#also i had some good salmon for dinner which is nice

[redtsundere-writes]

mma figther!sukuna ryomen x femcoach!reader

Part 11. The Other One

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Summary: Sukuna is a world champion with anger issues. It's believed by many that he is untrainable. Yeah, you can't train him, but you can dominate him. Contents: Fighting. Sukuna being Sukuna. Female reader being dom. Jinx AU (the BL, not the character from lol) Yuuji, Choso and Sukuna are brothers. Warnings: Cursed words. Word Count: 4667 words. Author's Note: We are so close to the end. I already want to get to the grand finale, but I can only write one chapter at the time. uwu Thanks for all the support so far!

Btw I made a PLAYLIST

“Salmon or hake?” I wondered as I compared the two frozen fish. I was in the frozen section of the best supermarket in the city.  My exposed skin was cold by being exposed to the bed of ice and near the refrigerators full of snacks and fast foods. The nerves in my hands were beginning to tighten from holding the frozen packages for too long.

Ladies slowly dragging their carts through the white aisles, children crying to their mothers who already want to go home and the employees running from side to side behind me. The popular music framed my thoughts as I read the nutritional facts for each product, focusing on the grams of protein. Since I was in charge of cooking for Sukuna’s birthday, I had to choose the best products to make him the best dinner he ever had

Salmon has 20 grams of protein, 13 grams of fat and zero carbohydrates. In addition to its contribution of Omega-3, for high-performance athletes it is the ideal fish to eat, since it has a very good ratio of proteins and healthy fats. If I baked it in the oven, I was sure it would be delicious. The only problem? The famous mercury. Although, according to some studies, it is true that salmon is the fish that contains the least amount. Hake is usually it's alternative, which has less fat, but the same or more amount of protein, also it digests better.

“Salmon has more potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12.” A female voice interrupted my mental debate.

My eyes widened when I saw the beauty next to me. A thin and tall blonde woman. Her blonde hair was long and her bangs looked great on her. His thin eyebrows framed her big brown eyes. His tight"fitting black turtleneck shirt and high"waisted pants made her look phenomenal. It was like admiring a beautiful porcelain statue, you could easily get lost in the details of her person.

"Oh, thanks. Are you a nutritionist or something like that?” I asked curiously as I returned the hake to the bed of ice.

"I'm a jiu-jitsu coach. I never thought I would meet the Medusa Snake in a supermarket,” she joked.

I should have seen it before. Her physical build was magnificent for a jiu-jitsu fighter. Her arms were perfectly toned, and his long legs could knock down any rival with one kick. I started to envy her body.

"I was told you were Ryomen's coach, I see that you two are… very close," she said as she looked directly at the bracelet that Sukuna had given me earlier this morning. That was strange.

"It is a complicated task, but I think that every day we understand each other more," I answered honestly.

"I wanted to be his coach, you know?” she told me as if nothing had happened.

Something in me set off a warning alarm. I could sense that this conversation had a double intention. Was she threatening my position? Did she know that I wouldn't be Sukuna's coach anytime soon? Was she just trying to have a nice conversation in the middle of the frozen section? She was a beautiful woman to admire, but I didn't like where this was going.

"Who are you?" I asked confused, completely breaking the flow of the conversation.

"My name is Yuki Tsukumo," she introduced herself with a smile. “This is the Yuki who sent the bracelet to Sukuna!” I thought, trying not to reflect surprise on my face, but I'm not sure if I did it. “I see he received my gift, it's a shame he didn't want to use it.”

"Sukuna doesn't like receiving gifts, that's why he gave it to me,” I answered, my tone sounding more defensive than I intended.

"Thank goodness he didn't throw it in the trash," she said before taking the hake I left. "I hope he doesn't throw you away either." With that threat, she walked away, getting lost in the cereal aisle.

I just saw the beautiful woman swinging her hips away, like a poisonous viper with beautiful colored scales. I couldn't help but see the gold bracelet that rested delicately on my wrist. My gaze hyperfixed on the letters engraved on it, wondering what kind of relationship this strange woman had with Sukuna. I put the salmon in my basket and continued with my shopping in an attempt to forget the unusual conversation.

After paying for the salmon and the rest of the ingredients I would use for the special dinner, my phone started ringing. I arranged the plastic bags in one hand to get my phone out of my pants. It was Yuuji.

"Hello, Y/n!" His friendly voice sounded from the other side. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Not really. I am only going to make Sukuna’s dinner for his birthday,” I answered as I walked back home.

"Cancel that. My parents just invited me and my brothers to dinner at the restaurant they just opened in the bay.” I stopped dead and sighed. “The salmon will have to wait until tomorrow.” "Do you have a pretty dress?" he wondered out of nowhere.

"Why you ask?". I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I asked my parents if you could come. When they found out you were Sukuna's friend, they said yes.”

"Why did you do that?" I asked him, even more confused. This couldn't be good.

"Because Choso is going, duh," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Because I was thinking about Sukuna 24/7, I had completely forgotten about Choso's existence. Yuuji still doesn't know that I like his other brother now. Plus, his parents will be there. Oh no, this can't be happening. This would be a disaster, I could sense it. Did I really have to go? My feelings churned in my chest the further I walked down the sidewalk. I stopped when I reached the crosswalk. The traffic light was red.

"I don't think this is a good idea…"

"Don't say that! It's the perfect opportunity for Choso to see you slay like the queen you are,” Yuuji lifted my spirits that I was dragging on the ground.

"Hang up the phone now!" I heard Gojo yell at him from a distance, Yuuji was still to be in the gym, training with Sukuna.

"See you in the afternoon," he said goodbye before hanging up.

The light turned green, but I still couldn't cross. I stood frozen on the sidewalk, stunned by the unusual invitation. I felt lost. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to go because I really like hanging out with the boys, but I was afraid to find out what my true feelings were for Choso and Sukuna. Also, I raised Choso’s hopes up. What if I didn’t like him anymore because I liked Sukuna? Thai was a mess. 

The traffic light turned red again. Why was I questioning my feelings for Choso? It's true that I liked Sukuna, but I liked Choso the moment I saw him. Sukuna had been an acquired taste from the times we've slept together. The gifts and me living with him seemed to have no meaning to him. I was in a dangerous situation, and he just wanted to protect me, right? Everything was so confusing. Maybe if I was to go to dinner, I had to find out what my true feelings were.

The traffic light turned green again.

After picking my outfit, an everything shower and doing my makeup, I was ready. It had been a long time since the last time I dressed up like a fine lady for dinner. I always have to wear sporty clothes due to work. Putting on a cute pink dress and applying a small wing eyeliner made me feel like a pretty princess. I brushed my hair in front of my large bathroom mirror while my stomach churned nervously. Seeing myself so different from how I normally look was like seeing an old friend I hadn't seen in years. As I put the brush back in its place, I noticed that I still had Sukuna's bracelet on my wrist. 

“I don't think it's a good idea to wear it today,” I thought aloud before taking it off and putting it in a jewelry box.

I went down to the entrance at the time Sukuna and I had agreed to leave. My heels echoed with every step I took. I already wanted him to see me as “the queen” that I am, Yuuji's words. I went downstairs with every intention of surprising him, but I was the one who ended up surprised. He was already there, fixing his elegant suit in front of the mirror. I never thought I'd see a man like Sukuna, who always dresses in T-shirts and shorts, wearing a sharp black suit with an ivory turtleneck sweater. This was not the cranky man I coach, this was a millionaire man with a mobster vibe straight out of a romance novel written by a woman. From the shine on his shoes to his well"groomed hair, Sukuna looked like the jackpot. 

“You look... different,” he said as he analyzed my whole body. “Of course I look different! What kind of compliment is that?!” I thought annoyed. 

“You look different too.” I told him reluctantly. 

“Are you ready to go?” He asked. I just nodded excitedly before following him out the door. 

In the nighttime tapestry of the city, the bright lights painted a surreal panorama. The asphalt shone like an ebony river, reflecting the headlights of passing cars like wandering fireflies. The city had an air of mystery and adventure. Tokyo was a place where anything could happen, where dreams came true and nightmares lurked in the shadows. The steering wheel turned under my fingers like a rudder guiding a ship through a sea of ​​metal. The roar of the engine was a discordant symphony that echoed in the silence of the night.

“How did training with Gojo go?” I asked him to get a topic of conversation.

"Everything was going well until I had to train again with the useless rookies,” he muttered in annoyance, gripping the steering wheel firmly. "Have you thought about who your replacement will be?" He asked.

"I have a few candidates in mind,” I answered. "In fact, a coach approached me when I went to the market, but she didn't give me a good vibe.”

"Why?" he asked, curious.

"I think you already know each other."

"What's her name?”

"Yuki Tsukumo." Sukuna braked the car in its tracks, making us bounce in our seats. Thank God we had our seat belts on. If we hadn’t, I would have slammed into the glass. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I exclaimed with my heart in my hand.

Sukuna didn't answer me. He squeezed the steering wheel, clearly annoyed, to park next to the curb. He took off his seatbelt to lean back on the steering wheel. Who was this Yuki Tsukumo that could make Sukuna act like this? An ex-partner? Impossible, Yuuji told me that he has never had a girlfriend. Someone he slept with in the past? I don't blame him, she's beautiful.

"You better not tell Choso or Yuuji that you ran into her," he told me after letting out a long sigh.

"Why not? Is there something I should know?” I asked him confused with the whole situation.

"She is Choso's ex-fiancée,” he answered before holding his forehead in concern.

"Oh…” 

Sukuna POV

I couldn't believe this blonde bitch had shown up again. Finally, when we had all left her in the past, she decided to come back for more. I clearly remembered the first time I saw that stupid girl smiling from cheek to cheek as if she were a pure soul. Choso looked so happy and proud to introduce her as his future wife. Poor asshole, he didn't know what he was getting into... and neither did I.

