenever he got close to the tip and he seemed to get a lot of enjoyment over watching Horangi get worked up. 

Horangi panted softly, trying his best to stay quiet as he realized that just because the driver couldn’t see them, it didn’t mean he couldn’t hear him. His toes curled and his back arched right as he ca- 

König paused his movements and pinned Horangi’s hips so he couldn’t thrust up. 

“What are you doing?? I was close.” Horangi wiggled as he tried to finish but he could barely move.

König waited a minute before spitting on his fingers. He gently pushed them into Horangi again. “There ya go, kitten.” 

Horangi groaned and spread his legs more. He managed to hike one of his knees onto König’s shoulder to give him a better grip on him. Once again, he felt himself getting close but König kept messing it up. He’d pause or slow down or pull away and Horangi had to fight himself to stay still during the prep. 

König stopped touching his cock all together, focusing on getting him stretched instead. Horangi groaned and panted softly. He was right there. Right on the fucking edge but it wasn’t quite enough. 

König pressed into his prostate and Horangi saw stars. The world blurred around the edges and he felt König pull away and the sound of a cap. He slammed into him, holding him down so Horangi could do nothing but take it. 

König was so rough. Horangi’s nails raked down his back. Pleasure sparked up his body and he arched, desperately pressing to König’s clothed chest. The feeling of his suit against his skin and pressed against his cock. 

“You want to finish don’t you?” König purred into his ear and Horangi nodded frantically. “Swear yourself to me.”

“What?” Horangi was right there. One touch and he’d finish. His arms were pinned so he couldn’t do it himself. 

“Swear to me that you’ll be mine. Forever.” 

Horangi started to tear up, unable to take anymore without finishing. His entire stomach was in knots and he couldn’t take anymore. “Please. Please.”

“Swear.” 

“I’m yours. Yours. Please, please, please.” 

König grabbed him and stroked him in time with his movements. 

White filled his vision and he relaxed before starting to squirm as overstimulation set in. König didn’t even pause, just continuing to fuck into him like a doll. 

Horangi gasped and tried to turn away. König flipped them around and pressed right back into him. He fucked him hard but the new angle let him go even deeper. It felt like he was being rearranged and broken in, made just for König now. Horangi gripped the seats and tried to focus on breathing as he felt himself start to get hard again. Tears streamed down his face from how good it felt. 

They were a perfect fit. König stretched him out perfectly and judging by how fucked out he already sounded, König agreed with him. It felt so good, pleasure clouding his thoughts. 

Horangi started to get close and he clawed at König’s arm that was around his chest. He was yanked up and one of his legs were shoved to his chest, König still taking him from behind. His nails dug deeper into his skin when he came again. He let out a sob as König’s hips stuttered but went right back to moving. 

“Fuck, I can’t… I don’t think…”

“I wasn’t asking. Either take it or tell me stop.” König growled at him. 

Horangi didn’t ask him to stop. His legs were trembling as König continued to fuck into him. It was a few minutes later when König came in his fucked out body. He went to touch him to finish him off but Horangi shook his head. He dropped Horangi back onto the cushions. 

Horangi trembled, gasping a little. Tears were still streaming down his face when König lifted his hood to kiss him. König redressed him and scooped him up. 

“Let me take you inside.” 

Horangi nodded and winced. “You don’t think they heard me did they?”

König also winced. “Uh…”

Horangi hid his face in the cushion, so embarrassed. “Oh no…”

[peachdues]

Ok first of all thank you so much for writing the fics and taking your time. I’m honestly so tired of other people and not keeping their opinions to themselves… ignore them your perfect in my eyes ✨

Also ima need you to drop more of your skincare routine/ products because I’ve never had my skin so 🤌🏼

That moisturizer you recommended to someone else for dry skin is saving me 😩

HI BABYYYY

Thank you my darling angel 😭 ngl this made me feel better — it’s been hell at work this week so I haven’t written a ton (plus, y’know, dealing with bullshit).

IM SO GLAD MY RECS HELPED!! I got another anon asking about my skincare routine and it got buried, so I’ll re-share — especially since I’ve made a few changes!

AM routine

Garnier’s micellar water to cleanse (pink cap — I think the blue and green leave a residue and I don’t like it)

Byoma’s balancing face mist

Natrium’s niaciminacide acid serum OR vitamin C (never together!)

