#THIS TURNED OUT SOOOO DAMN CUTE I'm so happy with how this turned out!! ;o; So soft... Lamia is da bes she's such a sweetheart

[chocolatewoosh]

Finished an icon commission for my dear friend Lamia, also Lamiasthread, on Instagram! This was SO CUTE to draw, oh my gosh..

[pixie-cocaine]

ATEEZ Reaction To: Catching them off-guard by being naked

Hii, I've noticed your requests are open. And i've been seeing your Ateez reactions recently, which are amazing. :D I just wondered, do you think you could do an Ateez reaction where their S.O. walks into the room naked while they are playing a game, working on music etc? (Kind of like that new Tik tok trend going around atm) x

Guuurl, sorry I waited so long to actually do something about this ask lol, but hopefully this will make you happy :)

Songs Listened To: X by CODE KUNST + LEE HI, FXXK It by BIGBANG, Dante’s Creek by THEY + DEAN, Baby Don’t Stop by NCT, Love Talk - Wayv, A Little Death by The Neighborhood

Hongjoong ♡:

• This man was straight vibing and your sneaky ass just HAD to do something

• “Joong.”

• “Yeah?” he didn’t look up from the small journal, with which he was jotting down lyrics for a future song he was to produce for

• He kept his eyes trained on the pages

• And uh-uh, that wouldn’t do 😤

• You rolled your eyes and waltzed over to the boy, putting a hand on the shoulder of the chair so you could swing him around to face you, an eyebrow raised

• “Look at me.”

• And he sure as hell did dafdsaffwq

• Face said :O

• Doesn’t matter how many times he sees your nude body, still looks like a kid in a candy store lol

• To say he was completely distracted would be a huge understatement

• Hanky panky in his mini studio? Yessir

Seonghwa ♡:

• Looking at this gif and listening to a slowed sexy song is gonna kill me istg

• Also, who let him act like a little hoe in their comeback? Keep your shirt down, mister, it’s not safe

• Gorl has nothing to do in his sparetime because he’s not too big of a gAMeR, but he does like to play phone games when he’s especially bored

• Would probably be playing like fuckin uhhhh candy crush or something when you said “lemme do sum a lil crazy 😌💅“

• You were kinda just curious to see what his reaction would be if you showed up witcha tiddies out

• So you got out the shower and half-assedly threw on a silk robe that Hwa got you for your birthday, not tying it or anything, but rather letting it slip off your damp shoulders while the front sat open and displayed your body for all to see

• His reaction when you leant against the doorframe and fake pouted?

• Immediate 📉

• Everday and night he’s gon chase you frfr

• “C’mere...,” He’d mumble, tossing his phone to the side 

• Level thirty-seven could wait ;)

Yunho ♡:

• Playing pc games at home is one of his favorite things to do (He’s even said so)

• PC games are his go-to when he gets bored of console

• So he’s constantly in his lil gaming room so that if you’re ever sleeping, he doesn’t wake you up

• He was on a multiuplayer session of Valorant when you decided to ruin his gaymer grind

• F in the chat boys

• “Yunho?”

• “Yes?” He stops his hastily typed directions to his game buddies in favor of giving you a quick glance from his chair, and has to look over again to make sure he's seeing things right

• Yeah, he was definitely seeing the pretty rise of your breasts and smoothness of your thighs, revealed from the towel now on the floor, right. Especially the way both of those lovely attributes were becoming larger as you approached him

• "W-woah!" He rushes to shield his eyes, though you only giggle and swivel his chair around in order to straddle him, removing his hands from his face

• "What? Am I too repulsive to?"

• "No! No it's just...," Yunho trails off, letting out a shaky breath and trying his best to not stare so obviously. Literally just paying attention at anything but what you wanted him to

• You only grin, tilting his chin to you face you head-on, "It's ok to look, baby. Don't be so shy"

• a forgotten game and heated chair sex is what would lead to your surprise

• kiss kiss for baby 😘

Yeosang ♡:

• We need more Yeosang gifs, this is ridiculous y'all ;(. Also, we're just... Not gonna talk about San on the side 💀

• Oh oh! And Yeosang getting bolder on stage is my favorite thing

• soooo snowboarding

• Yeosang said he likes to do that in his free time

• He'd just got a new custom board, which the front had lovely baby blue dripping forest face and the meaning of his name painted in black for the back, "Sound Resonating From A High Point."