I still vividly remembered the night where everything turned into a shit show. The UFC had paid me the best suite in Las Vegas for my first championship fight. Sometimes I closed my eyes to return to that majestic place. Admiring the Strip, a glittering ribbon of casinos, hotels, and attractions that never sleeps, Paris's iconic Eiffel Tower twinkling with a thousand lights, and the High Roller Ferris wheel rising above the horizon like a giant lighthouse. I fucked a prostitute in the middle of the wide balcony, enjoying the panorama that stretched out in front of me.

"Sukuna!" The whore screamed my name desperately.

My hips didn't stop pounding into her. Her tits were bouncing in my face and her legs were spread across the couch. I opened her ass to reach the deepest part of her being. I had paid a good amount for her, she was willing to destroy her physically and emotionally. I pulled her hair while my cock hit her cervix, her limit. I was so close to reaching the climax, ensuring my future victory... but some idiot had to ring the bell at that moment.

I was so close that I didn't care that the person would stay outside all night. I didn't care if it was Choso, Gojo, Yuuji or my parents. I was very busy. The idiot didn't seem to want to understand that I wasn't going to open it, so he kept insisting on the fucking doorbell. Ding-dong. Ding-Dong. Ding-fucking-Dong. The annoying sound made me lose focus.

"Fuck!" I screamed before pulling my cock out of the whore. She sighed in annoyance, plopping down on the couch. "Hide in the closet or something, I'm not done with you." I told her before wrapping a towel around my hips.

"I'm going to charge you extra!" She yelled at me before following my instruction.

I straightened my towel before reluctantly opening the door. In front of me was the last person I thought I would meet. It was Yuki, Choso's guest. What the fuck was she doing here at midnight? Especially alone. From her pajamas and her slightly messy hair, I could tell she had escaped from the bed she shared with my younger brother.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked her, annoyed. "It better be important."

"I want to talk about business, can I come in?" she asked me with her usual flirtatious smile.

"No. Just tell me what you have to say so you can leave me the fuck alone,” I answered. I could already feel my balls turning blue.

"Do you kiss your mother with that filthy?" she joked.

"I'm not in the mood, spit it out before I slam the door in your face," I blurted out. It was the last warning I was going to give her.

"I noticed that you don't have a coach who specializes in jiu-jitsu. I know you don't accept women in your gym, but if you allow me to be part of your team, I can…".

I couldn't help but laugh in her face, cutting her off completely. Did she just interrupt my good luck ritual to offer herself as my coach? I knew she was a jiu-jitsu coach at a local gym, but I never thought she had the balls to ask me to recruit her. Couldn't she do this another day or in the morning? Why right here when Choso is surely sleeping peacefully thinking that she is by his side? Was this shit serious? There were so many questions about her behavior that I could only laugh.

"I don't see what's funny about it," Yuki said, crossing her arms.

"Then you have a terrible sense of humor," I answered. "Is that all you have to tell me?"

"I'm sure I'm a better fighter than you, I could kick your ass if I wanted to," she said annoyed.

"I want to see you try," I said. “She wouldn't dare,” I thought for sure.

Well, she dared. She attacked me by surprise with a kick to the abdomen. I lowered my arm, preventing it from connecting completely, but it did hit my side. I couldn't defend myself well while just having a towel on. One wrong move and I was already naked. I backed away out of inertia, allowing her to enter the suite. She jumped at me to continue hitting me.

"Bitch!" I screamed while covering my private parts.

"I'm going to show you that you need me on your team!" She shouted with a smirk on his face.

"I don't want anyone else on my team!" I exclaimed.

How the hell did we get to this situation? I wasn't sure, but I had to do something about it. She pulled and punched me, trying to take me down like any jiu-jitsu fighter would do. She launched another kick at me, this time I evaded it in time, but she broke a lamp in the process. I was debating in my mind whether I should knock her out with one punch. I could not do it. Even though she was crazy, she was Choso's fiancée. My first option was to call one of my brothers or someone saner.

"Just think about it seriously, with my brain and your muscles I could make you a millionaire in less than you think," she told me excitedly.

So she was after the money. Which is normal… but that didn't explain why she was acting so secretive. Why didn't she tell Choso he wanted a job on the Team Black? There was something else she wasn't telling me. I entered the master bedroom as quickly as possible without exposing my cock to grab the phone, but she ended up cornering me against the closet before I could get to it. At the sudden knock, the prostitute screamed.

"Who is it?" Yuki asked me confused.

"I didn't know he had a wife!" The whore screamed opening the closet door. “Oh no,” I thought. "Please don't hit me!" The poor girl yelled as she fled the scene.

"Hey! We're not done yet!” I yelled.

And as if fate was mocking me, I dropped the towel. I was in the middle of a teenager's worst nightmare. Yuki shamelessly looked down, making this more awkward than it already was. By this point I was praying that this was a bad taste prank. I just wanted Yuuji or Gojo to come into the room with a camera in hand, mocking my reaction, but that never happened.

"Nice girl you hired," she laughed at me. And just when I thought this was only going to get worse, I heard the voice of my potential savior.

"Sukuna!" I heard Choso's voice from the door as he rang the doorbell as if his life depended on it.

"You worried your future husband," I told her before pushing her to let go, so I could put the towel back on.

"Hire me, or I'll tell Choso I cheated on him with you," Yuki threatened me.

"What?!" I asked him, frowning at the tremendous bullshit she just said.

That's when it hit me. Yuki came to ask me for a job without Choso because she is only with him for convenience. She's only with him to blatantly get close to me. Since I don't accept women in the gym, this was his solution to get to me. I should have seen it before. I remember how at dinner with our parents he spent the time talking about jiu-jitsu and the UFC, sharing his extensive knowledge on the subject. Everyone was delighted with her, but she drove me crazy. 

"Are you that desperate for money?" I asked him, not believing what was happening.

"You don't have much time,” Yuki crossed her arms as the ringing continued.

"Sukuna!" Choso exclaimed again.

"I trust Choso, he is not stupid enough to fall for something like that."

End of Sukuna POV

"Choso was stupid enough to fall for that,” Sukuna blurted out after recounting the tragedy that happened that day. "He knew about my lucky ritual and to this day he still thinks I fucked his fiancée," he said as he looked towards the car in front of us.

I was just listening to him while Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles was playing on the radio. We were still parked so that Sukuna could tell me in great detail what had happened with Yuki and Choso. It was a hard story to believe. A woman interrupting his suite in the middle of his lucky ritual and then threatening to break off his relationship with his brother over a measly coaching job is not something you hear every day.

"I tried to explain to him several times what happened, but he never wanted to listen to me. Then he told Yuuji and since that idiot doesn't know how to shut up, everyone in the gym knows,” he explained. "It's an absurd story, I know, but…".

"I believe you," I told him before he could finish his sentence.

"You do?" he looked at me, confused.

"Why are you surprised? I believed you when you told me about your lucky ritual.” I said. "Is it a strange story? Yes, but we are a team. If you tell me the sky is pink, I believe you. If you tell me that pigs fly, I believe you. If you tell me that Yuki Tsukumo is a bitch, I'll believe you.”

Sukuna smiled at my response. He looked relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I smiled back at his reaction. Sukuna always has been honest with me, I had no reason to doubt him. Even though I had little time left as his coach, I planned to continue by his side. I don't know if it was the sad story or my feelings towards him got in the way that made me take off my seat belt to reach him. He didn't know what exactly was going through his mind, but whatever it was, he needed a hug.

My body felt light when he reciprocated the gesture. Our bodies melted in the warmth of the moment. His hands traveled down my back to press me closer to his broad chest. I would have liked to stop time to stay here all my life. Maybe Sukuna didn't like me back, but I knew I someone important to him, and I was happy with that.

The luxurious restaurant at the Grand Palace Hotel had an elegant atmosphere with high ceilings, panoramic windows and sparkling chandeliers. Sukuna and I made our way among the tables covered with white tablecloths and velvet chairs that invited guests to delight in an exquisite menu. In the distance, we saw his family. They were happy to see us, but they were also clearly disappointed for arriving 20 minutes late. Everyone looked elegant and sophisticated, especially Choso. He always looked good, but today he looked phenomenal in his gray suit and white shirt. He greeted me with a smile on his face as soon as we approached the table.

"You look beautiful,” he complimented me. My heart skipped a beat with happiness. “Are you watching, Sukuna? This is how you give a compliment,” I thought with blushing cheeks.

"I thought I raised you to always be on time," the mother scolded Sukuna.

According to Yuuji, Kaori Itadori was a highly sophisticated and strict mother. She has always focused on giving his children the best education so that they would grow up to be strong men and providers. An extremely traditional and Catholic woman. She sounded like the worst mother-in-law you could have.

"There was a lot of traffic," Sukuna answered reluctantly as we sat at the table.

Choso helped me, pulling my chair like a perfect gentleman. I was so nervous having him so close, since Yuuji gave me his seat, so I could sit next to him. My mind was at peace realizing that I still liked Choso a lot.

"At this time? The report says that the streets are quite clear,” his mother challenged him.

"Honey, it was only 20 minutes. You're going to scare his girlfriend away,” her husband, Jin Itadori, told her. He was like any dad, pretty chill and care free. 

"She is not my girlfriend. She's my coach,” Sukuna clarified, starting to get annoyed.

"But you live together," his mother said.

"You live together?" Choso asked me confused. “Oh no,” I thought. I had barely arrived, and I already wanted to go home. I had a feeling this woman was going to try to embarrass me in any way possible the rest of the evening.

"It is a long story," I said, trying to cut the tension.

"You see, Sukuna kicked his ex's ass. This ex almost raped her in the past, so Sukuna offered her to live with him so she would feel safe,” Yuuji explained the situation.

"Yuuji!" Sukuna and I scolded him.

"I'm just trying to help!" Yuuji defended himself.

I wanted to die. Yuuji just told the whole table my life trauma as if it were the plot of a movie he watched on Netflix. I hid in my hands from shame, praying that the earth would swallow me whole.

"I'll smoke outside," Choso said before getting up from the table to retreat to the balcony.

"Is it necessary to ask those questions now?" Sukuna asked his mother, already annoyed.

"You know what I think about concubinage," His mother scolded him, disappointed.

"We're not a couple. We just work together.” Sukuna rolled his eyes.

