#I guess green onions are but also. Not the same

[loxare]

A game I've been playing in early access for the past half year, Immortal Life, came out fully wednesday, and I love it so much and think that everyone should play it. Anyways I wrote a thing

Mu Xia hummed as she carefully placed the plate of dumplings in her basket. They were a new recipe, pork and chive, and she really hoped her shijie liked them.

Carefully balancing her basket on her arm, pushing aside the kitchen curtain with the ease of long practice, she nearly dropped everything when Ji Yaohua’s voice called out, “Mu-shimei! I was just speaking to your mother about importing things for the inn. She told me to ask you about anything you needed for the kitchen.”

Basket balanced once again, Mu Xia smiled. “Oh course, Ji-shijie, thank you. It will be our usual list, but could you see if you can get more of the chives? If these turn out, I think they’ll be a hit with the customers.”

Yaohua leaned in, curious. “What are they? They smell good.”

“Pork and chive dumplings! I have some extra in the back if you want, but these are for Shijie!” In this context, there could only be one Shijie. The farmer of the Misty Valley was the reason she was even a part of Guiyun Sect after all.

Li Mengqing appeared from around the corner, summoned by the call of a new food to try. “I’ll get them! Just on the serving table?” Not waiting for an answer, she slipped into the kitchen.

“What’s the occasion?” Yaohua’s eyes narrowed slightly. “If it’s her birthday you have to tell me. She refuses to say.”

That sounded like Shijie. “No, not at all. I just haven’t seen her in a few days, so I wanted to check on her and make sure she was eating well.”

A strange look crossed Yaohua’s face. It looked pained, but also glum and mischievous for some reason. “I see. I think she’ll enjoy those a lot. Say hi for me.”

“I will!” Ji Yaohua’s strange moods wouldn’t deter Mu Xia. “See you later Ji-shijie, Li-shimei!”

After Mu Xia was gone, Mengqing came out and passed Yaohua a dumpling. “Ji-shijie. If Shijie hasn’t been seen in a few days...”

“Yes.” Yaohua took a bite of the dumpling. It was very good indeed. She’d have to research where to obtain chive seeds. The Misty Valley could support nearly any kind of plant in its soil, so it was just a matter of sourcing. And having Shijie grow them would be much cheaper in the long run than importing chives. As for Mu Xia... “She’d have to find out sometime. Besides, if it’s been a few days, Shijie could probably use the food.”

“Hm. True.” Mengqing ate another dumpling. “Hey, do you think it’s possible to make a red bean dumpling?”

She’d never had a sweet dumpling before. “I’m sure you can convince Mu-shimei to try.”

The walk to the Misty Valley was pleasant. The weather was warm, and a bit breezy. There was rain on the horizon, but it wouldn’t hit until tonight. She spoke briefly to Zhou Qian’er about the day’s catch, and to Chen Yuanzhou about fishing her up a few puffer fish for an upcoming banquet.

The Misty Valley hummed with power as it always did. She could almost see the crops growing as they absorbed the spiritual energy, cycling it and sending it back into the earth, stronger. That was one of the things that had surprised her, after she’d started cultivating. Mu Xia had been to the Misty Valley before, usually on her way to the Sunset Forest to pick scarlet sage, but never before had she been able to see the energy she had always felt in the place. It had always felt alive to her, vibrant in ways that she hadn’t been able to comprehend. It was no wonder that Shijie was so strong, if this was where she lived, worked, cultivated.

Speaking of. “Shijie? Are you here?” She checked both fields, poked her head into the Blessed Land, knocked on the door of the freshly renovated house. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Then, suddenly, a flash of light. The same as the others when they teleported somewhere else. Mu Xia couldn’t wait to learn that technique. “Shijie, you’re home! I brought- ” She stopped short.

It... was Shijie. She could tell. But the usual flowing robes and perfectly styled hair were in horrible disarray, and covered in... substances. Mud was the least egregious of the substances, but Mu Xia could also see some sort of green-grey plant sap that smelled horrible, more green goop, and blood (?!) in various shades and consistencies. “Shijie?!”

Instead of asking for help or something, Shijie wobbled and mumbled, “whatimezit?”

“I...” Mu Xia checked the position of the sun. “Almost dusk.”

“Mmm,” Shijie nodded. “Worms.”

And she teetered off, in the direction of her silkworm hut. Mu Xia followed helplessly. As Shijie pulled a large bundle of mulberry leaves from her storage ring, Mu Xia asked, “Shijie, are you alright?”

Shijie nodded again. “Jss tired. Still got,” she paused, trying to visibly count up her remaining tasks.

That wouldn’t do at all! “No, you’ve got nothing to do until you’re cleaned up and rested!” Mu Xia spread the rest of the leaves over the worms, grabbing Shijie’s arm and pulling her towards the house.

Shijie pulled away before they could enter, detouring to the waterfall. To Mu Xia’s shock, she stood under it for a few minutes, allowing the water to wash away the substances. Then she stripped her clothes off, replacing them with a clean, dry set from her ring, while Mu Xia went “Eep!” and turned around.

Finally, Shijie sat down at her table, Mu Xia across from her. The waterfall had woken her up enough to speak in full sentences, so when Mu Xia set down the basket and opened the lid, her eyes lit up and she said, “Dumplings! Thank you Mu-shimei, I was starting to get hungry.”

“Aren’t you capable of inedia?” It wasn’t healthy, to survive on inedia for too long, but at the very least it prevented the feeling of hunger. Shijie didn't usually rely on it, but it was useful when she went to the secret realms and didn't want to fill up her storage rings with food.

Shijie made a noise of affirmation and swallowed her dumpling. “Yeah, but not for more than a few days. Maybe once I hit Core, but not yet.”

Mu Xia subtly pushed the plate closer. “What were you doing anyways?”

“I needed more golden disks. I used them all up learning spells, which means I don’t have enough for research and development, or to upgrade my axe.” Shijie ate another dumpling. Jin Li crept off of his nest and sniffed at one, then wrinkled his nose. “If I can do that, I can get past those ironwood tree roots that are blocking the path to the eastern forest, see if I can find out what’s in there. Maybe there’s a great treasure that we can use to rebuild the sect.” She looked critically at the half of a dumpling she was holding. “Do you think I can get seeds for chives? I’d like some more aromatics to work with, and these are good. Do you have the recipe?”

Mu Xia nodded. “I finished developing it today. If you liked them, I was going to introduce them to the inn menu.” Shijie had very good taste. If she liked something, odds were it would do well with many customers.

“The usual arrangement then.” Ingredients, to repay the time Mu Xia spent developing her recipe, and to thank her for her generosity. “Assuming I can get chive seeds in.”

“If you can, I’ll see about getting more recipes with them in.” Mu Xia fidgeted with her sleeve. “Shijie, is that. Is that how you usually look when you leave town for a few days?”

Shijie huffed, offended. “I wasn’t gone for a few days, I have to be back every day to feed the worms. They’re very important Mu-shimei.”

“Of course,” she said, conciliatory. “But why didn’t I see you yesterday then?”

A long moment of silence. Shijie was more awake, but still not to her usual calibre, it seemed, as it was taking her a minute to think that through. “Oh, I guess I did feed them at 3 in the morning yesterday. And the day before. And then it was straight back to the desert.”

“Shijie! How long has it been since you slept?” Another long pause, that Mu Xia didn’t let her finish. “Go to bed! Right now!”

“But I have to sweep the forest for flowers, and then I have to schedule some classes for tomorrow, and I need more krill so I have to fish some of those up tonight, and having more pearl dust is always useful and -”

“Go to bed!”

It took another few minutes of corralling her, but eventually Shijie was laying in her bed, Jin Li curled smugly on her chest, preventing her form moving. In just a few seconds, she was asleep.

Mu Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Then she got out her paper crane talisman. Shijie did so much for them. They could do a few things for her, at least for tonight.

[suguwaya]

kieran hyperfixation so bad he got me actually enjoying doing art (ft. pomoe pokemon oc i have idk... he's just there with a spiked bat)

[sharknark]

making what is quite possibly the most questionable quiche to have existed

[coneheads-deserved-a-noble-prize]

I AM SO TIRED OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATING ALASTOR WITH ONLY JAMBALAYA SO HERE ARE OTHER CREOLE DISHES YOU HEATHENS

Fanfiction and Comic creators, this is for you especially.

