#I'm gonna make tomato soup tomorrow and it's gonna be Good and I'm going to enjoy it.

[beetrans]

I am thinking about Who I Am outside of work and Productivity and academia and the like

and after today's Hospital Time I am reminded. that I'm actually a pretty happy person when I'm not buried in heaps upon heaps of stress and literal inescapable pain.

it is nice to be happy. Content. Experiencing the world and the many surprising everyday joys of life. doing something silly. Literally smelling the flowers (one from my Mystery Seeds smells so good -- phacelia tanacetifolia if my ID is right -- aka Bee's Friend! how lovely!!) and brushing my dog and making her hair look stupid and laying down in a comfy bed on a comfy pillow.

yes the Horrors creep in. I'm in a fuckin Bad work environment and family threats and all that. but I Have to find and hold onto the joy. If I cannot find it, I have to keep trying to create it. Building a life more worth living.

[luveline]

can we see what christmas is like with eddie, reader and roan? 🫶

the munson family and their pre christmas priorities ♡ (step)mom!reader, 1k

“I'm sick of being a dad,” Eddie says. “I'm done. You're going to live with your Uncle Wayne.” 

Roan roars with laughter, her hair dusting the floor, her t-shirt dipping down to expose her chubby belly where she hangs from Eddie's hands. “Dad, pick me up!” 

“I'm Eddie now to you.” 

“I'm,” —she cackles— “sorry! Pick me up!” 

Eddie gives her a last good shake before gently lowering her to the floor. She's all flushed cheeks and big eyes, her hair a riot around her head as she wipes stray strands from her mouth. “I'm sorry, daddy,” she says, pouting, her thin brows rising up her forehead. “Don't be mad.” 

“I'm furious.” 

“No, you're not! You're not angry, dad, you're smiling.” 

Eddie forces his lips into a deep frown. “I told you to keep her in line!” 

You huff from your place by the Christmas tree. “Give it up, Eds. Santa doesn't come for grown ups, I already told you that.” You place a final small gift atop the small mountain of silver-wrapped boxes and straighten it to perfection. “So I have to make sure you get what you deserve.” 

“What was I s'posed to do?” Roan asks, sitting up. Her pyjamas are just a little too big, the shirt falling to her thighs and the pants covering her toes. 

“Restrain her,” Eddie says, grabbing Roan under the arms to help her onto her feet. “Let me roll your pants up, babe.” 

“I shrank in the night,” she says. 

Eddie smooths her hair out of her face as he kneels in front of her. “You're so funny. Santa will bring you all kinds of new pyjamas tomorrow, he told me. But don't tell him I told you.” 

“Did you get me anything?” Roan asks. 

If only she knew. “Yeah, we got you some gifts too. But we're gonna put them out when Santa does, okay?” 

“Okay.” She beams. Eddie pulls her pants from under her little feet to roll the hems up, worried she'll slip and smash her face on the wood floors. 

“You're excited,” Eddie says, moving to her second leg, “I can feel you vibrating like a dog.” 

“Woof,” she says, wrapping her arms around his neck. She's in a very cuddly mood tonight. 

“Oh, what a beautiful puppy I have. She's so cute.” He hugs her lightly, black curls trapped either side of them. Eddie sits back on his calves and she lets herself fall into his lap. “What kind of puppy are you? A poodle?” 

“No, I wanna be a dalmatian!” 

“Of course,” he hums, stroking her hair. “How could I forget? You love damn-nations.” 

You stand up from the tree to poke at them with your foot. “Can we have hot chocolate now?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Puppy's can't have chocolate,” Eddie says, encouraging Roan back to tuck her hair behind her ears. “So you'll have to be human Ro again.” 

She sighs forlornly. “Okay.” 

You make your way into the kitchen, paper chains hanging in the doorway and snowflake stickers holographic against the dark window. It's only 5PM, but the sun has firmly set, leaving the outside world in total darkness. You flick on the kitchen light and immediately head to the stove to heat the stove top kettle where it’s lived this last month on the back hob. “Milk, please?” you ask. 

Eddie's already in the fridge. He passes you the milk, ignoring the mounds of foil wrapped meats and cheeses, his stomach aching in longing. “One more sleep,” he says, hooking a pint of milk on his pinky. 

Roan attempts to climb your legs. You pick her up and put her on the counter, shielding her from the stove with your body. “What's for dinner?” she asks you. 

“How about soup?” you ask. When Roan wrinkles her nose, you add, “With croutons? We could have yummy vegetable soup with crispy croutons.” Still wrinkled. “Or we could have tomato soup and grilled cheese?” 

“With extra cheese?” Roan asks. 

“Sure, princess. Lots and lots of cheese.” 

Eddie opens the kettle. “What was in here?” 

“Milk last night, but I already washed it. I knew we'd be having more hot chocolate,” you say, words shaped by your smile as Roan pulls you in for a hug. “It's so cold, huh, baby.” 

“My nose is cold.” 

“I can feel it!” 

Eddie pours the entire pint of milk into the kettle. It'll be just enough for all three of you to have a full mug, and if he uses the big mugs there'll be no risk of overflow once the whipped cream and marshmallows have been added. 

The milk doesn't need to boil, only warm. While it's heating he takes the hot chocolate powder from the cupboard and throws in a couple of heaping spoonfuls. The milk quickly turns a rich brown. 

“Should I put some real chocolate in there too?” Eddie asks. 

“Duh, dad!” Roan says. 

You second her agreement more kindly, “Yes! Definitely yes. It's always best with the real stuff too.” You rub Roan's shoulders. “Yeah?” 

Eddie's getting jealous, honestly. He ignores you both, shutting the lid on the kettle and easing his way between your arm and Roan's. “Let me in,” he demands. 

You curl an arm behind his back. When you look up into his face, you couldn't look more in love. There's a shine to your eyes, a reverence he can't miss, and he's expecting your compliment before you give it. 

“Hi, gorgeous,” you say, kissing the side of his chin. 

He drops his head onto yours and pulls Roan in as close as he can without knocking her off of the counter. The air has already begun to smell of chocolate, though the smell of honeyed ham lingers. Roan herself smells like no tears shampoo. Eddie sniffs you curiously. 

“Stop sniffing me.” 

“What do you smell like?” 

“Nothing. I'm not wearing any perfume.” 

You smell like yourself. He can't explain it, but he likes it, hiding his nose in the seam of your hairline. 

Roan cracks first, pushing you both away. “How long will it take?” 

“Any minute now,” Eddie says, kissing your cheek before pulling away. “Let me get that chocolate.” 

“You didn't put the chocolate in? Dad.” 

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #373

I don't know how or why, but this morning was full of coughing. Also I've been sneezing like crazy all day, and my nose is somehow both stuffed up all to hell and also running like it's training for a marathon at the exact same time. If not even air can get through, then how in the heck are viscous fluids getting through??? It isn't even fair!!

The rhinovirus makes a mockery of all the faults of the human respiratory system. Such as, for example, its tendency to attempt to eradicate viral invaders with the application of... mucus??? Like, seriously. Why. Why would my body fill up my respiratory tract with fluid? Last time I checked, that is how people drown.

Like. On what planet (besides apparently mine) does a body think to itself, “hmmm, yes, we appear to have acquired some mostly harmless virus... LET'S FLOOD THE WHOLE AREA WITH STICKY, VISCOUS GOOP and see if that helps at all; who needs oxygen these days anyways???”

Sigh... I was feeling better yesterday. What happened...?

...Oh well. I know it's not actually that big a deal. I guess the post-holiday stuff just leaves me feeling a little bitter and cranky, and being sick isn't helping matters. I'll be okay; I know that ultimately, I have a lot to be grateful for, even if I am frustrated at my body's current condition.

Besides, I made myself some tea today. And now that I have a better camera, I can take better pictures of the swirls! Here:

...Haven't been able to snag ones this well-defined in a while now! I'm pretty stoked about how these turned out!

I also got soup and a bunch of other stuff to go with it today, too:

This is some kind of brothy soup with bok choy, bamboo shoots, tofu knots, and pork belly:

I've only ever seen bamboo shoots cut into flat planks before; I didn't know they were also cut in ways that show off their cool natural patterns like this:

...Bamboo shoots are delicious. And so are tofu knots. They absorb the flavor of the broth really well, and when you chew on them, a little of the juicy broth comes out of them. They look like this:

...Absolutely scrumptious. Seriously, it's some amazing stuff. They're soft and kinda chewy, and they have an interesting texture. They go so well with so many things, too!

Here are some of the other yummies I got; these are pork soup dumplings, complete with the little container of dark vinegar. You're supposed to poke a small hole in the dumpling and pour a small amount of the vinegar inside so the sourness balances out the savory flavor of the broth inside. I prefer it with the vinegar, but it's good without the vinegar, too!

These are spicy wontons filled with chicken and pork. Different places make them in different ways; this place uses a spicy peanut sauce with sesame seeds sprinkled over it, and there's some shredded cucumber and scallions on there, too. My body is normally oversensitive to capsaicin, but I got them hoping that they'd open up my sinuses; spicy foods tend to do that to people. But these were mild even for me:

...And some marinated steamed chicken, too!

I didn't eat all this by myself, don't worry!! There's plenty leftover for tomorrow; it's gonna be good!

Also at some point, J asked me to accompany him in the car as he went out to try a thing called COB pizza. It was in a somewhat faraway town. I stayed in the car, feeling zombified and trying not to fall asleep. Not wishing to spread around my germs, I waited in the car when J got his pizza.

