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readychilledwine · 1 year ago

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Lollipop

Azriel x innocent Vanserra OC

Summary - after being silenced during the High Lord's meeting with her favorite candy. Seraphina finds herself the center of a certain shadowsingers attention

Warnings - implied smut, implied corruption kink, Beron being Beron (so mentions/signs of abuse), implied swapping, Nesta implying she'd go down on OC, age gap, messing with canon a little bit

A/N -I got bored and the whole corruption kink side of me came out. I also think I'm developing a Nesta kink, and it's probably going to get pretty smutty between her and an oc or reader here soon.... oooo or the valkyries x reader.... might have to do something for my girlies who love other girlies...

Part 2

Azriel was going to fucking faint.

Beron, in an effort to stop his daughter from continuing to egg on the Princess of the Summer court, had pulled out some form of an candy on a stick and put it in her mouth much to the laughter and delight of everyone around.

Now all the shadowsinger could do was watch out of the corners of his eyes as his mate sucked and licked on the candy innocently while reading the book Eris had brought for her.

Doing okay there, brother? Rhysand's purr in his mind before the High Lord looked over at the daughter of Autumn had Azriel suppressing a growl. Well, doesn't little Seraphina just look so pretty with her lips wrapped around something.

Azriel shot him a glare before peeking over again. She had the candy so just the tip of it was in her mouth, lips wrapped perfectly around it. Cauldron fucking boil me. Rhysand sent him a wave of agreement as Feyre also looked over and smirked.

Feyre thinks the 3 of us should take her, and oh fuck-

Azriel and Rhys quickly snapped their eyes back to the meeting when the daughter of Autumn looked their way before looking at her older brother and tapping his shoulder.

Her breasts were on display, small hands delicating holding the stick of the candy as she leaned forward in the exquisite dress she was in to whisper in her older brother's ear.

The male heir of Autumn looked over to the Night Court glaring at the shadowsinger and the high lord. He growled softly before taking the candy from a clearly uncomfortable female.

"Excuse my interruption," Tamlin stopped talking as soon as Eris spoke and demanded the attention of the room, "Do you have something you'd like to say to my sister, Spymaster? You've been staring at her for the past 10 minutes."

The room had gone silent. Tamlin leaned forward with a smirk, as did Tarquin and Thesan. The daughter of Autumn was an unspoken set boundary. No one looked at or touched Beron's girl, not even Amarantha. Too much power radiated in that small body. Power anyone would have given Beron their left arm to have access to. They just had to follow his rules to get the chance to play for her hand, and right now, Azriel's silence was risking his own family's shot at it.

Might want to say something there, brother. Az shot Rhysand a glare before clearing his throat and saying the one thing he knew he shouldn't.

"How can I not stare at such a beautiful creature? Especially when your father so willing put something in her mouth for the entertainment of every male here?" Rhys froze and immediately sent a look Azriel's way.

That wasn't what I had in mind. Being her mate does not promise you her hand, Az. Beron could sell her off before Eris gets the chance to bring her to us. Tread carefully.

Beron laughed darkly before turning to the Night Court, "I didn't realize silencing my 55 year old daughter with candy would be such a problem for you, Azriel. No one else here seems to think anything of it. Must just be that Illyrian Bastard blood in you." The reminder of her young age was a slap in the face to the shadowsinger. A reminder that she hardly understood the world yet and that she had spent the majority of her life trapped in that mountain.

Azriel caught the way Seraphina's eyes shut slowly at her father's insults, "It's not a big deal, daddy. I-." Her father held a hand up to silence her. No one missed the flinch from the young girl. Helion, Azriel, Cassian, and Rhys all looked towards each other.

Helion was now staring at the young female too, his eyes softening at her fear. Beron glared at Helion before continuing, "If you continue to look at my daughter, you'll find yourself wingless, boy."

Sera even knew that was too far. Azriel watched the way her chest stilled as she stared wide eyed at her father before switching her gaze to Helion who shook his head softly at her in warning.

Rhysand growled this time, "Do not threaten MY family over your choice not to educate your daughter on sexual matters."

Sera was confused. How was a caramel apple sucker sexual? She made eye contact with the Spring lord, who simply motioned for her to come over to him, and she did.

She walked in a way that reminded Azriel of water. Flowing, smooth, gently. He barely suppressed the growl in his throat as Tamlin pulled the girl into his lap, his mouth close to her delicately pointed and jewel adorned ear.

The room filled with laughter as her eyes grew wide and a red flush hit her chest and cheeks. "Really," she whispered softly to Tamlin, who nodded and then continued whispering in her ear. Soft nodding came from her as Tamlin stroked her upper thigh and whispered to her, eyes locked on Azriel in a clear message. He knew. He could somehow sense the bond. "What's a," Tamlin covered her mouth, laughing slightly as he explained something else to her. "So people don't use the proper terms during sex?" Tamlin was smirking at this point. Whatever he had just said made the young girl gasp, and her eyes go wide.

Beron growled this time and tried to break the field of neutrality in anger but couldn't. "Enough, Tamlin!" Seraphina shifted in Tamlin's lap after he finished speaking to her. She stood and walked back over to the Autumn Court in shock and embarrassment.

"I apologize for the distraction, Shadowsinger. Forgive me," she began playing with her long red curls as Azriel scented her anxiety. "Thank you for the…. Educational lesson, high lord." The daughter of Autumn sat back down slowly and made a fatal error. Her and Nesta Archeron made eye contact and the oldest Cauldron made said one simple thing.

"In case he didn't tell you because he's a selfish male, there's males out there who'd return that favor. And females, if youd be interested in that." The daughter of Autumn grew more red and opened her book to hide her face in the crisp pages, "If you'd like to learn, let me know."

An audible squeak came from the young fae female, "Eris." She was desperate for help. Her brother shot a look Nesta's way, and she returned it with a hate fueled glare.

Tamlin had painted a mental image for her in pretty words chosen specifically to make the young female feel warm. Truly though, She didn't mind the idea. The thought of her on her knees as Azriel tangled his large scarred hands through her long red curls, tongue running along his cock as he made a mess of her made her feel warmth growing in her stomach she'd never felt before.

She had heard rumors from other females about the size of an Illyrian's wings having something to do with the size of their cock, and Seraphina was just trying to imagine how exactly that would work if rumors were true. How exactly would she fit all of him into her mouth if given a chance? The handsome spymaster had huge wings. The largest wings she'd ever seen on a winged fae. If wing size related to endowment size, his cock was huge. And if Nesta was involved? Cauldron boil her. Would Cassian also be involved?

A hand gently clawed at her mind, causing her to freeze. It wasn't trying to get in her head. It was already there. Her honey eyes met violet ones as Rhysand leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine.

No, love, keep going. I was enjoying the delicious thoughts you were having. My brothers and I love sharing our toys. You could have Cassian and Nesta, myself and Feyre- His voice was purr that made her shiver with chills as she slammed him back out and watched as he looked at Azriel.

The winged male's only response was one side of his mouth twitching into a smile before he became unreadable again.

"Now that Seraphina has been educated on some of the finer matters of life, can we continue?" Kal asked coldly as he leaned back into his chair.

Eris discretely handed his sister back her candy. He shot her one look that said, "Be good," before focusing solely on Tamlin and Rhysand restarting their lovers spat.

Seraphina made eye contact with Azriel again as she slowly put the sucker back in her mouth. Azriel pulled his lower lip into his mouth and tugged the mating bond, praying Rhysand had been right when he said he had found it in her mind, but the female just didn't know what it was. Another way to keep her in the dark and innocent, Azriel thought bitterly.

She made a confused face as she looked down at her chest. Then followed the string to Azriel, lollipop now back in the same trapped position of her lips, If you continue looking at me like that with those pretty lips wrapped around that thing, I am not responsible for what happens next little bunny.

Is what Nesta said true? Azriel felt his leathers growing tight at her curious nature. He could feel desire radiating in their bond.

Of course. Only, I eat pussy for my pleasure, not yours. And I will eat pussy because I want to. Not because you've wrapped your pretty little mouth on my cock. He had her. He felt her arousal spike as she shifted. I imagine you'll also be the type who sucks cock for your pleasure instead of mine, little mate.

I'd like to learn. He almost came right then and there as he watched her put the candy in her mouth, eyes wide like a doe.

Keep doing that, baby, and I'll be stealing you to teach you much, much more than just whatever bullshit Tamlin told you. Fucking ruin you for anyone else.

Seraphina turned her attention back to the book she had with a small smile, I'm doing emissary work in the Dawn Court all week this week. I'll be alone tonight.

I'll find you.

I look forward to it.

#acotar #azriel acotar #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x oc #azriel x vanserra!oc

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kdinjenzen · 2 months ago

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Favorite pasta recipe?

MINE!

Kdin’s Pasta Sauce (serves about 1 lbs of pasta, adjust accordingly)

3 teaspoons of olive oil

1 table spoon of garlic powder or fresh garlic

2 cans of tomato sauce

3 fresh basil leafs

1/2 a can of water, mixed between the cans of tomato sauce

1 teaspoon of Sugar

Heat up the olive oil.

When hot enough remove from the heat and make the garlic a golden brown, DO NOT BURN.

After mixing the ingredients cover and put it on medium.

Once it gets to almost a boil lower the temperature to medium low.

Let it cook for an hour and 15 minutes, stir every 10 minutes.

Kdin’s Meat Balls

8 teaspoons olive oil

1lb ground sirloin (can be replaced with ground chicken, ground turkey, or any ground meat substitutes)

1 egg

1 ½ tablespoons of ground parsley

1/4 cup of italian bread crumbs

1/4th of a cup of romano cheese (or parmesan)

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

Set the olive oil in a pan and set the oil on low

Add the meatball ingredients together and mix with your hands.

Roll meatballs to golf ball size, must be tight so as not to fall apart but not too tight.

Raise olive oil to medium before adding meatballs.

Turn the meatballs when they become a nice golden brown, turn the heat to low, and make sure all the sides are cooked well.

Once cooked take the meatballs and set them aside on paper to drain some oil before adding it to the sauce.

The meatballs should stew in the sauce for AT LEAST an hour, still stirring every 10 to 20 minutes.

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bonyassfish · 4 months ago

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Incidentally as we come up on cold and flu season (PLEASE GET TOUR FLU SHOT AND COVID BOOSTER ASAP IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY) I thought some of you may be interested in a recipe for chicken soup with matzah balls, straight from my Jewish™️ mom

Ingredients (this can serve like 4-6 people and also freezes pretty well, but you can also just adjust the portion sizes)

For the soup:

4 cups of water

3-4 bone in chicken thighs (note: you can basically use any parts of a chicken you want as long as it has bones. Chicken necks are very ideal and give lots of flavor but aren’t always easily accessible. Alternatively, you can save the carcass next time you serve a whole chicken and use that for the soup)

1 yellow onion

3-4 carrots

2-3 parsnips

1-2 zucchinis

1 turnip

At least 3 bulbs of garlic, but this is Jewish cooking so there is truly never too much garlic. As much garlic as you want, three is just the absolute minimum

Fresh dill, as much as you can hold in your hand? Idk just a lot of dill. And it does have to be fresh! No dried!

Salt and black pepper to taste

For the matzah balls (recipe may be adjusted for fluffiness or density as one prefers)

2/3 cup matzah meal (ground up matzah, must be very fine)

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of some type of fat, ideally schmaltz (rendered chicken fat. In the likely event that you can’t find it or make it, you may use olive oil)

1 large egg

Instructions:

Fill a large pot with water and a pinch of salt. Set the stove to low/medium heat. Let the water start to heat up before you put in the chicken. Keep the water just below simmering. Peel the carrots, parsnips, and onion, but DON’T chop them, put them in the pot whole. Cover the pot.

Peel and mince the garlic, then add it to the Cut off the ends of the zucchini and cut it in half. Peel the turnip and chop it up into little cubes. Put all of them into the pot. Add dill to the top. Cover and let simmer on low for 4-6 hours

As the soup is cooking, start the matzah balls. Mix the matzah meal and schmaltz/oil. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Mix it THOROUGHLY!!! Leave it uncovered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to a couple of hours.

Take the mixture out of the fridge. Prepare a plate or a tray with parchment paper on top. Use the mixture to roll out small balls (like the size of a golf ball, they expand as they cook). Cover and let sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Don’t let them sit too long.

(Note: if you want to just make the matzah balls and not the soup, skip all the following steps and just boil these bad boys in some water with a little salt until they’re a little soft but not starting to fall apart. You can freeze them or serve them with your favorite soup)

Plop the matzah balls in the soup. If you like them soft and falling apart, put them in earlier, and if you like them having more structure wait longer to put them in the soup.

Taste test the soup and add salt and pepper as you desire. Turn the stove off and take out the dill. Use a strainer to take out the onion and turnips. You can leave in the other vegetables or take them out. Serve right away or let it cool down before freezing.