• He was waxing it in the kitchen with it sat atop the island for easier space when he felt your arms slide around his waist, to which he smiled at, still continuing his work

• "Hello there," he mused

• "Baby, what would you do if I told you I was naked?"

• bitch hUH??

• He really did not waste time with turning in your hold and IMMEDIATELY looking down to see what you're wearing

• He chuckles upon , giving a cat whistle before bending down to set you on top of the counter

• "What's this for?"

• "Bored," you purse your lips, allowing yourself to lean back on your forearms as you spread your legs, "And you seemed like a good time-passer"

• Yeosang hums, falling to his knees easily enough and pulling you towards the edge of the island, then presses an affectionate kiss to your inner thigh

• "Fair enough"

San ♡:

• San likes to spiffy up on his English, which is still pretty hard for him even if you assure him that he's doing just fine when he speaks it around your family

• That being said, you'll sometimes catch him at the table with a textbook in front of him and a language journal by the side that he uses to write small romanizations

• You were particularly bored today. And damn, was San looking good with his messy black hair and shirtless torso. He never really did wear shirts around the house.

• "Sannie," You sang from the doorframe, fresh out of the shower and a bit sexually frustrated considering San hadn't touched you for a couple weeks due to your busy schedule

• He hummed in acknowledgement, jotting something down in the journal as he alternated between both the book and notebook

• You knew he was busy but his English really wasn't bad, so it didn't need to be now. It could wait a bit longer

• Sighing, you drop the towel from your body and fling it at San, which makes him jump and pull it from off of his head, looking towards you immediately and gasping

• You put a hand on your hip, giggling at how he tries to calm himself down

• lol goofy boy

• "C'mon, I know you're tired, I can help you relax," you gesture with a finger in a beckoning motion, and like he was already planning on it, he hops up from his seat and follows you back to the bedroom

• sorry if this was kinda boring lol, let's just San could have literally any reaction and frankly, this is probably the most tame he would be

Mingi ♡:

• Like Yunho in a lot of ways

• He does like to play games (probably PC, too), so you already know he'd be mashing that controller in the living room lol

• "Aww man, are you kidding me!?"

• Mingi gets shy, especially when it comes to you, so when you decided it'd be a good idea to step in front of the screen while he was playing Zelda with the towel around your body held open, he was a visual representation of keyboard mashing

• "Woah—Ohmygod-" [insert Minnie baby accidentally throwing his controller in his haste to cover his eyes]

• "You don't want me?" You ask, pouting and tilting your head

• His response is spreading two of the fingers across his eyes to peek, nodding his head frantically but trying to find the right words so he doesn't make you sad, "You just scared me is all! I don't wanna be rude by looking when you don't want me to or anything..."

• He takes his fingers away to hold them out instead, making grabby hands until you smile and crawl into them, in turn, climbing on top of his lap and letting him press his face into the valley between your breasts so he could kiss the skin there while looking at you

• "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea," he mumbles, nuzzling his head farther down

• "No baby, you're fine," You reassure him with a hand ruffling the strands of his hair

• sweet hanky panky alert 🚨 sweet hanky panky alert 🚨

Wooyoung ♡:

• it's the large ass gif of Woo and his ponytail for me

• Oh and yeah, I know this doesn't quite fit theme of YOU walking in on them to flash your boobies but you're gonna keep your mouth shut and pretend it does 😏

• Another gamer.. damn this is getting repetitive

• hmmm

• Dance practice it is! 😃

• Woo doesn't like repeatedly practicing the same moves over and over again, but he did like the progress he made with each re-do, so he supposes he'll bear with the exhaustion

• Well.. obviously not now, because he's just walking through the bedroom door when he finally registers that you're sitting on the bed, lying on your stomach and scrolling through your phone with a leg raising your body go the side

• You snap your head to look at him, "Ah, there you are," you grin, pushing yourself up to a sitting position, "Thought you were gonna come home late again"

• Wooyoung let's out a snort as he closes the door behind him and drops his dance bag to the side, already taking his inky black hair out of the ponytail it was previously in and shaking it loose

• "What a nice surprise"

Jongho ♡:

• No thoughts, only buff babie

• And how he sung "sex in the morning baby" with a scary amount of aggression

• lol it makes sense that sweetie likes to play racing games on his computer

• LITerally so precious ;(

• Same trope (yes I'm a disappointment); Jongie plopped onto his lil chair with a fluffy blanket around his shoulders and headphones on that cute little head of his