Crawfish Étouffée

This beautiful dish was invented in Breaux Bridge Louisiana, where our favourite radio star is from! Although it's invention is attributed the Herbet Hotel in the 1950s -after Alastors death- it is a classic.

Crawfish Étouffée has a sauce typically made from a blonde roux with that classic cajun seasoning. It contains the Holy Trinity of cajun cooking too: bell peppers, onions and celery. The main meat of this dish is crawfish tails and it is usually served with carbs like cornbread, cajun rice or vegetables such as green beans and potato salad.

It is chock full of flavour, and a filling inexpensive dish for low income families - which I believe Alastor is from.

Some alternatives to the crawfish are chicken and shrimp.

-----

The difference between Étouffée and Gumbo.

These two often get mixed up, and I understand, they're both classic Bayou dishes. Here's how to differentiate them.

Texture: Both dishes use shrimp, chicken, or crawfish tail broth. BUT Jumbo has a thicker consistency, it's made from a dark roux and it tends to use more liquid to remain stew-like.

Flavour: Gumbo and Étouffée both use Cajun seasoning, but due to Étouffées blonde roux, it has a lighter, sweeter taste than the darker, fullness of flavour in Gumbo.

Meat: Gumbo uses a variety of meats at the same time (often shrimp and sausage are key components), as mentioned in the alternatives above, Étouffée typically does not.

-----

2. Red Beans and Rice

We're on a roll guys! This is another dish from Louisiana! Although, it is specifically associated with New Orleans, where Alastor hosted his radio show. It has a fascinating history, partly due to it's African and French/Spanish routes - But it was also a struggle meal during the Great Depression. It was originally a Creole, not Cajun dish.

(Note: Red Beans and Kidney Beans are different legumes)

This dish also contains the Holy Trinity, as well as bay leaves, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and more. Its protein comes from Andouille sausages, but like Gumbo, a variety of meats are used. If you want Alastor to be traditional about it, he should make it on a Monday incorporating the left over ham bones from Sunday dinner. It is also complimented with long grain white rice and green beans, amongst many other things.

Considering Alastor witnessed the Stock Market Crash of 1929 -which led to the Great Depression - There is no way he hasn't come across this dish before.

3. Creole Bread Pudding

The queen of Creole Dessert has arrived. Can you guess where she's from? DING-DING-DING! That's right! New Orleans Louisiana baby! Recipes of this treat have been recorded since 1885, so it suffices to say she's a classic.

Like most bread puddings, it is made by combining stale bread (preferably French), beaten eggs and milk. However, this variation often has an incredible amount of vanilla extract. What it will be complimented with varies from person to person. Some examples are: Whipped meringue and whisky, raisins and apple, or walnuts and butter.

Although not as popular in the modern day, I like to imagine this is something Mimzy, Rosie and Alastor might share together on a day out.

-----

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this - but more importantly I hope this helps people create a more diverse version of those cosy Alastor cooking scenes that I love.

[vidavalor]

*dings the bell* … I’m back.

My Ukrainian friend made potato salad! It has cucumbers, carrots, onion, & canned green peas in it, and it’s absolutely delicious!

Sooo… can I ask what moment/scene you found the most devastating so far? I guess The KissTM is the most popular but I wonder if you’ve spotted something even more heartbreaking?

Hi @procrastiel Much love to you and your Ukrainian friend & please thank her again for me for the recipe as we made it and it was delicious. 💕Hope she's doing well. The KissTM is pretty heartbreaking for sure but I had a couple of moments that I found at least equally as heartbreaking...

The blues below the cut. TW: Depression.

What really got me in S2, in terms of heartbreaking stuff, was the focus on the less "showier" kinds of depression in Aziraphale and Gabriel. I'm not dismissing the amazing Crowley story the show has been telling but it tends to be more overt. The story focusing on depression lingering beneath different types of exteriors-- those who project themselves as being upbeat and/or fine-- was really well-executed and it had moments as devastating to me as the kiss.

The "but that's for professional conjurers only" scene and, in particular, the choices made in Aziraphale's response to Crowley's "my Nefertiti-fooling fellow" response is probably my favorite bit of acting in the series entirely to date. Michael Sheen broke me into little pieces with the way he conveyed a lifetime of pain, depression, anxiety and sleepless nights in Aziraphale's eyes on the "professional conjurers" bit and the smile...

...I love how you literally watch the pain of it all melt off his face at Crowley gently reassuring him and the smile that starts and then becomes just a beam of love he can't keep off his face. It's gorgeous.

It's actually what makes The Final 15 hurt even more, really, I think-- because you know that this is what Aziraphale needed. It's the same core set of problems but he needed 1941!Crowley and he got AlphaCentuari!Crowley because of where they both were at in the moment. It just makes 2.06 even more brutal because it shows you how they do understand each other and how right they are for each other if they could just stop being idiots lol.

I also actually think this is one of the most intimate scenes in the show. It shows a lot of guts on Aziraphale's part to be honest about how he's feeling and that's courage that Aziraphale has in general but was lacking a bit in the present in S2. He lets Crowley in here-- which is the theme of all of it and what he's not doing in S2 very much, especially in 2.06-- and we get a scene where Aziraphale is vulnerable and hurting and trusts Crowley with it and Crowley is there to help him as much as Aziraphale helps Crowley. It's very sweet and romantic but in a heartbreaking way because of how it shows how much pain Aziraphale is carrying around with him all the time. The lovely bit, though, is how it also shows how Crowley knows and is trusted with it. That it all takes place in largely the same space as the mess in 2.06? Gah. Devastating...

The other storyline that broke me was Gabriel. I know not everyone has the empathy for him that I do and he can be a total jerk, no doubt, but I thought he was the best example of the show bringing in other perspectives on life in Heaven/Hell in S2. We had angles like Furfur and Muriel illustrating that life for those not on Earth is lonely, isolating and boring and that many are yearning to live a bit more. Crowley and Aziraphale have not had it easy by any means but we are given characters whose perspective is that they're jealous that Crowley and Aziraphale have at least been able to be on Earth and have one another this whole time, which is more than a lot of other angels and demons can say, and that's fair. Expanding upon the glimpses of Gabriel that we saw in S1 and showing that, really, he's more complicated than we might have expected, was something I both loved and was a bit broken by.

Essentially, S2 shows that Gabriel is actually arguably the worst off character of all of them-- Crowley and Aziraphale included. That he really had no one until Beez is shown on his face so well-- Jon Hamm and Shelley Conn selling Gabriel's depression and how healthy this relationship is in almost no time at all really shows how great they both are. Look at this poor bastard, though, really...

He has the worst job of all of them. The Metatron is really in charge of Heaven-- Gabriel's the pretty face, forced to keep everything going or be killed for disobeying. S2 emphasizes how much he and Beez did what they did at the end of S1 basically at gunpoint-- it was kill or be killed and neither of them have the power to overthrow anything on their own. They have enough power, in the future, to probably help sway some things. Gabriel's always had enough power to make differences where he could and he used it to try to protect people. He can be a judgy jerk but he also fundamentally cares about the people around him and he's been drilled for so long into believing that upholding Heaven is his only purpose and only reason for existence that he's even still mulling over the ghosts of those thoughts when he has his whole gravity crisis in S2, even when he can't remember his name.

This is the bit that got me actually teary, though:

Imagine being thousands of years old and no one's ever given you a present. You don't have a birthday. You don't celebrate holidays. No one's ever protected you or been on your side or even just listened. You don't have any friends because everyone is afraid of you and you have to put up those pretensions to stay alive. The people you spend your entire life with are out for blood-- they'd sooner see you stripped of your sense of self and tossed through the ranks or to Hell and take your seat. Your life is one, long, never-ending meeting with your abusive dad and charming personalities like Michael and Uriel and Sandalphon. For six. thousand. years. Gabriel had never eaten anything before S2. He's never slept. Imagine six thousand years of being the Senior VP of Climb Every Bullshit Mountain without ever having a lunch break or ever going home. It's kind of no wonder that Gabriel spent half of S2 taking a nap-- he's exhausted.

He's not from anywhere. He doesn't even have a desk. Is it any wonder that this poor bastard was already rebelling a bit in S1? That he didn't totally get Earth but he was sneaking down there to get tailored suits made just so he could have something that is his own and taking himself for jogs in the park so he could get away from everyone for awhile? He's vain, sure, yes, but really because his looks are all he has that actually belong to him. It's why Beez gives him a pass on the statue-- because they know that this poor guy doesn't have anybody but them. The humans immortalize him in marble like he's a God and everyone in Heaven and Hell is terrified of him-- and he's been terrified of trying to be real with others because who is he going to trust who won't stab him in the back?

