#and then I’m going to get home and make a big batch of soup

[fictionalcharactersaremypassion]

Liam and His Ickey

Set around s5 I guess

In the show, Liam doesn't really talk until he's older so he doesn't really say much here

4 +1

///

“Carl, don’t shovel it in like that, you’re going to burn your mouth,” Fiona frowns in disapproval. She’s made a big batch of potato soup for dinner, and honestly, it’s really fucking good. Mickey’s not used to home cooked meals. Him and his siblings are either eating what little is around the house or whatever they manage to steal. 

“I’m hungry,” Carl says in between mouthfuls. 

“Jesus,” Ian mutters. 

It’s mostly quiet around the table. Debbie chatters about school and fucking Lip adds in a thing or two about his own life that Mickey couldn’t find it in himself to give two shits about. 

Even so, it’s kind of...nice he supposes, to sit around the table like this. Fuckin’ weird, but he’s never really had this. Back when his mom was around, they never ate together. She was always sprawled out on the couch, passed out and intoxicated. 

Ian’s fingertips leave a ghostly trail on his leg. The electric current shoots up Mickey, leaves him tingling, and he flushes, hoping nobody else notices. 

“Mmm,” Liam says suddenly. He looks up at Fiona with a toothy grin, soup around his mouth. “Mmm.” 

She laughs. “It’s good, huh?” 

He nods and mmms, again. 

“Well, at least I have Liam’s approval,” she says to the rest of them humorously. 

“He’s just trying to get on your good side,” Ian teases, “so you don’t give him a bath.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Fiona groans. “I think it’s my turn.” 

“Glad it’s not mine,” Debbie says. “I hate doing it now. He splashes too much.” 

“I don’t mind,” Carl pipes up now that he’s almost done with his bowl. “He makes it look like a waterpark in there.” 

“Yeah, that’s just what we need,” Fiona deadpans. 

Lip wipes his mouth, takes a drink of his beer. “I think Mickey should have a turn,” he says, and Ian and Mickey’s head swivel in his direction. “It’s only fair now that he’s living here.” 

Fuckin’ asshole. Mickey glares at him. 

“No fucking way.” 

“Come on, Mick,” Lip must have a fucking death wish. “Haven’t you bathed a kid before?” 

“Lip,” Ian says warningly. 

“What? I’m just saying. We always rotate the chores.” 

“Mickey helps out around here,” Ian says firmly. Yeah, he fucking does. Doin’ the laundry, the dishes and other shit. He never did any of that at home. “If he doesn’t want to bathe Liam, he doesn’t have to.” 

“Ian’s right,” Fiona agrees. Huh, Mickey takes a second to blink. “He doesn’t have to.” 

“Okay, okay,” Lip grumbles, holding his hands up in surrounder. “It was just a suggestion.” 

“Yeah, a stupid ass one,” Mickey interjects. Lip rolls his eyes. 

Silence falls over them again. Their spoons clink against the bowls, chairs creaking whenever someone shifts. 

“Ickey,” Liam pipes up again. All heads turn his way, expressions flicker with confusion. 

“What did he say?’ Ian asks. 

“Ickey,” Liam repeats. 

“He said Ickey...” Debbie furrows her brow. “Is he trying to say Mickey?” 

“Ickey,” Liam emphasizes. This brings forth a laugh from Fiona and Ian. 

“It’s fitting,” Lip quips. Mickey scowls. 

“What the fuck ever.” He digs into his bowl, taking a large scoop and ignoring them all. 

Fucking assholes. 

*

Mckey thinks it’s a one and done kinda thing. For a while, Liam doesn’t say it again, and the others make a few jokes for a couple of days before they move on to something else. 

Of fucking course it isn’t that simple. Liam waits for the perfect opportunity to strike. He’s a fucking sadist, Mickey’s sure. 

Today, Colin and Iggy drop by. His brothers are starting to be around more since Mickey came out. It’s uncomfortable as fuck, even though Ian beams like it’s the most fucking precious thing he’s ever seen. 

His boyfriend really is gay as hell. 

“What do you fuckheads want?” Mickey demands, His words don’t have as much heat to them, not really, it’s just how he talks. 

Iggy tosses a plastic bag his way. “He’s more of your clothes, Stupid.” 

“What brought what we could,” Colin shrugs. “Terry burned most of it.” 

“Asshole,” Mickey mutters. 

Iggy nods a little too enthusiastically. “Shoulda seen it. He made a huge fire pit in the backyard.” 

“Whoop de fucking doo.” 

He’s pretty sure both his brothers are complete idiots, because Colin glances around, not even trying to be subtle here. “Where’s your boyfriend?” 

There’s this change to his tone at the word boyfriend, like it’s this strange new thing for him to grasp. Mickey supposes in a way it is. 

“None of your damn business, that’s where,” he retorts. 

“Cool it, Mick,” Colin rolls his eyes. “I’m just askin’.” 

“He’s just protectin’ his boy, ain’t that right?” Iggy grins. 

“Do you wanna fucking die?” 

He staggers back when Colin uses the palm of his hand to push his chest. 

“You forget that we changed your diapers,” his older brother snorts. “We’re not scared of you.” 

Iggy nudges Colin. “Remember when he used to get mad if he thought we didn’t hug him enough before bed.” 

“I never did that!” Mickey snaps, his ears going pink. 

“God,” Colin shakes his head. “He used to throw the worst tantrums. Worse than Mandy ever did.” 

He doesn’t need any of that information to get back to the ears of any Gallagher. “If you don’t have anything else for me then get the fuck out,” Mickey orders. 

“Aw, Mick-”

“We were just messing around, dumbass.” 

“I don’t give a shit,” Mickey folds his arms. 

At that moment, they all hear thudding coming down the stairs. Mickey assumes it’s Carl until he turns to find Liam all dressed in his pajamas. 

“Liam, come on. It’s time for bed,” Fiona’s voice is getting closer. Kid musta ran right outta the bathroom. 

Unfortunately, he has really bad timing. He spots Mickey, beams and says, 

“Ickey!” 

Fuck, Mickey sulks while his brothers crack up laughing. 

“Did he just call you Ickey?” Colin howls. 

Iggy is laughing so hard he leans against Colin for support. Liam giggles too, even though he probably doesn’t know what’s so funny. 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Mickey sneers. “It’s real fucking funny.” 

*

“Ickey.” 

“Mickey,” he enunciates slowly. “Quit forgetting the M, kid.” 

They’re sitting at the kitchen table where it all started, just him and Liam. Ian comes down the stairs, shooting Mickey this shit-eating grin. He comes over to the cabinet to get himself a glass, filling it with kool aid. 

“How’s the spelling lesson going?” He asks lightly, taking a seat beside him. 

“Fuck off.” 

Liam just doesn’t listen no matter how many times he tries. Mickey thinks it’s a Gallagher trait. 

“Mickey,” he repeats. 

“Ickey,” Liam says solemnly. 

Ian snorts. Mickey contemplates strangling him. 

“It’s not Ickey,” Mickey says through grit teeth. “It’s Mickey.” 

Liam does not agree. “Ickey!” He exclaims defiantly because that’s all these Gallaghers knew how to do. 

“No!” Mickey barks. 

“Has anyone ever said you’d be a good teacher?” Ian says. 

Fuckin’ Gallaghers. 

“I’m never touching your dick again if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Mickey threatens. 

“You make a really compelling argument,” Ian says, not at all sincere. 

Remind him again why he chose this dumbass? 

“You know, if you keep bringing attention to it, he’ll keep doing it,” Ian continues. “Just ignore it.” 

“No,” Mickey shakes his head. “Cuz he’ll think he’s won and he didn’t win.” 

“He’s three, Mickey.” 

“So what? You think your ginger ass wasn’t annoying at his age?” 

“You didn’t know me at three,” Ian says, amused. 

“Don’t have to know you. You’ve always been fucking annoying,” Mickey says. “Nah, I ain't gonna acknowledge it unless he says it right.” 

Ian rolls his eyes. “Seriously?” 

“Seriously, Firecrotch.” 

“You’re at war with a three year old, you know that right?” 

Mickey ignores that. He knows he can win this. He ain’t gonna be outsmarted by a damn kid. 

It goes quiet. Liam loses interest in the conversation so he goes to color in the living room. Mickey accepts a beer that Ian offers him, and they just sorta sit there, close and enjoying that the house isn’t currently being overrun with a million Gallagher brats. 

Few minutes or so pass when Mickey feels a tug on his jeans. 

Liam has a picture he wants to show him. “Ickey, look!” 

So he deliberately turns away. 

“Oh my God,” Ian mutters. 

“Ickey,” Liam repeats. He frowns when Mickey doesn’t respond in any way. “Ickey!” 

“Seriously?” Ian sighs. 

“Ickey!” Liam starts to poke him incessantly. Mickey takes a deep breath. He won’t let himself be bothered. 

Except it does bother him. 

Poke, poke, poke. 

“Ickey, Ickey, Ickey-” 

“What?” Mickey explodes, whirling around in the chair to face him. His outburst startles Ian a bit but Liam is unfazed. He’s grinning and holds up the drawing. 

“Look!” 

Ian stands up, bringing the cup to his lips as he passes by to put it in the sink. “I guess Liam won,” he comments nonchalantly. 

*

Now he’s not just goin’ around calling him Ickey. He’s been sayin’ My Ickey too. 

“My Ickey,” he’ll say at random times, just pointing to him. 

Maybe it’s because they’re around each other a lot. Him and Gallagher stay at the house whenever Mickey’s not working while Ian tries to get adjusted to these new meds. So he sees them two more than anybody else. 

Ian says Mickey is partly to blame, he shouldn’t be saying, “No!” whenever the kid says it because it’s just encouraging him. 

What the fuck ever. 

Like now, while they’re trying to watch TV, Liam decides he should be the one in the middle. 

“My Ickey,” he says to them seriously. 

“You wanna sit next to Mickey?” Ian grins. Liam nods. 

“Too fucking bad,” Mickey says blandly. “Stay there, Red.” 

“He’s just a little kid, Mick-”

“So what?” 

Liam becomes impatient from a lack of action. He pushes his way onto the couch, trying to separate them. Ian laughs and scoots over. Mickey wishes he wouldn’t. He’ll fucking murder somebody if they knew but he liked having his redhead right there with him. 