#food tag #jewish tag #jumblr #recipes #chicken soup #matzo ball soup #jewish food #ashkenazi #soup season #soup lovers

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thecircularsystem · 26 days ago

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for something to write about: do you (individually or collectively) have a favorite dish or cuisine?? if it’s something you make yourself, how did you learn to make it/do you have any strong memories of making it??

We have a few dishes we love. Collectively, we all love mashed potatoes. It’s a safe food of ours; our mom, when we were sick, would always get us one of those microwave mashed potato bowls, and we would put cheese and BBQ sauce in it to make what we called muddy mash. It was sooo delicious. We don’t usually do BBQ anymore since it’s so unpredictable (safe food = the same or nearly the same every time).

Since being with my partner (now spouse), we get homemade mashed potatoes anytime I’m sick. I love them so much; to me that’s so much effort, especially when things are so hard for us right now. But regardless, they still do it, because they love me just. That much.

In terms of individual parts, some of us gravitate to specific cuisine! Numb struggles a lot with the desire for raw meat, but Protector Instincts yell at him that it’s unsafe, so we found a lot of joy from sashimi and sushi for him. Octavian also loves Japanese food, with a major soft spot for ramen. Roy gravitates towards southern foods — because of course he does — and if we drink whiskey, he’s automatically out (even if we were unaware there was whiskey in the drink).

Debra likes all food, but she’s got a soft spot for deviled eggs and for popcorn. Extra butter obviously.

Lastly, we as a system actually love cooking. It can be stressful, yeah, but once we’re actually doing it, it’s incredibly satisfying to see a meal come together. I have a lot of good memories of cooking. A favorite dish of ours to make is this creamy spaghetti and beans dish. My parents used to call it Vendetta, which was some sort of inside joke involving V for Vendetta and the Simpsons? I couldn’t begin to explain it. I remember butterflies were involved?? Anyways.

We love the taste of it. It’s really filling, so one batch goes for awhile. When I think of my limited good memories of growing up, Vendetta is one of those memories. We found out later it’s a Rachel Ray recipe of all things, but we’ve made a few edits to the original recipe.

Here’s a quick recipe for those interested in trying it out (with the ONLY picture of it on my phone that I could find, good lord):

Creamy Spaghetti and Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound box of Spaghetti

4-6 cups of Vegetable Broth

Butter for Sautéing

At least a pound of mushrooms (I recommend mixing and matching for new flavors; if you can get your hands on some maitake, I highly suggest some of it. Paired with some oyster and some common white?? Delicious)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 mid onion, chopped

~1 cup of shredded carrot

1 can of cannellini beans

1 cup of white wine

1 cup of grated parm (have more for later)

As many seasonings as your little heart can carry

The only seasoning that is mandatory is lemon pepper

Instructions:

Add butter to a skillet. Let it melt, then add in the onion and garlic. Once the onion is translucent, add in the carrot. When cooked through, add in the mushrooms.

While the mushrooms sauté, add in some seasonings to the veggies. My go-to are usually red pepper flake, chili powder, lemon pepper, tumeric, rosemary, thyme, basil, and some powdered ginger. If I sees it, it goes in. Lemon pepper is a must, and you should use some later too.

Once the veggies are done, move them to a different bowl.

In the same pan, on a slightly lower heat, put the dry noodles in. Yes. Dry. Don’t boil em. Toss them in and let them burn a little — not a lot, but you want them to start browning. It should let off a nutty sort of smell. You may need more butter.

After about 3-4 minutes of toasting the noodles, add in a cup of white wine. BE CAREFUL OF STEAM BURNS. I have burnt myself numerous times because the wine steams horrendously. Let the noodles absorb the wine.

Add a cup of broth. Let the noodles absorb it. Then, add another cup. Let the noodles absorb it. Then, add another cup. Let the noodles absorb it. Magically, despite the noodles not boiling, they should now be soft and limp like a noodle should be. Incredible.

Add another cup of broth. When you do this, go ahead and now add in the veggies so they can get some good broth action.

At this point, you’ve got a choose your own adventure novel. My spouse loves saucy meals, so I do another cup of broth before tossing in the cup of parm, the can of cannellini (with about half the juice, which is disgusting but @circulars-singlet loves it), and another cup of broth if it’s not saucy enough — and some more parm if it needs to thicken. If you like it drier, you can add less broth, and drain the cannellini before putting the beans in.

Top with more parm and some lemon pepper. You should also use salt and pepper to your hearts content.

NOTES:

Mushrooms are easily replaced with bacon if you’d like that, and if you are vegetarian like Mush is, then tofu might be a good route to go — especially crumbled for the texture. But you do you boo.

The original recipe suggests doing this all at the same time, but I find that way too overwhelming. If you’d prefer to do it at the same time: start with the noodles at the same time as the onions, garlic, and carrots. Add the mushrooms at the same time as the first cup of broth. The mushrooms WILL absorb a LOT of broth, so be prepared to use closer to 6 cups.

My mother once put peas in? Feel free I guess.

If you can avoid whole wheat noodles, highly suggest you do. They taste… odd in this. They’re also thinner in my experience, and you really want a nood that can absorb nicely without being TOO thick. I haven’t tried this with a lot of other pasta types, though!

Recipes are just suggestions, you can change anything you want!!!

#recipe #food #diamonds are a boys best friend

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marozzoespabakingcooking · 7 months ago

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Soft Chocolate Cake

With custard sauce or vanilla ice cream

Ingredients lists

Chocolate cake

7 egg whites, 3 egg yolks, 1 whole egg (total of 8 eggs).

150g 70% cocoa chocolate

150g butter

150g sugar

35g wheat flour

1 table spoon of cocoa powder

Custard sauce/Vanilla icecream (optional)

3 egg yolks

100g sugar

250ml milk

125ml heavy cream

1 vanilla bean or 1 table spoon vanilla extract

NB: The custard sauce can be served warm/hot with the chocolate cake, or put in an ice cream machine to make vanilla ice cream.

Instructions

Chocolate cake

Melt the butter and chocolate together.

Seperate the egg whites and yolks. In one bowl, put 7 egg whites, in another bowl put 3 yolks and 1 whole egg. This should leave you with 3 egg yolks. Keep those for the custard sauce.

Put half of the sugar in the bowl with egg yolks & the whole egg.

Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk. When the whites are getting foamy, add 1/3 of the remaining sugar. Continue whisking until they are firm, and add 1/3 of the sugar again. Whisk for 1min and add the remaining sugar and whisk another minute. Refer to picture below to see the texture it must have.

Take a sauce pan, put water in it and heat up the water. The water must be steaming, but not boiling.

Put the bowl with the yolks, whole egg & sugar on top of it, and whisk it with the electric whisk in this bain-marie. Whisk until the mix has whitened a lot and increased a lot in volume. Refer to picture below to see the desired texture.

Mix all the ingredients together in the following manner: First mix the yolks with the chocolate. Second mix the yolk-chocolate with the egg whites, and the sieved flour & cocoa powder.

Mix until homogeneous, but do not overwork the mix, and we want to keep the mix as airy as possible.

Preheat the oven at 170°C.

Pour the mix in a buttered and floured cake pan, and bake for 25-35min (use the toothpick/knife method to check if it's cooked).

Take it out the oven, wait until it cools down, and remove the cake from the cake pan. Cover with powdered sugar.

Custard sauce/Vanilla icecream (optional)

Cut the vanilla in half, take all the seeds out, and put the seeds and the bean shell in the milk, and half the sugar.

Put the milk to a boil, then stop and let it infuse.

Whisk the yolks and the rest of the sugar until it whitens and become fluffy (it'll be less airy than what we did for the cake, and it is not done in a bain-marie).

Pour the milk over the yolks, mix well, and put back in the sauce pan.

Cook & stir until it reaches 83°C.

Add the heavy cream to stop the cooking.

Either serve it as is as a sauce for the cake, or put in an ice cream machine to make vanilla ice cream.

NB: This cake is named "moelleux" in french, meaning "soft", refering to how airy and soft the cake is.

#baking #baking recipes #recipes #chocolate #chocolate cake #dessert #vanilla ice #moelleux

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whentherewerebicycles · 1 year ago

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hello dear Jes, I am all out of good meal ideas!! I’m always in awe of your drive to cook and the great-looking meals you create. Any good recs for yummy and relatively easy / quick recipes? thank u 🙏

hello!! yes here are some very easy, low effort low prep recipes i love. the bolded ones are the ones i find myself making most often when i am like wow i do NOT want to cook but if i must do so, i wish to make the easiest thing ever.

shakshuka (all recipes are basically the same! i make it with canned tomatoes to cut down on prep, add a sliced jalapeno to make it spicier, and top it with feta and cilantro. if you are not crazy about eggs my sister often makes it with chickpeas and no eggs!)

thai peanut noodles (you can make as-is but i often add roasted broccoli and air fryer tofu if i have time!)

ricotta pasta with roasted broccoli and chickpeas (i roast the broccoli rather than broiling it as i am afraid of broiling lol but it's very easy and delish)

creamy corn pasta (my beloved)

spaghetti with onion-"bacon", corn, and basil

roasted sweet potato tacos (roast sweet potatoes, warm black beans on the stove with spices, and make easy quick-pickled onions if i have time - then you can add avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and any other toppings you like!)

potato egg and cheese breakfast tacos (i roast or air-fry small-cubed potatoes, scramble eggs, melt cheese into the eggs, and top with the salsa of your choice!)

migas breakfast tacos

tortellini with pesto and roasted veggies

caprese toasts (toast bread of your choice, then add pesto, sliced mozzarella, sliced cherry tomatoes, basil if you have it, and balsamic glaze... my all-time fave easy/no-cook meal)

pesto pasta with frozen peas (another super easy one i make when i want to barely cook at all - you boil the frozen peas in the pasta pot for the last three minutes of the pasta's cook time. then add pesto, grated parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, and halved cherry tomatoes if you have them)

easy asparagus soup (thinly slice a leek and cut 1-2 bunches of asparagus into half inch pieces. melt 3 TBS of butter in your pot, then saute the leek plus 5-6 cloves of garlic for 8 min. add asparagus pieces and 4-6 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 min. transfer it all to a blender and blend, then add 1/4th cup grated parmesan and the juice of half a lemon. serve with crusty croutons and sliced chives)

roasted sweet potato & figs dish (you can also make with dried dates if you can't find figs!)

easy chana masala

nectarine, arugula, and feta salad (best in the summer when it's nectarine season but delish all year round... you can also use peaches. i usually serve it on a bed of quinoa so it's more filling/more of a main dish. the basil dressing is to die for i could eat it with a spoon)

avocado & egg sandwich (you can make this on a bagel, english muffin, or bread... just toast your bread, mash avocado onto the bread & sprinkle with red pepper flakes, and then scramble or fry eggs to your liking and put on top)

#jes cooks

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fuckyeahdindjarin · 1 year ago

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Hey! The chili was a HUGE success, requests have been made for it to be a regular meal! So, with that triumph in mind, do you have any other Palomino recipes to share? I'd love to try something else!

Hi love! I'm so thrilled that the chili was a hit, and do I have more Palomino recipes for you! Many of the dishes that showed up in the series are my favourites, and if people are interested, I definitely have more to share 😘

Poppy’s chocolate & rum cupcakes

Darlin's birthday cake featured in Part IV Strawberry Roan is inspired by my own favourite recipe - the chocolate and rum cake. However, since the cake is super rich and heavy, I prefer to make them as cupcakes (pictured are my mini cupcakes and I pair them with fresh strawberries), but you can adapt this recipe for a cake as well.

You taste chocolate on his tongue - and dark rum, must be Poppy's secret ingredient - as it moulds around yours.

As mentioned in the fic, rum is the secret ingredient to this recipe. I've been using this recipe for about 8 years now, and it's adapted for my typical Asian palate i.e. it's not too sweet, and the dark rum gives it a deep flavour and aftertaste that goes perfectly with the chocolate.

Important: The type of cocoa powder makes all the difference. Recently, I've been using Ghirardelli and I love it, it's silky smooth and it has so much depth to the flavour. Alternatively, I used to use a blend of Valrhona and regular cocoa powder (just regular Cadbury drinking cocoa), about 3/4 Valrhona to 1/4 regular cocoa powder. I wouldn't use all Valrhona because it is too dense and it affects the texture of the cake.

Full recipe below the cut:

This is actually the first cake recipe I've ever shared, so apologies in advance if the batch numbers are not completely accurate! The recipe officially makes 36 mini cupcakes, but the output may be a bit more generous since I used to sell these, I always made a few more to take into account margin for error. This recipe should make 12 regular cupcakes.

For the cake:

The chocolate mixture

60g dark chocolate (I use 70% chocolate), chopped

0.6 cup boiling water

0.5 tablespoon espresso powder

6 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (see my note above the cut)

The dry ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

118g unsalted butter, soft

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.5 eggs (it’s a forgiving recipe - 1 large egg will do as well)

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Make the chocolate mixture first as it needs to cool down before use. Chop up the chocolate into pieces small enough to be melted by boiling water.