Cosrx snail mucin essence (this is a winter step, just to make sure my skin stays nice and hydrated)

Byoma gel eye cream (the de-puffing one)

Byoma gel moisturizer

Beauty of joseon sunscreen (SPF 50)

—

PM routine

I start by double cleansing — it’s SUPER important to double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser especially if you wear sunscreen!!

Cleanser (1) — natrium’s oil balm/makeup remover with a warm washcloth

Cleanser (2) — I alternate every other day with youth to the people’s superfood cleanser (I just got it and I’m obsessed) and panoxyl (10%). I’ve also used versed’s jelly milky cleanser on non-panoxyl days, and I love that, too!

Byoma’s balancing face mist toner OR beauty of joseon’s ginseng toner (I alternate)

Natrium’s hyaluronic acid serum (apply while face is still wet from toner — otherwise it won’t absorb properly!)

*optional* face mask — usually a Dr Jart’s sheet mask, 2-3 times a week

Versed’s gentle pressed retinol serum

Cosrx snail mucin essence

Cosrx snail mucin 92 all in one cream

Versed rich skin soak moisturizer

An eye cream from No 7 but idk which one it is — brightening??

And I sleep on a silk pillow case! That helps with skin stuff (and hair)

happy skincare!

[quitealotofsodapop]

@latvian-spider; referencing this post about Reborn! SWK & LEM accidentally making tree babies. They show up and are *covered* in baby monkeys that look like them.

Peach: "How?" Smokey: "Gardening mishap." Peach: "That raises further questions!" Liang: "Genius here [points thumb at Smokey] swallowed the pit inside of the manfruit he stole from the abbey. It gets stuck in his body, he hocks it up and buries it on the Mountain. We both tend to it on-and-off for the next year. We both check it one day and *pop!* tree full of baby monkeys." *room is silent* Dasheng: "...WHY?" Liang: "Turns out the pit and sapling of the ginseng tree absorbs the Dao of its surroundings. It stuck around us for so long that the only "fruit" was monkey demons with our genetics." Sugar: "Wait... isn't the ginseng tree perennial? It grows a new batch every couple thousand years..." Smokey: "Our tree sorta withered in on itself when the last baby fell - like it sorta expended all it's energy. Probably why only the tree at the abbey produces multiple fruitings." Plum: "I mean its definitely a lot cleaner than childbirth, I'll say that." Smokey, a baby climbing on his head: "Higher chance of unexpected yields though." Xiao Qi + the 5 Stone-fruit baby monkeys: *happy chirping!*

Reborn!SWK and LEM basically had mutliple Jttw stories together before they realised that they were taking care of the same Baby-Fruit tree.

The names of the 5 bonus fruit babies and their identifiers are;

Xiǎoxìng/小杏 ("little apricot"). Very light brown fur. Likes to charm people and "sing" (sounds like chirping) along to music.

Xiǎotáo/小桃 ("little peach"). Mostly white fur that turns into a gradient of light tan, like the colours on a peach. Calm and curious.

Xiǎolǐzi/小李子 ("little plum"). Mostly dark brown-black fur, has a sour look on their face most of the time. Grumpy/sleepy.

Xiǎoyīng/小樱 ("little cherry"). White fur with some fawn-like brown spots. Bright red face marking. Giggles at everything.

Xiǎozǎo/小枣 ("little jujube"). Dark brown fur, looks like a mini-Smokey. Very mischievous.

The Reborn couple ("fruitiedads") saw the stone fruit association and went all in. Plus the kids all have nature powers like their big brother, so it fits. Xiao Qi is a delighted older brother.

[projazznet]

Wendell Harrison – The Carnivorous Lady

Later work from saxophonist Wendell Harrison – cut for his own Rebirth label in the years after his better-known work on Tribe! The sound here is quite different than the early days — still quite soulful, but in a more mainstream electric mode — one that has Wendell’s tenor and flute gliding nicely over keyboards from Pamela Wise, whose work on the record is as strong as Harrison’s. Marcus Belgrave also guests on one track — and while the record isn’t an all-out bit of righteous soul jazz, it’s also still a fair bit better than any mainstream soulful fusion that was coming out in the 80s. A few tracks feature female chorus vocals, and the album’s got a romping little cover of “The Glamorous Life”, plus the original numbers “Carnivorous Lady”, “Love Overboard”, “Ginseng Love”, “The Wok”, and “Possibilities” (Dusty Groove).