• He said "I love playing car games, vroom vroom y'all 😤"

• And you said "I love playing surprise games, yes yes 😈"

• Gorl, when I tell you he squeaked out of surprise at how you turned his chair around to face you ;(

• "Uhh... Am I- Am I supposed to be looking?" He stammers, eyebrows raised and eyes locked on your bare front

• "By all means, baby," you purr, shaking your head with a familiar fondness at the boy in awe before you

• Just like Joong, he never tires of seeing you naked. He loves looking at you when you're nude, because it's when he can appreciate all aspects of you

• "Hang on, let me pause the game, I'll meet you in the bedroom"

• Getting intimate with Jongho is quite easy. He'll pretty much always say yes to sex, and it's pretty casual when you hint at it

[samiwok]

I am glad that my request with the men’s group was enjoyed. I was really surprised that it was your first request (and I fool also instinctually pressed the Anonymous button. I'm a Idiot) Then I would have my 2 request for you. Oikawa, Atsumu and Ushjima Request. They are in a relationship with S/o, but S/o lives in a completely different country. So your only chance to see them on Facetime or on the phone. S/o comes to Japan to surprise her boyfriend

-> Oikawa, Atsumu and Ushijima’s s/o comes to japan to surprise them

— Oikawa

You met on Twitter

Actually you tweeted somethin about the fact that volleyball is soooo annoying

Oikawa is totally the kind of guy to stay up to Twitter until 3 am you know

And he always look what people say on the #volleyball and when he saw your tweets he got 😡😡

He dm you « are you crazy or somethin ? Volleyball is everything but annoying 😑 »

Thats how you started to talk with him, at first it was only sometimes to tease each other

After a few weeks you started to talk everyday and you were going to bed at almost 4 am just to talk to him a little longer

« I wanna call you mine » he said to you once

« I want you to call me yours » you responded

You lived in France, he was in Japan but it was clearly not a problem to him

« One day I’ll come to Paris to see you I swear »

« I hope so, you’ll love it »

You were often talking by messages and one day you told him you wanted to hear his voice and he answered « Well I don’t wanna hear yours » and you were like ??? What

« Oh. Okay leave it then » you said and you were really disappointed

« Do you know why I say that ? » he asked

« Uh no I must say I don’t really understand and that makes me sad but anyway »

« Don’t be. I love you you know that. But I want to keep the surprise of hearing you when you’ll be in front of me. » he said and you realized he was the man you needed

But he started to call you everyday, the only rule he made up was you had to respond to him writing and keep your mic off

But his voice was so soft that it was not even bothering you to only listen to him for hours

A few months passed and you decided to make him a surprise, THE surprise of you coming to see him

You arrived to Miyagi, and you went to the Gym where your boyfriend was actually playing against Shiratorizawa

You didn’t want to disturb him so you let him play and waited before you went to see him

The match ended, and curiously Aoba Johsai won (HE DESERVES OKAY), you screamed his name

At first he thought it was a fan again so he turned his face fastly with a soft smile but when he saw it was you he fell on his knees, could not believe his eyes

You ran into his arms

« I’m here Tooru, it’s me, y/n ! »

« You have a soft voice, I like it, I like you, no in fact I’m clearly in love with you right now and I feel like I’m invincible » he said to you

— Atsumu

Atsumu was scrolling on Instagram when he saw your picture

He almost fell in love just by seeing you and decided to dm you because damn you were so beautiful he could not help it

When you saw him you were like « who the fuck is that and what language does he speak » lmao

But you still answered bc you were like « okay this guy’s hot »

« So where are you from pretty girl ? » he asked

« Where do you think I’m from ? » you answered

« Well.. obviously London, because you posted a lot of photos from here » he said really confident and almost arrogant

« Actually I travel a lot around the world »

« Interesting. So when are you coming to Japan to see me ? » he asked

You didn’t expect that this conversation would actually bring in your life that one love you needed

But weeks passed, then months and you were talking to him every fucking day

And the day you called for the first time ? Your heart melted hearing his voice and his cute japanese accent

« You know I think I want to travel around the world with you y/n » he told you once

The man was sexy, the man was kind, cute and intelligent. Where else would you find a man like that ?

So you decided not to tell him, but you bought a ticket to go to Japan to meet him

Once you arrived you followed the panels to find your way and you went to the Inarizaki High School where he was studying

You waited for him to come out and when you saw him you felt your heart beating even faster

You walked towards him and you tapped gently on his shoulder so that he would turn around which he did and he was so shocked he was just like 😲

« Is it real ? » he said, not believing his eyes

Osamu was with him and he was like who is this ?