Once there, Liam leans into Mickey, hugging his arm. “My Ickey,” he says, strangely firm for a kid. 

“I think I have competition,” Ian snickers. 

“Ay, Kid,” Mickey tries shaking his arm but Liam has a good grip on it. “Let go.” 

Liam ignores him. 

“Face it, Mickey,” Ian says cheerfully. “You’ve won the hearts of two Gallaghers. How’s that feel?” 

“Fuckin’ great,” Mickey deadpans, although there might be some part of him that warms ever so slightly. It’s not like he’s used to people seeking him out other than Ian. 

That warmth floods him from head to toe when Laim squirms his way into his lap, his head against Mickey’s chest. He’s pretty sure Ian’s giving them those heart eyes right now. 

Whatever. This Ickey shit still has to go.

*

He’s trying to sleep. He’s nearly there when he feels a tug on his shirt. 

“Wha-” he mutters sleepily. 

Liam’s beside the bed, clenching a stuffed bear that’s seen better days. 

Ian’s sleeping soundly as is Carl. Mickey sits up slowly so he won’t wake his boyfriend. “What’s up, Kid?” He yawns. 

“Ickey,” he chews on his lips. From the moonlight, he can see tears in Liam’s brown eyes. 

“You have a nightmare?” Mickey says, hushed. 

Liam nods. 

“Fine. Go on,” Mickey jerks his head towards the bed Liam’s using, the one that Carl used to sleep in back when Lip was here. 

The kid climbs onto the bed and Mickey follows. Liam’s been having a lot of nightmares recently, and with no one else up at this hour to tend to him, that falls on Mickey. 

“What happened this time?” Mickey whispers. 

“Monster,” Liam sniffles. 

“Ay, it’s okay,” Mickey pulls the blanket up so it’s covering Liam again. “There ain't no monsters here. No unless you count that goofy ass red giant over there.” 

His words do little to comfort the kid. 

Come on, work with me here, he thinks. 

“Look,” Mickey says, “even if there were monsters, we wouldn’t let ‘em get to you, alright? We’d let ‘em eat Lip if we had to.” 

This makes Liam giggle. It makes Mickey start to smile unconsciously. 

“You good now? Think you can go to sleep?” 

Liam considers this, and nods. 

“Good.” Mickey doesn't kiss him goodnight or anything, he just starts to get off the bed when Liam throws his tiny arms around his neck to hug him. 

“My Ickey,” he whispers. 

Mickey sighs, a smile emerging against his will. “Yeah, yeah,” he says, for once not at all annoyed like he should be. “Your Ickey.” 

[oliveasaltylife]

Going to go to a greenhouse this morning for a morale boost

It’s been over a year since I’ve been because I still hold so much grief for my dead collection. I had to unfollow all of my planty tags and groups and subreddits from all of my socials because I’m still devastated.

I lost my entire collection—over 400 plants and tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours invested in their care over multiple years—when my MIL couldn’t keep up her end of the bargain.

I will write about this more, but for now, I am very excited to walk around in some greenhouses with my husband as soon as they open.

[victory-cookies]

I love how my parents are at a point where some nights they just don’t feel like eating, so they decide not to make anything and tell me I’m fending for myself like three times a week, but my dad also loves cooking so the other four days a week he wants to make a family meal and gets annoyed when other people don’t eat it, so I can’t plan my dinners until the night of every night when I discover whether I’m in charge or I’m eating what he’s cooking, which happens unpredictably and in a way where there’s never food that I want to make myself when they decide they’re not hungry that night

[ryanmarshallryan]

The Foodie Genie

Vincent had purchased a vintage cookie jar from an odd little antique booth at a local county fair. He thought it would be a perfect thing to put his homemade cookies in, which he always kept a batch of dough ready to make on hand, as they were his favorite, and perfect to bring out when hosting guests.

He did not expect it, though, when it began to smoke as he tried to clean it at home. Sparks flew out of it as he dropped it into his sink. Somehow unshattered, but still spewing sparks and purple colored smoke, he heard it make a squelching sound as if someone was prying their hand out of the cookie jar but it was suctioned in.

A great big figure of semi-transparent man jolted up out of the cookie jar and smacked its head into the ceiling.

“Years of hitting my head in my tiny little jar, to finally being released to hit my head again. Go figure,” said the being.

Vincent surveyed its impressive height, its massive belly, its bald head and goatee, and the way its legs seemed to swirl away into almost smoke.

“All right then, let’s get to it, I am Xavier, Genie for the Foodies, great to meet you,” Xavier held out a comically large hand, Vincent stared at it in surprise, “And your name is?”

“Vincent,” he blurted out, “Vincent’s my name, but you - what are you?”

“A genie. You got ears right?” Xavier said as it leaned back in the air, crossed its arms which accentuated its belly forward a bit.

“Of a cookie jar? I’m confused.”

“I could do the whole song and dance introduction, but I don’t want to overwhelm the already overwhelmed.” Xavier stated, magicking a large cushioned chair, and motioning Vincent into it. “You see, I’m a special kind of genie. A previous wish-giver was a foodie if I ever saw one, and made it so I can only grant wishes of a specific nature. For example, any food you could desire I could produce.”

Just then a whole feast of roast duck, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and more appeared with a pop in front of Vincent. Then in another moment all vanished, and was replaced with a buffet style platter filled with noodles and meats and rolls and veggies, and again vanished and was replaced with a vat of ice cream, steaming in the hot room.

“You get the picture, I can help you experience the rarest of delicacies too… and every once in a while I get someone who wants to become a rare delicacy themself, if you know what I mean.” Xavier raised his eyebrows, and watched as Vincent looked intrigued. “The one who wished I could only grant food related wishes, used his last wish to have me even swallow him whole! He wanted to experience first hand what it would be like to be food,” Xavier, floated upside down and let his large belly hang down and show how massive it is. It seemed to grow and inflate until it was pushing up against Vincent’s face.

In a flash of smoke Vincent suddenly had a gut the size of a yoga ball, and the genie was back to normal.

“Or I can give you more room, so that any meal you desire you’ll be able to finish, and have room for seconds…” Xavier snapped and Vincent’s belly swelled to the size of a compact car, “Thirds… fourths… you get the picture.”

In another puff of smoke the room filled with jello and Vincent felt himself floating in the giant mass and heard a muffled shouting from Xavier say “Or if you’d like to play with your food, I’m sure we could have a fun swim.” Another puff of smoke and Vincent was as small as a soup spoon, looking up at a dollhouse sized castle made of graham crackers and gingerbread. The candy door of it swung open and Xavier popped out, “Come on in, and consider a wish. You get three. No more. No less.”

Vincent entered the graham cracker castle, grabbed a chunk of chocolate that was by the door and nibbled on it. Xavier let him up a staircase made of cake, into a hall with a long table. They sat down and Xavier asked again what wish Vincent would begin with.

Vincent thought for a while. He supposed his wishes didn’t matter as much as a normal genie’s might. He didn’t think the world would collapse if he wished for a fridge with unlimited eclairs or something.

“I wish I had a fridge that could summon any food I desire when I opened it.”

“I can work with that,” said Xavier. A flash of smoke and they were normal sized, sitting on the kitchen floor. The genie gestured behind Vincent who turned to see a purple fridge replacing his old one. He opened it to find his favorite smoothie sitting on the center rack.

“Cool!” Vincent exclaimed, picking up the smoothie, closing the door and opening it again to find a plate of kebab waiting for him as well, “I didn’t even realize I wanted that. Thanks!”

Vincent drank and ate as he considered another wish. How could a wish regarding food be helpful for both himself and others? Maybe he could wish to change the taste of anything he ate to something he loved. That’d make shoving down the burnt stuff his friend made more bearable, even enjoyable. Or perhaps he could wish to not have any allergy to food or poison: to digest anything. But what if he wanted to heat something but not digest it?  “I wish I could change the shape of my gut at will, so if I want to eat a whole roast pig I could do it in one sitting, but then be able to change my gut’s size back to another size to fit my clothes.”

“Hmm that’s an interesting one. Many ways that one could be used without relation to food so it’d be tricky to see if my powers would allow. I think I can grant it, but only if the primary body part you are changing shape is that of your gut and digestive system.”

Vincent felt a surge of energy through him like an electric charge. He looked down at his gut and imagined it ballooning to the size of a watermelon. It did so. He opened the fridge and found a cantaloupe waiting for him, and he stretched open his mouth to an impossible size and fit the melon in easily, swallowing it down if it were a small round candy. He felt his gut with his hands, feeling the soft flesh and the hard melon underneath layers of it. He imagined that his gut would be packed with thick fat to pad the melon inside. He watched as his layers of fat grew thicker and thicker until his gut could easily fit a human inside and have enough fat padding no one would notice a difference in shape. 

“Wow, genie, you outdid yourself with this one. I think my friend Henry is gonna get a kick out of this,” Vincent said, turning back to the fridge. This time, when he opened it, the racks were gone and in their place was a full size human being, looking utterly bewildered at their being in a refrigerator. 

“Hello? Vincent? How on earth - I was just in the library. How did I get here?” said the man in the fridge, stepping out of it into the kitchen, “And who’s this? Or what is this?” he said, gesturing to the genie.

“I know you’ve got a million questions but I’d like to try something if you’re still interested,” Vincent said, “Remember when you told me about those funny fantasies you like to muse about when you’re - well you know what I mean?”

Henry looked between the genie and Vincent, and began to notice their large bellies, “What - ?”

“Wanna make it a reality for a bit? I can let you out later. Like this,” Vincent’s stomach changed shape and the melon popped out of his mouth, good as new. 

Henry looked surprised, but interested. “Wow, you swallowed that whole?”

“And you’re next, Henry,” Vincent said, with a gleam of devilishness in his smile. He glanced down on Henry and saw he wasn’t the only one changing shape. With one quick swoop, Vincent grabbed Henry by the shoulders, and threw him head first into his rapidly stretching mouth, sending him down into his belly, which was swelling to the size of a large couch again. Henry seemed to be quite content with this experience, not even struggling to slide down into his friend's belly.

The genie started clapping, “Oh my, what a show! You’ve got the hang of it quite quickly! But I must warn you, you must make three wishes by the time the clock strikes the hour mark, or all of your wishes will be revoked! And if that happens, your friend might be stuck in there for good with no magical stretching maw to let him back out.”

“The hour mark? Isn’t that like Cinderella and stuff? Why’s there a time limit?” Vincent asked, rubbing his gut and mildly distracted by the lump of Henry inside.

“Someone tried to wait to give me a final wish for 30 years and I got fed up and got special permission to start setting time limits.”

“Oh, I suppose that makes sense,” Vincent said absent mindedly, turning to the clock which read 3:59pm. Sudden panic filled him and he jostled his belly, sending Henry bouncing around. “One minute!”

“30 seconds actually,” said Xavier, not stressed about it.

Vincent’s mind went blank with shock as he tried to think of something good. He gave up and went with something that intrigued him earlier, “You said you ate one of the previous wisher people? That could be interesting I suppose to know what it’s like for Henry. I wish you would swallow me whole for a bit, then let me out before I get digested!”

Xavier looked excited and coy, “Really? Me eat you? I haven’t eaten in years,” the genie said, blushing. He clapped his hands and the room filled with smoke, and suddenly the two of them were steaming in a warm vat of hot fudge together. Xavier leaned in close, “I like a little flavor. But what would suit you best? Hmm…” The genie snapped its fingers and the vat of hot fudge turned to chicken soup… then to a birthday cake… then to a pool filled with chicken parm and pasta… then suddenly Vincent found himself sandwiched between two human sized slices of seeded bread, with an assortment of stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey and lettuce and tomato. “Just want to say thank you for being a great wish-giver,” said the genie.

Vincent’s eyes grew wide as Xavier’s mouth stretched to the size of a door. Vincent felt air rush past his face as the genie’s throat seemed to start vacuuming the air around them down inside it. The sandwich lurched forward and Vincent watched as the giant mouth came closer and closer and he began falling into it, feeling the wet, mushy expanse of the back of the genie’s throat, and the tight squeeze down its esophagus. He fell what felt like ten feet down a tight, slimy tunnel of saliva, and landed in an opening chamber of stomach juices that tingled his skin. He felt around the giant stomach and felt it shrinking. He began with space to move around, but by the time it stopped shrinking he could barely move his chest to breathe. He hoped Henry was doing alright in his own belly, though his empathy was not deep when he felt Henry’s elbows and knees jabbing directly into his bladder and lungs. He felt the stomach walls around him knead his body, squeezing and contracting, as acid trickled down his sweaty face. He felt like he was dissolving into soup, felt like he could no longer tell where his fat belly ended and the one he was in began.

He began to fade into unconsciousness when, in a puff of purple smoke, he felt all stress upon his body relinquish as if he had been let go of from the tightest, sweatiest hug ever. He landed softly, seated on the ground of his kitchen. He looked around but did not see the genie anywhere. Xavier had gone. He felt a bit groggy. Perhaps he had passed out on the kitchen floor. Had it all been a dream? 

His answer came at once.

“Hey, bud, I’m having a great time… but you might wanna swallow some antacids, or let me out soon… unless you're hoping to make me permanently belly fat, of course, but this stomach acid is getting stronger.”

Vincent turned to the fridge. It was still purple. “Cool,” he whispered to himself. He looked up where the genie had been floating a while before and mouthed a silent “thank you.”

“Vincent? You there? I’m kinda digesting in here.” Henry called with a forced-casual tone showing signs of mild panic.

“Oh, right!” Vincent said, opening the fridge to find antacids and threw the whole unopened bottle in his mouth and right down into his belly.

A while later, after stretching his throat and mouth to let Henry out, the pair of them sat at the table, sharing some cookies. They sat in silence for awhile, enjoying each other’s company and processing what had happened.

“So I’m thinking, maybe I can come over for dinner again next week?” Henry said.

“To be dinner? Or share dinner?” Vincent joked.

“Why not both?” They shared a smile.

[yuuuume]

cooking with the lieutenants

| 1 | ?

characters; nanao ise, genshiro okikiba, renji abarai, yuyu yayahara

requested; yes (ty bb this was so cute i'll be taking reqs for the next batch!)

rating; safer than a protected pc

@potatoq-een asked; Hi! New follower. Here to show support and maybe a... Suggestion? I don't like to call it a request... Just... Do it if you like the idea and if it inspires you. After all the rambling the idea: [drums please] cooking!! I'm so curious about how the lieutenants manage that part of their daily life with their s/o. Do they cook for their s/o? Do they let their s/o cook for them? ¿Maybe they do it together? ¿Or let the cooking be done by someone else? Idk, just thinking its a good prompt for some fluff. Do what you please with the idea. I'd be happy to read whatever comes out of this. Thank you for reading and be happy.

伊勢七緒・nanao ise

I am under the assumption that Nanao doesn’t really know how to cook. At least, not full blown elaborate meals. Her rice cooker and crock pot are her best friends before you. Having to deal with Shunsui all day along with her typical lieutenants duties leaves Nanao with little time and patience to cook big meals. However she eats well and you come to learn that when helping her prepare one morning. Nanao enjoys coming home to warm stews in the winter. As for summer, she’ll eat anything that won’t heat the kitchen too much. She doesn’t strike me as someone who would eat out often if I’m being honest. Nanao is a weekly grocery shopper with recipes in mind so she knows what to buy, she’s a bit particular about this aspect of her life because again, she’s typically a busy bee. Your help is a relief to her, especially when you work less hours. A bonus if you know how to cook and don’t mind it either. You get to go with her on the weekly grocery shopping trips and make suggestions for the menu because she’ll always consider your thoughts too. The daily chore slowly becomes one of your guys’ favorite quality time activities. At least, a close second to your first favorite.

沖牙源志郎・genshiro okikiba

I don’t think anyone in this fandom cares about this guy but honestly when I see an old man, my coochie goes into overdrive so I’m including him. Anyways, I feel like since Genshiro is older he’s a bit more traditional, meaning he expects you to stay home while he is the breadwinner. So naturally that means majority of the cooking is left to you. On his days off I like to think he would be by your side as you cook, a spectator. Genshiro may be an older, more traditional man but he is thankful for your work, knowing it is not easy or much fun cooking meals every day. He slowly starts to welcome the idea of takeout and food delivery once in a while since he feels asking you to teach him to cook would be too much of a burden on you. Even if you insist on working for whatever reason, if you two are in a relationship, Genshiro has the same expectation that you’d be the one cooking. Boomer expectations, you know?

阿散井 恋次・renji abarai

Renji is the only King in the Seireitei okay. Soul King? Mid. Renji throws it down in the kitchen like everyday is Thanksgiving. He will take full charge of cooking because he loves you (not because you’d get in the way like… totally not…). If you’re feeling under the weather he has the best soup recipe from when he and Rukia were younger, surviving out in Rukon District. It was one of his survival skills, to be fairly honest and one he never would have expected to become a hobby. He assures you that he doesn’t mind cooking, mostly because he loves the way your eyes practically roll every time he makes that one dish you love so, so much. You can certainly wash the dishes afterward. Also, he totally wears those corny ‘Kiss the chef’ aprons. You’ll do it anyway to show your appreciation. However if one day you insist on cooking, he’ll acquiesce and relax. Just because he’s used to cooking doesn’t mean he won’t accept some of yours! Whether you’re a good or bad cook, he always puts his best foot forward and makes sure you don’t lose faith in your culinary journey. Definitely has an album on his instagram saved tab that is strictly recipes.

八々原熊如・yuyu yayahara

Be so for real, you two would blow up the kitchen just by stepping into it. Or at least Yuyu would. She’s an absolute sucker for delivery services once they pop off in Soul Society. Honestly, that’s what half of her paycheck goes toward every two weeks but what’s not to love about it? On-demand healthy meals are such an insane concept for the soul reapers and once it finally landed in Soul Society, Yuyu has been on it and has no shame. Besides, she wouldn’t be up for cooking after work anyways. The hours are long and even with Lisa as a captain, its not as easy a job one might believe. She has your guys’ orders saved, you just need to tell Yuyu what you want for dinner and it’ll arrive shortly.

do not steal or repost my works anywhere

edit: i fixed renji’s section lol

© yuuuume

[poured-my-past-down-the-drain]

what was your day like when you were younger (like when you, Wil, Techno, and Phil all lived together, with Schlatt as your neighbor and all that)??? :3

It would depend on the day!!! A lot of the time the Twins and Schlatt went to school :] Tubbo, too, but he went to a much Younger school. I was a very very sick kid so I had to stay home a lot. It would be just me and Phil — sometimes Mom, if she was able to visit, but being Death gets busy :(

So Phil would usually make me some kind of soup!! BIG big batches so the older kids could have some too when they got home :) he’d make me some soup and watch a movie or two with me, then go off to do job-activity like. Idk paperwork or killing people. Whatever an Angel of Death does for a living. I never really asked :\

When the older kids would get home, Wilbur would get CLINGY, obviously 🙄🙄🙄 smooch all over my face and whine or whatever like a loser. It was very cruel that he rarely ever got sick after doing that.

Schlatt would go pick up Tubbo, and I’d get my Sick Man Setup moved to the living room. If Phil was home by then he’d get fussy until the twins and the Underscores would eat, so they usually got a bowl of soup or some sandwiches.

Then we’d play games 😊😊😊 it’s some pretty good memories I have, even if they’re a little fuzzy. Sometimes it would be video-games on the tv — Schlatt and Techno especially would get competitive with those. Wilbur preferred board games and was especially good at monopoly. If I wasn’t sick, we’d go out in the back yard and play out there instead for a few hours.

I liked when we’d play card games most, though :) board games were very fun, but me and Tubbo liked cards the most. Especially because we learned how to cheat and only Techno would catch on 🤭 but he thought it was funny so he’d stay quiet.

Techno usually got put on dish-work while Wilbur took me back to bed once things got dark outside. Sometimes she’d stay in for an extra half hour or something and just snuggle up until I fell asleep, or I’d show her my Animal Crossing town.

If Schlatt was going to stay longer, Tubbo would come take a nap with me, too :) so that was always fun. Looking back he probably was doing some bullshit bad habit with Wilbur or getting competitive with Techno again, and not wanting to leave on a loss. But I’m not really sure.

Phil would come to tuck us in and kiss us goodnight, even if Tubbo or I had fallen asleep earlier before hand. So that was nice. He’d leave a crow in case we needed anything, but it would usually get tired and snuggle up, too. Unless it was Brian. Brian would not snuggle 🙄🙄

If I was well enough the next day, I’d go with Tubbo to school :) but otherwise, I’d just repeat it the next day. Watch movies, eat soup, play games, and fuck around in Animal Crossing while I rotted. When I eventually got better around middle school age, it was… harder, since my school skills were pretty behind :( but in my defense. I was constantly sick!!!!

[myalchod]

Greetings!

It is I, your mysterious HEX anon! 🌝

I bring with me a small list of questions and a batch of freshly baked pumpkin pastries to share with some hot tea! 🫖🥧

Is there a particular winter solstice tradition that you find interesting?

How do you imagine Farah, Luna, Saul and Andreas spend a typical winter solstice night? (Not all together, although if you imagine any of them spending it together that also counts, but I was more interested on your take of them on their own)

What are some of your favorite savoury and sweet winter delicacies?

Stay frosty!☃️

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! 💙 I’m sorry this one took me a bit to reply to; things have been trying over here and I wanted to give these questions the proper response they deserve. Which means yes, time for another essay. Let me just pour myself some tea first … and a cup for you, dearest HEX anon. 🍵

Winter solstice traditions: my favourite of all is probably the idea of lighting candles -- not necessarily to keep the dark at bay, but to give the sun a path to return on, if the distinction makes sense? I love the smells that have made their way over to Christmas, pine and spices and molten wax, because there’s something oddly soothing in them. For a while, I used to go to a concert by a local Celtic music ensemble every year on Solstice, and these two things were a part of it, so the combination of those and the music just feels right to me. In terms of interesting, though, the whole idea of the cycle of darkness and rebirth and the attendant hope returning with the sun is something I’ve always loved; winter is probably my favourite season, and there’s a sort of peace to that day.

I’m going to answer your last question next, because I have no idea how long I’m going to ramble on headcanons. So! Winter delicacies? My winter holiday is Hanukkah, which is the holiday of Delicious Fried Stuff: in my family we make latkes, of course (my personal favourite are half potato and half zucchini, with feta cheese added in), and often do sufganiyot (yeast-based jelly doughnuts), which in my family are usually filled with a homemade raspberry coulis and lightly dusted with powered sugar. There are a lot of non-Jewish holiday-related desserts that I like but cannot eat thanks to a later-in-life tree nut allergy (I miss homemade marzipan so much). Some years back, we started a family tradition of chlebíčky for New Year’s Eve, largely because they make good nibbling food for an evening of unspecified length; those and some kind of nibble-friendly sweet (last year I made blood orange scones) make the centre of my New Year’s spread. But if we’re not talking holidays specifically, my favourite thing about winter food is, hands down, Soup Season -- I love a good soup, and as the weather gets colder it’s the perfect excuse to make a pot. I’m not even particular about what kind, and often just whack together something that sounds good, but the snow days when I get to work from home, pot of soup bubbling on the stove and fresh bread rising so I can bake it with dinner, are the unequivocal best.

And now to the one that takes a lot more thinking …

Luna is the easiest of the four to address, I think: whether as queen or before as crown princess, she’d have obligations to take care of on the Solstice. Solaria hosts an annual ball, which is part of its obligation as the preeminent kingdom but also because they’re the freaking sun kingdom hello. There are a number of solstice traditions that lean into the idea of the light and dark in combat, and I think that would play into the traditions and superstitions -- picturing the ballroom brilliantly lit up, candles and chandeliers ablaze, from the moment the sun descends and all through the night, culminating in some big ritual to welcome the sun back at dawn. When she was younger she could snatch moments to herself during the ball, but now that she’s the queen, there’s no hiding, and since Luna in my head is an introvert, it is completely and utterly exhausting for her, and she’ll usually take whatever time she can for solitude and quiet afterwards. I’m not even sure why, but I’m picturing a superstition about the use of magic during the time between dusk and dawn -- as in ‘don’t use it or you’ll call to/empower the darkness’, though perhaps it’s the sort of superstition that is often disregarded these days. IDK, it’s one of those things I would or wouldn’t play with depending on my mood, not something I’m wedded to notionally.

In my head, Saul has a farmboy background, and so he would have older-feeling country traditions he’d keep as best he can, even during the war years. Traditional foods, whatever those are (breads and sweets of some form, I think), but moreso a communal meal shared in warmth and candlelight at the centre. A fire is built up to last through the night, and you cast into the flame something you want to leave in the dark of the old year -- literal, symbolic, or otherwise. The fire would usually have been built from the last growth of the fields along with wood, but that’s a part he’s left behind him. The world sleeps during winter, and so it’s also about rest and recovery. There’s always a sense of quiet to his observations, a bit sorrowful but also somewhat at peace despite that. He’d probably be the one bringing in cut greenery (assuming Ben and/or Rose weren’t), from a tradition of keeping something alive to remind you of what follows the dark and the cold, too? Out of all of them, I can see Saul being the one to bring the holidays in on some level while the battalion is in the field -- like, yes, the enemy doesn’t give a fuck about the holidays, but he does, so he’d figure out something. When he starts raising Sky, he would make a point to bring Eraklyan traditions into his home, giving the boy that part of his heritage even if it means compromising some of what he would ordinarily do.

Speaking of Eraklyan traditions: I don’t know that I have a picture in my head of what they are, but with Eraklyon being the Fighty Kingdom I feel like they’d really lean into the light-battling-darkness part of the holiday, in a way very different from what Solaria does. Solaria holds balls; Eraklyon has tournaments and trials conducted in the darkness, where the stars and whatever there is of the moon are your only light, and the sunrise ceremonial involves crowning the victors and feasts. Or something like that, IDEK, but in that sort of a vein. Andreas, away from home, would try to keep part of this but I think he’d have some trouble figuring out how; maybe as a student he spends the night out in some part of the school where the light doesn’t reach, doing sword drills relentlessly until dawn, or setting up some sort of tournament with other Eraklyan specialists and others who are interested. Whatever the tradition, I feel like it matters to him to keep them as a point of pride. Later on, raising Beatrix, he draws on those traditions, but he’s also aware that he’s raising a fairy and so his own traditions aren’t the whole of it, and he’d draw on a bit of what he learned from those around him -- from Rosalind, from Farah, from Ben (and Rose) and maybe even a little bit of Luna depending on one’s thoughts of how she fit in with them (or didn’t) socially, but in his own slightly off-kilter “I don’t remember exactly what or why so I’m going to make up a little”. (I feel like Bea would appreciate a good bonfire somehow, so that definitely makes its way in. She also definitely learns the most inappropriate Eraklyan soldier versions of any seasonal holiday tunes that there are from a very early age. Is it because Andreas can’t remember the other words? Entirely possible.)

And now I’m picturing Ben, Andreas, and Saul all making paper snowflakes with their respective kids and pasting them to the windows and feeling a bit sad. Whoops.

Farah … hmm. I’m really of two minds about this, because I can’t decide if she’d treat it much like any other day, or if she’d lean into some of the traditions. As Headmistress, she would absolutely be obligated to attend the Solarian ball (Saul almost always accompanies her, on the logic of ‘if you must be miserable the least I can do is try to make it better’). When younger, I think she’d brush off a lot of the traditions she grew up with as superstition, particularly if she’s echoing Rosalind’s sentiments -- she’d enable those around her to their traditions because they’re her friends and it’s important to them, but the beliefs are a bit silly -- sure, the magic of the natural world is quieter, but that doesn’t mean anything, it’s a cycle like anything else. Which I suppose means later, in her efforts to be the anti-Rosalind, she would lean into Solarian tradition, and if Saul or Ben invite her into their own celebrations (which I think they would) then she’d take part, but I’m not sure she’s ever really thought about what she’d do, given the complete freedom to observe it however she wants. I do think the quiescence of Alfea itself in that season, and of the natural world as a whole, unsettles her more than she wants to admit for reasons she’s never quite managed to articulate, and so she’d reach for comfort -- fire, friendship, familiarity? Which is possibly the most non-answer of an answer, but somehow my best beloved blorbo has also been the most difficult here so my apologies!

I have no idea if any of that helps you in the least, and I apologise for the amount of time this took and the positively ridiculous length of rambling. Looking forward to your next visit, my dear! 💙

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Sick!Ashton Masterlist

A Sick Christmas (ao3) - imjusttryingtolivemylife G, 16k

Summary: This is a large story, with multiple parts, that I spent a whole month writing for Christmas. I hope you Enjoy! It switches from the household of One Direction, and the household of 5 Seconds of Summer multiple times.

Detached Sickness (ao3) - MichaelTheMicrophone luke/ashton G, 2k

Summary: Luke and Ashton are so close that, when they go on holiday away from each other, they get sick.

Five Times Calum Makes Ashton Soup and One Time Ashton Tries to Return The Favor (ao3) - JessJ7890 G, 8k

Summary: Pretty much what it says on the title - Five times that Calum was a good friend and helped Ashton out plus one time that Ashton does his best to return the favor.

Hold Me Close (ao3) - LunaT2345 luke/ashton G, 5k

Summary: "Okay, you need to get upright." Ashton scrambled out of bed and helped Luke sit up.

Luke took a rattled breath before doubling over and hacking again. He brought a hand to his chest, his expression pained. "Can't - breathe -"

"I know, I know. You're okay, Luke, it's just the congestion," Ashton assured in the calmest voice he could muster, trying to radiate confidence.

-or-

Five times Luke and Ashton took care of each other

i don't run away when your face says "achoo" - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) ot4 T, 2k

Summary: Ashton gets sick, and his boyfriends come to the rescue to take care of him.

I Feel Awful (ao3) - babybam luke/ashton G, 2k

Summary: Ashton gets sick and Luke is there to take care of him. Ashton being stubborn he insists that he is fine to play their show the next day. But maybe he should've listened to his bandmates.

Lower Left (ao3) - MichaelTheMicrophone G, 1k

Summary: Ashton gets appendicitis while only his sister and brother are home. Lauren calls his bandmates and they come over with Michael, who also has appendicitis. They are taken to hospital by their bandmates.

Now I’m holding on for dear life (ao3) - lightsinthefloors luke/ashton, michael/calum G, 2k

Summary: Ashton knows he doesn’t feel good. He doesn’t know it’s this serious

Sick Day (ao3) - TylerM ot4 G, 4k

Summary: The one where Ashton gets sick on the WWA tour and tries to keep it from his band, and fails miserably.

A sad excuse for a tooth rotting fluffy one shot about how Ashton hates getting sick and his band mates worry too much. Including big brothers One Direction, just to add to the fluff. Because honestly why not?

Some Things Never Change (ao3) - LunaT2345 G, 4k

Summary: When traveling be careful about where you eat.

Or

A bad batch of sushi takes the whole band down.

Touchy - @daydadahlias​​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) ot4 7k

Summary: Ashton has eye surgery and the boys take care of him.

Tour Mishaps (ao3) - JessJ7890 G, 4k

Summary: Somewhere through their South America tour, Ashton falls victim to a stomach bug and has to deal not only with protective bandmates, but with a chronic illness that makes an unexpected reappearance.

when the party is over (ao3) - no_clue_who luke/ashton G, 1k

Summary: Ashton sat next to Luke as he started to get themselves ready for the party, regretting that he had gotten a cold. He watched as Luke put on his foundation, watching in fascination as they applied it. He’s always loved watching Luke get ready, back when they were both dumb teens straightening every piece of hair on their heads or even when Luke got his quiff, Ashton watched him with fascination.

Luke leaned over and kissed his cheek before righting himself and starting to go through the rest of their makeup routine.

or how not to go to a party

When the World Leaves a Scar (ao3) - Anonymous T, 1k

Summary: “I care about you so much, and I want you to be okay. I'm glad that you reached out to me. I want you to continue to do that when you need to or if you can’t contact Michael or Calum for whatever reason.” Luke states, grabbing the other’s hand and squeezing it. “We’re all here for you like you’re here for us when we need it.”

Ashton’s shoulders slump like a child being told off by their guardian. His bandaged arms cross over his chest in frustration. Externally, he would make himself ill if he was to cry yet again. Internally, he wonders if the environment he’s known for so long will turn against him.

(Or where Ashton falls, but Luke is there to catch him.)

[thessalian]

Thess vs Dining Conventions

Today was my version of a “spoon recharge day”. I had been planning to go to the big Sainsbury’s to get some prawns (the last item I need for proper gluten-free wonton soup) but I was tired and achy so I just thought, fuck it, staying home.

But of course, me being me, I still Did Stuff.

Made more instant hot chocolate mix because I had run out

Made chicken broccoli pasta bake (used onion instead of chestnut mushrooms; came out really nice)

Portioned out the leftovers

Prepped for making lamb dopiaza and aloo gobi tomorrow

Did I mention how nice it is to just ... have food that just needs defrosting or reheating just ... there? Not to mention the things that are going to be meals that’ll probably last me most of the rest of the month? I mean, I still wince at the grocery bill, but if I wasn’t teaching myself the Way of Batch Cooking, I’d be in a lot worse shape. I mean, here’s what’s available for the month:

Leftover chicken broccoli pasta bake

Leftover chicken adobo

Leftover split-pea soup (that recipe made a LOT of soup)

Lamb dopiaza and aloo gobi with basmati rice

Lasagne

Chilli (or possibly spaghetti bolognaise; something with the rest of the mince anyway)

Possibly tuna casserole (topped with crisps, not breadcrumbs)

Tuna lemon broccoli pasta

Roast chicken leg (I had one left after baked chicken with potatoes and carrots)

Chicken risotto

Most of what’s needed for wonton soup (prawns tomorrow)

Smoothies (strawberry or kiwi fruit; maybe mango if I splurge shopping tomorrow)

Most of this is batch cooking, so anywhere from 3-6 servings depending on serving size. I have at least two portions each of the leftovers. Only one chicken leg quarter, but that and the smoothies are basically the only thing I’m preparing as a single ‘meal’, insofar as smoothies are considered a meal. And I kind of have to, because ... look, my appetite’s been weird lately. Like, I won’t be hungry for a lot of the day and then I’ll have dinner around about meds-time and then I will be ravenous as fuck fairly late. I’m pretty sure this is a response to getting up, getting coffee and getting nearly straight to work most days, maybe snacking a little if there’s a minute. With the increase in my hours (yes, I did ask for it, more money is good), that probably won’t cut it, so I’ll see if getting a smoothie as well as getting my coffee helps normal things out. Either way, it just means that if I am horribly hungry before bed, at least I can put something moderately substantial in the microwave instead of standing up at the kitchen counter, munching buttered corn thins and refrigerator dill pickles.

I know it’s all fairly unorthodox. But honestly, not caring that much. I’m finding ways to eat well despite everything, so I’m not going to let convention stop me from doing so. And since I’m getting a sort of value-pack of “eating well”, “finding things I can do despite neuropathic pain condition”, and “pride in a job well done”, I think I’m doing way better.

...Still want to invite people over for dinner, though.

[roxy206]

Do you have a favorite meal someone's made for you? what foods remind you of home or of someone?, what do you like to eat when they feel like shit (emotionally or actually sick)?

IMO food always tastes better when someone else makes it for you. I’m a stubbornly independent person who is really bad at letting other people do things for me or help me with things, but having someone make food for me is an exception

I definitely have a lot of favorites that my mom makes. I have recipes for them all, but rarely make them myself because it’s not the same 😂 I’ll pull some of them out when I’m cooking for other people though (but that’s a whole different topic!)

I think the thing that probably reminds me the most of my mom is her potato salad recipe because it’s so specific to her

I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time so I don’t eat it anymore (& tbh it was one of the first things I stopped eating) but lobster makes me think of my dad’s side of the family

One of my closest friends & I are big fans of Olive Garden & The Cheesecake Factory, so those always make me think of her. Whenever I go to one of them without her I always wind up texting her lol but usually it is with her

If I’m sick generally I do really like a soup. I make one with veggie stock, pastina, carrots, celery — I might add other things depending on my mood, but those are the basics. I should probably be smart & batch cook some to freeze & have on hand. It’s super easy to make, but inevitably when I’m sick I get grumpy that I’m making it

When I’m not feeling great emotionally it definitely depends, but Chinese is always a nice treat. Probably that or pizza. Those were my family’s two go tos when I was growing up for takeout. They’re definitely staples throughout the year anyway, but they’re good comfort foods too

Tbh I have so many memories tied to food & I love that whether it’s a signature recipe or something run of the mill I have these associations with people & certain times

[lizseyi]

The Winter Glow Up & Pilates In Brighton & Hove. Come And Experience A New You - Brighton Pilates

How To Embrace The Winter And Keep Glowing…

…all winter long. As these colder evening draw in and those blustery days get more frequent it is so easy to start to feel a little low and demotivated. However these are my tried and tested (over and over again) ways of keeping that summer glow and spring in your step all winter long.

For me it’s about fully embracing the winter. I think it is so easy to fall into the trap of feeling down when the season starts to change from Summer to Autumn. Every year Autumn catches me by surprise and the initial change in season makes me feel out of whack, my routine goes out the window and everything just feels a little meh. Until, around this time when I realise I just have to embrace it and all the winter has to offer and it completely flips my perspective. So, if you feel meh, but are ready to turn those feelings around… here’s what you could do. It works for me, it could work for you too…

The     first thing I ALWAYS do is book in some winter activities. This is     a great way to embrace and look forward to the months ahead. Here’s an     example, (bare in mind I have 2 young children), I have just booked:     Pumpkin picking, A winter trail at Kew Gardens to find the Gruffalos'     Child, Ice skating at The Royal Pavilion and a visit to Father Christmas.     This has straight away got me looking forward. Some other examples could     be: a winter wreath workshop, The Beach Box Sauna, Winter Wonderland, A     Panto…

Change     up your routine. It’s unrealistic to expect your routine to     remain the same in the winter months. Trying to fight a routine that     worked well in the summer can feel so stressful. You just end up beating     yourself up. Instead go with it, listen to your body and if it wants to     stay in in the evening, let it! If you need another hour in bed (and are     able to), go with it. What do you need to change to make you feel more     comfortable, happy and adjusted to the change in season? Perhaps that     extra hour in bed could work, but a blustery post work workout on the     beach could do the trick?!

This     leads me to my next thing…. don’t be afraid of the elements. Embrace     the elements! There is no such thing as bad weather (unless it’s     really windy because let’s face it, high winds are SUPER annoying) - but     like rain, cold, normal wind levels (haha)… embrace it! Tog yourself up,     get out there. For me there is nothing more uplifting and energising than     an outdoor workout or walk with the family in the pissing rain then coming     home and getting warm and cosy. It’s one of the best feelings ever. And,     as Joseph Pilates famously says, “By all means never fail to get all the     sunshine and fresh air you can.”

Get     cosy!     When you come home from work (even if you work from home), or come back     from aa day out, get cosy. It’s a great way to transition from day to     night. And, on those days when it feels like it never gets light this is     an especially important transition to make. Rather than throw your bags     down and sit around in your day clothes. Try to make a conscious effort to     change your clothes. Put on some cosy socks, light a candle, dim the     lights and make a warm drink, and even make a hot water bottle. It’s just     a nice but simple thing to do for yourself to help you feel safe and warm     and ready to hunker down and embrace the dark evening.

For     me, the summer is all about the early mornings, sea swims, refreshing     smoothies and summer salads. But the winter lends itself to warming drinks     (a hug in a mug), woolly socks and comforting soups. Which leads me to my     next thing….A Hug In A Mug! - there is nothing better! I’m thinking     warming drinks and soups. Here is a link to some of my fav hug in a mugs     from a previous blog post (click here).     But for the soups, I highly recommend you get those cook books out and     find some soup recipes that take your fancy and you can do these over and     over all winter so you always have a go-to healthy delicious lunch that     can be eaten at home or on the go. Make a big batch at the start of the     week and you can re heat it each day. For an on the go hot meal I would highly     recommend the Thermos Soup Flask…     it is the best winter accessory ever!

Get     a good coffee scrub - or, make your own! A coffee scrub shower is     a great winter morning ritual (with a cold shower if you can bare it) -     but if you can’t at least make the coffee scrub a thing. It helps with     circulation, inflammation, puffiness, skin texture, its energising and     uplifting and smells gorg for the morning…. if you like coffee! It just     gives you that little pick-me-up and a glow. My fav brand is Frank Body or you can make your own, here’s     a recipe from the Coconut Mama but     you can find loads of recipes online.

Vitamin     D! -     get yourself a good Vitamin D supplement. This is a good easy winter     health hack, but in my opinion an essential.

Get     a glowing complexion with a regular self face massage. On     my online video platform, there is a wonderful video by Katie Light     that you can follow to keep your skin glowing. She teaches you to use a     Gua Sha (which is a rose quartz tool) or your hands to massage your face,     neck and jaw. This, along with some lovely face oils helps to ease stress     and tension from the face leaving your jaw feeling more released and your     skin glowing as you will increase the blood flow to the face.

Schedule     your time and be strict on your boundaries. Use the 5 second rule. If     you can’t answer ‘yes I want to do this’ within 5 seconds of being asked…     the chances are you’re not really that fussed about it or, it would     potentially cause you stress by saying yet due to other external issues:     child care, finances etc. Use this 5 second rule when committing to     projects and social engagements for a more stress free winter. Plus, it’s     a good idea to add in some boundaries with yourself, and stick to them.     How late do you really need to work into the evenings. How many social     engagements do you really WANT to attend a week. Can you get up an hour     earlier to make your morning routine better and less stressful? Could you     start work later to give you some more headspace in the morning…? And     remember, it is always ok to say no.

Keep     moving. Whether that be online or in real life. I     find the best balance for me is to have an online membership so that I can     still do my favourite workout but then I tend to have a pass for a gym I     love so that I can drop into classes as and when I feel up to it. Remember     what I said at the beginning (point 2) about listening to your body. Well,     often in the winter we naturally just want to hibernate more, this is fine     but you really don’t want to do this at the expense of not working out.     Regular exercises is so good for keeping your head up and your motivation     and productivity levels high and this is needed more so in the winter. So,     getting yourself a good online membership is a really good way to do those     favourite workouts but in the comfort and cosines of your own home on     those days when you can’t fit in a trip to the gym or you just can’t face     the elements. Online memberships reduces the friction and excuses for you     to not exercise. I have a 7 day free trial on my Pilates platform if you     want to try this with zero commitment and see how you get on… try now.

And     last but not least, try to factor in some mindfulness at bedtime. I     have some amazing mindful videos on my platform from the wonderful Katie     Light from the Light Technique, to Sarah Williams who is an incredible     Yoga teacher to my wonderful Mindful Pilates workouts for busy minds and     tired bodies. All available on my Online Platform. However, there are so many     apps you can also download to try with an array of incredible mindful     audios: headspace, calm, insight to name a few.

Follow Ellie on Instagram @brighton_pilates

[davidhatter]

Getting Into Knives || Hatfish

baenxietydad​:

`

“Oh yeah, he had his epipen with him at least, and it wasn’t as bad as if he had eaten peanuts himself. Whatever the hospital gave him fixed him right up and he just slept as soon as we got home.” Mu-yeol said, checking the mandu and determining the first few were good enough to finish cooking in the soup. “And Franny Robinson handed her card over for any possible expenses to go to her, so that was nice. She didn’t have to do that. She was surprisingly…normal for someone with that kind of –” money “– life.”

He sighed as he added a new batch of mandu to cook.

“Fortunately that was like two years ago and we’ve not had a peanut run-in in a dark alley since. I was worried about that with him choosing to move into the dorms; he’s really embarrassed about it and his –” ah, he wouldn’t mention Nemo’s small wing, Hatter wouldn’t understand, he was a real person after all. “– dad always worrying about it.”

There, just say Nemo’s embarrassed about him like all kids are a little bit.

“That’s part of why I’m always giving him food, at least I’m sure it’s safe if I make it. Aish, but what’s he going to do when he eventually moved really far away? I suppose he has time to learn to cook himself. He’s not very good at it yet,” Mu-yeol said, chuckling and shaking his head. “Though he made birthday miyeok guk – ah, seawood soup, it’s a Korean thing – for my birthday last April, that was sweet. It was much too salty but I ate it all of course.”

--

That also sounded very much like Franny Robinson, who had stayed the same since Hatter had known her since she had first moved to this town, before she had hit it big, but back then it had only been a matter of time. He had been both surprised and not surprised every day she could come in and greet him like an old friend, acting as she always did, but getting wiser with every step of the way. It was admirable, quite frankly, with that many people breathing down her neck.

“Yeah. Have a conversation with her about music or American politics one day, then see how normal she can be,” he said. This was meant as a compliment, of course, but it may have seemed otherwise under the deadpan way he had landed the sentence.

He didn’t notice anything amiss in the explanation, though he had always found no understanding of why a child might be embarrassed of a parent who loved them. Hatter had never felt that when his mum had showed up at his school or he would see her on the street, outside the shoppe, when he was with his friends. Maybe it was a generation thing, he’d have to ask Martha and Sam what their kids thought of them.

“Seaweed soup,” he repeated, taking this detail in and thinking, well, if he could make that then he probably didn’t need to worry about finding a gift for Mr. Bae. Which he felt was necessary since he found himself asking. “You’ve mentioned it’s in April, what day is it? And Karen’s was in March, right?”

[twistedmusings]

A/N: Planning to post some finished requests tonight thankfully but I wanted to share something super self indulgent with you guys since I just recently got an Alexa! I'm still kind of in a funk (since classes are STILL not over with) so thank you everyone for your kind words in my inbox q wq For now I only have Riddle and Leona...but if everyone likes it I'll make an effort to finish! I kinda am working on Azul's as we speak >:3 Warnings: Boys missing you terribly, Riddle justifying the breaking of rules and Leona realizing that he is talking to an inanimate object.

The Ramshackle Prefect leaves to go to RSA for a month, following a lead that could get them back home. And while the dorm leaders do miss them terribly, it seems one of them is hiding something.

. .

“AZUL-SHI DO SOMETHING.”

The Octavinelle dorm leader barely listened to his friend's request as he also crowded over Idia’s phone, the other five dorm leaders looking down at the screen as a pair of familiar eyes stared back at them.

“Where is Idia? Can you please hand me back to him?”

Riddle blinked at the sprite on the screen before looking back at Idia with a frown.

“Explain yourself, Shroud.”

Idia whimpered as he hung his head low in shame.

“[Y/N]-san...I mean...the Prefect left to go to RSA for a whole month, right? Crowley said it was to help them find a way back home but apparently there was some trouble there too and...and he brought them to fix it...”

Malleus’s neutral expression changes into something a bit sadder while Kalim lets out what everybody was thinking.

“To take them away so suddenly...I didn’t even get a chance to give them a goodbye party!”

“They’re only away for a month, Kalim.” Vil’s eyes stay on Idia’s phone screen.

“But I’m sure a party would have let them know how much I would miss them!”

Riddle clears his throat, “That still doesn’t explain anything about what I am seeing. Why in the world do you have something that looks like...that looks so much like them on your phone!”

Idia was sure this was hell. Of all the people to catch him using his phone during a dorm leader meeting, why did it have to be Riddle? What was he even supposed to answer to that question! That he missed talking to [Y/N]-san about the new animes that were releasing this week that he had purposefully made an AI from data Ortho had collected on them and their mannerisms?

He would rather die!

“I--I was testing a new AI! Just...for schedules and stuff like that! And I didn’t have anything else to base it on so I just took [Y/N]-san’s information and made a prototype! It’s not just going to go out to the public like that! They can customize it however they like--!”

Azul hums as he taps the screen, the sprite giggling as he touches their cheek before looking up at all of them expectantly.

“...A prototype, huh.” he smiles and leans back while taking his phone out, “Everybody stop crowding around him, we might as well be breaking his arm slowly at this point.”

The rest of the dorm leader's move back with only some protest, Idia’s eyes shining as he looks up at his other friend.

“Azul-shi…”

The dorm leader of Octavinelle grins, “If it’s a prototype then that means it needs users, correct? More people to test it out?”

“Eh?”

Azul puts his phone in front of Idia and smiles at him like he was just about to close a rather important business transaction.

“Well then I want the prototype as well. Download it to my phone, will you?”

“Eh?!”

Idia presses his phone to his chest as if Azul was about to take it, looking around nervously as the other dorm leaders take their phones out and set it in front of him.

“If it’s an application for scheduling then I could use it to keep Heartslabyul’s matters in check. I’ll take one too.”

“Ruggie is gonna be busy during exams...this thing better work as an alarm.”

“Surely this would help me keep track of my schedule for both the Monstro Lounge and school. I’ll take one with a statistics program built in, Idia”

“Oh!! I want mine to be able to sing! And can I also get them in Scarabia’s dorm uniform? I want to see what [Y/N]-san would look like!’

“I’ll take that as well. I also want a photo re-touch feature as well as one hour updates as to what is going on in my Magicam account.”

Each phone was placed in front of him as Idia felt his head start to spin. He just wanted to keep this thing a secret only for himself! He wasn’t even planning to release it, it was all just a lie so they wouldn’t know his greatest shame!

A shadow was casted over him, Idia looking up slowly as Malleus smiled and placed his phone down.

“I am eager to see your finished product, Shroud.”

The tarts in front of him looked absolutely delicious.

Trey had really outdone himself this time. The strawberries were cut into perfectly neat shapes and the glaze over them made them so mouth wateringly shiny that he could practically taste the sweet treat without even having to taste it!

Which only made his want of one grow even more.

“And here comes the next batch.” Trey smiles as he puts down another plate in front of him, Riddle’s eyes now staring at that plate while his vice dorm leader cleans himself up.

“When did you say the Unbirthday party was going to be today?”

“A-At three o’clock sharp.”

Trey nods as he looks at the clock in the kitchen.

“Perfect. I promised to meet Jade to get some herbs he has been growing as well as letting him teach me how to make this one soup they had in the Monstro Lounge about a week ago.”

He grabs his phone and heads out, leaving Riddle with a quick goodbye and a promise that he would make it back as quick as possible.

Leaving him all alone with two plates filled with his favourite treat.

The dorm leader looks around once...then twice...checking if anybody was coming into the kitchen before going back to stare at the plates.

It wasn’t like he was going to grab one

The Unbirthday party today would be using pastries that Trey had made yesterday. It was the third of the month so the rules required a completely different pastry. The strawberry tarts were most likely for tomorrow.

So Riddle could wait. He was the Heartslabyul dorm leader after all so not only could he wait but he was required to wait! As the dorm leader he was to set an example and he couldn’t let himself be seduced so easily by just two plates of such yummy looking tarts--!

He quickly takes his phone out and looks down at the screen, face flushing as he tries to remember how Idia told him to open up the new app.

“[Y/N]-san…?”

A face peeks out from the corner of his phone, smiling as it recognizes his face and steps out while giving him a polite bow.

“Good morning, Riddle-san! What can I help you with?”

He can’t help a small rush of excitement at seeing the Prefect’s face after not seeing them for two weeks. Riddle would make an effort to stop and talk to them whenever they made their way to Heartslabyul that not seeing them for so long had almost thrown him off his schedule.

And...he missed the conversations he had with them.

As the dorm leader and a student in NRC he didn’t necessarily have time to go to any other events or take part in any of the shenanigans others would get up to, not that he necessarily wanted to, but it was entertaining when the Prefect talked about it with him.

It felt like they were letting him into their world.

So maybe this substitute would suffice...it was a scheduling app after all so it wasn’t like he was using it for pleasure only.

“Would you please repeat rule 56 of the Queen’s handbook?”

The AI clears their throat as a book animation appears before them.

“Rule number 56: On the third of April, black tea should be served along with pineapple tarts. Followed by a game of cards in which the loser must pour the Queen tea for the rest of the Unbirthday party.”

Riddle sighs as he looks back at the plate of tarts.

“...I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow…”

“Wait until what?”

He looks down at the AI, the sprite blinking in confusion as it waits for an answer. Idia had mentioned adding a conversational feature…

“There is no rule about what to eat tomorrow so I decided that we would have strawberry tarts.”

“Are those your favourite?”

Riddle nods and steps out of the kitchen, making his way to his room as he stared back at the open door.

“They are. Ever since I was little. I couldn’t have many because of--”

He decides to not go deep into the subject.

“I’m sure Trey’s pineapple tarts will be excellent. I will just have to wait until tomorrow to enjoy the strawberry ones.”

The AI hums before the book animation pops up again, looking down and flipping a couple of pages before speaking up.

“Riddle-san. While it does say that black tea should be served with pineapple tarts...it does state that it should be done for the Unbirthday party and the Unbirthday party only.”

He frowns, “Your point?”

“I am sure no rule would be broken if only the Queen has a tea party before the Unbirthday party. From what I am seeing here--”

They flip a couple more pages.

“There is no rule about a tea party of one enjoying a strawberry tart.”

Riddle blinks before looking down at his phone, the sprite smiling as they shut the small book and lets it disappear with a ‘poof.’

No rule would be broken...if it was only a tea part of one?

He looks down at the AI when he hears them giggle.

“Riddle-san looks really happy.”

A blush covers his face at being called out on how big his smile probably was.

“Did I help in any way?”

The dorm leader takes a deep breath before smiling as he looks down at the phone and presses his fingertip on top of their head, rubbing it back and forth as if they were petting them. Something he knew he could never really do with them in real life lest he was looking to get odd looks.

“More than enough. Would you like to accompany me during this tea party?”

“Yes please!”

Riddle nods before looking around once more and clearing his throat.

“And...would you refer to me as ‘dorm leader’ from now on?”

The sprite nods as they give him a polite bow.

“Yes, dorm leader!”

He would need to send his report of the app as quickly as possible, Idia had really outdone himself this time...maybe he could ask if he could get them dressed up in the Heartslabyul uniform?

Riddle still wished you would hurry back.

“Leona-san! Please wake up!”

The blankets on the bed wriggled a bit as the phone was tousled over from one side of the bed to the other, the sprite inside frowning as they tried again.

“Leona-san! Please wake up! Ruggie-san texted you!”

A hand comes out of the blankets before holding the phone up.

“Read the text out loud then.”

Sighing, the AI pulls the text up and reads out loud.

“Please be awake by the time I get there, Leona. I need to make sure I get your signature on these papers for the dorm budget. If you don’t I’ll hold your lunch captive!”

Leona’s face finally pops up from under the blanket, the man sitting up and running a hand through his hair as he speaks up again.

‘Oi. What time is it?”

“It is 3:14 in the afternoon, Leona-san.”

“And when did Ruggie send the text?”

“At 3:00 o'clock.”

He groans and lays back down, the pillows flying about as he holds the phone to his face and smiling when he sees the sprite looking down at him worriedly.

“You really do look like them…” Leona whispers before tapping the screen so that he is poking the sprite’s cheek, “What is that face for?”

“I’m just worried for you, Leona-san. Too much sleep is a symptom of some sicknesses so--”

“Hah? You think I would get sick so easily?” he yawns and stretches, “I’m different from humans. Beastmen need a lot more sleep than regular humans do so...I’m just doing what my body tells me.”

Green eyes watch a notepad appear before the AI as they write down the information, smiling as they close it up and watch it disappear.

“I’ll keep that information in mind so I can serve Leona-san better. Thank you so much.”

Leona blinks at the words before a lazy smile crosses his face.

“Serve me better, huh? Never thought I would hear you say that.”

Usually the herbivore would be frowning and telling him to get up and actually take charge of his dorm and how he didn’t act like any grown up they knew. The sprite, however, tilts their head in confusion before speaking up once again.

“I am yours, after all.”

“Damn right you are.”

He looked at the phone a bit more, the sprite smiling up at him as he poked their cheek or patted their head. A part of him wondered if you would react like that with him as well. You always seemed so annoyed with his antics yet you never failed to come back to talk to him, telling him how he needs to get his act together if he is ever planning to go back to the Afterglow.

Leona would bet money that if he patted your head out of nowhere you would be highly flustered. Getting praise from him was something that didn’t happen often, after all.

“What day is it?”

“The 12th day of April, Leona-san.”

Another two weeks of you being gone. He frowns and closes his eyes as he thinks about you meeting those other students. RSA was just full of idiots...like his brother--

“Dammit.”

He slams the phone down but blinks when he hears a small yelp, turning the phone back around to find the AI looking rather frazzled with their eyes closed and hair all over the place.

“Shit. Are you....okay?”

Great, he was asking an application if it was okay. He could understand why Idia would hide this, right now he felt like he was crazy.

“Y--Yes! It was just unexpected!”

The sprite fixed itself up quickly and smiled back at Leona.

“Are you okay though, Leona-san?”

The dorm leader chuckled and nodded as they set the phone down gently and laid down next to it. At least that part was very much like you, worrying about others before focusing on yourself.

“You’re not going to complain? I almost just threw you.”

Without missing a beat, the AI stands up and looks at him.

“Leona-san is still working hard despite his body telling him to sleep. My program tells me that it would be a natural emotion to feel frustrated if you are not allowed to do something you want. Normal actions of frustration speak of physical manifestations such as kicking, punching or throwing. I was simply calculating it for it to be the latter and for it to happen towards a pillow. I’ll make sure to fix my calculations next time.”

He shakes his head and sets the phone down gently.

“Weird thing. You shouldn’t forgive someone so easily after they wronged you.”

“But you didn’t wrong me, Leona-san. I didn’t feel any pain. I just want to make sure you are feeling your best! You are my number one priority!”

This machine is going to make him go insane, he knows you would never say that but the fact that Idia had gotten your voice down so well that it was almost as if you had just told him he was your number one---

He was already getting a headache.

“Set an alarm for an hour. Ruggie will take around that long anyway.” Leona lays down and wraps the blankets around him.

“Of course. Alarm set for one hour. Would you like to be woken up with a personalized message?”

Leona hummed before grinning.

“Wake me up by calling me ‘King’.”

The sprite fixes its settings before giving a polite bow.

“Yes, my King. Please enjoy your rest.”

After this he would send his report to Shroud and maybe ask for an outfit upgrade. He only needed to show him some Afterglow clothes and the nerd would probably be able to make the AI wear them, right?

Whatever, the moment you came back Leona would make sure that you gave him some headpats for making him wait so long.

[clatterbane]

We had some nice cabbage and some lentils, and I was really in the mood for a big bowl or three of hot soup. So, we're getting sort of a mashup of these basic ideas!

Good way to profitably use up some odds and ends of vegetables, too! My mother would be proud. 😅

(I just sauteed the onions, what little celery we had, and garlic in the Instant Pot, then added most of the seasonings and the lentils with veggie broth. Cooked that for 10 minutes under high pressure, then added the rest of the stuff including a leftover half a 400g can of tomatoes. That's currently going for another 10 minutes, then we'll see. From past experience, I would NOT recommend cooking it all together for the full time unless you want crunchy lentils and/or disintegrating vegetables with sulfurous cabbage. 😰)

And, for the first time since we moved in here? It's Proper Soup Night, with some cornbread in the oven too! And smelling amazing. 😎

I actually ran across that particular recipe while looking for guidance on whether it might be a Very Bad Idea to put it in a smaller Pyrex dish, since I didn't think we really needed the usual full skillet load tonight. (May end up needing to make another batch, from the smell of things!)

General consensus? Pyrex works great.

And that actually looked pretty much like my default classic recipe from my mom, only with more sugar added. As in, any sugar at all. 😬 But yeah, that one looked good enough to share. They also mention optional adjustments to make a sweeter, cakier style like some people prefer in other regions.

Everything is smelling awesome, and I ca hardly wait.

[trivialbob]

Yesterday morning my mom passed away.

Dying and death can be ugly. Some people have prolonged illnesses and hospitalization. Others are in pain. Some folks might be all alone.

This was none of those things.

My mom (Betty) had some heart issues over the years and was under the good care of doctors. Cathy my sister had come over in the morning to drive my mom to an doctor appointment. As everyone in my family does, Cathy got there early. She chatted with my mom and dad (Henry). Then my mom put her head on the table and was out. Cathy called 911. Paramedics and police officers arrived quickly. But there wasn’t much they could do. After a time they stopped resuscitation efforts.

My dad called me. I called Jim and Emily. We met at the apartment as the last police officer gave her condolences and left. Then we waited for the funeral home people to arrive.

The paramedics had placed my mom in her bed, covered partially with a blanket. We could see her face. Her husband and all four of her children were there at her side. We cried a little. We reminisced. We thought quietly. It was an ideal way to say goodbye if you ask me.

As a young parent 27 years ago I remember getting up in the night to verify that our baby was breathing. I thought of that when my dad said he sometimes woke at night and listened to make sure my mom was breathing.

Two nice women from the funeral home arrived after what I thought was the right amount of time for us to say goodbye. My dad signed a form. Then they departed with my mom.

She loved iced tea (no lemon!). Her morning glass was still on the kitchen counter, the ice cubes barely melted. It was weird seeing her last glass of tea. Bookshelves containing cookbooks with pages marked for things she planned to make made me sad and happy.

Today we met with a representative from the funeral home. That went well, I thought. He had answers to questions we didn’t even think to ask. My parents had prepaid the funeral years ago. That made things go smoothly. We made a few choices, and my dad signed more forms. Now we’re just waiting on confirmation from my parents’ church for the date of the funeral mass next week.

My wife already lost both of her parents. I watched what Sheila went through and what she had to deal with, from paperwork to grieving. It’s nice that I can benefit from her experiences.

The night before she passed, my mom and dad ate dinner with Emily and Mike. Afterwards they stopped at my house. Sheila made a big batch of tomato basil soup and chocolate chip cookies and packaged some for them to take home. Jim had been meeting them for brunch often. Cathy and my dad were there right at the end. I’m glad we were all close.

[slyttherins]

Meeting the Weasleys | Bill Weasley x Reader

Summary: The reconstitution of the Order of the Phoenix bring Bill back to England to help his family and others fight against Voldemort. Bill takes you along and you meet his family...who has no idea he has a girlfriend

Pairing: Bill Weasley x Reader

Word count: 1880

-

Muggle transport sucked. Especially planes. Fascinating transportation system, but why must they take so long to get to places? Portkeys were much faster.

Usually, when going to his family home, Bill would use a portkey to the Burrow, but as the Weasleys had temporarily moved to the new Order of the Phoenix's headquarters, there was no point going there. There was also no portkey available to Grimmauld Place since it was a secret house.

A plane was the only option.

''You didn't tell your family you wouldn't be coming alone?!''

Bill slung his satchel bag over his shoulder, thankful for the extension charm. ''Erm, no. I wasn't going to announce to them that I have a girlfriend through a letter, it doesn't sound really serious.''

For that, he wasn't wrong.

''We can't just show up together on the doorstep, Bill.''

Suddenly, you started re-evaluating your decision to come to England and think it was a bad idea. It's not like you and Bill were old friends. You had never met his family. What if his mom was angry for not warning her he was bringing his girlfriend? Would this put you on her bad side?

Bill shrugged, seeing no issues. ''Why not? Mom won't mind. She'll be so happy to see me that she'll forget to be mad for not telling her about you. It'll be fine, Y/N.''

As you expected, it didn't go like Bill had planned. He was a fool to think he could trick his mother like that. Molly was furious.

At first, she was confused. Then, she thought Bill had brought a friend to help with the Order - they could always use more wizards and witches on their side. But, when he introduced you as his girlfriend, her mood changed and she started scolding his oldest for not telling her something so important - even swatted his arm with the spoon she was holding. Ouch.

Bill too had been surprised by his mother's reaction, having not been talked to in that tone since his teenage years.

''William Arthur Weasley, how could you do that? You disappear in Egypt for six years and come back with a surprise girlfriend and expect me to not get mad and act as if it's nothing important? How long have you been hiding this from us? I'm your mother, how could you hide this from me?'' her voice boomed through Grimmauld Place. It was like getting a real-life howler. Pretty scary.

Once Mrs. Weasley was finished, she turned to you, her facial expression completely changed, and smiled warmly. ''Sorry about that, dear. Some people have no manners and assumes they can't be scolded after leaving the nest.'' She narrowed her eyes at Bill. ''I'm Molly, Bill's mother...but I'm sure you've caught that already. What's your name?''

''Y/N,'' you introduced. ''I'm sorry for coming unnoticed. I kept telling Bill it wasn't a great idea.''

''Don't feel bad, it's all forgiven.'' The plump woman smiled warmly at you. ''Would you like some biscuits? I just took a batch out of the oven.''

.

After eating some biscuits in the kitchen and chatting a bit with Mrs. Weasley - Bill was trying to be forgiven -, you and Bill took your luggages upstairs and went to put everything away. There weren't a lot of rooms left - a lot of members of the Order had taken residency at Grimmauld Place -, but Mrs. Weasley had kept one for Bill. Ron was supposed to share with him, but now that you were there, Ron was going to have to move rooms. Sorry, Ron.

''I didn't think she would be that angry. If I has known, I-''

''Angry? She was furious, William!'' you interrupted as you entered the bedroom, finding it a complete mess. There was a trunk opened in the corner, quidditch magazines and wrappers on the nightstand, and dirty clothes everywhere. Bill's little brother was a messy person.

With a few whisks of his wand, Bill gathered Ron's stuff and put everything in his trunk - dirty or not - to make room for yours. In the end, the trunk struggled to fit everything, but with a little bit of magic, everything was possible. It might explode when Ron will open it, but it wouldn't be your problem then.

''I guess I overestimated myself.''

You started with your clothes, folding them neatly in the chest drawers and hung the jackets in the small wardrobe. There was an old smell floating in the room, but it was inevitable in a house this old.

While you did that, Bill reached for the toiletries items, frowning confusedly when he saw how many bottles of who-knows-what you had brought. What were they all for? Did you really need all of those?

''I...I thought she was going to hate] me because of that,'' you admitted, genuinely scared you were going to be one of those girlfriends that's hated by her future in-laws. All because Bill omitted to tell his mother about you.

Bill huffed a short laugh, but seeing how you were genuinely worried of so, he turned into a serious face and he came up to you, wrapping his arms around you from behind. ''That's very unlikely,'' he said, turning you around in his hold and tilting your chin up. ''My mom has no hatred in her body - except for the ones who harm her children. I promise she doesn't hate you.'' Bill kissed your temple, but his speech didn't convince you completely.

''Well, she was yelling. To me, yelling is not something positive.''

''At me. She was yelling at me,'' he corrected. ''But then, she offered you biscuits, didn't she?''

''She did.''

Food was how Molly showed affection and care. She loved to cook all sorts of meals and desserts to feed the ones she loved. If you were particularly kind with her, she might cook your favorite dish at supper.

''Let's finish unpacking so I can introduce you to the rest of the family.''

You nodded and slipped out of your boyfriend's hold. Hopefully it'll go better, this time.

.

When you left the bedroom, you ran into two boys of the same height and physique, which you recognized as the infamous twins. Bill had told you about all members of his family on the plane journey, but telling apart who was who was another story though.

They both hugged their brother - who was almost as tall as them -, having not seen each other in a while and, when Bill introduced you, they looked shocked.

''Girlfriend?'' Fred repeated, sounding surprised. He glanced at you mischievously. ''Have you slipped him a love potion?''

It was all jokes, but you didn't know their humor so you took him seriously.

''Excuse me?'' You were offended that they could think you did something like that. Slipping someone a love potion was vile and immoral. Plus, love potions only created infatuation, not love.

Beside you, Bill rolled his eyes and laughed lightly, which told you they were only joking. ''Is it that difficult to believe that I got a girlfriend? Last time I heard, you all agreed I was the coolest brother of the lot.''

''The coolest, perhaps, but not the most skilled in the flirting departement,'' Fred teased. ''I think I deserve that title.''

''It's just, our brother never brought a girl home before,'' George explained to you, feeling sorry for the misunderstanding. ''How did mom take it? Her oldest son taking a girl home, she must've been emotional.''

''She was thrilled-''

Thrilled wasn't the word you would've employed.

''He's lying. She hit him with a spoon,'' you corrected.

Bill nudged you. ''Y/N! You're supposed to be on my side.''

You shrugged.

''A spoon?'' Fred and George chorused. ''I thought it was only us who got the spoon.''

.

Next was Ginny and Ron, which you met at the dinner table.

Although she was the youngest, Ginny was the closest to Bill. There was a special bond between the two that made you smile fondly.

Farther into the kitchen, another ginger haired boy stood on his mother's heels, trying to steal something to eat. Upon hearing Bill's voice, he turned and joined his sister, but didn't fail to give you a confused look, having never seen you before. If he had, he would've remembered.

''Who are you?'' He took a bite of the bread he stole and Ginny elbowed him for being rude.

In response to Ron's question, Bill slid an arm behind you, grin on his lips and raised his eyebrows, waiting for his siblings to catch on. Since knowing him, you had learned that the eldest Weasley didn't like to make a big deal out of any news - counting having a girlfriend.

It didn't take long for a wide smile to spread on Ginny's face. ''Oh my Godrick! I was not expecting this when you said you were coming home. I'm so happy for you,'' she told Bill and then turned to you and introduced herself - although you already knew her name - and kindly asked for yours. ''Finally, I will no longer be the only girl among those boys. Why have you kept her a secret?''

''I did not-''

Ginny gave her brother a look. ''You didn't tell us. It's the same thing.''

''Maybe he didn't want you to steal her from him,'' Ron joked, making fun of his sister's excitement.

Ginny glared at him, about to say something back, but before she could, Molly called out that dinner was ready. A loud crack echoed and Fred and George aparated in the kitchen, sneaking on Molly and making her yelp.

''Just because you're allowed to do that doesn't mean you-''

''Do you need help, Mrs. Weasley?'' you offered.

Although Bill had promised his mother didn't hate you, being helpful would surely get you on her good side.

Molly smiled at you, thankful for the help. ''That would be very appreciated, dear. You take the soup and bread to the table. Don't forget to place a cloth underneath the stockpot or else it'll burn the wood of the table.''

You nodded and got to business.

While you were helping Molly, two men arrived in the kitchen. One of them had dark curly hair and the other had a walking stick. They introduced themself as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. You had heard of the former in the newspaper, but didn't dare ask questions. You simply smiled at him politely.

''Where are the others?'' you asked Bill when you sat down beside him, looking at the kitchen's entrance thinking two more Weasleys would come in. ''I thought you had five brothers.''

''Charlie is in Romania working with dragons and Percy,'' Ginny paused, glancing at their mom in the kitchen, taking something out of the oven. ''He doesn't live with us anymore.''

Ginny didn't need to say more for you to sense that Percy was a sensitive subject for the family. Especially to Molly. You felt like there was more to it than him moving out, but didn't dare ask as it wasn't your businesses.

Thankfully, the subject was dropped fast enough and Ron and Fred started arguing about who would get the ladle first, only for Ginny to roll her eyes and take it before them. Once she was done, she gave it to you to purposely annoy her brothers, which got a complaint from Ron.

''It was my turn!''