[fragileizywriting]

"it's just five chapters" listen here, mister [pokes self in chest] don't underestimate the power of "just five chapters", because knowing you, chapters four and five will be just sex and you will procrastiante on this idea and then spend four months sitting on your hands twiddling your thumbs unsure of how to proceed because you— a writer who writes so much sex— continuously forgets how to write sex.

[points to 4am ginseng tea]

[points to succubus giftin']

[points to the month prompt fic that you have fourteen more works to do]

>:( dude.

can we make a consession? can we make this our fic we work on in july?

july? july is five months away. i'll be an entirely different person in july.

sure, yeah. but usually in july you have to come up with a fic that you want to work on until january.

what if i don't want to work on this for the whole "post this only in january" thing??? idek if we're participating in the bb next year after the fall out. plus, you were kind of miserable last year.

don't join it, that's okay. but you've got some stuff to do... i don't know, man. finish the stuff that you still have to do. you've got a couple of fics that need wrapping up, and i'm really proud of you for finishing demon lovin, but you've got some other fics to worry about.

but i want to work on this fic now.

youuuuuuuuuuuu just opened the google docs and pivoted immediately to tumblr to complain about yourself. it doesn't seem like you're interested. trust me, i know when you're interested in something. you don't even blink.

but

i know. just take it easy. stop being so impulsive!

[cierra]

Let’s talk about Mondays! Most people think of Monday as the end to another weekend and the beginning of the dreaded work week. I think of it as a way to start my week of right! Think about how awesome your week could be if you started it off on a good foot….

So far today, I have cleaned my carpets, vacuumed my house, done endless loads of laundry, watched 2 training videos, reached out to multiple people about a special sale we are having over @arbonne, started planning an event, worked out, showered, and more. I call that a great start to my week!

It’s only the afternoon where I am and I am definitely starting to feel a little tired so I sat down and made myself a smoothie with my Arbonne FeelFit Pea Protein Powder in Vanilla and my Pineapple EnergyFizz and am taking in some me time before I get back to work. It taste soooo good! Reminded me of one of those frozen drinks you can order at Taco Bell but way healthier. Plus it’s got energy and protein in it! Poured it in the cup that my sister in law and mother in law sent me with the little reminder of how awesome I am which made it 10xs better cause who doesn’t need a little reminder here and there….

If you are interested in learning more about how you can have the same Monday Momentum and Motivation I do, message me!

#arbonne #arbonneconsultant #energyfizz #peaprotein #feelfit #workout #mondaymotivation #mondaymomentum #fitness #weightloss #healthylifestyle #beauty #vegan #crueltyfree #smoothie #fruit #healthy #health #veggie #replenish #destress #ginseng #allnatural #yum

[contentment-of-cats]

Medical summary of the week

Still in remission! Three months in a row, 57 more to go.

Cleared for outpatient rehab. After three major surgeries in five months, plus two rounds of chemo and one round of radiation, I lost a lot of muscle. Home PT helped, but it's time for weights and stairs and balance boards.

Talked about my weight loss. I can have an appetite, but I don't feel physical hunger even with the cannabis gummies. Still, dropping twelve pounds in a month makes folks jumpy.

Irritated that the conversation about swelling ankles exists at all. It's a gabapentin side effect and also, my dude, I had 22 lymph nodes removed from my pelvis.

Doc is pushing me not to worry about the neuropathy. "You just might be a slow healer."

The psoriasis-induced arthritis and FM flare in my hands is better. I started (with a cancer rehab doc's okay) taking ginseng, drinking golden milk before bed, and using Sacred 7 mushroom powder. My hands are less painful and swollen. It's still hard to make a fist.

Probiotic Pearls really do work. There's a study about probiotics and inflammation. I decided to be my own test subject. It seems to be working after about two weeks of taking one per day. I guess that after everything my innards have been through, that I have to rebuild a gut biome, too.

Further reading on gut health and inflammation:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7953067

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490534/

Healthy living and inflammatory arthritis

The Effects of Probiotics on Inflammation, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Atherosclerosis Progression: A Mechanistic Overview

[conherofrost]

You said in the past that you drink tea but is that ur favorite beverage and if so what type of tea?

I suppose I do find it quite enjoyable and it's up there on the list if not number. Hit makes it a lot and he seems to prefer it over coffee- plus we can get something herbal in the evening just to wind down rather than going for the caffeine boost.