Atsumu turned to his brother and he just said « Sam, I introduce you to the Love of my entire Life »

Then he turned to you « fuck, now I can finally do this » and he kissed you with such passion

« Fuck ! y/n I am so happy right now I might cry, I don’t want you to go. Never. » he said embracing you

« Never. » you said looking at him with crazy loving eyes

— Ushijima

Basically, one of your friend is a huge fan of volleyball and he was often talking about it to you

One day he asked you to watch a match with him and this match turned out to be Karasuno VS Shiratorizawa

And when you saw him you found him sooo amazing

So you started looking for his social media (you know for research👀)

And one day you found him, you went to dm him

« Shiratorizawa no ace » you said to him to start the conversation (you found nothing better)

Ushijima wa surprised when he saw your message but he still answered « who are you » (so welcoming 😍)

Anyway you started to talk, days were passing and even weeks and you started to have feeling for each other

Ushijima was really overwhelmed by all this because he did not expect he would fall for someone who is not even in Japan

But he could not help it but keep talking to you

« Y/N I want to be with you »

« But we are already together Wakatoshi » you answered to him

« Yes. But I mean I want you to be here, in Japan with me »

He was so serious about it you started to think about it and as the days were passing you decided one day you’ll come see him

After like 8 months far away from each other you finally came to Japan for the first time in your entire Life and you could not wait to have your reason to live in front of you

He told you everything about his life there, his trainings and his team so you knew where he was training

When you arrived to the gym you saw Tendō and you immediately recognize him as that middle blocker so clever you saw during Ushijima’s match you watched with your friend

You went to talk to him

« Excuse me » you said to him, he turned to you « is Wakatoshi here ? »

Tendō was surprised to see a girl calling his teammate by his first name, especially since he never saw you in Miyagi but he went into the gym

« WaaaAaAkaaAtoooSHI Kun, there is a girl outside who wants to talk to you »

« A girl ? » he said frowning but he still went to see

When he saw you, a huge smile appeared on his face (Semi and Tendō were like 😲)

He was so shocked poor baby didn’t know how to react, so you jumped into his arms and kissed him

« Wakatoshi say something ! » you screamed

« I- I’m surprised » he said

« Are you happy ? I came only to see you baby »

« I can’t realize, but wow I want you to stay forever » he said with sparkles in his eyes

[imagines-mha]

Class 1a boiiis accidentally grabbing a handful of their crushes boob and the crush just looks at them and goes "ya could have just asked;)" i swear to god this just popped into my head and i couldn't stop laughing when i imagined their faces😂 btw i love you and i'm so happy your ask box is open again

Omg i love you too and thank u so much for this ask lmao 💕💫

Accidentally groping crush’s boob :))

Izuku: HE WOULD DIE AND WE ALL KNOW IT. His face would go purple and he would cover his face and apologise for 82 thousand years he’d be MORTIFIED. Good luck getting his voice to go down any lower of an octave or getting him to chill out lmao

Todoroki: hes an awkward fuck any day of the week, but when he accidentally gropes his crushes boob???? That’s a whole new level of embarrassment and awkwardness. Just goes “oh. Sorry” and pretends he’s okay but you can clearly see in his eyes that he craves an assassination at that very moment

Iida- oh damn. This man is going to act as though he has just commited a felony and u,,,u just gotta accept it bro don’t u. He’ll wave his hands and chant about how sorry he is and how he would never intend to assault a girl and he makes such a scene iida bby chill

Tokoyami-

Shouji; probably the most calm and respectful about it all. Wouldn’t make a scene, wouldn’t apologise profusely. Just a simple “ah, sorry y/n” with a meaningful gaze would do the trick. He’d be blushing like fuck tho

Bakugo- he’d blame HIS groping on you. He’d get mad instantly like “HOW THE FUCK WAS THAT MY FAULT YOU MOVED IN FRONT OF ME WATCH WHERE YOU’RE FUCKING GOING ASSHOLE” but his face would be so red and denki would be cackling at him form nearby cus he’s so flustered

Kirishima- again, soooo respectful. He’s telling himself ‘don’t freak out don’t freak out don’t freak out’ on repeat to try and calm himself down and he squeaks out an “i’m sorry y/n!” But he sounds like a pubescent teenage boy pls help him