"Besides, Y/n likes Choso, don’t you?" Yuuji asked me to make his mother stop bugging me with questions about my relationship with their sons.

"I need fresh air," I excused myself to get out of there as quickly as possible.

I knew this was a bad idea from the start. I should have said no to Yuuji. I went out to the balcony to breathe deeply and admire the view of the city. I looked at Choso to explain what was happening. I found him smoking on the other side of the balcony, just as he had told us. He looked so elegant and mysterious in front of the pretty city lights. A beautiful contrast between brightness and darkness.

"Long time no see," I greeted him, approaching him.

"Does Sukuna treat you well?" He asked me, ignoring my greeting. It seemed like being straightforward ran in the family.

"I can’t complain," I answered honestly. "Sometimes he's a jerk, but you already know that," I joked. He smiled with the cigarette between his lips.

"I know… very well," he said as he blew the smoke into the wind, being careful not to blow it in my face.

"Does it bother you that I live with him?" I asked him worried.

"Of course not, I just didn't expect it," he answered. "Yuuji told me that you're going to quit soon, is that true?" I was happy to see that he was treating me as always.

"That's right, I'm very excited to return to the gym with my team.”

Choso despite having some similarities with Sukuna, he was so kind in comparison. His voice was sweet, his touch was pleasant, and his words filled me with joy. My heart moved every time he spoke to me. In the end, I realized that I still liked him, and I was very happy that it was that way. He was my ideal man.

"Are you still thinking about calling me when you become the protector again?" He wondered with a thread of hope. My cheeks blushed redder as I listened. I had already forgotten what I had said to him that night at the bar.

"You know it," I answered him with a smile.

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Masterlist.

Tag list: @maskedpacific @thepurpleempath @mazzd4 @charlie-xo @s0uldarling @sunako-0120 @berranurates @00frenchfries00 @crowned-gemini @alialucille @azuremyst99 @azuremyst99

[hackedmotionsensors]

I went to library con (lol its not called library con but thats what i called it. Its American Library Association Annual which is funny bc they call it ALA and I was like...that shitty anime con???) this week in san diego to promote the comic I worked with Terry on "Eat your Heart Out"

I got jumpscared seeing the big banner. My art has never been on anything bigger than art center presentations lmao

We handed out signed copies and it was honestly pretty fun. I have a ton of bookmarks as well if anyone wants one.....if you can find me in real life LMAO

I also got to be on a PANEL like a big professional lmao And met Josie Campbell an animation brethren and we were like "LETS GO TAG! LETS GET THOSE NEGOTIATIONS!!!!" (Reminder that The Animation Guild is due to negotiate with studios in August so please support us!!!)

Downside was is that some of my sunburns are still really fresh (most of them are in gross peeling stage and some are...kinda painful) so I was a bit sweaty and uncomfortable...and now I'm paying for it bc i feel really under the weather.

BUT. lol my issues aside (it was my own damned fault getting burned the weekend before)

It was really fun!

Librarians are really cool lol Especially since I tried to get into that field during my unemployment last year and a half it was interesting hearing what they had to deal with as Librarians for children or teens (The teen librarians kept talking to me about Slam Dunk and One Piece *u*)

There's also this huge emphasis for book sellers in getting your books IN libraries. Books in actual physical libraries does so much for the value of payments of the book (which in turn pays the authors and artists that work on those books).

And how much librarians and libraries do for the industry as a WHOLE. I learned that back in the day when english manga was coming out they were binding the books REALLY SHITTY and its funny bc I DO remember that. The quality was really bad. And because librarians complained about it, because a book circulates through a lot of people rather than if you buy a volume for yourself, the book will get damaged really fast if the book is made poorly. So Viz had to change HOW they bound their books and you can definitely tell now how the quality is so much nicer.

Anyway it was really cool lol And also since it took place at the San Diego Convention center it was really cool to see what SDCC looks like when its not an absolute cluster fuck of people and noise lol I saw where I slept on the ground outside to get into Hall H and we were treated to a dinner at Roys which I'd only ever seen in passing lol (ALSO ROYS WAS SO EXPENSIVE!?!? And I thought the onigiri was like...the salmon went INTO the onigiri....so that was the dish. but it was...a ball of rice onigiri shaped with some salmon ...and it was REALLY good salmon and the misoyaki was good too but.....i was expecting really expensive onigiri and was oddly disappointed it wasn't....that.......anyway)

ANYWAY ANYWAY lmao. Our comic comes out in August 13! I've finally seen the finished product and it came out so well. Yknow that thing where you see your art from a few years ago and you want to crawl into a hole and die? Well lol I still feel that but also I don't because it honestly looks so good and its nice seeing it all in one whole place! The coloring came out really nice ! And I can't wait to see what Claudia did in the second half of the book

Oh yeah I also got a comped train ticket to get me down there and I got to ride the Amtrak which was pretty cool! I ...was EXHAUSTED on both trips down and back so I slept most of the way lmao But look at this guy!

Lol ALTHO I was genuinely surprised that when we came back from san diego the train just goes in reverse.

On shinkansen the seats on the train are able to turn around so you're always facing forwards. So it was a little disorienting at first. I also wished I had an ekiben on the way down.

Its cool I can get an ekiben in august when i go to japan lmao

[bl00dst41ned]

*.·:·.✦ final obstacle ✦.·:·.*

this is part 2 to my “the other man” blurb, read it for context (I might do more step daddy Trent, dunno)

pairing: trent alexander-arnold x female parent oc (Alexis)

summary: in which the process of Trent meeting Alexis’ family ends with the final boss, her son

author's note: again inspired by Doug and Sloane's storyline in Grownish, a show I’ve never watched. did not proofread homies I'm sorry I'm too lazy

word count: 840

The moonlight illuminated the inside of the car, where Trent sat at the driver’s side, feeling anxious. 

Today, he was dining at Alexis’ apartment, something he got used to doing for almost a year now. But this time, he got to meet Leo, her now two-year-old son. 

For the past months of their relationship, his girlfriend tried to adjust Leo to Trent’s place in her life while not making the two meet. But it was finally time for it to happen, in a nice little dinner.

Though Leo could not care less, focusing on his cars while his mother was in the kitchen, Trent was beyond stressed. For some reason, a little boy made him more nervous than some major football clubs he had to play against.

Despite wanting to postpone the moment to prepare himself, Trent took his courage in both hands and headed to the building door.

On the other hand, Alexis felt more comfortable. She calmly laid the table for them to eat before being interrupted by the doorbell. She wiped her hand on a napkin before going to open it.

“Hey, come in” She welcomed Trent with a smile letting him in. 

They immediately hugged each other, Trent leaving a kiss on her temple. Alexis could feel how tense he was, which amused her a bit.

“Look, don’t be nervous, he’s not going to bite you…I think” The end of her sentence made Trent’s head snap towards her, eyes open wide. “He can be quite protective but it should be okay”

Trent took off his jacket putting it in a closet.

“Leo!” Alexis raised her voice calling the boy.

Little steps could be heard before a little curly head popped out of the corridor.

“Hmm” A high-pitched hum broke the silence in the living room.

He looked at his mom with his usual puppy eyes, a pacifier in his mouth.

“Come here, I have to introduce you to someone”

The three headed to the couch to sit. Leo sat in the middle of the two adults, making sure to be as close as possible to his mom.

“Here’s the guy I talked to you about. Trent, you remember ?” Alexis pointed at him as Leo’s head turned to him, nodding in response to her.

“He’s going to eat with us tonight, okay?”  Slowly but surely, she tried to explain to him the situation, trying not to be too straightforward but also not lie to him.

Once Alexis explained to Leo the situation, they went to sit at the table as the young mom went to get the food.

“Salmon pasta” Leo exclaimed, his pacifier preventing him from pronouncing his word correctly. He swung in his chair, excited to eat the good food of his mother.

“It’s Leo’s favourite” Alexis informed Trent as she filled the boys’ plates. “I guess I used to eat that a lot when I was pregnant”

“It has an effect on his taste ?” Trent asked surprised wanting to know more.

They engaged in a conversation about pregnancy and kids, Trent learning more about the subject and Alexis’ experience. Little Leo would make random remarks, sometimes off-topic but never ignored by the couple.

The two lovers were now sitting on the couch, Leo on the side playing with his toys. The night had gone smoothly until Leo finally asked the question he had on his mind

“Mommy, Trent your, your lover ?” He asked, struggling a bit to find his words.

Even though she planned on telling him, Alexis didn’t think he would get it by herself. As a kid really young and a bit shy, he did not really understand relationships, especially romantic ones.

“Well, yes, how do you know?” She asked intrigued to know how he figured it out.

“Gigi telled me it” He misconjugated, naming his grandmother by her nickname.

It all became clear to Alexis’ mind. Her mother never realised that Leo was growing and started to understand things and would say any and everything around him. She made a mental note to remind her mom an umpteenth time to be careful around her grandson.

“Less stress for me I guess” Alexis laughed it off leaning closer to Trent.

“His reaction scared me too, I can’t lie” He admitted, laughing too.

“I could tell when I hugged you, you were so stiff”

They kept discussing until it was time for Leo to go to sleep and for Trent to leave.

“Leo, it’s time to sleep”

A pout immediately appeared on the little boy’s face as he mumbled a little “okay” putting his toys away. 

“Say bye to Trent”

“Bye Trent” The toddler waved lowly, disappointed to not be able to play anymore.

He climbed on the couch and walked carefully to Trent and gave him a hug. Alexis admired them happy that her baby and her boyfriend got along. Once they pulled away, she placed him on her hip going to his room.

Once in his bed, Leo spoke one last time, warming her heart.

“I like Trent, Mommy”

like, repost and suggest if you want to (hope you enjoyed it)

masterlist for more

[kristannafever]

Second Chances - 9

Kristanna Modern AU Rated: Explicit WC: 2021

Chapter Index

----------------

“This is happening!” Anna squealed. 

Kristoff laughed.  “It is!”

“I can’t wait,” she said, hugging him around the neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

He basked in the warmth of her kiss and the glow of her happiness.  It had only taken about two weeks for them to plan the entire wedding, and in one short month, they were going to be wed.