I've been drinking this one herbal blend with a name you wouldn't expect from a tough serious assassin's tea cabinet, Sleepytime. I mean, it even has this little pajama-wearing bear in an armchair on the box!

Let me ask him real quick what else he's got...

...

Let's see, he says he has blueberry, raspberry, ginseng, Sleepytime, green tea (plain, with lemon, and with lemon and honey), vanilla almond, chamomile, white truffle coconut, Liver Disaster- wait, are these even teas at this point?!

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: National Soup Month

Healing Herbal Soups by Rose Cheung & Genevieve Wong

Combining the trends of culinary medicine and seasonal eating and adding a dash of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Healing Herbal Soups is the first book of its kind to focus on boosting immunity and weathering the seasons, by a mother-daughter, Chinese-American duo. Rose and Genevieve have been making Chinese herbal soups in their kitchens all their lives. They made broths to help their bodies adapt to the seasons, and now, for the first time, they’re translating these traditional recipes - all of which have been vetted by Dr. Shiu Hon Chui, a preeminent TCM doctor, researcher, and professor - into English.

Healing Herbal Soups provides a complete herbal encyclopedia and more than fifty tasty recipes - with full-color photographs - that mix herbs with meat and vegetables to create healing broths. These easy-to-follow recipes are here for you whenever you feel unwell, or if you’re just looking to add healthy soups to your weekly meal rotation. Armed with an introduction to TCM and special sections on tea, ginger, and ginseng, as well, at last, you can feel less dependent on Western concoctions of drugs and chemicals, and start using traditional Chinese herbs right in the comfort of your own home.

All Time Best Soups edited by Cook’s Illustrated

A perfect soup recipe is one you make forever - it is comforting, nourishing, the very essence of flavor. In this handsome, focused cookbook, the experts at Cooks Illustrated boil the world of soups down to the very best choices, each one a kitchen-tested keeper yielding flavors that exceed even what grandma cooked up. Here are the ideal broths, the heartiest rustic soups, most elegant purees, and the best examples from around the world. All-Time Best Soups turns soup-making into an everyday pleasure with recipes guaranteed to become cherished favorites.

Soup & Comfort by Pamela Ellgen

The answer to your dinnertime dilemma. Family-friendly soups to satisfy your soul - and stomach. To close the coldest, bone-chilling day or soothe the roughest afternoon, turn to Soup & Comfort for hearty classics, international favorites, and inventive updates. Packed with pages of nourishing, emotionally satisfying soups and stews using affordable, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients (No bouillon cubes here!), every recipe in this soup cookbook caters to a wide variety of dietary preferences and tastes, from tantalizing vegetarian versions to gluten-free options.

Featuring full-color photos, Soup & Comfort explores the many ways that homemade soup can nourish body and soul, with: 135 mouthwatering recipes, from comfort classics like Grandma's Chicken Noodle to international flavors like Chicken Faux Pho; time-saving tips for making great stocks and preparing perfect garnishes; and convenient "fix-and-forget" slow cooker recipes, plus handy soup tips to liven leftovers. From chilled soups to chowders, Soup & Comfort offers something for everyone to enjoy-one spoonful at a time.

Seriously Good Chili Cookbook by Brian Baumgartner

No one takes chili more seriously than Brian Baumgartner, whose character as Kevin Malone became a household name in the Emmy-winning TV series, The Office. In real life, Brian is a true chili master and aficionado who is just as serious as his fictional counterpart about making the most perfect pot of chili.

Featuring 177 chili recipes stamped with Brian's "seriously good" approval rating, Seriously Good Chili Cookbook contains new and inventive ways to spice up chili for all occasions, all year long. Written in the humorous and friendly tone Brian Baumgartner is known and loved for, this engaging cookbook opens with an introduction from Brian about how an infamous 60-second scene from the show transformed him into a chili icon, his passion for chili, and a fascinating account of the history of his all-time favorite comfort food.

The Chicken Soup Manifesto by Jenn Louis

This is a celebration of one of the most widely interpreted, and beloved dishes the world over. With more than 100 recipes dedicated to this one special, often humble, meal, James Beard-nominee Jenn Louis shows readers how chicken soup is not only a source of heart-warming sustenance, but also a cure-all and the ultimate expression of love.

With chapters broken down by region and country, The Chicken Soup Manifesto includes everything from Algerian Chorba Bayda, Colombian and Panamanian Sancocho and Thai Kao Tom Gai to Spanish Sopa de Picadillo. Along with the recipes, Jenn also covers essential chicken know-how, from selecting and storing, to stock 101 and brining. The book is fully photographed with a design that establishes it as a collectible object as much as a hard-working guide to the world's favorite soup.