Sero: he’d die. He’s the WORST when it comes to playing it cool in moments like this, and would just,,,try and pretend he didnt just grope you. When you said that, he would awkwardly laugh and stumble out apologies, his entire face like 😬😬 with utter fear

Kaminari- “i could’ve asked, huh?” Would definitely cover up his blushing with being flirty, “well i mean if you’re free?” He would wink, turning the whole thing into a huge joke and steering away from it as much as possible

Sato: he’d have heart failure sorry but rip. Pretty girl he has a crush on??? That’s ENOUGH to make him breathless. SQUEEZING said pretty crushes BOOB??? Nah sato.exe is not workin he would be gone

Ojiro: “o-oh my god...sorry uh im sorry y/n” he’d squeak, laughing at your comment and going red, assuring you he never meant it and he genuinely was sorry pls save him he doesnt deserve it

Kouda- his face would just be like 😧🤯 i have fucked up. I have went and fucked it all. But he would just squeak a little and wave his hands out apologetically in front of him while muttering “im sorrys” and u cant help but just wanna kiss him aw :((

Aoyama- he would do one of those super cute squeaks he does and just stare at you like :0. Would splutter out apologies and probably kiss ur hand and then take u on a date or smth my dude he lets his embarrassment lead to smoothness

Mineta: the fact he has to willingly reach his tiny little gremlin hands up to grope you should tell u enough. There’s no way a 3ft pervert “accidentally” gropes someone my dude. He’d have no shame either smh it wouldn’t surprise me if he just locked his hands on and hung there like a fuckin Christmas tree ornament ffs just boot him off

[mari-archive]

OwO Hitoshi see's his crush playing with Eri and a cat and then reader smiles up at him holding the kitty and it goes straight to his heart, doki doki~ Hitoshi is like '**** I'm in love' dadzawa facepalms in the background, mic is ecstatic, hewhewhew

This is made up of two requests pupupu oWo

I hope you like it!! sorry if it’s not good I haven’t written in forever it feels like

Also this is LONG

Shinsou

Now shinsou knows he has a crush but will he fully acknowledge it.... hmm no

He’s does everything in his power and busy schedule to try and hang out with you because he likes you for a reason and you “helping him with homework from a class you don’t even take” will be one of his top excuses and biggest plans

He was currently trying to find you to do just that, he looked all around the school and even the dorms but you were nowhere to be found so he started looking outside and then he heard some faint giggle’s from the training grounds.

Obviously like any curious person, he goes to see what’s so funny and in the training grounds of all places???

Out of all the things that came to mind...... you and eri were not one of them.

Aizawa was sitting down in his yellow sleeping bag.....of course he was sleeping

Shinsou’s walks over to you guys and asks a simple “what’s so funny?”

You pick something up in your hands and turn round with a big grin and explain “kittens!!” and shinsou’s heart nearly stopped from the cuteness, he couldn’t take it,,, that smile, the kittens there was so many, cute eri-chan just soooo adorable!!! Help him....

He sits down next to you two and starts playing with the kittens, watching you interacting with Eri and seeing her have a genuine smile on her face, he can’t help but smile as well

You notice this and give him a little elbow nudge to the side and give him another one of your one in a million smiles

*heart squeeze*

At this point Aizawa wakes up and walks over to you guys, at this point Aizawa knows what’s up, I mean he’s been training shinsou for a few months now and he’s not stupid he can practically see the heart eyes.

“Cmon Eri its time to head back. Y/n, shinsou could you help carrying the kittens back with us”

Cuddling kittens was fun but waking with like 3 in your arm still fun but hard, Aizawa and Eri were a little bit ahead of you two and you could see the delight in Eri face as she talked

Shinsou at this point was to nervous to talk to you and every time you said something he’d give short replies

You guys reached Aizawa place with all the kittens safe and sound and said your goodbyes to Eri and Aizawa but also the cute kitty’s

Now it was just you and shinsou all alone in this awkward silence.....when you got to the end of the stairwell that lead up to Aizawa’s apartment shinsou grabbed your hand not the hard tho and quickly looked away when your eyes meant

“What is it” you say unknowing of what’s wrong, shinsou took in a deep breathe and looked you in your eyes “do you want to go out to the new cat cafe with me this Saturday” determination and doubt were mixed together in shinsou mind but he knew he’d never get an opportunity like this

“Of course” you say with a soft smile and lean in to give him a peck on the cheek, after realizing how embarrassing that was you run off back to the school

“Holy shit” *heart squeeze* how is he going to make it through this date when you’re this damn cute.