Anyway. COB stands for “Cheese on Bottom”. The idea appeals to J because he actually doesn't like cheese much. But he does like tomatoes. I think the ideal pizza for him would be mostly sauce and very little (if any) cheese. And this is what a COB pizza promises. Behold:

...The cheese is, indeed, beneath the sauce, adhered directly to the bread. And actually... this makes a lot more sense. Because normally, the sauce is on the bottom, which means the cheese melts on top of a liquid, which means when you take a bite of the pizza, the cheese can sometimes slide in weird directions and make a mess.

The cheese does not slide on a COB pizza. But the toppings do, a little. And initially, I thought that was going to be a problem. But as it turns out, it just means that you can just move that pepper to where you need it so that you don't have to try to bite into it awkwardly.

...I am a fan of this concept.

And... come to think of it... I still gotta make a literal tomato pie for J sometime soon...

Anyway, I spent the whole rest of the day arranging recorded music box notes in Audacity. For the song I planned out, I managed to arrange the introduction; here's a picture:

...We see a tweaked version of the introduction later in the song, so I just tweaked it right here. So the lines “Twinkly 1” and “Twinkly 2” are slightly different mixes of the lines just above it. The lines “BPM quarter” and “BPM 8” give me place to snap to - 4th notes and 8th notes, respectively.

I also arranged the pattern for the verse. It's a little shorter, but more repetitive:

...It sounds good so far.

Now it's time for some math. My Audacity is set to have 44100 audio samples per second; that means in each second of audio, there are 44100 little blue dots. You can see them if you zoom all the way in.

The song is approximately 229 beats per minute; that is 3.82 beats per second. That means that each beat is approximately 11,544.5 samples long. But we can only have integers. Perhaps a little arbitrarily, I just went with a number close to it; I selected 11,556. So the length of each of my quarter notes for this specific song is 11,556 samples. This number is divisible evenly by both 2 and 3, which is important because there are triplets within each quarter note for parts of the song.

I guess in some ways, arranging my prerecorded music box notes in Audacity is a little bit more involved. But in other ways... it gets around the hardware limitations imposed by using actual music box paper. When you use actual music box paper, you can't control the tempo at all, and also, you can't play the same two notes as 8th notes, which really limits what I can do in a wide variety of respects.

...Those three music box papers I left for you with those very important people were made with those hardware limitations in mind. It took a lot more effort on my part to make “Woman” by Mumford and Sons, “In the Earthen Womb” from Illusion of Gaia, and “Radio Ballet” by Eluvium actually work. Lots of playing around with octaves to try to avoid 8th notes with the same two notes. All of them required meticulous planning, and then meticulous marking and hole-punching, praying that I didn't make any mistakes.

...In case you don't remember or haven't received them, you'll find them here:

And I made one more, too. But this one wasn't for you; it was for another friend. I wonder if you recall this one:

...Even with going paperless with Audacity, there's still number of limitations. For example, though it is a 30-note music box, the F note only appears twice, which is... infuriating in a variety of respects. I'd have a whole lot more freedom if I had even one more F note. And I'd have a whole lot more freedom if the upper and lower octaves weren't abridged.

There are some people working on a thing called a 40-note Muro box. It works with midi files, apparently, which is amazing, since I can make midi files using LMMS (and, in fact, LMMS is primarily where I plan my music boxes, in any case!).

...I want it; I could do so much more with so fewer limitations. But it's not in production for real yet. And it's entirely possible that it might not be in production for real, ever. Still... can you imagine what I could do with this...? With 10 more notes of freedom to move...? Why, the possibilities would be practically endless...!!!

...Maybe someday!! Hopefully!

Well. I guess it's about that time. Hopefully tomorrow I'll make more progress on the current music box fixation; I guess we'll see. Hopefully tomorrow, too, I won't be as sick as compared to today (as opposed to today, in which I am more sick as compared to yesterday... fucken lame...).

Either way, there is guaranteed soup in my future. Soup is good for the body. There are hydrating fluids and juicy nutrients in it!!! If you're feeling badly, make sure you get some!!!

I'm gonna stop writing and go to bed now. I'm probably going to have sleep with my nose plugged up with rolled-up tissue paper, and this annoys me, but it's better than the alternative. Worse things have happened, so it's really not a big deal.

I love you. Please take good care of your body and mind so that you can make good choices while you're out and about. I'll be over here, cheering you on and wishing for your safety and happiness, like I always do. Please build a wholesome life you can thrive in; it's not out of reach.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[laura-the-yellow-cat]

MSA X Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost Chapter 8: Customers are in horror and shock at Shaggy and Scooby eating foods, The rest of the Mystery Teams ate Restaurants/Meets Daisy’s Descendant of Sasha, Other Descendant of Marlin/Tourists are not good for many hours of 2 Ghosts, they have given up and out of locations

**A woman gasps and the customers in horror, as the people in the restaurant are looking at Scooby and Shaggy eating like a bunch of pigs, John, Jaxson with other mystery teams eating some food, John and Kirby are eating Roast turkey, as Jack returns, bringing them more food**

Jack: **laughs nervously** I never seen anything like this. Are you at least tasting my food?

They nod and swallow the food in their stuffed mouths

Shaggy: It's the best food we ever had.

Scooby-Doo: Delicious.

John: Looks good, Right kirby?

Kirby: **cute noises** (Yep) **eats one piece of roast turkey**

Jaxson, Josh and other mystery teams: Indeed

**Scooby and Jaxson drinks the tomato soups and then the man runs out of the restaurant in disgust as the gang arrives**

Daphne: So, how's the food?

Starla: Yeah?

Shaggy: Pretty darn good.

Velma Dinkley: Is there anything left in the kitchen?

Laura: or not?

Sarah: Indeed

Jack: I'll be right back, guys. I'm gonna make a run at the market.

**Jack then leaves**

Fred: It's getting dark, guys. Let's go see if that "ghost" is gonna make an appearance

Maisy: Yeah, it getting dark outside

Shaggy: Like we loved to. But we haven't had our dessert yet

Scooby-Doo: Yeah, yeah

John: Me too

Kirby: **cute noises** (Me three)

Josh, Jaxson and Other Mystery Team Members: Us Four

Daphne Blake: Okay, but after you're finished. Meet us at the puritan village

Laura: Yeah

Sarah: I agree

Lewis, Vivi, Mystery, Arthur, Daniela and others: Yep

Velma: Ben's already gone ahead.

Matilda: and Flik too

Shaggy: Great! Like if the ghost gets there. Just start screaming without us

John: So kirby, what you would like dessert?

Kirby: **cute noise** (Apple Pie)

John: **kind laugh** okay, kirby

**Scooby and Jaxson tries to eat the chicken leg from Shaggy and he dodges Scooby and Jaxson's bite on the chicken**

Shaggy: Hey!

Josh: Don't do that

**At night, we see many people in the puritan village**

Tourist 1: Come on, we've been waiting here an hour. The ghost is a no show.

Tourist 2: Maybe she'll show up in the concert tomorrow.

**Then they all leave except for the gang, mystery teams and girls' clue club team**

Ben: Too bad. I was going to have a little chat with my ghostly ancestor. I wanted to ask here where she'd hid her journal

Flik: Yeah

Daphne: Boy, Ben seems to be pretty obsessed with that book.

Starla: Oh my goodness, I guess you both are right about that

Fred: I'll say

Laura, Sarah, Lewis, Arthur, Daniela, Vivi, Mystery, Cera, Maisy, Ecole, Mike and others: Yep

Ben: We should all leave too

Flik: Yeah

Daphne Blake: We should give it a chance, Ben, Flik

Starla: I agree

Marco: Yep

Fred Jones: Yeah, it's probably a hokey bedsheet with a wire or something. This could be funny

Lewis: Or not

For @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

My msa x sd ocs sonas and My new m,=sa x sd Ocs Sona belongs to Me

Her msa x sd ocs sonas and Her new msa x sd Ocs Sona belongs to @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

Mystery Skulls Animated MSA belongs to Ben and MysteryBen27 of YouTube YT Series Shows

Scooby Doo SD belongs to WB (Warner Bros) and HB (Hanna Barbera) of Animated Movies and TV Series Shows

[theglowstickchronicles]

Unintentionally made breakfast for the next two days. I had made a veggie scramble this morning and saved half for tomorrow. Then I decided I wanted to try my new mini waffle maker and Kodak birthday cake waffle mix. I've never made waffles before (don't @ me) and I was using the mini waffle maker, so I just straight up followed the recipe. It made 6 mini waffles. I ate 3 for an early dinner tonight and then am saving 3 for.... I don't know. Maybe I can eat the eggs and a waffle tomorrow for breakfast, and then eat the other two waffles on Wednesday for breakfast? Or freeze some of the fake meat I was going to cook, and eat the waffles for dinner tomorrow so then I'm not wasting food. Okay, good talk Erin, lol.

I was also going to make a protein smoothie later with frozen cherries, vanilla almond milk, and "vanilla ice cream" protein powder but uh... I don't have frozen cherries. I contemplated going to the grocery store really quick but ugh. no. I have other frozen fruits and veggies for protein smoothies. I'll go Friday morning for the frozen cherries as a weekend treat. But speaking of smoothies I am in absolute love with my new Ninja. I've got a horrid work schedule this week due to vacation, so I bought easy foods (salads, wraps, probs gonna make a loaf tonight for dinners) but I have a three-day weekend next weekend so maybe I'll use the blender part to make a soup??? It's been a hot second since I've done that tomato basil with gnocci recipe that I got from @chrisdoeslife a few years ago...

Anyway. This was me procrastinating cleaning because I've got a killer headache, but I need to clean so I can work out and get my act together for work tomorrow. I am in the unfortunate position of having to train my orientee knowing we are letting them go at the end of the week unless a miracle is performed in the next 48 hours. I am going to be an absolute cunt about our educator doing absolutely nothing in the last 3 weeks though so at least there's that to look forward to.