“And I’m glad that works for our sisters to take time off to fly home,” she said, pulling out of his embrace and going back to her laptop where she had just finished booking the venue. 

Kristoff was too.  It was a worry when they brought it up with their sisters that they would find work too demanding for the short time frame, but as luck would have it, they were both able to make the trip and take an extra couple of days beforehand to help them prepare. 

-----

They picked a Ranchers Hall in a small rural town about a half hour outside of the city.   It was perfect for Anna’s vision of a country winter wedding.  And while the place was rather small, it didn’t matter since the only people they were inviting were family and only the closest of friends.  All in all, about forty guests.

His sister and Anna’s sister were going to serve as the best person and maid of honor, and it was decided by Kristoff (and greatly appreciated by Anna) that his parents were going to walk with both him and then Anna down the aisle.  As soon as the ceremony was complete, they were going to do some family photos outside while the venue changed the rows of chairs out for tables and started the bar and serving guests.

The flowers Anna chose were white roses because they symbolized the purity of their love and the new beginnings they were having at life with each other. 

The meal they decided on was either prime rib or salmon as per the guest’s choice, and the caterer they had booked also offered appetizers for the cocktail hour and late-night pizza and popcorn for inebriated party goers.  Kristoff thought it would be a good idea to personally pay for the pre-dinner drinks and then charge a toonie bar afterward and to offer pre-paid cab vouchers to anyone who didn’t want to stay in the town’s small hotel so there was no worry of anyone drinking and driving.

Anna had argued briefly with him about the cost of the wedding as he was handling it all, which turned into a rather deep conversation about how he’d lived with his ex.  He told Anna the sad truth that they never really did anything.  They never even went on a vacation together.  Not that he didn’t want to.  It was all his ex.  She had a group of friends from high school she was still extremely close with, and her vacation time was spent solely with them.  At the beginning he didn’t mind too much, thinking it would be nice to have those quiet weeks here and there to himself, then time went on and when he’d brought up her using her time to go somewhere with him, her reaction had been reluctance and confusion; since they lived together already, why would she give up these trips with her friends to spent more time with him.   So she kept taking vacations with her group and Kristoff saved a ton of money over the years for not going anywhere. 

Upon hearing about this, Anna’s face went deep scarlet and she sat there with her teeth clenched frowning at him.

“You know,” she started, “I have a lot of things in my mind that I could say about that, that I want to say about that, then I think of where we are now, how I don’t want to spend another second of my life without you by my side, and I realize that it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Kristoff shook his head.  “Nope.”

Anna sighed, letting go of her anger.  “I will never not appreciate the second chance at love that I got to have with you, Kristoff.  You are my soulmate and I love you more than anything.”

“I love you too.”  He leaned in and kissed her, then pulled his head back and arched an eyebrow.  “That got you kinda mad eh?”

She nodded.  “A little, I guess.  I just don’t like hearing about you getting mistreated.”

“Well, same here, but you know that.”  He smirked at her.  “Care to take out any pent-up aggression on me?”

Anna’s eyes lit up.  “What do you have in mind?”

He put his mouth close to her ear.  “Why don’t you fuck my brains out?”

Anna shuddered.  “How would I do that exactly?”

He shrugged.  “Use your imagination.  My body is your playground.”

She smiled at him wickedly.  “Damn right it is.”  Then she kissed him forcefully.

They began to undress each other when Anna interrupted told him she wanted to go to the bedroom.  Shedding the remainder of their clothes as they went down the hall, they arrived in their room fully naked and attached at the lips. 

Kristoff pressed her down onto the bed, crawled over her, and began kissing his way down her body.  She smiled.  She would definitely have her way with his body as she saw fit, but she was not about to deny the pleasure that his mouth gave her. 

She curled her fingers into his impossibly soft hair, moaning loudly as his tongue lashed out against her clit.  Her back arched as he worked his mouth, and while she was enjoying the hell out of it, she grew impatient to have him.

When she gently tugged his hair, he stopped and looked up at her.  “I need you now,” she whispered.

“How do you want me?” he asked, sitting up.

“On your back.”

Anna moved and he took her place, laying down in the middle of the mattress.  She crawled over him and took a moment to kiss him passionately before she started. 

Moving slowly, she slid down onto his cock with a passionate and somewhat desperate moan.  It amazed her how she seemed to forget in between the moments they were not making love how good it actually felt to have him inside of her.  There was nothing in the world she could compare it with. 

She moved against him, already so close from his mouth, it didn’t take long before Anna felt the pull towards letting go.  Only, this time, she stopped, and her arousal pulsed briefly before quieting down. 

“Fuck, you have no idea how much that makes me crazy,” Kristoff muttered as he caressed her hips.   

She looked down at his face, careful not to move her hips just yet.  “Yeah?”

He nodded slowly.  “It’s…” He let out a long breath.  “It just feels incredible.  Do it again.”

Anna gave him a wicked smile.  “You read my mind.”

She began to move herself against him, slowly at first, then picking up her pace a bit until that feeling came back.  She stopped again, just one more movement away from going too far, and her center quivered against his cock.

“Fuck…” he said slowly. 

Anna held stark still.  If she moved right then, she was going to come and she didn’t want to just yet.  She waited until her arousal died down, then finally relaxed her body against him. 

“I have to be honest, Anna,” Kristoff said, his hands massaging her thighs, “I don’t think I will be able to last you doing that again.”

She smiled at him.  “Does you in that much, huh?”

“You have no idea,” he mumbled, curling his hands around her back and pulling her down for a kiss. 

Anna gave in to his lips, kissing him back and starting to move herself against him.  She went slow this time, allowing herself to feel every second of her renewed growing arousal.  She pulled back from his lips and braced her hands on his chest as she got closer.  She had never felt such a deep need for an orgasm in all her life.

Kristoff’s grip was tightening on her hips and she knew he was going to come as soon as she did.  Anna found that edge again, only this time she did not deny herself.  She gasped as it got closer, and then a second later she was crying out with sweet relief.

Kristoff cried out softly with her, holding her firmly to him as they climaxed together.  It felt amazing to Anna to be able to ride out her orgasm with his cock pulsing powerfully within her.  It was basically mind-melting pleasure.  It was no wonder she was hooked on it like a drug.  A drug she was so thoroughly addicted to, that she knew they would have sex at least one more time before the end of the day. 

Or maybe two or three.  There seemed to be no way to satiate their hunger for one another.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Their wedding day was stunningly perfect.

Everything went according to plan and the only hiccup of the entire day was when Anna realized she accidently left her precious jewellery – the pieces she got back from her shitty ex – at home.  It was rectified shortly by Kristoff’s parents driving into the city to fetch them while the wedding party got ready.

What followed was flawless.

At the end of the night, with only a few guests left snacking on the pizza and the popcorn and talking in groups, Anna looked over at Kristoff, the happy and slightly drunk smile on his face, and felt her heart nearly explode with love. 

He was talking to Chester and his parents and laughing about something.  Anna could not take her eyes off of him; the most stunning man on the face of the planet in his pressed suit pants and white button down with the tie gone, top buttons undone, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.  His hair was mussed from dancing all night, his brown eyes shinning so brightly with life, his smirk of a smile on full display.  Truly, he was nothing but complete perfection in Anna’s eyes.  The sexiest man on the face of the planet.

He happened to glance her way, catching her staring at him, and he turned towards her and smiled.  They walked towards each other and straight into a tight embrace. 

“I can’t believe you are my wife,” he mused, kissing her neck. 

“God, I can’t believe you are my freaking husband!” Anna said back excitedly.  She pulled back to look at his face.  “And now we get to have a whole hell of a lot of fun making some children.”

“You bet your ass we do,” he breathed, and kissed her. 

-----

About an hour later, Kristoff was pushing himself into her. 

The foreplay was only a couple of sloppy drunk kisses before Anna was begging for him.  It didn’t matter to her, her only goal for the night was for him to come inside of her.  She’d had her IUD removed a couple of weeks ago and in the interim before the wedding, he’d worn protection.  Anna much preferred the feeling of his naked skin without the rubber barrier.    

“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” he said between kisses.  “I am so excited to take a real vacation.  With my wife!”

“Me too,” Anna said through a sigh.  “Oh, Kristoff, me too.”

He took the hint that she didn’t want to talk too much and pressed his pelvis flush with hers.  He knew exactly what he was doing, and even through all the drinks, Anna knew she was going to come and that he was holding out to join her. 

She let go of every thought besides the building feeling in her abdomen.  It grew until it reached the point where Anna’s mind went utterly blank, then she reached the edge and fell over it.  They moaned, holding each other through every strong contraction of their shared orgasm.

---

Previous Chapter

[themanhattanfoodproject]

Some meals I had in Toronto during the election and immediate aftermath.

M had a show up in Toronto that had him leave on Election Day, and I went with him because I knew no matter what, I didn’t want to be alone for several days following it. I also had never been to Toronto, so this felt as good an opportunity as any.

We spent election night and a few days afterward by the Toronto Airport as that’s where the show was located. I found this local chain called The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, and they had a pretty awesome happy hour where you could get prime rib sliders and tuna tartare for a good price. I also went with the lobster bisque because I wasn’t feeling that hungry, but it hit the spot for something warm and comforting.

The next day, I barely ate as I had zero appetite, but we walked to the Lone Star Texas Grill--another Canadian chain--where they had $4 tequila shots and a really nice chicken adobo quesadilla that hit the spot after I forced myself to do some swimming in the hotel pool in the afternoon. 

Thursday I was determined to actually do something, so I got a swim in and then took the UP Express into downtown Toronto. I had a whole list of places that I wanted to go to, but this was more of a reconnaissance trip to get familiar with the layout of downtown before M and I would arrive the next day for 36 hours in the city. I took a walk to Sud Forno, a fun multi-story Italian cafe and restaurant, and treated myself to a lovely portion of cacio e pepe. I had dinner at the hotel later and it was fine, but it didn't need to be documented--though I did have a strawberry and greens salad as I realized I needed more vegetables.