“Omg Aizawa did you see that!! That was absolutely adorable!!” Hizashi said as he shook Aizawa around in excitement. Aizawa just groaned in annoyance but deep down he was happy his pupil finally ask you out

(Second request) Shinsou taking a friend to a cat cafe, who then becomes his S/O HC! He needs more love, I don't see anyone else requesting him

After the whole incident with the kittens shinsou finally asked you out, you and shinsou have been friends since the beginning of the school year so it was a big surprise when he asked you out on a date

But the problem was what the hell was he supposed to wear? A suit? But that’s to formal and cat hair will get on it, but he wanted to look nice.

So he settled with a nice lavender shirt and jeans, nothing to causal but also not to formal

You both decide to meet at the cafe mainly because of nerves.

But boy oh boy when shinsou say you he knew it wasn’t a mistake

At first it was very awkward finding out you both like each other, until a cute pearly white cat decided to join you two and that’s when the conversation becames natural again

You both talked about anything and everything, shinsou was a good listen to so if you needed to talk about something ones your chance

He didn’t even realize that it was getting dark out and the cafe was closing in a few minutes until one of the employees said so

You guys didn’t even get to play with the cats :(

You both left with smiles on your faces tho and talked all the way back to the dorms

“I had a nice time with you....could he maybe go back sometime?” He said with a very obvious blush on his face.

And like last time you say just a simple “of course” the only difference is he leans in and give you a gentle kiss on the lips.

[abiteofnat]

Don’t knock it till you try it...

Because one day, you might suddenly be old and ill and just really need the comfort of a hot cup of black coffee. 

Even writing that, I suddenly felt all my joints stiffen and a need to yell at neighborhood kids. 

As an ex-barista and lover of ALL overly-sweet coffee beverages (including the occasional summertime Frappucino), I have never been one to crave the same cup of scalding hot acid that customers used to wait in line for 20+ minutes for. I get it- it’s cheap, it gives your eyeballs the ability to see, you can put sugar and milk in it, whatever. But other than enjoying the very intense training and roast taste tests Peet’s loved to encourage employees to take part in, I never found myself walking out of a shift holding anything other than a glorified morning-time cocktail of caffeine. So imagine my surprise when the other week I was in Boston with my family, and that awkward fall weather between chilly, moist and downright pleasant had me questioning if it was time to ween off the iced coffee for something that could warm me like an internal fireplace. ME? Not want ICED COFFEE? Unheard of. I also wasn’t feeling great, and wanted... black coffee?? What?? So I asked my dad, the designated water boy of Starbucks for my family of demanding women, to get me a tall dark roast coffee with cream. Let me tell you, it sparked genuine concern in my mom and I think it’s truly when my life as a grandma began. Between that and needing to ice my legs every few hours due to a medical mystery I’m currently the star of, I had become old and weak, wanting none of that caramel macchiato crap and just wanting coffee. 

Twenty minutes later I sipped the ostracized dark roast with a pinch of cream and chocolate powder, and I'll be damned- it was so, so good. As in, I wanted it the next morning, and the morning after that, and then wanted to try a different roast from a non-Starbucks cafe, and then began a quest to try all the house roasts at little coffee shops around Chicago. It’s become an obsession of sorts and caused me to question, maybe working as a barista made me resent black coffee from working around it too much; from measuring beans and counting out pounds and constantly burning myself on the giant coffee brewer baskets, I can see how it’s possible. We’re an espresso family- it’s in our blood. We are made of Americanos, and I was blind to see any other way to be. But I am changing. 

So now I have a running list of everywhere that makes a decent cup of dark roast and it turns out, when you have a really refined palette from needing to recite flavor profiles off the top of your head to very inquisitive customers and also grew up around coffee since birth, you can tell what’s good and what’s not. Everyone has their own personal preference, but I’m all about the Central American roasts that offer rich chocolate tones, deep flavor, and a smooth finish. Working at Peet’s, the only roast I would suggest was the Guatemala San Sebastian blend because it was the single roast I genuinely loved and because it tastes like chocolate cake. It is fun to build up that flavor profile and know exactly what smell, taste and depth makes you happy to brew up in the morning, and so I suggest you don’t act like a mole person as I did for many years and aim to expand your coffee knowledge. One day you’ll be 80 and that cup of coffee will take you back to all sorts of memories, which is also why I believe the only reason people like coffee is because it reminds them of adults they love drinking coffee and therefore also want to feel like an adult by drinking it. Ask anyone, adults have nooo clue what they’re doing in life either but they look like they do when they’re holding coffee. 