[skinni-girls-eat-books]

Friday, August 2nd, 2024!

6:49am: lol yesterday started off strong but really went downhill after that cookie 😂 milk (150)

Another milk that I'm currently choking on (150)

9:27am: made an appointment for bc at 3:30pm, my farts are going crazy rn, but it feels great lmao I'm not bloated anymore

12:53pm: another cup of milk lol (150) today is very easy. I think I will have soup for dinner if I don't make plans

5:18pm: No better thinspo than almost getting diagnosed with high blood pressure AGAIN at my birth control appointment 🙃 I need to lose this weight and tbh maybe this will be my last year on bc since it is probably contributing to it. Let's see what this year brings as far as being healthy.

Ugh I'm exhausted from today. Banana (100)

Popcorn from microwave bag 480 cal w Ms. Dash Italian seasoning mmm

I forgot how good red wine vinegar is, I put some of that on my popcorn as well :) and took a little shot of it afterwards. So yummy

Multivitamin I forgot to take this morning

11:00pm: half block of habanero cheese w cream cheese (to cool the spicy) ~ 440 + 150?

Soda oops! Idk 140~

Tbh I'm doing a great job of eating through every thing in my fridge before I go shopping again for fruits + veg 😂 just don't really want to throw things away that I bought before I started this journey. But I didn't have a whole lot in my fridge to start with so woo. Plus this is only day 2 and I mentally feel like I am ready to do this.

Sooooo idk why I'm doing this but fridge checkkkkk: 1+1/2 blocks of cheese, a brick of seitan/ tofu, most of a 2L of soda rip (I probably won't finish it before it gets flat anyway), a thing of orange juice, pickled veggies! 80 cal protein yogurts and I can't think of anything else rn. (I'm laying in bed). There's a fuck ton of seafood and pesto and veggies in my freezer that I'm looking forward to, some popsicles that I got on clearance, boba packets lol, and I think that's it for the freezer. There's a bunch of soup and noodles in my pantry, some beans and diced tomatoes which I love and all those fucking almonds and trail mix still 😂 popcorn kennels and some Ritz crackers.

Idk what I'm gonna do tomorrow, there's a hurricane?? I might start my period?? I might be hanging with my boytoy?? What's going on???

Lol goodnight

[1d1195]

Hiiiiii I have read few ask about me and here people are so kind and to 💜 anon whoever it was about it doesn't matter just like you said so happy that we all love to talk and we will be doing it!!

Alfredo sauce is my fav too like with some vegetables so it can be healthy or sometimes no veggies but I love itttt!! And pesto-risotto?? How was it I never tried before??

I'm vegetarian since I was born lol so like it's a practice I think?? And I love fruits some of my favs are Mango, watermelon, blueberries and moreeeee like I could eat in any day!!( I swear i can eat one cube of watermelon and I bloat like a hot air balloon, it's stupid. A single slice of an apple and I want to throw up) after eating bloat like hot air balloon I'm laughing like the word choice is amazing but you can't eat any fruits?? You don't like them or is just you can't stomach them??

Veg Lasagna are so good too and my friends says the meat lasagna are way better than the veg one but I think veg one taste pretty amazing!! Ohh eggplant parm and garlic bread this sounds so good like I have eaten outside but never made it so if you wanna share the recipe of it please do!!

That day I didn't baked anything but tomorrow for sure I'm gonna bake chocolate or vanilla cupcakes ding was vanilla cupcake girly right??

Yes Italian dressing on salads taste so yum I make everytime I crave but I made Caesar dressing few time it doesn't taste that good as compare to restaurants one!!

French onion soup is so soothingly good like with some warm buttery bread ahh heaven!! Really if my mum is making all these food taste 10 times better!!💞

How are you?? How was dinner??

-🪴

I love chatting with you all. You're all SO lovely! 💕 I hope you guys never feel like you can't chat!

My bf will make plane alfredo sauce with pasta which is obvs delicious but I LOVE to add broccoli and spinach. Or really any veggies. Alfredo is 😍 The pesto risotto was SO good. There was asparagus in it too and I LOVE asparagus!

Oh no, I CAN eat fruit. It's just annoying because like one grape and I go up three dress sizes lol. I love fruit. Grapes, apples, WATERMELON is my FAVORITE. I also love love love strawberries and blueberries too. Pretty much all berries (raspberries are so underrated to me.) But I'm more of a veggie girl I think!

I love veggie lasagna! Meat lasagna is good too but I love a good veggie lasagna.

Eggplant parm you slice into disks! You can decide the thickness. You dip them in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs I usually add my favorite seasonings too (garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, etc). Fry them in a pan in your favorite kind of oil (I use canola, olive, or vegetable oil depending on what we bought that week lol) until they're golden brown. Then you start to layer it in a pan eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella & parmesan cheese. (I usually do a 8 in x 8 in pan but again your favorite one is fine!) If you make your own sauce then by all means use that but any red sauce you like will suffice! Then you bake it in the oven for a like 30 mins? Mostly so the cheese melts and everything gets gooey, crispy, yummy. I like to have it with pasta as well but it's good on it's own too. ALMOST like a lasagna with eggplant instead of pasta.

Garlic bread is like SUPER easy. I like to use french bread! You cut the bread open and lay it flat on a baking sheet. Oven at 425F. 1/2 cup of butter softened, salt, the recipe I've always used calls for 4 cloves of finely minced garlic but I never measure garlic, I put as much as I feel like. Same thing with salt. It says like 1/4 of a teaspoon but it depends if you use salted butter etc. etc. 1 tablespoon of parsley. You mix the butter, garlic, salt, parsley together and then spread it on the bread and bake in the oven for like 10-15 mins but I just usually watch it until it's ready (golden brown!)

I feel like both of my recipes are like "just throw it together as you see fit" it's very word of mouth recipes in my family and you just watch someone make it a couple times then just do it yourself. But if you try it, I hope you like it! 💕

Idk if I gave Miss Cupcake a favorite cupcake! I know Ding Harry liked her lemon raspberry ones 🤭 My favorite cupcake is vanilla with chocolate frosting because I'm BORING AF. But I don't care.

I LOVE my mom's cooking. Tbh idk if she's actually any good. I just love it so much.

I'm doing well! Dinner was good! I forget what I ate tbh but it was yummy. Any fun plans for the weekend?

xoxo

[keefwho]

May 02 - 2024 Thursday

10:35pm

2.5/10

I woke up tired and in a bad mood. I decided to go back to bed for however long, I only slept another hour. I got up and figured I should try to go through my usual schedule, I have an obligation to the people that pay me so that was my motivation. I had also decided to quiet Discord for a little to focus on my work and myself. My tummy hurt so I only ate a pack of soup for breakfast. I was able to stream on time.

On stream I warmed up with chinchilla sketches. Then I was trying to find the sketch I was commissioned to upgrade but I couldn't. I was also in a hurry because I had asked mom to take me to the store later so I couldn't waste too much time. I moved on to a different drawing for the time being. Then my stomach was upset again and I had to end the stream. I redid my schedule to give myself a little break and go to the store early. At the store I did my best to complete my therapy homework. I asked the girl if she had any super cool plans this evening and she said no, probably just gonna curl up under a blanket. That was about the extent of that interaction but it was better than usual. It also made me realize I can probably come in and ask any ol random question until I can probe deeper. Next I might ask what her current favorite show is or something. When I got home, I did an hour of commission work. I was in a poor mood and was trying to hang out with TK and friends in their server. They were playing a free hockey game I planned to join them in which I did. I hated it though so we only played a few rounds. Then TK and her boyfriend left to watch a movie in theater and I left to make lunch. I wasn't hungry but I ended up making tuna spaghetti. It was a little bit hard to eat it all but I did. I tuned into Tomato streaming hardcore Skyrim and that was my cozy content for the afternoon.

I had an afternoon schedule planned but it sort of fell apart. I knew all I really had to get done was commissions so I did that at least. I had planned to also work on idea requests and some of my next VR world but I skipped all of that. Given how I felt both physically and mentally, I gave myself the rest of the day off. A lot of it was spent curled up watching Skyrim. I felt very lonely but like I couldn't reach out to anyone. I thought about how hard it is to have fun anymore and how I'm not looking forward to anything. My day looked like being alone and unfulfilled, waiting to do it all again tomorrow. I asked DS for some company later. In the meantime I joined TK again and just chilled with them while I started installing mods for a KSP1 run.

When DS was ready, I kept preparing Kerbal and she put on a 90s EPCOT Barbie birthday video. Then we went down the rabbit hole of ASMR with Maya's channel. I felt very sick when we started watching and I almost wanted to ask for something else but I ended up really liking the Jimmy Neutron one we watched. It was hilarious and a great distraction from my body. Then we watched one as Buzz Lightyear.

In bed we did our puzzles, the crossword was stupid. We read a good chapter of Monster High and I progressed Twilight Town in KH2. After she fell asleep I booted up KSP to just barely start my campaign and the old UI is kinda grody but I found a mod to hopefully help that. Also not a fan of the loading times but it is a much more stable game.

[hereeveryday]

Day 3

I just want to say one big thank you to the bot that liked my first post. I'm so glad, I got my first like. That is so so great.

Today I woke up pretty late. I am on holidays with my family, so we are just chilling. I just had breakfast. Some yoghurt with jam, nuts and seeds. It was good. Now I'm about to do some cleaning and make lunch. It's gonna be fun with the broken right hand, but my sister will help me, so no worries.