Mix the cocoa powder and espresso powder with boiling water, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and let cool.

Prepare the dry ingredients by stirring everything together in a bowl.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars until incorporated. Do not overbeat.

Mix in vanilla extract and eggs until well combined, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Do not overbeat, scrape down the bowl again.

Alternatively add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the mixing bowl. Always lead with the dry ingredients, and follow with buttermilk to ensure you don't add too much liquid. The batter should be silky and smooth, but not runny i.e. when you scoop it up with a spoon, it should be the texture of very soft soft serve, but it shouldn't dribble.

It depends on your oven, but for me, this batter doesn't rise a lot, so I fill up the cupcake liners to about 3/4 full. I suggest you bake one cupcake first to test how full you should fill it, and the time it takes. For mini cupcakes, I bake at 150C and check around the 15 minute mark, and they usually take 20 minutes. For regular cupcakes, I would check around the 20 minute mark, they might take up to 30 minutes.

A cupcake is done when it springs back when you press on it and your fingertip doesn't leave a dent. Don't overbake.

Let the cupcakes cool down completely before frosting.

Edit: I forgot to add that I poke little holes in the cupcakes with a toothpick and feed each one with rum before frosting!

For the buttercream:

I always make too much buttercream, because there's nothing quite as frustrating as not having enough for your last cupcake! And trust me, this buttercream is so good you can eat it off a spoon. So put any spare in a mason jar and enjoy it!

125g unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature

1.8 cups powdered sugar

0.5 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

0.3 cup heavy whipping cream

pinch of salt

1.6 tablespoon rum

Directions

Beat butter until it's soft and sticks to the side of the bowl in soft strips. When you scrape down with a spatula, you should meet no resistance and it should slide smoothly down the side of the bowl.

Add powdered sugar in half cups, scraping down the sides and bottoms of the bowl in between until the texture reaches the consistency of buttercream.

Alternatively mix in cocoa powder and whipping cream, always starting with the powder and ending with the cream. Add just enough cream for the the powder to incorporate into the frosting.

Add the rum bit by bit with the mixer on the slowest setting to make sure the buttercream isn't too wet - it will curdle if it does, and you want the buttercream to have enough structural integrity to pipe.

These cupcakes can be frozen frosted or unfrosted, and imho they taste even better when allowed to 'age'. Keep in freezer for up to 3 weeks, thaw in fridge overnight before eating. Pair with fresh berries, it's lovely when you have the acidity to cut through the richness! I hope this recipe makes sense and turns out well!

#palomino recipes #palomino series #chocolate and rum cake #tw food #tw baking

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angelkin-food-cake · 1 year ago

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Bird's Milk Cake

Chocolate Cake:

2⅔ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

¾ cup dutch cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1 cup canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. instant espresso powder or 2 Tbsp. ground coffee

1¾ cup all purpose flour

4 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

¼ cup sour cream or buttermilk

Custard:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup hot milk

15 egg yolks

1¾ cup butter

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Lightened Custard:

1 cup custard

8 oz. whipped topping or 1 cup whipped heavy cream

Ganache:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Make the custard first. Combine 15 egg yolks and 1 cup sugar in a medium-sized pot and whisk until smooth. Slowly add 1 cup hot milk while continuously whisking. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until it begins to thicken and covers the back of the spoon. When you run your finger over the back of the spoon, the custard should not run into wiped space. Add 1 Tbsp. of vanilla extract & stir. Do not overcook or the custard will curdle.

Add the butter to the custard and stir until butter is completely melted and incorporated into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, touching the custard (to prevent forming of skin) and allow to come to room temperature.

While custard is cooling make the cake. In a cup whisk together 2 eggs, 4 egg yolks & 1/4 cup of sour cream. Set aside.

Make the espresso: If you have espresso powder, combine the espresso powder with the boiling water. Or brew 2 tablespoons of ground-up coffee with 1 cup water. Drain coffee and make sure there's 1 cup of liquid. If there's not, add enough to make 1 cup. Set aside.

Combine 2 3/4 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp baking soda with the espresso boiling water mixture and stir until almost no lumps appear. Cook over medium-high heat, constantly stirring until it comes to a boil. This step will make the darkest chocolate color it can be. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Add the chocolate mixture to the mixer and with beater blades, beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes to remove additional heat from the mixture. Add 1 cup oil & 2 tsp vanilla extract and beat until combined and smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups flour and beat again until smooth. Add the egg mixture and beat until just until combined.

Pour batter into two 9 inch round cake molds lined with parchment paper & sprayed with non-stick spray, or if you do not have the non-stick spray, butter the pan, add 1 Tbsp. flour then shake around to cover the pan, shake out the excess.

Put on wet cake strips around the pan.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If using an 8-inch cake mold, add 5-7 minutes to the baking time.

Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then, run a knife around the inside of the cake mold and unmold the cake by turning it over onto a cooling rack. Remove parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers with a long serrated knife.

To assemble, line edges of the serving platter with 4 strips of foil for each cleanup. The pieces must be wide enough to go about 1/2 inch under the cake and cover the edges of the platter.

Take away about 1.5 cups of cream before you start to layer the cake with the remainder of it.

Place the first cake layer into the middle of the platter and tighten the adjustable cake ring around the cake. Add a couple tablespoons of the cream and spread it around.

Put the second cake layer on top, press it in, then alternate cream and cake until both are used up. You want your last layer to be the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

The next day, combine the reserved 1 cups of custard with 8 oz of whipped topping or 1 cup of whipped heavy cream. Carefully fold both together until just combined.

Cover the outside of the cake in this cream in a thin layer, smoothing the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes.

Fit a pastry bag with a french star tip. Fill it with leftover lightened custard. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the ganache by melting chocolate by pouring hot whipping cream over and stirring continuously. Pour the ganache over the cake carefully brining some of it close to the edges, allowing for it to drizzle down the sides.

Pipe stars all around the top of the cake going in rings starting from the edges and working towards the middle. Drizzle some ganache on top of the stars.

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glazedsnail · 4 months ago

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Fanfic Ends

Finallyyyyyy (I started an epilogue ya'll I can't let them go)

For now, at least, at LAST, the last part of my ShanexOC Stardew Valley Fanfic

Misery Loved Company

ShanexOCFarmer (♀️) 18+ -

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • Part 8 • Part 9 • Part 10

Look at my farmer and her husband at his favourite festival what a goober omg who likes eggs that much - she says holding her oversize novelty boiled egg dressed in her gudetama pyjama

I'll show you my oversized novelty boiled egg once.

I was listening to this the whole time.

Especially: love letters - teatime at the cottage - lonely waltz x passacaglia - the fairy - picnic in the meadows - spring - a white dress - butterflies and dandelions

With spring mostly on repeat I must admit.

Anyway that's not why you clicked the cut:

‘Shane, what’s taking you so long? We’re going to be late!’

Barely awake, last sip of coffee lingering on his tongue, Shane forces himself into his clothes. He could certainly benefit from buying a new suit, but this one still fits. Why bother. He wins the fight against his trousers and turns to the mirror. His only white shirt has a stain of sauce. A short lament. He will have to wear the tie after all and pray it will hide the stain at least a little. Now to remember the damn knot.

‘Shane!’

‘In a minute!’

Shane promised his aunt he would make an appearance today after she stated, nicely, how fed up she was by “everyone” asking how her nephew was doing. He had a hard time imagining a single person caring, so “everyone” felt like a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, there he was, already regretting his promise, while Marnie, who was done with clearing and cleaning the breakfast table, was slowly losing patience. He had managed to find excuses to avoid participating in big town events, sometimes at the last minute. This time she was not going to let him win.

Finally, the tie is on, crooked, and hides the sauce stain. With a smile, he figures it might have happened at his birthday dinner just a few days ago. Jas and Marnie had laid out his favourite food, and even put a bow on Charlie who had the best seat at the table. Shane’s grin deepens. He was grateful, even if showing it poorly.

‘Uncle Shane!’

‘You tell him, Jas.’

A laugh. Things are not so bad.

He tries to fix his hair. Quickly gives up. A long exhale as he puts on his jacket, ready to go.

‘There he is!’ Sings Marnie. ‘You could have done something about your stubble.’

‘Marnie.’

‘It’s fine, it’s fine. You look great. Let’s go!’

To Jas’ delight, they are about to finally cross the doorway.

‘Oh just a minute.’

The little girl grumbles at her uncle who’s already making them late. At this rate all the honey and hot cross buns will be gone. Shane makes sure to acknowledge her frustration by ruffling her hair, and walks to the kitchen window. The valley is slowly heading towards summer. The tepid timid sun shining in the sky right now will start warming and burning in just a couple of hours. The trees are plump and full with leaves and lives. Butterflies are twirling in the mating ballet of their short existence. One of Marnie’s cow is happily chewing cud under the window, ringing her bell at whoever wants to hear it. Shane sighs, content. It’s a beautiful day. He reaches for the single plant pot sitting on the window ledge, turns it around, inspect the leaves, the branches, sprays some misty water around.

When Shane found the hot pepper plant in Fern’s farm he couldn’t bear to leave it amongst everything else, and was pleasantly surprised to discover he actually had a green thumb, and that it was enough to revive the browning leaves. And then he saw she had slapped a stupid handmade label reading “Shane” crudely stuck onto the terracotta. He knew he had to take care of it, cursing that damn corny ass farmer with every fibre of his body.

Perhaps because he was taking too long, or because she felt he needed it, Jas grabs her godfather’s hand. Her smiling eyes looking up to him, not uttering a word. He smiles, and squeezes her little hand back.

‘Thank you’ he whispers. ‘Let’s go now.’

The clearing had been prepared like every year. Colourful bunting stretched around the field and the tables. Cut flowers decorating every corner of meadows where wildflowers are not already growing. The air is sickly sweet with the scent of bloom and anticipation, mixed with the recently cut grass to prepare for the upcoming stomping. Jas leaves Marnie’s hand the moment she sees Vincent and Penny, who nods politely at them.

‘How are you doing?’ Marnie asks her nephew now alone.

‘I’ll be fine.’ He says, uncomfortable in his ill-fitting suit. ‘I think Gus brought his hot chilli sauce.’

She laughs tenderly before grabbing him, and starts dusting his shoulders, puts some order in his hair, straightens his tie.

‘Shane, this shirt has a stain.’

‘Before you moved the tie, it was perfectly hidden.’ He moves the tie back. ‘Why all the fuss anyway. I’m just gonna hang by the buffet.’

‘What if someone asks you to dance? Be a bit more presentable.’

‘I said I’d come, aunt Marnie, not that I’d dance.’

She sighs in desperation.

‘I want you to enjoy yourself.’

‘I’ll be fine, go and mingle.’ He replies, gently stopping his aunt from trying anything with his messy hair.

Marnie smiles, swiftly caressing his cheek, with pride, and concern. He watches her sauntering over to the mayor, and exhales. He can finally stop smiling. Around him, the other townspeople are loudly talking, laughing, excited, impatient. Some glance at him, others are even gratifying him with a sympathetic smile. With a groan, he makes his way to a tree casting its shadow on the array of food available and leans against it. Colourful bugs are dancing around the uncovered plates, the flowers, then fly high up to the sun.

‘You got a lighter?’

Shane jumps. Transfixed as he was by the insects he didn’t see Pam approaching him to his shadowing corner.

‘Sorry Pam, no, tryin' to stop.’

‘Good for you!’ She says, putting her cigarette behind her ear. ‘So, out of your hole at last?’

‘We spoke yesterday at Jojamart, what are you on about?’

She scoffs.

‘I meant in the social department. Ain’t seen you ‘round lately. Saloon sure feels empty.’ She chuckles and adds. ‘Not that I was seeing much of you since that farmer got your eye.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Shame she didn’t stick around. Do we know why she didn’t come back?’ Shane lifts his head to the trunk, and hopes a bit too late it’s not covered in sap. Since Fern had left it was like she’d never existed. They would always make sure to never mention her when he was around. He didn’t care if they did. All of them being so careful not to talk about her enraged him more than if they did.

Today for some reasons, his head was not in the mood.

‘Family stuff. I think.’

‘You think?’

Fern had written with no return address to the mayor. Nothing in the letter mentioned Shane. But she was sorry.

‘Pam.’

‘I get ya, I get ya! Don’t worry. Just sayin’ it’s nice to see you here is all.’

‘Marnie made me. Said I couldn’t miss the Flower Dance. Something ‘bout tradition and shit.’

The older blond shrugs.

‘Well, even the doc’s not here so, tradition or not, I don’t think anyone would’ve said anything anyway.’

Shane laughs bitterly. Of course no one would have noticed or cared.

‘Anyway, nice talking to ya!’ She bolts as she sees Gus in the distance, ready to ask the saloon’s owner for a lighter, and leaves Shane to his trunk

Been a while since he actually craved a cigarette.

He looks around him. It’s true that Harvey isn’t there. Everybody else is. Shane is heavily debating crawling back in his bed. He made his appearance, it should please Marnie.