Anyway, the point of this post was not to preach about not being a mole person and instead inform readers where some freakin’ good coffee is! So keep scrolling! 

1. Everybody’s Coffee

This place was somewhere I'd been once before with a close friend, and we spent a very early morning there hiding from the bitter cold after attempting to do a full-on photo shoot with the sunrise by the lake. If you have ever been to Chicago and been by the lake outside of the summer months, you know it’s breathtaking but terrible. So Everybody’s Coffee was our heaven that AM and the entirely wooden interior made it infinitely cozier, as it feels like a secret log cabin located right on Wilson. The Wilson area isn’t exactly desirable, but there are some gems if you find ‘em. Also, there’s a Sonic. 

The other morning I changed up my routine and took the bus to Wilson, got a coffee, enjoyed a particularly peaceful morning sipping joe and waiting for the next bus, and then rolled up to work feeling caffeinated and yet calm. Taking that extra time for myself in the AM, and weirdly enough talking to a barista before a single coworker, made such a difference! 

Everybody’s Coffee is one of the most inviting coffee shops ever, so if you’re looking for an actual hideaway where you can set up your laptop and enjoy a croissant and damn good coffee, check this place out. 

2. Zanzibar’s Cafe

This spot is always full of interesting characters enjoying their cakes, sandwiches, gigantic salads, and shockingly awesome coffee at all times of the day. Located on Bryn Mawr (yes, even more north) this cafe has a mix of all the breakfast/lunch essentials and they are GOOD. Snag a morning bun filled with fresh lemon zest, the Western breakfast sammie, and a pipping hot coffee with a dash of hazelnut syrup to start your Sunday and you’ll be ready to take on anything... like a nap, or the short walk to the next location! 

3. Phlour 

Phlour is a newfound love song I cannot stop singing. Also located in the Narnia that is the Bryn Mawr area, this spacious bakery has like a billion type of croissants and they are all DELISH. I am very picky about croissants because there’s a difference between the waxy, bread-y Starbucks kind and then the buttery, flaky, light but oh-so-rich decadence of a FRONCH CROISSANT. One bite of their chocolate croissant and I was like OUI OUI, MERCI. Then I also ordered a cinnamon roll and after a lick of icing I was like oh HON HON (French laughter). The coffee was ordered large and black, and it was perfect. Since it’s now winter and snow has snowed, I was wrapped in layers and hats and my fur coat and nothing was better than wrapping my hands around that cup o’ morning love. Go to Phlour and find literal paradise in the form of carbs, caffeine, and incredible decor that includes neon lights (my kryptonite). 

4. Cafe Hollander 

Ok... So this one is in Wisconsin... EVEN FARTHER NORTH. I’m so sorry Chicagoans, I'm askew! I’m not trendy! There’s something very satisfying about enjoying a cup of coffee that’s not 2 feet from the streets of the Loop... but watch me live in the Loop next year and change my tune. My girl Sheila and I adventure to Madison every fall and this year we happened to go the first weekend of November, when that cold, sleepy feeling truly takes you over no matter what time of day it is. We enjoyed a football game and lots of Starbucks day one of the trip, and even got cider at Collectivo which was warm and wonderful to sip while looking at the Capitol all lit up. Sunday, however, we needed real coffee and a lot of warm food before heading back to Chicago so we headed to Cafe Hollander a little outside of the downtown area. While the service was overwhelmed by the amount of people there, and the food took eons to come out of the kitchen, I was soooo pleased with my breakfast and drank maybe 3-5 mugs of their coffee. It was the perfect mix of bitter and sweet milk chocolate tones, and then the smooth aftertaste sold me on whatever they kept pouring in my mug. Combined with the cute seating near the giant glass windows and greenhouse-style roof, I was very excited to relax and chat about life for the hours we roosted there.

And then, we got Starbucks for the drive back because the holiday cups really just scream “please hold me while you sing Christmas carols for the entire two and a half hour drive back.” Yeeeep. 

I can’t wait to keep trying new coffees at new places, and I'd love to hear any suggestions for coffee spots I have yet to wander into! Please let me know!

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie