#Ready-To-Eat Food Market Opportunity

[marketinsight1234]

Ready-To-Eat Food Market Analysis, Key Trends, Growth Opportunities, Challenges and Key Players by 2032 

Ready-To-Eat Food Market Size Was Valued at USD 185.98 Billion in 2023 and is Projected to Reach USD 410.65 Billion by 2032, Growing at a CAGR of 9.2% From 2024-2032

Food that has been fully prepared and doesn't need to be cooked or prepared further before eating is referred to as ready-to-eat. In order to retain freshness and increase shelf life, these items are usually packaged and preserved using techniques like canning, freezing, or vacuum sealing. RTE meals provide quick and simple meal options that can be consumed at home or on the road with little effort, making them handy for customers. They cover an extensive variety of goods, such as meals, snacks, and drinks, and come in packed, canned, frozen, and chilled varieties.

Food that has been fully prepared and needs little to no more cooking or preparation before eating is referred to as ready-to-eat food. For those who are too busy, working professionals, students, or travelers to make meals from scratch, it provides convenience to users who would not have the time or means to do so. In addition, RTE foods are utilized in the food service sector, workplace and institutional catering, disaster preparedness, and on-the-go snacking. Since they can typically be kept at room temperature without freezing or refrigeration, they are useful for long-term storage in emergency food supplies, military rations, camping equipment, and humanitarian aid initiatives.

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Updated Version 2024 is available our Sample Report May Includes the:

Scope For 2024

Brief Introduction to the research report.

Table of Contents (Scope covered as a part of the study)

Top players in the market

Research framework (structure of the report)

Research methodology adopted by Worldwide Market Reports

Leading players involved in the Ready-To-Eat Food Market include:

Conagra Brands, Inc. (US), General Mills, Inc. (US), The Kraft Heinz Company (US), Kellogg Company (US), Campbell Soup Company (US), Hormel Foods Corporation (US), Tyson Foods, Inc. (US), PepsiCo, Inc. (US), The Hershey Company (US), Mars, Incorporated (US)

Moreover, the report includes significant chapters such as Patent Analysis, Regulatory Framework, Technology Roadmap, BCG Matrix, Heat Map Analysis, Price Trend Analysis, and Investment Analysis which help to understand the market direction and movement in the current and upcoming years. 

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Segmentation of Ready-To-Eat Food Market:

By Type

Breakfast

Soups

Snacks

Meals

Baked Goods

Meat

Salads, and Others

By Packaging Type

Cups

Containers

Retort

By Distribution Channel

Hypermarkets/Supermarkets

Convenience Stores

Online Retail Stores

Market Segment by Regions: -

North America (US, Canada, Mexico)

Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Rest of Eastern Europe)

Western Europe (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Western Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of APAC)

Middle East & Africa (Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Israel, South Africa)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of SA)

Highlights from the report:

Market Study: It includes key market segments, key manufacturers covered, product range offered in the years considered, Global Ready-To-Eat Food Market, and research objectives. It also covers segmentation study provided in the report based on product type and application.

Market Executive Summary: This section highlights key studies, market growth rates, competitive landscape, market drivers, trends, and issues in addition to macro indicators.

Market Production by Region: The report provides data related to imports and exports, revenue, production and key players of all the studied regional markets are covered in this section.

Ready-To-Eat Food Market Profiles of Top Key Competitors: Analysis of each profiled Roll Hardness Tester market player is detailed in this section. This segment also provides SWOT analysis of individual players, products, production, value, capacity, and other important factors.

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[mqrrstarr]

PART TWO OF THIS REQUEST!!

Christmas with the Emperor (2/2)

Emperor Geta x GN! Reader

how Geta would celebrate the holidays (Saturnalia / Christmas) with you!

go read the caracalla one

Warnings: edited lightly, Saturnalia then Christmas mentioned, half story half headcanons

A/N: @babey-fruit-bat here’s part two for Geta!!

Summary: how Geta spends Saturnalia and Christmas with his SO!

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Geta worked almost all the time. His stressed rarely reduced, unless healed by a night with you. Yet when the month of December came around, he was eager to celebrate the good god Saturn. He saw this as a time to celebrate, and to ease off the Senate’s heavy workload he was given.

“Sweetheart, are you ready to leave? I have to recite my speech to the people. I’m a tad bit nervous, but it is my duty.”

He looked a bit sad, but it was true. Unlike Caracalla, Geta had to be the one to present a speech to the Roman citizens. Saturnalia presented an opportunity for people to go around and get goodies and jewels from merchants. The annual ceremony was always lead by an Emperor though.

Caracalla had gone to the sacrificing ceremony, so Geta recited his speech. With your support, all had gone well and you were able to stroll in the markets after. You noticed a specific necklace you liked, and Geta noticed.

“You like that necklace? It’ll suit your neck well. Not as good as my hands of course, but it’ll do.”

He bought the necklace and placed it around you.

“Jewelry fit for a true ruler of Rome.”

He kissed your cheek and you were able to stay late and watch the moon rise above your heads.

“The moon cannot compare to your face, and it lights up your soul. I hope to end my life next to you, and cannot await to be with you forever.”

He said this as you were walking back to the palace, and the both of you fell asleep next to the fireplace in his room.

When it came to Christmas, Geta never really knew what you wanted. Caracalla was already nagging him with the things he got for his S/O, and he was left without ideas. Geta didn’t want to copy Caracalla, so he didn’t really know what to give you.

He decided to ask the Gods for inspiration, and it led to an extremely lavish gift. Something big, like a statue of the both of you, or just one of yourself, a library, an estate. Something big like that’s unexpected.

On Christmas Day, you’d wake up to Geta sitting at a table newly placed in his room, filled with food and your favorite treats. You’d eat, and he’d take you to whatever gift.

(For the sake of writing, I’ll say it’s a new vacation estate.)

“Sweetheart, I would never capture your worth in clothes or luxury. Instead, I see yourself in us. Our life. As the rulers of a grand empire, and hopefully, we can create an heir. Our legacy shall live on, and I cannot wait to grow old as a pair. I love you.”

9 months later, you had an heir and yet another vacation house with a statue of your newly made family.

the end. yippie!!

[i9messi]

Angry babe — Pedri Gonzalez

Pedri is grumpy because of his recent injury. Lucky him, you've just made some cookies and you're ready to cheer him up.

word count - 876

pedri's masterlist

“Hey. Please look at me? You did so well during the match, I’m so proud of you.” "Stop, let me alone."

Pedri didn’t want to talk about anything lately. After several visits from doctors and kinesiologists, they recognized what Pedri had. An injury. As a result, he would miss at least a month of matches and training. Pedri loved football and having to leave everything to fate was horrible. Barça could without him, he knew that himself, but could he without football?

His parents had gone to visit him that morning and you had taken the opportunity to go to the market for some things. You didn’t like to leave your boyfriend alone in that mood, so you stayed in his apartment until you could be sure he could handle himself. Now you had everything to make some sweet recipe, something that might cheer him up.

"Love, would you prefer cookies or an apple pie?"

There was no response coming from him.

You walked up to the room you shared and you saw him lying there, watching TV. He continued with an angry face, as much as his parents had tried to motivate him. Nothing seemed to be useful. An injury was not the end of his career, however Pedri acted as if it was all over for him.

"Cookies or apple pie?"

"I'm not hungry."

Your boyfriend was a great liar. He loved sweet food, and even though he was discouraged, the lie was noticed. Pedri loved the cookies you made for him. As much as he had a sporty life, where he had to take care of his meals, he always made room for your home cooking.

"Apple pie will be, then."

You started turning around when Pedri called you.

"Wait, I prefer cookies."

With a smile on your face, you returned to the kitchen and began to measure the sugar, flour and other items you needed for your recipe. You played some background music and as the cookies were baking, you approached the room where Pedri was. His gaze was on the television but you were absolutely sure he wasn’t really watching the movie.

"Let's talk, Pedri."

"I don’t want to talk."

"You know an injury isn’t the end of the world, right? You’ll be better, you’ll recover and play even better than before."

"You don’t know that."

You let out a sigh and stayed in the kitchen. Once the cookies were ready, you went into the room and sat on the bed.

"What are we seeing?"

Pedri took some time to respond, "Die hard 2, I think."

You whispered a confirmation and you saw his profile, Pedri was still watching TV and he wasn’t looking at you. Angry and in a bad mood, you were still in love with that boy from the Canary Islands who dedicated his goals to you. It was weird to see him in that mood, because even after a bad game he kept smiling. His injury was the cause of his resounding mood change and you hated it too. You wanted Pedri's good mood back, you wanted him happy.

"Eat up, babe."

"I don’t want cookies."

"Pedro González, enough with your attitude. I’m trying to help you."

Pedri stopped pretending he was watching TV and finally met your gaze. He sighed and took his hands to his head.

"I’m not some helpless little boy who needs your attention."

"You’re acting like a child, Pedri. Eat a little and you’ll be better. Sugar cures any evil."

"Cookies won’t cure my injury."

That was right, but anyways, cookies would cheer him up a little. There was nothing any of you could do at the time to make things better, the injury was already there.

"I was just trying to do something nice for you. Besides, your negativism won’t cure your injury either."

"Do you always have to be so damn optimistic?

"Come on, you must be angry!

He sighed, and you grabbed a cookie, trying to put it in his mouth. Pedri took it out of your hands, looking at me like you were really bothering him.

"You won’t stop this until I say 'yes', will you?"

"Eat, Pepi. They’ll make you feel better."

Pedri put a cookie in his mouth. It didn’t take him five minutes to get one and another. He liked them. You kissed him on the cheek and let more kisses in his pretty face. With each one of your kisses and the home cooking, he was starting to take the tension out of his body. Little by little, your boyfriend was beginning to regain good mood, you could tell.

"See? I told you they were good and would cheer you up."

Pedri smiled, embarrassed.

"You know I love you, right?" He looked you in the eye.

"I know, even if you’re angry, You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I never imagined getting injured right now. I don’t want to stop playing and that makes me angry."

"Everything will be fine, love. We’ll get through this together."

The two cuddled together and with each kiss, Pedri felt less tense. Besides cookies, the only recipe Pedri needed in his life was you. Just you.

[callsign-joyride]

Fresh Out The Slammer | J.C.M

Summary: You leave an abusive relationship, running to your long-time friend, Javy, for help.

Content warnings: Mentions and depictions of domestic violence (NOT Javy), angst. If domestic violence is a topic that triggers you, I highly encourage skipping this one.

Lyric: “All those nights you kept me going, swirled you into all of my poems. Now we’re at the starting line, I did my time.”

Buy me a coffee

You had been considering leaving your boyfriend for a while. The only issue with that was that he was very unpredictable with his emotions. It wasn’t always like that, and it usually happened when he was drinking. Which quickly became a problem when the stress of his new job started to hit him. You worked from home, and all you needed for your job was a laptop and good internet connection, so you always texted him towards the end of his shift to ask what he wanted for dinner so that you could have everything ready by the time he walked through the door. 

On the last night that you would be with him, he was oddly nice, saying that he would pick up wings on his way home. It wasn’t a surprise that, as soon as he walked in, he cracked open a beer and got out the food. Dinner was peaceful, as you talked about how the day went and what you had going on tomorrow. You turned on an ‘80’s film and popped popcorn, something that you used to do all of the time at the beginning of your relationship. The further into the movie you were, the drunker he was, and it was beginning to worry you.

Everything came to a head when you got up at the end of the movie, saying that you had some dishes to do from this morning, but that he could start getting ready for bed. That didn’t go well, as he followed you to the kitchen and started screaming at you over keeping things clean. As you started scrubbing out your coffee mug, he took a plate out of the sink and threw it at the cabinet above your head. It took everything in you not to cry as your heart began racing and fight or flight kicked in. 

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve been in meetings all day. I barely even had time to eat my lunch,” you said after taking a deep breath to suppress the tears some more.

“Yeah, whatever. How many times have we talked about not letting the sink get full? Clean this up, too,” he said, gesturing to the broken ceramic on the floor.

“You’re right. Go to bed, and I’ll finish these. I have to see if my client emailed me back, so I’ll be a few minutes behind you.”

He nodded his head and you watched him disappear into the bathroom. You quickly finished doing the dishes and sweeping, and you could hear the water running in the bathroom. You saw that as your best opportunity to run into the bedroom and pick out a clean set of clothes before putting them in the tote bag that you usually used for the farmer’s market. The door to the bathroom opened and the light turned off, and you were stuck waiting in the living room to hear your boyfriend start to snore. After clicking around on your laptop for around thirty minutes, you finally heard it. You quickly gathered what you would need for the night and left the apartment, making sure that the lights were off and the door was locked behind you. It wasn’t smart to call Javy from the parking garage, so you drove a few blocks down the street and parked before giving him a call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sorry if I woke you up. It sounds like I did. Uh, I finally left him, but I’m terrified and I don’t know where else to go for the night.”

“All right. You can stay with me. Hey, don’t cry. You know I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah, I know. Okay, I’ll be over in ten.”

The drive was easier than usual, but that was because most people weren’t driving at this time of night. Javy greeted you and let you get comfortable while he filled a glass with water and handed it to you. You sobbed as you told him what happened, and what finally made you leave. He comforted you by rubbing your back and throwing a blanket over your shoulders. 

“I’m gonna be honest, I’d probably kill him if I didn’t like my job,” he said. You chuckled and wiped your tears away before taking your shoes off. Javy let you sleep in his bed after changing the sheets, and it was the best sleep that you had gotten in a while.

When you woke up the next morning, you decided to text your boss that you’d be unable to work today, citing emergency circumstances. It was partially true, and you didn’t want to work when you were so stressed about getting the rest of your belongings out of the apartment if they weren’t already in pieces. Javy brought you a coffee and sat next to you on the bed.

”Everyone has today off because of the weather. I can take Fanboy and Payback with me to get your stuff if you want.”

It was like he had read your mind.

”That’s fine, but I don’t wanna be here alone. He could come around and I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens.”

”Okay. I’ll text Phoenix and Rooster to see if they wanna hang out here. Is that okay?”

You nodded your head and continued to sip your coffee. Phoenix and Rooster came by, and they helped you figure out what your next steps were. You decided not to file a police report, but you made sure to alert your neighbors and friends in the area. Your landlord helped you get out of the lease on the apartment, since it was an emergency, and you called Javy to tell him to leave the key to the apartment in the rental office. The only things that he needed to get were your clothes and a few personal belongings, since everything else was shared. When he texted you that they were almost done moving things out, you got an idea and started giggling before texting him back.

“What’s so funny?” Phoenix asked.

“I’m having him take the Apple TV. I pay for all of the streaming services.”

“Oh, that’s gold. I would’ve done the same thing.”

Javy got back to the apartment with everything in the car, and Phoenix and Rooster helped you haul things inside. You were surprised when Javy told you that he moved most of his clothes into his dresser drawers so that you could have half of the closet. It was truly the little things that mattered the most, especially after what you had been through. After Phoenix and Rooster had left, and you had changed all of the passwords, you sat on the couch with Javy while food was on the way. He put his arm over your shoulders and you slid closer to him while an old movie played.

For the first time in a while, you knew that you were going to be okay, and that you were safe.

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[dannystattoo]

august

chapter 1 - "i can see us lost in the memory"

you didn't plan on spending your summer fixing up your family's old cabin, but you also didn't plan on reconnecting with your childhood crush for the summer. based on august by taylor swift

Pairing: Danny Wagner x fem reader

Warnings:  Some language, but that's about it

Spending the summer after your senior year of college helping maintain your grandparents’ cabin was not what you’d anticipated upon graduating. While you wouldn’t say you were ready to tackle job hunting just yet, you would have preferred to have at least been able to stay in the college town with all of your friends for a couple more months. You’d have loved to at least have a last hurrah before you all inevitably moved on to whatever was next. Life had a way of happening though. Your grandfather passed away in the winter and a lot had changed. Your grandma wasn’t able to live on her own, so she had moved in with your family for the time being. Your parents were also trying to figure out what to do with the cabin your grandparents had purchased decades ago. It was your grandpa’s pride and joy, and he would never let anyone sell it even if he’d barely been able to use it in the last few years. The rest of your family, grandma included, couldn’t care less about keeping the property in the family, Since you and your siblings all moved out of the house and didn’t have the opportunity to visit much anymore, they decided it was best to sell the house. However, it needed a lot of TLC before it could go on the market and you’d gotten roped into spending your summer taking care of the property. You cursed yourself for learning so many DIY skills in college when your friends had insisted on renting the shittiest house possible your sophomore year, as well as for being the golden child who couldn’t draw boundaries with your parents no matter how hard you tried. 

…and that was how you found yourself looking around this house, wondering how the hell you were going to have it ready to list by August, in three months. Your dad offered to come up and help when he could on weekends and you did have a list of contractors your grandparents had previously used who could help with the things you weren’t able to do, but you were mostly on your own. You tried to remind yourself that his would give you the opportunity to save up some money since you weren’t paying rent and your family would be paying you for your work on the house. This would also give you time to polish your resume and work on perfecting your design portfolio, hopefully allowing you to move somewhere better than the sleepy midwest town you grew up in or the slightly less sleepy city you went to college in. Your ultimate goal was New York City, but you were aiming for Chicago right now. All things considered, though, the thought of a summer spent more or less by yourself doing a stupid amount of manual labor made the thought of living in the city in cramped apartment with multiple roommates and eating ramen for every meal sound appealing. 

It had probably been about five years since you’d spent any sizable amount of time here, and that was around the same time your family started doing the bare minimum maintenance on the place. They’d also done the bare minimum when it came to cleaning, so you spent the entire morning making one of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms clean and comfortable enough to get you through the first few days. Once you finished that, you started trying to make a game plan, but you became overwhelmed pretty quickly. Realizing it was nearing one in the afternoon, you decided to drive into town, pick up some fast food and take a break. You weren’t able to find much, but there was a Taco Bell within a reasonable driving distance. You returned home with your Nachos Bell Grande and a massive Baja Blast, hoping that would push you to have a productive evening. It was a beautiful day out, so you took you lunch out to the dock. The gate that led down to the water’s edge was a bit rusted and hard to open, but once you got it, you remembered why you loved coming here so much as a kid. Admittedly, once you looked past the state of the house and the yard, it was gorgeous out here. You were steps away from the lake, which had a tiny private sandy beach at its edge. Trees and plants in full bloom surrounded the lake, and you always loved the glow of the sun off the water. You told yourself that if you got through a clearing the clutter in the rooms you, your siblings, and cousins had shared as kids that day, you’d reward yourself with a glass of wine and a night spent on the patio with your designs. The change in scenery was inspiring you in a way you hadn’t expected. Looking at the nearby houses, you tried to remember all the kids you’d met here over the years. They were all fleeting friendships, lasting for only one week in the summer over the 4th of July and picking up the next year, depending on who returned and when. You’d met these kids well before social media, and you had no idea what happened to any of them after losing contact. You start thinking about them, wondering where life had taken everyone after those golden summers. 

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t notice that someone had appeared from the cabin next-door and they were walking down towards the water. 

“I had no idea they sold this place,” the voice said as it came up behind you. Startled, you turned around to see a man approaching you. He looked like he was about your age, maybe slightly older. You could tell from his tan skin he probably spent a lot of time outside, giving the impression of someone else who might be spending the summer here. Based on appearances alone, that was something you could get on board with. You couldn’t overlook the fact he was gorgeous - you were immediately drawn to his intense eyes and radiant smile, and the fact his was absolutely ripped didn’t hurt matters.

“Because they didn’t,” you laughed. “Granted, it’s barely been used in at least five years, but yeah, haven’t sold yet.”

“Well that’s good, I always like the people who lived here.”

“You knew them?” you were taken by surprise. 

“Oh yeah, my family owns the place next door. I’m Danny, by the way.”

“Y/N,” you said. The longer you looked at him, you began to think he looked vaguely familiar. “This is gonna sound weird, but we’ve met before haven’t we?”

“You have two older sisters and your family was always here the week of the 4th of July, right?”

“Yeah. You have a younger sister and you were also always here for the 4th of July?” As Dnny confirmed this, it all came flooding back to you. 

He was part of the group of about a dozen of you who lived on this street that you’d just been thinking about. He was, in fact, a few years older than you, but you seemed to remember his younger sister was around your age. You also remembered you’d had a hugely embarrassing crush on Danny that resurfaced every year. God, you’d forgotten about him completely, as it had been ten years since you’d seen him, more since you’d seen him with any sort of regularity at the cabin. You remembered it all with clarity now. 

He was three years older than you, and by the time you were eleven and he was fourteen, he started hanging out with the group less and less. Fair enough, he was a teenager, but it didn’t hurt any less. You’d always thought he was cute and he was the only boy in the group who was always nice to you. Looking back, he treated you like a little sister, but you didn’t see it that way then. You remembered the summer you were twelve and he was fifteen when he and another one of the older girls in the group stopped hanging out with you as frequently, only showing up at events where the entire family was present. You’d been devastated when you’d accidentally stumbled upon them making out in her room at a barbecue you’d all been at. By the next summer, you were convinced that because you were thirteen and a full fledged teenager, he’d finally be interested in you. Much to your dismay, he hadn’t even come up north that year, opting to stay home in order to spend more with his friends instead. It was only a couple more years before you stopped spending long stints there in the summer. You realized how much you’d forgotten about your time here.

“So what brings you back?” Danny’s question brought you back from your nostalgia. 

“Well, my grandpa passed away over the winter -“ 

“Oh shit, i’m sorry.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t unexpected, but still. Anyway, my family is actually planning to sell now and I somehow got roped into coming out here for the summer to fix it up and get it ready to put on the market. You live in one shitty house that forces you to learn handy skills and they use it against your for the rest of your life,” you laughed.

“What, by yourself?”

“Not entirely, my dad is coming up to help me out when he can and we will need to hire people to do some of the more complicated projects. But yeah, mostly.” You were kicking yourself the moment you said it. Way to go, Y/N, you thought to yourself. You don’t know the first thing about this guy anymore and he could be a crazed serial killer for all you knew. 

“Anyway, I could ask you the same thing,” you shifted the attention back to him.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Getting away, I guess? I’ve been so stuck with work lately and I thought a change of scenery might be good. Don’t ask why my first inclination was to come here, but it was.”

“By yourself?”

“For now. Three of my friends, more like my brothers actually, are planning to come up in a few weeks and spend most of the summer. They may be going back and forth between here and home a bit more than me though.”

“Where do you live?”

“Nashville.” 

“That’s so cool, I unfortunately didn’t get to go far for college and I was so lucky to move back to my hometown in Michigan after graduation. I’m hoping to save up some money over the summer so I can start looking to move. Enough about me, what is it you do for work?” You were intrigued when he said he was “uninspired”, wondering if he did something creative too.

“Uh, musician,” he said running  his hand through his dark curls. You could tell he assumed you’d react a certain way.

“No shit, that’s sick! What kind of music?”

“I’m in a rock band, drummer. I know it probably sounds kind of lame, but we’ve actually released a few single, and EP, and we just got a contract for our first full record. As exciting as all of that is, I’m having a hell of a time getting anything written to contribute to it. Decided I’d come here for a little bit first by myself, and then the guys are gonna join me in a couple weeks. I thought maybe getting out of the city would help. Plus the lease on my place was up last week and the house I’m set to move into isn’t available September 1st.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s lame at all. I’m trying to break into design, so I kind of get it.”

“Oh really, what kind?”

“My dream would be fashion, it was my main area of focus in school, but I’ve also been building by graphic design portfolio to have something more ‘practical’, as my parents would say.”

“I get that, I’m sure you can imagine my parents were just thrilled when I said I had no desire to go to college right after graduating high school.”

“Sounds like you’re doing great anyway,” you shrugged. You guys talked comfortably for quite a bit longer, catching up on the past ten years. It was nice to have found a friend so early on, at least you hoped you’d found a friend. Danny was so easy to talk to and you felt an effortless connection, even if you hadn’t seen him in a literal decade. Eventually, you picked up your phone, sitting abandoned on the table, and you didn’t like the time.

“Oh god, how is it already three? I’m so sorry, but I should probably go, I have so much work to do,”

“Honey, you have all summer,” Danny said. You wouldn’t admit that your stomach flipped when he called you that. Fuck, were you attracted to him now, still? 

“You’re right, but you have no idea how much I have to do.”

“Can I help with anything? I know I didn’t come here for home renovation projects, but you could persuade me, I think.” 

“I would actually really appreciate that, if only for the company. Tell you what, my main goal for the day was to start cleaning out some of the bedrooms, if you’d want to help? When we make some good progress, maybe we can grab dinner? Like I said, even if it’s just for the company and an accountability buddy.”

“I’d love that. Honestly, I’ve only been here like two days and I’m going insane in my own company. I was so hung up on the idea of taking a solitary trip to work that I forgot I’m an extrovert.” You smiled at him, grabbed your Taco Bell remains, and led him into the house.

“Not to be rude, but you weren’t kidding,” Danny said, looking around the house. 

 “Yeah, it’s so, so bad. We’ve hardly been up here since like, 2017, what with life and school and work, and that was around the time my grandparents weren’t able to come up here by themselves anymore. I think my parents did just enough maintenance so that the neighbors wouldn’t lose their minds.” 

“Gives me an excuse to offer my services around here a lot then?” 

“I think that sounds perfect,” you smiled, leading Danny to the bedroom you and your sisters shared years ago. Before you could stop yourself, you caught yourself thinking that you’d love to be taking him back to your room under much different circumstances. You couldn’t believe that you were down bad for this guy yet again, hours after seeing him for the first time in a decade.

To be continued

[rainbowfey]

24 Comfort Food

@flufftober

Tanjirou stared at the three giant sweet potatoes and they stared back at him. If he had not known it better, he would have said they grinned at him maliciously, well aware of his uncertainty. Pensively, he scratched his head and asked himself whether he was up to the task. While he had indeed gotten even better at cooking than he had been before, the sheer mass of the sweet potatoes posed a formidable challenge. And this mess was purely due to his inability to say no. Had he had a bit more of a spine, the vendor at the market would not have been able to convince him to buy three sweet potatoes that were big enough to feed a whole family. And even worse, at a time where Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke all were not near, leaving Tanjirou all alone with his potato fiends. And if one thing was for sure, then that he would not be able to eat this much sweet potato, no matter how much he loved it.

With a sigh, he leaned against the counter behind him, bringing some distance between himself and the sweet potatoes. Now that he had left the haze of the market behind, he did not even know what had gotten into him to make this kind of purchase. Tanjirou heaved another sigh and shook his head. Wasting the sweet potatoes was no option and thus, he might as well start on this right now. For a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to remember his favorite recipes including sweet potatoes but somehow, none of them called to him today.

Out of nowhere, the image of a bright grin and mesmerizing green eyes popped up in his mind and Tanjirou smiled to himself when he thought of what Inosuke would request. A while ago, they had talked about their favorite foods and the conversation had very quickly turned into a heated discussion whether tempura or roasted sweet potatoes were the superior food.

A wave of new energy surged through his body when an idea shot through Tanjirou’s mind. At the time, Inosuke and he had not been able to agree on what food was the better comfort food – but maybe, they did not have to choose. In the back of Tanjirou’s mind a faint memory stirred and after a moment of intense brooding, his face lit up.

“Satsumaimo tempura,” Tanjirou muttered and nodded to himself. That was indeed an intriguing idea. After all, he had not tried his hand on this dish before and since he had nothing else to do, he was up for the challenge.

And, he thought to himself with a soft smile, he could surprise Inosuke with it when he came back from his mission. If Tanjirou used this opportunity to practice, he would surely have gotten the hang of it when his time to shine came. And when he shot another look at the sweet potatoes, it almost seemed like they were smiling back at him.

With a grin, Tanjirou grabbed the apron Nezuko had gifted him for his last birthday and got to work. Luckily, he had gathered enough firewood over the past few days and it was even dry enough so that it did not take very long to lit a cooking fire. While the fire grew, happily crackling as it munched on the dry wood, Tanjirou turned to preparing the sweet potatoes and the tempura batter. He sat down next to the fireplace and grabbed the first sweet potato, surprised by how heavy it was. With calm, quick movements he peeled all three of them, his breathing flowing with the almost meditative movements. Then, he sliced the potatoes, careful not to cut himself. Somehow, he was very good at peeling potatoes but managed to slice right into his fingers whenever he tried to cut the potatoes afterwards. But this time, he and his fingers all came out of the battle unscathed and ready for the next step. While the potato slices sat in a water bath, he quickly prepared the tempura batter. Since tempura was the one comfort food Inosuke could not live without, Tanjirou had gotten pretty used to making it and thus, the batter was ready in no time. He set it aside and went on to the more complicated step.

It took a while until Tanjirou had set everything up and then it took another ten or fifteen minutes until the oil in the pot over the fire was hot enough to start frying the tempura. Entirely focused on his task, he dipped each potato slice into the batter and then started frying them in small batches. It took him two batches until he had finally figured out how long to fry the tempura for and when he had finally gotten the hang of it, they turned out golden and perfectly crisp.

A sudden bang jolted him from his thoughts and Tanjirou almost burned his hand as he accidentally reached for the tempura with his fingers, pulling his hand back just in time before it touched the sizzling oil. Startled, he looked up, trying to find the source of the banging sounds that now came closer.

“Gonpachiro, are you in here?” someone hollered through the hallway and Tanjirou’s heart stopped.

“I- Inosuke?” he murmured to himself, suppressing the urge to rub his eyes. He listened closely and when the house stayed silent, his heart sank. He had been mistaken, Inosuke was still on his mission and would not return for another day or two. And while Tanjirou did miss Zenitsu and especially Nezuko, he felt Inosuke’s absence almost physically. So much so that he apparently now started to daydream about him.

With a sigh, Tanjirou shook his head and turned his attention back on the tempura. He was almost done with the third batch and so far, these looked the most gorgeous. And when looking at them, he suddenly wished for Inosuke to be here, sitting next to him, eagerly awaiting to try Tanjirou’s newest creation. In that case, he would not even have to offer the tempura to the other villagers, hoping that they would take them, as Inosuke was perfectly capable of eating the whole mountain of them in some sitting.

“That smells amazing,” a voice said so close to his ear that Tanjirou screamed, flinching so violently that he toppled over, the ground approaching rapidly.

And just before he landed on the floor, a strong arm wrapped around him, breaking his fall. “Whoa,” Inosuke said when he pulled Tanjirou up and set him back on his feet. “What’s up with you, Kentaro?”

Tanjirou’s heart still hammered in his chest when he stared at an Inosuke that he definitely did not hallucinate. “Inosuke, you’re here!” he gasped. “But I thought … aren’t you supposed to be on a mission?”

Inosuke put his hands on his hips and Tanjirou knew from his pose that he was grinning at him from under his mask. “Those demons were weak,” he gloated. “Was no big deal, they didn’t put up a real fight.”

Tanjirou eyed him skeptically, noticing several scratches and claw marks on Inosuke’s arms and chest. “Not much of a fight, huh?” Tanjirou muttered. “I can tell.”

Inosuke nodded emphatically, taking no notice of Tanjirou’s sarcasm. Instead, he lifted the boar’s head off his own and set it aside on the counter, sniffing the air curiously. “What’s that?” he asked and pointed at the tempura that Tanjirou had completely forgotten about.

Tanjirou whirled around and cursed to himself when he realized that he had left the tempura in the oil for too long. He quickly took them out of the oil but the damage had already been done and his shoulders sank down when he stared at the tempura that had been perfectly golden and crisp and now looked more like soggy brown dumplings. “They’re supposed to be Satsumaimo tempura,” he said with a sigh. “But I screwed this batch up.”

Inosuke tilted his head and stared at the sad batch before his eyes lit up. “Did you say tempura?” he asked excitedly, reaching for one of them.

 Tanjirou quickly grabbed his wrist. “Inosuke, don’t,” he said hastily. “Those are overcooked, you shouldn’t eat them.” Inosuke stared down at his wrist before he shrugged and grabbed one of the tempura with his other hand. “Nonsense,” he said and chomped down on the dark brown tempura.

Tanjirou flinched when he heard the wet sound it made and his eyes went wide as saucers. “Inosuke, they’re hot! You’re going to burn your mouth!”

Tanjirou’s heart stopped when Inosuke started trembling violently, grasping his throat – only to turn around and grin at Tanjirou with his mouth full of tempura. “Gotcha,” he said and elegantly dodged Tanjirou’s fist when he tried to punch his shoulder. “It’s not even that hot, Monjiro, don’t be a drag.”

“Inosuke, I just took them out of hot oil,” Tanjirou protested. To no avail, as Inosuke stuffed another piece into his mouth and chewed with a content expression on his face.

“Bit slimy,” Inosuke said with his mouth full before he swallowed. “What’s the purple mush in there?”

Tanjirou shot him an indignant look and quickly pulled the plate away before Inosuke could grab another piece of tempura. “Inosuke, out of my kitchen,” he said and gestured towards the door. “You’re throwing me off. Go and set the table, will you? And when you’re done, I’ll show you what those tempura are actually supposed to taste like.”

Inosuke pulled a face at him and danced out of the kitchen, grabbing two plates and some chopsticks on his way out. And when he had finally left, Tanjirou heaved a sigh of relief and turned back to the oil. His hands still trembled when he carefully prepared the next batch. Inosuke had something about him that made Tanjirou’s heart flutter and his legs give in and both were not necessarily helpful when handling sizzling hot oil. But then again, he would not have it any other way, he thought and smiled when he heard Inosuke humming to himself while preparing the table.

A while later, Tanjirou set down a plate with perfectly golden, crisp tempura in front of Inosuke and smiled at him proudly. “They turned out great,” he said excitedly. “I hope you’ll like them.”

Inosuke licked his lips and reached for the first piece when he suddenly stopped mid-movement and looked up at Tanjirou. His green eyes narrowed when he eyed him pensively. Tanjirou’s skin started to tingle and he nervously returned the look. “Everything alright?” he asked when the silence went on for too long.

“You’re small,” Inosuke said slowly, still staring at Tanjirou who looked back at him helplessly, wondering what Inosuke was on about. “You do eat a lot, but not this much.”

Tanjirou shrugged, captivated by Inosuke’s gaze. He shifted on his seat nervously and asked himself what on earth could be important enough to stop Inosuke from immediately devouring his favorite food. “True,” he said eventually and Inosuke nodded as if he had just confirmed an intriguing theory.

Inosuke leaned closer, completely ignoring the tempura, his gaze fixed on Tanjirou. “Nobody’s here and you didn’t know I’d return so soon,” he said in a tone that made Tanjirou fear the worst. “So … why did you cook so much food?”

Tanjirou stared at him, awaiting the grand reveal. But when Inosuke sat back, he slowly realized that this had been Inosuke’s question all along. And when he thought about his reason for it, his cheeks started to blush. “I, uh, had a lot of sweet potatoes,” he said weakly.

Inosuke raised an eyebrow. “And you had to cook them all at once and all in the same way?”

“Uh, no,” Tanjirou replied before he could think it through and he winced when Inosuke grinned triumphantly.

“Well, then why did you do that, Tontaro?” Inosuke asked inquisitively, his tone allowing no further excuses.

Tanjirou sighed and looked down at the golden tempura that still steamed on their plate. While he was slightly unnerved by Inosuke’s behavior, he could not come up with a different explanation and so, he plucked up his courage. “I … I wanted to see whether I’d get the hang of this dish before you return,” he said quietly, looking at the ground. “And then I wanted to surprise you with perfect Satsumaimo tempura.”

For a moment, Inosuke stayed silent. Then, he asked, “And why this kind of tempura?”

Tanjirou shrugged helplessly. “Sweet potatoes are my comfort food and you love tempura, so I thought this would be the perfect dish for us to eat together.”

“You’re soft as cotton,” Inosuke said quietly and Tanjirou looked up in surprise. Inosuke’s cheeks turned red and he quickly bellowed, “Sometimes I ask myself how you even survive out there.”

Tanjirou stared at him for a moment, his thoughts turned into small cotton clouds, as he asked himself whether this weird statement had been a compliment in disguise. And when he saw the blush on Inosuke’s cheeks, a smile formed on his face. “Thanks, Inosuke,” he said and grinned to himself when Inosuke quickly averted his gaze and stared at the tempura.

“Then let’s see whether your cooking is any good,” Inosuke said a little too loud to sound nonchalant and grabbed one of the golden tempura.

And while watching Inosuke devouring the tempura, his face lighting up at the taste, Tanjirou silently thanked the vendor for selling him three monstrous sweet potatoes.

[sayitaliano]

Ciao! I recently had the opportunity to visit beautiful Montepulciano in Tuscana last month. My grasp on Italian was tenuous at best, having only learned a week's worth of basics through Duolingo.

I'm deaf/hard-of-hearing (how do you say that in Italian?) and for all of my life, I have been discouraged from attempting to learn a foreign language under the premise that I could never learn it if I couldn't hear perfectly. To my surprise, I found it was easier to understand native Italian speakers speaking Italian than it was native English speakers speaking accented English.

I'm finding Italian to be a beautiful, if a bit complicated, language, and I'm now searching out resources to further my learning. Duolingo has the ideal modality for my learning style (erratic), but the lack of focus on grammar rules or conjugation makes it hard to progress.

I found your blog through your posts on basic pronunciation and grammar. Those were incredibly helpful, thank you!

I've wanted to ask, have you had any experience managing food allergies in Italy? During my stay, I noticed most restaurants listed their allergens on the menu and had an additional allergen statement encouraging customers to make their allergies known.

Although my food intolerances were non-issues (no preservatives and GMOs like in the US!) I have family members with life-threatening food allergies. I would love to visit Italy in the future with one of them, but it would be risky with their allergies (nuts of all kinds). Have you or anyone you know encountered problems with food allergies, both from store-bought and restaurant-made food?

Ciao!

Happy you enjoyed so much your stay and that you felt so good when you found out you could understand us speaking despite you being "sord*" (we say sordo/sorda =deaf, and "duro/a d'orecchi" =hard-of-hearing, but this last one can be used also idiomatically for people who pretend to not listen). Dunno why you find it easier to understand us than English speakers, maybe it's cause English can be confusing (speaking of specific words pronunciation) sometimes, while Italian's a little less? Idk, but I'm happy you were encouraged by this experience!

I personally don't like Duolingo exactly cause it lacks grammar rules (many people using it contacted me asking for reasons/not knowing what some words were: I think Duo "runs" a bit too forward sometimes/lacks basics) and has some mistakes here and there, but I'm glad you could find ways to get through these issues! Keep learning the way you rather and filling in what's missing :)

As for food, I was talking about this with my nutritionist not long ago and she confirmed me we have different rules from the US when it comes to how food is produced (despite there are ways to get through them sadly -eg. certain food coloring). Anyway, in markets/stores: all ingredients have to be listed on food's packaging (also pre-cooked food/ready-to-eat food) when you buy them so you can read them (nuts are usually very well stated in the list, using bold characters too -as all the possible allergens included, even by chance, in the product). If you're buying from small stores, usually the sellers have to know the ingredients (or will check with you), especially if it's them making those foods. Generally we'll help you out the moment you ask for such an important matter so don't be afraid to ask and maybe confront with the seller if you have doubts (and ofc if you still have doubt... do not take a risk, your dear ones safety comes first).

Look at this example (it's biscuits I bought in a supermarket but ofc all the foods have a similar list on them). Most brands write ingredients in different languages others only in Italian but being those usually bolded you can focus on them and keep a list with you on your phone or sth to check (eg. if something is missing let me know: hazelnut/s = nocciola/e, almond/s = mandorla/e, walnut/s =noce/noci, chestnut/s = castagna/e, peanut/s = arachidi, coconut = noce di cocco, macadamia = macadamia, pistachio = pistacchio, soy nut = soia/noce di soia, pecans = noci pecan, cashew = anacardo/i, pine nut/pinoli = noce di pino, pinolo/i, brazil nut = noce brasiliana, cocoa bean = fava/e di cacao, nutmeg = noce moscata -we may use this one, as pistacchio, in many dishes that are no sweets so keep an eye especially in restaurants as they may add it for flavour for example in ravioli or something, I think most often on pasta and with carne macinata). In the biscuits' list above, the last sentence states: "Può contenere frutta a guscio" = "it may have inside small parts of nuts" it means those biscuits may have "powders" of nuts from a casual contamination: maybe in the same factory they produce other biscuits with nuts (unspecified). I personally don't know if anyone ever had issues with products stating this.

When eating outside, nowadays many restaurants are paying attention to allergies when you state them (as per your experience, most of them ask to know those before serving you), and are preparing foods in different areas/times so to avoid any casual contaminations (eg. gluten-free pizza). Sadly maybe not all of the restaurants are very accurate in this but all are being highly encouraged to do the best on this matter for obvious reasons, so if you ask for the recipe you generally should be knowing what's inside a dish for sure and what else to order (or they can prepare that same dish without an allergen, if possible). My food allergies aren't life-threating so I don't have many worries, I avoid the foods I know that may cause me issues and keep my anthistaminics with me just in case. The only time I tried something not being sure (long ago anyway, we're making progresses these days) I was lucky enough to have my friend-doctor with me and a dose of adrenaline (that ended up not being necessary anyway).

I really hope that when you'll come back with your dear ones you'll be able to have again a great time!

BTW If anyone else wants to add their personal experience please do it in comments, rbs or anything, thanks :)

[thesims4blogger]

Community Blog: “Become a Successful Property Owner with The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack”

Maxis has shared a community blog with more info on its newest The Sims 4 expansion pack, For Rent.

Oversee multiple residential rentals as you bring neighbors together – literally!

It’s time to open your door to new rental opportunities in the picturesque world of Tomarang! Experience the neighborhood as a Property Owner or tenant – fix utilities, deal with unruly neighbors, create a community and even manage multiple Residential Rentals.

In The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack, players will have the opportunity to build and create a variety of dwellings, including townhomes, duplexes, apartments and more! Players will discover that close living quarters make for some of the most harmonious relationships that will either bring the community together or drive it apart!

Now, answer the door and get ready to discover the drama at your doorstep!

Welcome To Tomarang

Sul Sul, neighbor. Welcome to the bustling city of Tomarang, a scenic world nestled in a lush tropical landscape and vibrant city skyline. In a world alive with possibilities, Tomarang breathes new life into the many stories that can be told in multi-family dwellings. 

Inspired by a unique blend of tradition and modernity, Sims can immerse themselves in this Southeast Asian-inspired world and discover various new exciting community activities. To reflect elements of Southeast Asian culture, The Sims team proudly collaborated with Jason Chu, an Asian-American rapper, social justice advocate and cultural expert with family roots in Southeast Asia, to consult on the For Rent Expansion Pack to deliver more choices with how players explore and express their individuality.

When your Sim needs a break from the hustle and bustle of a big city, they can relax in the green haven of the botanical gardens, visit an animal sanctuary or leave Incense or Fruit offerings at the Spirit House, while child Sims can play Hopscotch and Marbles in the park.

As Sims move into these new Residential Rentals, it’s inevitable that they will get tangled up in each other’s lives. From basement suites to duplexes, Sims can discover drama right at their doorstep as they will have ample opportunity to discover each other’s secrets by eavesdropping, snooping or even breaking and entering.

With so much to chat about, Sims can head on over to the city’s iconic Night Market for an evening stroll. After exploring a world aglow with lanterns, buzzing with vendors, tantalizing foods and unique items, Sims can be inspired to eat like locals at home where they can cook dishes including Khao Niao Mamuang, Tofu Pad Thai, Pancit Bihon, Burmese Samosa Soup and Banh Cuon. After their meals, Sims can enjoy a Halo Halo and a Thai Iced Milk Tea.

It’s time to open your door to new rental opportunities in the picturesque world of Tomarang! Experience the neighborhood as a Property Owner or tenant – fix utilities, deal with unruly neighbors, create a community and even manage multiple Residential Rentals.

In The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack, players will have the opportunity to build and create a variety of dwellings, including townhomes, duplexes, apartments and more! Players will discover that close living quarters make for some of the most harmonious relationships that will either bring the community together or drive it apart! 

Now, answer the door and get ready to discover the drama at your doorstep! 

Welcome To Tomarang

Sul Sul, neighbor. Welcome to the bustling city of Tomarang, a scenic world nestled in a lush tropical landscape and vibrant city skyline. In a world alive with possibilities, Tomarang breathes new life into the many stories that can be told in multi-family dwellings. 

Inspired by a unique blend of tradition and modernity, Sims can immerse themselves in this Southeast Asian-inspired world and discover various new exciting community activities. To reflect elements of Southeast Asian culture, The Sims team proudly collaborated with Jason Chu, an Asian-American rapper, social justice advocate and cultural expert with family roots in Southeast Asia, to consult on the For Rent Expansion Pack to deliver more choices with how players explore and express their individuality.

When your Sim needs a break from the hustle and bustle of a big city, they can relax in the green haven of the botanical gardens, visit an animal sanctuary or leave Incense or Fruit offerings at the Spirit House, while child Sims can play Hopscotch and Marbles in the park.

As Sims move into these new Residential Rentals, it’s inevitable that they will get tangled up in each other’s lives. From basement suites to duplexes, Sims can discover drama right at their doorstep as they will have ample opportunity to discover each other’s secrets by eavesdropping, snooping or even breaking and entering.

With so much to chat about, Sims can head on over to the city’s iconic Night Market for an evening stroll. After exploring a world aglow with lanterns, buzzing with vendors, tantalizing foods and unique items, Sims can be inspired to eat like locals at home where they can cook dishes including Khao Niao Mamuang, Tofu Pad Thai, Pancit Bihon, Burmese Samosa Soup and Banh Cuon. After their meals, Sims can enjoy a Halo Halo and a Thai Iced Milk Tea.

A New Type of Lot in Town

We know apartments and multi-residential rentals have been highly requested by players, and we wanted to ensure that this feature offered enriched and immersive gameplay that expands on the multitude of storytelling opportunities. The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack introduces a new dimension to housing options, enhancing the overall depth and complexity of Sims’ relationships, personalities and experiences. 

For the first time ever in The Sims 4, Simmers can build a fully customizable multi-unit dwelling where multiple Sim families can live on the same lot. This is possible in ANY liveable The Sims 4 world! 

In Tomarang, these gorgeous dwellings feature versatile wooden window shades, homes on stilts near scenic beaches as well as historic bridges. For interiors, there are traditional wood carvings and rattan furniture available alongside traditional Southeast Asian-inspired rugs, chairs, tiles and lamps. 

New Residential Rentals allow a Sim to get creative with fully customizable multi-family dwellings. Give your Sims a basement suite to rent out, create a cozy duplex for close families or even build spacious apartments for large families. 

Community events, like a Potluck and Pool Parties, provide the perfect opportunities for Sims to engage with their neighbors and get a sense of community within their Residential Rental. 

Property Management    

Sims can soon evolve into savvy Property Owners and live amongst tenants or maintain separate residences while generating income from multiple property investments. While being at home can be relaxing, Property Owners may face a tenant revolt if you allow your ratings to slip too low, amongst other potential surprises including insect infestations, and challenges including mold. 

To further immerse players into the world of For Rent, Sims can gain four new Aspirations, five Traits and a new Fear that help create unexpected and exciting stories. Tenants can experience evictions, and as a result, Fears now include a tenant being afraid of being evicted due to misbehavior–but don’t worry, you can always give someone a second chance! 

On the flip side, Property Managers have their own layer of responsibility. It's not all fun and games! Property Owners can visit and do inspections, shoring up any broken objects—including the new Water Heater and Electrical Fuse Box utility objects. No Tenant is going to want cold water or flickering lights.

Sims can also have Aspirations to become the nosiest of Seeker of Secrets, a Five-Star Property Owner, the local Fount of Tomarani Knowledge, or a Discerning Dweller–the best neighbor and tenant ever. To make these communities even more interesting, Sims have five new traits. Sims can be Nosy, Generous, Cringe, Child of the Village and the Elder specific Wise–as wisdom comes with age.

If you purchase the For Rent Expansion Pack anytime from November 2 to January 18, you’ll have access to our Street Eats Digital Content, which allows you to bring the night market flavor home with a grill cart, street umbrella and fruit basket. 

Preorder The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack now to start playing immediately when it launches on December 7, 2023 on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC via EA app for Windows, Origin™, Steam® and Epic Games Store. 

[delopsia]

dancing queen, if you’re busy then just put a pin in this because it’s kind of a doozy 💝 but rhett x reader x robby is making me want to revisit our snacker!rhett & big meal!robby headcanons...

🤔💭🥞🍗

how do they coexist alongside reader with such differing palettes? were rhett and reader surprised by how big robby’s appetite was at first, and how much food he could put away by himself? were robby and reader concerned with how rhett can’t eat breakfast because his stomach doesn’t wake up until 10 or 11am? how do they feel about the fact that he just snacks on crunchy air from wabang’s one gas station until dinner time? what do they all think of cecilia’s cooking? do they try to get rhett to eat real food every now and again, even when they’re apart? do they have any favorite dishes they share? do you think reader can cook? *thinks about adding to the rhett x reader x robby myself world because i love cooking and i need to feed these men* omg i know we talked about how rhett kinda can’t cook and you’ve written that you think robby can cook, so do they have a favorite dish from him? savory or sweet? omg do you think any of them has a sweet tooth? let’s discuss 💐

💃😭I think about those old headcanons so often; I'm sorry for taking like two weeks to answer this; I've been simmering on so many details.

For reference: Ye Ole Food Headcanons for Robby and Rhett (It's longer than you think it is.)

Breakfast and lunch are treated more as "eat when you're hungry" rather than set times where everyone has to cook and sit down together. With how Rhett eats like a bird and Bobby's schedule tends to be a bit unpredictable, it's just easier to make yourself something when you're hungry.

However, dinner gets a big emphasis. Not only is it the time Rhett's capable of eating more than a bag of sunflower seeds, but he and Robby are almost guaranteed to be home. It's a whole production. As soon as Bob's on his way home, he's making a phone call to figure out what the plan is.

Does he need to stop and pick up takeout? Are they in the mood for cooking at home? Did Rhett remember to get eggs from that little farmer's market by his work? Or does someone need to make a grocery stop? Are we absolutely sure the milk isn't expired this time?

Rhett and Bob mutually scared each other at first 😭

In the beginning, Robby absolutely tried to downplay how much food he can eat by himself. Nothing can convince me otherwise 💃 To him, there's nothing more awkward than asking to order a second plate of food when the rest of the table is done and ready to go 😭

But there comes a day when he's fresh out of a deployment, and between exhaustion and how much he's missed "normal" food, caution is thrown to the wind.

✨Insert frightened Rhett Abbott here✨

The Reader probably isn't surprised until the second slice of hot fudge cake comes along, and the waitress takes the opportunity to pick up all the empty plates before she goes back. There are just...so many plates...all for one man...

They start keeping track of how much he eats simply out of curiosity. So far, his best records are before and after deployments. Those ships just ain't made for a man who can and will eat you out of house and home without breaking a sweat.

Rhett's got an ongoing joke that in the event of them running out of food, Robby's going to eat both of them before the first day is over.

That joke occasionally gets him bit.

Meanwhile, Robby spent several nights wondering how the hell Rhett can manage working on a ranch with that diet. He does three times the amount of manual labor Bob does in a day, and yet he eats so? so? little? He makes breakfast for all three of them once, and the best Rhett can do is entertain him by eating a few pieces of bacon.

There's an instance where he gently asks Rhett if it's a money issue or if there's an underlying issue he's dealing with because he's never seen someone eat so little. Cue a meek cowboy explaining that he's just...not hungry. He says that as he reopens a bag of stale Funyuns 🤦‍♀️

However! The Reader accidentally discovers a loophole.

While Rhett isn't one for eating three full meals a day, he is always one for trying bites of whatever you happen to be eating. It starts with him meekly asking for a bite of a pretzel the Reader got at a concession stand and slowly becomes a thing where Robby and Reader use his grazing habits to their advantage. Especially Robby. Goes as far as to order different things because that means he can get Rhett to eat a little more than he would otherwise.

Neither is above cutting off a piece of food with a fork and holding it out for Rhett like he's their fussy six-year-old.

Aside from that, there's a general effort to supply him with snacks that aren't straight off a store shelf. Fruit, homemade trail mix, hard-boiled eggs, anything small that you can shove into an inconspicuous lunch box. When they're apart, it's harder because Rhett just...forgets...but they've managed to get him hooked on making his own trail mix.

When it comes to Cecilia's cooking...Rhett eats food from the gas station for a reason. Bob can eat anything and everything; her food does not phase him in the slightest. If Reader likes food primarily cooked in crock pots, overcooked meat, and inconsistent seasoning, then they'll have a great time!

Strangely, she's very good with desserts. Her peach cobbler has won awards at the county fair, and that honeybun cake recipe has been passed down for generations for a reason.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the Reader can't cook when they meet Rhett and Bob, then they'll inevitably learn. Bob's a good teacher, and while there's a mutual effort from both men to help with dinner, the Reader is usually home way before they are. It's a responsibility they wind up with either way.

The current obsession in this house? Red Beans and Rice ✨ specifically from a recipe passed down from Bob's momma herself.

If he's got a day off, Robby can happily spend a whole day in the kitchen. The current favorite dish isn't so much a dish as it is a whole meal; Buttermilk Fried Chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, and fried okra. He can also be trusted with the ol' chicken and dumplings 💕

Unlike Cecelia's, Bob's mashed potatoes are guaranteed not to...stand up on their own...

...still side-eyeing the way they were...kind of curling on the plate...

omg do you think any of them has a sweet tooth?:

Rhett absolutely has a sweet tooth, and I will die on this hill. Coffee that's borderline creamer, milk, and sugar with a side of actual coffee, cheap candy from the local convenience store, his momma's desserts...it can go on forever. It's half the reason Bob calls him Sugar.

Bob and Reader are your average sugar lovers when compared to the fool. There has been an instance where drunk!Rhett brought himself to tears because of course sober!Rhett ate the last damn donut. He can and will sleepwalk to the cabinet as well.

It's horrifying.

He acts perfectly normal. Eyes open, walking normally, munching on something sugary he found. The only way to tell is by asking him a question; if he's asleep, he smiles and doesn't respond.

Please be aware that by handing him your sweet treat, you will never see it again.

💃

[rabbitcruiser]

National Clean Out Your Fridge Day

Excuse the pun, but the timing has never been riper to celebrate National Clean Out Your Fridge Day on November 15! This is the perfect opportunity to tackle that science experiment that’s been growing way in the back, there. Of course, ideally, we’d all clean out our fridges far more often than once a year, but let’s be real: Making it an annual occasion provides everyone with the reassurance that at least the horrendous situation with your roommate’s long-forgotten “homemade kombucha” will be rectified eventually, and marking it as a day on the national calendar gives you plenty of scope for getting passive aggressive in the preceding weeks.

History of National Clean Out Your Fridge Day

New technology means new problems. Ever since the first household refrigerator hit the market, consumers then became burdened with a new thing to deal with – cleaning it.

From 1911 to 1922, the technological advances of home refrigerators and refrigeration technologies increased at the rate of speed rivaled only by smartphones. It wasn’t until 1927 when GE produced the “Monitor Top,” a reference to the ironclad Civil War-era ship, the USS Monitor. This model alone sold over one million units.

It wasn’t until post-war America that separate freeze box units were created and used in addition to the typical refrigerator. And then, in the 1970s and 80s, further developments helped created a the combo model we usually see today.

Regardless of what kind of refrigerator they had over the years, everyone had the task of needing to clean it out. Whether its the moldy oranges, the brown bananas, or that milk you forgot about, cleaning a refrigerator is something that American’s over the past century can relate to.

There’s no clear information about how the Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day came about. The general consensus is that this day was started by the Whirlpool Corporation, and later became popular throughout the country.

It is believed that the company intended for the day to be celebrated on the third Wednesday of every month, but the day took a life of its own. Later Whirlpool celebrated a Clean Out Your Refrigerator Week, but the date had gotten stuck.

Cleaning out the refrigerator is a big task, and it’s only natural that people would push the chore aside. Having one day to do a big clean of the refrigerator is useful because it makes everyday cleaning easier.

Refrigerators are essential in the modern American household but are frequently ignored. They store all our food, and that’s why it is essential that they are cleaned regularly. If food is left to go bad in a refrigerator, the germs can spread and affect all the food stored in them.

A refrigerator that is too full also won’t work as efficiently and will use more electricity. Regularly throwing out food that has started to go bad or you’re not planning to eat goes a long way. Spills need to be cleaned up as they happen, and it’s a great time to check what you’ve stored away in the freezer section.

A cleaning session is a great opportunity to check how well your refrigerator is functioning and if it needs any servicing. With Clean Your Refrigerator Day right before the holidays, it’s the perfect opportunity to make sure that everything is ready before Thanksgiving!

National Clean Out Your Fridge Day timeline

1755 Artificial Refrigeration Begins

Scottish professor William Cullen used a pump to create a partial vacuum in the world’s first refrigeration machine

1854 First Ice-Making Machine

And it only took about a hundred more years for the phrase “on the rocks” to be ascribed to Scotch by bar staff

1911 First Household Refrigerator

Produced by General Electric, the design was based on one by a French Cistercian monk and physics teacher, Marcel Audiffren, and primarily designed to help GE sell electricity

1923 First Frigidaire

Founded by the folks who brought you General Motors, the brand became so popular that many Americans called any refrigerator by the name of the company

1940 First Freezer

The arrival of freezers large enough to make more than ice cubes revolutionized the frozen food industry

1995 The Idea is Born

The idea begins, possibly originating from the Whirlpool Corporation.

2000 The Day Starts to Appear Online

November 15 is to be labeled as Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, on e-cards and blogs.

2004 Whirlpool Partners with Glad Products

This union is to set up 4 to 10 April as Clean Your Refrigerator Week, but it doesn’t catch on.

2005 Chef Emeril Writes About the Day

This is the first time that Clean Your Refrigerator Day is acknowledged by the food industry.

National Clean Out Your Fridge Day FAQs

How often should you clean your refrigerator out?

A refrigerator needs a deep clean every three to four months. But if you can’t you should definitely try to clean it out once a year on Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Should I turn off the refrigerator when cleaning?

You should definitely unplug your refrigerator before cleaning it out for your own safety. What’s the best way to clean out your refrigerator?

Clear out everything in your fridge, and wipe down everything, including the doors and drawers with hot soapy water.

National Clean Out Your Fridge Day Activities

Give far too much heavy-handed and serious notice

Help a friend or family member

Actually clean out the fridge

Nobody likes to check for their precious turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich at lunch time and find it’s been chucked out with the furry pasta that was last touched last month. The trick to this part of celebrating National Clean Out Your Fridge Day is to give a series of increasingly escalating pieces of overwrought and deadly serious-sounding notice. You might print out a picture of a nuclear mushroom cloud and fix it to the fridge, writing, “days to National Clean Out Your Fridge Day,” and count it down on a daily basis. Send an office-wide email, cc’ing your boss. Or if it’s your roomies, send a series of group texts over the days before you do it.

Cleaning out a refrigerator can be hard work, so go on and lend a helping hand.

The chances are, if you’ve made a big enough deal out of it, that you might even have roped in some help for cleaning out the fridge by the time the big day rolls around. Apparently cleaning your fridge requires things like “warm, soapy water” and “a sponge,” and unplugging it if you’re planning to have the door open for a while, so you don’t waste energy. But hopefully one of your friends or coworkers will be better with the details, after all, you’ve spent so much energy on the promotion. It’s only right to share the work.

5 Cool Facts About Refrigerators That You Probably Didn’t Know

Refrigerators use less energy when they’re used

The U.S. uses a lot of refrigerators

Colorful refrigerators are fairly new

They took a while to become popular

It’s a major power sucker

It is believed that not filling and overfilling refrigerators make them use up more electricity.

Over 8 million refrigerators are sold in the country every year.

Until the 1950s, the majority of refrigerators were white.

Only 8% of households had refrigerators in the 1930s when they were first introduced.

About 10% of the total power usage in a household is because of the refrigerator.

Why We Love National Clean Out Your Fridge Day

More of us than ever are sharing living spaces

Food safety is important

You didn’t run out of that after all

The number of adults sharing a household with a roommate has surged as rents have risen more quickly than incomes across America over recent years—25% of adults now share with a roommate. The fridge is a major source of roommate tension, and cleaning it out is great for your roommate relationships. It also is good for your health—by diffusing tension, it lowers stress.

A clean refrigerator is the best way to make sure no food ends up contaminated by the other.

When your fridge is cluttered, it's easy to forget you have a long-lasting sauce tucked away in the back there behind the stuff nobody wants to touch. So before you buy that second bottle of sriracha, check your own fridge! You'll save money, time, and get what basically amounts to free condiments. What's not to love about free condiments?

Source

[valyalyon]

June 2031 - December 5, 2060

Previous Post

DIE MASTER LIST OR #LYONDIE

DIVIDERS

CW: mentions of a stalker, peaceful end of life. MDNI. 2K Words.

In June of the same year that I made my decision to remain single, I decided to move with the kids to the Seattle, Washington area.

At first, I worried that Julius and Raphael wouldn’t want to move that far but when the topic came up, they both agreed to look for homes in the neighborhood near my new property.

Since separating from Raphael, I began to work more and was able to save and invest a lot of money. When I decided to move, I put my house in Phoenix on the market.

It was sold quickly, and I received a nice payout from the sale.

All of this allowed me to afford a roughly $2 million property with nearly 2 acres of land and a beautiful modern farmhouse. It overlooked the sea, and there were rolling hills.

About an acre away was the nearest home, and every subsequent one a similar distance. They all existed within a gated community and the nearby spaces were calm, family friendly environments.

Raphael and Julius both bought homes in this community, though they went with smaller homes.

I saw my property as a family investment, something that would payout a fair amount to my children after I’ve passed, so I was willing to make the large investment.

Through my life, my career opportunities only began to pay me more money, until I was 40 and ready for retirement.

At that point, even though I had a comfortable amount of money to live off forever, I still chose to pick up a part time remote job that required my skills. I did that for five years, before deciding to stop working altogether…

Then deciding I wasn’t made for being inactive, so I started making flower arrangements for weddings.

I had a lot of fun doing this, and solely advertised to richer people within our community so I was able to secure immediate payment for all my work.

Of course, through all of these years Raphael and Julius have helped provide financially for their children. They get all of the kids gifts for events, they get food for all of the kids if they want to eat out.

Monthly, they each sent $800 per child, with Raphael and Julius splitting an additional $800 every month for Theo.

I didn’t ask for this payment for Theo, but from the first payments they started sending for their kids, they included that additional amount for him.

For years, I tried to serve Harvey for child support for Theo. Eventually, I was able to and he started making payments of a grand monthly. It was fine for several months, until he stopped paying.

When he did, I continued pursuing him through the court system. Years of abuse from this man and I had taken care of Theo alone most of his life, I wanted him to be responsible for paying for his son.

After what I felt was a grueling process, the government finally began to take his child support payments directly out of his checks.

I don’t know how much more shit he got in trouble for, but he was arrested a couple different times after that for domestic violence on his several new wives.

What about my kids though? How have their lives evolved?

Theo got married to his high school sweetheart when he was 25. He is 37 now and they have three kids together. They have twin daughters named Dove and Joni, and a younger son named Rudy. They’re the happiest little family.

Leon eloped with a 27 year old woman when he was 19 and in college. They hadn’t dated even a few days before they’re elopement and she was quickly pregnant after.

Well, she was abusive and ultimately Leon got out of the relationship when he discovered the baby wasn’t his. He married a 26 year old man when he was 28, and by the time he was 30 they hired surrogates and had their babies.

Leon’s son is named Luke, his daughter is named Lola. They’re sweet, and Leon is 35 now.

My chaotic Eden.

Today, she’s 33. She almost dropped out of high school, multiple times. Mostly for poor, impulsive behavior that she said only happened because other people were talking about her so “of course I have to respond.”

That energy carried into her 20s, by 23 she was pregnant and engaged to her daughter’s father, but the man started mistreating her. I pulled her out of that situation so fast, and she was able to raise her daughter peacefully.

Her first daughter’s name is Emma.

At 30, Eden married her long term partner, a man she met when Emma was young, and their ceremony was beautiful. By 31, she was pregnant with his baby. Their daughter Eris was born near Eden’s 32 birthday.

Now for baby Esme!

She’s 30 now, has a son named Jack Dean that she had when she was 19. She’s in a happy relationship with a woman, and the two got married when Esme was 22.

Their ceremony was held on a beach abroad because Esme’s wife is an older rich heiress. They seem really happy with each other and they’re fantastic parents to Jack.

As for me, I was right to choose to stay single.

I never stopped loving Julius or Raphael, and over the years I would find myself still spending so much time with each of them. They were amazing fathers and passionate lovers.

I was glad I had them in my life, and didn’t take them for granted.

My sex life was passionate and constant my entire life, even into my old age. While I had consistent lovers in Julius and Raphael, that isn’t to say that each of us didn’t try to have independent lives.

Julius tried dating, but he could never bring himself to ask a girl to be his girlfriend. One girl stuck around in his limbo for a year, sleeping with him every so often but ultimately… He let her down quite harshly.

Raphael was slightly more successful with dating. He had a girl he started liking, he decided to date her and was with her for about five years. She wanted him to propose and marry her, giving him an ultimatum.

Raphael told her he would never divorce me, and kicked her out of his house.

They’re both not the best of men to their lovers, but they always said I had to be their priority because I mothered their children.

As for me, I had a couple dates and hit it off with one guy. I fell in love with him after a while. He told me he was alright with my situation, but he was lying.

He moved in after two years of us dating and was aware that I still had relationships with Julius and Raphael, but when he saw Julius or Raphael being affectionate to me, he would lash out.

I forgave him both times that he lashed out, but he had done it in front of my children and that was quite frustrating. I told him if he reacted like that in front of my kids again, we would be breaking up.

Sure enough, Raphael came over to see his kids. He greeted all the kids, then came and gave me a kiss, leading to the man starting a fight with Raphael in front of my kids.

Raphael actually showed a lot of restraint that day by pulling away when I asked him to. I was proud of him for not escalating a fight.

Regardless, I broke up with the other man in the immediate aftermath. I got him moved out the same day, and only saw him in passing… in other words, he stalked me for years and it was complicated but he died young.

Suspicious circumstances, you know, but this isn’t his story. Maybe another day I’ll tell you all about him.

On the morning of December 5, 2060, I felt a pain in my chest. I kept quiet about it all day, but spent the day being visited by all my children and grandchildren.

I played with my youngest grandkids in the front lawn of my property, spoke to my children standing by the barbecue, then went to the front porch and sat down. At that point, the sun was an hour from disappearing.

The sky was changing colors brilliantly over my home, just as Julius pulled up in his car. He parked in the driveway but joined me on the front porch, his older face staring at mine. He had a frown, “you feeling alright?”

“Of course. Look at everyone,” I smiled as I looked out at my family, and noticed that Raphael was arriving as well.

Julius sat beside me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder and pulling me in for a kiss, “everyone looks great but you, something’s wrong, Dolores. Theo called me and Raphael, he said he was worried.”

“You’re all so silly,” I shook my head, returning J’s kiss sweetly. I looked up as I heard Raphael coming up the steps.

Raphael sat on the other side of me, holding my chin and lowering his face to look in my eyes, “you okay, Lola?”

“I was just playing with the kids, I don’t know why Theo’s saying he’s worried,” I replied, maybe a little too defensively.

Julius and Raphael looked between themselves, then back at me, with my husband continuing, “I’m assuming your first born is a trustworthy source for his mother’s health.”

“You annoy me,” I scrunched up my nose defensively at Raphael, then turned to Julius.

In both of them, I still saw their souls. The men I loved, the men I dreamed I’d have forever. I still loved each of them, and so I kissed Julius.

After, I turned to kiss Raphael.

Their lips reminded me of my life. I knew I was at the end, and I was so happy to go.

“I love you, Dolores,” Raphael and Julius said as soon as I stood up off the seat.

I walked to the edge of the porch, sat down on the top steps and stared out at my children and grandchildren. I felt as if I was home in Cuba, at my grandparent’s house in town.

Back home, I had a view of familiar faces and friends when I would sit on the top step of their porch. The street was home, the people were family.

Now, at the end of my life I am in Seattle, WA. So, far from home — will I go back there one day? Maybe not, but, I’m okay with that.

This view, as the sky burns red and orange, the green hills, the Pacific ocean, my adult children laughing in life, my young grand kids walking into a new world of freedom.

The voices of the men I loved.

I watched the sun disappear to the other hemisphere, I felt my body sink, then…

Some stars, so faint, but beautiful twinkling oddities in the enormity of space.

I was one of them, a star; I was there floating among them once, but I came to Earth to learn to love.

It was so worth it.

I want to be stuck on this little planet forever, staring at my ancestors in the sky with jealousy while the carnal pleasures are all mine to enjoy.

My life, my role as a God on Earth, was to make the Gods in Space as jealous of us as we are of them.

I went to bed shortly after with the help of Raphael and Julius. They tucked me in, but I told them, “if we were all Gods, I’m glad I got to enjoy my life with both of you.”

I came into this world in the year of a metal dragon, I left this world 60 years later in another metal dragon year.

Before I fell asleep to never wake again, I watched my life and all my memories dance out of reach. Then, the darkness…

And it was all over for me after a life of dreams, ink, and embers.

The End.

I literally can't believe I'm already at the end of DIE! I started this tumblr to only post DIE, and this was at a time when all I had for it was one document with 3k+ words.

DIE ended at over 70K words written! I'm proud of my first tumblr story baby, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading along <3

For more stories from me, check out the pinned post for new releases!

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

Chapter 19: Keldabe Kiss

A/N: Reworked from the original I wrote and the welcome break they needed 🥹

Warnings: Stitch having a good time, Omega being a sweetie and Tech finally reacting.

Word Count: 4.2k+

Tagging: @idoubleswearimawriter @ravenclawbitch426 @dreamqueenkala @moon-wrecked

It had been a few weeks since Kashyyyk. Your arm was healing nicely and you’d thrown yourself back into work at the medcentre. You had been invited on supply runs with the Batch, but you refused, choosing to keep communication through comlink with Omega and the boys. The marks on your face had dulled, thanks to your skills and bacta the lines were minimal. More scars to add to the tapestry that lined your being.

The day was a pleasant one. Sunlight streamed down creating a warmth in your body that you hadn’t felt for so long. Tesama had insisted you go out, so you went to the market to grab something for dinner. You were grateful for her looking out for you and making sure you were eating, you had taken to skipping meals entirely. Town was heaving, a festival was coming up and the buzz was noticeable.

You stood outside the alley to Cid’s parlour, watching some people put up flickering lights ready for tomorrow's event. You’d been toying with the idea of going, never having the opportunity to experience something like this before. Life had swept you by, the ever moving current swimming past like you were a rock in a river. Your thoughts faltered, these things were never fun alone though.

The wistful sigh couldn’t be contained but your sinking mood was lifted by the group coming toward you. Their armour was distinctive, marked with orange and grey, carrying their helmets as they eyed everyone with a healthy dose of suspicion. You knew where they were heading and so you waited to side until they reached you.

“Ah, Stitch!” Wrecker grinned joyfully at you and barged past his brothers to grab you in a bear hug, lifting you clean off the ground.

“Wrecker!” You giggled, momentarily losing your balance after being swept off your feet. Hunter automatically reached out to steady you with a firm hand to your shoulder followed by the softening of his gaze. “Good mission?”

“Depends on what you’d define as good.” Hunter muttered and moved past you revealing Tech.

“That bad?” You asked and fell into step beside him.

“Well no one was injured, so I think you would class that as a successful mission. Cid, not so much.”

“Ah,” you understood perfectly. You followed them down to the bar, soaking in their presence and easing the ache of your own making. They would happily have you around all the time, it was you that had distanced yourself.

They left you at the bar with Omega and you glanced at her tired, fallen face, wondering how you could cheer her up. “There is a festival tomorrow,” you told her.

“What’s a festival?” She asked, a frown tugging down her brows but she was watching you intently.

“It’s a gathering of people all celebrating the same thing. There’s going to be stalls selling special items, different food and there might even be fireworks.”

“Fireworks??” Her brown eyes shone with wonder.

“Want to come with me?”

“Oh yes! Hunter, can I go with Stitch?” Omega swivelled on her stool and you looked up at the weary group as they gathered around the bar. The briefing was quick you noticed.

“Go where?” He asked, his tone laced with doubt and you wondered if you should have offered at all.

“Oh it’s nothing…” you tried to gloss over it but once Omega got her teeth into something she didn’t let it drop.

“It’s not nothing! It sounds really cool! There might even be fireworks,” she parroted. “I want to go.”

“You’re talking about the festival, tomorrow?” Echo huffed as he slumped on the other side of you.

“The Festival of Love, originated from Endor and has since been recognised in places like Naboo, Coruscant, Ord Mantell and other places. The Festival is to honour kinship and love. Traditions include exchanging gifts, eating meals and…dancing.” Tech lowered his datapad and glanced at the dubious expressions on his brother’s faces.

Echo sighed and turned to look around the bar like he wasn’t even part of this conversation, Wrecker grumbled something about wanting to play dejarick and sidled off. Hunter’s shoulders slouched like he couldn’t think of anything more tedious while Tech had his nose in his datapad, probably scrolling through more facts.

“I don’t mind taking her,” you mumbled. No one else was going to go with you.

“You can’t take Omega on your own,” Hunter instantly said, causing Omega to cross her arms and sulk. “Plus we have another mission for Cid tomorrow.” He leaned closer to the little girl and you could see the regret etched on his tattooed face. “I’m sorry, Omega.”

“I never get to see anything fun!” She pushed away from the bar and stormed off to find Wrecker.

“Handled that well,” Echo muttered.

“You could have stepped in,” Hunter shot back hotly.

“May I suggest an alternative?” Tech appeared at your shoulder, taking Omega’s vacant seat.

“You’re going to anyway,” Echo snarked under his breath and you raised an eyebrow. Their entire vibe was off, something was niggling at them all and you debated suggesting they all join you for the Festival. They needed a break.

“If it is Omega running off you are worried about, I can watch her. I will make her wear a tracker.”

“Tech! You can’t put a tracker on a kid!” Hunter nearly spat out his drink in shock and stared incredulously at his brother.

“I can. I have before and she did not seem to mind.”

“Did she know?” You asked Tech gently, making him look up from his datapad as he thought about your question.

“Actually, no,” he murmured.

“I don’t think she should go and it puts us at a disadvantage if Tech stays behind,” Echo gestured to Hunter as he leaned over the bar to talk around you.

“Not so,” Tech cut across Echo. “You do not need my particular skill set for this mission.”

“He’s right,” Hunter agreed and Echo just rolled his eyes in response. A strained quiet settled over the group only broken by the sounds of the parlour and Tech’s tapping on his datapad. You clutched your drink, feeling bad that you’d not spoken to Hunter first, of course it was his decision if you took Omega or not, and after Kashyyyk... “All right, fine!” Hunter grumbled and then downed his drink. “Plant a tracker on her and do not let her take it off. Plant one on Stitch while you’re at it, we can’t afford to lose her either.”

“Gladly,” Tech blinked owlishly at his own response and his fingers stilled on the screen. Maybe now was the time to leave, before Hunter changed his mind again.

“Well! Now that’s settled I’m going to head back.” You emptied your own cup and slipped off the stool, hoping no one would notice the silly smile you couldn’t suppress at the idea of Tech putting a tracker on you.

“Tech…” Hunter jerked his head in your direction and then went off to find Omega and no doubt tell her the good news about tomorrow.

“Of course.” To your surprise the datapad was put away and he stood, looking at you with an air of expectancy. “You were leaving?” He prompted.

“You’re coming with me?” Tech swallowed and adjusted his goggles as his honeyed brown eyes met yours for just a second.

“Hunter is worried about you walking back. Crime activity has increased by 28 percent in this section and I believe it’s why he wants you and Omega to have an escort tomorrow.”

“Oh.” You stood there stupidly for a second, trying to gather your skittish thoughts. “It’s not necessary, I do this nearly everyday,” you eventually managed to say.

“I believe it is.” You couldn’t argue against that so you didn’t protest anymore and he followed you out. The street was almost empty, just a few people with their heads down as they went home. Tech kept a watchful eye, his hand never straying far from his DC-17s. He stayed about half a step behind you almost bumping into you when you stopped at your door.

“Well, we made it.” The door was locked and you saw Tesama had left. “Tesama has gone home, I should check on Beetoo before I turn in.” You were uncomfortably aware of Tech’s closeness, the way his helmet turned to look around before fixing back on you. “Thanks for walking me,” you murmured.

“It was no trouble but I have yet to check your residence.” You sputtered out a laugh except he only continued to stare at you as he waited for you to admit him.

“You’re serious.” He gave a curt nod, so you keyed in the code and the door opened, the lights flickering on automatically. You went to go in but he put out an arm to stop you, dropping the visor down over his goggles, stalking into your medcentre and disappearing.

Beetoo you found was almost in her charging port, frozen in time because her power cells had given out. She was awfully glitchy lately and you had no idea why. You sighed, wheeling her the last bit into the port and she clicked into place.

“The charging ports might need replacing again,” Tech announced his arrival from scouting out your place. “I could run a diagnostic if you like?”

“It’s late, you’ve barely been home.”

“Home is a state of mind.”

“Yeah…” he was right. You’d never had a place you could really call home. So home being a feeling rather than a place was the most accurate thing you’d heard in a long time. Rather insightful coming from him of all people.

“Another time then,” Tech said. “Your place is clear. I shall be back tomorrow with Omega.” He walked towards the door and you followed, desperately wanting to say something else but not sure what.

“Tech…” he turned at the sound of his name and you really tried hard not to gaze directly into his eyes, even though it was all you wanted to get lost in. “Be careful. On the way back.”

“Always,” he saluted you with two fingers before disappearing round the corner. You closed and locked your door letting out a frustrated sigh. If anything, distance had made your feelings stronger for him and now you were going to spend the whole day with him. At a Festival dedicated to love.

Of all the clones to harbour feelings for…

Beetoo looked like a patient, laid out on the table with her side panel off, looking to see if she had a loose connection that you could fix yourself, not wanting to put Tech out. He had better things to do than maintain your equipment. The door alarm sounded and you quickly smoothed down the material of your outfit, your heart fluttering a little at the idea of spending so much time with Tech. And Omega.

The latter wrapped herself around you as soon as your door opened, her mouth instantly going as she spilled her excitement. You grinned at Tech and his tight expression, beckoning them inside. Omega went straight to your droid’s side, standing on a supply crate to have a proper look inside of her.

“Did she sleep much?” You asked him noticing the way he clutched his datapad with his helmet under his arm, his gaze fixed over at the mess Beetoo was in.

“She slept less than the normal amount,” he informed you matter of factly. “Echo was not amused.”

“Not a lot amuses him at the moment,” you replied dryly.

“Echo believes we should be doing more against the Empire rather than just hiding. He cannot help it.” You hated to admit Tech was right. He seemed completely unruffled by the conversation and you admired his utter acceptance of his brothers.

“Are you ready?” You asked.

“Yes!” Omega leapt down and hurried to the door. “Come on! We don’t want to miss anything!” She shouted and you smiled at Tech as he refrained from rolling his eyes.

“I am not actually sure we can miss an all day event,” Tech called after her. “You forgot this.” You locked your door and turned to find him holding out a tracker on the palm of his hand, the light blinking innocently.

“I don’t think Hunter was serious about one for me,” you half laughed but Tech stayed standing in your way with his hand held out.

“He was. And so am I.” You took the tracker and slipped it into your pocket, Tech lifted his datapad and pressed a few buttons. “Perfect signal.” For some reason that made you so happy that you’d pleased him over something so simple.

“Are you guys coming?” Omega appeared around the corner, eyeing you both just standing in your doorway.

“Come on you,” Omega clasped your hand eagerly and Tech trailed after the pair of you.

The festival wasn’t what you expected at all, it was so much better. The streets were lined with pink and red coloured streamers, all fluttering in the breeze. Bunting stretched from one side of the street to the other along with string lights that you couldn’t wait to see in the dark. With Tech constantly at your back your anxiety was eased, occasionally catching his eyes and giving him a smile; your heart jumping when you got the telltale eye scrunch back.

Omega danced from stall to stall, her excitement contagious and you found yourself caught up in her joy and zest for life. Tech trailed after you both, suffering the chatter, loud noises and heavy crowds. Keeping himself occupied by noting down new facts or recording anything he found remotely interesting.

You happened upon a stall run by a Twi’lek, your stomach rumbling at the fresh meilooruns. You approached the stall noticing the usually orange fruit had a purple tinge to the rind. You’d never had this variant before but before you could ask for one Omega was tugging on your hand and dragging you to look at something else.

Soon even Omega was flagging, but her eyes were still wide from all the sights she’d experienced. Her bag was full of trinkets and she’d bought something for each of her brothers. You felt honoured that she had asked for your opinion, enjoying the feeling she instilled inside you. She really was something special and you enjoyed doing something so mundane with her.

She even got you to dance. Taking your hands when she heard the music giving you those wide pleading eyes that made you melt on the inside. Tech had watched from the side, his gaze occasionally roaming the crowd but mostly he watched you and Omega laughing as you spun round. Occasionally you caught his eye, or checked in with him before Omega was dragging you to the next exciting thing and he’d just give you a smile.

As darkness fell you suggested getting a good view for the fireworks and began to head in the direction of the seating area when Tech stopped you.

“I have a better place we can watch the fireworks, away from the crowds.”

“Is it far?” Omega asked, chasing it up with a yawn.

“It is approximately 0.5 klicks from our current location,” Tech rattled off as he adjusted his specs, the light of the datapad reflected in them.

“I can make it,” she said cheerily but you heard the fatigue in her voice, especially if she had been up early hassling her brothers.

Now Tech took point, leading you away from the streets where the festival was still in full swing. You wanted to question him but instead you decided to trust him. Your interest peaked when he told you to climb an outside staircase on the side of what looked like an empty building. Omega went first with no hesitation, climbing to the top of the seemingly abandoned building and gasping loudly.

“Oh…wow.” She was as awestruck as you. Both of you looking up at the sky, mesmerised by the amount of stars that dotted the black sky above you. Tech had led you to a place on the edge of town, that wasn’t effected by the lights of the festival, giving you an incredible view of the stars and no doubt the fireworks when they started.

“I calculated the amount of noise and light pollution from the festival. From that I was able to survey an appropriate place where it was quiet and had uninterrupted views,” he told you.

“Tech…this is amazing!” You responded..

“He checked it out last night,” Omega said slyly and Tech looked at her in shock. “What? I was awake when you snuck out. Now I know what you were doing.”

“Clearly I was not as subtle as I thought,” he muttered, reaching to adjust his goggles again.

“Oh look! Seats!” Omega dropped her bag and fell into one, turning to wave you over.

“Were these you as well?” You asked Tech quietly.

“The fireworks are supposed to last approximately 15 minutes. I had assumed with being on your feet all day and chasing Omega, you would want to rest.”

“You assumed correctly.” Omega had taken the middle seat, cuddling up into you when you settled beside her. Tech sat on the other end, his trusty datapad in his hand as he counted down to the fireworks; and they started exactly when he said they would.

The fireworks were the best moment of the day, filling the sky with glittery flashes that lit up the world all around you. Splashes of red,

blue, purple and pink chased up with sparks of green, yellow and white all etched into your retinas. Omega laid her head in your lap and you rested a hand on her side watching the display together.

You revelled in the deep bangs that seemed to explode in your chest and the fizzling crackles that popped in your ears. You’d never seen something so eye-catching and you were sorely disappointed when they finished; just a plume of white smoke the only evidence that they had happened at all.

“She’s asleep.” Tech murmured and you glanced down at Omega. Sure enough her eyes were closed, even breaths passing through her slightly open lips as she lay completely relaxed in your lap. “You are—good with her,” his hand rose to adjust his goggles and you frowned. He seemed more nervous than usual, his hands always moving but you decided not to point it out.

“You think so?”

“I know so. Due to her nature she is exceptionally accepting but she does seem to favour you.” Gently you swiped some blonde strands out of her peaceful face, regretful that you were going to have to wake her soon.

“I think she’s great and after everything she’s seen and been through…she still has this innocence about her. She’s a credit to you all.”

“You have had a hand in that as well. Dealing with—situations we cannot,” Tech said and you smiled at his words. You had to deal with some certain, female related situations due to Omega’s age, but it felt like you were parenting Hunter as well and explaining he didn’t need to know everything that was going on.

“She idolises every single one of you,” you settled for saying softly.

“That’s nice to hear,” you turned to find Hunter, Echo and Wrecker coming from behind. Tech stood up and greeted his brothers. Wrecker reached down and plucked the sleeping child from your lap, cradling her in his massive arms.

“Look at her,” he whispered in his gravelly voice. “This is the quietest she’s been for days!”

“Don’t wake her then, Wrecker!” Echo hissed as they made their way carefully down the stairs.

“Was it worth it?” Hunter asked you and the smile that spread over your face told him everything he needed to know.

“Thanks for lending us Tech. He did actually put a tracker on me,” you told Hunter who let out a quiet chuckle.

“Good. I’d be having words with him if he didn’t.”

“You know, I’m scrappy. I can look after myself.” Hunter fixed you with a knowing glare and it reminded you so much of Tech for a moment.

“It’s what we do. We, uh—need you, Stitch. More than we like to admit.” You could feel the heat coming up in your face and you nudged his spaulder in embarrassment.

“Medics are everywhere,” you told Hunter with a quick roll of your eyes.

“Not ones as good as you.” The pair of you stopped when Tech spoke, drawing him to an abrupt halt. “Well,” he reached for his goggles and lifted his datapad. “Stitch had performed 107 successful repairs on all of us together, the most drastic being my broken femur from the failed mission on Serenno. Not mention the blaster shot to your ribs and Wrecker’s shoulder. Also her continual observation of Echo…” Hunter gave his brother a lopsided smile and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

“Now you’ve listed her best accomplishments you can walk her home.” He melted into the shadows suddenly leaving you and Tech alone in the dark.

“Do you know the best route? I’m still not familiar with this part of town,” you admitted shyly.

“It will not take us long,” he reassured you. The walk was quiet, you weren’t sure what to say to him and your feet were beginning to ache something drastic. You turned onto a street you were familiar with and fished around in your pockets for Tech’s tracker.

“I should give this back.”

“Keep it. They are simple enough to make.” Tech said quickly. He glanced at you and then continued. “It is a modified one, with a panic option that goes straight to my datapad. Should you ever need it, even at long range.” Your fingers closed round the tracker, suddenly finding it the most precious thing you had.

All too soon your door loomed and the pair of you stood under the small light that flowed on the outside.

“Tech…?”

“Yes?”

“I got you, something.” He watched curiously as you opened your bag and pulled out a small box, taking it gently when you offered it to him. “I hope it’s useful.” He opened the lid and revealed a brand new All-kit tool. The handle had a rubber grip, the alloy shiny from having never been used. At first Tech didn’t say anything, just reaching for the tool and you panicked, thinking you’d got something he really didn’t need. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if you had one, I’ve never noticed you with one.”

“I do not,” he interrupted. “I did not have one, until now.” He looked up to see the relieved smile cross your face and a small frown appeared on his own. “You should not be so worried, I am always in need of tools and this…” he pulled it from the box and with a flick began to cycle through the different heads. “It is immediately my favourite,” he reassured you. “Which reminds me…” he put the box in his pack and extracted something that had you gasping a little. “I saw you looking at these but not actually buying one.” You took the purple fruit from his hand, trying not to over think the fact you both gave a gift during the Festival of Love. He probably didn’t realise the depth of the tradition and you were fine with that.

“Tech, thank you so much.” Emotion coloured your tone and you stepped closer to him. Gently resting a hand on his shoulder, you made your intentions clear expecting him to pull away. Those few quick heartbeats were torture until his shoulder pressed deeper into the palm of your hand.

He didn’t pull away and you went ahead, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek, breathing him in as you did. He lifted a hand to rest against your elbow, as though he was steadying you both and your entire body tingled at the added contact. You felt his sense of self seep into yours, entwining more intimately than if you were hugging and it made your breath hitch.

Your eyes were still closed as you pulled your lips into your mouth, reluctant to move away just yet, not wanting to untangle yourself from the way he made you feel. He shifted, aligning himself before you and leaning forward.

Tech’s quick breath fanned over your face as he pressed his forehead against yours, connecting you on a more heightened level that had your feelings rising up your throat. His fingers tightened on your arm and you both stood like that for a moment, your heart soaring as you really contemplated what this meant.

Your pulse vibrated through your entire body, making you highly aware of the way it throbbed against where you were connected to Tech, desperate to press your body against the length of him and really embrace him.

“Tech?” His com came to life with Hunter’s voice and you separated. Clearing your throat you backed up and allowed him to answer, telling Hunter he was all right and was just making his way back.

“Thanks, Tech.” You swallowed down the huskiness in your voice. “For today, for all of it. Get back safely, please.”

“Always,” he said touching two fingers to his forehead and giving you the casual salute. “I will be back to fix Beetoo.” He told you, walking backwards down the street, his gaze still fixed on you.

“I’ll be here,” you answered, leaning on your doorframe and watching him leave.

“I know.”

[dindjarinandlysakane]

The Sweetest Taste | Chapter 20 - Hushed voices

When Din Djarin meets a beautiful cake seller from Nevarro, do you think he’s just going to stand back and let her suffer at the hands of her abusive boyfriend? After a lifetime of heartache and pain, Lysa Kane realises she’s not on her own any more and finds an unlikely friend in the Mandalorian. And Din Djarin does not like men who treat women like that, not one tiny bit. Friendship/comfort and maybe something more…

Masterlist

Chapter 20

----

Lysa arrived back at her doorstep, arms laden with items of shopping.

She felt exhausted if truth be told, working five full days a week along with two additional days for getting to the market and then baking the breads and cakes ready to be sold. 

Her days felt long, out on her speeder from dawn until dusk, with barely any time to stop for a break or to eat. Mainly Lysa would snack on a piece of fruit here and there when she found any spare rolling around in the bottom of the basket. But often there was no time to stop at all while there were deliveries to be made.

Lysa never had any time to herself these days, but that was a good thing. For it never gave her any opportunity to dwell on what life was truly like for her behind closed doors.

For the moment she got in at dusk, arriving home exhausted to the tiny apartment she shared with Crix Val’shif, she worked tiresomely. 

And after that full day of toiling in the hot sun and the equally hot earth of the lava planet, at sundown her partner of five or so years would expect a meal on the table. No exceptions.

Expecting good food, meat, and the freshest breads and vegetables. No ration packs here.

But eating well was expensive and Lysa often found herself struggling to pay for what Crix considered proper food. In addition to the cost, Lysa would also grow anxious as the day progressed, about leaving enough time to get home and make dinner. Meaning that a delivery or two would quite regularly fall off her schedule - meaning that she would have even more to pick up the next day. Leaving her spiralling at some points.

But making sure Crix had a good meal on the table often meant that he wasn't so angry with her, that his punches were not as accurate. And, with his belly full, it meant that sex was not as likely - something which Lysa was always grateful for.

Once upon a time, Lysa and Crix’s relationship had been fantastic. He was once loud and funny and had almost charmed her into bed when they had first met. But that was years ago. And these days that life,so far removed from what she had now, was hard to think about.

There was no intimacy when it came to sex between them anymore. No loving relationship there. Zero romance.

Crix demanded what he demanded, and if Lysa didn't give it to him there would be hell to pay, in the form of a cut lip the next day, or worse…

Lysa would never forget the couple of occasions Crix had arrived home from the bar, reeking of ale and other women, and forced himself onto her. Lysa had cried afterwards, sitting on the floor in their sonic shower so that Crix couldn't hear her sobs.

He shouted at her afterwards. Told her that it was her duty, despite there having been no marriage vows uttered between them. A duty to give him what he wanted, when he wanted it.

Blaming her for what he had done. Telling her she was the reason he did what he did.

Lysa should have left him that day, like any sane person would have. But after years of being beaten down and told that you were no good to anyone. Lysa had already begun to believe it.

But gratefully Crix hadn't pushed her for sex in months. Lysa knew he was likely having an affair - probably with more than one woman knowing him - but she had given up caring. If it meant that she could rest easy at night for just a few hours while her partner was entertained by another, she didn't care.

She wondered if there was anyone else out there who would ever feel the same about the person they were supposed to love? Happy to be cheated on if it meant that they were satisfied and not as angry.

Lysa knew she was crazy for sticking with Crix. But it was as though she was strapped to a bungee cord. Each time she stepped away, thinking she was free, he would give it just a slight tug and here she was, back with him.

But this time it had been blackmail. And perhaps the first time, so transparent too.

For the threats he had made to Grogu’s life had been too much for Lysa to bear.

Crix was a very capable man when he put his mind to something. And she didn't doubt that he would have found a way to get to Grogu, if Lysa had not agreed to stay with him.

But now surely even Crix knew that this wasn't a relationship anymore. For what did he have to gain for keeping Lysa?

He obviously had other women to sleep with, other places he could stay. And yet Lysa knew the truth. She was his property now. Someone he could leech off, but not love. Never love.

She often thought about the millions of couples out there in the galaxy, happy, in love, treating each other with the respect they deserved. 

Wishing that somehow she could change everything, and that she could have that too.

A man who loved her, adored her, who treated her with kindness and devotion above all else.

But there was only one person who appeared in her mind's eye these days when she pondered this daydream.

Din Djarin.

Seeing him there in the marketplace only served to make her heart ache for him even more than it already did.

For a week since he had threatened Crix on her doorstep, Lysa had known that had been it. There would be no more deliveries to Din and Grogu’s door. No gentle walks through the city with Din at her side, where she felt safe and happy. And that had caused Lysa to turn in on herself somewhat, becoming a mere husk, merely surviving her life with Crix, but no longer living.

But seeing Din there today had caused butterflies to appear in her stomach once more.

She might not be able to see him around often any longer, but that didn't stop her being able to imagine how it would feel to have him beside her, in the depths of the night. Holding her close.

Crix may have control over her body and what he did with it. But Lysa’s mind was still hers, and Din could still be there, in her dreams.

And dreams were all that Lysa seemed to have these days, apart from her job.

But even that was a weight upon her shoulders now.

Her landspeeder had been old when she’d bought it, and she could see it each day, getting slower and slower as it travelled the great distances she needed it to across the lava flats.

The demand was high for her foodstuffs, but Lysa just couldn't keep up anymore.

She was tired and weary and was desperate for something more.

For a long while, Lysa’s dream had been to open up a little bakery, just like her parents had owned all those years ago.

She had saved and saved, and despite her being the only one bringing in an income, she had still managed to save just enough to put down a deposit for a lease on a tiny place on the West side of the City. Something which the High Magistrate had brought up only today.

But on the day, upon getting home from the viewing, full of excitement, knowing she was finally one step closer to her dream, Crix had been there to laughingly inform her, that her saved money was gone. Gambled away without her knowledge.

She had been furious of course, perhaps one of the only times she had ever raised her voice in return to Crix.

But she had paid for her tone, in the form of a fractured cheekbone and a blinding concussion.

Once again, Lysa knew that she should have walked out that day and never come back.

But fear and shame had taken hold fairly quickly. And Lysa had soon come to learn that it was easier to let these things go.

That her life just wasn't meant to work out the way she had hoped.

That she wasn't the type of person who deserved it to.

Crix had been sure to remind her of that every morning that she woke, and every evening before she went to sleep.

Giving a weary sigh now, Lysa heaved her heavy basket into her apartment hallway as the front door slid open.

She had finished her shopping a little early and was usually not due home for another hour or so, but was eager to make a start on dinner so that she could have a sit down afterwards.

She hadn't eaten all day and felt a little faint now, as she wiped at her brow with the back of her hand, placing down some of her shopping in the tiny hallway for a moment just to catch her breath.

But as she did so, she heard voices from inside her living quarters.

One of them was Crix’s, But the other’s, were men Lysa didn't recognise.

Crix often invited his buddies around drinking, that was not unusual, but these voices tonight were low and hushed.

A mild curiosity washed over her suddenly, wondering what was going on. Normal conversations could easily happen in the bar, so what were they talking about if they chose instead to do it here?

Lysa lingered in the hallway listening intently.

“We’ll do it tonight,” came Crix’s familiar smooth tone. “As soon as it gets dark.”

Lysa gave a frown.

She knew that Crix was sometimes involved in some awful things but she had never really been privy to any of this before.

It made her feel a little sick as she wondered which sorry soul was going to get hurt tonight at the hands of her partner and his buddies.

“We already know he’ll be there with his kid,” came a hissing voice from someone else. “And he won’t be expecting us.”

Lysa paled suddenly, all the breath immediately leaving her lungs.

She pressed her fingertips to the whitewashed stone wall before her, listening hard.

The group of men must have been huddled around their tiny dining table, with what? Five, maybe six seats in total?

With just a single wall and no door between them, Lysa held her breath, almost feeling the heat radiating off of the men from here.

She heard Crix let out an easy groan.

“Oh he’s gonna get what’s coming to him,” he uttered in an oily voice. “That Mandalorian thinks he can fuck with me…then he’s gonna have to learn some tough lessons tonight.”

And with that he gave a cold laugh, as Lysa parted her lips, as the true horrifying realisation of just who Crix was talking about dawned on her.

And then in that moment, it was as though a veil had been lifted.

Like a sudden dawn appearing over a clear horizon, blinding her instantly.

The true horror of what Crix had done to her for these last couple of years, appearing before her so stark and clear now.

And it was then that she realised…

No matter what Lysa did, Crix would always be this way. Cruel and abusive, punishing others for his own sorry life.

For years she had put up with it. Thinking she was worth nothing, because he told her it was true.

But now it was as though, in this very moment, she could see him for what he really was…

…a vicious and evil human being.

Punishing Lysa so that he could feel like a big man.

Telling her that she needed him.

Telling her that she had to love him.

Telling her day in, day out, that she had no one else. Convincing her of that fact. 

But Lysa did have someone else now.

She was no longer alone in this world.

And Din Djarin had made her feel more in just a few weeks of knowing him, than Crix Val’shif ever had.

Din was kind and brave. And had treated Lysa with respect. Treated her as an equal.

And she could see now that all he had tried to do for her….had been to try and help her. 

Not because of duty, or because he wanted to judge her relationship with Crix.

No.

It was because he cared for her.

And now that the fog was lifting, Lysa could see that she cared for him too. More than anything else now.

And there was no way she was going to stand back and let Crix and his buddies hurt the only people she cared for in this world.

And so knowing that she could leave no trace that she had been there, Lysa silently and hurriedly gathered up her things and exited her apartment once more. Running towards her landspeeder as fast as her legs would carry her.

……………………………….

What did you think?? EEeeeee!!

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@its5-15wakeup @thecraftyartist @crazypaine @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @marysucks-blog

[dragoneyes618]

The only problem with Tudor food was getting enough of it. If you were wealthy you could eat very well indeed, but most people were not and frequently had to endure shortages. Even in the great households the best stuff - the roast meat and imported almonds, currants, sugar and spices - was kept for the lord, his immediate family and guests. The kitchen accounts at Ingatestone Hall, for example, talk of cattle being butchered into half a dozen 'roasting pieces' and forty 'boiling pieces,' and the volumes of imported ingredients purchased are very much smaller than you might imagine if you simply looked at the recipe books of the era. Late spring was the hardest time for most people. After months living off salted, dried and smoked foods prepared in the autumn, and grain from the harvest, stores were running low across the country and prices at market low. Despite the green flush of growth, very little was yet ready to eat. Hard decisions often had to be made.

If you had a few animals, did you slaughter them now when they were at their smallest and thinnest, or could you wait till they had grown and fattened? If the harvest last year had been poor, you may have been forced to eat some of your seed corn, so you knew that this year's yields were going to be small too. With the countryside fully settled and all of the natural resources owned by someone, there was very little opportunity to supplement food stocks from the wild. All wild animals and plants belonged in law to the person who owned the land they were on - not the person who rented it, but the freehold owner. This excluded most small-scale and even fairly substantial farmers from the rights to fish from the streams, or take pigeons or even rabbits from their fields. Even hedgerows were owned, with different individuals having the rights to the trimmings, the timber from trees that stood within them and the herbs that grew at their feet. And since those who owned these rights were frequently reliant on these resources themselves, they guarded them fiercely. When the weather turned bad and crops suffered, the whole country looked on with a worried eye. Severe food shortages struck several times during the sixteenth century. The years 1527-9 were particularly bad, as were 1549-51, and almost immediately the harvests were disastrous again in 1554-6 and there was another longer bout of hardship in 1594-7. At such times those who were accustomed to eating wheat bread ate barley, and the humbler people had to move to coarser fare, mixing pea flour and brand and even ground acorns to fill their bellies. Everyone felt it, but the poorest could be in real trouble. The local governments within port towns and cities tried to buy in grain from abroad and offer subsidized bread, the wealthy were urged to open their granaries and sell their stored surpluses, and everyone was instructed from the pulpit to give food to the poor, but still some people starved. Very many more faced severe malnutrition, getting by on one meal a day of bread full of nutritionally poor bran and acorn flour. the bones of several of the crew of the Mary Rose show evidence of healed childhood incidents of disease linked with malnutrition: rickets, scurvy and anaemia. Since the ship sank in 1545, these men would have been young children during the bad years of 1527-9. It's likely, therefore, that they were among those who suffered the pangs of hunger. Those pangs have to be severe indeed to leave a trace upon your bones.

- How To Be A Tudor, Ruth Goodman, pages 148-149

[sydneyadmu]

13 for rebelcaptain pls

thank you for your prompt! 💛

#13 - things you said at the kitchen table

notes: this is supposed to take place about 8 months after scarif (because of course they lived). I’m open to nice constructive criticism and feedback since I’m not much of a writer but I’m trying my best. I also apologize for any eventual grammar mistakes!! hope you like it

The first mission day in Ord Mantell was a nice one: the rebel contacts were there just in time with no surprises and the supplies they came for would be ready in a few days. The most surprising part (and a very welcome one) was the safe house they were offered to say: a very cozy apartment in a quiet part of the city, with a large bedroom, ‘freshers with real showers and hot water, and a well-equipped kitchen.

Jyn excused herself to clean up while Cassian stayed in the kitchen, organizing the food they both brought from the market near their place and choosing some ingredients to cook dinner. He was delighted to see the large space there as well as all the items that he could use: there's been a long time since he was able to cook a real meal with fresh vegetables and he was looking forward to getting to work.

Cassian told Jyn a few times how much he enjoyed cooking but he never had the time or the place to do it properly. While she was showering, he set himself in the kitchen and started to prepare one of his favorite dishes (and he hoped she liked it as much as he did). He gave her a soft smile as she entered the kitchen a few minutes later with her damp hair out of its usual bun and her face with a soft shade of pink from the hot water.

She looked relaxed and comfortable while sitting on the little table near the stove, asking him about how he learned to cook, what are his favorite dishes and also if he could ever teach her how to do some stuff since she never had the opportunity to learn. Cassian told her he would teach her some things while they were staying in the safe house since it would not be possible in the rebel base and the happiness in her eyes during their conversation made the situation look so domestic. He wondered, for a moment, how things would be when the war was over. Would Jyn want to live in a quiet place and have a nice house? Would she have anyone else teaching her how to cook?

His divagations were interrupted by the smell coming from the pan, informing him the food was ready. He got two soup plates from the cabinet and served them both, joining her on the table. Jyn’s eyes went wide as she saw the food and she spend a couple of moments in silence contemplating it with her spoon in hand without saying a word.

“Jyn? Is everything okay?” Cassian tried to sound casual but he couldn't hide the little worried tone from his voice. He wondered if something was wrong, if maybe he said something that made her upset or if she was suddenly feeling unwell.

When she looked up, he could see that her eyes were a little teary as if she was holding back some tears, and hearing her unsteady voice, he was sure that something happened to her.

“It's fine. I... it's just that I don’t remember the last time I did this. I mean, just sat down in a nice place and ate a home-cooked meal someone made for me. I think I forgot how was it. To be honest I thought it would never happen again for a long time and now I got a little... Sorry, I promise you it's okay.” She gave him a sad smile and finally began to eat.

They both ate in silence and the weight of her words was soon getting to him. He knew Jyn had to live on her own for years and her life has not been easy but the thought of her not having a nice place to stay or a good meal to eat for so long broke his heart. Cassian couldn't promise her many things but he wanted to make her happy, to make her feel cared for, no matter if it was about gathering an army for her mission or just making her dinner. He wanted her to feel at home.

After a few minutes, Jyn was the one to break the silence with a satisfied smile and a playful tone. “This is delicious, Cassian. But now that I really know how good you are at this, I'll ask you to cook in every opportunity we have.”

Without thinking, he grabbed her hand that was laying on the table and looked at her eyes. “I would love to cook for you anytime, Jyn. And I'll be happy to teach you a couple of things as well. I enjoy cooking for myself when I have the chance but it's always so much better to share with an important person, you know?”

Jyn just locked her gaze at him for a moment, as if she was thinking about her next words but, in the end, she just nodded and smiled, gently caressing his hand. They ate the rest of their meal in silence still holding hands and enjoying each other’s presence and Cassian hoped she had the same feeling of home he had whenever they were together.

[tubetrading]

Private Labeling:  The Key to Building Your Brand Empire

In the fast-paced and highly competitive modern food industry, establishing a unique and recognizable brand is essential for long-term success.  One effective strategy to achieve this is through private labeling.  This approach allows businesses to create and sell products under their own brand names by partnering with established manufacturers.  For companies in Vadodara, Gujarat, private labeling offers a significant opportunity to build a strong brand presence without the need for extensive manufacturing capabilities.

What is Private Labeling?

Private labeling is a business practice where a company manufactures products that are then branded and sold by another company.  This allows businesses to focus on marketing, sales, and brand development while leveraging the manufacturing expertise of third-party producers.  For the food industry, this means that businesses can offer a variety of products under their own brand without having to invest in production facilities.

The Food Industry Landscape in Vadodara

Vadodara, a prominent city in Gujarat, boasts a vibrant food industry.  The city is home to numerous food processing companies that produce a wide range of products, from snacks and beverages to dairy and packaged foods.  These companies provide ample opportunities for private labeling, making Vadodara a hub for food entrepreneurs.

List of Food Industries in Vadodara

1.   Balaji Wafers Pvt. Ltd.

Known for its extensive range of potato chips and snack foods.

2.   Amul Dairy

A major player in the dairy industry, producing milk, butter, cheese, and other dairy products.

3.   Vadilal Industries Ltd.

Specializes in ice creams, frozen foods, and ready-to-eat meals.

4.   Haldiram's

Famous for its wide variety of sweets, snacks, and ready-to-eat packaged foods.

These companies are just a few examples of the thriving food processing sector in Vadodara, each offering unique products and capabilities that can be harnessed for private labeling ventures.

Benefits of Private Labeling in Vadodara

Cost-Effectiveness

Private labeling is a cost-effective way to enter the market or expand product lines.  By partnering with established manufacturers, businesses can avoid the high costs associated with setting up and maintaining production facilities.  This allows for significant savings that can be reinvested into marketing and brand development.

Market Differentiation

In a crowded market, differentiation is key.  Private labeling allows businesses to offer unique products under their own brand names, helping them stand out from competitors.  This is particularly important in the food industry, where brand loyalty can drive repeat purchases and long-term success.

Flexibility and Innovation

Private labeling provides businesses with the flexibility to experiment with new product lines and quickly respond to changing market trends.  Without the constraints of production, companies can innovate and adapt their offerings to meet consumer demands, ensuring they stay relevant in a dynamic market.

Brand Control

When you engage in private labeling, you maintain control over your brand’s image and quality.  You can dictate the design, packaging, and marketing strategies, ensuring they align with your brand values and target audience.  This control is crucial for building and maintaining a strong brand identity.

Finding the Right Private Label Partner

Choosing the right food product company in Gujarat, especially in Vadodara, is crucial for a successful private labeling venture.  Here are some key factors to consider:

Manufacturing Capabilities

Ensure the manufacturer has the necessary infrastructure and expertise to produce your desired products at the required scale.  This includes checking their production capacity, technology, and quality assurance processes.

Quality Standards

Quality is paramount in the food industry.  Partner with companies that adhere to stringent quality control measures and industry standards.  This will help maintain consistency and ensure your products meet consumer expectations.

Flexibility and Customization

Look for manufacturers that offer flexibility in terms of product customization.  This includes the ability to adjust recipes, packaging designs, and production quantities to meet your specific needs.

Case Study:  Modern Food Products

Modern Food Products, a burgeoning food brand in Vadodara, successfully utilized private labeling to expand its product range and establish a strong market presence.  Initially focused on a small selection of snacks, the company partnered with Balaji Wafers Pvt. Ltd. to introduce a new line of gourmet potato chips under the Modern Food Products brand.

By leveraging Balaji Wafers' advanced manufacturing capabilities and expertise in snack production, Modern Food Products was able to quickly bring their new line to market.  The private label partnership allowed them to focus on branding and marketing, resulting in a successful product launch that significantly boosted their market share.

Navigating the Food Industry in Gujarat

Gujarat, and Vadodara in particular, offers a fertile ground for private labeling due to its diverse and well-established food processing industry.  The state is home to numerous companies specializing in different food segments, providing ample opportunities for businesses looking to enter the market or expand their product lines.

List of Food Processing Companies in Gujarat

1.   Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)

The organization behind the renowned Amul brand, offering a wide range of dairy products.

2.   Parag Milk Foods Ltd.

A leading dairy product manufacturer known for its Gowardhan and Pride of Cows brands.

3.   Adani Wilmar Ltd.

A major player in the edible oil market, producing the popular Fortune brand of cooking oils.

4.   Britannia Industries Ltd.

Known for its bakery products, dairy items, and snacks.

These companies represent the diverse and dynamic food processing industry in Gujarat, providing numerous opportunities for private labeling partnerships.

Conclusion

Private labeling is a powerful strategy for building a strong and recognizable brand in the competitive food industry.  By partnering with established food processing companies in Vadodara and Gujarat, businesses can leverage manufacturing expertise to offer high-quality products under their own brand names.  This approach not only enhances brand visibility and differentiation but also provides the flexibility to innovate and adapt to market trends.

For businesses looking to establish a foothold or expand their presence in the food industry, private labeling in Vadodara offers a cost-effective and efficient pathway to success.  By focusing on branding, marketing, and customer engagement, companies can build a robust brand empire that stands out in the crowded marketplace.  Whether you are a startup or an established business, private labeling holds the key to unlocking your brand's full potential and achieving long-term growth in the dynamic world of food products.