‘Everyone, gather ‘round! We’ll soon start the dance.’

Lewis shouts, trying to get everyone’s attention. Shane lets out a scornful sigh. The appeal of his bed just increased tenfold. He watches, from his tree, as his peers grab their partners’ hand, and quickly looks down, dejected. He doesn’t have proper dress shoes on, and his sneakers need a serious wash. He most likely walked in the mud on his way here. At least he hopes it’s mud.

The music gently starts. A ghastly recording of an ill fitted 3 / 4 waltz they probably played when Mayor Lewis was in his baby britches. Shane lifts his head back up, thinking of grabbing something to eat while they dance.

To his surprise, no one is dancing. He scans the thin crowd. Most of the heads are turned to the passageway to the forest. Marnie bolts towards it with what looks like a smile on her face from afar, quickly followed by Jas’ little legs. Soon, a small group forms around them. Shane leaves the shadow of his tree, tempted to join them all, slightly tip-toeing, lifting himself up to see above their heads.

They part the way. Shane’s heart skips a beat.

There, in the springtime light, softly caressed by the slow wind, wearing a white light cotton dress, Fern walks alongside Harvey. She’s smiling, holding Jas’ hand, talking to Marnie. To add to his disbelief, they hug, a timid but warm embrace.

With a dry mouth, Shane curses his legs. He really thought he was walking towards her but they’re unresponsive. Fern finally sees him and her smile disappears. Both refuse to blink, too scared the other would simply vanish. She slowly walks to him, her dress gently flowing against her bare ankles. She should have known he would be away from everybody else. Shane fights the urge to rub his eyes. Finally, his legs let him move to her. To the farmer he saw covered in mud, barely knowing how to hold a chick, cutting herself with a pair of shears and blaming the sheep, spewing nonsense after nonsense for days just to befriend him, and was as pretty now as she was then. Her hazel eyes look brighter. Her hair, longer, is up in a ponytail, softly swinging in her steps. He saw her everything, in the bareness of their carnal exchange, and yet, the light cloth kissing her curves is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. With his trembling hand, he grabs a pink gerbera sitting on the table, and finally reaches her. They both clear their throat.

‘Shane.’ she starts.

He looks straight at her, flower in hand. Without a word, he lifts his arm to her hair and tucks the pink flower behind her ear. She smiles, her golden eyes slowly getting wet.

The music had stopped, and no one in the whole valley is breathing.

‘Fern’ he replies.

They don’t even realise everyone is looking at them. Shane painfully swallows, and takes Fern’s hand in his.

‘Do..Do you, maybe, want to dance?’ he asks with all his strength. She nods, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. On the other side of the meadow, Marnie tugs at Harvey’s coat, holding a please squeal.

‘Lewis’ she says to the mayor ‘put the music back on.’

He recognises her non negotiable tone and the music starts again. They all slowly join Shane and Fern, keeping their distance, and start the dance. Shane puts his shaking hand on her waist, lets her grab his shoulder, and starts slowly twirling. His blushing cheeks are met with his new smile as he realises he is holding Fern. Their dance starts slow, uncertain, like two newborn fawns. Certainly looking clumsy to the outside eye. She looks at his smiling green eyes, grateful to see them again.

‘You’re back’ Shane exhales.

‘I’m sorry’

‘No, no. Not now’ he whispers as they twirl.

‘You’re very handsome in that suit.’ Fern says, remembering how striking she already found him in his everyday attire.

He timidly scoffs, obviously not believing her one bit, barely able to hide his increasingly blushing face.

‘Your hair is longer.’ He remarks.

‘Yeah it’s… It’s been a while.’

‘It looks nice. N-not that I didn’t like your short hair. That it didn’t look nice. It looked nice then too. I like you. Your longer hair. Just now.’

A tear runs down Fern’s cheek that she quickly wipes. How she missed this endearing clumsiness.

‘I missed you.’ She whispers, as a new twirl pulls her closer to Shane.

‘I missed you too.’ He replies in one breath, her smile striking his fast beating heart.

‘I’m happy you’re here.’ She adds.

‘Marnie made me come.’

‘Wasn’t the prospect of all the dipping sauce good enough?’

He laughs, making her twirl again in his arms.

‘Why’d I go through the pain of wearing a suit and head out when I can eat alone at home in my pants?’

‘Still trying to charm me, I see.’

Shane bites his lip, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, all while in his arms. He had almost convinced himself he’d never see her face again, never feel her body in his hands. She was certain she would have to forget Shane, forget his smile, his voice. But there he was, slowly making her dance and laugh, his soft kind eyes falling into hers.

‘Did Harvey bring you here?’

‘Fetched me at the station. We’ve been planning for weeks, surprisingly not a lot of train stops at Pelican Town.’

‘We?’

‘Well, Harvey, me, and your aunt.’

Shane’s steps nearly stop, stunned. He blinks repeatedly.

‘Marnie?’

She knew Fern would be here, today, after months of absence and still let him come with a sauce stained shirt.

Fern nods, and twirls.

‘She came to the city. Multiple times.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘That was her plan.’

Shane quickly tries to find Marnie. Standing in the corner of the meadow, she looks at them with a warm smile.

‘We had…Long talks.’ Fern continues.

He nods in understanding, swirling with her.

‘Are you leaving after today?’ He asks, tightening his grip over her hand and waist, afraid that she would disappear should she answer yes.

‘No. The farm is mine.’

Shane grabs Fern back after fumbling a step, helping her back on her feet.

‘You’re staying? For good? With me? I mean, with us? I mean, in Pelican Town?’

She giggles, closing in on the already decreasing gap between them.

‘Marnie said you’ve been taking good care of my chickens. Especially Cranky.’

‘I have. Cranky will not want to leave me ever, now.’

‘She’s not the only one.’

The music stops, much too soon. They refuse to leave each other’s arms. Their chest move up and down in unison, out of breath, heart against the other.

‘Shane I’m sorry I didn’t come back.’ Fern starts in one exhale.

��Fern.’

‘I should have at least wrote or’

‘Fern, you’re back’ he cuts ‘You’re here now.’ He caresses her cheek. ‘And for some insane reasons you’re dancing with me.’

‘I’m sorry I hurt you, Shane. I was scared to come back.’ She adds in a shaking tone, cradling herself in his open hand.

She looks down, but Shane swiftly lifts her chin back up with a smile. Fern takes it all in. His gorgeous smile creasing the corner of his soft eyes. She passes her hand in his hair and takes a deep breath.

‘I love you.’

She sees the weight of her words fall in Shane’s eyes, the shock making his smile slowly disappear. As tears start falling, Shane pulls Fern to him in a kiss. Applauses erupt from the surrounding, suddenly remembering they’re in the middle of a town gathering, startled by the townspeople who have all been holding their breath for so long, for that one kiss.

Hesitant to let the other go, they blush, looking like two stranded poppies in the middle of the clearing.

‘I’m sorry.’ Fern whispers ‘I know how you are with public display.’ she laughs, starting to release his hand.

He pulls her back in another kiss. A soft, slow caress on her lips, feeling like they kiss for the very first time in an intentional passionate embrace while the world disappears around them. Then Fern’s feet touch the ground again, her forehead pressed on Shane’s holding his shallow breathing to whisper back.

‘I love you.’

#stardew valley #fanfic #stardew valley fanfic #fanfic writing #failed writer #stardew valley shane #sdv shane #sdv #writing #sad chicken man #flower dance #fanfics #fanfiction #shane x oc #stardew valley shane x oc #Spotify

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oh-no-another-idea · 9 months ago

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Find the word tag

Thanks for these words, @mysticstarlightduck! I'm looking for screech, treat, fight and loathe.

From Invisible Girl:

Screech:

Velia skidded inside and pulled the brake. The car screeched unhappily but ground to a halt, the jerk dumping Antonio West head over heels again. Velia went crashing into the wall.

Loathe:

Concentrating, Velia swayed when the train swayed, traveling around a small bend in the track. She must not flip the first tumblers without the second set. It required the sort of immense focus that only stayed while the brain was partially absent. Velia thought about boiled eggs and how much she loathed them. The locks clicked simultaneously beneath her fingers.

From Stars and Ships:

Treat:

The Star Enforcement fell back as they crossed into the industry side where taxi hovers, ticket offices, and ice treat trucks gave way to heavy duty cranes, strong workers with large carts, and the occasional clipboard-bearing robot. One rolled up to Sepia’s feet. “Can I help you,” it narrated in a flat male voice.

Fight:

“Walk in a straight line, at least?” Jax said, grinning at a woman selling soap. “Try?” “Maybe I could, if you hadn’t gotten me this dumb [prosthetic] leg,” Quin snarked, an old reply for an old, old, fight. “If you hadn’t ruined any hope of me walking straight.” Jax glared. “I don’t think I had anything to do with your low levels of straight—” “Boys!” Aaliyah said, sharp as the knives lined up on the counter behind her. “We’re here, if you would be quiet for one minute.” She followed Sepia into the tent beside the knife seller, leaving the two of them on the street.

No pressure tags for @halfbakedspuds @charlesjosephwrites @the-down-upside-finch @365runesoftheamalgamations

@dyrewrites @writinglyra @winglesswriter @fleurtygurl and anyone else who'd like to look for the words crash, grave, praise, and infection <3

#tag games #find the word tag #wip: invisible girl #wip: stars and ships

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rabbitcruiser · 4 months ago

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National Caramel Custard Day

The National Caramel Custard Day is dedicated to a creamy dessert made with milk, sugar, and vanilla. This food-related holiday is celebrated on October 3.

The word “custard” refers to a variety of desserts based on a mixture of egg yolk and milk or cream. Caramel custard is a custard dessert topped with a layer of soft caramel. It is popular throughout the world. While North Americans call it caramel custard, most Europeans know it better as crème caramel. In Spanish-speaking countries it is usually called flan.

Caramel custard is a popular dessert that can be found on the menu of many restaurants. But if you want to try your hand at cooking fancy desserts, you can make it yourself for the National Caramel Custard Day.

In a heavy saucepan, cook ¾ cup sugar over low hear until melted and golden, constantly stirring. Pour the caramelized sugar into eight 6-ounce custard cups so their bottoms are coated and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, beat 6 eggs, 3 cups milk, ¾ cup sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla extract until combined. The mix must not be foamy. Pour over caramel. Place the cups in two 8-inch baking pans. Pour boiling water in pans to a 1-inch depth. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 °C. Unmold before serving.

Source

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a-confused-patata · 1 month ago

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Viktor headcanons... Pt 3??

(y'all enjoy this? Idk how to label them)

· Viktor is not a morning person. And when i say this, not that he can't wake up early, i bet his quality of sleep doesn't allow him to have a deep dive into slumber, making him wake up at the lightest flinch... What i mean to say is, he's not a morning person.

· Can't move a limb out of bed until some five to ten minutes staring at the ceiling. Can't muster a sound out to even say good morning. Can't wipe out that assassin's expression off his face until 2 to 3 hours after waking up. Needs coffee (everyone around him tries to ban it from his house–), some fresh air, staring into the void, God-knows-what thought process his launching system runs in his mind to fully start... and there you go, you can welcome Viktor into reality now.

· Still, take it easy, approcah him with a gradual level of energy. Otherwise he'll shutdown again– or you will be shut out of his house–

· Shopping, to Viktor, is a chore. Something that has to be done and that's it. That's why he has a specific day(s) in the month for running such errands; of groceries, taxes, bills, fixing something here and there... And for showering too because it is a chore.

· You know, taking off braces and back corset thingy, going slowly but steadily step by step so not to stand too long on his leg or strain it with a wrong position.

· He has to cover himself really well coming out of the bathroom, since he showers with boiling hot water, and is sensitive to cold, can easily catch a cold if he doesn't dry his hair.

· Opportunity for you to pamper him. He never knew showering can become such a task to look forward to. Especially if you, after he leaves the bathroom, wrap him well in a blanket and make him some hot chamomile and orange flowers tea, drying his hair while leaning back into your chest, your finger tips in his scalp slowly massaging him now and then while gentle heat of the blow-dryer tickling him.

· He doesn't like to admit it neither to himself or anyone else, but he has one lazy day per week where he allows himself to... Not achieve much. By this i mean he probably still doing researches and studying... Just not with the same pace, nor the same purpose.

· On that day, it's for personal enjoyment. He allows to lose himself in the details of his studies, to explore fun theories and what if's, maybe create a trinket, sketch a prototype that is never gonna see the light but just for the heck of it.

· Maybe hard to take a nap or fall asleep, but he tries to lay down and think of nothing. (Why is it so hard to do?)

· Sad, but he's learned to do this the hard way when his mind felt like it's collapsing just as his body was. He knew his body wasn't what was gonna stop him from achieving great things, however he didn't expect his mind to run out of fuel someday. (He better stop taking lack of sleep as lightly as he does).

· When math isn't mathing, when he forgets where he put his cane while still holding it, zoning out at the simplest physics equation because 'where tf did this come from?', and wondering why he ran out of coffee when he had just one-three- actually four cups last... Day? Week? When? He started recognizing this pattern. Brain is now scrambled eggs.