I was thinking a vegetable soup and some pasta with tomato sauce or maybe fries with meat, I'll see. So yeah.

And maybe we'll go get some ice crem in the town, that would be nice. See you tomorrow, have a nice day !

[svechnikovvv]

can’t take my eyes off you (part 7)

gif by: @robinsteve

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

warnings: you guys know the drill by now

word count: 2,314

summary: steve fakes y/m for a week for a family reunion, but little does y/n know, he's had the biggest crush on her for a while.

a/n: this is officially my favorite steve gif. also, this one's short as well. just another filler chapter

saturday. yes. you’ll admit it. you were kind of looking forward to going home, but steve’s family’s grown on you. especially the kids. you don't know if you want to leave anymore. you sit up in bed and see steve sprawled out everywhere. you quietly laugh to yourself. you don't bother with changing your clothes, heading downstairs in your pajamas.

"i'd say morning, but it's twelve in the afternoon" diane says to you as you step into the kitchen. your eyes slightly widen.

"i slept for that long?" she nods

"why did you and steve get home so late?"

"we went to see top gun"

"ooh. i heard tom cruise was in it"

"oh, diane. he was a sight for sore eyes" you both laugh and she gestures to the table.

"well, you missed breakfast, but we still have lunch. since tomorrow's the last day, we kept it simple. so grilled cheese and tomato soup it is for today"

"my mouth is already watering" you grab a plate, and bowl, and make yourself your lunch. this was the one time you didn't make steve his food because you were just too hungry to put your food on pause to make him something to eat. you took a seat at the barstool that you usually sit on and dipped your grilled cheese into the tomato soup, then taking a bite.

"i forgot how good grilled cheese was"

"never underestimate the power of grilled cheese" diane says

"mm. somethng smells good" you look to your right and see steve wallking into the kitchen.

"look. sleeping beauty has finally risen" steve rolls his eyes at your comment and his mom hands him his food. looks like she made it for him. he tells her thank you and takes a seat beside you. he bites into his sandwich and he looks just as satisfied as you.

"so, what do you two have planned today?" steve swallows his food then speaks up.

"i was thinking of staying in today?" he looks at you and you nod

"staying in sounds amazing to me. maybe we can play another game of twister and i can kick your ass again"

"do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"why would i kiss my mom, steve? that's incest" he rolls his eyes

"you know what i mean" you two go silent after that for a bit, just finishing your lunch.

"oh, y/n, wendy and nicole said they wanted to give you a makeover today. they're in the living room waiting" diane tells you and you slightly panick. you let one of your cousins give you a makeover one time, and long story short, you looked like ronald mcdonald with how much she caked your face.

"lucky me" you slowed your pace at eating your lunch, scared for what was to come. once you did finish though, you made your way into the living room, steve by your side. the two girls spotted you instantly and perked up.

"stevie! y/n! perfect!" you and steve look at each other with scared looks and then back at the girls, walking to sit in front of them on the floor.

"stevie, we're giving you a makeover too" nicole says

"what? i came here to watch"

"we want to make you look pretty" wendy says and you nudge steve. you look down at the play makeup that wendy and nicole had laid out.

"okay, nicole, you do stevie and i'll do y/n" wendy orders and nicole nods. wendy stands up so that she can properly put makeup onto your face.

"first i'm gonna do eyeshadow" you nod

"close your eyes" you close them as instructed and you start to feel her work her way across your eyelids. you're just curious as to what color she picked out. she did the same to the other eye and then blowed your eyes.

"that's to get off any extra stuff" you nod

"okay, you can open your eyes again" you open them and see wendy holding blush.

"now i'm going to do your blush" she starts to dab the pink powder across your cheeks and does the same as she did to your eyes. she blows off the extra. she stands back a bit after she does that and looks at you, then nods.

"almost done. just have to do lipstick" she picks up a mini thing of lipstick and takes the cap off of it.

"do this," she puckers her lips and you copy her actions. she applies the lipstick onto your lips. she then put the cap back onto the lipstick and looked at your face, a big smile on it.

"you look like an official princess" she holds up a tiny mirror so you can see yourself and you gotta admit, she didn't do a bad job for a kid.

"i watch mommy do her makeup all the time" she says and you nod, then putting the mirror down and facing her.

"i love it wendy. thank you" she smiles big and nods. you then turn to look at steve and nicole is still going at him. she makes him pucker his lips like wendy did with you and she put on a bold, red lipstick. his eyes meet yours and you're trying your hardest not to laugh. you'll never let him live this down.

once nicole finishes, she hands him the mirror you previously had and steve looks at what nicole did.

"wow nicole. you sure weren't lying when you said you'd make me look pretty" he puts the mirror down, looking at her. he then looks at you.

"wendy, you did an amazing job at doing y/n's makeup" he stands up from his spot on the ground.

"thank you. now, let's go show people" the two little girls grab your hands and pull you into the kitchen. diane was the first to see and the biggest smile makes its way onto her face.

"wow. you two look... just wow" she's trying not to laugh and you just stand there as she takes it all in. cynthia is the next person to see it.

"y/n... you-" she then looks at steve. "oh. and steve" she lets out a laugh at steve and he gives her a bitch face.

"this is the best thing i've seen all day" she walks past the two of you, heading out to the terrace.

"let's go show our mommies" wendy says to nicole and she nods. they drag you to where you assumed their moms were.

"mommy! nicole and me did y/n and stevie's makeup!" laura and jennifer turn around and take in the sight of you and steve.

"wow"

"yeah yeah, i know" steve says and you're laughing. it's so hard for you to take him serious.

"sassy much?" laura asks and steve rolls his eyes

"you did an amazing job, sweetie" jennifer says to nicole and nicole smiles widely.

"i made him look pretty"

"so are you saying i was ugly before?" steve asks her and she nods. he fake gasps and places a hand over his heart.

"words hurt, nicole" she giggles and steve smiles

"this is by far the highlight of my life" laura says and you nod

"oh for sure"

"okay, come on. let's go back inside" wendy grabs your hand and drags you back into the house. steve in tow with nicole.

"when can i take this off?" steve asks nicole

"later" looks like you two have to go all day with your new look. throughout the day, you and steve did various tasks, still having the makeup on. at some point you two changed into different clothes. around 6, you and steve were watching some tv in the living room when wendy and nicole came up to you.

"you guys can take it off now" steve was the first to head to the bathroom and take it off. once he came back out, he was back to looking how he did hours earlier. you were next. you went into the bathroom and turned on the cold water, washing your face. you took the washcloth that you could tell steve used, and wiped your face off, getting rid of all leftover residue.

you headed back into the living room and sat down beside steve.

"who knew looking pretty came with a cost" he said and you chuckled

"you can't deny that you didn't enjoy it" he went silent, thus proving your point.

"see. i'm right"

"you usually are"

"don't kiss ass, harrington" he rolls his eyes. you swear, one day they're going to get stuck in the back of his head with how much he does it.

"i'm definitely telling robin and dustin about this when we get back home" he turns to face you, pointing a finger at you

"you will do nothing of the sort"

"you can't stop me" you grin evily at him and he squints his eyes at you.

"you got five seconds to start running. i'm giving you a headstart" you get up and take off out the door, heading to the vineyard. you can feel your calves burning as you run. you haven't put this much effort into running since highschool. you take many different turns, finding a hiding spot. you crouch down, panting and catching your breath.

"y/n!" you hear steve shout

"come on out, sweetheart!" your heart is thumping against your chest, and you're still trying to catch your breath. once you calm down your breathing, you can hear steve start to get closer. you slowly get up from your crouched position and you book it back to the house. you're running when suddenly you feel a pair of arms wrap themselves around your waist. you're let out loud laughter and steve is laughing with you.

"gotcha" steve whispers in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

"i would've had it if you didn't have such long ass legs you fucking giant" he chuckles and sets you back down on the ground.

"you're not telling robin and dustin about today"

"how will you know what i do and don't tell them?" you raise a brow at him and you two just stare at each other for a minute.

"i have my ways" he says

"oh yeah?"

"yeah," steve starts to stalk towards you and you back up at the same time. he then grabs you and throws you over his shoulder.

"steve harrington! put me down!" he's laughing

"nope" you sigh in defeat. steve carries you all the way back to the house and diane shoots you a look as steve walks past her and heads up the stairs to your shared bedroom. he then opens the door, closing it with his food. when he's in front of the bed, he throws you down onto it.

"just treat me like a ragdoll, why don't you" he rolls his eyes

"you're dramatic"

"and you're a pain in my ass. so what's new"

"who's the one who paid for your ice cream yesterday?"

"only because you wouldn't let me" he places his hands on his hips and looks at you.

"well you paid for the movie like you wanted, didn't you?" you shrug

"still doesn't change the fact that you're a pain in the ass. just accept it, steven" he goes quiet before he sighs

"fine. you win" you grin victoriously and move on the bed so that you're leaning against the headboard. you turn the tv on and watch some cartoons as you wait for dinner. steve joins you and soon the smell of pizza hits your nose. you could kill for some pizza right now.

you rush down the stairs and head into the kitchen. you grab a plate and put two slices of pepperoni pizza onto it, sitting down at the same barstool from earlier. five minutes later steve is beside you and you munching away on his pizza. after he finishes a slice, he puts the crust on your plate

"i don't like the crust" you gasp

"steve, that's like... the best part of the pizza. but thanks for the free crust" you happily eat his crust and you grab another slice. you had a big appetite today. steve laughed from beside you.

"if i knew you were this hungry, i would've bought you your own separate box"

"you should've" once you were done with your third slice, you head back up to the room. after all that running earlier, you were tired out. you change back into your pajamas from earlier and slip into bed. steve takes a shower and you continue to watch cartoons. like clockwork, you put on scooby-doo. you were very into the episode that was on. so into it that you didn't notice steve get into bed beside you.

"i gotta admit, you rocked that shade of lipstick," you speak, attention still on the tv.

"might have to look into buying some" you both laugh, but still keep your attention on the tv in front of you.

"thank you for bringing me here. i don't regret saying yes. and besides, i think we made an amazing fake-couple" right. fake. steve had to remind himself that everything was fake and that when you two went home tomorrow, it'd be back to how it was before.

"yeah. i guess we do" the conversation died down after that and you two watched the show in a comfortable silence. you eventually fell asleep, but steve couldn't sleep.

fake. it was all fake.

"it's not fake for me" he whispers to himself before he shuts the tv off, lying down and trying to fall asleep. eventually he succumbs to sleep, but he falls asleep with you on his mind. the girl next to him. the girl that he found unattainable. the girl that he would love to grow old with. the prettiest girl in the world.

tags: @btsinurmom @lovelyela @fezcomybeloved @manuosorioh @preciousbabypeter @in-this-minute @k-k0129 @prettysbliss @hcloangcls @simonsbluee @joekeeryswife @scoobiessnacks @sorrenthesonnetwriter @goldenbrokenheart @mess-in-side @chocolatepizzatyrant @frostandflamesfanfic

join my tag list: tag list

masterlist: masterlist

a/n: despite the shortness, i hope you all enjoyed it (:

[pixie-dust-and-pain]

Masterlist

MY ao3!!!!!!

This is a masterlist by the way 'cause I'm now fancy, with more than two works.

Note: All works (that are x reader) are gender neutral unless specified

Marvel:

Bucky Barnes:

Take Two : Bucky Barnes is a traitor (just some good ol' they had us in the first half, not gonna lie)

Another One? Bucky and his spouse didn’t want kids, but nobody said anything about a pet. or four.

Tomato Soup: You've bumped into Bucky, broken your phone, gotten his number, and all because of those damn soup cans

Slang: As much as you love Bucky, you draw the line at slang. However, someone has been teaching Bucky slang and he may have just used it at the most inappropriate time ever

Peter Parker:

Your Son's Undead: Peter Parker might be a genius, but he's an absolute idiot sometimes. Like now, for example, when he's managed to convince the world he's dead.

and we were best of friends: Peter's definition of sexual assault is messed up. OR: Peter's unique way of dealing with the aftermath of the Skip Westcott Situation (and how he skilfully stays in denial)

Natasha Romanoff:

Chocolates: You've had a chocolate for every day you've worked at SHIELD. It's just left at your desk, no explanation, no note, but you're quite certain who the culprit is. (Natasha Romanov x fem!reader)

Pjo/HoO:

Laser Tagging (Solangelo): Based on the prompt: take me laser tagging and push me into a corner and kiss me. then shoot me and walk away

She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power (the gay one):

Just Her And Adora: Catra has always had a crush on her best friend, but no biggie, she's working on it. of course, Adora chooses to come out just then. (catradora <3)

The Technicalities of kissing girls: Adora and Catra sitting on a tree F-A-L-L-I-N-G

And I Can Go Anywhere I Want, Just Not Home: Adora blames herself for everything Shadow Weaver does to Catra. (TW ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD) (shadow weaver's always amazing parenting <3)

Cut Yourself a River (And Drown in it of Shame): Glimmer is left a little too alone with her thoughts while held captive by Horde Prime, and the full-length mirror in her room just makes it worse. (TW SELF HRAM)

The Owl House:

Cotton Candy Haired Goddess: A mint-haired Amity slips into a time-pool and is absolutely horrified to see her Luz kissing some purple-haired homewrecker

The Black Phone (2022):

Nothing proves I'm dead, nothing proves I'm alive: Robin and Finn just have a little well-deserved quality time together (after literally being traumatized also Robin lives shush)

Hamilton: An American Musical

You Kept Me Like A Secret But I Kept you Like An Oath: Alexander gets married tomorrow, and John is completely and totally okay with the fact that Alexander will no longer be his. Then why does it hurt so much? (LAMS lolz)

Avatar the Last Airbender:

These Shackles of Gold: Ozai is a careless leader. She learns this early on, wary of his scathing tongue and biting words, yet intrigued by how he doesn't hold back, even for the sake of diplomacy. This is not how you rule a country. This is how you start a civil war and lose all your allies.

Azula is careful, she picks and chooses and strikes when the time is right, not before and not after. She realizes that her father is a careless leader, and that, if left to him, the entire Fire Nation will be burnt to the ground. This will not do, Azula will be Fire Lord soon, and a ruler needs her subjects. Logically, the only thing to do in this case is seek the help of her dead brother, traitor uncle, and their miscreant group of friends that they seem to have acquired, including the avatar he was sent to kill.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #63

I went to the grocery store today! And this time, I actually got some pictures of the general structure and layout! Because I know you said you wanted to know what is an ordinary life.

I don't know if these exist in your world in the same way, so maybe this won't seem very ordinary to you. But it's ordinary where I live, so here you go:

Most places will have the entrance directly in the produce section. This is where we find all our fruits and vegetables. There are lots of pictures because there are lots of different kinds of food here. Some of them come pre-cut and pre-washed; this is very convenient, and also makes it a lot easier for disabled people to cook on their own:

I got a broccoli, some asparagus, and some tomatoes from here!

There's also typically a section that contains deli meats and cheeses. These come whole in plastic packages, and then they get sliced up on special machines on request. This stuff is usually for sandwiches and the like.

I didn't get anything from this section, but I wanted to show it to you anyway!

You have the other cheese sections, too, which are... not for sandwiches? I guess that's the best way I can explain it - usually the cheese is split up for that which is intended for sandwiches and that which is intended for other things. But I don't usually discriminate when it comes to cheese; these are my favorite sections of the grocery store whether they're for sandwiches or not!! Because I am a cheese goblin!! It has been written!! It is known!! Ahahaha~! 😄

(sadly, I didn't get anything from this section today. but you can tell it's my favorite section because I have more pictures of this one particular food than of anything else!! hahahaha! 🤣🤤)

Over this way, you have the prepared foods section, the raw fish and raw meat sections, and the rest of the aisles:

This is the fish section! I only get salmon from here, because almost everything else is either too expensive or it has too much mercury in it, or both! Swordfish, for example, is a fish that lots of people in my world really like, but it's ridiculously expensive, and it's got a ridiculous amount of mercury in it, too, so I avoid it. Mercury is not good for the bodies of living creatures!

I did get salmon from here today. My world has farmed salmon; people say that it's bad for you in other ways, but I know that wild salmon are often not sustainably fished, and farmed salmon is cheaper anyhow, and it's very important to have omega-3 fatty acids in your diet (especially if, like me, you came out of therapy today with a massive paradigm shift; your brain is gonna need that stuff in order to build new neural connections properly; maybe I'll talk about it tomorrow)!

This section is where they put all the custom cut, pre-seasoned, and extra fancy raw meat:

It's in this section that you'll find lamb, wagyu, bison, pricier cuts of beef, and pre-seasoned and pre-marinated meats.

The rest of the raw meat section contains more standardized cuts that haven't been seasoned. It's divided into "beef and sometimes lamb" (it's a real treat when they get whole lamb leg on the bone; I love to season and roast those and save the bone for broth!), pork, "turkey, chicken and chicken organs", and then "other organ meats, things for stock or bird feed, and things that are purchased relatively rarely" - think beef liver, suet, pig's feet, chicken's feet, and marrow bones for making soup stock. But they don't always have those things.

This is the "beef and sometimes lamb" section:

This is the pork section:

Here is the turkey, chicken, and chicken organs, and organ meats sections:

I got chicken leg quarters from here! I intend to make them tomorrow, if I still have energy after my tasks and I'm not in too much pain!

Near these sections, in the middle, is where all the pre-cooked or cured meats are - things like hotdogs, cooked sausages, whole ham, and bacon. Here's an example:

This is where they keep the milk and cream:

And here's where they keep breads and desserts:

I got a couple of surprises here, with you in mind! You'll see at the end! 😁

So far, I've only shown you the edges of the store. There are lots of aisles in the middle, which is where they keep non-perishable items, or items that aren't perishable until they're opened. Things like cereal, canned goods, dried goods, pasta, condiments, sugar, flour... stuff like that. The middle aisles contain lots of preserved or processed foods. Foods such as those aren't necessarily bad things, but it's generally important to make sure that processed foods don't make up your whole diet.

...Unfortunately, though, the reality of our world is that processed foods are generally a lot cheaper, so for most people, it's really all they can afford. I'm very lucky that I can get things like fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh fish. I remember when I was younger, and we could usually only get processed foods, meat, dairy, and bread.

In any case, here's the breakfast aisle:

You can find things here like cereal, oats, pancake mix, tea, coffee, honey, syrup, and stuff that people where I live generally like to eat for breakfast.

This is the honey and syrup section.

I got honey from here because we were out.

Next to it is the tea section:

I didn't get anything from here, but I decided to show it to you anyway because the colorful boxes are kinda pretty!

J was with me, and he decided to snag this picture of me taking pictures for you, for some reason! Hahaha!

Anyhoot! We got home and put everything away! I guess it's time for me to show you the surprises I got! I don't know what you like for dessert, but it's hard to go wrong with things like chocolate and raspberries, I think!

This one is a chocolate cheesecake with purple raspberry frosting and fresh raspberries on top!

This one is a raspberry mascarpone tart thing!

And this one is a chocolate truffle tart thing!

...And... I know I can't give these to you. But I think you would like them if I could. If nothing else, please know that there are people in this world who would get tasty snacks for you just because they think you might like them.

Thank you for coming on this adventure with me. I know that a grocery store is probably just an ordinary thing, but you've indicated before that you just want ordinary things, and... even ordinary things can be turned into full adventures if you're carrying enough curiosity, joy, excitement, and love inside your mind. Even if you go to the same place lots of times, there is still always something new and beautiful to discover, if only you look closely at everything with fresh eyes.

You are loved because I love you. And lots of other people do, too. So don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed, got it? We need you here. We need to see you heal. We need you to be okay in the end. Please. Because there's still so much you haven't seen. There are still so many delightful and wonderful and beautiful things that you haven't experienced. Don't go around thinking like pain and misery are the only things that life can offer you. You're not done yet.

I'll write again tomorrow, so please keep yourself safe.

Your friend, Lumine

[lazypetals]

we're back at school bitches and i've been up to my walking all day and staying under my cal limit. let's fucking go. xmas break at home was just full of food and people and i wasn't weighing myself or bodychecking and yeah it was nice and i'm fortunate to have that, but in the back of my mind i felt like shit because i knew that i'd regret every bite of cannoli from that new bakery and eating sandwiches until my stomach felt like it was gonna explode and huge scoops of vanilla ice cream with extra chocolate chips (that i willingly added cause i'm fucking fat) once i got back to school and had more awareness of my body.

it sounds bad but it feels so good. i missed ed youtube. i missed weighing myself every hour and checking my waistline after every sip of water. bodychecking whenever i pee or just getting the urge to bodycheck and going to my mirror to life my shirt up. it's so comforting because i finally know i can do it. i plateaued so hard from 2020 to the first few months of 2021. i was like 160-165 for most of that time. then i got my shit together and it started working, and i finished off my semester and went home in the low 150s and i was so amped. but i went home for 4 months. and i went back to 163 JUST IN TIME TO GO ON MY FIRST SLEEPOVER COTTAGE TRIP AND TOOK PICTURES IN BIKINIS WITH MY FRIENDS THAT THEY ALL POSTED. and they're all so skinny and have those vertical belly buttons and honestly the pics weren't terrible but i look like an absolute blob but i wasn't gonna say that and stop them from posting because that would just make me stand out more. anyway september rolled around, i was back at school, then my grandma died, school was busy and i was just straight up not vibing.

but october -> december.......... im in love. december 2nd 2021. i saw the 140s for the first time since i was 15 years old. my lowest weight ever was around that time, beginning of 2017 when i was delivering newspapers every week and walking like crazy to high school and back. it was 138 pounds. if i could get back to something even close to that i would cry. december 2nd 2021 though was 149.8 pounds. and honestly? i was ecstatic. i bought a scale off facebook marketplace because i couldn't handle being away from the one i had at home and not knowing my weight. december 2nd i met that girl in front of a subway and i practically ran home i was so fucking excited. and to see my lowest weight in literally years, breaking below the 150s.... im still giddy.

I KNOW I CAN DO IT AGAIN. again, unfortunately winter break happened and i left home on jan 17th somewhere around 154 again. but that's okay. because i was 151.4 yesterday/last night and that's exactly where i was on november 27th 2021.

and actually i'm gonna weigh myself right now.

151.2!!!! AND I HAVENT EVEN POOPED IN 2 DAYS OR SLEPT YET IT'S LITERALLY 7:15 AM

im manifesting this for me. i have basically nothing to eat in my fridge or cupboard. the only food i really have rn is:

- assorted bag of oh henry/reese cups/cookies and creme

-cottage cheese

-carton of eggs

-3 cheesestrings

-a small sleeve of 8 crackers

-some cream cheese

-cans of 100cal chicken noodle soup

-some frozen broccoli

-frozen fries

-frozen fish

-hot chocolate powder (i deserve it fuck off)

-teaaaaa

-also some more frozen english muffins (160cal) and other dry pasta to be cooked, tuna cans, just other assorted low cal stuff that takes too much effort to make

it couldn't be easier. when i go in for my lab tomorrow i'm gonna get some cucumbers, cold cut slices (usually like 20-30cal per slice), and cherry tomatoes on the way home. those are my all time safe foods i'm telling you like 2 cold cut slices 2 baby cucumbers and im full for hours it's fucking magical.

wish me luck i cannot WAIT

(i just dont wanna lose all my ass though thats the only thing i have going for me) (it seems fine so far) (but id much prefer finally having skinny arms instead of my stupid thick meaty forearms and basically bingo wings over an ass any day)

peace

[zu-is-here]

Hi Zu!! It's good to see you online again! Guess it's been busy? *hugs*

I'm going to answer your response now, just give me a moment! In the mean time, look what I madeeeeee

Hi Gayfish!! Oh it felt like weeks, I missed you <3 *hugs* And I finally finished my diploma! ☆ Feeling strange yet amazing (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Tomorrow's the final day for editing and submission but I can't believe all the main work's done ♪

Take your time! I'm waiting <3 OMG you made a chocolate salami!! \(//∇//)\ Looks so nice and yummy— great work! ☆ How was it? How does it taste like?? *^*

UPD:

Awww thank you so much!! (๑>◡<๑)☆ It isss *^*

Oh you should be! ☆ This looks awesome and smooth without any cookie crumbs spoiling the shape, you did amazing!! I'm really glad you liked this better, such a classic recipe with cookies is just right <3

That's really nice and more than enough already! (ówò) Heheh such different points of view ☆

Lucky you with a friend nearby! :D It's good to know you had a great time <3 And thank you! Maybe this one is heh, though I have many photos of sunsets, always unique and very colorful *^*

Oh I didn't even expect to be almost right in time with the luckily good name for your story! (〃ω〃) No problem! <3

Hmm mb gotta watch a bit— ♪

Gazpacho is a Spanish cold tomato soup with vegetables and spices, usually sold in packs or bottles for easy drinking, really good one~ Wait— do you use heinze ketchup right for your soup? (°▽°). Speaking of soups, I love puree soup like cheese with croutons or mushroom soup, it's really easy and quick to make! And for you? ☆

Aww strawberries with whipped cream are, for real *w* but with chocolate— must and will try! (๑>◡<๑)

What a nice and lazy morning! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Nothing was in the right place? :D That's weird yet pretty interesting to imagine xd

Ohh I can feel you _(:3 」∠)_ I've done it before, guess it's hard for everyone at first but if you do it regularly, the muscle pain will go away! Good luck ☆ You're doing great indeed by following some *^*

YOOO— so intrigued for your art! This is gonna be a nice week ;) Also for real?? \(//∇//)\ That's a great news!! I'm looking forward to this so much ♡

Lately I've been just writing day and night, listening to music and drinking tea sometimes, while it was so warm and sunny outside :') Ah— yesterday I also managed to watch part of Eurovision's semi-final! That was impressive *^* Can't wait for the final! ☆ Do you watch Eurovision?

P. S. Tastes like hot apple juice with cinnamon and cloves! ♪

[whydoiwrite]

How was your xmas ? How are you ??

well thanks for asking.

i think in a lot of ways, i'm better than last year, and in a few ways, i'm worse.

christmas was different. i made the decision not to go see my brother. he's a pathological liar, and while his lies aren't necessarily harmful, it's always easy to prove he's lying and it just ends up setting me off. it's stupid shit like "i didn't steal your hoodie," and then i check my security camera and the dumbass is getting in his car to go back to austin... in my hoodie. or telling me he voted when that shit is public record and i can see damn well he didn't. not that i condone lying - and i've told two decent-sized lies in the past year, so no judgement - but at least i can see why people lie about stuff like cheating or to parents to get out of trouble. if you're gonna do it, have a reason, be good at it, and make sure there's no possibility anyone can find out. his lying is like trying to deny he burned a hole through my microwave door. like, was it the dogs? because only the dogs and you were home. oh and here's the skillet of tomato soup in my sink because you fucking microwaved metal instead of using the stove. anyway, i pulled my typical bullshit when i want to avoid conflict and just never responded to his texts. i don't know why it makes me so mad other than he lies all. the. time.

there was a time earlier this year that i thought i'd have someone to spend the holidays with. then i realized that person wasn't it, and for the first time in my life, i decided alone was better than something that wasn't right so i let that end. that's a huge deal for me. i actually have great gut instincts, my dreams sometimes even tell me the truth about what's going on, but i typically ignore all of it. for reasons.

so anyway, i ordered sushi on christmas eve that i didn't eat because i had cinnamon sugar cookies and eggnog instead. i left it out on the counter and ate it for breakfast christmas day. no, i didn't get food poisoning. yes, i have a fridge. it was the first christmas day in my entire life i didn't have biscuits and gravy for breakfast. that's a once a year thing, so maybe next year. wasn't into cooking. i took a nap. forced my dog to go on a long walk. he thought he was gonna die because it was 80 degrees. lifted. then i watched a couple christmas movies and went to bed. i've got a christmas dinner to go to tomorrow night. that's about it.

[fisheoctrashdump]

"Mystery flavor, huh?" 

The man in front of her smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. 

Tez smirked. "You know, the last time I trusted your cooking, I regretted it." 

"I'm getting better now! I promise, this will at least be palatable." He held the spoon out to her with a hand cupped underneath to catch any potential drips.

She sighed and leaned forward to take the bite she was being offered. The saltiness hit her taste buds immediately, and she grimaced. 

"You lied to me," she said bitterly, barely swallowing the liquid. 

"What? I think it's good." 

Tez shook her head. "Jax." 

"Well, Josine liked it." 

"She likes any soup you make for her." 

Jax laughed and set the spoon on the cluttered counter. "Okay, how would you fix it, then?" 

Tez raised an eyebrow. "That?" She gestured to the pot. "There's no fixing that." 

Jax groaned dramatically. 

"Oh, you know what would be good for next time? Add some sugar to the tomatoes and cook them down before you put them in the soup. Trust me, Jo will love that." 

"Mommy?" 

Tez and Jax instinctively looked down. A small child with curly silver hair stood beside Tez. His tiny hand was curled around the bottom of Tez's shirt, and he seemed troubled somehow. 

"What is it?" Tez asked gently. 

Razi retreated further behind Tez's arm and mumbled something incoherent. 

"I'll start cleaning up," Jax announced. He lifted the pot from the stove and walked it over to the sink, leaving Tez and Razi on the other side of the kitchen. 

Tez crouched down so that she and Razi were eye level. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, and smiled comfortingly at him. 

"Tell me what you're thinking, Razi." 

Razi avoided Tez's gaze. He seemed to grow more upset with each passing moment, until tears threatened to fall. 

Tez rubbed her hands on Razi's arms. "Hey, it's alright. If you can't tell me, why don't you show me?" 

He finally looked at Tez. Reluctantly, Razi nodded and reached for one of Tez's hands. Tez stood and allowed her son to lead her out of the room. She and Jax shared one last curious glance before she entered the dining room.

As they passed the table, Razi coughed lightly, stumbling a moment as he did.

"You okay?" 

"Mhm."

The sound of someone crying entered Tez's attention. It got louder as they approached the doorway to the living room. 

"What happened?" Tez asked. 

Razi froze at the doorway and looked back at Tez. He was still clearly upset. The grip he held on Tez's hand tightened. 

Tez squeezed his hand in return before stepping around him. Razi whimpered, and grabbed Tez's arm with his other hand. 

As Tez peered into the living room, she noticed a broken item. The pieces lay scattered on the orange rug, and standing over this item was Mihdia. Josine, who had settled just behind, looked just as worried as Tez felt. 

"Are you two okay?" Tez questioned. "What happened?" 

The two teens looked up at the sound of Tez's voice. Mihdia's crying paused momentarily before she noticed Razi hiding behind Tez. Her expression darkened as more tears fell. Razi desperately clung to Tez now, and she could feel his tears against her arm as he began to cry as well. 

"Mihdia's snow globe is broken," Josine explained. 

"Razi broke it," Midhia sniffled. "He did it." 

Josine frowned. "You know he didn't mean to." 

"I'm sorry," Razi cried. His small body trembled as his crying rivaled Mihdia's. "I'm really sorry." 

Tez instinctively moved her hand over Razi's head. Her fingers gently pulled at the curls of his hair as Tez assessed the situation. 

"Jax?" Tez called out loudly. 

Several moments passed before Tez saw Jax approaching from the kitchen. He walked across the dining room to meet Tez where she stood. 

Tez gestured to the scene in the living room. Jax looked stunned. 

"Apparently Razi broke one of Mihdia's things. A snow globe?" 

"Oh. Oh, no." Jax looked down at Razi, who only cried harder. 

Tez instinctively stuck an arm out in front of Razi. 

Jax tried to smile at Razi reassuringly, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Razi. No one's mad at you." 

"It was an accident, so I would hope not," Tez snapped. 

Jax gave Tez an apologetic look before he entered the living room. 

"Go away," Mihdia growled. 

Jax looked down at the broken pieces and sighed. "Be careful of the glass." 

"Oh, thank you so much for the warning. I had no idea that glass is something I should avoid." 

Josine grabbed Midhia's arm gently. Her expression was melting from worry to hurt. "Mihdia…" 

Mihdia glared at Josine momentarily before yanking her arm away from her grip. 

"Why are you acting like this?" Josine asked. The desperation in her tone was enough to make Tez feel bad for Josine instead of Mihdia. 

"She needs some time," Jax said to Josine quietly. "Give her some space." 

"You think you know what I need?" Midhia shouted. "What I need is for this to never have fucking happened!" Mihdia gestured the rug. Her tears still fell from her eyes, but it was easy to see they were now fueled by a different emotion entirely.

"I didn't mean it like that." 

"I need dad." 

The sudden calm of Mihdia's voice was jarring. Jax took a half step backwards and cleared his throat. 

"He… he won't be back until tomorrow. You know that." 

"Then I'm leaving." 

"Midhia, please."

The entire room paused to look at Josine after the words she managed to throw in during the argument. She looked scared. 

Mihdia exhaled shakily. "I need to be alone right now." 

She glared sharply at Jax for a moment before she rushed to the stairs. They all listened to her as she left. The sound of a door slamming pulled them out of the daze they were in. 

Tez released the air she had been holding. She met Jax's gaze for a moment before she looked between the two remaining children in the room. 

"Are you alright?" 

Josine shook her head, indicating that she wasn't. At some point during the commotion, Razi had wrapped his arms around Tez's waist and buried his face in her shirt.

Jax took a few careful steps towards Josine and opened his arms to her. She fell forward into the hug and began to weep quietly. Jax held her tight, as if he was the only thing holding her together. 

"Mommy, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." 

Tez's attention was turned back to Razi who now looked up at her, his face tear stained. 

"It's alright, sweetie. It was an accident." 

Razi sniffled and tried to wipe his face with his hand, but Tez stopped him before he could. She searched the room for her bag, and once located, she led Razi over to it. She hastily began to remove the many items contained within until she found the wipes. 

"Is Mihdia mad at me?" Razi asked nervously.

"No, she's not mad at you." Tez lifted Razi's head by pushing his chin up and began to clean his face with the wipe. 

"Am I-" Razi closed his mouth as Tez wiped it. "Am I in trouble?" 

"No." Tez stuffed the wipe in the side pocket of her bag. 

"Is Mihdia gonna tell mama?" 

Tez froze. She opened her mouth, but her voice felt stuck. Razi noticed this, and whimpered. 

"No, of course not. Mama won't know," Tez declared. 

"She's gonna be mad…" 

"She won't, because we won't tell her." 

Razi silently watched Tez with wide eyes, still looking unsure.

"How about tomorrow we could say we're sorry to Mihdia." 

Razi nodded. 

"We could… we could bring her some cookies. You wanna help me make them?" 

Razi smiled. "Can we make the puppy ones?" 

Tez grinned and leaned down, motioning Razi to come closer. "I don't know," she said quietly. "We might attract the cookie bandit if we do." 

Razi giggled. "We can share!" 

"Oh, but he wants all the cookies for himself!" 

She grabbed Razi's sides to tickle him, which caused Razi to squirm and laugh. 

"Okay." Tez lifted Razi up to one of the dining room chairs and sat him down. "I need to go check on Jax and Jo, so you stay here, alright?" 

Razi nodded. 

"You wanna color while I'm gone?" 

Razi nodded again. 

Tez smiled and removed the book and crayons from her bag. She carefully set them down in front of Razi, before she leaned down to kiss him on top of the head. 

"I love you, mommy." 

"Lots and lots?" 

"Mhm." 

"I love you, too." 

-

A bang at Razi's door startled him out of the trance he'd fallen into. He hastily pulled the headphones from his ears and looked away from his textbook for the first time in an hour. 

"Razi? Can you come out here?" 

"Yeah, one second." 

Razi draped his headphones around the back of his neck as he stood from his desk. He stumbled a moment when the wheel of his chair caught on the rug behind it. Razi caught himself by grabbing the desk. 

When he finally reached the door, he noticed his music was still playing loudly. Razi pulled his phone from the front pocket of his hoodie and paused the song that was playing as his other hand turned the doorknob to pull the door open.

In front of the doorway stood his father, Michael. 

"Hey, you have company." 

"Huh?" Razi gave Michael a confused look, but followed him out to the living room anyway. He paused at the end of the hallway as his gaze swept the living room. He finally noticed the two people standing by the front door. 

"Oh, there you are," Galatea said. 

"Took him long enough," Arvid grumbled.

At the sight of Galatea, Razi felt his face burn, and he looked down to double check his clothing. Arvid rolled his eyes and leaned against the closet door behind him. 

"What are you… doing here?" Razi asked nervously. 

"What are we-?" Arvid sighed. 

"You forgot, didn't you? I can't believe you, Puppy," Galatea teased. 

"Forgot… what?" 

"Our plans today? I blew off Izan for this, and now you're saying you're not even going?" Arvid glared at Razi. 

"I didn't… um…" 

"Oh, he's going." Galatea smirked. "Go get ready! We'll wait." 

Razi glanced over at Michael, who only shrugged and left for the kitchen. 

"Okay, I'll… I'll be back." 

Razi left for his bedroom, feeling a little confused. He didn't remember making any plans today. He paused in front of his door and traced his fingertips across the handle nervously. Maybe this is a good thing, he thought. Getting out for the day might help with this feeling.

-

Razi rolled the cord of his headphones between his fingers as he watched the world pass outside. Arvid had taken control of the music and was playing the sixth Simple Plan song in a row, but Razi didn't complain. He listened absently as Galatea teased Arvid. 

"Where are we going?" Razi asked suddenly. 

"Dude, where have you been this past week?" Arvid leaned his head back against the seat. 

Galatea's gaze briefly left the road to glance at Razi in her rearview mirror. 

"Did you have an idea? We can change plans if you want." 

Arvid looked at Galatea in disbelief, but she ignored this. 

"Anywhere is fine, I guess," Razi said. 

Galatea turned the volume down on the music. "What?" 

"I said, um… anywhere is fine. I didn't have any ideas." He paused. "I don't know why I don't remember… making plans?" 

Arvid sighed and readjusted his seatbelt. 

"Just pick a place," Galatea said. "Wherever you wanna go." 

Razi sat in thought. A minute passed before Arvid looked back at Razi. He gave Arvid a pleading look, which signalled to Arvid he needed to jump in. 

"What about the arcade?" Arvid suggested. 

Razi paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, let's do that." 

Galatea didn't seem convinced. "Razi, you don't play video games." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"Well, I wanna try it. To be honest, I've been feeling…" Razi exhaled. "Maybe doing something different than normal might help." 

"So, the arcade it is!" 

Galatea glanced at Arvid briefly. "Sounds fun," she added. However, she still seemed unsure. 

Razi stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket to find the pack of gum he needed to calm down. He unwrapped the stick and put it in his mouth quickly before he turned to look out the window once again. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone vibrate. He saw it was a message from Arvid, and unlocked his phone.

Razi glanced up at Arvid. He seemed to be typing more, so Razi left the conversation open.

"Thank you." 

It was several moments before Razi realized he said this out loud. He frantically began to type out an apology to Arvid. 

"Sure," Arvid replied. He awkwardly reached for the volume on the music and turned it up to fill the silence. 

No one spoke the rest of the ride. The gum in Razi's mouth finally lost its flavor, and Razi removed it to put it in the wrapper it came from. He still felt on edge. There was a moment where he considered taking out another piece, but before he knew it the string of his hoodie was in his mouth. He chewed on it and returned his gaze to the window just in time to see Galatea drive past the arcade. 

He looked in her direction, but decided not to point this out. Either she had a reason, or she just missed the turn and would correct it.

The drive continued for another five minutes. Both passengers were curiously watching Galatea for any clues about their destination. Arvid seemed ready to ask the question, but Galatea put on her signal before he could. 

"We're here!" Galatea said in a singsong voice. 

"Where is here?" Arvid asked bitterly.

Razi observed the building as they pulled into the parking lot. His gaze fell on the sign, and he felt his heart skip. Arvid seemed to come to the same realization at the exact time Razi did. 

"Planetarium?" They both said it, but their tones conveyed opposite emotions. 

"Lame," Arvid hissed. 

Razi finally removed the string of his hoodie from his mouth and felt a smile take him by surprise. As Galatea parked the car, she reached for her phone which had been previously placed in the cup holder. 

"If I'm remembering correctly, they have a showing in about half an hour." Galatea grinned. "Still wanna go to the arcade, puppy?" 

Razi shrugged his shoulders. Arvid turned in his seat to look at Razi as well. 

"This seems fun," Razi mumbled.

"Of course it does." Galatea reached out to the backseat and ruffled Razi's hair playfully. "You know I have the best ideas." 

Arvid scoffed, but otherwise offered nothing to the conversation. 

"You'll have fun, too, Arvie." Galatea smirked at the death glare Arvid gave her from the use of his nickname. 

"Let's just get this over with," Arvid sighed. He unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed the door handle to exit the car. The other two followed his lead. 

As he left the car, Razi could barely contain his excitement. For the first time that week, Razi's mind didn't feel so foggy. He noticed Galatea and Arvid watching him and felt his face burn as he walked quickly to follow them into the building. 

The entrance was a lot more crowded than the parking outside indicated. Razi moved in closer to Galatea and Arvid, trying to resist the urge to reach out and grab them. 

Galatea paused and turned her head towards the younger two. "Wait here." 

Razi nodded. Arvid only folded his arms over his chest and looked around the area. Razi decided to observe his surroundings as well, and began to memorize the area. 

A bump to his shoulder brought Razi back. He looked at the source; a stranger had run into him accidentally. He smiled politely and murmured an apology, but the stranger gave only a passing glance before continuing towards the door. 

"Why didn't you apologize? Motherfucker," Arvid growled to himself. "I hate people." 

Razi laughed nervously in response. The conversations from the strangers around him seemed to get louder until their voices all blended together into an overwhelming noise. Razi didn't realize how close he was getting to Arvid until their arms were touching. 

"Dude." Arvid took a small step backwards. "Are you alright?" 

"Mhm." Razi returned his hoodie string to his mouth and began to chew on the material. 

"You two ready?" 

Razi looked up as Galatea approached them. She seemed to notice something was off, because there was a flash of worry in her expression. 

"I…" Razi frowned, moving towards Arvid again. 

Arvid looked between Razi and Galatea. For the first time that day, he looked visibly concerned. 

"What's wrong?" Galatea asked. 

"I need to use the bathroom first," Razi announced. The sound of his own voice made him pause, his expression reflecting his shock. 

"We'll wait for you," Galatea replied. 

Razi nodded and hurriedly turned away to locate the bathrooms. He wasn't sure if he was going in the right direction, but he didn't want to be there anymore. Razi felt the tears leaving his eyes as he searched. He felt scared. He still wasn't sure where these feelings were coming from, and that scared him even more. 

It wasn't long before Razi gave up his search and made his way to the exit instead. He covered his face the best he could to ignore the strange looks he was being given. As Razi exited, he felt a gust of wind cut through his clothes and make him shiver. The tears on his face were suddenly very cold. 

He wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie and moved as far away from the door as he could. He leaned himself back against the building and pushed his hands into his front pocket. 

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It didn't seem to be helping, though, because the tightness in his chest only got worse. Before he knew it, the sob he'd been fighting off suddenly surfaced. Razi put a hand over his mouth to muffle his cries, but it didn't help much. 

"Stop," he forced out between his tears. "Stop… crying." 

A memory flooded his mind. His mother. Her smile. Her smell. The sound of her voice. He felt his body trembling as his crying worsened. 

"Razi?" 

Razi pressed his hand harder against his mouth. He couldn't breathe. The feeling of someone's hands on his shoulders finally helped him pull in the rattling breath he needed to further fuel his breakdown. 

It wasn't until Razi felt arms around him did he finally open his eyes. The blue hair in his face was unmistakable. Razi's breathing was quick and shallow, and the tears didn't stop, but he finally removed his hand from his mouth to return the hug Arvid had pulled him into. He buried his face in Arvid's shoulder, whimpering as he trembled in Arvid's arms. 

It wasn't long before he felt another set of arms around him from behind. He exhaled and melted into the hold his friends had on him. When he finally felt safe to let go, Razi stood a little straighter and lifted his burning face from the comfort of Arvid's shoulder to face the chilly air. 

Arvid and Galatea released Razi and moved backwards to give him some space. Razi could tell they had questions, but he couldn't bring himself to formulate an explanation. 

"Do you… need to talk?" Arvid asked.

Razi made a small sound to indicate that he didn't, but it resembled more of a whimper. The other two still looked concerned. 

"No," Razi whispered finally. 

"What do you need?" Galatea questioned. 

He didn't know the answer to that. He didn't know what he wanted to do, or where he wanted to be. He didn't know what to say. At that moment, Razi didn't feel like he belonged in a state of existence. 

The beginning of a headache made itself known as a small sharp pain. Razi winced and placed a hand on his forehead. 

"Is…" Arvid seemed unsure about going forward with the question he wanted to ask, but this uncertainty only lasted for a moment. "Is this about Avery?" 

Razi paused, feeling his heart sink. He lowered his arm to rest at his side before nodding, though it was barely noticeable. 

"And mom…" The words felt like ice in his mouth. "I miss them…" 

Arvid raised an eyebrow as he shot a glance towards Galatea. He wanted to ask, but Galatea shook her head at him and mouthed the word "don't." 

"Well, Avery's coming back," Arvid said. He slowly returned his gaze to Razi. "That's something to look forward to." 

Razi shrugged. 

"We're here for you until he does come back," Galatea added. "We won't make you do anything you don't want to, either. I can take you back home now."

"I wanted to… do this," Razi sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me." 

"Nothing." Galatea smiled. "Nothing's wrong with you. Stuff just happens." 

"You both wasted your time on me and I let you down." Razi felt the tears in his eyes again. "I'm sorry." 

"You didn't." 

"I'm so sorry…" 

"Don't apologize, Razi." A pause. "Hey, look at me." 

Razi lifted his head to meet Galatea's gaze.

"I have one more idea. A backup plan, if you're up for it." 

Razi didn't respond. He slowly followed Galatea's gaze up to the sky. 

"We could go somewhere and watch the stars together. Just the three of us. You could talk, but you don't have to." Galatea paused. "Maybe that would be easier for you." 

Razi sighed softly. "But I don't want to waste your time anymore." 

"We're fine, Razi. This isn't about us," Arvid cut in. 

"Come on, puppy. Worst that could happen there is we get eaten by a bear." Galatea lowered her voice. "We'll use Arvid as bait." 

Arvid punched Galatea's shoulder and glared at her. 

Razi exhaled a laugh. "You would be good bear bait." 

Arvid groaned and turned away from the other two. 

"So? What do you say?" Galatea asked, tugging on Razi's sleeve. 

Razi nodded. 

"Hell yeah." Galatea removed her car keys from her pocket. 

"But… wait." 

Arvid and Galatea turned their attention back to Razi immediately. Razi lowered his gaze to stare at his purple sneakers as he felt his face get hot again. 

"Um… thank you." 

Arvid only nodded in response before walking back towards the car. Galatea pressed the button on her keys to unlock the doors, and smiled at Razi. 

"You know, you owe me for those tickets." 

Razi gave her a questioning look. Galatea jerked her head slightly towards the building. 

"Someday, you're coming back here with me. When you feel better. I know you're gonna love it." 

"Yeah…" 

"Yeah," Galatea responded affirmatively. "You let me know when you feel up to it." 

Razi smiled nervously. "I will." 

"You better. Now, let's go."