Friday afternoon we went into Toronto together, and started at Chefs Hall which was a couple of blocks from our hotel. I had another quesadilla (trust me, my food choices will improve with dinner) and M had shawarma-style chicken kebabs and rice with a variety of sauces. I had a lovely conversation with a bartender about the election, in which he said that living in Canada lately had been like living next to a crackhouse, waiting to see if the crack dealer would be let back in. Given the shit that the stupid president-elect has been saying about making Canada a state, I definitely want to come back here to ask him how he feels now.

The absolute highlight of the trip, to be honest, was dinner at Aloette that evening. M’s Canadian colleagues were impressed that we were able to get a spot at the bar as walk-ins, but we settled in for a magnificent meal of beef tartare, an iceberg wedge salad, hamachi crudo, salmon tartare with shiso and compressed cucumber, and some fried chicken lettuce wraps. If anything, it was the meal that really brought me out of my funk because as delicious as the food was, the care given to us by our server really made the meal special. We told her what we wanted, she spaced it out accordingly, and we enjoyed one hell of a meal during our allotted two-hour dining window.

[fenrislorsrai]

I Know Where I'm Going

Season 2 is just Neil Gaiman attempting to get us to read and watch all his favs while looking for Clues.

so got "I Know Where I'm Going" from the library.

as a mundane note on the DVD, the subtitles are incredibly hard to find on the menus for some reason. I finally gave up using the onscreen menu and forced it through opening a track direct on my player. So if you get the DVD, there ARE subtitles, you just gotta work for 'em.

also there's several points where they just subtitle it as "speaking Gaelic". It's effectively shot from a non-Gaelic speaker's POV so I'm okay with it not being translated but it would have been nice is there were subtitles, in Gaelic, for those sections.

This movie rates an enormous HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM from me. Many interesting coincidences.

Free fic title for folks: "may your pulse beat as your heart would wish"

Rest under the cut in case you want to watch this.

You can read the plot on WIkipedia so I'm not gonna focus on the relevant bits for Good Omens cause that's why you're reading this.

First up you get the female lead meeting with her father for dinner, who specifically mentions coming from Eccleshall to see her off. This is a different town than Eccles of the Eccles cake, but did make me go look that up.

The tartan hills sequence really is direct from this movie as part of a dream sequence. Joan's father had warned her she was marrying a man, not his company, but the dream sequence does involve actually marrying the company as shown off by some large industrial machinery. big HMM there on theme.

She's clearly marrying this guy for safety and financial security but you never really learn much else about him. She seems to have worked for him and then climbed into position of getting married. You hear this guy's voice on a shortwave radio but never actually see him. He's also described with general disdain by the locals as an imposter. He's not the real lord, he's just the guy with the money.

Which is something that comes up repeatedly thematically as New Money vs Old Money. even the Old Money doesn't have much and that's why they're renting out to the New Money because they're land rich, cash poor as are post of the people that are in the area.

There's a bit where the rich new folks go call on one of the old nobles and comment on how she's only got three servants on a quite big house and she comments on "don't need them when I have guests" and then you get to see Torquil, who actually is a lord (and the love interest here) getting told to set the table for the elderly noblewoman he's visiting. Which he does. and for the rich New Money folks who do nothing to help.

You also have a conversation with some of the locals making fun of the rich industrialist paying money to import salmon, when he's got salmon swimming in the stream of the land he's renting, but isn't catching. He's also having a swimming pool built... on an inland, which they all think he's mad for. (considering the ocean murdering people is a plot point, wanting to swim in warmer non-murderous water seems pretty reasonable)

But there's an overall Vibe of the new money having MONEY but not class.

Torquil has class but also responsibilities. He's only here because he's been serving in the Navy and is home on shore leave. Catriona, who provides Torquil and Joan somewhere to stay while waiting out the stormy weatehr has been providing housing a unit of soldiers up until about a week ago. So you get that clear "they're doing their part for the war, the New Rich aren't".

You also get Joan attempting to pay a local fisherman quite a lot of cash to take her to the nearby island in heavy weather. It's really too much cash for him to refuse. That could buy him ability to marry and buy a boat of his own. Torquil is Pissed Offabout it though because he considers it thoughtless. You could wait and not risk that man's life over this. He eventually gets talked around but goes with on the boat trip since he actually IS in the Navy and can manage to help get engine restarted in boat when they get swapped.

So a lot of themes in common, but lets get back to the real meat here: THE CURSE.

Torquil has never been in the nearby castle, which is basically just a standing square tower. Not have any of his immediate ancestors because everybody knows about the curse and that he can't set foot in the castle of Something Terrible Will Happen.

This gets called back to several times but without any indication of the exact nature of the curse.

This IS a romance so the whole point is this delay in the travel makes Joan reconsider marrying the rich guy. but before that, you have Joan and Torquil split up. They have a farewell kiss and then part ways. Torquil wishes her well and suggests since some pipers got hired for this delayed wedding, she should have them play a tune they heard earlier in a dance scene.

meanwhile, he's been delayed so many times getting to the same island (which is his home), his shore leave is now over, he has to go back to the Navy. So is walking off to catch a ride and goes past the castle.

Stares at it and is "okay, Joan's right, this is stupid I've been scared by this curse the whole time" so goes into castle to climb the tower actually see the curse carved in stone.

OH HEY, THAT CURSE AIN'T WHAT YOU THOUGHT. It's one of those written in such a way it can be read several ways. One of which is "you can never leave this place without the person you love." oh hey, are those bagpipers playing Our Song???

Happy reunion had, Joan wants to be with Torquil nevermind marrying the company for riches. what they do about Torquil's leave being over, IDK, movie over, this is a romance, off we go.

[cianmarstoo]

fuck it friday

cause i got distracted before i could post this on wednesday hahaha so here's a look at the family dinner party with Amelia and Carolyn Shepherd visiting the family in Seattle, with Meredith acting all perky, and Alex having undiagnosed adhd

Alex fidgeted in his seat at the dining table, it was done up with a tablecloth, and candles which he’d been told multiple times he wasn’t allowed to touch, and had now been moved fully away from him. The table was completely full, both with chairs around the table, with people, and with food filling up the table.  His mommy was still smiling looking very weird: it wasn’t her usual smile, he liked his mommy’s normal smile, and how she would usually roll her eyes, and joke and talk, but now she was talking all… high and too happy, and giggling, and agreeing with everything his Grammy said, it was just… wrong. It wasn’t his mommy.   There was also some gross fish on the table taking his attention. His daddy had tried to encourage him to have some, telling him the salmon would be good for his brain, but had given up when Alex had made barfing noises. So instead his plate had been loaded up with some of the pasta and meatballs and garlic bread. Jackson and April both had some of both the salmon and the pasta.  He pulled his tongue out as April ate some salmon.  “It’s yummy, Alex,” she insisted, “and it’s so-fiscal-rated.” “It’s gross.” “This one’s nice,” Jackson told him diplomatically, “an’ uncle Derek maked it, you like uncle Derek’s cookin’.” “Nuh uh, he maked salad and yucky broccoli,” Alex protested, “only spastgetti good.” April glared at him, “That’s ‘cause you’re a baby.” “No I’m not!” “You’re babier than me.” “He’s not a baby,” Jackson frowned at her, “that’s not nice April.” “He is littler than me and you though,” she protested, her cheeks were now bright pink and burning.  “You’re eatin’ Nemo!” “NO I AM NOT! YOU’RE A DUMB BABY!” Alex didn’t bother with words: He didn’t like how everyone was acting weird, Mark and Owen were acting nervous, his mommy was broken, his Grammy was frowning at his mommy like she didn’t understand her, and even his daddy was being weird, he kept looking at Amelia who was trying to avoid looking at him, which was weird because Alex liked her a lot- she was good at building towers and good at making them fall, which made her one of Alex’s new favourite people.  Then there was April, calling Alex a dumb baby.  That was the breaking point.  Alex didn’t bother with words.  He grabbed one of the meatballs from his plate and threw it at April, hitting her on the face.  Everyone fell silent. “Al-” April picked up some of her salmon, throwing it at her cousin across the table, but Alex ducked down, and the salmon hit Jackson.  Jackson didn’t hesitate, throwing salad at both April and Alex.  Before any of the adults could do anything the three littles started to throw food across the table, hitting each other and the adults at the table. Their dads all tried to say their names to get them to stop, but they were all ignored. “Stop this, right now!” 

tagging @anewkindofme and @alessiankarev and literally anyone else who wants to do it!

[remembertoeat]

Dinner Recipe: Salmon and Vegetables

TIME: ★★★✰

PRICE: ★★✰✰

EASE: ★★★✰

CLEANUP: ★★★✰

There is a WIDE scope to salmon and veg recipes. Salmon, at least where we are, is a little on the pricier side, but we love it and the doc said it was good for our eyes so we ran with that as an excuse, LOL!

We are constantly looking for a variety of ways to cook and dress salmon. I believe these recipes would generally work for both frozen and fresh fillets, with some minor modifying.

It's a super quick thing to serve these with a handful of salad greens, but our go-to is broccoli! I made a short blurb on how we like to prepare broccoli in a tasty way! The different recipes could range between 20-40 minutes, depending on which one you're making!

Cast Iron Salmon (DishNTheKitchen)

Crispy Honey Orange Glaze Salmon (CafeDelights)

Salmon with Apple Fig Chutney (WhatJewWannaEat)

Lemon Basil Pesto Salmon (JarOfLemons)

I don't have photos of these recipes but I have made them and they're very tasty!

Brown Sugar Soysauce Salmon (Key to My Lime) This is one of our go-to salmon recipes! Very classic and tasty!

Parmesean Crusted Salmon (Cooking Classy) Recently made this and it was a really nice change of pace with texture and flavor! Highly recommend it if you like parm!

We also enjoy making Salmon Bowls. Just dig up some veg we have lying around and serve it with salmon over rice. Below we had avocados, mukimame, cucumbers,carrots, and mandarin oranges over rice with some orange glaze salmon!

[braveclementine]

Chapter 4

Warnings: None (anyone can read this story)

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. I do not condone any copying of this.

𝓦𝓔 were in a room that I recognized as a kitchen. It was much larger than the one at Tommy and Billy's home. It had more chairs and more appliances. A very large refrigerator which was where yummy things were kept. It was filled with delicious smells and the red head from before was already cooking something that smelled good.

"What are you cooking today Nat?" Bucky asked as he put me down on the counter, going over to the big black box of coldness, and pulling out something yellow. He set some of it down in front of me.

I sniffed at it tentatively, biting into a small piece of it. It wasn't as good as the bread, but it had a nice, light taste to it and I ate the rest of it, before looking back up at Bucky.

"Now where is my fish I've been promised?"

Bucky just smiled at me, petting me.

Steve, Sam, the girl named Gnat, and another dark man were roaming the kitchen now, passing food out on plates. Bucky was setting down glasses filled with delicious milk.

I padded over to one of the glasses when Steve turned his back, sticking my nose in it, and started to lap it up.

"Aww here Blizzard." Steve said, getting a bowl and pouring the rest of my milk into it. He put the glass in the sink before grabbing another one to pour himself some milk.

"When'd we get a cat?" The black man said. He didn't have much hair, but he seemed fit. I didn't like him much though. He smelled like a black lab.

"Today." Bucky said, putting something from the stove onto a small plate and putting it in front of me.

It was rich smelling, though very hot and I decided to wait a moment. Was this fish?

"Is this fish?"

"Nat made you some salmon, I hope you like it." Bucky said.

"So it's not fish?" I asked.

"Does she even understand you?" The black man asked.

Sam laughed, "Hey Rhodes, we all know you talk to Ash like that."

Who in their right mind named their kid Road?

Tony and Bruce came up out of the lab to join us for breakfast. Bruce and Road had a conversation together while Tony sat next to me, petting me mostly while drinking a cup of coffee. I noticed that he got no food and I graciously patted my plate so that some of my Salmon sat in front of him.

"Want to share?" I asked.

Tony smiled a little, "What kind of fish is this Steve?"

"Salmon." Steve replied. "I think she likes it."

"Good." Tony said, scratching my head and eating a small piece of it.

"Have you gotten anything off the cameras yet?" Bucky asked. He seemed very interested in what happened to me and I was glad. I hoped that they could track down my owner so that they could find Billy and Tommy. I hoped they would protect them since I couldn't.

"Not yet. She's working on my main project yet. But she's hacking the cameras on the side. I should have the surveillance early tomorrow morning. And I'll let you know the minute she gets it." Tony said nonchalantly.

"Sounds fair." Sam said with a shrug.

Good. So by tomorrow, they would see evil owner toss me into the cold lake. Then. . . then they would find evil man and I would scratch him with my claws!

"What are we doing today?" Bucky asked, picking up his dishes and putting them in the sink.

"Nothing." Tony said. "Fury told us we have a two week break. I mean, you could probably do training if you want. I'm just going to head back down to the lab. See you at dinner. Maybe."

"Tony." Gnat scolded. "You need to eat dinner."

"I just had some breakfast." Tony said, already leaving the kitchen. "See you later."

"He's going to starve himself to death." Gnat grumbled.

"That's what Pepper is for." Sam laughed, also getting up from the table. "I think I'm going to go and do a workout to make up for the run. You two coming?"

"Sure, why not?" Steve said, also getting up from the table. He scooped me up into his arms. "You can come with us Blizzard."

I mewed softly, purring contentedly as I curled into his chest. He was so warm and firm and safe. I wondered if maybe Billy and Tommy could stay here so that I could stay with Steve and Bucky and Tony.

We went into the moving metal box again, going down this time, before they went into a very large room with lots of metal things in it. There was a lot of metal in this building.

There were padded benches and lots of metal bars holding big black circular things. There were also blue squishy mats on the floor, along with several black things hanging from the ceiling.

I padded over to one of the blue mats, walked on it, and decided it was the perfect place for a nap. I sprawled across it, and only opened one of my eyes when I heard Bucky start to laugh.

"Guess we're going to have to find another place to spar Sam. Blizzard took our mat."

Sam chuckled. "Just keep an eye on her as we workout. I don't want to see her get stepped on or something. She's a sneaky little thing."

I kept one eye open, watching as Steve and Sam faced each other on the mat. Bucky had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched their fists fly at each other, sometimes using their legs as well.

I understood to a degree that they weren't trying to hurt each other. It was. . . fighting without hurting each other somehow.

But it reminded me of Mr. Peters and the way he treated Billy and Tommy. I hated it.

When Sam knocked Steve on his back and raised his arm to punch him, I darted forward, leaping onto Steve's chest. I sat down firmly where Sam was going to punch, mewing loudly up at Sam.

Sam froze, looking stunned, sitting back on his butt.

"Wow." Bucky said, also sounding stunned. "She protected you Stevie."

"Aww, I wasn't going to hurt him." Sam said softly. "We're just practiced our sparring. It's fake fighting, no one was going to get hurt, okay Bliz?"

I mewed softly, starting to cry. I couldn't control my emotions very well.

"Aww Bliz." Steve said softly, sitting up and holding me in his hands. He gave me soothing pets and my mewls soon turned to content purring.

I sat up on my hind legs, reaching so that I could lick his face with my tiny tongue. I was giving him kisses. Steve laughed fully, kissing the top of my head. "I'm okay, see Bliz?"

"She's an extremely smart cat, isn't she?" Bucky asked, but it didn't sound like he was praising me. He sounded concerned.

I looked up at him, tilting my head.

"Yeah. . ." Sam said softly. "Do you think she saw abuse? And maybe that's why she reacted that way. Like she thought I was going to hit Steve and she was trying to stop it?"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. said she was healthy though." Steve said with a frown, "Wouldn't have detected if the kitten was hurt?"

"But maybe she didn't account for past hurts?" Bucky asked. "Healed ones?"

"I did, actually Mr. Barnes." the robot voice in the ceiling said.

"And?" Sam asked.

"She had a few mild strains in her ribs and legs, but nothing serious. I did not think it was important at the time, as you were only concerned in her immediate health, not her past health. Her past strains however should not affect anything in the long run. They have mostly healed and as long as she doesn't jump off anything high or get hurt, they will heal completely by the end of the week." The robot voice said. "Does this answer all of your questions?"

"Do you know what possibly could have cause her strains?" Steve asked.

"It is possibly being kicked could have caused the ones to her ribs. Being dropped or thrown would also cause strains in the legs. However, the legs could also have been caused by her attempting to jump from a high place to a low place, putting to much strain on her legs. This could potentially affect the ribs as well if done often."

"Thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y., could you please relay all of that information to Tony as well?" Bucky asked.

"Yes Mr. Barnes."

"Alright, let's get back to sparring." Steve said, motioning to Sam. "Bucky you could pet her, that might keep her calm."

Bucky took me from Steve and went and sat on one of the benches. He let me lay in his lap, petting me from my head, down my back, to my tail, repeat.

I didn't freak out anymore, after watching carefully the first few rounds. They truly didn't seem to be in any pain, and through some of it, they even laughed. I knew laughing meant they were happy, which seemed to be the opposite of pain.

Bucky switched out with Sam, but I didn't sit in Sam's lap. Instead, I explored underneath the benches, and a found a bottle cap to play with. Sam would flick it towards me and I would bat it back to him.

Sometimes, we even played keep away, and I kept scratching his hand lightly, trying to get it. But he didn't seem to mind, just laughing and calling me cute or saying good job whenever I got the bottle cap from him.

"Well you two look like you're having fun." Steve said with a grin as he and Bucky came back over. Both of them were dripping with sweat, but they smelled like nice spices and something else underneath that overpowering stench. "Think we'll go and hit the showers."

"Together?" Sam asked, sounding like he was teasing them.

"Of course." Bucky said, throwing his arms around Steve's shoulders, "What else would we do?"

"Want to take the kitten with you?" Sam chuckled.

"We should probably leave her in our room." Steve admitted. "C'mon Blizzard."

I trotted after them as they made their way out of the training area. We went into the metal box for the seventh time today. I felt it vibrate under my paws, and I kept tapping the metal, wondering how thick it was.

The metal doors opened once again and I trotted after them once more. They made their way down a long hallway, before opening one of the doors and letting me inside.

"Okay Blizzard, we're going to take a shower. We'll be right back." Steve said, walking into another door. Bucky followed after him and the door was shut lightly, a crack still there.

It was a very big room. There was a section with a nice sofa and a table and one of those black boxes on the black wooden dresser. There was a door that was wide open, leading to a bedroom which had a very large bed in it. There was also a window.

I jumped onto the chair, before leaping onto the bed, and then leaping onto the window sill.

"Wow." I said as I looked out over the city.

I was very high up. I could see almost the whole city spread out below me. I could even see the strange white thing that I had seen in the water this morning.

Wait? That had only been this morning? Boy I was exhausted.

I curled up in the windowsill, tucking my tail over my nose, and fell asleep. 

⬅️➡️

[unhonestlymirror]

Rating food of the countries I've been to, from West to East:

Disclaimer: it's veeery subjective

***

Spain🇪🇸 : 7/10. It's okay. I expected their fish and seafood to be better, tho. A LOT of relatively cheap fresh juices, 10/10 for health. They also make surprisingly amazing pasta and surprisingly average paella.

France🇫🇷: 9/10. Never visited cafes or restaurants there, but Carrefour has an incredible variety of good meat. I love their pineapple pie, too. There are a lot of products for vegetarians, Muslims, and, in general, different people who have different eating styles. There's a lot to see. And omg, their bazaar days are something worth attending: I still regret that I never tried clams with white wine.

UK🇬🇧 : 6/10. Not impressed. Something tells me that they deliberately make fish-n-chips that terrible. But I absolutely loved the strawberries under hot chocolate, which was sold by two cheerful Polish girls near Madam Tussaud museum.

Switzerland 🇨🇭: 6/10. Migros has nice buns with spinach and those Japanese "sandwiches", overall, your whole salary is gonna be spent on food. (Lithuania core lol😭) McDonald's there SUCKS.

Norway🇳🇴: 4/10. I expected a lot for some reason. Prices gonna cause you a heart attack, the quality is gonna give you a second heart attack. Also!!! THERE WAS NO FISH IN THE SHOPS EXCEPT THE CANNED!!! I was deeply injured. Norwegian salmon is super popular in Ukraine, how can they not have any normal fish in the big supermarkets...

Germany🇩🇪: 1/10. I may be just unlucky, but every time I visit Germany and pick a random cafe with lots of people(!), it has the worst food I've ever tasted in my life. It's like that scene from Desperate Housewives: "Really? A woman who orders Chinese food for Christmas dinner cooked a pineapple pie?" I understand now why Ukrainian women often marry Germans. My heart bleeds when I see what exactly you eat. I want to cover you with a blanket and cook you a normal soup.

Czech Republic 🇨🇿: 7/10. The soup was nice, ставлю вподобайку👍

Poland🇵🇱 : 8/10. Soup in bread, my beloved. Doughnuts were some kind of overcooked in oil, tho.

Montenegro🇲🇪: 10/10. I love you. I love your salads, your seafood, and I LOVE YOUR LEMON ICECREAM!!!!!

Slovakia🇸🇰: 7/10. I don't really remember what I ate, I am sorry. But I was really impressed with your supermarkets for some reason. Gotta visit it again.

Hungary🇭🇺: 6/10. It was my first time I've ever tried street food, and I liked it. You guys know how to cook meat.

Greece🇬🇷: 7/10. One day, I'll find the guy who can cook Karavidopsiha and beg them to cook it once again. Nice fish!!! I remember your arbutus honey as old women remember their best lovers. But. One time, a man served my family with unpeeled shrimps in batter. :/ What the hell was that? Is that some kind of a national dish I'm not aware of? Minus three points for such bullying.

Cyprus 🇨🇾: 7/10. I shouldn't be obsessed with your carob tree pastille that much.

Lithuania🇱🇹: 10/10. I love you. Although, I'd love to spend less money on food too. I love your Maxima and Rimi and Iki. I love your cafes. I love your bakery, I love your cocktails, I looooooove your soups, and I love your Asian food too. It's very easy to become an alcoholic with such delicious wines and tinctures.

Latvia🇱🇻: 11/10. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm on my knees. Your cream chanterelle soup and Lidl croissants and marinated onion and šašlyk and fish and dairy products🛐🛐🛐. You guys know how to serve. I've never seen such pretty food designs anywhere. And of course, Lido. It brings me in tears of joy and makes me remember Puzata Hata. No, for real, is there any dish you don't know how to cook?

Finland🇫🇮: 7/10. That's okay. Nice street food.

Belarus ⚪️🔴⚪️: 9/10. Oh my dear Belarus, you're gonna be the best chef in Europe once you're free from russia. I wish I ate more machanka and drank your pine tincture when I had the chance. I love your chicory, it's a bit greyish, but it's much more delicious than an average chicory. Delicious meat in the shops. Other food is soviet-like, which makes me nauseous.

Ukraine 🇺🇦: ♾️/10. Вітчизно моя! Ти як здоров'я, наскільки ти цінна, тільки той знає, хто тебе втратив. I don't know if my favourite shops still work. I loved every single cafe I've been to, yes, even that shitty prorussian Mafia and Eurasia. I loved Puzata Hata. I loved Khlibna Kava, and its amazing cherry cupcakes. I loved Moloko Vid Fermera. I loved little kiosks with fresh Makadamia nuts and huge variety of vegetables and fruits. I loved Flagman and Silpo, Lvivśki croissants, and chocolate shops. I loved my seafood store. I loved giant frappes in Shevchenko Park. I loved my Continent with its old classical French background songs. I love my Japanese food stores. There are so many places I love. I used to find my bazaar so ugly and dirty, but I would give everything to buy the sea ​​buckthorn jam from the cheerful old lady. But it's not gonna happen. My bazaar was shelled by russians to the ground.

Turkey🇹🇷: 9/10. Your Katmer, seafood soup and baked shrimps(?) are something 🛐.

Jordan🇯🇴: 7/10. Nice! You cook paella better than Spain, be proud of yourself. Although, I'd love to not be scared for my life as a woman all the time. Your bazaar seemed very interesting, but unfortunately, I don't speak Arabic. And I am a woman, which also sucks, I guess. I was totally covered in black, except for the face and hair, and people still stared at me like on a zoo exponate. McDonald's kinda sucks too, but not as much as in Switzerland.

Egypt🇪🇬: 7/10. It's okay. I've tasted only hotel food.

Sakartvelo🇬🇪 : 10/10. Our guide forgot about our existence, and we had to find any source of food to not die from hunger, so we went to your local bazaar and asked to fry some cheap fish. It had lots of bones, and I hate fish with bones, but I ate it all, and it tasted amazing.

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦: 6/10. Most of the week, I just cooked some simple spiceless products like pasta and eggs from the small store. You are far from the level of grocery stores in Turkey. Although, your cold orange juice bottle saved my life from dying in the middle of the desert.

Qazaqstan 🇰🇿: 7/10. I don't really remember your supermarkets, I guess they were okay. But your bazaars are definitely something worth attending. Millions of varieties of honey with millions of tastes and very salty hard cheese Kurt.

[zacharyja]

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Exploring Kyoto, Nijo Castle and Kyoto Tower

Goodmorning, today began at about 9:15 with a brisk shower and a swift change of clothes before heading over to the Hongan-ji temple area again, this time within the operating hours. Once here we were all impressed by the stunning beauty of the temples here. I was glad that we were able to actually go inside of this temple, as many only allow you to view from the outside. This allowed for some really great up close views of the interior which all are insanely extravagant and donned with golden finishes. This complex was pretty massive and included quite a few different temples, all of which were massive and quite the sight for sore eyes.

While here we realized we had reservations for a mini pig cafe and had to quickly head over to the bus stop to make it to Shijo Kawaramachi in time. We got there about a minute late but it was okay as they were not mad at us thankfully. We were then escorted up to the second floor where all the pigs were hanging out, they gave us a blanket to cover our legs and then the pigs seemingly instinctually came over and sat in our laps. The pigs were very adorable and were surprisingly cuddly. They were all chewing on something the entire time which seemed to calm them down a bit. The pigs were a lot of fun though I felt kind of bad for them as many had chewed up ears and we even saw two of them get into a bit of a tussle and according to the employee they are not exactly friends.

Following this we headed over to Nijo castle, and this was my second time here so I do not have a whole lot to say other than it was pretty nice to see for a second time though not much changed (and hasn’t since 1603). But being at the former residence of the first Tokugawa shogun always feels remarkable.

After walking through the palace and viewing the castle grounds, we made way for Kyoto Tower, which is not very tall in contrast to the Tokyo Skytree that we just visited. Though it was nice to get to see all of Kyoto from the top of a very tall tower (130 meters, by no means small but is dwarfed by the 630 meter Skytree). The view was cool but I can only be impressed by so many observation towers, as eventually swathes of city from above just look the same. This one was pretty cool though as it was lower and you could make out more of the buildings. We were able to see Toji temple and the Hongan-ji temples from a birds eye perspective and I was a fan of that (pictured below).

After viewing Kyoto from above, we went back to the hotel to rest up for a bit before getting dinner. We were all decently hungry and since it was father’s day we decided to go out somewhere nice, this consisted of me searching for a nice Teppanyaki place somewhere nearby. I found one that had good reviews and looked good that was about a 15 minute walk away inside a hotel within Kyoto station. It was rather tricky to find the place and we ended up having to ask for help, though we made it eventually. Once at the restaurant we were treated pretty nicely and given a seat in front of one of the grills, we then picked out our set course for the meal and ordered a drink.

I ordered the wagyu steak course which came with Citrus flavored Salmon Confit with Cervelle de Canut and Caviar that melted in my mouth like warm butter, Potato Potage soup, specially selected Japanese Kuroge Wagyu Beef Filet, various grilled vegetables, salad, garlic steak rice, miso soup, Japanese pickled vegetables, and a dessert consisting of mandarin oranges on vanilla and raisin ice cream. This meal was phenomenal and it was really fun to watch the chef meticulously prepare everything for us, my dad and brother even ate prawn brains which seemed kind of gross to me. The restaurant also had a great view of Kyoto Tower at night when it was all lit up, very cool experience overall!

Once we finished our meal, we headed down and went back to the hotel to get some rest.

[clenastia]

Please tell me more about food because im here eating like the three same meals for the past week tell me all about the variety of baked goods and cooking stuff you got owo it's also interesting how sometimes you would need to go to all kinds of different markets just to find that lil ingredient that isnt normally sold in the country...

Nyush! Right now I'm making oatmeal raisin cookies (completely superior to oatmeal chocolate chip of course!)

Some stuff I've had to buy specifically at asian markets cause normal grocers don't sell them:

Pork belly (the recipe was super good day 1 but did not make good leftovers, it got thick and sludge-like instead of saucy like it had been when fresh), rice flour (though I have started seeing it in local markets, it's becoming more mainstream but about 10 years ago when I was first expirimenting in college I couldn't find it anywhere but small import markets), black sugar which is apparently different from brown sugar! We made our own boba tea with that, tho we made the pearls too big so they were hard to eat...

A lot of fish products- like sure, the grocery has some fresh fish, but if you want anything other than like salmon and shrimp, you gotta go to an Asian market usually, they have super wide selections!!! They also sell other stuff like pigs feet that I've never cooked with, but you can't get in a normal grocery here.

most of my favorite recipes are desserts, cause I'm more of a baker than a cook! My favorites are key lime pie, pumpkin pie, and cheese cake!

My pumpkin pie recipe is superior to every other pumpkin pie recipe I've ever tried, my cheesecake recipes (I have both a baked and a no-bake I favor) are pretty good tho I've had better on occasion, and Nellie's key lime pie recipe is like. So easy to make. And so good. The only key lime pie I've had better than that recipe was at a dessert cafe called Figaro in san Diego California, so I'd say it's pretty damn nice! I can reblog with recipe pictures in a bit!

For meals, I'm not really much of a dinner person like I said. I've got a nice pineapple bean chili recipe I found in a cookbook once that I really like, but it makes crazy huge portions so unless you wanna do math to like 1/4 it, it's better to make it when friends are around. I also have a broccoli casserole recipe that's pretty good!

to be fair I've modified that recipe so much from what's in the book it's probably unfair to call it the same recipe at this point xD

...you know what probably better to just multi reblog with pictures n shit

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

So I’m actually going to use my blog as a blog! I’m going to track my days to note my stress and mood, and also track what I’m eating for my dietitian. This can be completely ignored! This is for my benefit only.

Alarm went off at 6:40 but slept until 6:50.

Fairly normal routine in the morning. Got up, fed KitKat, brushed teeth and hair, got dressed. Went outside to do my morning barn chores and saw the chickens were free roaming which is not great during the night.

Got yelled at by the sheep because they hate being in the stall compared to the horse trailer.

Drove to work while listening to a playlist my roommate and I made together. I got three Hozier songs and a Sleep Token song on the drive so that was great! I’m taking that as a good sign.

This was what I packed for breakfast. I drink V8 energy drinks because I gave up coffee. It’s about to be two months without it. I wanted to try sheep’s milk yogurt but it’s far too sour for me unfortunately. It made me lose my appetite so all I ended up eating was the V8.

And I also set these up. They were an early birthday gift.

Started listening to this playlist while I started working in my cubicle.

Checked my application status for the new position and it was very confusing so I really hope that they’ll contact me and at least tell me I didn’t get the job /:.

Have to work harder this week because my coworker is out and I’m in charge of her responsibilities. Yuck.

My horoscope for the day (it’s just for fun).

Snack time consisted of a cheese stick and a handful of freeze dried coconut milk covered in chocolate.

Here’s what I look like today. Bangs are not banging since I didn’t blow dry them yesterday. Also had to pull hay out of hair as per usual lol.

Lunch consisted of vegetarian ramen, green grapes, and sugar free sparkling “water.” Ate half of the ramen and all of the grapes.

Spent the rest of my shift before leaving for therapy filling out my spreadsheets and then checking on the status of my application. I hope they at least interview me 🙏🏼

Therapy was good. I was able to properly vent about everything that’s bothering me. I got home around 5:00 where I had a snack of popcorn and some chocolate. Also my package came in that had the bulk unscented soap and reusable dispensers in it.

Decided to have a meal while waiting for my roommates to come home. I had strawberries, pretzels, caramel popcorn, and a sandwich that was cold smoked salmon, spinach, spicy mayo, and everything bagel seasoning (since I’m out of furikake), on toasted sour dough bread 🥖. Ate everything!!

Sitting outside while the sheep graze. It’s a nice cool day so sitting in the sun is very pleasant. The sheep grazed for a few hours while I sat in the sun. I also changed their water for the second time today since Princess won’t drink her water unless it’s changed that often and filled their hay bag. I fed them their pellets by hand to reduce choking risk and then put them up for the night.

After putting the sheep up I watered the garden. The garden is looking so happy and I’m really glad all that effort I’ve put into it is paying off. I’ll have to buy mulch soon but luckily it’s not a terribly expensive thing. All the sprouts are looking so good.

After the garden was watered I did the dishes. Then I took half of my vitamins. I took a shower and then blow dried and rolled my bangs so that they actually look decent tomorrow. I tried these cannabis seed oil eye gel things that were given to me as a gift to relieve stress and I guess they’re nice? Brushed and glossed my teeth and put on my night cream. Put my laundry away while KitKat ate his dinner.

Here’s my tarot draw of the day.

King of Wands. A good card when I’m trying to move up in the company.

This is actually my favorite deck. I bought her on clearance and she brings a positive attitude to my life when I desperately need it.

At 9:30 I’ll take my meds and the other half of my vitamins and then hopefully fall asleep quickly.

Stress level: 6/10

Interest in eating: 3/10

Exhaustion: 7/10

[mariacallous]

I just got into bed.

After I checked in, I had to completely wipe my face and reapply everything and get ready to meet up with the other wedding guests/my friends at the social, where I drank 4 very good and very strong cocktails plus did a whiskey shot. And then I joined my friend/the bride’s family for dinner at an Italian place where I had salmon ravioli and also tried some pumpkin ravioli, both of which were good. I hung out with friends and others until like ten minutes ago when I wiped my face and showered and got into pajamas.

I’ve spent more than I wanted or should but I’ve been enjoying it. I’ve done a good amount of walking, my room is gorgeous with a nice view of the harbor. I’ve also had a good amount of booze in me.

Tomorrow is the wedding, and I’m going to meet up with people around 11am to get ready and get the place ready. Which means alarm set for like 8:30am and getting into my wedding outfit a little earlier than expected.

E ora, La Iena riposa

[crest-of-gautier]

i am pleased to say that i have gotten to evp 999 on gone fission hydroplant for the first time! it took a lot of grinding and reflecting to get here, but it was such a fun rotation ✨

some thoughts under the cut....!

i think the best part of this grind was that i could start at EVP 300 rather than EVP 40. i say that, but i still spent a good 124 jobs getting there... whoops!

this wouldn't have been possible without getting the bronze and silver badges first, which i wrote about here! i still stand by what i said in this post about key traits in salmon run players.

i feel that the key to my success can be boiled down to being able to rotate around the map and not overlap with what my teammates are doing- leaning into weapon strengths, all while flexing to other things when things go unaddressed.

for anyone curious about how the journey went, i streamed some of it on twitch!

EVP 575 -> 695 (Day 1) | 1 hour and 56 minutes

EVP 695 -> 865 (Day 2) | 8 hours and 11 minutes

while i did peak at EVP 935 on that second stream- as you can see, i quickly fell off of it (and i think you can figure out why).

i could talk about what i liked about my gameplay as well as what i didn't do well, but i think the vods speak for itself (and i usually made some kind of comment at the end of each shift as to what mistakes i did or what i could've done differently).

but i think the most important reminder of this particular grind was how important it is to take breaks while playing. my push from evp 865 to evp 999 was all done off-stream, after i ate dinner, took a shower to decompress and release tension, etc etc!

this push ended up taking around an hour- and all of the shifts were successful (well, except one). i don't think i can stress enough how important it is to take a break away from the game while doing these pushes, because i performed way better that time around.

i think it is evident to anyone who watches the twitch vod that i start getting really fatigued near the end. my movements aren't as sharp; i'm very sluggish. and the way i talk about the game too, is evident of how tired i was.

i still wanted to give an earnest attempt at grinding because i thought that: "well, if i'm able to clear 333% when fatigued, imagine doing it when my sense are actually sharp!" i had 4-5 hours to spare after the stream, and i'm glad i chose to try again in a better state. it was nice to clear HLM for the first time on a regular rotation!

i also feel pretty well attuned to snatchers on this map too now, which is lovely! i did feel that was something i was weak at, previously, but now it's more of a habit for me now which is good! :3c

anyway! fun rotation. of the weapon loadout, i feel like i've got a lot to learn about the s-blast, especially with ink management (i noticed that i died a lot because i couldnt ink paths to move around...). e-liter, while a bit slow compared to splat charger, can be immensely powerful if you can aim well under pressure. sploosh and splattershot are gods and i dont think i need to elaborate on that.

this is a very positive note for me to end my chill season 2023 on- i'll probably only be playing the chargers only challenge + eggstra work before shifting completely into reload (though i may still hop on from time to time)... i think eggstra work will be a cakewalk after doing a bunch of 333% runs hehe 😎

[auroroaka]

I made salmon with boiled kale and carrots!

This was my first time cooking any of these in this way. My girlfriend, Lucy, had had this dinner recently, she wanted to have it because kale and salmon are super foods, she also just loves salmon a lot. And of course she just likes carrots too, and all of that was given some lemon juice. After she had this she was just so happy the day after and it was such a happy sight for me! I've had these frozen salmon fillets for a while and I really wanted to do something with them and this was the idea that gave me the motivation I needed. Preparing the salmon was a bit tricky, mainly cutting it but I figured it out and the salmon turned out excellently and I have leftovers. The kale and carrots didn't turn out as well, I wanted to boil them for 5 minutes but I had them on a weaker burner and even with it set to 9 the water wasn't boiling even after 15 minutes and I really wanted to have the whole meal together. The kale was pretty good though, the carrots were a bit odd since they were like lukewarm. So for next time I'll use the main burner to boil water and I'll also cut up the carrots a bit more, they are quite thick. I'm really proud of myself for all of this because cooking either of these was a new experience for me and I figured them out by myself in the heat of the moment, of course I prepared in advance and also googled stuff in the midst of cooking. It feels good to be capable. Even though the veggies didn't go well this time, I have an idea of what to do next time, I want to keep learning and not be paralyzed by my fear of failure, failure is an opportunity to learn, and everything is an opportunity to do my best.

Another high point of yesterday which was unexpected was my goodsmile Nanachi plushy arrived! We had ordered both a Nanachi and Faputa one but I guess they were shipped separately. I love it so much and I'm so excited for Faputa to arrive soon! It's so nice to hold and hug and pet. The fur on the back of her helmet is super soft and fluffy and her ears are too! I'm just really happy right now. Yesterday was just a really good day. Lucy also went out to a nice restaurant and had this cool mix of a bunch of different seafood including salmon, tuna and calamari and she had such a lovely dessert after and she was so happy when she came home, it was just so nice. I also listened to some Patricia Taxxon music, I listened to her Bad Apple cover, which I absolutely adore, Cilantro, which I also love a ton, and her album, " The Best Day", which wasn't planned but, it certainly made the best day better, and I feel like they are more good days to come. I feel more capable in my ability to take care of myself and regulate my emotions and express myself properly, I feel like I'm finding myself doing the good habits I was doing a lot last year, it feels great. I feel good knowing I can come back to this point even I hit a roadblock. It always gets better, keep moving forward. "Even if it sucks to be human, don't stop yet, okay?" Thanks for reading and I wish you a nice day! Take care!