· Of course, his close people had warned him many times before this happening. Their words must have been sinking deeper each time until he finally understood the assignment; TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AND MIND, EQUALLY.

#Viktor #arcane #that's also a reminder to me and y'all to take care of ourselves #should i make more of these?

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saph-writes · 1 month ago

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A Crumpled Red String Laced Around Our Throats - Chapter 6

ao3 link:

Words: 7598

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Tei peered out from the tree she was hidden behind. The sun of the midday sky beat down between the foliage of the forest’s trees and the raindrops from the night before, still hidden in the leaves, relentlessly tapped her shoulders and head. In her hands were the food she had stolen from the town–pieces of bread, sugared cookies, a jar of honey, boiled eggs–all in the burlap bag she held close to her chest.

Kunigami would like these. He had never liked it when she would go into the towns, scavenging for items they could use, but when she would return, his eyes lighting up at the goods she brought back only enticed her to do it more.

He hadn’t been eating as of late either. Maybe these would cheer him up again.

But first, Tei had to escape the soldier who was searching for her.

Pushing the bag closer to her body, she grabbed the hood of her clothing and tugged it over her head. She risked another peek.

The soldier, dressed in the uniform and armor of the town’s unit, had a stern face and large build. His eyes were small, the whites barely being able to be seen, but they glanced around quickly and continuously. His hand stayed on the handle of the sword by his waist, not once failing to meet the gazes of the townspeople passing by in the densely populated town square he was stationed at.

Tei cursed herself for not being more careful. The soldier had caught her sneaking too close to the forest and asked to check her soulmark. She made an excuse and waited for the tides of the crowd to sweep by once again to pretend that she was in a hurry and meeting a friend.

No townsperson would disregard the request of a soldier the way she did, which is why the soldier was alert now, waiting for any glimpse of her so that he could seize her and bring her into custody. Maybe he’d yell the words “Monster!” to bring the town into a panic, just to see how she would react. As some form of psychological torture.

She knew the drill by this point. It’s not her first time being careless.

Still, it's the first time in recent years. She had hit a streak of 7 years without getting caught. She can’t afford to break it, not with the stricter enforcement that has been passed by the royal council and the knowledge that Kunigami was waiting for her. Although, the latter reason was becoming less and less dependable as the years passed on.

Tei weighed her options.

She was hidden behind a tree right now, the only one nearby wide enough to hide a body. The area was more akin to a clearing than a forest line. Her saving grace was that no townsperson would walk past her as two abandoned ruined houses stood in front of the tree. She can’t hide behind the houses because of all the holes and destroyed walls.

If she moved from her spot, she risked being spotted if the soldier looked in her direction. But if she didn’t move in a few minutes, he might change locations once again, at a place where he can get a better chance of spotting her. Therefore, she must find the moment he is distracted and seize it when she can.

She looked into her bag and searched around in it. Her fingers hit something smooth and shiny.

A mirror.

It was a small mirror, one that she was planning to use in the meantime while she searched for a bigger one. The one they had broke and it was difficult to prepare herself for these trips without checking her appearance.

She picked it up and held it in front of her.

The soldier was looking directly at her.

Fuck.

He was walking in her direction.

The gracious time she had to weigh her options was now stripped away from her. There was no longer any time to think. Tei set the bag down in front of her and slung it onto her back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Who’s there?!”

The soldier grabbed onto the tree and whipped his head around behind it.

Except from where he was looking at eye-level, he saw nothing. It wasn’t until he looked down that he saw the culprit: a young girl with long reddish pink hair, carrying a heavy bag, with tears in her eyes. She looked up at him with her lip quivering.

“Please don’t hurt me!” she shrieked. She started to wail loudly.

Several townspeople stopped to stare at the scene: a soldier cornering a small girl behind a tree in the forest. Whispers circulated among them, some fearful of the girl being a potential monster while others condemning the thought, exclaiming that she was far too beautiful and cute. Not to mention that she was crying. Monsters didn’t cry like her.

The soldier looked angrily at the townspeople and yanked the girl up by her arm, resulting in another shriek. The commotion shifted from curious and fearful to outraged. Several stepped forward towards the soldier.

“What are you doing with her? She’s just a young girl!”

“Leave that girl alone!”

The soldier fought back. “This is none of your business! This here is a monster, if I let it go it’ll attack all of you!”

“You lot say that about everyone you come across!”

As the small group of people condemned the soldier, gaining more attention from the busy town center, Tei couldn’t help but bite back the urge to laugh. At the irony and hypocrisy of their words.

So now you all have a voice, don’t you?

She looked up at where the soldier was gripping her arm, as well as his face. His anger, pointed at the small crowd, consumed his expression until it became clear his focus was no longer on her at all. Tei seized the opportunity that his grip became loose to yank her arm away and bolt away as fast as she could.

Behind her, she heard the soldier angrily yell after her but the crowd’s commotion was even louder.

Instead of running into the forest, she ran along the edge of the towns, to avoid any suspicion by the townspeople. When she judged that she was far away enough that she could no longer be seen, she returned into the forest, transformed back to her normal self, and started the long and familiar journey back.

In her hands and her hoodie’s pockets, she clutched the food and trinkets she had stolen. The sound of the anger between the townspeople and the soldier could be faintly heard behind her. She took a deep breath in, only realizing then that she had been trembling ever so slightly.

“These life or death situations are much more frightening when there is someone waiting home for me, isn’t it?” she mumbled under her breath. She chuckled to herself and started running.

Age: 14

“You’re welcoming a visitor?”

Chigiri nodded. The two were situated on the edge of the lake they liked to visit, just a few minutes away from the clearing they were just shy of calling home. After having been in the water, the two were soaking wet and currently drying themselves off. Kunigami had resigned himself to the wet clothes, but Chigiri had taken his shirt off to wring the water out of it.

As a result, Kunigami was staring very intensely at the sky from where he was laying down.

“The family of the Liberora kingdom is coming down to discuss a mutually beneficial relationship and aid each other with issues in both kingdoms. At least that’s how my sister put it. My parents are going to be away so I have to help her prepare,” Chigiri said. He squeezed his shirt a final time before setting it on the log to dry. “Now that I’m getting closer to the soulmate age, they’re assigning me more duties.”

“You still have 4 years.”

“I know, right?” Chigiri moved his arm and knee to rest his chin on his hand. Kunigami wasn’t looking at him, but he could imagine the kind of look on his face right now. The typical expression of annoyance yet resignation whenever Chigiri was ordered to do something.

It was a look that had become more common for him in the past year. Kunigami didn’t know why, but it seemed like the air of defiance that Chigiri held for most of the time he had known him was wearing off. Those eyes that showed everything he was feeling were little more than dim now, hiding more than expressing.

It was a strange look for him.

Kunigami shook off the feeling of helplessness that started to creep up on him.

“Just do things your own way and you’ll be fine,” he said.

“You think?”

“Yeah. If it’s you, it’ll be fine.” It was true. To him, there was no one in the world that was stronger than Chigiri.

Kunigami spared a peek over at Chigiri, only to see him cheekily smiling at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking that both of us have changed a lot. I can’t imagine the old you saying that. You were always the more anxious and pessimistic one out of the two of us.”

A familiar flush washed over Kunigami, making his face feel warm. He rubbed his neck and looked away. His pulse pounded beneath his fingertips.

“Well, that’s because of you.”

“Hehe, maybe. But I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

The two sat in silence for a bit, which Kunigami was partially grateful for. He needed the time to let his heart simmer down. To his side, he heard Chigiri passing his fingers through his own hair. However, after a few minutes, he heard an “ah” sound from the same direction.

“Huh?”

“I’m out of energy. I can’t cast a spell to dry my hair.”

“Let it dry naturally.”

“I can’t. I need to go back to the castle soon.”

Kunigami looked over to see Chigiri trying to wring the water out of his hair. But it was hardly working. His hands were awkwardly squeezing the tangled clumps of hair while there was barely any water dripping to the ground.

He briefly wondered how Chigiri knew how to wring water out of a shirt but not out of his hair, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He got up and walked over.

“Here, let me do it.”

Chigiri looked up at him and gradually stopped, handing it over to Kunigami.

Kunigami then began to pass his fingers through his hair, breaking through any of the clumps that were tangled together. Chigiri yelped at a few of them.

“Ow!”

“Sorry. I need to untangle these strands…”

“Can’t you do it a bit softer? You’re going to- OW! Kunigami!”

Kunigami bursted out in laughter. He leaned forward while clutching Chigiri’s hair in his hands, his whole body shaking. “S-Sorry…”

Chigiri grumbled but began to giggle softly to himself too. From Kunigami leaning forward to Chigiri leaning back, the two nestled against each other amidst their contagious laughter.

After a few minutes, Kunigami finished. Chigiri touched his hair.

“It’s still damp.”

“It’s not going to dry right away. But if you let it sit for a little while like that, it will dry quickly. Long hair will dry slower if it is tangled. That’s why I straightened it. Moving around can also help.”

“Really?”

“That’s what my mom used to say.”

“Your mom huh…” Chigiri trailed off and fell silent. He combed his newly straightened hair with his fingers, staring quietly at the ground.

Kunigami blinked. “Um, Chigiri?”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine! Well, I need to go. I need to help Hiumi prepare the castle.”

Chigiri got up and stretched. He grabbed his shirt off the log, which was still a little damp, to put it on over his head. He waved as he ran off beyond the trees.

“See you later! Tomorrow! Be there early!”

Kunigami weakly waved back. “Yeah… See you.” However, he couldn’t get the look of Chigiri’s face out of his mind. How his eyes seemed so far away the moment that Kunigami brought up his mom.

He stopped.

Now that he thought about it, Chigiri never talked about his parents. He talked more about his sister and the guards who manage him. And yet Kunigami brought up his so casually…

Kunigami shook his head. He slapped his cheeks and closed his eyes, immediately willing the thought to go away.

It surprised him. These kinds of thoughts had not crept into his mind for a while, not the self-deprecating ones anyways. The ones where he would do nothing but blame himself. So instead, he thought about what he could do rather than what he couldn’t control. Chigiri had helped him out with his family, after all. It is because of him that Kunigami had started to allow himself to live free of guilt.

The best way that Kunigami settled to repay him was to help him in any way he could.

But then again, he hardly knew anything about Chigiri’s private life. He did not want to meddle in cases that didn’t concern him, especially since he could end up making it worse. But still, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

Kunigami let out a heavy sigh and laid down on the grass. Above him, white clouds passed over the blue sky, briefly hiding the sun when in the right location. Leaves from the forests’ trees flew with the breeze to fall gently to the ground.

He raised his hand up to the sky, as if to grab it with his hands.

“He made it look so easy, huh?”

“Hiumi?”

Chigiri poked Hiumi’s arm slightly with his knuckles. The two stood in front of the front castle’s doors, with Hiumi dressed in the same dress she wore for her soul ceremony and Chigiri in the fancy outfit he always wore for diplomatic affairs. In other words, the ones that the servants chose for him.

It was a little small though. The sleeves pinched the undersides of his armpits.

Hiumi was standing in front of him and around the two of them, eight guards stood in their positions. In front and behind them, there were endless rows of soldiers, all holding the kingdom’s flags. They were a few minutes away from marching over the bridge that isolated the castle and into the kingdom’s center town, where a parade was to be held for the occasion.

There, the visiting royal family of the Liberora kingdom would be waiting for their welcome. The diplomatic alliance was not only for political reasons, but for appearances. To boost the morale of a kingdom being tarnished by the ongoing violence of the outskirts, where hundreds of people were being killed by monsters a day. It was their job to maintain the appearance of strength and confidence.

And yet, Hiumi stood dazed in front of Chigiri, staring at the doors.

“Hiumi?” he said again, this time poking her twice.

“Hm?”

She finally turned around to Chigiri, who looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression. He gestured to the guards around them.

“They’re waiting for you.”

She stared at him silently, then swiftly turned back around.

“Right,” she finally said.

She commanded the group’s departure and like that, the guards in front started moving.

As they crossed the bridge beyond the castle’s frontyard, Chigiri looked down briefly. Below them, the river flowed calmly and smoothly several feet down, purposefully dug deeper to create the line of separation between the townspeople and the home of the royal family.

Beyond the bridge, the entry into the town was marked by a distinct lack of trees nearby and a massive wall enclosing it, with large double doors stretching several feet above them. As soon as they stepped near it, the heavy doors slowly scraped open.

Cheers and applause met their arrival. The crowds were held back by the towns’ stationed guards but nonetheless, hundreds of hands and arms reached out to them. The words “Prince Hyoma” and “Princess Hiumi” echoed and boomed as the chants came together in unison. The sounds were loud enough to make Chigiri feel like the ground shook beneath him.

In front of him, Hiumi waved her hand to the crowds, with a polite smile on her face.

Chigiri couldn’t bring himself to do the same.

The rest of the parade followed behind them. Although only Hiumi, Chigiri and the guards were part of the royal ensemble, the rest of the town took the event very seriously. They had independently developed their own displays, performances, and presentations to come behind them. Beyond the crowds, pressed against the edges of the streets, vendors and booths invited passbyers to make another sale. The townspeople had street food in their hands and fans and posters held up that all looked suspiciously alike.

For them, this day was another excuse to engage in blind happiness, blissfully ignorant to the dangers that existed both inside and out of the sheltered town that served as a “capital” for the kingdom.

In the distance, Chigiri heard a gentle flute playing. Likely a solo as part of another performance. Even among the commotion of the crowds, its high notes struck through them all to deliver a fast and beautiful melody. While he walked mindlessly and distantly in the parade full of empty life, he kept his ears focused on the sound, as if it were a railing guiding him through the ceremony.

But the sound of an explosion quickly shut down the gentle melody. The crowds erupted into screams.

A sharp fear struck through Chigiri.

Is it a monster attack? He thought to himself.

He moved his hands to his chest, ready to launch an attack, only to hear another wave of screams ripple through the crowd, accompanied by laughter and giggles.

He finally looked up. Instead of smoke and fire, there were colors being drawn in the sky. Colors erupted into the sky in another stream, seemingly coming from the ground. It was a magic show being performed, and a high-level one at that. Chigiri couldn’t even recognize some of the spells being performed.

The townspeople surely couldn’t either, but they loved it regardless. Their applause and excited cheers grew even louder during the performance and they continued well after the show’s end.

Who did that show…?

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a horn sounded into the air. The cheers of the crowd wisped away as they all fell immediately silent.

Chigiri blinked back into reality.

The guards of the front ensemble parted apart and walked to position themselves in the back. Even their guards by their sides took a few steps back, until it was no one but Chigiri and Hiumi in front of them all.

They were standing in front of the transportation station. The one that connected this kingdom to the network holding every kingdom in the region. On either side of the entrance stood two guards. Their uniforms and armor distinctly marked them as guards of the Liberora Kingdom, along with the sigil embroidered on their sleeves and the yellow color that popped out.

However, while most of them were just as large and tall as the guards Chigiri was familiar with, one appeared smaller and younger than the others. It was a boy presenting himself as a guard. He looked barely older than Chigiri himself, but his face, partly hidden by a helmet, already held a few scars and his eyes were turned downwards into a serious yet empty stare.

Standing in front of the station’s entrance, the Liberora royal family waited for them. There were 3 of them, much less than Chigiri was expecting.

Two were adults, who he guessed were the King and Queen. Their presence and appearance were nothing short of elegant, molded into perfection. The third one, however, was a young boy, around Chigiri’s age as well. He had blunt bangs and his hair reached to the bottom of his neck before flaring out, where the yellow undersides popped among his dark hair. The boy had a wide excited smile on his face and eyes that were bright, wide and glowing, something that stood out among his “perfect” appearance.

The two families bowed. If the Liberora King and Queen were concerned about the absence of their parents, they did not show it. They shared a civil smile and exchanged a few customary greetings.

As the two families walked back to the direction of the castle, still subject to the applause and cheers that met them, Chigiri heard another faint but equally celebratory explosion above him, just like before.

Curious, he caught the gaze of the boy, the prince of the family. The boy’s hands moved to send another stream of colors into the sky as he giggled along with the cheers of the crowd. As the boy saw Chigiri, he grinned wider and waved.

Unlike the smiles of most people that Chigiri came across in the castle and the kingdom, this one was genuine and sincere. He truly felt the boy’s heart through his smile.

When they finally arrived, they entered the great hall of the castle. The guards dispersed before they walked through the entrance, likely to return to their stations. Hiumi bowed once again for the visiting family.

“Thank you for coming to our aid during this great ordeal. We hope this is not an inconvenience for you and your kingdom. Please, you are welcome to treat this castle as a temporary home as an extension of our gratitude.” She slipped her hand to place it on Chigiri’s head and pushed it forward, forcing him to bow as well.

Now that they have entered the ballroom of the castle, the only eyes on them were the personal guards and the high ranking officials that have come to participate in the affair. The unspoken rule of courtesy and civility placed their positions several feet away from them, as if to keep them from not stepping into the world of treasured royalty. While Chigiri bowed, he stared at the feet of the Liberora family and their fancy shoes that appeared handcrafted. He wondered if similarly, these people stayed closed off in their own world, coating their words with nice but distant voices.

But to his surprise, he heard a laugh instead.

“There is no need. We wouldn’t want to overstep into your home, I’m sure you have many doing so already.” The Queen, a lady with light brown hair that touched her shoulders, shared the same bright smile as her son that reached the corners of her eyes. She bowed in turn, gesturing to the other two to do the same. “We are grateful for your courtesy but please, treat us as any other guest.”

Chigiri looked to his side and saw Hiumi taken aback slightly. It was hidden, however, only present in the twitch of her eyes that were ever so slightly wider.

The King cleared his throat. “Indeed. Hopefully, we should return back today, as we wouldn’t want to disturb you and your family further. Thank you for having us. We are in your care.”

Hiumi smiled in response. It was a smile that, once in the presence of such bright faces, one couldn’t help but feel was dimmed by dark gray clouds, threatening to rain. It was then, too, that Chigiri noticed the dark circles under her unchanging eyes, flickering back and forth amongst the family. “I apologize for the absence of our father and mother,” she said finally. “They could not attend, but I will speak on their behalf.”

She placed a hand on Chigiri’s back and pushed him slightly forward.

“This is my brother, Hyoma. He is only 14, but he will also attend our meeting as a learning experience. I hope this will not cause any trouble for you.”

Chigiri nodded. “I will not be a disturbance,” he said, implementing as much artificial sweetness in his voice as possible. “I will only watch. So please, do not pay me any mind.” He snuck a glance at Hiumi, who gave no reaction to his performance.

“He seems like a kind boy,” the Queen chuckled. “But wouldn't it be too early for him? 14 is a bright age, a year of self-discovery and forming relationships. It’s a shame that our society has forced a kid to be pushed into the world of adults, don’t you think?” From anyone else, the comment would have seemed backhanded. Indeed, Chigiri was not excited to begin his duties so soon, but witnessing the attitudes towards him by adults change has made him develop a far stronger distaste for being useless and incapable. Yet, the lady showed no such thing.

However, she quickly retracted her words. “Of course, I don’t mean you have any ill intent, Princess Chigiri. Oh dear, it did come across that way didn’t it? What I meant to say is your brother seems like he has such a bright soul. I wouldn’t want to extinguish it with our boring pessimism as adults.” She laughed again.

Hiumi shook her head. “You speak kindly, I would not interpret malice in your words. Rest assured that the happiness of my family is my highest priority. It hurts me as well to force my brother into an important position but unfortunately fate deals cruel realities. I believe this would greatly aid him. However, I understand if you feel uncomfortable doing so. That is not my intention.”

“Not at all!” the Queen exclaimed. “Oh my, look at us, tripping over our attempts at courtesy. If Prince Hyoma wishes to attend, he is more than welcome to. We would love his youthful presence. But if he doesn’t, it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet our son, Meguru. You see, he doesn’t wish to attend the meeting so we were concerned about what to do with him. He’s the same age and is quite a lively boy. We’re afraid he might wander off on his own.”

The boy, Meguru, as if on cue, was staring at the stained glass window and started walking towards it. The Queen yanked him back by the collar of his blouse. Meguru yelped.

“Only if he wishes to of course,” the Queen said.

Hiumi looked back and forth between them and then back to Chigiri. While he expected for her to subtly tell him to decline the offer, she instead gestured for him to make his choice. “What do you want to do, Hyoma?”

Meguru was paying attention to the conversation now, with his eyes glued to Chigiri. He smiled. “You were the one that liked my show, right?” He raised his hand up for a handshake. Despite the boy being the same age as him, and in fact slightly smaller, his hands were on the rougher side. His smile was earnest, no doubt, but it had just a tint of mischievous intent behind it.

“Nice to meet you. I’d be happy to play with you.”

Chigiri thought to himself. He didn’t want to attend the meeting, as it would likely last for hours. By the time it would finish, it would already be near sunset. He didn’t know what to think of Meguru, but he didn’t seem bad or malicious. He appeared genuine at least, as if he truly was excited to meet him. It was rare for him to meet someone who acted that way around him, someone who wasn’t distant and scared of being punished just for talking to him. The closest experience would be when he met Kunigami, but even then, Kunigami didn’t truly warm up to him until a while after they met.

For the first time, Chigiri was met with the vulnerable feeling of being welcomed, even if it was partly due to his status.

Chigiri raised his hand and took the handshake.

“Nice to meet you too.”

He nodded to Hiumi. “I can accompany him and show him around the castle.”

Hiumi didn’t say anything for a second. Her eyes, always narrow and distant, focused on Chigiri, as if to telepathically ask if it was what he truly wanted. But the longer she looked at him, her eyes softened until they closed calmly.

“Alright. Just avoid off-limit areas and come back when the sun starts to set, okay?”

He nodded again.

However, just before the two boys could go their separate way, Hiumi called over two of the personal guards that had been standing by. The guards, stiff as ever, walked up to stand by Chigiri sides as Hiumi handed them little devices, ones that he recognized as keys to open certain doors.

“Accompany them. Protect them if needed.”

The guards saluted at their orders.

Chigiri’s mood quickly turned sour. “I don’t need the guards. We’ll be in the castle. I’ll just be showing him the rooms.”

“This is just precaution. We need to be careful.”

“Precaution for what? This is unnecessary.”

“Hyoma, I’m just-”

“If I may.” Queen Yuu interrupted, clearing her throat. She seemingly sensed the tense atmosphere and glanced between the two siblings. “If you are concerned about safety, we’d be more than happy to provide one of our guards to protect the two of them. Of course, being adolescents, they can be quite rebellious and may resent adult interference. We have a guard that is their same age and is more than capable of ensuring their safety. Perhaps it can also help them be more comfortable.”

The Queen turned back and called over one of their personal guards. Chigiri immediately recognized the guard as the same boy from the transportation station. He wore no armor or helmet now, allowing his appearance to be seen clearly.

He had dark hair with bangs where the middle section parted into a V-shape and the rest framed his eyes on either side. He held a similar broody expression as before but now, his age could be seen more clearly in his features. Undeniably, this was a boy no older than 14 that couldn’t help but view the world with big and shiny eyes.

The boy bowed once he approached the two princes, mumbling a phrase of courtesy.

“Would this be sufficient, Princess Chigiri?” asked the Queen.

Hiumi snuck a glance back at Chigiri. She sighed. “Yes… I believe so. Hyoma, let this boy accompany you, just for today.”

The boy made no reaction. He stared straight forward and Chigiri, watching his gaze, turned away.

“Fine.”

A few moments of silence followed but it was quickly cut short by Meguru’s running steps forward. He took Chigiri’s hand and tugged him forward, throwing Chigiri off guard. “Come on, let’s go! You have a practice room around here right? I want to see how good your magic skills are~”

The boy that now served as their personal guard was already a few steps ahead of the two of them.

Chigiri still felt hesitant but Meguru smiled cheekily at him. “Or maybe you’re worried I’m better than you are?”

“Better than me? Not a chance,” he responded immediately. His hesitatation was quickly replaced by a competitive and spiteful drive. Not wanting to lose, he squeezed Meguru’s hand tightly. “Alright, I’ll take your challenge. Let’s see if you can keep up.”

“Alright, come on then!”

The two ran off and disappeared after a turn beyond the room’s doorway, leaving only their voices to echo behind.

The Queen laughed. “What lively children.”

Hiumi tightened his fist and looked down at the ground. Her distant eyes reflected a disappointed melancholic expression, targeted at no one but herself.

“Thank you, Queen Bachira,” she finally said.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked up to see the Queen stood over her, her face nothing but sympathetic.

“Please, call me Yuu.” She smiled gently. “We look forward to working with you.”

“Woah, so this is the garden?”

Chigiri held a hand against the door to prop it open. They were at the very back of the castle, where surveillance was minimal and the newly built walls were smooth and clean. The exit they were at opened to the castle’s garden, a large area encapsulated by a fence where every type of flower and plant one could dream of resided. Some were larger than others, reaching up towards the sky, while other areas appeared more like a prairie.

The garden had been maintained and treasured for generations, but now, it is a little more than forgotten. Nonetheless, Chigiri decided to demonstrate it anyway. As expected, Meguru’s eyes lit up at the sight.

He rushed towards it, tugging along the guard boy with him by the arm as they crossed the door frame. Looking at the flowers, he pointed at each one he came across and asked the boy what kind they were, and the boy would answer nonchalantly.

What a weird pair, Chigiri thought.

He used his magic to create an item to prop the door open before following after the two.

“Hey Hyoma, who takes care of this garden?”

Chigiri perked up slightly. Meguru was all the way at the end of the garden, right by the fence. He had since let go of the boy and was squatting down by a bush full of flowers, grazing them with his fingertips.

“The servants do,” Chigiri said. He walked up to where Meguru was. “We don’t have any staff specific to the garden, so they do the cleaning and upkeep and stuff.”

“Oh. No wonder some of them look wilted then.”

“Huh?”

Chigiri looked down to where Meguru was staring at. The flowers he was attending to were in perfect condition. They don’t look wilted…? He thought.

“You’re thinking I’m completely wrong, right?”

“N-no but I mean…”

Meguru jumped up and spun a bit in the air, crossing his arms behind his back. He smiled at Chigiri, only this time, they didn’t reach his eyes. “Whoops, my bad there.” He laughed.

He gestured over to the guard boy.

“Isagi was one of the garden staff before he got promoted to a soldier. Right, Isagi?”

The boy only responded with a nod.

“He was amazing at it. The flowers were so happy when he took care of them. He was serious about it too! He didn’t let anyone else touch the ones he liked the most and got angry when the staff would miss a day,” Meguru laughed. “There was this one time-”

“Prince Bachira, I don’t think he needs to know the details,” the boy, who Chigiri now knew as Isagi, interrupted. Chigiri looked over to see him looking at one of the flowers intensely. However, at a closer glance, he noticed the faint blush on his cheek and ears.

However, Meguru didn’t catch it. Instead, he got instantly distracted by another group of flowers a few feet away and rushed towards it.

“Oh, look at this one! Isagi, come over here!”

For the next one to two hours, Meguru tugged the helpless Isagi, and sometimes Chigiri, around the large garden. To be honest, if Chigiri knew that he was going to be so interested in the garden, he wouldn’t have brought him here. He was not planning on spending more than a few minutes at the garden. Now, Chigiri was getting real sick of looking at the flowers.

But what interested him enough to keep him around was Meguru Bachira. The boy had a truly special gift: to keep one’s eyes totally focused and interested in him. His expressions were completely open yet a wall separated him from the stares he attracted. One could tell exactly what he was feeling or thinking and yet, the “why” was utterly unexplainable. It was not just flowers. Even the sky, the bugs on the ground, the breeze as it swept through had his attention. He looked at everything with intrigue and in turn, one couldn’t take his eyes off him, if only to see what expression he made next. It made no sense why this boy gave his attention to everything around him.

It was like he was truly in love with every single part of the world around him.

After a while, Chigiri plopped down on the grass, utterly exhausted. If he was considered an energetic kid, he doesn’t even know what Meguru would be classified as.

As if on cue, Meguru called after him.

“Hyoma! What are you doing?”

“I’ll just be…resting for a bit.. Go on without me.”

Meguru said something else, but Chigiri stopped listening. It wasn’t until he heard footsteps come up beside him that he opened his eyes. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the outline of the guard boy, Isagi, sitting down beside him.

Up till that point, the two of them had only spoken to Meguru but not each other.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Aren’t you going to follow the human tornado around as, you know, part of your duties?” Chigiri said nonchalantly. He had considered speaking more politely, but the words came out as they did and he didn’t bother to correct it.

“I can watch him from here. The way he is right now, he will not notice I am gone.”

He didn’t look exhausted like Chigiri but his stiffness wore off the longer they sat. Chigiri looked back up at the sky. He laid down and sighed. In the silence, he became painfully aware of his own heartbeat and the way the grass poked his skin.

“How long have you been a guard?” he asked.

“One year.” Isagi responded.

“And how did that happen? Aren’t you too young?”

“I became a soldier at 11 and they made me a guard two years later.”

“Huh…”

A fly landed on Chigiri’s shoulder.

“Why did you decide to be a guard?”

“...It was not my choice.”

The fly did not move. It walked up his shoulder, sniffing the fabric of his blouse.

“Do you ever hate it?”

“Do you mean being a guard?”

“Being something you never chose to be. Doing these duties you never wanted to do. Having your future laid out for you without leaving you with a choice.”

“It doesn’t matter one way or another. It will happen regardless, whether I hate it or not.”

A breeze ran through the air.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Isagi! Hyoma!” Meguru called out. The fly on Chigiri’s shoulder flew away. Chigiri looked over to see Meguru by the edges of the garden, near the fence. He was practically slung over it. “Come over, I found something!” Judging by the way he was pointing at the ground, it was probably another rock or a bug or something. Now that he was a distance away, his expression was not enough not enough to enrapture Chigiri, leaving him in a daze wondering how to escape.

How many more hours until that stupid meeting is over?

“Hey, Isagi, maybe we should make a run for it or somet-”

But when Chigiri looked over in hopes of finding someone who shared his annoyance, he saw no such thing. Instead, Isagi was staring at Meguru fondly in the distance, with a soft smile on his face. Pink coated his cheeks and ears.

Oh, so that’s what it is.

“You really care about him, don’t you?”

Isagi immediately turned to Chigiri, the bright red replacing the soft pink on his face. His emotionless face twisted into an embarrassed and flustered expression. He looked vulnerable and small. “Um..”

For the first time, he actually looked like a normal kid.

“You’re saying I’m wrong?” Chigiri teased further.

Isagi looked away.

“Drop it.”

“You’re lucky. You get to be close to him all the time. I bet when he gets a soulmate, he’ll still have you.”

Isagi did not say anything for a moment. Chigiri wondered if he said something wrong but before he could clarify his words, the boy mumbled something instead. Unlike before, he looked directly at Chigiri.

“That isn’t true. Luck doesn’t exist for people like me.”

Isagi’s words threw Chigiri off guard, along with the immense sadness that drenched it, like a waterfall disguising its sobbing for a beautiful stream.

“What are you-?”

“What are you two talking about?”

Isagi and Chigiri jumped. Behind them was Meguru, crouched on his knees and close between them. Chigiri quickly jumped away while Isagi froze where he sat. Meguru giggled a bit but a sharp curiosity was present in his gaze, flickering between the two of them.

Chigiri gathered himself together and shook his head, waving his hand off. “Nothing important. We were just rambling, waiting for you to finish. Did you find anything interesting?”

“Not really, it escaped before I could show you. I’m still sad about it, I really wanted Isagi to see it. Anyways, didn’t your sister say we have to return before sunset?”

He pointed up at the sky, and at the sun that was touching the horizon.

“Oh, you’re right. We should start heading back.”

Meguru peered over to Isagi, who had returned to his usual stoic face. He was a lot more perceptive than Chigiri thought because immediately, Meguru noticed the change in atmosphere when he came over. The cut-off conversation still lingered in the air.

“Hey Isagi,” he said suddenly, slinging himself over Isagi’s back. His arms wrapped around his neck. “You wouldn’t keep any secrets from me, would you?”

“No, of course not.”

Meguru stared at him for a bit. His head rested on Isagi’s shoulder, devoid of any distance at all between their faces. Then he smiled and closed his eyes. “Good. You still owe me, though, for ignoring me.”

“Hey, I didn’t ignore you.”

“You totally did. You looked me in the eyes and didn’t come over at all.”

“That’s because you’ve been dragging me around all day. I can’t follow you everywhere.”

“Why not?”

“Well because-”

“Hey, I’m still here guys. No need to get all lovey-dovey.”

Silence followed.

Wait, what did I just say? Chigiri thought. But as the realization hit him, Meguru laughed. “Are you lonely, Hyo-chan? Sorry about that.”

This time, it was Chigiri's turn to feel flustered. “You two are in your own world sometimes, so I’m just saying-”

“We should get going.”

Isagi got up, allowing Meguru to let go of him. He headed for the entrance door.

Chigiri glanced over at Meguru, expecting to see him just as confused, only for Meguru to stand up as well and follow silently behind him. “It is getting dark,” he laughed, saying the words under his breath.

Only Chigiri was left confused and lost.

I don’t think this is something I want to get involved with.

The three of them entered back into the castle. They walked a long distance back to the ballroom. During that time, Meguru caught up to Isagi’s pace and walked alongside him, humming to himself quietly. Chigiri caught up too, but he stayed a step behind. For certain reason, he felt he shouldn’t get too close to the two of them.

When they entered the ballroom, Hiumi and the rest were there, along with the Queen and King of the Liberora Kingdom. They were talking amongst themselves, along with other royal officials, including the Head Guard, Sir Ladon. Their voices were nothing but hushed whispers. Even Hiumi’s was utterly hidden among them.

Out of the three of them, Bachira was the first to speak up.

“Hey! We made it…back..”

Concidentally he was also the first to see their faces. His words trailed off and he fell silent. It was a weird feeling for Chigiri, to see a boy so full of energy become as quiet as a fly. Even his energetic movements dropped as his arms fell to his sides. Next to him, Isagi stopped suddenly as well.

A chill ran across Chigiri’s spine.

Unaware and confused, he stepped up from behind the two of them. The tension made his skin crawl. He spoke up loudly. “Yeah, we’re back. You’ve finished your meeting right?”

Chigiri looked at Hiumi but the first thing he actually saw was Queen Bachira’s face. She had a melancholic look, twisted into an odd calm expression that dripped to the ground. The King held a similar expression, only his held mostly sympathy. They both stood in front of Hiumi, holding her hands and shoulders. Hiumi’s back was turned against him.

“Hiumi?”

Chigiri walked past Meguru and Isagi. At least, he thought he did. The floor felt weirdly distant beneath him.

It was upon a closer look that he saw the shaking of Hiumi’s body. The trembling of her back and her shoulders, raised and quivering. The Queen and King looked up at him and their faces immediately fell. Chigiri’s blood ran cold. His heart pounded in his ears.

“Hiumi? Hey, what’s going on?” Adrenaline pumped through his body as he reached forward and grabbed her shoulder.

Hiumi didn’t whip her head around. Instead, she froze. Then, she raised her arms to rub against her face. She turned to see Chigiri staring, as he finally got a look at her face

She held the same smile she always did. The helpless smile that said “let me take care of it all.” The adult smile that had always pushed him away. The smile she hid herself behind.

“Hyoma.”

The smile that belonged to Princess Chigiri.

“Please, go to your room.”

#crossposted #bllk #blue lock #my writing #fic #5000-10000 words #kunigami rensuke #chigiri hyoma #kunigami x chigiri #kunigiri

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prometheussliver · 1 year ago

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Joan Didion’s recipe for Crème Caramel

[1. Melt 1 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water in saucepan and cook until golden. Line 12 cups with this caramelized sugar and let it set. 2. Scald 4 cups milk with a long piece of vanilla bean. Meanwhile, beat together 6 eggs, 4 additional egg yolks, and 1 cup sugar. 3. Remove vanilla bean and trickle hot milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture with care over caramel in cups. 4. Place cups in pan of hot water and into 350° oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until point of knife comes out of center clean. (Water must not boil.) Chill and un-mold.]

(Reposting when I try the recipe)

#joan didion

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lacrymatoryao3 · 1 year ago

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Redemption Was Just The Beginning

Chapter 9: January, 1900

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

To the world, Arthur Morgan is dead. As he tries to face the idea, in a lush valley in Ambarino he comes face to face with a woman from his past, and they must reckon with an era long gone. Especially when she has secrets of her own.

(Rated explicit simply because eventually there’s smut in this.)

Tag: @photo1030

3,075 Words (AO3 Link)

Arthur wasn’t sure what time it was, or much of anything for that matter, when Ana burst into his bedroom late in the night… Or was it early morning? Either way, the dawn had not yet broke and Arthur was jerked out of a deep sleep confused and disoriented.

“What, what?! What’s the matter?!” He shouted bewildered, reaching in a crazed manner for a weapon like his old instincts dictated.

Ana was hurriedly dressed, with a piece of paper with instructions scrawled hastily on still drying ink, “Owen was just here. Rosaline is in labor and I need to go over there. I don’t know how long I’ll be so I need you to take care of the house and Arthur Francisco. I wrote everything down… And please, use the stove this time when you cook anything. I already made lunch for him, it’s in the ice box.”

Arthur did hear pounding, but he had assumed it was something in his dream. He grunted rubbed his face, finally checking the clock on the end table. A quarter past 3 in the morning. Why did babies need to come when everyone was sleeping?

He saw her off, trying to shake the tiredness by standing on the cold porch until he couldn’t see her anymore. It seemed every man besides Mr. O’Hogan was doing the same thing, Mrs. Liang followed Ana not too soon after, then Mrs. Johnson in the distance. At least they all knew how babies were born. The only woman who had any real idea to help poor Abigail was Susan, and she had never had any of her own.

Arthur did sleep a bit more, sitting in the living room after getting the fire going, until the clock started to chime at 5. He practiced his usual morning routine and went into the kitchen, grabbing any cook books he could find. Ana had plenty of little recipe cards, however she had naturally wrote them in Spanish. He sat down after getting the coffee going and scanned the table of contents in each book to see if he could find something easy enough for him to make without it becoming a disaster. So many of the measurements they listed made absolutely no sense to him. What the hell was a ‘scruple’? Or a ‘dram’? He only knew a ‘gill’ as something fish had. He found one simple enough that didn’t have any of those, with the instructions understandable for someone as stupid in a kitchen as he felt like he was. Poaching eggs seemed simple enough. Making toast was easy.

He filled a small pot with water, setting it on the stove when it was hot enough for it to boil. As he waited he put a pan on the neighboring burner and dropped a spoonful of butter into it, letting it melt and cover the bottom. He cut some slices of bread and slapped them in, turning them every few minutes until they were crispy and a light brown. He put them onto a plate and into the warming shelf above the stove. The water was bubbling and steaming by then. According to the recipe he just needed to crack the eggs into the water and let them go until they set. He just watched them float in the water, the whites wrapping themselves back around the yolk like an overly complicated soft boiled egg. He strained them out with an odd looking utensil that looked like a metal spider’s web on a stick. He put them with the toast in the warming box.

Arthur went up and knocked on the door to Arthur Francisco’s room. When he went inside the boy was still snug in his bed. He almost felt bad needing to wake him, gently tapping him on the back until he opened his eyes.

“Hey.” Arthur whispered, “Time to get up and around.”

Arthur Francisco looked at him, baffled that he was the one there to rouse him, “Where’s Mama?”

“She’s with Mrs. O’Hogan. Her baby’s comin’ soon.” Arthur replied, silently thanking Ana that she already took the boy’s clothes out, “It’s just you and me today.”

Arthur had no idea what he was even supposed to do other than make sure the boy got out of bed. He was sure he knew how to take care of himself, he didn’t need to be supervised. On top of it he felt awkward just standing there as the child washed and dressed. He did note what Ana was talking about with him being like Arthur. It was in the way he fastened buttons, especially on his shirt when he left the two top buttons open as if he didn’t like the collar close around his neck. He moved his arms around to make sure his suspenders weren’t tight sitting on his shoulders. Arthur could really put a word on how it made him feel… The closest was a melancholic happiness, if that even made sense.

Even more like Arthur was he didn’t speak much in the morning. He mutely followed Arthur to the kitchen and sat down in his seat.

“Now, don’t expect anythin’ fancy like your mama can make.” Arthur said to him while taking out the poached eggs and the toast, sprinkling the eggs with some pepper. He absentmindedly poured the boy his own cup of coffee, before questioning if that was something Ana let him drink. He didn’t see any wrong in it. He was drinking coffee that young… Then again, he was smoking and drinking a few years later. None of it killed him, so one time for the kid wouldn’t hurt.

Arthur Francisco didn’t complain. His first few tastes of the drink gave him a puzzled look on his face, but he enjoyed the meal more than Arthur expected him to. Both ate in similar ways. They broke open the eggs with their forks so the yolk would bleed over the toast and dipped up the excess on the plate with the crusts.

In the stable the boy tended to his own horse, while Arthur helped the throng of other children. He got onto her on his own, he was still light enough to use only his arms to hoist him up into the saddle. Damn, Arthur wished he could still do that.

The youngest O’Hogan girl, Arthur believed she was called was Jane or something, went up to Arthur Francisco and asked if she could ride with him. He instantly and eagerly agreed. Arthur went over and helped her onto the back of Josefina, putting her legs on the same side so she didn’t wrinkle up her skirt.

Making their way through town more children joined. They sure did talk a lot, and all at once. Arthur found it to be a little too much noise for so early in the morning, it was like the girls giggling over coffee but tenfold. He tired to tune most of it out, staying focused on what was ahead and making sure the group didn’t run into each other’s horses or anyone in the street.

It was hard to believe the schoolhouse fit so many children. It looked like a two room shack at most with a covered bell tower and only one teacher standing on the porch to greet the pupils. Arthur assumed she was the other Svensson sister Ana had told him about.

He ushered and helped the children put their horses in the covered paddock in the yard. He made sure they had everything they needed, especially Arthur Francisco.

“All right.” Arthur said to him, “I’m heading off. If I’m back before the day ends I’ll come meet you. If not make sure everyone gets home safe.”

Arthur Francisco nodded, “Yes, sir. See you later.”

Arthur lit a cigarette watching everyone else go inside out of the elements. He sighed, turning Delfina to the direction of the sheriff’s office and jail.

[*]-----[*]-----[*]-----[*]-----[*]

Mrs. O’Hogan laid in her bed that was covered by old rags. She let in sharp breaths and slowly blew them out, making attempts to regulate the pain ever contraction brought to her. Ana and the rest of the women – including Bridget, the O’Hogans’ soon to be 16 year old daughter – did what they could to keep her comfortable as they waited for Dr. Anderson and the local midwife, an older woman the town mothers affectionately called Nurse Henry.

The air when a baby was expected was a heavy and bittersweet one, with so many potentials that overwhelmed the mind if thought about too deeply. There was excitement, the coming of a new life and a sore buy joyous mother. There was fear, no matter what birth was a dangerous affair for both. Ana had Arthur Francisco there, as did Mrs. Liang with her youngest son Caihong, and Mrs. O’Hogan herself had Jane and Adam and Nicolas in the same bed in the same house with no major or worrying troubles. With all the religious and superstitious trinkets from different backgrounds surrounding her, there was high hopes the good luck would continue.

They tried to keep the mood light, if only for Bridget’s sake. The young woman was more nervous about the ordeal than her mother was. Mrs. O’Hogan occasionally muttered that she hoped the doctor and nurse would make it before the baby did. Mrs. Liang and Mrs. Johnson agreed, with Mrs. Johnson remarking her second son Emmanuel nearly came out as soon as her labor started.

Dr. Anderson and Nurse Henry arrived just shy of 4 in the morning. Her jovial nature relaxed some of the anxiety, opening her little bag and getting right to work. Dr. Anderson was mostly there in case pain relief was needed or the birth would need to become a surgical one. She did offer Mrs. O’Hogan something called Ether, a way to reduce the discomfort, that Mrs. O’Hogan waved off with a comment that she went through it 5 other times without it and she doubted it would be any different the current time.

Then, 3 hours went by…

They kept Mrs. O’Hogan relaxed, letting her rest in any position that she deemed comfortable. They gave her plenty of juice to drink. Every woman in the room took turns walking around with her several times. In between each action to help things get going Nurse Henry would look underneath Mrs. O’Hogan’s shift to check how her dilation.

The sunlight broke and brightened the room by the time the baby was ready. Mrs. O’Hogan sat at the edge of the bed, leaning back so the nurse and doctor could kneel below her with blankets with Bridget behind them to see what it all entailed. Ana messaged Mrs. O’Hogan’s back as she pushed, Mrs. Johnson holding her hand, and Mrs. Liang dabbing her face with a cool damp cloth.

The shrill cry of a baby was a delight to everyone’s ears. Nurse Henry wrapped the baby quickly and took it closer to the furnace to clean them and keep them warm.

The nurse evaluated the baby, “You got yourself another healthy baby girl, ma’am!”

“Oh thanks be to God!” Mrs. O’Hogan cried in relief.

Once the afterbirth passed the women helped Mrs. O’Hogan affix a washable sanitary belt between her legs for any bleeding then removed the rags to tuck her into bed. The nurse gave her the tightly swaddled baby girl. Mrs. O’Hogan didn’t need instruction on what to do. Everyone watched, quietly taking in the small creature who latched onto her mother’s breast.

Ana didn’t want the experience to be sullied for herself. She smiled away the envy. Her reflection on being pregnant wasn’t the most positive one, but it seemed completely worth it once she held her son years ago. Growing up she was taught she would have several children, like every woman around her in Mexico did. Yet there was only one.

The baby was put into her cradle, rocked until she fell asleep. Mrs. O’Hogan took the chance to do the same. The lull was a welcome one for everybody. Once Dr. Anderson and Nurse Henry departed, the rest of the women returned to their stations in the room, collapsing and closing their own eyes.

[*]-----[*]-----[*]-----[*]-----[*]

The sheriff’s office looked like most others in every backwater town Arthur had found himself in, a wooden built and sided construction with one half heavy impenetrable stones where the cells were. He hitched Delfina to the side of it. He didn’t know what was compelling him to walk up to the door. He didn’t like nor trust the law in any capacity any more than he did. He didn’t need the money. That was the only thing that made him take the bounties before. He knew how easily, despite being considered dead, how it could be him running from these vultures again. What was it? To get the rush he once savored? To prove to some unseen judge he was a changed man?

He opened the door, interrupting whatever conversation Sheriff Strange was having with the three. bored looking deputies.

“Of course, if we ever get that goddamn rail line they’ve been promising-… Oh! Good morning Mr. Callahan.”

Arthur tipped his hat, “Sheriff.”

“Taking me up on bounties?”

Arthur nodded.

Sheriff Strange handed him a piece of paper. It wasn’t exactly what Arthur was expecting, just a scrawled note with a name, their crime, description of the person, their address, and the cost to turn them in alive.

“Now he isn’t the most high profile one we got around here, but how you handle him is how you earn my blessing.” The Sheriff explained, “Earl Harris is just your run of the mill card cheat. He’s mostly a thorn in my side, coming in every few months for the same offense. Check the saloon first. He’ll go easy unless he’s had liquor, but he’ll talk your ear off.”

The goal: find some old card shark and take him back to the jail. Probably just to spend whatever time he owes and get released to start it all over again. $2.50 wasn’t anything to sneeze at anyway. He left the Sheriff and his lethargic seeming deputies. Closing the door Arthur heard him chide them, for one of them to whine ‘Oh come on, Pa!’ in response.

He took a bundle of rope from one of Delfina’s saddle bags, attaching it to his belt just in case. He left her at the hitching post, the saloon was a convenient walk down the street. Arthur leaned against a support post, making himself look like another patron who had drunk until the morning. He nonchalantly looked into the large windows.

The card table was in the middle of the room, always within eye shot of the bar. The saloon was mostly empty except for a few stragglers from the night before, but there was a large group looking like they were playing a round of poker. He studied them. One that had his back to him seemed to fit who he was sent to search for – thin build, ill fitting denim overalls, long stringy white hair and from his vantage point what looked to be a matching beard, a tattered wide brimmed straw hat. He sort of reminded Arthur of Uncle if he had skipped several meals and was far more energetic.

Arthur pushed through the double swinging half doors and walked up to the table to his potential target, “Excuse me, partner. Are you Earl Harris?”

“Yeah! What’s it to ya?” The man replied, turning in his chair to Arthur.

“You think we could step outside? I have some business with you to speak about.”

Earl Harris excused himself to the other players. As he set the cards in his hand onto the table, a bundle of other cards slipped out of his sleeve for everyone to see. There was the evidence Arthur needed. It was so easy it was almost insulting.

One of the men against Earl Harris slammed threw his hand to the table, “You son of a bitch!”

Arthur swiftly led Harris out of the saloon as the men rose, taking off their jackets and rolling up their sleeves. The fight wouldn’t have been a fair one for them, Arthur was a head taller and twice their sizes, but the Sheriff wanted Harris alive and in all probability unbeaten.

“What’s this all about?!” Harris mumbled stumbling down the stairs at Arthur’s hand on his shoulder’s urging.

“Well, I’m afraid Mr. Harris you’re a wanted man.” Arthur explained, “You’re going to have to come with me to see Sheriff Strange and I’m hopin’ we could do this like gentlemen.”

Harris blinked and gave a mostly toothless grin to him, “Aw hell! Why didn’t ya just say so?”

The short walk felt like an eternity. The Sheriff wasn’t kidding about how incessant Earl Harris could talk. Arthur was audience to his entire life story and whatever detour he decided to focus upon before returning to the point. He had no concern about his impending incarceration. In fact, Arthur started to suspect he actually liked it.

Walking by Harris gave Delfina a hard pat on her rump, “Fine horse ya got here! Got the goddamn Gardener brand! Ya must be mighty close to that lady!”

“That’s no one’s concern but my own.” Arthur replied.

Harris didn’t take the hint, “Bout time she got herself a real man! That ol’ husband of hers weren’t much of one, if ya catch my drift!”

Arthur grabbed him buy the shoulder, his patience wearing thin, leading him into the Sheriff’s office. Harris gave a jovial greeting to them. He instructed Arthur what his preferred cell was. He gladly shoved him into it, getting as much distance from Harris as possible or he was at risk of getting Arthur’s gun handle across the head so he’d be quiet for a while.

“Told you he was conversationalist.” Sheriff Strange chuckled seeing the exhausted expression on Arthur’s face. He put the money he was owned on the desk. Arthur took it and made a gesture of thanks and goodbye.

“Tell Mrs. Gardener I said hello!” The Sheriff shouted after him, “Treat her right! She’s a fine, fine woman!”

Arthur took a deep breath to calm himself when riding away on Delfina. It made his skin crawl, not liking that any more than he did at the party.

#rdr2 #arthur morgan #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 posting #rdr #red dead redemption #arthur morgan fanfiction #rdr2 arthur #rdr2 fandom #rdr2 fanfiction #red dead redemption 2 fanfiction #rdr2 community #red dead 2 #red dead redemption arthur #red dead redemption community #arthur morgan rdr2

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