All Gabriel has that is his own are his clothes and Heaven even takes that, too. Beez is the first person who has ever seen Gabriel as a person. Is it any wonder why Gabriel likes and goes to Aziraphale for help? He knows that Aziraphale is the only angel who is both kind and sorta sees him there sometimes. He's the only one who ever seems to consider that Gabriel might exist in there as more than just The Supreme Archangel.

Gabriel's memory loss is actually very much akin to the real world occurrence of retrograde amnesia, which can and does actually happen to people who have undergone traumatic events. (It doesn't happen all the time but it's also not as rare as you'd think it might be.) The mind shuts down in such a way as to intentionally forget everything related to the trauma in order to protect itself and that can sometimes result in a loss of identity. The forgetting, though, also frees Gabriel because when he can no longer recall the fascist system of Heaven that has been harming him for so long, the actual self that he's been repressing and hiding shows up.

I see a lot of people talk about Jim as if he's a separate entity from Gabriel and he's really not-- he's Gabriel without the self-protective airs that Gabriel puts on. Jim is really not much different from glasses-free Crowley-- they have the same approach to self-preservation. It turns out, when he's free from the toxic masculinity hellscape that is Heaven, Gabriel likes hot chocolate and tiny dinners and bookselling and is emotionally available and mindfully curious about everything. He's a lot of fun and he cares about his friends and is grateful to have them. He's still a snarky bitch sometimes but so is Crowley lol so... That Gabriel was so miserable before, though, I thought was really pretty heartbreaking.

Now that I've depressed you, we'll leave on the sweeter note of Gabriel torturing some humans to romance Beez...

[k8-marsh]

songs that sound like chloe price sung them

okay so (naturally) i have playlists for most life is strange characters and i found a bunch of songs that sound like chloe sung them! :) it sounds more like her voice in 'before the storm' (rhianna devries) if anyone is interested. so yeah! i just thought it was cool! a lot of the songs also really suit chloe in their lyrics/genre too ^^

also i added photos to help you. visualise. hope you enjoy.

Sorority Girls - Mommy Long Legs

this one is so very chloe, especially with her hate for the vortex club (more specifically, victoria and nathan)

Hey, hey, hey, boys, let's go to the frat party The theme's white people, get your roofies ready Shoot their parent's money away And act like assholes every day!!!

I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation - Destroy Boys

honestly, for all of these songs the entire song sounds like her! this whole album in particular 'Sorry, Mom' is very chloe.

anyway i think this song could kinda be about chloe and frank ;

'Cause you're scary as shit, dude! Like I don't know really know what I can tell you You kinda freak me out, but we can be friends

Never invite me over ever again Just kidding, please do! I really wanna hangout with you

obviously NOT in a relationship way but frank was definitely a bad influence on chloe and someone she kinda looked up to. so i think it kinda fits!

Duck Eat Duck World - Destroy Boys (again)

okay... i'm about to put the whole album at this point, the singer's old voice really sounds like chloe!!!

this song seems like other people's criticisms of chloe;

Ever since you cut your hair You're so different, you don't seem to care Staying out late, X's on hands Since when do you like punk rock bands?

then this verse kinda seems like chloe talking about max leaving her -

I liked the girl with the long locks What's her name? I forgot Ten years and we haven't talked Well, there's a new girl on the block

and the 'new girl' is rachel!

Green eyes leaning in on me Green eyes, am I what you wanna see?

guess who has green eyes... that's right guys. rachel amber. are you seeing these links or what.

this analysis isn't, like, that i think that the artists wrote these songs about chloe, i just love thinking about songs in terms of chloe. as you can tell.

A few other songs from the same album that match chloe with their lyrics:

No Respect - chloe criticizing david!

You don't own everything I've been here for years Stop meddling in my affairs and I'll stop middling yours Get out of my face Such a typical dude Thinking that every tiny little thing is just about you

Goldilocks Spot

This one is kinda sad/subdued. I think this suits Before the Storm Chloe too, i mean she went through a LOT of shit.

My handwriting kind of looks like my dad's Tell me your story, it won't make me sad

...

I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore So I won't

Junk

The title just gives me junkyard vibes, which is totally relevant to chloe :)

My car exhaust clinging to the base Shiny and lost with onion ring remains Precious flowers lost within the hour I guess you can say they were written to decay

Long and gone Long and gone, long and gone, long and gone Lost my junk again Lost my junk again

B.F.F (Actually from a later album!)

This reminds me of Chloe's breakdown in the junkyard. you know when she just started smashing everything. you can draw a correlation (fancy) between the title and max...

Nails through my baseball bat I'm telling you to step back girl, step back You're dead, you're dust, you're sewage now (< william!!!) You dug your grave and then you asked me how

edit: you thought i was done? absolutely not. i completely forgot about ashly burch's songs!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAa.... okay. these are usually covers/parts of a show or play so they don't have as deep meaning. but obviously i'll find a way to relate it to chloe.

(Cover) Black Sheep by Metric

I love the second video so much, it's animated by this totally awesome dude on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/lifeisstrange/comments/3nzxhc/animation_of_chloe_price_ashly_burch_singing/) but the video is private so I attached a different youtube link in case anyone wants to watch it.

Who's The Princess Now? (from Muzzled: The Musical)

The scream of 'who's the princess now, BITCHES??" is... very chloe to me. a little context, this song is from a very peculiar youtube musical episode series thing that ashly burch stars in, i watched it a few years ago and it's definitely something. it's actually got a bunch of popular youtube-musical people (like Joey Richter from Starkid) if anyone's interested. you can watch it here!

Song Battle (...also from Muzzled: The Musical)

okay. so for some reason i really love imagining chloe having a rap battle against victoria for this. someone please make it into an animatic. maybe i will.

How Do I Look? (you'll never guess where this one is from...)

i can also imagine chloe having a sick makeover and like chloe and rachel helping her. or something like that... anyways. rad.

Anyways. That's it for now, i hope anyone who remotely wanted this enjoyed it!!! i hope it helped if you wanted to create a playlist or animatic or anything or just have a little chuckle.... um. please let me know if you have any more ideas because my chloe playlist can never be long enough.

[humangerbil]

On the tddkbb server we were discussing what the foods were at this dinner and I might have gone and gotten invested in figuring them all out.

Lots of images, with more below, to flip back and forth between as needed. Clean image, followed by numbered images. Numbers are per dish, which sometimes there are multiple of the same one.

Shumai - I would guess the pork variety since that is the kind that I always see with the pea on top. I wasn’t actually sure about this one until I looked at the manga panel and saw that the little cylinders are more wrinkly than in the anime, like they should be.

Mapo Tofu - Bakugo yells about this dish.

Hambagu or hamburger steak - This one I’m about 95% sure about. It’s got the salad and tomatoes there and I really can’t think of anything else it would be but I might be wrong. 

Leeks - This is a best guess. It could also be a cucumber dish or something else. But the way it is alone and the pieces are long makes me think leeks are most likely. Other ideas welcome.

Cabbage Rolls

Gyoza - This one I wasn’t sure about until the anime gave up the close up of Midoriya eating one, see below.

Tamagoyaki - I wasn’t sure about this one from the table spread shots but the fourth image and the manga panel shows the spirals very clearly giving it away. There does appear to be a minor animation error on the fourth image where the plate changes to white from black but mistakes happen.

Tatsutaage - I would have guessed karaage from the images alone since they are very similar dishes but Midoriya actually states the name of this dish when he is praising it.

Negiyaki or Okonomiyaki or other Okonomiya-related dish - This one I’m just guessing. In the first and second image it is shown cut up, in the close up shot it looks too flat and thin to be any of these but I can’t think of anything else it might be. As can be seen in the 9?s on the manga panels could be the same dish but neither really looks like anything specific. I think 9? blue is the same dish but they did change things between the manga and the anime so it’s really just a best guess. If anyone has any other ideas what this dish might be please tell me.

Salad - Nothing exciting here just a simple salad with some cherry tomatoes

Soup, probably Miso - Miso soup would be the standard and it’s the right color for it but there are other options it could be since it is never said to be any specific type.

Rice - These are also their serving bowls, the take food from the spread and add it to their rice bowl.

Dipping Sauce - I haven’t been able to divine what kind of sauce. I’m leaning towards tartar sauce since that would go with the tatsutaage and the color sorta matches. It might also be shabu shabu but that wouldn't be chunky looking like this is. I would have assumed green onion sauce but it’s the wrong color for that and much too chunky looking. These could also be dishes for eating things without rice and they have some mapo tofu in them. If anyone has any other ideas of what it might be please let me know.

It's very clearly gyoza from this image.

And lastly, I give you my final point of this post.

Dabi hates fish. Fuyumi made this huge spread of dishes and didn't make one fish dish. Not a single one.

I'm gonna forever headcanon that Fuyumi doesn't cook fish because Touya hated it.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #325

I'm definitely going to need to send my laptop away to get the screen replaced; it has seen much better days:

It's still kinda holding together. But there are lines of dead pixels on the bottom left side, so I imagine it's only a matter of time before the screen goes completely kaput. Lame...

I wasn't nearly as productive today as on previous days. I think doing all that cooking and all those dishes really pissed off whatever's wrong with the upper right quadrant of my body (at this point, I suspect serratus posterior superior dysfunction of some kind...). When I went to PT today (weird day of the week for it, I know...), the trapezius and the rhomboids on my right side got mashed up, and now the whole area is super pissed, and it's kinda hard to move or breathe or do anything.

On the bright side, I did get to talk with that Canadian immigration lawyer today. I'll tell you all about him, but after I get his permission to do so in this space.

Still, I have the first few steps of the process of getting out of here outlined. First, we have to take an English test called an IELTS, and also get our academic credentials evaluated by a Canadian company of some kind, in order to make sure they're up to snuff for Canadian employers.

Well, as it turns out, we cannot take the IELTS without passports. And, though J and I have ours, M's expired over a decade ago, so we had to go to an appointment to get a new one. It's not going to get to our house for another 6-8 weeks, though. We'll have to wait before we schedule the test. But we should be able to get our academic credentials evaluated. I'll look into that process tomorrow.

...I forgot to eat for most of today. Before leaving for physical therapy, I did stuff a couple slices of cold cuts into my mouth, but that's hardly substantial. My appetite has been kinda weird these last couple days. At around 7pm or 8pm, though, I remembered that my body needs fuel. So I made a salad:

It's got mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, black beans, goat cheese, scrambled egg, and crushed Fritos in it. And then I put ranch dressing on top. Want some...?

I made some tea to go with it; that vanilla bean macaron tea. Here:

...These aren't the best swirls, I know. I think the focus must have been off, and I didn't notice until it was too late. Sorry about that.

…

...I spent most of the rest of today just floundering, partially numb, and foggy of brain. I wanted to play Oddworld, but... I just couldn't bring myself to. I wanted to doodle, but... I dunno. Even with a plan spelled out and things to tentatively look forward to, it's still kinda hard to think.

I guess I'm still a little sad that so many people voted for someone who wants to kill me and my little family and almost all of the people I love.

...I just... want to live a life in which everyone gets to be happy and safe. And I know that this could happen if everyone worked together, but there's so many different people with so many different kinds of trauma, and all of them have their own ideas about which kinds of people do and don't deserve to live (there's no such thing as a person who doesn't deserve to live). I wish for a world in which it was easier for folks to cast aside the conditioning they received that teaches them to associate the worth of themselves and of others with silly, arbitrary things.

We are all the same in that we want to live in peace with people we love. And given that everyone wants that, it shouldn't be so hard to do, but... a lot of people get taught that the only way they can live happily is if some other group of people defined by arbitrary characteristics didn't exist, and... I think that's really sad. It's really sad that some people truly do believe, for example, that the only way they can be happy and safe is if every single person with dark skin and every single person who was ever at any point related to someone with dark skin ceased being alive.

...I just wanna live someplace where we aren't near people who would be happy to kill us. I think everyone wants that. And this shouldn't be a difficult thing to find in my world, but... here we are.

...Well. One step at a time. We'll follow the immigration process one step at a time, and hope for good things. But... ya know. If there's any chance you can just “zoop” us all over to where you are... I certainly wouldn't be opposed. You could use the company. And I could use a nap.

No, I know; it's impossible. I know. But it's still nice to think about. I'll just keep making preparations to protect my little family, and I'll do whatever I can for the others around me in the meantime. I'll write the steps to the immigration process as we go through it; maybe it'll help someone else, somehow.

Suppose I'll stop writing for today. I feel like if I keep going, I'm gonna ramble on ya (if I haven't already). And I feel like I'm a bit too weird in the brain right now to express myself particularly well in any case.

Don't worry. I'm tired and feeling kinda sad and lost, but I'm not down for the count – not while I have people to protect.

Tomorrow is when M and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary this year. It'll be our 10th year of marriage, though we've been together for 12. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I can't believe he hasn't gotten tired of me yet, hahaha...

We're gonna go to a sushi place to celebrate. It'll be me and J and M all together at the place we ate on the day we got married. Maybe I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

I love you a whole lot. And I'll write again tomorrow. So please stay safe out there, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[vanmarkus]

Wip Wednesday ☔️

Tagged and tagging @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @diazsdimples @honestlydarkprincess @wikiangela @daffi-990 @exhuastedpigeon @watchyourbuck and my darlings @malewifediaz @spagheddiediaz @jeeyuns mwuahhh 💛✨

Woop woop, here is another snippet from — you guessed it — the mudslide fic. Because I need to keep my head in the game and focus. We are so close people, so close. 🥹

(edit: my focus has been blown to smithereens thanks to seeing Oliver's pretty tits face again and now I'll be a stuttering mess for the rest of the night cuz hoo boy. 😮‍💨 Also, getting to see Kenny twice a day?? Two days in a row?? And giving us Peter content too?? Bless his heart, I'm so glad he's back on social media for real. 🫶)

“You know you don’t have to do that, right?” Eddie walked into the kitchen, shaking his head fondly — if it was for Buck’s benefit or because he just checked on Christopher, he couldn’t tell.

“Mmm?” Buck only turned away from the chopping board long enough to take Eddie in, before continuing to dice the spring onions he had lined up on the counter.

“This. The whole,” Eddie waved an arm around vaguely as he made his way over to the fridge, “cleaning, cooking and homework duty. You don’t have to do any of it. You’re always welcome here, you don’t have to… I don’t know, earn your keep or whatever.”

“I know.” Buck shrugged absentmindedly, his brain already stuck on the ‘always welcome’ part. “I want to.”

“Yeah,” Eddie sighed as he opened the fridge and pulled out two beers, lifting them questioningly towards Buck and only closing the fridge door after he got a nod of affirmation.

“Besides, I don’t have to earn my keep, I don’t actually live here.” Buck pointed at Eddie with an onion green cockily, before putting it onto the board beside the rest.

“No? Coulda’ fooled me.” Eddie shook his head, his face slightly angled away from Buck, but he caught the tail end of Eddie’s smile anyway. “By the way, after dinner we’re watching the movie with the dragons. Again.”

Buck snorted at the disdain in Eddie’s voice, as he swept all the chopped up veggies into a mixing bowl, while Eddie opened both beers and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Hey, I don’t think we’ve watched it in like... two weeks. Besides,” Buck shrugged with a smile, “it’s kinda cute.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Eddie sighed with the kind of exasperation that only a dad who’s seen the same cartoon for a gazillion times with the running commentary provided by a pre-teen could feel, but Buck knew better.

Eddie would watch one movie for the rest of his life over and over again if it’d make Christopher happy — he knew, because he felt the exact same way.

[thbstvrdthmtlbndndntn]

Sometimes I wonder about the taste of my own cooking and how it’s completely undetectable to me. Especially after cooking for someone else for so long and then cooking for just myself we would notice the culinary ruts we would get stuck in and occasionally rag on each other for it and I was always so defensive about it but then I remember how no matter the dish growing up there was an undefinable but distinct essence to any of my relatives cooking. Like no matter what aunt Sandra or grandma or my mum was making it always tasted like them and I think especially once you become a more confident cook and stop following recipes that becomes the case because you know what you like. Like I know my food will taste similar when I’m cooking for myself because I like things sour and spicy and savoury and i have a limited number of ingredients so I add the same things to get those flavours. I use a lot of rice and apple cider vinegar, lime juice, Cajun seasoning (slap ya mama), cilantro, chili flakes, hot sauce and herbes salees. Even when I’m cooking from a recipe I typically add one or more of those things because that’s what I want out of my food. And I was thinking about this today because I got home from walking all over town and the farmers market and needed an easy dinner — but I also was craving vegetables and had stuff to use up. I was originally going to do canned tomato soup and a grilled cheese but as I look at my fridge it evolves into an abomination I know will be delicious to me and probably brutal to anyone else.

Here’s what I did and why it would up taking 30 minutes instead of 10: sautéed green onions, Chiles, Napa cabbage, and fresh tomato in a pot, added frozen broccoli, a cooked tandoori chicken burger (chopped), a can of tomato soup and two and a half cans of water. Brought to a boil and added a box of the KFC-branded Kraft dinner (Mac and cheese for non-Canadians). Cooked five minutes, then took off the heat and added milk, lots of pepper, some thawed frozen peas, and the flavour pouch. Served with air fried cheese toast on quinoa bread from t&t. It tasted very much like a childhood meal in some ways but also like a classic “me” meal… taking two convent products and making them so complicated it probably would’ve had the same result just to make it from scratch. But I liked it and I was happy with it and I will have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow and those will make me happy as well.

I don’t know why I wanted to write so much tonight but I guess being alone in a new place again just a year after I moved out from my life with the ex that shaped my entire twenties I am having a lot of thoughts about how I build my life and how I become who I am as a person. I was supposed to go see the mountain goats next weekend but my boyfriend’s grandma died and I decided to fly to Newfoundland instead. Sometimes doing the right thing is the easiest thing in the world. Meanwhile I’ll lose my mind over sending a simple non-confrontational email. Things are hard, and they’re good.

[eyesteeth]

Details from The Mermaid's Tongue (Demo)

Spoilers for the entirety of the demo/the Mermaid's Tongue Prologue and Tangle Tower + theorizing on future plot points for the final game.

So, right off the bat: 

Stonetop Inn: as in Selena Stonetop, mother of Felicia Fellow and grandmother of Freya Fellow, as indicated by the Tangle Tower family tree. The boat being named The Dearest Selena cinches it.

The dragon-looking thing on the board is the Silversnake noted in the Children's Book (and Secret Research) in Tangle Tower. It is also present at the bottom of the family tree image.

The crab design on the table could be the Soulcrab... Or just a regular crab, lol

Felicia... Stonetop? Not Fellow? Perhaps she took her father’s last name after some incident? Or perhaps her heritage as a Stonetop was ignored by the family in favor of her status as a Fellow? Or perhaps it’s a retcon? Who can say...

Kristen Kale publishing… wonder if that’ll be relevant down the line.

This book also gives us some potential foreshadowing and a route for misdirection... but it being entered into evidence suggests that at least the author or publisher will be of some relevance.

I didn't take screenshots of it, but there's also an alliterative name outside the theatre on land, a W name. It's not any of the extended Fellow-Remington-Pointer family, but alliterative names have a tendency to come back... so maybe they'll be relevant to the full game, or perhaps a future one?

Tangle Tower took some beats from The Goldbug by Poe, so is this perhaps a Great Gatsby-esque green light? More literary connections? Post-war cynicism and the death of the American dream? Opulence as a disguise for deeper issues? Could be fun.

The likelihood of this being a cheeky All The Wrong Questions reference is a Big Zero, but "Silkwirm-on-Sea" is giving me "Stain’d-by-the-Sea" vibes by both the name and it being utterly dead.

I’m going to assume this is a statue depicting one of the Ambassadors (my guess would be Lord Fellow) attempting to capture the Silversnake - or the Silkwirm Serpent, as it’s called here.

I'm convinced these creatures are one and the same despite the name difference. Boggy's real name is The Amphobi, after all. It could happen again.

Also look at the hanging sign in the top right. Hold that image in your mind for a second.

Hm. Now doesn't that furnace and that glass of wine feel a little familiar... not to mention the shade of red...

...who wants to bet an Ambassador had a hand in making this submarine?

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s the Seafoam crest hanging over the Stonetop crest. (That is the Stonetop crest at the bottom, by the way. If you click on the hanging sign over the inn before you get onto the submarine, it reveals this information.) Perhaps the complex web of interpersonal relationships didn’t end with the Pointer-Fellow-Remington family.

And so the guessing game begins… Is The Captain’s Corpse Slumped Over The Panel In That Room

Oh, hey! I recognize that lamp. Has Felix Fellow been down here on one of his many supposed adventures?

The Silversnake returns as a metal structure inside the ship! This is starting to remind me of the constant egg motifs around Tangle Tower... and strengthening my theory that one of the Ambassadors made this ship. This is quite a prominent bit of Mystid decor, and Sally even suggests that it might be load-bearing.

The bottle of tablets having a sun on them leads me to think they’re Vitamin D tablets or the like. Not getting enough sun can really mess the body up, and being deep underwater would leave someone with no access to it. Therefore, these are likely vitamin supplements. The other side of the label having an onion, however… no clue. A mystery for the full game!

Likewise, the moon vial could be a sleeping drought. It’s hard to keep up with your sleep cycle if it’s always dark, after all.

POSTER PLAGIARISM!! Though, it's not like you're going to get called out for it twenty leagues under the sea... My guess is whoever refurbished this room into a theatre really likes the shows topside. But a witch girl seeing the ferryman while in the cauldron herself carries a different tone than a mysterious doppelgänger.

Both the “The Stargazing Girl” text and the footprints have bled through slightly to the other side of the cloth, so they must have been applied similarly (to some degree) - but the circle seems like it was always there. This is definitely part of a larger puzzle, so there's not much to say now.

Claw marks inside the cauldron… like the claw marks in the Tangle Tower aquarium, perhaps? And the gear marking on top… perhaps that’s how it was unlocked?

I also must say - I disagree with Grimoire's belief that the cauldron entity did the murder. The scratches inside the cauldron, with a single exception, are in groups of three. Magnus was specifically killed with a single slash across the throat. The creature in question would have left at least two slashes.

And so, the final analysis of this post. Grimoire suggests a supernatural entity responsible for the murder. Magnus' feet were right up by the cauldron. He fell onto his back. He left a puddle of blood on the ground. There's even a suspiciously placed hole in the wall! This is so, so similar to Freya's death. And, were it done like hers, I'd say that a long blade, like a spear, was thrust through the hole and slashed Magnus in the throat, at which point he fell backwards.

Except, I don't think that's what happened. Look at the bloodstain. Look at how it's pooling towards the cauldron. I don't think the submarine was horizontal when this murder happened. I think there was an initial impact, the main circular stain, and then the ship moved 90 degrees, resulting in the "second circle" of the stain dripping the way it does.

But, this is just theorizing from the little bits we have so far. What's done here so far is phenomenal and I can't wait to see how it goes. Will we meet the mysterious bug-post-sender? Will Penelope return? Will there be two murders on this submarine?? We'll see in 2024!!

[thrifthi]

hi fellow SEAsian simblr here. how are we faring lads (genuine question i haven't checked out the new pack yet)

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY.

So here is what I think about the new For Rent pack as a fellow SEAsian (I'm Vietnamese more specifically) im not gonna talk about the renting things idc about that

first thing i did was check out the food because food is very important and it was interesting

this is bánh cuốn. i mean its not super bad, it has the fried onions and the leafy greens but WHERE IS THE FISH SAUCE?? i just witnessed my simself eat 2 SINGLE PIECES OF BÁNH CUỐN (no one eats just 2 at a time but ok) WITHOUT FISH SAUCE. I just came back to VN and still havent had the chance to eat this, its literally one of my fav Vnese dishes. tried to live vicariously by watching my simself eat it but nah that bánh cuốn could be better

THIS. NOW THIS. TRY TO GUESS WHAT IT IS. LOOK AT HOW DISAPPOINTED SIM THI IS.

THIS IS NASI LEMAK???? IS THIS AN ERROR?? WHAT IS THAT?? no way that is nasi lemak EA did it dirty

Cà Phê Trứng, aka egg coffee. looked at it for a solid 5 minutes what the hell they meant by cà phê trung (middle coffee??) then i realised it was egg coffee 💀 looks pretty legit. for drinks, there are also sugarcane juice (I LOVE) and Thai milk tea (I LOVE EVEN MORE)

bánh xèo looks legit, quite detailed actually, though it makes the same mistake - no fish sauce. just put the sauce on the plate EA idc

THE SATAY LOOKS GOOOOOD THO I LOVEEE

i like the scenery so far, havent done a lot yet and its been raining but the debug houses look like the houses id see in the streets. there are also tuk tuks on the street, which is SO CUTEEEE

I SAW THE NAME PIRATE

anyways to atq, id say that im having fun thus far :) there r just some minor details that bother me but hey its EA

[eternalchiyo]

𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜 ~𝔻𝔸ℝ𝕂 07~

Summary: Kitchen Nightmares but actually it's just Chiyo trying to make food.

Word Count: 2209

Yui and Ayato came back a bit over an hour later. Chiyo had occupied herself with watching the fire die in the fireplace of the living room. She’d have liked for it to be warmer in the house since she grew extremely cold at times. At the same time, ever since that one day she felt a bit uneasy about fires. Not scared, but she would rather not get too close to one.

Yui, who was tucking away the umbrella in the holder at the entrance, came to greet Chiyo. “Chiyo-san, we’re back, oh? The fire is almost out, aren’t you cold?”

She hurried to the fireplace and rekindled the flames by getting some more firewood in there.

“Hey, Chichinashi, what are you doing? I thought you were going to make me Takoyaki?!” Ayato complained from back in the door frame. So that’s how she kept the guy happy. Chiyo wondered whether Yui’s cooking was really that good. They did say the way to the heart was through the stomach and Ayato did exactly seem like the type of guy to fall victim to that.

“Yes, yes, Ayato-kun,” Yui said. She really was enthusiastic in everything she did. Chiyo watched them with piqued interest.

“Oh right, Chiyo-san,” Yui turned to her, “I didn’t know what your favorite dish was, so I bought a bit of everything. We can make something together if you’d like?”

Chiyo raised her eyebrows. She never cooked before; they had servants for that. Before she could answer anything, Ayato cut her off:

“Hellooo? Are you coming or what?”

Chiyo rolled her eyes and followed the two of them after looking into Yui’s pleading face. She supposed she didn’t have many better things to do, so she might as well take part.

Ayato was suspiciously accommodating to Yui’s request of passing her the ingredients she needed. Chiyo supposed it was because there was something in it for him. She watched with curiosity as the other girl prepared the octopus and batter. While the pan was heating up Yui prepared the other garnishes. Clearly, she was quite skilled with a kitchen knife. Suddenly she turned towards her.

“So, Chiyo-san, what is your favorite food after all?” she asked.

Chiyo felt her own cheeks get warm. Sharing something like her favorite food with someone seemed like a very personal question. The obvious answer should have been ‘Why? Blood, of course.’. That has always been her answer; a lie. Something she pretended to love for appearances sake. She had no idea what convinced her to tell the truth this time.

“I… uh, really like crepes,” she said, “the ones you can buy with whipped cream and fruits.”

Ayato, who was sitting on the edge of the kitchen table started laughing loudly. This was the exact reason why Chiyo usually kept everything to herself. Alas, it was too late to take her words back now. She had to make do with frowning at him.

“Oh, don’t give me that look little miss “I-only-ever-suck-blood” hahah, though, I guess I would also keep my favorite food a secret if it was something as ridiculous as girly crepes.”

She hated it when Ayato made fun of her. She hated it when anyone made fun of her, really. The big kitchen knife Yui used to cut the green onions was laying on the counter next Chiyo now. She grabbed it.

“I swear, Ayato, if you don’t shut up right now, I will shove this down your throat!”

“What was that?! You wanna fight? Come at m–"

Yui cut him off by popping a Takoyaki ball inside his open mouth. “Here, Ayato-kun, try this,” she said. Chiyo could hear Ayato grumble something while he chewed but she couldn’t make out any coherent words. “Chiyo-san, you too.”

Yui handed her a Takoyaki skewer. Chiyo eyed it suspiciously before taking it.

It tasted really good.

Come to think of it, Chiyo had never been offered food in a way like this before. She thought about it while she was chewing the octopus-ball. Being distracted like that, Yui swiftly took the knife from her hands. It was a bit comical. Was that girl worried about Chiyo getting herself in trouble or was she worried about her hurting Ayato? Who knew. She didn’t really care, as she never meant to actually attack Ayato with it in the first place.

The boy in question eventually took off with a full plate of Takoyaki, leaving the two girls alone in the kitchen.

Chiyo helped Yui take care of the dirty dishes as well as she could. Meaning she ended up being the one to dry them off and put them inside the cabinets. They did that in silence until Yui spoke again.

“Chiyo-san, have you ever made crepes before?”

Chiyo shook her head. She didn’t exactly like not having as skill that the other girl had but at the same time concluded that it was a useless skill to have anyway.

“Let’s try making some then. I think this could be fun. Ayato and I also bought a bunch of fresh fruit and it would be a shame if it went to waste.”

“But I don’t– “

“Don’t worry, it’s not that hard,” Yui said, “we can start by cracking these eggs in a bowl.”

She handed Chiyo one of them and nodded her head to the glass bowl she took out a few moments ago. Chiyo tried her best. First, she tapped the egg gently against the rim of the bowl – nothing happened. She tried again, harder this time, but this only caused the egg to burst in half immediately and coat both the counter and Chiyo’s hand in egg yolk.

She groaned in frustration and shook off her hand in the sink.

“Obviously this egg must have been faulty,” she said pout audible in her voice.

Yui let out a giggle at seeing the other girl struggling.

“Do you have a death wish?” Chiyo asked.

“No, s…sorry.”

She took a damp cloth and cleaned up the mess, before taking out another egg from the carton.

“Here let me show you how to do it best.”

Yui took the egg and tapped it a few times against the bowl, forming a small crack in the shell. Then she took her thumbs and pushed the two sides of the shell apart, making the contents of the egg fall into the bowl. Chiyo was fascinated, the shell was perfectly sliced into two halves.

Timidly she took the other egg that Yui was handing her and tried to mimic Yui’s actions. She succeeded in cracking it open without wasting half of it like the previous time, however the shell did not crack open evenly and a few tiny pieces fell into the bowl along with the yolk.

“Damn it!”

Chiyo was about to throw the whole bowl away when Yui stepped in.

“Ah! Don’t worry about it, this happens to me sometimes as well, here, let me take care of it quickly!”

She fished the little eggshell pieces out with a teaspoon. “See? Nobody can tell that they were ever in there.”

Once again Chiyo could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She let her emotions get the better of her and she hated it. She always tried so hard to appear in control, it was hard for her when she lost it. Though, along with the obvious feeling of shame and feeling inferior there was also a sliver of a warm and fuzzy feeling. Was she having fun?

“Cheer up, you did pretty well for your first time,” Yui said. Her tone was cheerful.

Chiyo looked at the girl who was now putting in milk into the bowl and mixing it with a whisk. She had never met such a strange person before.

“How do you do that?” Chiyo asked.

“Hm? Oh, you just need to firmly grasp the bowl in one hand and– “

“No, not that,” Chiyo said, “how do you… stay so happy? Here of all places.”

This mansion was depressing. Everyone living inside it hated each other or had some sort of other issue with one another. On top of that Yui was the only human here, making her an easy target for blood sucking attacks, even from up there Chiyo could see the fading bite marks from some of the brothers littering her white skin in bruises. Her being a girl put her in an even more precarious situation, Chiyo was sure.

Yui bit her lower lip in thought and suddenly stopped whisking the milk and eggs. She smiled at Chiyo but all it did was make her sad.

“It’s not like I didn’t try to run away, you know?”

Yui recalled how she tried to run in the beginning, but all that got her was a broken phone and more bruises, so she eventually decided to make the best out of her situation. Chiyo felt as if she began to understand the girl better. She didn’t have anywhere to go and with the whole household being Vampires it was easy for them to just find her by scent. Even if she ran again, she probably wouldn’t come far.

“Besides… the others are not as bad as they seem,” she said and started to put in flour into the bowl little by little, mixing in between.

“Oh yeah? Like whom? Ayato?”

Yui nodded. “Ayato-kun, Reiji-san and Subaru-kun. Laito-kun and Kanato-kun as well.”

Chiyo looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“And Shuu-san is– “

“Shuu-san is an asshole,” Chiyo completed for her.

And I am the one who made him that way, she thought.

Yui shook her head. “Mmm, Shuu-san is a kind person. I can tell, even if he wants people to think something else.”

Chiyo looked down and felt like crying. She could feel the other girl look at her, probably deciding whether to poke further or to leave it be. Apparently, she decided to leave it be because she didn’t say anything else until the crepes were ready.

It was Yui who took care of putting the batter into the pan and making the delicious thin base that could be filled with all kinds of things later. Chiyo mostly watched as she was sure she would set the house on fire accidentally if she had to do it herself.

They let the crepes cool down a bit before moving on to fruit selection. There were all kinds of different fruits inside the shopping bags. A mango, many bananas, strawberries, raspberries and… apples.

Chiyo meticulously picked out the apples and put them aside.

“You don’t want apples inside the crepes, Chiyo-san?” Yui asked.

“No. I hate them,” Chiyo said.

Looking at the other girl’s quizzical expression, she added: “They remind me of someone - a dead person.”

“I see, yeah I can see how it could be a sad memory, if it was someone that really liked them.”

Chiyo didn’t confirm her statement, but she also didn’t deny it. It really was not the time to put the mood down even further than it was. She wanted to finally be done with the crepes so she could get out of the situation. It was making her feel more and more on edge.

She ended up picking bananas and strawberries for her crepe and Yui helped her with rolling it up properly. Then they filled some of the other ones and left a few for being eaten plain if anybody wanted.

When they were almost finished Yui looked happy again.

“I am sure Kanato-kun will be thrilled when he sees what we made,” she said in a very cheerful tone.

“Hey maybe if you offer one to Shuu-san, you two could make up already?”

Chiyo looked at her with a frown.

“If I give him one of those, he will probably take it as an insult,” she said.

Shuu hated sweets, always had.

“Besides, I don’t think this can be solved by a piece of fried batter.”

“Maybe not but you gotta start somewhere, right? Or do you plan on fighting with him for the rest of your lives?”

‘The rest of your life’ sounded extremely long if you considered the fact that Vampire lives were eternal. At least Shuu’s was, her own, Chiyo was not sure. How would she know anyway? She was the only of her kind. A weird mixture of human and monster. Her life has been long already, but she had no idea when it would end.

“Shuu-san always looks at you with those sad eyes, I don’t think he means to keep fighting with you,” Yui said.

Chiyo sighed.

“It’s sad to see people fight.”

“It is sad isn’t it…” Chiyo said.

But no matter how much Chiyo regretted what happened in the past, there was no way to undo it. Edgar was dead and so was Shuu. The old Shuu had died alongside the human boy in the cursed fire that Reiji set to the village. He hasn’t been the same ever since.

She couldn’t help but feel as if it was her who murdered him.

The crepe was sweet. Sickeningly sweet, just the way she would like it. And yet… And yet it almost made her choke.

[burninface]

🍾Weekly Tag Wednesday Friday🎉

FINALLY, after overtime work for three days straight, I can leave work on time and have time to finish all the interesting tag games 😇 it's a 3 in 1 post so:

first thaaaanks for tagging me ling @lingy910y , Al🧊 @spookygingerr, dean @transsexual-dandelions , deanna @deedala , sarah @atthedugouts 💖

name: face

age: it’s year of loong🐉 and 🐉 is my animal sign

location: bed

what is your dj name? well… hddnd, pronounce upside-down puppy

if you were a genre of music, what would it be? Fusion, a little bit of this, a little bit of that

what would you title your biography? Random Dream Generator

what are the first three things you'd do if you were invisible? It sounds boring and nerdy😴: 1)test out the how invisible I am, will all my metabolic substances also be invisible. 2)test what will happen if I intake some drink or food, or use skincare. 3)find out how would I look like in mirror/camera/photos

what subject do you wish was taught in every school? adulting classes and death education, maybe sex education and mental health too.

when was the last time you tried something for the first time and what was it? I tried osmanthus cheese ice cream today (I just picked out the box from my trash bin to check the English title lol), it tastes… meh😌

what is the most underrated city you have ever visited? I don't know? I never check much negative comments about a city before I go there...?

what day in your life would you like to relive? If I can relive it as my recent self, then maybe the day I birthed. if I can only relive it as my past self, then none of them.

if you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why? Picking up my hair all around my home😩

how long would you last in a zombie apocalypse? Depends, if it’s bite-you-and-you-die kind of zombie, about a week I guess (with all my skill learnt from zombie games lol). If it’s bite-you-and-you-become-zombie kind, at first day I’ll be bitten (out of curious) and I’ll try my best to write down how it felt like to become a zombie.

what would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable? I’m actually living in my dream and my dreams are my real lives neuron regeneration/ braindance (physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts recording technic in cyberpunk2077, but ethically it may won’t be achieved)

if you could have any view out your office window, what would you choose? As far as it’s natural scenery, I’m ok with it

🎊pinterest tag game🎊

thank you Al, deanna, nosho @creepkinginc , julia @blue-disco-lights , tee @mickeym4ndy for tagging me💕

rules: search up fashion, pantone, mood, and food on pinterest and then save the first picture that comes up.

that outfit looks like smth I'll be interested in enough to try out in the shop but then never choose to buy. and that pantone pic is just…… so me. and I got the same mood pic with tee! the last one, not a fan of green onion😬

🍦positivity tag game🍟

thank you Al🧊, ling and keely @thepupperino for tagging me do this💝

rules: list 3 things you’re excited about for today.

1 after overtime work for three days straight, I finally can leave work on time! 2 I finally left work on time! 3 I LEFT WORK ON TIME!

Ok, just kidding 😗

1 after overtime work for three days straight, I finally can leave work on time! 2 ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree released today! 3 Adam Lambert has a new song cvnty released on today too!

No tagging anyone since I'm late but just go ahead if you want to do any of these games!

[irismfrost]

July 21 - Free day

Today, I didn't do much. I got breakfast at a bakery across the street from our hotel. This stuff looks good and is good. You just grab the pastries you want and bring them to the counter. There are so many and they all look fresh. And their cakes are nice too - very straight and shaped well and just neat. They have some interesting little things in the fridge too. However, I also got dinner at some random place I found on some random street. This was street food and it was very questionable. Definitely not vegetarian even though I asked for tofu and veggies. I am not exactly sure what I received. It was soup with noodles and it had tofu and veggies, but it also had a weird ball (fish? chicken? idk?) and little bits of what seemed like chewy meat floating around in the soup and they sprinkled some on the greens too. It had to be some sort of broth additive. The tofu was also sitting there boiling in the same mystery liquid and when I started eating it, I was thinking about it too much and had to stop eating it. I tried to separate the weird liquid and bits but I did not get very far with that meal. 7/11 was my savior. The 7/11s here are like a mix between Wawa, CVS, gas station (except they don't sell gas) and everything in between. You have snacks, medicine, random items, microwave, ATM, printer, and you can order mail there. I had a salad, protein shake, and I also bought some little malt wafer balls which I have yet to eat. I figured out what "onion dressing" is. It is a little sweet and doesn't really taste like onion but I guess it's sorta comparable to caramelized onions because of the sweetness so I see where they got the name, but it's still not super accurate. The protein shake was also not too bad. Also, there's this drink here called Super Supau and it is the best thing ever. It's like a mix between a Gatorade and Pedialyte. Because you sweat so much here, I am literally always dehydrated and these things are amazing. It's really sad that they don't sell them in the US. No reflection piece for today. 

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #317

After writing last night's letter to you, I was very disgruntled to discover a deer tick on my left arm, near my elbow.

I dunno if it's the same in your world, but in my world, it's very important, especially if you live in the Northeastern United States, to thoroughly check your body for ticks anytime you go walking in nature. The ticks in my part of the world carry nasty diseases, and one of the nastiest ones they carry is Lyme disease, which is carried exclusively by deer ticks; I think I covered it in a previous letter.

I quickly pulled it off of me (albeit while crankily muttering a few choice expletives like "twatwaffle, "cockgoblin", "dickbasket", and "buttmonkey", but still!!). Like in the last letter in which I wrote about ticks, it wasn't on me for long enough to get a chance to feed, so the odds of me getting infected are relatively slim. Still, the bite is circled with permanent marker, and I'll keep an eye on it and on how my body is feeling generally for the next several days.

I went to bed a little later than I should have last night. And then I woke up a little earlier than I should have, after that. Nonetheless, I somehow felt pretty good, I guess? Which is surprising, considering how angry my legs were after last night's walk. I made an epic sandwich out of roast beef, salami, colby-jack cheese, onions, pickles, and mayo:

I also made a jasmine green tea for the first time in a while to go with it; the swirls were particularly tasty-looking today:

...And here was the resulting plate of noms; want some...?

...For whatever reason, today I decided to start a batch of bone broth. I've had a bunch of bones and a bunch of veggie scraps just sitting in my freezer for a while now. Today, I had energy. So today, I decided to make use of them:

This is a mixture of pork, beef, and chicken bones. Scrumptious, no?

But you can't just have bones for a good broth; you gotta have veggie bits, too:

...I like to add even more things after that:

...It's a combination of various teas, both herbal and non-herbal. There's juniper berries, and rosebuds, and dried mulberries and everything.

I even added some dried stinging nettle; it's bad to touch it, but it's very nutritious when steeped in hot water...

...I topped it off with a branch of mugwort, given to me by... shucks... someone who... decided they don't wanna come around anymore...

...I miss them. But they have to do what is best for them, I suppose...

...

Anyway, to this, you add an acid - just a splash will do. This helps to break down the bones and the veggies and the teas and herbs so that all those juicy nutrients can seep deliciously into the water! I usually like to use apple cider vinegar; it's good stuff!!

...From there, we fill our pot with water, pop a lid on it, and let it simmer for somewhere between 36 and 48 hours:

...It'll be ready in a few days.

It's basically like brewing potions in a cauldron, hahaha! Already, my house smells amazing. Suppose there's no better day than today for doing this sort of thing! Today is Halloween. I suppose in some ways, it's kind of like Pumpkin Fest in your world, except the history is different. There's no Dark Army coming to get us, because we don't have flesh-and-blood magical creatures in my world.

That said, a long time ago, it was common for a bunch of people called pagans and druids and stuff to believe in and honor nature spirits, and spirits of the dead, and other similar stuff. Nowadays, unfortunately, there aren't as many pagans or druids anymore as there otherwise might have been (because of our horrifying history). Still, the existence of non-corporeal magical entities is hotly debated in some circles (with most people believing that they don't exist).

...I think the reality we live in is too weird and fantastical to discount the possibility of the existence of non-corporeal creatures. But if they exist, it's not stuff I can see with my normal senses or measure with currently-existing instruments, and I'm hesitant to play around with things that I don't understand.

Anyways, the Celtic peoples commonly celebrated a holiday called Samhain (pronounced "sah-ween", because the Gaelic languages use Roman letters differently than English does, which is totally cool!); on this day, it's believed that the veil between the corporeal world and the non-corporeal world is very thin, and so people, in an effort to honor and appease the spirits on the other side of the veil (so that they don't become hostile!), went from door to door, saying words in exchange for little treats.

...And then early Christians showed up, and they REALLY DID NOT LIKE people who didn't practice Christianity. And so they forcibly morphed this pagan holiday into something else - now known as Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve, and a couple other variants. Halloween has a number of the same elements as Samhain, except... whitewashed and censored to appease delicate Christian sensibilities.

...It's fucking lame. Though I know that not all Christians nowadays are horrible colonizers who are willing to beat, torture, and commit genocide on others for the sake of cultural homogeneity (a non-trivial number of them still absolutely cannot tolerate the existence of other cultures...), but... the early ones absolutely were horrible colonizers who went around to other places, forcing people to abandon their own cultures and beliefs or else face gruesome punishment, while also stealing their resources and exploiting them however they possibly fucking could, and insisting that they were somehow "lesser" to justify their continued exploitation, and... just...

...The history is bloody and horrifying. To give you an idea of how it goes... nowadays, this is our "fun" caricature of a "witch"; I'll leave a link to a picture; I didn't draw this:

...This is cute unless you know the history of witch trials. I'll give you a VERY oversimplified summary of the history...

A long time ago, early Christians got so scared of anyone that didn't share their beliefs that they decided that everyone else was some kind of devil-worshiper that needed to be eradicated in a variety of brutal and vicious ways. And there was a "witch hunt" craze that went along with that. And also Crusades and Inquisitions... but those are outside of the scope of today's letter. And also they're just as (if not more) fucking horrible and depressing as this other shit I'm about to tell ya.

In any case, "witches" were people who were thought to practice any kind of magic, and Christians in those days were very afraid of them. Even some Christians now are still VERY afraid of "witches"; a non-trivial number of them believe that "witches" get their "power" from demons or the devil or whatever.

In the days of witch hunts, women held an even lower position in society than they do now, and so they were the most common target. If a woman turns down your sexual advances? Accuse her of being a witch to get revenge. If you're tired of your wife? Accuse her of being a witch to get rid of her. If a woman is a little too good at her choice of occupation and it pisses you off? Accuse her of being a witch to make her stop existing. There were LOTS of excuses in those days. So lots of women who were healers, or who made ale, or who were reasonably good with animals, or even if she was more skilled than a man at any task ever... well... you get the idea.

So the accused woman would be snatched up and taken to a place where she'd be beaten and broken until she "confessed" to being a witch. And if you don't wanna know the details about this, you should probably skip the rest of this paragraph, because they put these women through unspeakable torture to get these "confessions". They'd break fingers and hands, pull out nails and hair, break teeth, break ribs, break the face, and worse - you name it, and it was probably done. Hell, they probably did things even more vile than anything you can think of. And sometimes they'd do this for days on end. It was pretty fucking bad, and that is a huge fucking understatement.

...By that point, the woman would "confess" to just about anything, in order to get the torture to stop. And so... she'd come out, bound to something, and she'd be paraded around the village with a crooked, broken nose, broken, crooked teeth, a swollen face, gnarled hands, ratty-looking hair, a hunched-over posture, skin black and green and blue and red and discolored from all the fucking bruises...

...Look at the "cute" picture up there again. Description fits, doesn't it? This is our "witch". This is how the modern imagery of one came about in my world. The modern imagery is the end result of the endured torture. From there, the freshly-convicted "witch" would be hanged, burned, drowned, have rocks thrown at them until they die, or some other similarly horrifying method of "disposal".

...Great thing to dress up as while going door-to-door to get candy. </sarcasm>

...

...Still, beautiful, 80-degree Fahrenheit (27.7-degree Celsius) weather we're having for the kiddos to gather candy in while dressed in costumes...

(It's supposed to be 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) at most, this time of year. 😳😳😳)

...We bought candy just on the off-chance that we'd get a few kiddos stopping at our door; our Homeowners Association generally discourages any kind of walking or trick-or-treating (because they're a bunch of crotchety old geezers who hate children and have nothing better to do than be angry and uptight about innocuous things), but we did get like 2 trick-or-treaters, so that was kinda neat.

...I guess I'm glad that they'll be able to be comfortable in their costumes outside without getting cold and needing to cover up their costume by putting on a jacket halfway through...

(THIS ISN'T NORMAL.)

...

...Sephiroth... I... I think of the state of my world, and I think of the color of my skin, and I think of the way my ancestors were to the rest of the world (the way a non-trivial number of people with my skin color STILL ARE to the rest of the world!), and... I kind of resent the history that led up to my creation. That's because this horrifying history is the root cause of a lot of what's wrong with my world. It's complicated and messy and... it's not something I have the power to change on a mass scale.

...I know that I can't change what the people of the past did. I know that I did not consent to being born into a system that assigns unfair and arbitrary disadvantages to people who don't look like me. I know that all I can do, with what little power I have, is to advocate for change.

But... though my skin is pale (seriously, why in fuck do we fight over melanin??? of all the stupid, useless, asinine shit to fight over... for fuck's sake...), I was still assigned female at birth, and this comes with a lot of drawbacks that shouldn't exist (because apparently we gotta fight over who's got what kind of genitalia, too); my voice doesn't carry a whole lot of weight in this place.

...All I can do is keep writing, and keep trying to treat people kindly so that maybe someday all this weird nonsensical fighting and bloodshed will stop. I don't know what else to do, so I'll keep trying to do my part to make things a little better, even if I don't always know exactly what that is; I don't want anyone to have to suffer.

(...really, I just wanna get the hell out of here and go to a place with all different kinds of people, and still none of them are fighting; instead we're all just hanging out and making pretty things and eating tasty snacks and doing fun stuff together...)

For now, I suppose I'll just vote, and hope that bad things don't happen...

Anyhoot. I should probably get going; I was looking forward to watching more Trinity Blood with a friend today; maybe watching the character that reminds me of you will help put my frazzled brain at ease.

I love you. And I'll write again tomorrow, okay? So please stay safe out there.

Your friend, Lumine