[team-heavenly]

And Now‚ An Interlude

…Also known as: I just finished playing through the Sky Peak arc and Oh My God, the chapter is going to be such a mountain (har har) of labor to pull together that I’m tossing out some crumbs in the meantime 😅

This may or may not be something I do going forward. It really depends on 1) how long it’ll take me to play through the game and do all the prep work‚ and 2) if I have anything interesting or noteworthy happen on the days that are non-plot related and purely explorations or job requests. If I do make more of these‚ they won’t be linked in my pinned post because it’s not really important enough for that. Think of it as little tidbits of treasure left for you to find!

Another reason I decided to whip this up: I needed more storage space before climbing Sky Peak and I was kind of close to leveling up in team rank from Gold to Diamond? So I knocked out four days of missions to make that happen. (Theoretically it might have taken only three‚ but I fell 20 points short on the third day 🤡)

Now‚ with that little disclaimer out of the way…

We recruited the God of Time.

…Okay‚ not really LOL. Just one of his species. But honestly‚ for a level 12, he was not that bad at all:

His abilities were Frisk and Rough Skin‚ the latter inflicting 1/2 the damage dealt by physical attacks. Which partially explains this heartstopping dynamic during the final battle of main. (But I still have no idea why Seed Flare‚ a special move‚ made Teresa get the counter.)

Now‚ I don’t recall exactly if I picked this up in a dungeon or if it was a reward for a job‚ but one way or another I got my hands on Volt Tackle‚ and boy when I say it was tempting—

That’s eight stars of power‚ y’all. And both of our gals could learn the move.

But… well‚ the more I thought about it‚ the more I wasn’t certain it made sense. As a refresher‚ here are Andrea and Teresa’s current moves:

Andrea: Blizzard‚ Smokescreen‚ Octazooka‚ Mach Punch

Teresa: Mud Slap‚ Dizzy Punch‚ Chatter‚ Seed Flare

Let’s break that down:

Blizzard and Octazooka are both decently strong to begin with and benefit from STAB. Blizzard has a 3+ boost in power from Ginseng. And‚ as we know‚ it’s been a godsend for the absurd amount of monster houses in these dungeons.

Mach Punch (functionally the same as Quick Attack) has been too dang useful with the two tile range. You saw what happened the one time I tried to go without one. Maybe it’s a different story now that we’re a lot stronger‚ but…

Similarly‚ Smokescreen and the Whiffer status is way too OP‚ and a key part of more than a few victories in boss fights.

Dizzy Punch and Chatter also have STAB and both have the chance to confuse‚ which again can make or break survival in certain situations.

Mud Slap... Okay yeah this is a weak move‚ but the drop in accuracy with successive hits can really make a difference. This also has a 3+ Ginseng power boost‚ so it’s not like it’s infeasible. Plus I don’t want to throw those ginseng boosts away if I delete the move.

Which leaves us with… Seed Flare:

Same amount of power as Volt Tackle‚ only one star lower in accuracy‚ and no recoil. And sure‚ both Andrea and Teresa have the Rapid Healer IQ skill‚ but I’ve had too many close calls with unexpectedly hard hitting moves for me to be comfortable with recoil damage.

So‚ regretfully… into Blastoise Storage the TM went. Maybe another day.

Just casually throwing in one of the Seven Treasures as a reward for an Outlaw Job. (I already have this one so I didn’t take it.)

Also‚ who’s Magnezone?? Our cop is Spinarak‚ duh!

The names of the Zero Isles have been revealed!

Great Copse = Zero Isle North

Clean Earthworks = Zero Isle East

Brilliant Landmark = Zero Isle West

Sad Camp = Zero Isle South

I’ll be frank‚ I’m probably never going to these dungeons because they aren’t part of the story and the job requests are usually insane. But hey‚ now we know!

We also picked up this exclusive item! Between this and the North Torc (Rock type moves restore HP instead of dealing damage)‚ Andrea is becoming GOATed. Now if only I could get back that five star healing item for Teresa :(

What’s this?! It’s Wrestler Walrein with a steel chair!

And that’s all I got for now. The goal is to get the Sky Peak chapter out in the next week or so, so look forward to that! And many thanks for your patience.

~Mod May