#but who cares my dreams are purée

[seeminglyseph]

……. I feel like I’m about to go watch A Crown of Candy so I cand get better context on a Ravening War rewatch.

I feel like. I have had to like. Fully take this time to recover from The Ravening War.

Like at all times I am in some small way thinking about Karna.

I’m working on my diet and getting healthier to spite the people who don’t know the value of the food on their plate, girl. I love you. I wish you could’ve had a chance to heal but at the least I hope the state of puréed and moulded is a peaceful afterlife.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes part 25: Date Night pt2

Atlas, city of dreams. It was a name post people overlooked and even more scoffed at. Still, it was a little hard not to believe the title from the way it looked; especially with the hundreds of lights illuminating the snow covered city. Veronica was no stranger to Atlas at night but she still couldn’t help but marvel at the sights passing by her window. They were almost as charming as the boy sitting next to her in the backseat, almost. Her mind still couldn’t believe this was happening. Veronica was going on a dinner date with Nick. How did that happen!? Well...she knew how it happened but it was still crazy! The situation wasn’t ideal but Veronica wasn’t exactly upset about it. Not in the way she had shown earlier. Veronica simply wished this event happened as a result of her efforts more than Valerie’s mistakes. Then again, all’s fair in love and war. If Valerie was going to be childish enough to hurt Nick, then that was all the more reason for Veronica not to pull her punches in winning him over. Not that she ever did, for the most part.

She looked over at Nick to see him sinking into his seat, eyes closed and body relaxed. “He must be more exhausted than he let on. She thought, listening to his breathing. He must’ve sensed Veronica’s gaze on him because his eyes opened seconds later. He caught the girl off guard by turning to her and smiling gently.

“Something on my face?” He asked.

His voice was a little deeper than before because of his short rest. The change made Veronica a little timid. “Uhh no. Hehe, your face is fine!” She uttered terribly. A snicker from Winter upfront made Veronica turn a little red. Her ears fell down as she realized how dumb that sounded. “I mean there’s nothing on it. That’s what I…yeah.” She really wanted to stop talking.

Nick sat up straight and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry I drifted a bit. I took a nap when I got home but I guess I was a little more spent than I realized.”

“No worries. A smooth ride puts me to sleep all the time. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you go? Back at the manor your mom said you went to go talk to someone?”

“Oh, that…” he looked in the rear view mirror to look at Winter, who looked back at with a smile.

“The lady asked you a question. Don’t mind me. It honestly isn’t as big of a deal as you think Nicholas. No need to tiptoe around it with your mother, uncle, and I. We’re adults after all.”

“I know. I just...I don’t know, feel a little guilty if I wasn’t careful about it.”

“You are just fine.” Winter reassured him. “To answer your question Veronica, Nicholas likes to visit his grandparents' graves to pay respects and ponder.”

Her ears perked up. This was news to her. Well, not entirely. She had known Nick liked to pray. He’s done it for as long as she could remember. Anytime things were rough or really important, Nicholas could be found giving a small payer. It was only later did she put together that the habit must’ve been formed during his sister’s time in the hospital. Though not religious in the slightest, Veronica could understand praying in a situation like that, but for his grandparents…?

“That’s a little strange, considering you never met either and one of them wasn’t exactly…” She wanted to pick her words carefully but it was hard not to call Jacques a piece of shit. “Let’s just call your grandfather a not so good influence.”

“Heh, that’s certainly putting it lightly.” Nick chuckled, “I guess I do it because...I’m a hit afraid. For me, I can’t imagine anything worse than passing away and the people left behind, the world, it just forgets about you; as if you had no impact on life. I wouldn’t wish that fate on even my enemies. Also, my grandfather’s wrongdoings in a weird way made my mom the person she’d be to have me and Summer.” He smiled at his own weird logic. “Gotta at least be thankful for that, right?”

His reasonings were flawed in some manner but completely understandable to Veronica. “Same rules apply to your grandmother?”

“More or less. I know it’s a little odd.”

“Yeah but it’s also very much a thing you’d do. Always trying to bring someone peace, it’s like your day job at this point.”

Nick shrugged. “Can’t argue with that.”

Winter began pulling over to the curbside, finally reaching their destination. A well known set down restaurant called Blended, known for its many different cuisines that specialized in ingredients that involved purée styled cooking; hence the name. Winter watched Nick get out of the car to escort Veronica, only for the girl to playfully roll her eyes as she got out of the car by herself.

“Well at least she’s consistent with her spunky attitude.” Winter thought, actually approving of the act. “You two be safe. Nick, don’t give your mother a heart attack.”

“How would I? This is just dinner, not a battlefield.”

“Knowing you, anything could happen.” She gave a little smirk before leaving them to ponder that diss.

Nick was both flattered and insulted. “Anyways…” he held his arm out which Veronica happily grabbed. The two went off to make their reservation. Tonight was going to be nice. Like Nick said, it’s just dinner. What could happen? The inside of the restaurant blew Veronica away. Elegant marble tile, pearl white cloths over the table, mood lighting,crystal chandeliers scattered about like if they were as cheap as lightbulbs, and the most divine scents imaginable. They had only entered the front door and yet her nose could pick out an array of ingredients in the kitchen. Veronica hadn’t seen the menu but she already knew there was gonna be a steak in front of her before this night was over.

“You know my opinion of Atlas might actually go up depending on this food?”

Nick chuckled at her comment and went towards the counter where a blonde woman in a waitress outfit stood at the ready. “Hello. Schnee, reservation for two. The usual spot please.”

“Why of course Mr. Sch-” the waitresses eyes quickly caught attention to Nicholas’s plus one. “Umm, Mr.Schnee? You know we actually may have a table on the private upper level if you like?” She said with a smile, maintaining eye contact with him.

“No thank you. Too close to the smoking area. I’ll take my normal table, the one by the window.” He said calmly. Nick took a moment to look at her name tag. He hadn’t seen this one before. “Sophia, that’s a nice name.”

Worry crept up on the corners of the waitress’s smile. “If smoke is the issue then may I recommend-”

“Sophia.” He said again. “Is there a reason in particular that I can’t have my window seat?”

“Well...it’s...just….” she fidgeted her hands, doing her best to not look at Veronica and cause a scene. “.....Right this way sir.” Sophia grabbed two menus and quickly went to lead them before Veronica put a hand on the menus. “M-Ma’am?” She stuttered.

Veronica wanted a good look at her but the waitress would barely meet her eyes. All Veronica could get was a side glance and a worked up heartbeat. “Nick, what do you usually drink?”

“Uhhh apple cider?”

Veronica took the menus out of Sophia’s hands. “Cool. Sophia, he’ll have that and I’d like water. Seeing how it’s a usual spot we’re going, Nick could just lead me himself. Thank you. Nick, if you would?” Veronica said, grabbing his arm.

“Okaaaay?” Nick didn’t question her orders. He grabbed the menus from her and walked through the restaurant. It was past the time most ate, but several clanging plates nearby told him there were a few late customers; about three people every five tables or so. Seeing them was easy even with dim lighting, but that also meant they saw him. A few looked up before continuing their meals while others stared for a couple seconds, forcing him to awkwardly wave as he went by.

“Sorry, usually it’s emptier by now. I come at this time to avoid drawing attention of people who always got a thing or too to say about the Schnees”

“Or the company they keep…” Veronica added. Their table was on the right side a little more than half way towards the back, right next to a window that showed the snowy streets and dazzling lights. A real winter wonderland sight. No wonder Nick liked this spot. She finally sat down. “By any chance do you know the owner of the restaurant?”

“Dyle, what about him?” He opened his menu and began reading.

“That waitress felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. She really didn’t want us sitting here too. Care to guess why?” Veronica reached over and pressed the menu down with a finger, making sure that Nick saw her ears wiggle. “This is why I wanted a bow.”

“Point taken, but I remember saying screw anyway that has a problem with you. I’ve never known Dyle to have a problem with faunus by the way.”

“Was that because he showed that he didn’t or because you just weren’t paying attention?” Vee noticed the waitress walk over. Sophia once again avoided her gaze, in favor of Nick’s. She also made sure to place Veronica’s water on the table but handed the cider to Nick directly.

“Ready to order?” She asked.

Nick had noticed the treatment of the drinks and had been aware of the eye contact. He only wanted a little time to think about everything as a whole. He didn’t have Veronica’s hearing but he did notice the paleness of her skin. “Are you well?”

“H-Huh?”

“You’re pale. Sick, or spooked by anything?”

“Oh, I’m fine…” The woman fidgeted. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Sophia quickly left the table.

At the same time, Veronica took a sip of Nick’s cider. “Well at least this place has good drinks. Be sure to ask for a second. I’d ask myself but you know, playing things safe around our jumpy friend.”

“Yeah….” Nick flipped through another page. “So there’s either one of two things happening right now. One, our waitress is scared of you, or-”

“A certain somebody wouldn’t want her serving us. Me, is what I should actually say. Gee, I wonder who?”

Nick couldn’t deny this was odd. “Again, point taken. However, it would be weird how many times Dyle has served my family, who actively promotes faunus rights. We’ve held meetings with your mother here before and other faunus.”

Vee always loved Nick’s simple logic, but boy was it not doing him any favors tonight. “Lesson time, my dear knight. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt of you not thinking critically with how tired you are at the moment.” Vee propped her arm on the table and rested her head in her palm. “We aren’t our parents. We’re just their brats. Adults know better than to pick on the pups when they’re around their source of income. Also, how many of those meetings were in perfect view from the street?”

Nick paused for a moment, then looked at the view. “.....None.” He closed his eyes, mentally kicking himself. “They’re up top and away from prying eyes.

“Out of sight, out of mind. Out of the way of any potential customers who may think twice of entering. Translation, private seating is a sweet way of saying it’s embarrassing to have you front and center.”

“Veronica, I didn’t-”

“Mr. Schnee!” A jolly voice called.

The teens looked to the side to see a husky redheaded man in a chef’s uniform and a hat as big as his handlebar mustache.

“Dyle.” Nick said, noticing Sophia turning ghost white a few feet behind him.

“How is the young heir on this fine night!? Craving our pastries again I bet! Oh ho ho ho!” The man patted his stomach at his one witty remark. His olive colored eyes shifted to Veronica. “My, my, where are my manners!? I’m Head Chef Dyle! Clearly Nicholas forgot his manners too for not introducing his partner in crime this lovely night. Though I guess there’s little need whenever you have credibility among the higher class? That and those lilac eyes, I’ve served a few times in the form of one fiery huntress who loves my steak! I assume your-”

“Yes, I’m her kid. To what do we owe the pleasure of the head chef himself coming to greet us?” Veronica said, hiding her attitude with fake jolliness.

“One of my little worker bees had told me one of my favorite customers was here yet again. Imagine my surprise to see him without his typical plus one. I tell you, that Valerie sure can eat until I feel a hole in my wallet! Ho! Ho! Ha! I crack myself up. Have you met her.”

“Occasionally. Sports art my thing. More of a cooking contest watcher myself. When I realized I get to try your steak I nearly jumped for joy!”

“Why thank you! Nicholas my boy, you sure bring a surprise each and every time, but you should know better. A table in the back near this drafty window at this time of year, and at night! Up your game. I’d be more than happy to let you two enjoy the comfiest seat in the building. Nothing sets the tone like the second floor. I can get you a private table right this second!”

If that wasn’t a slap in the face, then Nick didn’t know what was. Has this really gone over his head? Nick wanted to believe this was a classic case of misunderstanding, yet that felt inn accurate the longer Veronica looked at him. There was no anger, only a reserved look that poorly hid the fact she was uncomfortable. Nick stopped feeling sorry for himself, choosing to do what his family did best; put on the face that commanded respect. The face of Atlas’s most powerful family.

“Dyle?” Nick spoke, dragging out the chef’s name like a sigh of boredom. Nick focused one the menu in his hands while giving the man an occasional glance with only his eyes. “Do you know why I come here? I’ll give you a hint.” He tapped on the window.

“The...view-”

“Nope.” Nick said firmly, closing his menu. “It’s the view and the respect I believed this place had for its customers. All of its customers, but tonight is making me think I believed wrong. You’ve never been this insistent whenever Valerie and I ate here. I gotta say I’m a bit concerned. Between your behavior and our waitress, I can’t help but feel like this has everything to do with my lovely date and her perfect features.”

“Perfect.” Veronica thought, bashfully folding her ears.

“Dyle, am I correct to reevaluate my beliefs in this restaurant. No lying now. I want your honest answer.”

The jolly man wasn’t feeling so jolly anymore. Dyle’s smile turned into grimace teeth and panicked eyes. “N-No! it’s just...just!” He looked around and through the window for any watchful eyes. “It’s business. Your family should understand th-”

“My family is no longer in the business of just caring about good business. Fail to understand that and you won’t have to worry about yours.” Nick stood up and finally looked at the giant of a man as best he could. He could see it, the resentment and frustration building within the chef. By all means who wouldn’t be upset when against a member of the most dangerous family name, blatantly throwing power around like if it actually earned. Nick understood the look. If Whitley taught him anything, it was that look does nothing but keep the hate alive. Flex power, but wield it generously.

“Dyle, I will choose to believe you are in fact a good man.”

“W-What?” He said, caught off guard by the tone shift.

“If this is strictly business then we’ll treat it like so. Now there isn’t any scenario where I don’t get what I want, but I’m more than happy to get what we all want. The first thing is you apologizing to Veronica. After that you will tell all your staff to refrain from enforcing whatever faunus rules you have given them; followed by creating the best steaks you can ever create for this table. Your work won’t be done though. I do expect a dessert that will blow our mind. It is only after creating such a grand meal with your hands that you can rest easy knowing that it will have a fairly generous contribution to its stability. Indefinitely.”

“You’re...going to invest here?”

Nick sat back down. “That depends on you. A pretty decent offer I’d say. Equality and a good meal in an exchange for financial stability. Is that good with you Veronica?”

“Hmmmm, I say we should sweeten our pot. An easy fix with an official change in this place's mission statement as a public service. One that states on paper that this restaurant is for all. This isn’t a compromise.”

Nick smiled. “You heard the lady. Is it a deal?”

Dyle stood, confused by the offer. By all means it was not expected or heard of. “So this is how a Schnee conducts business now?”

“This is how I do business.”

“Hmph! Then I guess it’s fortunate you have deep enough pockets to back it up.” The man removed his chef’s hat and bowed. “Please excuse my blatant disrespect, Mrs. Belladonna.”

“Apology not accepted, but a deal is a deal and who am I to not capitalize on it for my people? Just keep your end of the bargain and I’m satisfied.”

“Ma’am.” Dyle rose from his bow, swiftly exiting to the kitchen. Veronica took a sigh of relief. Finally the man was gone. Any longer and she would’ve said something worth being glared at.

“Sorry about all of this.” Nick said with a guilty look. “Didn’t expect this level of confrontation tonight. Here I was thinking I was taking you to a stress free spot in Atlas.”

“I don’t see why you’re apologizing. After all, you are the one who told me not to hide my ears. Screw what others think, remember?” Veronica gave him a comforting smile before getting another sip of his cider. “The occasional loudmouth or prejudiced jerk is nothing new. Still… thanks for sticking up for me. It’s usually me being the mouthpiece for others or myself. It’s nice not taking the lead.”

Nick propped his head up on his right hand “Glad to be of service.”

“I can see that. How’d you know the waitress was being forced and not racist herself?”

“I’ve never met my grandfather, but his handy work I’m too familiar with.” Nick said, staring out the window.

Veronica could tell she had walked onto a sensitive subject. Between him trying to avoid talking about the grave in front of his family, it was easy to understand what he meant. She wouldn’t press the issue any further. Now wasn’t the time to get heavy. “You know if you keep looking out the window like that, I might just faint from your handsomeness.”

Nick’s face turned red. He whipped his head around to see his date smirking at him. “Oh why you gotta tease me like that!? It’s embarrassing.”

Veronica could only giggle as the flustered boy did his best to hide his face. “That’s more like it. Just keep smiling for me. That’s all I need.”

xxxxx

While a dinner date had begun in the city, a house breakout had started half an hour later. Schnee Manor had gone quiet. Dinner had ended long ago and all adults had retired to their room. Summer couldn’t ask for more. The young huntress in training double checked her supplies before making the great escape. Black wig? check. Favorite pair of ripped jeans with a nice leather jacket; check and check. She put her guitar case on her back and looked in the mirror.

“And mom said no good would come from mentioning Bleiss? Well...I am sneaking out, so I guess she had a point.” Summer left her room and began carefully walking through the halls with her boots in hand. Can’t be too careful. Even the finest houses can creak. Thanks to Nick being out, the alarm wasn’t on. Escaping would be cake walk. All she had to do was pick an exit that wouldn’t be seen or heard. Pesky cameras and windows made that a bit more of a challenge.

“Mom and dad and probably still catching up with Blake and Yang, so I should probably leave through the-”

“Beautiful night for an escape.”

Summer whipped her head around to see Blake looking at her, arms folded and smiling. Summer’s face went pale. “Es-Escape!? Me!? No...I was just….”

Blake raised her eyebrow. “Just…?”

“Esssscaping- yeah I was escaping.” Summer held her head down in defeat. She really needed to get better under pressure. “How did you know?”

“I heard the sound of glyphs earlier when you said you were eating. Multiple glyphs, launching something outside and around the house. You know it might’ve been less suspicious if you decided to grab whatever you needed, and haul it back to your room normally? No way Yang or I would know if it’s out of the ordinary.”

“Hindsight isn’t always 20/20. Plus I like plans. This one appears to be a bust though.”

“Not exactly. I won’t tell if you won’t.” Blake winked.

Summer’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what? You’re okay with me sneaking out.”

“It won’t earn me any warm feelings with Weiss but it’s clear to everyone in and out of this house that you need an outlet. I do have some conditions however.”

Summer squinted. Now she knew where Veronica got her deal making skills from. “I’m listening.”

“First, cut your parents some slack and go to school every day until after the tournament. I heard you’ll fail otherwise.”

“Ugh, why does everyone want me to- okay, fine. I was planning on it anyway. Next one?”

“Please try and be Veronica’s friend.”

“I’m sorry, did you ask me the impossible?” Summer said, making Blake frown. “What!? It’s the truth. Friendship is a two way street and both lanes are closed.

“Listen, I know my daughter hasn’t been the nicest to you, and I know what I’m asking is completely selfish. However, I’m asking anyway. Maybe if she had actual friends to open up to, then things wouldn’t be so bad for her.” Blake sighed.

“Are you trying to tell me Mrs. Fashion designer with perfect skin doesn’t have a line of people trying to rub elbows with her?”

“Hehe, you’d be surprised… Besides, I figured you would know first hand people like that aren’t exactly friend material, Mrs. Teen Idol.”

Summer bit her lip. “Fair point, got me there.” She folded her arms and began tapping her foot. Blake meant well, but it really felt like she was asking Summer to move a mountain. Especially after the forest incident. “Really twisting my arm here.”

“Could you at least make a strong attempt? You both will be spending more time together after all.”

“Hmmm, fine.”

Blake squinted, “Strong attempt, Summer.”

“I heard you.” Summer turned her head away like the snooty rich girl regular folk saw her as. “Is that all?”

“One more thing.” Blake walked up to the young girl and placed her hands on Summer’s shoulders. “Never forget you’re not alone.”

“.....Yes ma’am. Thanks, I mean it.”

Blake rubbed Summer’s head. She’s grown since the last time they met, yet still oh so small. Not to mention a bit frail. Summer may have looked like her mother but Blake could see how much more gentle she was in comparison. Not that Weiss wasn’t a softie in her own right, but she also had an uncompromising defiance. Blake didn’t see that in Summer. Her defiance by all means could be compromised. With any luck and help, it wouldn’t be. “Okay, I’ve held you hostage long enough. Have fun and be safe. I’ll feel guilty otherwise.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be at my home away from home. If I don’t get lost in the music then I’ll definitely be back before midnight.”

“And if you do get lost in the music?”

“Make sure the bathroom window in the third hall downstairs is unlocked. Sneaking is easier at ground level. Bye now.”

Summer gave Blake a hug then rushed off out of sight. Blake couldn’t help but sigh. “Oh boy, maybe I’m the softie?”

xxxx

“Nick?”

“H-huh!?” The boy shook himself out of his daze. Veronica chewed another slice of steak while giving Nick a look of concern. Nick quickly tried to snap back to reality. “Something wrong with steak?”

“Oh something is definitely wrong, but not with the steak.” Veronica took a sip of her third cup of cider. “Maybe you can tell me what’s wrong? Nick you’ve been spacing out more and more ever since we got our entrees. Is a twin thing happening that I’m not aware of?”

“What? Oh, no, no it’s nothing like that. Sorry I’m just more out of it than I thought tonight.

Veronica nodded. “I see. Well… I guess that’s what happens when your crush hurts your feelings.” She watched Nick’s face turn from shock to guilt in no time at all. “You know it’s fine to talk about it right?”

“No it’s not. This is supposed to be a date and what kind of jerk complains about relationship stuff in front of somebody who has feelings for them? It’s not exactly dating etiquette.”

“Oh absolutely. Just thinking about another woman while there’s one in front of you is a real low blow. Frankly I am a bit bruised by it.”

“That’s why-” his words were silenced by the sweet taste of steak Veronica placed in his mouth.

“Let me finish while you chew on that, kay? Yeah my poor little pride is a bit bruised, but it’s not like I don’t already know where I stand when it comes to Valerie; much like how I know you’ve been doing well to try and set that aside. However, I’m here to tell you that’s flawed thinking. At least when you’re dealing with me. I’d much rather you talk about it with me than mentally check out whenever we’re together. So seeing how this dinner date is already far from conventional, let’s not beat around the bush a talk about the girl on your mind.”

Even though she was clearly being nice, Nick couldn’t help but feel like even more of a jerk! “It’s- it’s okay, really. We don’t have to make a big deal out of-”

“Ten minutes.”

“Huh?”

Veronica pulled out her scroll and set a timer. “It was your bright idea to have a ten minute unfiltered grace period between us. I’m calling in your ten minutes sucker. Deny it and I’ll never agree to doing it like you want.” She hit the timer. “Now spill your guts.”

His own system, used against him. Nick wasn’t sure if he should be happy Veronica remembered it, or upset. “Well played. Fine I’ll talk. Yes, Valerie has me lost in thought.”

“About what?”

“About a lot of things.”

“Nah uh, it’s something specific that has you upset. Might as well come clean now.”

“You’re really not gonna make this easy huh?”

“Nope! Tough love is tough, now speak.” Veronica smiled.

“Sigh, Val...made it seem like I was embarrassing to be around. That I stick my nose into everything. It’s not just her too. Summer said something similar to me butting in as well. The entire thing has been bugging me. Am I really that annoying to them?” Nick slouched in his chair. “Have been pushing them away?”

Veronica clicked her tongue. He opened up faster than she expected. “While I can’t speak much about you being embarrassing since I don’t think you are by any means; I can totally say you do make it your mission to be a helping hand in every situation. So yeah, you do butt in.”

The waitress came back and Veronica quickly gathered their dirty dishes to give to the actually nice woman. “All that being said, that’s nothing new Nick. You’ve always been like that. I’d say it’s actually one of your better qualities.”

“It is?” He said confused.

“Mmmhmm. I’ve never minded it at the very least. There’s a comfort in knowing there’s a helping hand in your corner. Plus it’s not like you blatantly ignore any request telling you to stop. You did give Valerie space when she asked for it after all. As for your sister, she’s all talk. I can tell just from reviewing footage and our short trip to the forest that Summer is quick to depend on you. If you ask me, she’s more annoyed at herself for that than she is at you.”

“I doubt it. They both gave me that same look of frustration. Especially Valerie. One minute she wants to be included whenever I’m in trouble but the next she’s telling me to take a hike. It’s pissing me off.” Nick rubbed his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. This entire thing felt like a complex math equation he didn’t know how to solve.

Veronica could tell by the look on his face how conflicted this made him. How conflicted Valerie made him. Needless to say, she was a bit envious. “Why do you love her so much?” She asked bluntly.

Nick’s face turned red. “Uhhh what?”

“I’m just trying to understand what makes her special. After all, Nicholas Schnee could have a girlfriend everyday of the week, yet he fawns over one. The same one since kindergarten. It can’t only because you’ve known each other for so long. What makes her special in your eyes?” Veronica knew she was practically asking to get hurt but she had to know. What was it that made Valerie different from her?

“D...Do I really have to answer that? It’s kinda sudden.”

“The clock has five more minutes on it and you have a girl willing to listen to gush over another girl. Money can’t buy you a scenario this sweet. Fess up.”

Nick took a long sip of his cider before taking an even longer breath. It would’ve been nice if he could do this for five minutes straight but that would be asking for too much. The only way out was through.

“It’s not the most complicated reason if you’re wondering. Growing up the way I have has had numerous blessings I won’t begin to look down on. Family, money, influence; all of that has been a joy. That being said, I didn’t really revel in being who I am as a Schnee until maybe four or five years ago. Everything I did or everywhere I went, a person would always watch what I would do. Nick is gonna go far. Oh he’s great at that, perhaps he’ll go pro? That sort of thing. Ice skating was just a hobby at first. I did it because it was relaxing and mom liked skating with me. I never paid attention if I was actually good at the moves I tried.”

“But...the people did?” Veronica asked, receiving a nod.

“I didn’t think much of it. I was only around seven perhaps? It actually made me happy. So what if a few people liked my routine? I was on the ice for fun and happened to win a medal. But then, as I kept on skating, a pressure started to form. More eyes started watching me. Waiting for the next medal, talking my skill up, muttering rumors about the contests I didn’t participate in, shaking their heads at my failures…they weren’t looking at me. Only my achievements and shortcomings. Ice skating stopped being fun, again. Mom was always quick to tell me to never pay them mind and eventually convinced me to take a break from it altogether. I could never skate again and she’d be perfectly fine with that.”

“Of course. She shared that with you as an outlet, not a sport. I think she knows better than anyone how cruel it is to make a child participate in performances just because they’re good at it.”

“Yeah, hehe, she really has the perfect playbook of what not to do with a child. It would be cool if it wasn't also sad. Anyways, the break was well needed. People eventually stopped talking and I skated in private. By then I’ve taken up some early combat stuff. Nothing serious. Fencing, a few things a bit more in the huntsman category but for more of sparring and building blocks of it all. Valerie had taken notice one day and got the biggest smile. Finally we can do some real horse playing! She shouted and cheered. Next thing I knew I was being driven to the gym with a hyperactive twelve year old who may have been a little too eager to hit her best friend.” He chuckled.

“And they say I’m feisty. So what? Did she hit you so hard you thought it was cool?” Veronica teased.

“N-Well it was cool, but that wasn’t the linchpin! We were having fun sparring. I was having fun. Learning how she did and showing me the ropes everyday was a blast, until one day I did something really cool I guess. Cool enough that people noticed; and kept noticing. People started talking again about what this might possibly mean for me and began watching my practices. I remember starting to feel the overwhelming stress build up again. It was frustrating thinking that this thing I do for me was about to be taken for the people again. I wanted to cry on the spot. Next thing I knew, Valerie had gotten on this platform to make herself taller and kindly told everyone that they were interrupting our training. To my surprise, they left. It only hit then that I’ve been so caught up in trying to avoid them or please, that I never once tried telling everyone to leave me alone. I asked Valerie how she could easily tell people that also expect so much from her to leave because they were in way. Why would I ever care about their input? I do what I want for me. They’re just along for the ride. S-”

BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ! Ten minutes had finally gone by. Veronica clicked her tongue. She reached to shut her alarm off when Nick reached for her scroll.

“It’s only right to finish a story this far in. Not much left anyways.” Nick shut the alarm off to continue. “As I was saying, Soon after that is when I began getting back into ice skating and really started participating for myself; figuring out my agenda in all things I did. Especially tournaments. That’s the gist of it. Like I said, silly.”

“No, I get. Valerie gave you back your enjoyment of your hobbies. Helped make a new lease on life. How could that not be a big deal? If anything it makes me irritated that you have such nice reasoning.” Veronica poked her lips out in a dramatically pouty way before turning head to the window. “Guess I should’ve figured as much. She did to you what you did for me. No wonder you like her. Still, I’m not phoning things in yet. Especially if those are the words she told you.” Veronica stopped herself from clenching the table cloth. “That hypocrite. Not caring about their input my ass…” Veronica let out a little chuckle. That was certainly informative. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“Yeah don’t thank me yet.” Nick put thirteen minutes on the timer and smiled. “I believe it’s your turn?”

Veronica’s pleased expression quickly turned to panic. “Wait, what!?”

“Why do you like me?” He asked without mercy. The flush on Vee’s cheeks was redder than wine. “Y-You can’t just ask a girl why they like you!”

“Oh but you can ask me about my romantic feelings without question.” Vee nodded shameless.

“Yep that pretty much sums it up. Besides it’s not like I asked about your feelings towards me. That’s embarrassing as hell.” Veronica watched Nick purse his lips and gave her a look that screamed “seriously?” It was enough to make her start combing her fingers through her hair and look at the coconut cream pie slice that the waitress somehow managed to put under her nose without detection. “I...specifics are bothersome to explain. Just understand that...Nick, you’ve…” she could feel her heart pound in her own ears. “You’ve given me a lot of strength, hope actually. In ways I can’t begin to explain. I’m grateful; dare I say blessed.”

Those words truly shocked him. It wasn’t everyday a term like that came from Vee’s lips. “Blessed huh? That’s a big deal coming from a nonbeliever like yourself.”

“And despite knowing that you still tell me how you pray for me. Not that I particularly mind that I’m in your thoughts regularly. Also it’s rude to just straight up say nonbeliever. I have beliefs. Now the feelings associated and to what the beliefs are is a different story. Thank you for the prayers nonetheless though.”

“Maybe one day you’ll pray for me, hehe.”

Veronica smirked. “I doubt any deity would heed the words. I’ll keep the praying business to the faithful.”

“Fair enough.” Nick took a scoop of ice cream off his fudge brownie and looked at the timer. “Seeing how you’re a bit resistant to tell me why you feel the way you do towards me, can you at least be frank with me by telling me why you’re so adamant about not getting along with Valerie or Summer?”

Very slumped over. “Of all the questions, you’re set on detective work?”

“This timer thing isn’t even meant for interrogation. I offered this as a way to vent without consequences but you’re the one who wanted to play twenty questions.” He finally took a bite of dessert. “Tough it out” He said, a warm smile on his face from the flavor.

“Sigh, guess I have no right to complain. I wouldn’t say I have any real personal grievances towards them, even though I have a few unpleasant memories of your sister harassing me when we were little.”

“We were five.”

“Well I was six and a hurt tail is still a hurt tail, but I digress. Those two, they’re not the kind of people I find myself liking very much. Summer always wraps individuals into her pity party by acting like she’s making a genuine effort, and then Valerie, sigh, there’s not a thing about her that doesn’t make me want to hit her. I know you like her and wouldn’t say she’s a bad natured person, but…” Veronica held her tongue before she overstepped. These were still Nick’s loved ones.

Nick on the other hand wasn’t satisfied. “Say it, what’s on your mind. Zero consequences remember?”

“You say that but it’s not like we’ll magically forget what we’ve said in this last twenty six minutes.”

“No, but I trust you won’t hold my words and secrets against me. Do you trust me? Good or bad, this is meant to clear the air. I’d be a hypocrite to not let you speak your mind after asking you to.” It was a bit brash but Nick reached for Vee’s hand and held it.

Veronica felt her own breathing slow down at the sight of Nick’s reassuring smile. Her eyes went to her pie to avoid his gaze. He was too disarming for his own good. It made her feel guilty for doubting, as well as relying on him the way she did.

“Valerie isn’t a good friend, not you and I, not your sister for that matter. Yeah she might help out because she’s a good person but she’s far too self centered in my opinion. I mean just take tonight for example. You’ve made plans with her that fell apart because everything you two do are on her own terms. What friend gets upset that another saved them in a training exercise, or uses a pet name that the other person doesn’t like!?”

Nick raised his eyebrow. “Pet name?”

“Summer hates to be called Princess, right? That could be a thing with me personally but with the way she gets so pissed about it I would think Valerie using it would be annoying. Yet she does it anyway. Like how she’s quick to try to act like she’s above something when she clearly isn’t. I-”

“Vee? My hand…” Nick winced, his hand being squeezed like a stress ball.”

“Crap…” Veronica immediately loosened up to look at it. Thankfully her nails didn’t dig into him but she did make his hand red. Veronica gently begins rubbing it in some pointless attempt to relieve the pain. “Sorry I… I shouldn’t lose my temper like that. Ugh I know better too. Maybe steak was a bad idea after all?”

Nick watched as Veronica became fixated on the light injury. Her ears had fallen down and the anger she had while speaking had vanished entirely. All she could do was rub his hand. “It’s fine, honest. I don’t even feel pain anymore.”

“You shouldn’t have felt pain at all. This is the second time I’ve hurt you.”

“Well...I did actively walk into a fight the first time. Faunus reasons or not, a person should expect to get whaled on a bit when breaking a fight up.”

Veronica knew Nick was trying to be nice and there was truth to his words. That still didn’t make her feel much better. “I guess there’s one thing Valerie and I have in common. We get you hurt for needless reasons that could be avoided.”

“Vee…”

“Hey, I know she makes you happy and I shouldn’t really try to persuade you to feel otherwise, but… I can’t help but feel like… if you were to ever allow it one day if you’ll look my way, because…Nick, I think I can make you even happier.” She gently held his hand with her trembling ones.

Nick couldn’t see her eyes but could see how the blush took over her. She wasn’t the only one. How could he not feel embarrassed when Veronica Belladonna, the most brazen girl he knew, was now currently holding his hand sheepishly while her tail swayed side to side. Thank goodness he had set a timer beforehand. The buzzer finally went off and Veronica snapped out of her trance, letting go. Rather than speak further, her pie became the scapegoat, getting devoured without interruption. Nick wanted to say something but even the work up to speaking made her face redder by the second. Besides, the timer hit zero. He had to respect the rules he made. A lot was learned within a short time.

“It’s been some time since we had a talk like that. Thanks, Veronica. I feel like I know you even better than before.”

“Just...eat your dessert, please?” She said, embarrassed beyond belief. How could she say something so compromising like that!? Claiming to make him happier than Valerie was bolder than she meant to be.

xxxx

The rest of dinner was pretty quiet. Both of them couldn’t think of any light topics to discuss after prying into feelings. It wasn’t awkward to speak but felt more, inappropriate, so to speak. Both desserts were finished and the chef had passed his taste test. Nick would keep his end of the bargain. However, the generous tip he usually left for all workers involved was purposely missing. The chef had lost the privilege entirely. The waitress would be in for a shock the next time she checked her savings. No need to punish those in the crossfire after all. Veronica and Nick left without saying a word to anybody.

The two of them walked down the sidewalk in the season's chill embrace. Veronica felt the chill winds creep down her thin dress. It felt colder than in the forest. Not even a single person or car was on the street! Nothing but an ever forming winter wonderland!

“Eugh! I know walking home was my idea but maybe I should’ve thought ahead?”

Nick chuckled. “Maybe so?” He took his dress coat off and draped it over her shoulders. “Better?”

“Yeah but you just got over being sick. You can’t afford to catch another cold.”

“Relax, I got sick because of stress. Temperatures like this are nothing to anybody who lives here. The cold is nothing in the face of a real Atlesian. It’s in our blood!”

“And central heating is in your budget. Speaking of which, shouldn’t that be on full blast in the winter!? I mean my goosebumps have goosebumps.” Veronica shivered.

Nick smiled. “I’m glad you asked!” He took Veronica’s hand and quickly rushed over to a building with an awning for them to be under. “There’s a reason I picked a reservation for today. It’s the night manual resets happen.”

“Manual resets?”

Nick nodded. “Yep! You’re right about it being super cold. The lack of people is a dead giveaway.”

“What’s up with that? I thought Atlas was a city that never slept? It’s like a ghost town now. Nothing but….actually…” Veronica looked around the streets, lamps, and every building. There were noticeable less lights. A far cry from the dazzling show she saw earlier through the window. “The heating system, it’s off.”

“Not entirely. A majority of buildings still have them on but yes, external heating vents get temporarily shut off and rebooted. It’s common in the winter since they have to run constantly. You didn’t think it was weird that it was snowing so steadily?”

“Now that you mention it, I guess it is. Everything was already covered in snow so I didn’t notice.”

“Most snow melts on contact but there’s no getting past it during the cold season. Heater or not heater, you’re gonna see snow fall.”

Veronica breathed on her hands to warm them up. “So why come out when the heaters are off if you can see snow whenever?”

“Because I’m not here for the snow. There’s only one thing Atlas gets to really witness whenever the heaters come back on, because the reboot forces the heaters to come back on at full blast.”

“What would-” Before she could finish, Veronica witnessed it first hand; the sudden burst of heat that washed over her body as the orange glow of heaters returned to pale white city. The previous atmospheric silence had been broken. Pit pat pit pat pit pat pit. The familiar brought Veronica’s attention to the streets. Right before eyes like magic, suddenly and seamless, the winter wonderland turned into rain. Lots of rain.

Any and all snowflakes melted before pitter pattering on the pavement. Rain was nothing new to her and neither was Atlas at night for that matter, but a rainy night lights in the city of Atlas? That was a different story entirely. It was if she was in a new kingdom altogether, the way the lights shimmered on the water in the air and on the ground. Atlas somehow went from looking like a snow globe, to a chandelier.

“Woah~” Veronica was floored. She extended her hand out. The feeling of frigid rain contrasted against the warm so much it made her jolt. “Ah! Man that has a bite to it!” She laughed.Veronica stepped out from the awning.

Nick, shocked by her actions, quickly grabbed her hand. “Hey, your dress!” He shouted with agency. Veronica did not bother with his words. Instead she pulled Nick into the rain with her as she laughed.

“Hahaha! What’s a little water!? I love the rain!! Between the heaters and a pour like this, I’d say this is more refreshing than the showers back home.” Veronica’s grin widened. She took hold of Nick’s hands and began swaying. “Come on, dance with me!”

Nick let himself get strung along into Vee’s antics. He caught her guard by pulling the two of them into a ballroom stance and began to waltz.

Veronica’s ears wiggled. “Oooo look at you Mr. Casanova, taking the lead like that.”

“You’re pretty upbeat for a cat in the rain.” He teased.

“Jokes on you, panthers love water, and people from Menagerie love the ocean. I do have a surfboard after all.” She leaned back to que Nick to support her back. Veronica dramatically stuck her leg out to do an over the top dip before Nick brought her back up, pulling her close.

“Nice moves.”

“You’re not the only one who has to learn etiquette. Gotta stay on my toes for the public too. Pretty easy with a tail for balance.”

Nick chuckled. He waltzed his cheeky date back over to the awning near a heater as she continued to laugh. “I could’ve sworn minutes ago you didn’t want me getting sick?”

“Well someone bragged about being one with the cold.”

“I didn’t say all that now. I’m surprised someone complaining about the cold gets excited to dance in the rain.”

“Yeah well…” Veronica moves even closer to Nick, until there’s virtually no space between them. “I feel pretty warm right now.” She said, looking up into his eyes. Maybe it was the heater, the cold rain, or the warmth from his arms now wrapping around her, but it made Veronica warm to the point of feeling dazed. It couldn’t just be her. Not when Nick’s face was its own shade of red. The two let the sound of rain surround them yet again. The smile Veronica had slowly shifted into an expression of longing. She was so close to him right now. Closer than she’s ever felt. His warmth, his cologne, his lips…; Veronica’s body couldn’t help but lean forward. Right...until…

Beep! beep! The sound of a car horn made both jump out of their skin. They looked to the street to see their waitress waving joyfully.

“Thanks for the tip!” She said emotionally as she drove off.

The surprise brought Veronica back to her senses to see Nick’s face flushed and embarrassed. As well as conflicted. Like how he was back at Penny’s lab. Veronica felt the weight of her actions hit her like a tank and quickly took a step back.

“Sorry! Silly me, hehe. Here I was telling you that I wouldn’t be too forward or force anything, then I pull this! Talk about embarrassing huh?!” There wasn’t a bone in her body that didn’t want to find a hole to hide in. How could she get lost in emotion again!?

Nick frowned. “Ver-”

“It’s fine! Totally my bad.” She could feel her own heart start to race from her recklessness. “Tonight has been nice. We should probably start heading back before-”

Nick took Veronica’s arm and shut her up by kissing her cheek before wrapping his arms around her tightly. Her body went a little stiff before eventually hugging him back.

“No date is complete without a little intimacy, right.” Nick said, doing his best to kill the tension. “Sorry things got weird. I should’ve spoken up. It’s not like I would’ve been upset.” He admitted. “I just...you know. But I hope this is okay at least?”

Rejection is nothing new. Veronica was ready for the sting. However, Nick’s words didn’t sting at all. In fact, Veronica could only find herself hiding her face in his shirt, enjoying this comfort. Her heart stopped racing and she felt calmer than she had all night. This wasn’t rejection. Not by a long shot. A to be continued perhaps?

“This is perfect.” She said, holding her crush closer. “Stay just like this for your date. At least for a few more moments.”

Nick smiled. “As you wish.”

Veronica may not have Nick’s attention like how Valerie does, but at this moment, Veronica had Nick focused on her and her alone. He was hers right now. Veronica couldn’t ask for more. This definitely was an unconventional date, clumsy and hardly what anyone would call romantic. Veronica would cherish it all the same.

xxxx

While the sweet sound of rain soothed one duo, another couldn’t hear it all, it being completely drowned out by applause with bubbling excitement. Tonight may be one of the coldest nights for Atlas, but for a warehouse in Mantle filled with young adults, passion burned in the form of a young woman in black about to conquer the stage with her guitar and vocals. Summer was ready to vent. While Eliza carefully observed from afar.

If she wasn’t here then she might not have believed it. With those clothes and confidence, Eliza was sure she was watching a stranger.“Summer Schnee, you and your brother are one surprise after another.”

The singer grabbed a microphone and looked out to the many eyes ready to cut loose. “ALRIGHT EVERYBODY LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE!”

Summer screamed, receiving nothing less than twice the excitement back. No time was wasted in playing how she played less. Tonight was her night. Problems could wait until tomorrow.

[youarejesting]

Femme: 41

Pairing: BTS - OT7 x Reader, GDragon x Bigbang

Rating: mature

Length: 4.9k

Warnings: sex, cum denial, mentions of assault, Dom Namjoon.

Announcement: Thank you for waiting patiently, I have been struggling with the internet. Here is the new chapter, I hope you all enjoy. If anything is missing let me know it took me 3 hours to post this from my niece's phone haha

Recap: The boys all found out y/n is having Yoongi’s baby and you all have to learn how to accommodate a little one. You have a magical wedding. You and Yoongi are getting down and dirty when you go into labour. You give birth to a beautiful baby boy named Kyungju. Scary, Fun and Cute times have been had and that’s where we left off.

Yoongi was playing the piano while wearing a papoose. Making exasperated sounds when something didn’t sound right in the song he was writing. Kyungju knew nothing about music but what his father exposed him to. Making a grunting sound whenever the music stopped playing he tried hard to mimic his father's sounds. When he really liked a song or melody he would wiggle and kick his feet squeaking happily and Yoongi continued brainstorming, silently laughing at his son’s cute reactions.

It was the first time Kyungju was without you. Looking at potential daycares for the days one of you weren’t home and seeing as Yoongi works from home and Taehyung and Namjoons jobs were contract-based. Meaning they only worked when there was work for them. This wouldn’t be often.

Yoongi placed the baby in the walker and sat on the floor in front of him taking out a container of puréed peach apple and pear. He tried to feed his son but he refused eyes full of amusement. “Come on Kyungie we aren’t playing it's time to eat”

After another refusal, Yoongi sighed taking a spoonful and trying to entertain his son to no avail. “Look I don’t know what your complaining about its fruit look it’s tasty” he scooped some into his mouth and made exaggerated sounds pausing.

“Man that’s actually really good, if you don’t eat it I will” Yoongi scooped another spoonful into his mouth watching his son leaning forward mouth open making grabbing hands, he laughed feeding him “that’s all it took, you will do it if I do it?”

Yoongi was chatting to Kyungju about his work while feeding him.  Kungju’s eyes were growing heavy, dropping adorably. “I don’t see what the big deal is you know, it’s not like it’s a particularly good tune I mean I wrote it on the toilet” he scooped himself some purée before offering another to his son.

Kyungju slowly rolled the purée around his mouth most of it escaping as he slowly laid his head on his arm. Yoongi blinked shocked picking up his son and walking him to the nursery, he played him the music he had written for the infant. Making sure it was a low volume on the sound system. He cleaned his son’s face and hands removing the bib from his chest and laid his boy into the crib.

He switched on the monitor and walked out looking for his phone, spotting the half-eaten jar of purée beside it on the coffee table. He picked up both scooping some of the baby food into his mouth.

You had arrived home early, to see Yoongi enjoying the Jar of baby food. He froze, throwing the spoon into the sink and placing the small jar in the fridge. “No one will believe you” he smirked shutting. “Shit you are right, why didn’t I take a photo, look I won’t tell anyone about you eating the babies food if you go to the shop and buy some more, because that was our last jar”

When your boy woke he didn’t cry. He was babbling in his crib playing with his Woogie. You stepped into the room and watched his eyes light up and the pull of his all gum smile in response. He looked so much like his father. Taking Kyungju to the antenatal clinic he was weighed and measured they asked you questions about his diet and movement.

You walked home pushing the pram, Kyungju dropped his Woogie off the side and a kid in uniform stopped picking it up. “Hey little man you dropped this” he smiled and looked up, you took a sharp breath. It was the same kid the one who had helped you get your purse but also led you down an alleyway where people were waiting to do god knows what.

Your breathing became erratic, freezing up as if one wrong move could hurt your baby. “I’m sorry,” he said and turned away from you, noticing his face was bruised and busted. “I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me” He curled up and was hyperventilating more than you, your son turned looking up at you and reached forward to gently pull on the boy's hair.

“Kyungie, no we don’t pull hair” grabbing your son’s hand and untangling it from the reddish locks. Shushing the teen until his breathing evened out “Listen I am not going to hurt you, but,  can you tell me about why you did it?” “Everyone has their breaking point, I let them all getaway and had been beaten because of it but everyone has a limit when their fear takes over and they will do anything to keep themselves or their loved ones safe, I am sorry it had to be you”

“What happened to your face?” “It was just a couple hits,” he said and you looked at his face and sighed “it’s not like I can do anything I have no home or family or anyone who cares about me, they all died years ago, when I was starving on the street they told me they would protect men feed me and put a roof over my head but now I can’t escape”

You bit your lip, hooping like hell you wouldn’t regret this, you gave him your number, “look if you need help call me, and use the code word bangtan. Stay safe”

When you arrived at home Yoongi still wasn’t back yet he texted that he took a detour for lamb skewers. Taking the opportunity to film. “Hey, guys so I just got back from Kyungie’s appointment they say he is looking really good. But today I have some exciting news, I am pregnant again I haven’t told the boys yet but I just got back from the doctor and I am sixteen weeks which is four months, I successfully kept this one a secret, though I think Jiminie and Hobi are getting really suspicious, I haven’t had any morning sickness this pregnancy which has been a dream.”

“I also got the results on who the next father is, but I haven’t read it yet I am going to tell them all tonight so I will record it for you and-” you told the camera your plan and began editing the first half of the video so it was almost ready to post.

The boys came home one by one. You had set up multiple cameras around the living room with the remote in your pocket ready to film their reactions. Dinner consisted of jjigae, rice and banchan for the adults, Kyungju had puréed chicken broccoli and pumpkin, he was having more fun spitting it at Jimin than actually eating.

“Come on Kyungie eat your dinner” “I went to the doctor today, Kyungie hasn’t really put on much weight so they want to monitor him a little more but he is growing really well and is in the top seventy-five percent for his age”

“But babies as they get more active and as his diet is changing it will slow down his weight gain we just have to watch he is eating enough. I called Yoongi‘s mother and she said Yoongi was the same and not to worry”

“And the doctor was impressed with my muscles said if I keep following Kookies light workout routine that I should have no troubles at all and she said sex and orgasms are a good work out for pelvic floor muscles so if anyone wants to work out, you know where to find me” “That’s good that you had no issues” Namjoon grinned from across the table, “if anything changes let us know your health is most important to us”

“Did the doctor say anything else?” Hoseok asked and you grinned at him. “He said Kyungie needs his six-month vaccinations but I booked that later this week when Namjoon had his day off, I couldn’t go alone and tomorrow is his first day at daycare and then I am heading off to work so if anyone wants to drop him off with me you can otherwise we will record it if someone is busy and so we can keep it forever”

Seokjin was taking kyungie for a bath after dinner. The two sat in the warm water Jin smiling and playing with the squeaky bath toys that made Kyungie erupt in fits of giggles. Taehyung took him to get him dried and dressed. You told him you had laid clothes out on the changing table in the nursery. You pressed record seeing the red lights on the hidden camera’s switch on.

Taehyung walked him back from the nursery and laughed. “This is funny his suit says big brother on it like he is asking to be a big brother” he showed them the words on the suit.

“Are you pregnant again?” “I knew it Jagiya, Jimin and I have been discussing it for weeks” Hoseok laughed “I thought I hid it well” “We are going to need a bigger house. How far along are you?”

“Kyungie you’re a big brother” Taehyung grinned down at the boy “Who is the father?” Hoseok asked “One at a time, okay I am four months. I got to sixteen weeks without you finding out and it was exhausting but I didn’t get morning sickness this time because I knew how to prevent it better”

“Who is the father?” Namjoon asked quietly. “I don’t know but I have the letter, so who wants to read it first” They all shook their heads and you hummed opening the letter and covered your mouth crying, “Kookie, you’re going to be a daddy” you sniffed and he shot from the chair and wrapped his arms around you crying. He had a wet face and his hands were shaking.

“I love you” his laugh was broken by a sob, “I’m going to be a dad” The boys tackled him and patted his back. “Jaykay, you sly dog” they cheered happily.

You took Kyungju to daycare with your usual walking and Taehyung. The place was run by a lovely group of young men and women, “ah Miss y/n, so this is Kyungju, how are you today? He looks happy” a cute young man with a name tag that said ‘hello my name is Sungmin’. Sungmin grinned scooping up your son from your arms. He tried to keep his voice from sounding winded as  he received several strong kicks to the chest by a smiling Kyungju.“He is a strong one”

“Congratulations we saw your announcement video, another baby” Sunny smiled Yoona gave you a quick hug before you had to go to work. You had met the two the day before for all the paperwork and interviews. They assured you they would call if anything seemed odd, you kissed your boy and tried not to cry.

Inshik listened while you spoke about the daycare and your new pregnancy, he comforted you about your son being away from home. You got up to serve a customer but it was Jimin, eventually, all the boys turned up and you stepped out the van, “hello my lovers why are you all here? I’m not giving free ice creams”

“Joon told us to” Hoseok smiles pulling you onto his lap pressing his lips to the back of your neck whilst rubbing your tummy. Namjoon spoke quickly to Inshik who told you that was all for today. Namjoon led you to a company van and after a short drive, you arrived at a lovely building. The group stepping out to greet others.

“Okay, this is a little expensive but it is just a block from Kyungie’s daycares and still close to our workplaces it’s got a huge master bedroom, it’s built as a Femme home, so there are a lot of rooms.

A realtor walked you through and you looked around imagining how you would decorate. “But what about the TXT boys I can’t leave them behind“ “We have so many rooms they could stay over for sleepovers” Taehyung grinned and you debated the costs.

“This is a big and expensive house” your face showed your concerns. “We can do it, we all make a good living and the videos we make online can cover most of our expenses anyways” “Let’s sleep on it”

The channel grew more and more. The boys and their families all put money in to help you buy the house outright and you were so happy moving in. Staying in the huge master bedroom the room was ten meters wide and there were two Super Caesar beds each bed was 3.65 meters wide and could fit four people in each so both beds custom fit together could hold eight people comfortably.

Rolling from one side to the other was a full 7.3 meters and the bathroom was huge as well, there were five bathrooms in the house and the boys had a computer and games room an office and Yoongi’s studio. You all decided to make a room for making videos for your channel.

So the new house had twelve rooms and you were excited some of the boys still used their own rooms when they needed their own space. Otherwise, they all stayed in the master bedroom and left the other rooms for guests.

And not only was their room for guests you had room for pets, so all the boy’s beloved pets moved into the house. Yoongi had taught holly to protect Kyungju so he spent most of his nights on the soft rug in the nursery.

When Kyungju would crawl across the floor after Yeontan and Mickey, Holly would lay on his belly and crawl along beside Kyungju.

Sometimes you would see the Mins sleeping on the studio couch, Kyungju on Yoongi’s chest Woogie in his little fist and holly at Yoongi’s feet.

“Hey everyone it’s been so hectic, as you saw in our house tour video last week, we moved into a new house. It’s May and I am seven months pregnant and extremely exhausted after setting up, so today we are just going to have live mukbang so I can eat and relax and talk about things happening”

“I have a few friends coming over with some, so they should be here any minute” the TXT boys turned up and with bags of food making themselves comfortable in front of the camera. “We got you your favourite foods Noona, hello everyone?” “You look tired Noona are you feeling okay?” “Just tired from moving but this house is so big which is perfect for our growing family”

“Noona look what I am wearing today,'' Yeonjun showed his shirt which you had given them in a PR package, it was your channel merchandise. “You grinned showing him the TXT phone case, which you put on especially for them. Eating and talking, Soobin whose hands were full bouncing  Kyungju to sleep was being fed by Beomgyu and Yeonjun.

Your son woke after all the food was demolished so you ended the live, fed and changed him, giving him to Taehyun who was super playful. Your phone rang, there was no caller ID.

“Hello?” Someone was sobbing into the other end and you felt your body tense, who was this. “hello?” “Bangtan,” the voice said “please Bangtan” “Okay stay on the phone are you safe?” “No they are outside the door they are going to bust it down”

You took Soobin’s phone off the table and called Namjoon, he didn’t answer. You lied through your teeth, “help is coming” “Hurry please” “Hang in there we will be there soon tell me where you are?” He gave you an address “can you put something in front of the door a dresser or a bed or something”

You told the boys to take care of Kyungju for a few minutes and you took a cab across town and threw the driver some cash and told him to stay and keep the car running. You left the door open much to the driver’s dismay.

You wondered if this was the place, your suspicions confirmed by the shouting from inside, you called him. “I am here are you near a window” you saw his head poke out and you frowned he was on the second floor. You hummed sneaking across the lawn and he started climbing out. You could hear the men breaking down the door he jumped. You heard a sickening crunch and he slapped a hand over his face muffling his scream. The door wouldn’t hold much longer and they would know he had escaped. With all the strength of a mother saving an endangered Child you picked him up and moved quickly to the taxi, you placed him in.

“Take us to the hospital” you got their helping him limp to the emergency room. Phone ringing, it was Namjoon. They had arrested the men for possession of weapons and drugs. One of them had videos on their phone of them assaulting people including the young boy with you.

He had been in surgery for severe internal bleeding and to set his leg and his leg was wrapped in a cast, “what do I do now, I have no home, no money, nothing?” He woke delusional sobbing quietly his split lip reopening. He couldn’t cry well since his eyes were swollen and his broken nose made it hard to breathe.

Namjoon arrived and the TXT boys informed you Seokjin and Jungkook had returned home and we’re looking after Kyungjuf. Thanking them profusely you got the all clear that you and the baby were healthy, and was told not to enter dangerous or stressful situations.

Namjoon spoke with the young boy, “Hello, my name is detective Kim, I want to ask you some questions, is that okay?”The boy nodded “can you tell me your name and how old you are?”

“Nam Yoon-do but people call me Eric,” he said shuffling on the bed. “I am sixteen”

Namjoon finished his questions with the boy each answer pulled at your heartstrings, homeless and an orphan at the age of nine he did what he could to survive. Your genius husband headed over fixing you a cold stare, shutting the curtain. “Why is my pregnant wife going alone to the home of a gang, they are criminals, the lowest of the low”

“He called me and he said the code word for help. I couldn’t sit around and you didn’t answer your phone. He was begging for help as they tried to break down his door. I couldn’t listen to those sounds, I had to do something, I may be pregnant but I am good at hiding. If I went back in time I would do it again in a heartbeat, it’s over now he is safe and that’s all that matters”

“Yeah he is lucky to be alive, they did quite a number on him,” Namjoon said “Can he stay with us?” You asked and Namjoon blanched, he told you it wasn’t a good idea giving you some very good reasons why he shouldn’t. Almost convinced and yet one look at the sad young boy and you had made your mind up.

Namjoon saw the determination in your eyes and gave a small laugh, “you are my wife and if this is your decision then I will stand by you just know that our family comes first and we should all have a say”

“He is the same age as the TXT boys he has had a bad life” you argued calmly trying to keep your voice down. “And he only knows how to do bad things” Namjoon hissed “this is delicate we don’t know what he might do”

“Give him a chance to be good, we don’t know what he will do if we don’t give him the chance” His lips moulding against yours his hands grasping and bunching the fabric of your skirt. Grabbing your shoulders he turned you. Catching your hands on the hospital mattress you had previously been resting on.

He threw his suit jacket onto the bed beside your hands. You heard the stretch of leather, the metal clack of his belt, and the sweet erotic sound of his zip. You were wet with anticipation, he reached between your legs brushing two fingertips against your clothed clit.

Hands tightening in the sheets, Namjoon traced a line down your heat and groaned. He pulled down your underwear, the shuffle of fabric the only sound before you felt him, thick against your thigh.

He ran the head of his cock against your entrance. The ache for him was so bad. grinding back against him, he held your hips firm. And pressed the tip into your pussy, he didn’t go all the way in teasing you.

You pleaded under your breath and he closed his eyes moaning at your begging. Unable to take anymore he pulled your hips towards him sinking into your wet folds. You lifted your head up gasping.

He snapped his hips into you, his grasp on your hips was so he could pull you back to meet every thrust. You were so close muffling your sounds with his suit jacket. He came hard inside you a bloom of warmth filling your lower stomach his dick twitching as he released.

“You did something dangerous today and could have gotten hurt, you need to learn how that would affect us all as a family. So you are being punished, you are not allowed to cum for one whole week and I will be telling the other boys this too” he pulled your underwear up, turning you to face him.

He brushed his knuckles along your cheek, “you don’t know how it feels knowing you could be hurt. I work a dangerous job and there is a chance I won’t come home, what if I was beaten or even killed, how would you feel? That isn’t even half of what we might feel if something happened to you”

“I will accept this punishment because I know exactly how you would feel but please think about this. That boy has no one who will feel this if something happens to him. What if this was your son? What if we all died and kyungie was left alone? I would want a nice family to take him in rather than my poor boy be on the street”

“Why do you always have such compelling arguments?” He lowered his forehead onto your shoulder and you fixed his suit “look my parents have a spare bedroom now that all the children left home and they are much more mature and stable than us. They can give him all the attention he deserves while we are focused on the babies. Not to mention they would love another son, my father has been pretty lonely since us boys have moved out”

“He would really like that wouldn’t he” you remembered fondly Namjoon’s father absolutely adoring your husbands and trying to invite them to go camping or fishing. Yoongi seemed really interested in the latter and even convinced Seokjin and Jungkook to go when the weather got warm. Needless to say, the older gentleman had been calling and messaging every weekend with updates and packing tips and fun facts about how to be a better fisherman.

“Eric?” You called walking on shaky legs across the room. He looked up in response to his name and you felt the pang of guilt in your chest for letting him go when you saw the first bruises, why hadn’t you helped him that day. It wouldn’t have come to this.

Taking his hand in yours “forgive me, I shouldn’t have let you go back the day I saw the bruises, this is all my fault I could have prevented this” “Noona it’s not your fault, I wouldn’t expect you to help after what I did?”

“I have to go, you stay here, okay everything will be fine and I will pay the bill okay, just rest”

It was a long week the boys hadn’t let you orgasm as Namjoon requested each one silently furious that you could be so reckless. You were frustrated but you loved each of them so much you were satisfied when they were satisfied.

Eric was finally able to see properly his swollen and purple toned bruises had faded to a dark green yellow and he was looking more like his handsome self. “Where did you get this?” “Yeonjun and Kai and those group of boys you are friends with all brought me my homework a few days ago”

“Do you need any help?” “Can you help me with English?” He looked up nervous, nodding you sat on the end of his bed taking the textbook and skimming the pages. It was about hobbies and adjective orders. You decided to start small and introduce yourselves hoping he could gain confidence.

“Hello my name is y/n“ “Hello my name is Eric” “How old are you Eric?” “I am sixteen” “What do you like?” “I like… uh how you say food place and uh red colour and look seeing uh town” “You like restaurants and the colour red and you like going and looking around town?” “Ah I like going new place” “Oh going to new places, how about a new home?”

He was processing the words slowly and seemed confused dropping a ‘sorry I don’t understand’. You smiled he looked so confused. “I found you a home, I wanted to know if you would like to stay with my father in law?”

“I don’t know this one sorry” he blushed “That’s okay I can ask you in Korean. My father in law owns a big house and he wanted to know if you would like to stay in one of the spare rooms”

He pencil paused on the page and he looked up with hopeful eyes, then seemed to crush it down trying to look indifferent looking back at his page working quietly.“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“My parents in law, they met you would have already added you to the family. They are a lovely couple and they live close to your school. I won’t let you leave here alone again. I’m sorry but the only choice you have right now is what colour you want your bedroom, he texted me this morning”

Handing over the phone he began reading the message, “what colour does he like, I can’t paint the room before he arrives, is he allergic to anything. If he is unsure we can pick out colours and bedding when he arrives. Does he need anything, school books, uniform or bag?”

Eric stopped reading and looked up at you, “I don’t know if I am okay with that?” “Well he wanted to meet you today is that okay?” “Uh sure” his smile was small and you wanted to squeeze him to your chest and protect him. Reaching out to tousle his unruly hair feeling extremely maternal. You heard a familiar voice from outside.

“Good morning, my lady I was looking for a mister Nam Yoon-Do” you both looked at each other and you smiled. “Can you tell me if he is allowed some snacks from outside the hospital?” “Of course sir he has no restrictions to his diet and no allergies, I will just see if he is ready for more visitors” The nurse poked her head into the room and confirmed he was expecting someone.

“Ah hello you must be the young man Mister Nam Yoon-do, Can I call you Yoon-do or do you prefer Yoonie” “Yes sir, please call me Eric” He looked at his hands and you felt your heart constrict, rubbing his back and smiled. “Eric are you hungry, the lunch trolley is late again today, how about we eat something together, there looks like a lot of food”

“Ah yes, the wife made this for us to enjoy,” He smiled “we are excited to have you if you want to live with us that is, we got some rooms and you just let us know what you like to eat. And you can have the computer room to play all those games the kids are talking about and if you like fishing we could go out and…”

Walking home you walked past Kyungju’s Daycare picking him up, the staff there loved him and you were glad he was able to make a few little friends he could grow up alongside. You were picking up his bag when you saw Seokjin waiting for you outside. “Hello Daddy what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to take you on a date if that’s okay with you, we will both have to change and leave Kyungie at home with the others but then we can head on our way”

Femme Media 41

Next chapter

To get regular updates follow and turn on my notifications, or reblog my master list to check back when you wish. Please show Eric and Kyungie some love with a heart.

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[r-truth]

Tag Game

Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to get to know better.

I was tagged by @welltheysayimdifferent

Nickname: Delfi or Delphi! my best friend calls me Dal though. 

Height: 5′5′’

Last movie I saw: the back-up plan (i actually. rlly. rlly. love alex o’loughlin)

Favourite artists: musical kind? i don’t have “favourites” because i like the song rather than the band/artist themselves, but i’ll go with paramore, we are the fallen & vocaloid askjdas

Song stuck in my head: god of wine by third eye blind (i blame roswell new mexico for this)

Do I get asks? yeah! sometimes & when i reblog ask games (((:

Other blogs: 1, i haven’t logged in months!

Following: 230 >:)c

Amount of sleep: it depends on my mood. the more anxious and emotional i am, the less i sleep. usually i get 5-6 hours of sleep!

Lucky Number?: 8!

What I’m wearing: a white t-shirt that my mom bought for me on my birthday, jeans and flip flops (it’s still summer here!)

Dream Job: i never had one particular job bc im like, so lost in life i don’t know what i want to do. i do find myself working as a therapist to help people with mental illnesses!

Favourite food: milanesa de carne a la napolitana con puré mixto >:)!!!!!

Dream trip: anywhere that is not in the American continent! i’d really love to visist europe, more specifically, ireland or scotland!

Play any instruments?: neh

Languages: spanish & english! i know basic portuguese as well

Favourite Song: i have too many!! i will stay by we are the fallen; lost butterfly by rurutia; cage by hiryuki sawano ft tielle. my choices literally change every day

Random Fact: i have a cat and his name is Tommy and i love him so much i’d die for him in a heartbeat even though he wouldn’t care less

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: what i want to be: aesthetic. what i am: pathetic

Favourite colour?: green, (dark) teal & black!

You wanna fight? listen last time i tried to fight (as a joke) with my brother, my arm broke in half so how about i start taking care of my fragile bones from now on?

Tagging: @hardiacarrest @kingbarrett @infamousbobbyfish @icchampbalor @champ-asuka @adamscoles @redragonites & anyone else who wants to do it! please tag me!

[oneeyeddestroyer]

Sharing Skin: The Home Game (Part 1)

Atmospheric and sensual, Sharing Skin has produced a handful of you mentioning just how much it makes you want a good bath. The goal of the prose was to create a unmistakable relaxing vibe with just the right touch of decadence. The bulk of my planning period for this fic was crafting the delicate details of each bath, piece by piece. Every aroma, every color, every bubble, every bath bomb, every drink, all the way down to the flower petals and the snacks, was hand picked to build an ambiance (as Eliot would say) and indicate the overall mood of the characters in that scene.

As a little treat, I wanted to curate some of my favorite bath essentials*. Recipes, products, mood lighting and wine pairings for your nerves!

We’re going to take it bath by bath to help you guys recreate the magic of each chapter. That was super fucking cheesy, but I bet you lived for it anyway. I think El and Margo are really starting to rub off on me. 😉

Bath One: What We Deserve

Upon entering the room, Margo’s fingers twist intricately and the room fills with cool, flickering light. She’s always loved the way Eliot’s skin looks in blue.

The first bath is pretty simple: brisk, refreshing air, cool toned lighting, sparkling wine, bubbles and a quick smoke.

While I can’t magically alter the tone and color of the lighting, I do have this pretty fucking best oil diffuser with color changing lights. There are a few really neat ones on the market, and I’ll link to a couple I have personal experience with. Easy to use, you add a few drops of essential oil into a small amount of water in the basin, and let it do all the work of diffusing a fine, gorgeously scented mist of your own creation. The lights change color in a slow, fluid movement, and some can be made to maintain a single color light with soft pulsing effects. Mine is Bluetooth compatible so I can play all the Enya I want as I take a soak.

Recommendations:

1. Colorful Essential Oil Diffuser

2. Ultrasonic Bluetooth Oil Diffuser

If you’re a drinker, sparkling wine is easily the best part of any bath. A nice, chilled wine is both refreshing and lovely balance to the heat of the bath—it doesn’t hurt to have a glass of ice water in the side as well. I’m not a huge fan of proper champagne, so I’ll share some of my favorite sparkling wines instead.

Something Dry

La Marca Prosecco is affordable a delicious. Not too dry, but certainly not too sweet either. Super lovely for people who are a little shy on dry whites.

Something Sweet

Bartenura wines are so fuckin delightful. If you like sweet wines, these are definitely for you if you haven’t already tried them. Fruity and fun, and also Kosher if I am not mistaken

A Rosé

Grapefruit isn’t everyone’s jam, but if you’re down to try something new, this shit is fucking delicious. A lot of wines get described and crisp and refreshing, and this is the first time I fully experienced what that could mean for a wine. It’s definitely worth the shot even if you’re not super keen on grapefruit. Eliot and Margo would definitely want you to try new things. 😉

For the bubble bath, instead of recommending a product, I wanted to share an easy recipe to make your own. Hand making bath and skin care products is a low key hobby of mine and it’s a ton of fun.

Simple Bubble Bath Recipe:

½ cup warm distilled water

½ cup liquid castile soap, scent of your choice (find unscented castile soap here)

¼ cup vegetable glycerin (find organic glycerin here)

a few drops of essential oils of your choosing

Combine all the ingredients and stir them until they're even and smooth. Over time they may separate, so just give them a quick shake in the container until they mix back together, just don’t shake too hard or it will froth up before it’s time for your bath. There is a premature ejacualation joke in there somewhere, I’m sure of it. 😂

I’m not a smoker, and I certainly do not smoke indoors, but I have had a casual smoke after a bath before, it really hits the spot if that is a thing you do. Some hookah, a vanilla clove, or handmade cigarettes of herbs like lavender and damiana can be truly lovely if you’re so inclined. Or, you know, you could just smoke weed like a normal 20-something, your call.

Bath Two: Intertwined

A quick dance of her fingers around each other causes the candles lining the tub to ignite, one by one. The warm flickering illuminates the room with a soft glow.

For best results, wait for a rainy day and bring a friend.

A minimalist bath after a rough night. Budget whiskey, candles, and maybe a good smoke at the end of it all before calling it a night.

Floating candles are a great way to create a simple but relaxing vibe. You can go through the delicate balancing act of lighting real candles and keeping them afloat without putting them out, or you can use these nifty, waterproof LED floating candles and save yourself the trouble. Maximum vibe for minimum effort is Eliot and Margo as fuck.

Whisky recommendations (Eliot takes his in a flask here, but feel free to have yours in a glass, maybe with a spot of water or over cold stones):

Bushmills 10 Year

Jameson Black Barrel

Knob Creek Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bath Three: Winner’s Circle

Margo nods her approval as she settles against Eliot’s chest. With the bubble situation under control, the soft, rosy gold water is visible where their bodies emerge from bubbles. As their movements still, the water shimmers with brilliance that could make the night sky jealous as the light catches individual flecks of glitter.

Confession: I spent way too much time on the Lush website trying to dream up this bath. I suffered through hours of product reviews and ASMR videos of “Lush Cocktails” before I finally settled on the right mix of products. I will never look at a strainer the same way again.

If you’d like to soak in your own gloriousness a la Bath 3, you’ll need to pick up Sunnyside (a lovely citrusy bubble bar with glitter for DAYS) and The Comforter (the classic black currant bubble bar that many considers Lush staple, and a personal favorite) from your local Lush or order them from the website. Combined, they make the prettiest rose gold. It’s everything, I promise! The bubble bars are designed to be broken apart and used in small chunks, because they create a serious amount of bubbles. I’d cut them in pieces and use a small chunk of each, or you can go buckwild like El and Margo, but expect some serious overflow if you do it right.

Oh! And bonus points for setting up a trophy to gaze at as you soak.

If you liked one of the wines from the first bath, you can easily pair it with this bath too, or you can use one of these. I will alway have more wine to recommend.

Something Dry

Ruffino Prosecco is lovely, dry and fruity. It can be a touch pricier than La Marca, but not by much. Totally affordable—as most proseccos are— and tasty. Even if you don’t really like dry whites, it’s hard to go wrong with a prosecco.

Something Sweet

Martini & Rossi Asti. Affordable, sweet, Italian sparkling wine. It’s self explanatory and delicious.

A Rosé

I told you guys I live for Bartenura wines. The Malvasia di casorzo is seriously one of my favorite wines. Sweet and fruity, it’s just really fucking good. I won’t try to sell you with somm lingo and flavor notes like “wilted vines” and “fresh tennis balls”, just drink the wine. If you like sweet, it’s awesome.

Bath Four: Delusions, Major and Minor

Notes of ripe, juicy peach, and hint of honey fill the air. The bath water is a bright, creamy orange with a soft light glowing from beneath the surface. Their subtle movements create a shimmer as they stir the water.

**

Margo lightly strokes the water and hums as she considers her next choice. She brings her hands together, rolling her wrists over each other before stitching her fingers together in an intricate shape. A deliberate tap of the surface of the bath with her middle finger causes the water to turn pink beneath her touch. The color ripples out from the point of contact in concentric waves, quickly changing the entire bath. With the same finger, she traces a small sigil on the back of Eliot’s left hand to tie him into the spell. Eliot makes three quick taps along the surface of the bath. Orange, yellow and red diffuse into the water, the edges of Eliot’s colors are much more feathered and frayed than Margo’s. The colors swirls together, blending into beautiful gradients when they come into contact with each other and the pink hues from Margo. The result is somewhere between the light of a setting sun and an abstract painting.

I have a couple of ways you could recreate this bath if you’re so inclined. If you want to go for the bright, peachy vibe complete with Bellini, a peach scented bath bomb while you rub yourself down with scrubee will give you that mix of ripe stone fruit and honey. (And don’t skimp on scrubee, that bad boy will leave your skin silky smooth and hydrated as fuck and the scent is incredible) The bath bombs I wanted to recommend seen to mostly be out of stock, but I hope a few come back for the summer months.

Peachy by Lush

Pretty as a Peach by Bath & Body Works

Honey Peach by Sabon

Basic Bellini recipe:

One part peach nectar

2 parts prosecco

If you want to get really fancy with it, you can purée a couple of peaches and mix one part of that with 2 parts prosecco (or you can flip those proportions if you want a more fruit heavy cocktail), but if you want to get fancy without doing a ton of work, you can buy a peach nectar instead. Just make sure it’s the good stuff, actual peach nectar, and not some sugary “fruit juice blend” where none of the fruits involved are actual peaches. I’ve used both Goya and Jumex. I always garnish with a peach wedge or wheel.

If you don’t want to go with the peach bath, you could do a multicolored bath instead. Hot Topic has a cute dragon egg bathbomb that changes a colors as it fizzes and finally settles into a nearly black final bath color. It’s super fucking huge and so much fun.

Continued in Part 2

*I am not paid or sponsored in any way shape or form, nor am I associated with any of the above brands, licenses, etc.. I’m just overly enthusiastic about a fanfiction I wrote and a slut for good bath vibes.

[wineanddinosaur]

15 Cocktail Influencers You Should Be Following on Instagram

Since most of us are missing our local bartenders as much as our friends and family during the ongoing pandemic, many of us have taken to our kitchens in an attempt to make our favorite drinks ourselves. But while G&Ts and vodka sodas are great every now and again, where do we turn when we’re craving something a little more complex? Enter: the “drinkstagrammer” — or drinks Instagrammer.

These bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts have made names for themselves by sharing photos of whimsical drinks and helpful tips with their followers. So, at a time when we need inspiration more than ever, VinePair has collected a list of our 15 favorite drinkstagrammers, whom you should follow right now.

@highproofpreacher

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Back from a long weekend in the forest, without WiFi or cell reception. With sheltering in place + most of my clients pivoting hard to lean into the digital world, these last few months have been insane and I’ve been constantly connected 📲 It felt amazing to just rest, read and fully relax for a few days. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Also, based on all of your responses after sharing a video of my dog Pip on my IG story, apparently you want me to focus on corgi content instead of cocktails 🤔🐕 Can’t say that I blame you. Swipe for a look at sleepy vacation Pip. 🔊✌🏽 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #highproofpreacher

A post shared by Jordan | High-Proof Preacher (@highproofpreacher) on Jun 22, 2020 at 7:51am PDT

  Jordan Hughes, also known as High-Proof Preacher, is a Portland-based mixologist and self-proclaimed “visual storyteller.” He’s also contributed delicious cocktails to VinePair’s recipe library, like the El Murcielago Cocktail and the Viking Colada.

@join_jules

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It’s fri-yay aka time for an 𝐀𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐳! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Instead of dreaming for the day we can get back into some of our favorite restaurants safely (because who knows when that will be)… let’s bring the Friday happy hour cocktails right into our home! After creating recipes for the past 4 months now, there’s a lot to choose from on our website! My personal favorite to celebrate the beginning of the weekend on a hot day is of course the Aperol Spritz. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But on a serious note, I can't believe that 4 months ago COVID lockdown hit in the US and that actually made me really start taking Join Jules seriously. It was the only way to turn a sour situation into a good one I guess. But, I do hope these cocktails have helped cure the oh so missed happy hours and that you look forward to so many more to come… (I'm looking at you 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧)!! Let's just say this, it's only the beginning of Join Jules 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘰! (𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴… okay okay I'll stop).⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨-𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥? 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!

A post shared by Cocktail Recipes with Jules (@join_jules) on Jul 10, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT

  Join California-based Julianna McIntosh in making cocktails that taste as delicious as they look. McIntosh creates out-of-this-world drink recipes, and — along with her mother — she runs a television show called “Bringing it Home” that delves into the stories behind the food we eat.

@thecollectress

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Hey Y’all, Rare morning post. So many things are happening, but I wanted to thank both @mofad and @readspill for highlighting me and giving me a chance to talk about my work. . . SPILL is a hospitality co-op and online platform. This is there first online issue, and I was honored to be asked to be this month’s Industry Spotlight. Thank you to @davidmmor . . Last week (I think), I got to sit down with @sarikamin of MoFAD and talk about grief, history, @uniteamericastable and the Hospitality Census as well as my process for care. Take a listen. . . I will be linking both pieces in my story and bio. Drawing a rendition of @noahfecksisawesome photo by @cocktail_colors

A post shared by Ashtin Berry (@thecollectress) on May 5, 2020 at 8:56am PDT

  Ashtin Berry is more than just a sommelier and bartender. She’s also an activist and educator, as well as the founder of #americastable. Expect delicious drinks recipes, inspiring videos, and educational posts that explore how race and privilege play out in the drinks industry and beyond.

@onedrinkaday

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Dehydration station (minus a couple of bags). – – – – – – – – #garnish#dehdratedgarnishes#garnishes#gin#gins#ginandtonic#goodprep#cocktailgarnish#cocktails#cocktailgarnishes#brisbane

A post shared by One Drink A Day (HEEBS) (@onedrinkaday) on Jul 25, 2020 at 1:08am PDT

  Aussie Hee Chung is here to help you up your garnish game. His posts include easy drink recipes (including lots of delicious G&Ts), garnish how-tos, and more. Check out his garnish e-book here.

@joanna.lin

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Honored to be featured in @aberlour_us’s campaign for #internationalwomensday. Sharing my advice for fellow hustlers: “When you stand up for yourself, you stand up for all women. So lead by example, know your values, own your confidence, and don’t be apologetic for who you are and what you want to achieve.” #louderthanwords #readysetjo . . . . . #aberlour #aberlourwhisky #whiskylover #whiskyadvocate #whiskytasting #whiskylife #whiskyblogger #scotch #sevenfiftydaily #totc #whiskymagazine #scotchwhisky #singlemaltscotch #liqpic #50bestbars #worldsbestbars #greenwichvillage #thespaniard #pernodricard #womenwhowhiskey #womenwhowhisky #womeninhospitality #womenempowerment #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurlife #womeninbusiness #womenshistorymonth

A post shared by Joanna Lin 🦉#ReadySetJo (@joanna.lin) on Mar 8, 2020 at 3:51pm PDT

  Joanna Lin is a cocktail connoisseur, photographer, and artist. Her feed includes a balanced combination of feel-good and politically driven content. Expect entertaining posts, such as this animation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo drinking a Negroni, and mixology action shots. More recently, Lin has also shared Black Lives Matter protest photos and drawings.

@cocktailbandits

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Our first in-person event since the lockdown would involve Tequila, of course. 🥃 Today is #NationalTequilaDay and we are celebrating with @patron by hosting a pop-up at @tacoboychs from 4PM to 6PM. Come say, ‘Hi’ and try our cocktail of the day, recipe listed below: ‘Blacker the Berry’ 1.5 oz of Patron Blanco 1 oz of BlackBerry Purée 🍇 Jamaican Bitters Limeade @drinkhooch Garnish: Sage leaf & Blackberries 🌱 Add Patron and blackberry puree to mixing tin full of ice. Secure lid then shake passionately. Strain mixture into chilled glass. Carefully add Limeade soda until glass is full. Lovingly add sage and blackberry garnish. #GentleLadySips 💃🏽🍹✨ Photo by: @tacoboychs #cocktailbandits #cheers #celebrate #curlyladieswhotalkcocktailsdaily #southernlibationist #tequila #tequilacocktail #agave #willtravelforbooze #patron #blackberry #limeade #drinkhooch #hooch #curls #curlsandcocktails #cocktailsdaily #dailycocktails #smiles #popup #tacoboychs #wearecharleston #charlestonsc #tequiladay #authors #holyspiritschs

A post shared by Johnny & Neka (@cocktailbandits) on Jul 24, 2020 at 1:53pm PDT

  Charleston mixologists Johnny Caldwell and Taneka Reaves are the “Cocktail Bandits.” Their feed is full of drinks inspo, tasting videos, and more. Their book, “Holy Spirits!”, teaches readers about Charleston cocktail culture.

@thegrandiosebartender

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For those of you who don’t personally know me, my name is Anthony Bates and (I think) I am more than a person who slings cocktails! I’m currently taking over @liquor’s Instagram today so you can find me there shooting the s***! Besides perfecting my Mai Tai – I’m really into reading, music, and definitely art… I love to see people be creative and express themselves artistically! I’m a introvert at times so I like to express myself through different forms of creativity wether I’m the creator or in collaboration with someone else. Here’s me on NYE at @undercote with a cocktail by @beaub.knowin …..I felt like Super Fly this day lmao… I hope everyone is having a great 4th and enjoying themselves! Illustration by: @jenchiascreative

A post shared by Anthony Bates (@thegrandiosebartender) on Jul 4, 2020 at 11:11am PDT

  Harlem local Anthony Bates is a private bartender and a mixologist at The Polo Bar in New York. His bio reads “Heavy Drinker, Heavy Thinker,” and his feed reflects this, with bright recipes, fun illustrations, and educational captions.

@theweekendmixologist

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– A P P L E    W O O D 1½ oz Apple Brandy ¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice ½ oz Maple syrup Top with @sanpellegrinodrinksus Tonica Oakwood Add all ingredients except the Tonica to a shaking tin and then add ice. Shake well and strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with Tonica Oakwood and garnish with fresh apple slices. – I had so much fun back in January on location in New York with @sanpellegrinodrinksus . We are excited to announce the launch of their new mixers! Here’s a recipe I created to feature the dry and spiced flavors of their delicious Tonica Oakwood. Cheers friends! . #AppleWood #SanPellegrino #TonicaOakwood #SanPellegrinoSparklingDrinks #TimeForTaste Sponsored Ad

A post shared by Barlow | Weekend Mixologist (@theweekendmixologist) on Jul 17, 2020 at 10:35am PDT

  Barlow Gilmore makes and photographs creative libations that are almost too pretty to drink. This dedicated mixologist even carves his own ice!

@whats.marisa.drinking

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It’s National Tequila Day and I’m celebrating with this deliciousness! Salud! 🌺 GINGERED BLOOD 🌺 45ml Tequila Reposado @casamigos 15ml Ginger Liqueur @thekingsginger 30ml Lime Juice 20ml homemade Blood Orange syrup Garnish with Mint, Flowers & Blood Orange 🌿🌺❤️ #whatsmarisadrinking #thecocktaildreamteam #liqpic #libations #imbibe #cocktailpic #cocktailrecipe #instacocktail #drinkstagram #mixology #garnishgame #classicocktail #drink #drinkpic #drinkup #goldcoastcocktails #goldcoastlife #myfavouritecocktail #booze #craftcocktails #drinkporn #cocktailhour #drinking #mixologist #tequila #nationaltequiladay #tequiladay2020

A post shared by What’s Marisa Drinking (@whats.marisa.drinking) on Jul 23, 2020 at 2:37pm PDT

  Marisa’s feed, full of rainbow cocktails, is the definition of #Instagrammable. The Australian drinks creator posts recipes that are colorful, garnished to perfection, and simple enough to make at home.

@thecocktailsnob_

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I fully intended to just select a few of my favorites from my 📸 @shoottphotos session a few weeks ago. But they were all so good lol. I just couldn't decide. So I bought all 146 of them lol. So if you see a couple hundred pictures of me in the same outfit in the same location, just mind your business, mmkay? 😂😂😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📸: @amcrommett

A post shared by Camille | Cocktail Blogger (@thecocktailsnob_) on Jul 30, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

  Though she’s a self-proclaimed cocktail “snob,” Camille’s page is fun and approachable. She’s a New York-based cocktail writer and happy-hour enthusiast (she even created the hashtag #happyhourathome), and her feed is full of exciting cocktail recipes and helpful advice for home bartenders.

@bon_vivantito

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Turn up for Tiki 🍹🥥🍌🍍. It has been blazing hot here on the Mid-Atlantic coast, and all I want to do is crush tropical cocktails. But, honestly, it’s just one of those genres of drinks that always taste better at the bar – usually because I don’t have a pebble ice machine at home (yes, it does matter). . Lately, I’ve been making some Mai Tais with @denizenrum Merchant’s Reserve, @smallhandfoods orgeat, fresh lime, and dry curaçao. That’s as complex as it gets, but it’s well worth it. . Who has some easy tiki cocktails that they have developed at home worth sharing? I’m looking for some new flavors 👌🏽🍹.

A post shared by Tyler Zielinski (@bon_vivantito) on Jul 10, 2020 at 9:54am PDT

  Tyler Zielinski is a mixologist and drinks writer. He’s contributed many classic and original cocktails to the VinePair recipe library, and his Instagram feed is full of beautifully photographed cocktails and helpful how-to videos.

@danmagro

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✨"Tartlet" 🍓 1.5oz Reposado // 3 Strawberries, muddled // 2oz Lemon Juice // 0.5oz Lime Juice // 1oz Simple Syrup // Pinch of Salt // Brut Sparkling Wine // Sour Candy Rope, for garnish⁣ on a @rawrutes tree pick of course!⁣⁣ 🍓⁣⁣⁣⁣ Petite but with a sucker of a sour punch! I was obsessed with sour candies when I was younger and wanted to emulate that mother pucker of a smack when you take that first bite…but boozy.⁣⁣⁣ 🍓⁣⁣⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ #contest #supercall #mixology #cocktailporn #happyhour #cocktails #bartender #drinks #bartenderlife #craftcocktails #imbibegram #libations #liqpic #eeeeeats #drinkporn #eaterla #california #foodandwine #fwx #buzzfeast #bareaders #thekitchn #delish #boozytalk #BAReaders #FeedFeed #drinkstagram #tequila #sourpunch @sourpunchcandy @thefeedfeed.cocktails

A post shared by Dan Magro (@danmagro) on Jul 30, 2020 at 5:51am PDT

  Dan Magro is a West Hollywood-based mixologist, host of Sip&Stream, and author of “Suck It Up: Extraordinary Cocktails for Everyday People.” His cocktails are bright, fun, and always topped with impressive garnishes.

@apartment_bartender

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Hey, you look thirsty 😛 throw some drink recs you’re craving in the comments and I’ll mix you up something in my IG stories later today! Lesssssssss get it! 🕺🏽👇🏽 #ApartmentBartender

A post shared by Elliott | Apartment Bartender (@apartment_bartender) on Jul 14, 2020 at 1:31pm PDT

  Elliott, an apartment bartender and cocktail recipe developer, has a feed full of colorful recipes and more. Check out his highlights for tips on everything from using bitters in cocktails to building a cocktail book library

@ivymix

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I really really miss @leyendabk and on days like today with May just around the corner I miss our patio the most. May has always been our biggest month with the weather being perfect combined with our anniversary and Cinco de Mayo. This year we were going to do a huge party for our five ( 5️⃣❗️) year anniversary as well as my book launch. Instead we won’t. Instead, rather than being in Leyenda’s backyard mixing up drinks and hanging out with the whole neighborhood, I will just post them on social media. Like this one— featured in my book with link in BIO!—Cereza Picante: With this drink, I wanted to create an exceptionally fruit-forward fall-like sour that highlighted spice and smoke to compliment its fruity notes. The result is what its name advertises: one spicy cherry. 1 oz Jalapeño @siembraspirits Valles blanco tequila 1/2 oz @delmagueymezcal Vida 3/4 oz @cherryheering 3/4 oz lime juice 1/4 oz simple syrup Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and Luxardo cherry flag. . Photo by @Shannonshootscocktails

A post shared by Ivy Mix (@ivymix) on Apr 29, 2020 at 11:27am PDT

New York-based Ivy Mix is an author, bar owner, and drinks educator. Mix is the owner of Leyenda — a Latin cocktail bar in Brooklyn — and the author of “Spirits of Latin America,” a cocktail book full of diverse Latin American cocktail recipes. Follow her for educational Instagram lives, cocktail recipes, and more.

@holycityhandcraft

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The face you make when your 23 month old son walks into your super serious, ice cutting shoot and furiously waves at you👋🏽 while shouting “HIIII DADAAAAAA” – at the top of his lungs. . But hey… it made for a semi decent/authentic smiling photo. God I love that kid.

A post shared by miguel | HANDCRAFT (@holycityhandcraft) on Jul 9, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

Based in Charleston, S.C., Miguel is a drinks creator and photographer. His feed is full of fancy yet approachable recipes you’ll want to recreate again and again. He’s also an expert cocktail party host and ice carver.

The article 15 Cocktail Influencers You Should Be Following on Instagram appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/15-cocktail-influencers-instagram/

[isaiahrippinus]

15 Cocktail Influencers You Should Be Following on Instagram

Since most of us are missing our local bartenders as much as our friends and family during the ongoing pandemic, many of us have taken to our kitchens in an attempt to make our favorite drinks ourselves. But while G&Ts and vodka sodas are great every now and again, where do we turn when we’re craving something a little more complex? Enter: the “drinkstagrammer” — or drinks Instagrammer.

These bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts have made names for themselves by sharing photos of whimsical drinks and helpful tips with their followers. So, at a time when we need inspiration more than ever, VinePair has collected a list of our 15 favorite drinkstagrammers, whom you should follow right now.

@highproofpreacher

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Back from a long weekend in the forest, without WiFi or cell reception. With sheltering in place + most of my clients pivoting hard to lean into the digital world, these last few months have been insane and I’ve been constantly connected 📲 It felt amazing to just rest, read and fully relax for a few days. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Also, based on all of your responses after sharing a video of my dog Pip on my IG story, apparently you want me to focus on corgi content instead of cocktails 🤔🐕 Can’t say that I blame you. Swipe for a look at sleepy vacation Pip. 🔊✌🏽 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #highproofpreacher

A post shared by Jordan | High-Proof Preacher (@highproofpreacher) on Jun 22, 2020 at 7:51am PDT

Jordan Hughes, also known as High-Proof Preacher, is a Portland-based mixologist and self-proclaimed “visual storyteller.” He’s also contributed delicious cocktails to VinePair’s recipe library, like the El Murcielago Cocktail and the Viking Colada.

@join_jules

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It’s fri-yay aka time for an 𝐀𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐳! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Instead of dreaming for the day we can get back into some of our favorite restaurants safely (because who knows when that will be)… let’s bring the Friday happy hour cocktails right into our home! After creating recipes for the past 4 months now, there’s a lot to choose from on our website! My personal favorite to celebrate the beginning of the weekend on a hot day is of course the Aperol Spritz. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ But on a serious note, I can’t believe that 4 months ago COVID lockdown hit in the US and that actually made me really start taking Join Jules seriously. It was the only way to turn a sour situation into a good one I guess. But, I do hope these cocktails have helped cure the oh so missed happy hours and that you look forward to so many more to come… (I’m looking at you 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧)!! Let’s just say this, it’s only the beginning of Join Jules 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘰! (𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴… okay okay I’ll stop).⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨-𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥? 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!

A post shared by Cocktail Recipes with Jules (@join_jules) on Jul 10, 2020 at 2:11pm PDT

Join California-based Julianna McIntosh in making cocktails that taste as delicious as they look. McIntosh creates out-of-this-world drink recipes, and — along with her mother — she runs a television show called “Bringing it Home” that delves into the stories behind the food we eat.

@thecollectress

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Hey Y’all, Rare morning post. So many things are happening, but I wanted to thank both @mofad and @readspill for highlighting me and giving me a chance to talk about my work… SPILL is a hospitality co-op and online platform. This is there first online issue, and I was honored to be asked to be this month’s Industry Spotlight. Thank you to @davidmmor . . Last week (I think), I got to sit down with @sarikamin of MoFAD and talk about grief, history, @uniteamericastable and the Hospitality Census as well as my process for care. Take a listen… I will be linking both pieces in my story and bio. Drawing a rendition of @noahfecksisawesome photo by @cocktail_colors

A post shared by Ashtin Berry (@thecollectress) on May 5, 2020 at 8:56am PDT

Ashtin Berry is more than just a sommelier and bartender. She’s also an activist and educator, as well as the founder of #americastable. Expect delicious drinks recipes, inspiring videos, and educational posts that explore how race and privilege play out in the drinks industry and beyond.

@onedrinkaday

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Dehydration station (minus a couple of bags). – – – – – – – – #garnish#dehdratedgarnishes#garnishes#gin#gins#ginandtonic#goodprep#cocktailgarnish#cocktails#cocktailgarnishes#brisbane

A post shared by One Drink A Day (HEEBS) (@onedrinkaday) on Jul 25, 2020 at 1:08am PDT

Aussie Hee Chung is here to help you up your garnish game. His posts include easy drink recipes (including lots of delicious G&Ts), garnish how-tos, and more. Check out his garnish e-book here.

@joanna.lin

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Honored to be featured in @aberlour_us’s campaign for #internationalwomensday. Sharing my advice for fellow hustlers: “When you stand up for yourself, you stand up for all women. So lead by example, know your values, own your confidence, and don’t be apologetic for who you are and what you want to achieve.” #louderthanwords #readysetjo … . . #aberlour #aberlourwhisky #whiskylover #whiskyadvocate #whiskytasting #whiskylife #whiskyblogger #scotch #sevenfiftydaily #totc #whiskymagazine #scotchwhisky #singlemaltscotch #liqpic #50bestbars #worldsbestbars #greenwichvillage #thespaniard #pernodricard #womenwhowhiskey #womenwhowhisky #womeninhospitality #womenempowerment #womenentrepreneurs #entrepreneurlife #womeninbusiness #womenshistorymonth

A post shared by Joanna Lin 🦉#ReadySetJo (@joanna.lin) on Mar 8, 2020 at 3:51pm PDT

Joanna Lin is a cocktail connoisseur, photographer, and artist. Her feed includes a balanced combination of feel-good and politically driven content. Expect entertaining posts, such as this animation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo drinking a Negroni, and mixology action shots. More recently, Lin has also shared Black Lives Matter protest photos and drawings.

@cocktailbandits

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Our first in-person event since the lockdown would involve Tequila, of course. 🥃 Today is #NationalTequilaDay and we are celebrating with @patron by hosting a pop-up at @tacoboychs from 4PM to 6PM. Come say, ‘Hi’ and try our cocktail of the day, recipe listed below: ‘Blacker the Berry’ 1.5 oz of Patron Blanco 1 oz of BlackBerry Purée 🍇 Jamaican Bitters Limeade @drinkhooch Garnish: Sage leaf & Blackberries 🌱 Add Patron and blackberry puree to mixing tin full of ice. Secure lid then shake passionately. Strain mixture into chilled glass. Carefully add Limeade soda until glass is full. Lovingly add sage and blackberry garnish. #GentleLadySips 💃🏽🍹✨ Photo by: @tacoboychs #cocktailbandits #cheers #celebrate #curlyladieswhotalkcocktailsdaily #southernlibationist #tequila #tequilacocktail #agave #willtravelforbooze #patron #blackberry #limeade #drinkhooch #hooch #curls #curlsandcocktails #cocktailsdaily #dailycocktails #smiles #popup #tacoboychs #wearecharleston #charlestonsc #tequiladay #authors #holyspiritschs

A post shared by Johnny & Neka (@cocktailbandits) on Jul 24, 2020 at 1:53pm PDT

Charleston mixologists Johnny Caldwell and Taneka Reaves are the “Cocktail Bandits.” Their feed is full of drinks inspo, tasting videos, and more. Their book, “Holy Spirits!”, teaches readers about Charleston cocktail culture.

@thegrandiosebartender

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For those of you who don’t personally know me, my name is Anthony Bates and (I think) I am more than a person who slings cocktails! I’m currently taking over @liquor’s Instagram today so you can find me there shooting the s***! Besides perfecting my Mai Tai – I’m really into reading, music, and definitely art… I love to see people be creative and express themselves artistically! I’m a introvert at times so I like to express myself through different forms of creativity wether I’m the creator or in collaboration with someone else. Here’s me on NYE at @undercote with a cocktail by @beaub.knowin …..I felt like Super Fly this day lmao… I hope everyone is having a great 4th and enjoying themselves! Illustration by: @jenchiascreative

A post shared by Anthony Bates (@thegrandiosebartender) on Jul 4, 2020 at 11:11am PDT

Harlem local Anthony Bates is a private bartender and a mixologist at The Polo Bar in New York. His bio reads “Heavy Drinker, Heavy Thinker,” and his feed reflects this, with bright recipes, fun illustrations, and educational captions.

@theweekendmixologist

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– A P P L E    W O O D 1½ oz Apple Brandy ¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice ½ oz Maple syrup Top with @sanpellegrinodrinksus Tonica Oakwood Add all ingredients except the Tonica to a shaking tin and then add ice. Shake well and strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with Tonica Oakwood and garnish with fresh apple slices. – I had so much fun back in January on location in New York with @sanpellegrinodrinksus . We are excited to announce the launch of their new mixers! Here’s a recipe I created to feature the dry and spiced flavors of their delicious Tonica Oakwood. Cheers friends! . #AppleWood #SanPellegrino #TonicaOakwood #SanPellegrinoSparklingDrinks #TimeForTaste Sponsored Ad

A post shared by Barlow | Weekend Mixologist (@theweekendmixologist) on Jul 17, 2020 at 10:35am PDT

Barlow Gilmore makes and photographs creative libations that are almost too pretty to drink. This dedicated mixologist even carves his own ice!

@whats.marisa.drinking

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It’s National Tequila Day and I’m celebrating with this deliciousness! Salud! 🌺 GINGERED BLOOD 🌺 45ml Tequila Reposado @casamigos 15ml Ginger Liqueur @thekingsginger 30ml Lime Juice 20ml homemade Blood Orange syrup Garnish with Mint, Flowers & Blood Orange 🌿🌺❤️ #whatsmarisadrinking #thecocktaildreamteam #liqpic #libations #imbibe #cocktailpic #cocktailrecipe #instacocktail #drinkstagram #mixology #garnishgame #classicocktail #drink #drinkpic #drinkup #goldcoastcocktails #goldcoastlife #myfavouritecocktail #booze #craftcocktails #drinkporn #cocktailhour #drinking #mixologist #tequila #nationaltequiladay #tequiladay2020

A post shared by What’s Marisa Drinking (@whats.marisa.drinking) on Jul 23, 2020 at 2:37pm PDT

Marisa’s feed, full of rainbow cocktails, is the definition of #Instagrammable. The Australian drinks creator posts recipes that are colorful, garnished to perfection, and simple enough to make at home.

@thecocktailsnob_

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I fully intended to just select a few of my favorites from my 📸 @shoottphotos session a few weeks ago. But they were all so good lol. I just couldn’t decide. So I bought all 146 of them lol. So if you see a couple hundred pictures of me in the same outfit in the same location, just mind your business, mmkay? 😂😂😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📸: @amcrommett

A post shared by Camille | Cocktail Blogger (@thecocktailsnob_) on Jul 30, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

Though she’s a self-proclaimed cocktail “snob,” Camille’s page is fun and approachable. She’s a New York-based cocktail writer and happy-hour enthusiast (she even created the hashtag #happyhourathome), and her feed is full of exciting cocktail recipes and helpful advice for home bartenders.

@bon_vivantito

View this post on Instagram

Turn up for Tiki 🍹🥥🍌🍍. It has been blazing hot here on the Mid-Atlantic coast, and all I want to do is crush tropical cocktails. But, honestly, it’s just one of those genres of drinks that always taste better at the bar – usually because I don’t have a pebble ice machine at home (yes, it does matter). . Lately, I’ve been making some Mai Tais with @denizenrum Merchant’s Reserve, @smallhandfoods orgeat, fresh lime, and dry curaçao. That’s as complex as it gets, but it’s well worth it. . Who has some easy tiki cocktails that they have developed at home worth sharing? I’m looking for some new flavors 👌🏽🍹.

A post shared by Tyler Zielinski (@bon_vivantito) on Jul 10, 2020 at 9:54am PDT

Tyler Zielinski is a mixologist and drinks writer. He’s contributed many classic and original cocktails to the VinePair recipe library, and his Instagram feed is full of beautifully photographed cocktails and helpful how-to videos.

@danmagro

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✨"Tartlet" 🍓 1.5oz Reposado // 3 Strawberries, muddled // 2oz Lemon Juice // 0.5oz Lime Juice // 1oz Simple Syrup // Pinch of Salt // Brut Sparkling Wine // Sour Candy Rope, for garnish⁣ on a @rawrutes tree pick of course!⁣⁣ 🍓⁣⁣⁣⁣ Petite but with a sucker of a sour punch! I was obsessed with sour candies when I was younger and wanted to emulate that mother pucker of a smack when you take that first bite…but boozy.⁣⁣⁣ 🍓⁣⁣⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ #contest #supercall #mixology #cocktailporn #happyhour #cocktails #bartender #drinks #bartenderlife #craftcocktails #imbibegram #libations #liqpic #eeeeeats #drinkporn #eaterla #california #foodandwine #fwx #buzzfeast #bareaders #thekitchn #delish #boozytalk #BAReaders #FeedFeed #drinkstagram #tequila #sourpunch @sourpunchcandy @thefeedfeed.cocktails

A post shared by Dan Magro (@danmagro) on Jul 30, 2020 at 5:51am PDT

Dan Magro is a West Hollywood-based mixologist, host of Sip&Stream, and author of “Suck It Up: Extraordinary Cocktails for Everyday People.” His cocktails are bright, fun, and always topped with impressive garnishes.

@apartment_bartender

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Hey, you look thirsty 😛 throw some drink recs you’re craving in the comments and I’ll mix you up something in my IG stories later today! Lesssssssss get it! 🕺🏽👇🏽 #ApartmentBartender

A post shared by Elliott | Apartment Bartender (@apartment_bartender) on Jul 14, 2020 at 1:31pm PDT

Elliott, an apartment bartender and cocktail recipe developer, has a feed full of colorful recipes and more. Check out his highlights for tips on everything from using bitters in cocktails to building a cocktail book library

@ivymix

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I really really miss @leyendabk and on days like today with May just around the corner I miss our patio the most. May has always been our biggest month with the weather being perfect combined with our anniversary and Cinco de Mayo. This year we were going to do a huge party for our five ( 5️⃣❗️) year anniversary as well as my book launch. Instead we won’t. Instead, rather than being in Leyenda’s backyard mixing up drinks and hanging out with the whole neighborhood, I will just post them on social media. Like this one— featured in my book with link in BIO!—Cereza Picante: With this drink, I wanted to create an exceptionally fruit-forward fall-like sour that highlighted spice and smoke to compliment its fruity notes. The result is what its name advertises: one spicy cherry. 1 oz Jalapeño @siembraspirits Valles blanco tequila ½ oz @delmagueymezcal Vida ¾ oz @cherryheering ¾ oz lime juice ¼ oz simple syrup Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and Luxardo cherry flag. . Photo by @Shannonshootscocktails

A post shared by Ivy Mix (@ivymix) on Apr 29, 2020 at 11:27am PDT

New York-based Ivy Mix is an author, bar owner, and drinks educator. Mix is the owner of Leyenda — a Latin cocktail bar in Brooklyn — and the author of “Spirits of Latin America,” a cocktail book full of diverse Latin American cocktail recipes. Follow her for educational Instagram lives, cocktail recipes, and more.

@holycityhandcraft

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The face you make when your 23 month old son walks into your super serious, ice cutting shoot and furiously waves at you👋🏽 while shouting “HIIII DADAAAAAA” – at the top of his lungs. . But hey… it made for a semi decent/authentic smiling photo. God I love that kid.

A post shared by miguel | HANDCRAFT (@holycityhandcraft) on Jul 9, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

Based in Charleston, S.C., Miguel is a drinks creator and photographer. His feed is full of fancy yet approachable recipes you’ll want to recreate again and again. He’s also an expert cocktail party host and ice carver.

The article 15 Cocktail Influencers You Should Be Following on Instagram appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/15-cocktail-influencers-instagram/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/625991098950647808

[thesinglesjukebox]

CHARLI XCX FT. CARLY RAE JEPSEN - BACKSEAT [6.57] Charli, Carly Rae and PC Music? Nah, that's not really in our wheelhouse.

Ryo Miyauchi: The humming synths and the ghost harmonies of "all alone" resemble the static heard when the radio dial is adjusted perfectly to pick up a feed from two FM channels. Both broadcasts play independent from another, each scene unique to the singer who sings them: Charli's escape from hell via partying turns self-destructive while Carly Rae Jepsen's LA hallucination finds two cold souls together in bed. And just when the two stories see eye to eye, this metallic black hole of a noise swallows them whole. [6]

Austin Brown: It's a never-ending source of fascination for me to watch artists like Charli and Carly navigate the pop industry, invested in the artistic potential of transcendent escapism but resistant (to varying degrees) to its dominant tropes and business practices. Lines on "Backseat" like Charli's "I want it all, even if it's fake" and Carly's "I got a thirst for distraction I can't take back" are declarative to this effect, as is the mushmouth muttered repetition of "all alone" in the chorus. In opening the Pop 2 mixtape, it serves as a mission statement of sorts for Charli. "Backseat" isn't nearly as confrontational as Vroom Vroom, which eschewed melody entirely at points and suffered as a result, but it's not full-on bubblegum either, warping Charli's voice and discovering decay and regret in its more grating corners. One point off for letting Carly show her up in the lyrics department, but it's not like she had a choice in that matter. [7]

Anthony Easton: That this starts and ends with melodic noise, and that the subtle metal grinding throughout the rest of the track keeps asking the questions: how do we make pop, nad what does the form of pop mean now, outside of the populist? It's a lonely, almost toxic song, and that it is written and performed by two great pop performers who (with the exception of one or two singles) do not sell well, makes it a fascinating example of formalist expansion, a kind of pop for pop's sake, which would all seem so academic, if it wasn't so fantastic to listen to. [9]

Alfred Soto: They belong together: figures who inhabit pop, approximate stars, scoring the occasional hit. The haze through which this song emerges has the texture of L.A., its smog and the way pop stars, approximate and otherwise, create cogs in the machinery. Because they hesitate about going for the jugular, "Backseat" takes a back seat to even itself. This is why Carly Rae Jepsen and Charli XCX remain approximate pop stars. [6]

Eleanor Graham: In How To Be A Woman, Caitlin Moran describes "How Soon Is Now" as the sound of The Smiths "speeding past us, light-decked and vast, like the Millennium Falcon." "Backseat" is the daughter and heir of that big, spacey nothing-in-particular. Against the synthy void, light bounces off the industrial clanks and screeches, like a city collapsing in slow motion. The opening lines speak to the cinematic kind of glamour that acknowledges its own hollowness but revels in itself anyway, for a lack of anything else. The parties with strangers won't help you figure it out, but you can look out the window in the backseat and imagine that the neon lights are falling on your face in exactly the way you want them to, imagine yourself as violet-coloured and monumental and extra-planetary as the chorus. [7]

Leah Isobel: Given the overlap in Charli and Carly's audiences and their similar places in the modern pop pantheon, it makes demographic sense that they'd collaborate eventually, though sonically their music isn't all that similar; Charli is all neon-bright pop hook, while Carly is more of a singer-songwriter type. "Backseat" does an admirable job of blending their separate worlds into one as Charli integrates fully into her femmebot act and Carly tugs on the high notes with so much, um, emotion that she runs away with the song, at least until the final third explodes the whole thing in a haze of electronic shrapnel. The secret overlap that makes this all work is that both singers have an intimate knowledge of pop-as-machine, if from different angles. They sing to each other from across an impossible divide, the cyber girl and the real girl, able to comfort each other but not to heal. Pop 2 has bigger and better pop songs, but none sketch out the album's psychodrama quite as thoroughly as this one. [7]

Maxwell Cavaseno: Charli XCX's fans insist that her brand of pop does more than the pop she constantly proves she's incapable of writing consistently -- not because she hasn't tried, but because frankly people who aren't captivated by the thought of Charli XCX don't care. The same could apply to Carly Rae Jepsen, the apparent genius of the straight ahead anthem who can't manage to convince so-called 'stupid normies' she's even made a song since "Call Me Maybe." "Backseat" sounds as uncomfortably unabashed as people who cannot separate their philias from their feelings, as the duo rapturously claw at the neon and chrome slidings like half-magpie half-harpies sounding less like a song and more like jarringly reductive fetish art for so many who've singed their corneas by refreshing their Tumblrs a few too many times, and maybe that's the point. Maybe this is the fitting result for the hyperconnectivity of the 'alt-pop' stars who can't succeed at bridging past the voracious net addicts who enshrine them as stars before they actually soar; their relationship becomes a specific kind of fan-service as tether, and in their desperate symbiosis do their damnedest to ensure that this isn't just fantasy, but that it really matters. [1]

Will Rivitz: A word to the wise: if a song is to arrive at a triumphant moment of climax most of the way through, it needs to merit that high. That is precisely what "Backseat" does, smokily snaking through neon rubble until it soars into the sky with its gorgeous trapdoor bass while the voices of Charli and Carly diffuse into the ether. It's the most gorgeous pop song in a very long while, and it grows and glows so perfectly that every moment feels earned. [9]

Sonia Yang: This is a perfect marriage of my perception of each of their thematic tropes; Jepsen's dreamy pining undercut by Charli's wryness. Even the music seems to echo this: smooth 80s-inspired production characteristic of the former's songs marred just the right amount by darker, more dissonant synths from the latter's work, almost in conjunction with when each vocalist makes her entrance. The true beauty is how distinct their voices sound even under layers of autotune; Jepsen floats and flutters while Charli errs sharp and sardonic. "Backseat" sparkles but isn't saccharine, it's melancholy but not weighty. And like a fever dream, it ends almost as quickly as it began. [8]

Katherine St Asaph: Charli ft. Carly, singing about love and, better yet, the solipsistic swooning of getting lost in songs in cars at night alone -- music-geek fanfic of such a high degree I'm shocked it wasn't previously an Archive Of Our Own category. A. G. Cook still can't quite shake the bratty/saccharine dichotomy through which PC Music tends to cast its singers, but "Backseat" is about as well-executed as it gets. It helps that Charli and Carly push their respective roles into the uncanny -- the former's voice has seldom been so robotically narcotized, the latter approaches Nicola Hitchcock levels of vocal shiver. Extra point for playing their respective accents on "half" off each other; I kinda hope it wasn't planned. [9]

Stephen Eisermann: This is the most compelling I've ever found Carly and it's on a track she's only featured on! The production does wonders for her normally nasally tone and the ethereal production and blend of these two lovely voices is entrancing. The lyrics touch on lost love and a wanting for more, nothing too out of ordinary for either artist, but here it feels especially poignant -- probably due to the production. Plus, the addition of the synths and sparkles towards the end of the song are perfect -- if one could ever turn Carly and Charli's voices into sound effects, it would be that starry/sparkly sound. It's all so... magical. [8]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: PC Music-minded catharsis wherein processed vocals and attention-seeking production turn the humanness of the song into something uncanny, revealing something even more human about our desire to escape a reality that overwhelms us. "Backseat" reaches that blissful headspace in its final chaotic stretch, but it renders the rest of the song a slog in comparison. Even so, Carly's vocals are too clean and (ineffectively) awkward for the track, distracting too much from achieving the same goals that define easyFun and A.G. Cook's other tracks. "I want it all, even if it's fake" sings Charli. I do too, but I'm not convinced they believe it. They're in the back seat... shouldn't they be taking the wheel? [4]

Will Adams: I've made peace with the fact that Charli seemingly has no interest in making an actual album in favor of mixtapes that pour on the feature credits for maximum OMG (hi Carly). But I still can't get past my recent revelation that her current aesthetic is really not far from that of her early mixtapes, only sullied by the PC Music touch: Auto-Tune purée, flat synths and hokey car screeches. [5]

Joshua Copperman: Charli's music leaking (down to her unfinished demos) has become something of an in-joke on Reddit and other sites. If someone told me this was one of the demos, I would believe them. There are some stirring melodies and some nice ear candy moments, but it sounds like AG Cook and co. put so much time into the vocals that they forgot to flesh out the backing track. As a result, not much elevates this above Charli's previous kiss-offs (or Carly's kiss offs.) The biggest letdown is the breakdown at 3:15; there was nothing to actually strip back in the first place, and the synth arpeggio feels like it was obtained from a P.C. Music Synth Presets folder. "Backseat" is still good enough, but frustrating in how close it is to being great. [6]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[shoelace-and-friends]

Pabbi Ithro + Baby Sport headcanons

*When Sport was born? Ithro cried 

*When Sport took his first steps? Ithro cried 

*When Sport’s first word was “Pabbi”?  C R I E D 

*He gets so proud of watching his baby boy grow, you have no idea 

*He’s 100% that dad who brags and shares EVERYTHING too 

* Ithro: “My son just learned his abc’s! My son can do a whole somersault all by himself! My son can run now!  My son’s only three but he can already ride a bike without training wheels! My son grew two inches in the past month! My son just-” 

Everyone: “We GET IT!” 

*Sport was a REALLY hyper baby, btw. That goes without saying though 

*He was tiny and he was FAST so Ithro actually ended up getting a lot of bumps and bruises from crawling under the coffee table and running around the house trying to catch him

*Honestly, baby-proofing the place was just as much for Ithro as it was for Sport 

*Sport is a gifted gymnast like his dad, and by the time he was preschool age he could already do flips and walk around on his hands 

*The amazing thing is even though Ithro did teach him a couple things, Sport actually learned how to do things like splits and somersaults and cartwheels and one-handed pushups himself just by watching his pabbi train every day 

*Exercising was of course, a bonding thing for them. Ithro would do push-ups with Sport sitting on his back and he’d lift Sport a lot like his weights. He also totally had one of those things that Craig from Dream Daddy has where you run with your baby strapped to your chest 

*Sport was a handful sometimes though, especially after he learned to walk 

*Ithro didn’t want to, ....but he didn’t really have a choice but to put him on a baby leash when he was a toddler because they would go to the store or something and Sport would run around and touch e v e r y t h i n g

*Seriously like, Ithro would have his back turned for one second and then the next thing he knows his son is literally climbing on the grocery store shelves and displays. He’s on the top shelf OH MY GODS HE’S STANDING ON THE TOP SHELF

*So yeah Sport was a rambunctious baby 

*Also, getting Sport to take his fish oil every day was almost impossible. He really hated it and would squirm and spit it out

*The only way he got him to take his fish oil was by mixing it with apple purée since apple is his favorite food 

*It was disgusting. 10/10 Ithro gags every time. But, anything to get his weird son to take his goddamn fish oil 

*Also, for some reason, baby Sport did not like clothes???

*Ithro had to be careful when inviting guests over because Ithro could be talking to someone and all the sudden a naked elf baby toddles into the living room with his pull-up on his head. He dresses him again and he just comes back naked ten minutes later 

*There is absolutely photos of naked baby sport with his diaper on his head in the family photo album tho 

*Ithro also taught Sport chess in an effort to get him to stay still for a longer period of time and also to improve his concentration. That’s why Sportacus thinks of chess as a sport to this day 

*Ithro affectionally called Sportacus his little “kangaroo” and his “jumping bean”. Coincidentally, ...some of the things Robbie also ended up calling him 

*He called him  his little “bouncy ball” too

[myjaebutt]

You Know It All (You’re My Best Friend)

Namjoon x Jin / Yoongi x Jimin / Taehyung x Jungkook Word Count: 4348 Genre: Fluff / Family Summary: “Bewest fwen?” Taehyung cocks his head to the side at the new term. “Best friend.” Yoongi can’t help but correct him. They watch as Taehyung stares blankly before suddenly lighting up and asking, “wike Papa n Daddy?” The four men stare at each other before breaking out into smiles. “Kinda.” Jin says with a fond smile and Taehyung smiles back. “Kookie n Tae bewest frens.” Taehyung giggles happily.

(Or Jungkook won't stop crying and Taehyung makes it all better.)

[AO3]

Jungkook knows he’s being bad. He’s like 99.9% sure of it. He’s barely one and can’t do much but he knows when his dads are upset.

Clumsy daddy looks like he’s about to cry along with him and pretty daddy keeps on running around bringing him all his toys.

So yeah he knows he should stop crying now. But he can’t stop.

Usually, his dads can understand him when he cries. They know when he’s hungry or tired or did the dirty. So really this is the best bet Jungkook has.

He wails a little louder.

“Jinnnnn. He won’t stoppp.” Namjoon starts pulling at his purple locks as Jungkook flings back the orange dinosaur plushie Jin puts in the crib.

Jin glares at him as the dinosaur goes whizzing across the room. “I can hear that.”

“I….I’m sorry.” Jin looks like he's going to fling something at him soon.

Jin sighs and sits down in the rocking chair by the crib. “I… I don’t know what to do Joon. He...he won’t stop and I’ve tried everything!! He just ate, his diaper doesn’t need to be changed and he won’t stop even when I pick him up!” His eyes start welling up and Namjoon feels his stomach drop.

“What if… what if he just hates me…” Jin places his head into his hands, unable to even bear the thought of Jungkook possibly hating him.

It’s been a little more than a year since Jungkook entered their lives and even though it's been going smoothly Jin still worries. Like a lot.

Ever since he was young and helped out his aunts take care of their kids he knew he wanted to settle down and have a family of his own. Yet for the longest time he had been unsure if he would be lucky enough to experience starting his own family and of having a little baby to call his own and love forever.

Thankfully Jungkook had been able to fill that missing piece in his life, in their life. He had been a dream come true and Jin would forever be grateful for the opportunity to become a father with Namjoon.

However the thought that Jungkook didn’t want to be with him and Namjoon simply shatters his heart.

He knows he’s being over dramatic and over thinking what’s most likely a baby tantrum but Jin can’t stop the dark thoughts. He’s never felt this clueless and helpless and more than anything he just wants to make Jungkook happy.

“Don’t say that Jinnie. He’s a baby and everyone knows he loves you the most.” Namjoon walks over rubs his back softly.

Jin just sniffles into his hands.

“No seriously. He’s never even peed on you and he’s peed on me at least 20 times. Even with a diaper on!”

Jin can't help but let out a laugh at that. It's true. Namjoon’s had Jungkook pee on him more times than what would seem reasonable. He’s starting to think Jungkook's doing it on purpose now because he thinks it’s funny.

“He doesn't fling food on you when you try to feed him or throw up on you or try to bite you when you give him kisses. If anything Jungkook hates me!” Namjoon goes quiet.

“Wait...does he hate me?” Namjoon has to stop and gasp, hand coming up to dramatically clutch at his chest. Has he always been this dense? How could he miss all the signs clearly showing that his little boy hates him? Namjoon can’t believe he’s trying to help Jin when his little baby actually hates him.

The older boy watches in alarm as Namjoon’s face scrunches up as he begins to over think. If this had been any other situation he would have laughed at the dramatic facial expression and teased his husband for spending too much time with Hoseok. But right now he can feel the worry rolling off his husband and he's quick to comfort him.

Swiftly he pulls Namjoon into his lap. It’s an awkward fit. Namjoon’s much too big for his lap and his butt is digging into Jin’s thighs uncomfortably. When Namjoon squirms trying to get comfortable on the older man’s lap the rocking chair groans under both their weights but Jin knows it can handle it. It's handled worse.

Namjoon's taller than Jin but he manages to tuck himself against Jin's broad chest and hides his face in the elder's neck. The endearing act brings a soft smile to Jin’s face and he pulls Namjoon closer before placing a kiss on the side of his forehead.

“Don't be silly. He's a baby he doesn't even know what good food is yet let alone people.” He begins to rub soothing circles into Namjoon’s back. Namjoon nuzzles against his neck at the feeling.

“Wait...did you just criticize our 14 month old on his choice of food?” He stills in Jin's arms before pulling away and looking down at Jin, face etched with disbelief. It's still better than him looking as sad as he did earlier so Jin mentally pats himself on the back.

“He had kale, broccoli and mango purée for lunch. What kind of atrocity!” Just remembering the smell has Jin gagging a little.

Namjoon stares at his a husband for a good minute, truly speechless before sputtering out, “you chose that!”

“Yeah, but he ate it no problem. Like what even! I expected some resistance! A little crying, some food flying. But nooooo. He downed that like it was actually good!” Jin throws his arms up in mock frustration, trying hard to keep a straight face.

“I...I never thought someone would get upset that their child's actually eating…” Namjoon can't help the smile spreading across his face.

“That's because he's my kid! He better know the difference. I didn't raise him to be stupid!” Jin folds his arms across his chest and pouts up at Namjoon. He really, kind of, hopes Jungkook’s taste buds improve soon or else he just might actually lose his mind.

Namjoon would think he's actually being serious if he didn't see the shit eating grin spreading across Jin’s face.

“I see…” Namjoon snorts out before doubling over in laughter. His face connects with Jin’s broad chest, earlier worries forgotten.

Jin chuckles, pleased at himself and holds Namjoon to his chest.

He knows that they both tend to overthink the simplest of things, especially if it involves Jungkook. But it's out of love.

Now if only Jungkook could tell them what was wrong in the first place.

Jungkook watches his fathers in silence. He doesn't understand how they can laugh and be happy while he's trying so hard to communicate with them. There's an emergency and they think they can just laugh??

It’s then that Jin notices that it’s oddly quiet, only the sound of Namjoon still wheezing with laughter filling the room. He would cheer in joy but it feels off and he slowly looks toward the crib. Jungkook’s just staring at him and Namjoon, red in the face from crying and a strange look on his face. Almost as if he’s judging them.

He’s about to push Namjoon off so he can go check up on him when he sees Jungkook take a deep breath and let out a blood-curdling scream.

Namjoon immediately shuts up and freezes in his lap. He stares widely at the crib and then at Jin. Jin shakes his head in defeat before slumping back into the chair.

Shit. How were they going to deal with this?

* * *

Yoongi isn’t sure how he ended up with Jimin straddling him on the couch but he’s not complaining. He’s a simple man. Anything Jimin says or does goes. Especially if that situation involves hot make-out sessions.

Jimin’s making his way down Yoongi’s neck, leaving little kisses and making sure not to press hard enough to leave marks. He doesn’t need Taehyung asking questions again. It had been embarrassing enough the first time.

As soon as Taehyung had seen the red marks littered across Yoongi’s pale neck he had freaked out. Asking his Papa over and over again if he was okay and if he needed to go to the hospital. It was adorable and endearing the way Taehyung had spent the whole day, literally and figuratively, attached to Yoongi. Getting him anything he asked, putting lotion on his neck and even letting his father choose what they watched on t.v. He also would stop occasionally and kiss Yoongi’s neck proclaiming that his kisses were “magical” and would make his Papa all better.  

Yoongi had found the whole situation adorable and laughed it off but Jimin couldn't look his son in the eye for the rest of the day. Yes, Taehyung didn’t know that he did it, but he did. Every time he remembered it he couldn’t help but blush bright red.

Which had resulted in Taehyung asking him if he was okay or sick like Papa. Which resulted in Yoongi laughing way too hard and whispering in his ear, ‘if only he saw your thighs’. Which resulted in him turning even redder and Taehyung exclaiming they need to go to the hospital ‘befor daddy blow up’.

So yes, Jimin does not need a repeat thank you very much.

“Minnie. Careful..” Yoongi barely breathes out before a lick against his neck has him going silent, a moan stuck in the back of his throat.

The comment has Jimin pulling away, a pout present on his plump lips. His hair is a mess from Yoongi’s hands pulling through it earlier and his lips are painted a pretty red from all the kisses. There’s a soft blush spreading across his cheeks and Yoongi feels his breath catch. Jimin, as always, is effortlessly beautiful.

“I know sheesh.” Jimin pouts deeper, sticking out his lips exaggeratedly and Yoongi can’t help but pull him in for a kiss. And another. And another. Yoongi’s weak for cute things. Especially a cute thing named Park Jimin.

Soon enough Jimin’s laughing against his lips and Yoongi’s heart is soaring.

But alas, all good things must come to an end.

For Jimin and Yoongi it comes in the form of a hyperactive almost 3 year old who really should be asleep right now.

“Papa! Emwency! Daddyy! Emwency!”

Jimin freezes on top of Yoongi. Mind going blank in terror. Taehyung can not catch him on top of Yoongi. Jimin will not let this happen.

Thankfully for Jimin, Yoongi has similar thoughts.

Unluckily for Jimin, said thoughts result in Yoongi literally throwing him off his lap and onto the floor.

His head barely misses the coffee table and Jimin looks up at his husband in shock.

Yoongi looks equally as shocked and quickly squeaks out, “sorry! I panicked!”

“Clearly.” Jimin pouts up at him, adding in puppy eyes for the full guilt effect. Yoongi’s a sucker for the puppy eyes and Jimin can already see the older male panicking at the thought of actually hurting Jimin.

That’s how Taehyung finds them after he manages to get down the stairs. Jimin sprawled out on the floor, pout still intact and Yoongi guiltily staring at him from the couch.

“Papa. Why Daddy on floor?” Taehyung otters over to stand near Jimin’s head and stares down at him, head cocked to the side in clear confusion.

“Uhhh. Daddy kind of...fell.” Yoongi finally gets off the couch and walks over to stare down at Jimin alongside Taehyung.

Jimin rolls his eyes. Fell? More like attacked he huffs to himself.

“Oh no. Daddy okway?” Taehyung kneels next to Jimin and uses both hands to squeeze Jimin’s cheeks together.

The little boy’s gaze is intense and full of concern and Jimin can’t help the smile that spreads across his smooshed cheeks.

“I’m okay Taetae.” He barely manages to squeak out between squished cheeks.

“Das gud Daddy.” Taehyung leans down and kisses both his cheeks and Jimin practically melts into the floor.

Yoongi laughs from above them and Jimin doesn't even mind that his husband almost killed him. Their son is too cute to handle.

After Jimin manages to get himself onto the couch and check that he is, in fact, okay he settles Taehyung onto his lap and tries to look at him sternly. “Tae why are you awake?”

“Also what did I tell you about coming down the stairs by yourself?” Yoongi adds in, leaning against Jimin’s back, chin hooked over the younger’s shoulder. He gives Taehyung a pointed look.  

Taehyung at least has the decency to look guilty. He lowers his head and looks up at his dads through his eyelashes, a small pout on lips at being scolded. He mumbles out a soft, “sowwy”.

Jimin squeals internally and he can feel Yoongi trying to hide his own smile against his shoulder. Taehyung is too cute for his own good and they are weak. They will forever be weak.

But the act barely lasts a minute before Taehyung's squirming in Jimin’s lap, a distressed look on his face.

“Papa! Daddy! Emwency! Emwency.” He starts screaming like earlier.

Jimin has to hold him down while Yoongi says, “it’s emergency Tae. And what’s wrong?”

“Emgency! Kookie!” Taehyung squirms his way out of Jimin’s lap.

“What’s wrong honey?” Jimin leans forward, elbows resting on his knees as he gives Taehyung his undivided attention. Yoongi moves along with him, still pressed against his back.

Taehyung looks frazzled and Jimin’s starting to grow panicked.

“Kookie weave teddy here.” Taehyung stands in front of them, hands placed on his hips and a pout on his lips.

They then notice the light brown teddy bear clutched in Taehyung’s small hand. ‘Kookie’ written across the chest in red.

“So Kookie left his Teddy here?” Yoongi moves away from Jimin and reaches for Taehyung.

Taehyung quickly scampers into his lap. “Yes Papa! Kookie emwency!”

Jimin scoots closer to the two and runs his hand through Taehyung’s dark locks. “It’s okay sweetie. We can give Kookie his teddy tomorrow.”

At his words Taehyung starts shaking his head no. “Noooo daddy! Emwency! Kookie gonna caway!”

Taehyung looks ready to cry himself. Lips jutting out as his eyes gloss over with unshed tears.

Jimin looks at Yoongi in panic and the elder sighs before getting up with Taehyung still in his arms. Taehyung clutches onto him in surprise, teddy bear squished between both of them.

“Alrighty then Tae. If it’s an emergency I think we have to go right now. Right?” Yoongi looks down at the little boy in his arms and smiles widely when Taehyung beams up at him, nodding his head frantically.

“Yess Papa! Less goo!! Kookie no caway!” Taehyung practically bounces in Yoongi’s arms.

Jimin smiles at the two before heading over to grab Taehyung’s shoes and sweater. They might both be incredibly weak for Taehyung and his never ending cuteness but Yoongi definitely had it worse.

* * *

After trying again and again and failing miserably to calm Jungkook down Jin’s resorted to standing by the crib and watching in horror as Jungkook keeps crying. The crying is softer than earlier, more blubbering than actually wailing. But it’s more due to the fact that Jungkook must be exhausted rather than finding any relief from whatever’s bothering him.

Namjoon’s standing to the side so they’re in this awkward half back-hug situation. He’s rubbing soothing circles into his hip and honestly, Jin is grateful. He’s so close to crying himself it’s at least semi-comforting to know that his husband is as lost as he is. He’s not sadistic he swears, just glad that he has Namjoon at least.

When the bell rings the first time, Jin hears it but he ignores it on purpose. He can not deal with people right now.

Namjoon looks at him but Jin just shakes his head and he decides not to say anything. Instead, he leans closer and leaves a kiss against the side of his head. ‘It’s going be okay’ it seems to say and Jin hums at the contact.

The bell, however, continues to ring and this seems to motivate Jungkook to start crying louder. Jin sighs tiredly before moving out of Namjoon’s embrace and stomps over to the door. He is so close to murdering someone and he really truly falls sorry for the person who’s going to have to face him right now.

Jin yanks the front door open and has his mouth open, ready to go off about manners and learning to press the bell like a decent human being when he notices big round chocolate eyes looking up at him.

“Taetae?” All his earlier anger deflates and he stares at the little boy and his fathers in confusion.

“Emwency! Emwency!” Taehyung screams from Yoongi’s arms and Jin’s even more confused.

“Tae. What do you say first?” Yoongi warns Taehyung and Taehyung looks at Yoongi with a blank expression before turning to stare at Jimin.

Jin sees Jimin mouth ‘hello’ to Taehyung before the little boy lights up and turns around to scream, “HELLLOO KOOKIE DADDY!”

Jin can’t help but smile at the little boy’s antics while Yoongi shakes his head, a smile spreading across his face that matches Jimin’s.

“Oh so I’m Kookie’s daddy now? What happened to Jinnie uncle?”

Taehyung looks at him with wide eyes before smiling widely. “HELLOOO JINNIE UNKWEL!”

This has Jin breaking out in laughter while Yoongi smoothers Taehyung in kisses and Jimin rubs his head affectionately.

Taehyung simply radiates under the praise.

“So what brings you guys here?” Jin asks after they’ve all managed to calm down.

At this Jimin leans forward and hands out a brown teddy bear. Jin takes the teddy bear in hands and feels his stomach drop when he realizes it Jungkook’s teddy bear. More specifically, Jungkook’s favorite teddy bear to be precise.

“Tae woke up from his nap because Jungkook forgot his teddy bear and apparently Jungkook would cry if he didn’t have it. So we had to come here and fix this emergency.” Jimin looks sheepish and smiles at Jin apologetically, unconsciously running a hand through his hair.

Taehyung nods his head enthusiastically, reaching out and grabbing the teddy bear back while Yoongi simply shrugs. Everyone's gotten used to Taehyung’s antics by now. Kind of.

“Umm. I think you guys should come in.” Jin allows them to walk into the apartment, his mouth dry and a strange feeling in his stomach.

As soon as the door closes the sound of Jungkook’s insistent wailing surrounds them and Jimin looks over at Jin with comically wide eyes.

“Is that Jungkook?”

Jin nods slowly.

“Shit.” Yoongi mumbles and Taehyung gasps from his arms.

“Daddy! Papa saway bad word!” Taehyung looks at Yoongi disapprovingly.

“Tell Papa to apologize.” Jimin's still staring at Jin, distracted.

“Apwologize Papa!” Taehyung squishes Yoongi’s face between his small hands and Yoongi has to fight back a smile.

“Sorry.” He manages to mumble out between Taehyung’s hand.

“Gud job Papa.” Taehyung beams up at him and leans in to kiss Yoongi’s cheek.

Yoongi oddly enough feels very accomplished. Yes, he just got chastised by his almost 3 year old son. No, he does not care. Why? He is weak for cute things and Taehyung is the cutest (after Jimin of course but that’s because Yoongi is both weak and biased).

Suddenly Taehyung starts squirming in Yoongi’s arms. “Down. Down. Tae down.”

As soon as his small feet touch the ground he’s off, racing in the direction of Jungkook’s room.

“I swear if he’s been crying for his teddy bear for the last hour I’m gonna…” Jin trails off as he follows the little boy. Yoongi and Jimin share a confused look before they follow behind.

Jungkook hears Taehyung before he sees him when a loud voice calls out, “hellloooo kookie other daddy”. It sounds familiar but not like either of his dads and Jungkook’s confused. His curiosity gets the better of him and he stops crying to look and see who the person is. He recognizes the person immediately. It’s the boy with the pretty smile and who always plays with Jungkook even when Jungkook doesn’t share his toys.

It’s Taetae and Jungkook is happy. Taetae always seems to understand him and make him smile and laugh. Jungkook doesn’t know why but he feels like Taetae knows exactly what’s wrong and came to help him. Jungkook is very happy.

The four men enter Jungkook’s room to find Namjoon lifting Taehyung into the crib, besides a now quiet Jungkook. The younger boy is staring at Taehyung, a deep pout on his lips and still sniffling as occasional tears still spilled from his eyes. But his previous wailing has subsided and Jin and Namjoon aren't sure what to make of the situation.

“Papa!! Gimme teddy!” Taehyung makes grabby hands as Yoongi places the teddy bear into his awaiting hands.

Taehyung remembers to say a quick “tank  grabs the teddy bear and sits down, turning to look at Jungkook who was still staring back at him, big round eyes unblinking.

Everyone’s still as Jungkook slowly rolls himself over and then manages to pull himself into a sitting position. Taehyung smiles widely at Jungkook and once Jungkook stabilizes himself, he softly holds out the teddy bear.

“Here Kookie. Teddy.”

Jungkook stares at the teddy bear for a while before breaking out into a wide toothy grin, two small bunny teeth in full display. He grabs the teddy bear from Taehyung and hugs it tight to his body, the small bear almost his size. Soft giggles escape his mouth as he happily rubs his face against the soft fur.

The four men stare in shock as the scene unfolds and Jin doesn’t know if he should cry or cheer. His son had been crying his head off for the past hour because he didn’t have his teddy bear. Jin can’t believe that 1) Jungkook cried for one freaking hour for a teddy bear, 2) he forgot about said teddy bear and 3) Taehyung had been the one to figure this out.

He feels terrible. He should have known. It had been the first toy they had gotten Jungkook and the little baby had gotten attached immediately. He kinda, sorta, really, feels like the worst father in the world right now.

“I can’t believe this.”

Namjoon grunts in agreement from behind him, sounding as bewildered as Jin feels.

Jin deflates against Namjoon’s chest and he feels strong arms immediately come up to circle around his waist.

“I can’t believe we couldn’t figure it out.” Namjoon mumbles against his neck as they watch Jungkook snuggle into the teddy bear, eyes drooping with sleep.

Jin thinks he needs a nap himself.

“Baby language is pretty hard to understand.” He jokes half-heartedly and Namjoon smiles against his neck.

“I can’t believe Tae was right.” Jimin stares at the couple in shock as Yoongi just shakes his head.

“Told you not to underestimate the kiddo.” Yoongi smiles, watching Taehyung help Jungkook lay down comfortably.

“I do no such thing.” Jimin pouts at Yoongi, draping himself over the older boy until Yoongi finally relents and looks at him.

“Sure babe.” He says with a smirk.

Jimin pouts even more and Yoongi can’t help but lean in for a kiss. Yoongi’s weak for cute things after all.

“Hey! No pda in front of the babies.” Jin jokes as Namjoon presses kisses against his neck.

“Yeah. Alrighty then.” Yoongi snorts before shaking Jimin off and walking over to pick up Taehyung.

“Let’s go Kiddo. Time for your nap time.”

Taehyung easily jumps into Yoongi’s arms and Jungkook’s oblivious to the shaking, already fast asleep.

“Tae do good Papa?” Taehyung looks up at Yoongi expectantly and Yoongi can’t help but smother Taehyung in kisses. Jimin joins in immediately and Taehyung shrieks in laughter from all the kisses.

“You did great sweetie.” Jimin says smiling widely and Taehyung beams up at them happily, mouth wide in his signature boxy grin.

“Yeah Taetae. You did amazing. Jungkook’s really lucky to have a best friend like you.” Namjoon chimes in.

“Bewest fwen?” Taehyung cocks his head to the side at the new term.

“Best friend.” Yoongi can’t help but correct him.

They watch as Taehyung stares blankly before suddenly lighting up and asking, “wike Papa n Daddy?”

The four men stare at each other before breaking out into smiles.

“Kinda.” Jin says with a fond smile and Taehyung smiles back.

“Kookie n Tae bewest frens.” Taehyung giggles happily.

* * *

“Does this count as us being bad parents?” Jin can’t help but ask Namjoon as they sway side to side.

Jungkook’s sleeping peacefully, teddy bear clutched tight against his body.

“This just makes us human Jinnie. Everyone makes mistakes. And like you said it’s hard to understand a baby language.” Namjoon holds him a little tighter.

Jin smiles to himself. Yeah, they make mistakes but that’s what being parents was all about. As long as he had Namjoon by his side it would be okay.

Almost as if Namjoon could hear his thoughts, the younger turns Jin around in his arms and places a delicate kiss on his lips. It’s full of so much love and fondness Jin feels his heart swell with affection.

“I know you said no pda in front of the baby, but I love you.” Namjoon says against his lips, eyes sparkling and dimples on display.

Jin can’t help but kiss him back.

* * *

Taehyung fell asleep on the walk home and Jimin’s just closed the door to his room when he feels arms wrap around his waist.

“I think we have some unfinished business to take care of.” He can feel Yoongi’s breath against his neck and he can’t help the shiver that runs down his back.

He gulps and is barely able to stutter out a “y-yeah” before he’s being caged against the wall and there’s warm and slightly chapped lips against his neck.

“Care-careful. N-no marks re-remember.” He squeaks out as Yoongi’s hands find their way under his shirt.

Yoongi smirked before turning him around and capturing their lips in a sweet kiss.

^^

[exquisitelyeco]

Digressing.......

I’m tired. I’m tired. I’m tired. Taking mouse steps at the moment. Son cooking, which is good. He very rarely has the confidence or copes with being able too.

Microwave gone back. HOORAY. I can see my table for the first time in weeks! Looks so bare……

And, no fight, no quibble, no long drawn out declarations of why it had to go back, or we don’t want it back…..

Good, cos I was to tired and fragile today to argue!

I did ask God to help. Didn’t expect Him to listen. He clearly did…….thanks God.

Money back! Sadly it will need to go to the blasted solicitor……

Seems money has to go on all the things I don’t want to spend it, and hardly any of the things I do!!

My poor wee P has to go to the vet. Miss. Precious has a wart on her neck and it’s got bigger. I don’t like it. PDSA said they will only pay once she has had this seen too. Once she’s healthy again!!!! The point of that is? ……..the mind boggles. Once your pet is well, then we pay. Sounds like the reverse of the no win no fee, doesn’t it? No sick, we pay!

However a kind friend has given me the money to pay for P to have her initial consultation. Hopefully the vet will not take the piss, tell me she needs an op he knows I can’t pay for! If he is anything like a dentist, she will have more fillings than a crocodile……

Talking of dentists, they are a bloody dishonest lot aren’t they? Did you know, under NHS guideline practises, the dentist is supposed to give a FREE scrape and polish, if he thinks you need one? So how do those sneaky, underhand, money grabbing bastards get round that little caveat?

By bloody well ‘suggesting’ you need to see a hygienist. You don’t ‘have’ to have it, you may 'choose’ to have it. Well at £30-45 a go, too bloody right I won’t 'choose’ to have it! I can’t afford it! 😭So patients teeth rot, and need more fillings, by the dentist, which the tax payer pays for, because under hand dentists allow their patients teeth care to go by the way side, as they know they will not see the hygienist, as it costs so much. Win win for them! No cleaning, initially, but a consultation, so money for their practice and then serious fillings required, more money for their practise!🤑🤑🤑

And who holds them to account? Nobody. As an NHS patient, I go to my dentist🤓 once every six months. Enforced by the dentist or he forces me to leave his practise. And, I kid you not, 30 SECONDS in the chair, to be told I’m ok, 🤥and so is my son. 🤥Really. Literally 30 seconds. 😡How much did he give the bill to the tax payer for?? Not 30 seconds worth, I can tell you.😤

He has told me to my face, I have a filing that needs doing, but it does not need doing enough yet! 😡😡😡Enough yet?????? How bloody serious does it need to be before he does it? A filling is one thing, no doubt he wants to wait for a crown……..well he can bloody well afford one…….. I just have a hat.😂

You have to see the funny side. Although I can’t say I fancy apple purée…….if you get my drift. Do you? Ahh, now there is a question. Do you actually follow my train of thought so I don’t need to explain ANYTHING?? After all, how much intelligence do we attribute to people? The need to explain every little nuance in case our poor wee minds couldn’t work it out! Insulting, degrading or necessary?

I am NOT pooh bear!! Ta very much. I may love him. I may love honey cake, but I am not of very little brain! I was going to let you guess the last bit, but never mind, it just came out! Why……….

This government and society treat us as thick. Like little slow, well meaning children. Do you actually want to know what I truly think about that? FUCK YOU, motherfuckers, is how I feel.

I have more brain, more integrity and more honour than most MPs have in their little toe. Been through more than they have. And am still here as well!

It’s them who are thick. Not seeing how valuable people are. How if they put money in the right places this country would not only be great again, it would be SUPERLATIVE.

Not ruling through fear, and keeping people so busy they have no time to think. But letting us be ourselves, not in a box. Paying a little extra, which in time and turn, would reap dividends they could only dream of. But they are blind and stupid. Only looking out for today, to shine in their own little ambition of the limelight. And leave the long term real shit to someone else to sort out.

Thankyou governments. Thankyou. Or should I say no Thankyou? Well yes, I should, but sarcasm on them is wasted, because actually, like pooh, they are of very little brain……

[sunset-wishes-upon-hill]

The Liars and Soothsayer chapter 4: Promise

A Kiss to My Prince series (Original ver.): FF

The Liars and Soothsayer: FF

Chapter I: Time-slip Yuri

Chapter II: Pathos

Chapter III: Belligerent

She woke up with a gasp, soaking sweat sipping through her night gown onto the expensive bed. Her chest rose with deep, heavy breath and scanning the familiar looking room, she let out a sigh of relief. The first thing she noticed was her changed outfit and she was so glad she didn’t have to look at the blood stained dress again. Or that dress ever again.

Something cold touched her feverish skin and she remembered him punching her stomach, how her body lurched forward against her restraints and she flinched, letting out a yell and lurched away as far as she could away from the contact.

“M-Miss Park–I mean, Yuri, Yuri, it’s me, Mey-Rin!” She grabbed both her wrists in attempt to calm her down but this only elicit more panics from the flailing girl.

“NO– NO!”

“YURI!”

She froze, recognising the voice as her erratic breath gradually slowed to a more steady beat.

“..Mey-Rin..”

“Yes, it’s me.” Mey-Rin nodded, letting go of her wrist with an apologetic expression as she noticed the grip marks on her wrist overlapping with the burns marks from the rope. The sympathetic maid quickly soaked the cloth with cold water and dabbed Yuri’s face gently.

Human touch.

Yuri threw her arms around her neck, pulling her closer with a cry of relief. Mey-Rin returned the embrace, settling for her waist and gently rubbing her back in soothing circle, “It is alright. You are alright.”

She spent the rest of the day in her room; she didn’t eat or see anyone except Mey-Rin but Mey-Rin had her own job to complete and could not spare much of her time. Her fingers careless the hollow point of her neck where her necklace should be was empty. She couldn’t sleep, didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her family. She wanted to see her friends. She wanted to hear their voices. It was supposed to be the main character – not her – that was supposed to go through this! Alone and in silent, she wept.

“She still refuses to come out of her bedroom?” Ciel asked, not looking up from the documents.

“Yes. It seems she was quite shocked by the event and has been refusing to eat or drink or sleep ever since, according to Mey-Rin.”

“Leave her be.” Was his succinct reply, “Did you bring the report I ask of you?

“Yes, here you go.” Sebastian handed him a pile of paper stored in a plain brown folder.

She didn’t know when she’s fallen asleep but it had been a very long time since she dreamt. Unlike her fears, it wasn’t a nightmare or dream that had Azzurro in it. She was standing on the vast grassy field she couldn’t exactly register and it was night time. Yuri gazed up at the sky, and she would have admired them were it not for its unnatural arrangement.

There was no moon or stars, just a dark blank canvas. She frowned, squinting to try and make out something in the distance. She didn’t know why but deep inside, she knew there was something that she was searching for within the empty night sky.

Wait…?

There was a star. A very bright star, so bright she had to look away for a moment.

Yuri stepped closer, walking closer to the star that seemed to call out for her.

Her eyes snapped open; hair fanned out on the pillow and covered in cold sweat again. She just had her first proper sleep ever since she was dumped into this world.

What kind of dream was that?

Yuri turned to the window, noting it was dark outside and void of light. Her stomach growled. Despite the physiological needs her body needed to be filled, she found herself unwilling to move. She just wanted to lie in bed until she withered away.

Frowning marred her face as soon as Yuri caught her own thoughts. She knew this feeling; knew it very well, for a long time.

Clenching her eyes tight and biting her lip, she groaned, I thought I got over this. Get up Yuri. Get up. GET THE FUCK UP!

It took her every ounce of strength she so little had to heave herself up from the bed. It was as if she was chained to the bed by anchors and it was pulling her back down the more she drew herself away from it. Yuri’s head turned toward the bell beside the bed, suddenly remembering Sebastian’s word to use it whenever she needed something and for a fleeting moment, she wanted to use it. Needed to because she had no strength to go down to the kitchen and get the food.

Yuri curled her hands into fist, No; you’re just making an excuse. It’s not that you don’t have strength go to the kitchen; it’s that you think you don’t have the strength to do so. Don’t be like this again.

She considered it very rude and cruel to call someone who probably at this hour, deep asleep. As someone who also worked where she had to deal with customers, she hated to be that type of ‘customer’ where they think they were a king simply because they were the one paying.

Having spent more time with Mey-Rin and others, she knew her way to the kitchen more than her way around the upper part of the manor. Unfortunately, after making to the place, the kitchen after-hour lacked any edible food she could quickly make and grab. It was sparkly clean with all the left over thrown away and fresh ingredients readied for the next day meals. It was at situation like this did she realise just how much she took £1 ready-made-just-pop-it-in-the-microwave-for-one-minute for granted.  

Yuri groaned, “Great.”

“Are you hungry?”

Yuri screamed, more loudly than she felt it was appropriate. She was still sensitive, she supposed. Being kidnapped had a way of fucking with your head. Yuri glanced over her shoulder to the kitchen entrance where the butler stood, still dressed in his uniform, holding a lit candle with apathetic expression. She guessed he had been roaming around the manor in the manner she was seeing since everyone retired yet there wasn’t any hint of tiredness radiating from his expression or his figure.

“Are you not asleep?”

“I do not need to sleep.” He replied.

“Just you or demons in general?”

“Demons in general.” He propped the candle in one of the kitchen’s many island, “If you’re hungry, I can make you something to eat.”

“Oh..” A genuine smile appeared on her, “That would be..really nice. Thank you so much.”

Shrugging off his coat and rolling up his sleeves, he replied back with a smile of his own, “It is no problem, Miss. Park. It is what I am here for.”

In one smooth established movement, he began pulling out the ingredients from the cold closet which Yuri learnt was the Victorian era version of refrigerator, a knife and a cutting board as Yuri took a seat next to the island he was working at. Soon, comforting, familiar warmth filled the room and mouth-watering smell began to dance around her nose. She had no idea what kind or type of food he was making, other than the fact that it was absolutely going to be delicious and probably very expensive if she was paying to eat them on a night out.

Her mouth gaped open as she looked at what was a piece of art form on a plate as she delicately picked up the knife and forks.

“It is Moorland Hogget loin with pomme purée, roast shallot, aubergine, pine nuts, rosemary and Honey Dukkah and dash of Old Winchester Cheese on top.”

She didn’t even know half the ingredient in front of her and wished she had a working phone where she could snap a picture and share it with the world. Oh, he even made a dessert!

“For dessert, we have Curgurrell Corner lemon verbena sorbet, white Chocolate and macadamia nuts.”

“T-This is amazing.” Yuri blinked, cutting into the delicate meat and bringing it forth to her mouth. The meat just melted in her mouth and sweet vegetables and cheese complimented the pork as if it were created for this dish only. She finished the main quick before moving to her dessert, finishing the last dish as fast as her first.

“Thank you for the food.” She said, “I’ll clean up the dishes.”

Sebastian blinked several times, “Oh, no, that is my job, Miss. Park. You should go back and rest.”

She vehemently waved her hand in refusal, stacking the dirty dishes on top and quickly taking her place at the sink.

“No.” She firmly argued as he took the dishes from her hands which she took it back and shoved him away with her body, “You cooked the food, I’ll clean. That’s how we do it where I come from. You said I’m the guest so let me do what I need to do.”

“But–“ He sighed in exasperation or irritation, she didn’t really cared.

“I’m good at these kinds of things.” She said, having taken care of her brother and the housework since she was eight when their parents had no choice but to leave them alone for a long duration of the day since they needed to earn money to afford their current situation, “You can check them afterwards.”

She scrubbed and scrubbed until the plates was shining and clean before handing it to Sebastian for inspection. He twirled the plates around, examining it for any missed spots before giving her a smile of satisfaction.

“Well done, Miss. Yuri. It is very clean.” He told her as he stacked the cleaned plates on top of the others in the cupboard.

She swelled with pride at his praise, like she always did whenever her mum would give out one of her rare compliments.

“Ah, yes, before I forget.” Sebastian remembered, pulling something out from his pocket. He held up his fist and something slipped out of his fingers, familiar chain hanging in front of her that made her eyes widened in surprise.

Her necklace. It was the necklace her cousin gave to her for her sixteenth birthday. Her only true link and reminder of her world and her family.

Yuri was so grateful she went to hug him; an action that caused him to flinch and she waited three more second before she pulled away from him and took the necklace with her.

“Thank you…” Her voice trembled with bubbling emotions. She tried not to cry again.

“It was fallen on the garden when I was walking around the garden.” He revealed, “I presume it fell during the struggle.”

Yuri shivered as flash of memory emerged, “..Yeah, it was…”

She wasn’t sure if he would mind of her next request, but she didn’t want to be alone, “D-Do you mind i-if stay with you tonight?” Wait that sounded wrong, “I-I mean, like can I just walk with you? I-if you’re just gonna roam around the manor.”

“I do not mind.” He replied in a beat, “Are you unable to sleep?”

She didn’t confirm nor deny his question.

“If you wish, there’s a medicine that will bring forth sleep.” He said as they exited the kitchen.

“…Why would you have something like that?” She frowned, even in modern time, sleeping pills was something you’d have to have prescription for and she was having a hard time of thinking up who would need them.

“Young master takes them when he has difficulty sleeping and he has important matters the next day.”

There was a brief break of a rhythm in her stride at the revelation, “H-he has trouble sleeping?”

“You must know what he went through before he contracted me, yes?”

She nodded.

“Human minds are fragile, as you can see,” He said pointedly, “Child’s mind, even more so.”

Yuri hung her head in shame, to think she was out of her mind to have wished what happened with Azzurro to a child.

“I-is he…how often does this happen to him?” Yuri asked.

His answer was a smile and although it wasn’t put into words, the understanding she gleaned from that smile was more than enough.

You’re older; you’re supposed to be the adult here.

“Good morning!”

Ciel glanced up from the newspaper with the tea in his ringed finger. He raised a brow as he took in her unusually cheerful appearance. Few days ago, she seemed so willing to waste away cooped up in her room and now she was acting as if nothing had ever happened? Perhaps not, he saw her faltering although she quickly recovered.

“I know I’ve been acting…” Yuri didn’t want to say she was sorry for being traumatised because she was not, “Like someone who was taken from her world by most unorthodox method there is and then kidnapped by a sexually deprived Italian mafia who just wanted his drugs. But, I’m ready to hold up my part of the bargain now.”

Ciel titled his head, folding his newspaper and disposing them next to his breakfast, “I was getting quite impatient waiting for you to recover. Well, what do you know?”

She thought of Madame Red with uneasiness as they delved into the subject.

“Jack the Ripper.” She said and noted his fixed fingers holding the tea, “That’s your next mission.”

He put his tea down on the plate in elegantly controlled gesture that made her envious at his seemingly effortless elegance before shoving his hand into his breast pocket and gently toss an envelope on the table for her to see, face down so that she could see the disturbed symbol of the stamped on its flapping close.

“I received this letter this morning from Her Majesty regarding Jack the Ripper.” He said, “Any details that could hurry the conclusion of the case would be appreciated.”

She gulped; she would not in any lifetime reveal just who the real culprit was not after the tantrum he threw when she revealed the truth of his world, “I think we have to visit the Undertaker and…” She closed her eyes, trying to remember the Viscount’s name, “–and this Viscount who is not really the culprit.”

Ciel deeply exhaled, as if he wasn’t pleased with the vagueness of her help.

“I’m sorry,” She said, noting his reaction, “But I-I can’t remember everything in details.”

Wiping his lip with the cloth, he stood up, “Sebastian, prepare the carriage to the townhouse.”

“Yes, young master.” The demon butler pulled the chair back as Ciel stood up to leave.

“A-are we leaving now?” Yuri asked as she hasn’t finished her breakfast yet and she hated to see the food go to waste.

“We will leave when you are ready.” Ciel conceded before taking exit of the room with Sebastian.

“T-thank you!” She called after him.

The door closed and she waited five minutes before she put her fork and knife down.

“…Brat.” She grabbed the croissant with her hand from the basket, imagining it to be his head as she tore it apart with her teeth and chugged it down with a large gulp of orange juice. How she wished it was a whiskey in hand. Can’t he see she was trying her best to try to move on? She was still hunted by his scared face, the way his hands roamed and dirtied her body, the excruciating pain she felt at his every punch. Thankfully, he left her face alone as to ‘preserve the goods’ except for her left cheek that was still aching to the touch and slightly bruised when he slapped her but mostly he aimed for more invisible parts of her body.

She didn’t know just how hard he punched until she saw ugly purple, brown and green bruises decorating her arms and stomach. That fucking bastard.

A tear fell down her cheek as she forced herself to chew down the food and quickly wiped it away before anyone saw it. The food was delicious, too delicious but it wasn’t her mum’s cooking. Her mum’s cooking wasn’t as excellent as the butler who was perfect at everything, but her food had something that no famous chef or perfect demon butler could ever make.

A mother’s touch.

“엄마 (Mummy)…” She would give anything to taste her mum’s food right now and hug her and drown in her comforting scent.

But she can’t be like this right now, not because the kid won’t allow it, but for the sake of her sanity, she had to get her shit together.

“Come on, Yuri…” She leaned against her chair, staring at the ceiling, “You can’t control what happened to you, but you can control what you can do…”

The journey to the townhouse was a silent and awkward one and Yuri settled for staring out of the window the whole time to avoid awkward silence and eye contacts. She soon forgot about whom and why they were in the carriage, instead staring in awe at the olden days that came alive in front of her very eyes. It was just like in the movie except she wasn’t looking through a screen as an audience in cinema or at sofa in her home; she was experiencing it as part of them. Although the air had a slight stale and foul stench to it and the sound was louder than she would’ve liked, it was magical and for a moment, she had forgotten about everything that had happened in the past week.

“Shut the window.” Ciel spoke for the first time since the ride, “The foul stench offends me.”

It was like glass shattering. His voice had a way of pulling her down to what was the reality she wanted to deny for a moment. He had a cruel voice and used it very cruelly.

Yuri’s grips on the edge of the window tightened and she exploded, releasing tirade of anger, “You fucking offend me! I’m so fucking sorry I appeared in front of you; I’m sorry I’ve gotten kidnapped and acted all traumatised; I’m sorry I told you that your world was as fake as croc skinned fuckin’ Hermes bag being sold in the back of the van in Camden(1) and that everything you’ve suffered through was part of cliché tropes every tragic protagonist goes through, but is it so hard for you to be at least fucking considerate even for a fucking second?! I was nearly raped and sold off because he thought I was some whore you were fucking around with!”

She said it. She wished she had actually written down what she was going to say beforehand so it would sound much more better and impactful, but that wasn’t her style. She could feel the tears she was holding back with all her will strength freely flowing down her face and her voice broke half way through her retort. Her words might haven’t been as articulate of what she was feeling and going through, but it was as raw and real as she could make it to be.

Temper. Temper. Everyone warned her of her temper and the trouble it’ll bring if she didn’t keep it under control. They assumed she was kind, funny and unserious girl, but when they, who by random or inappropriate timing, witnessed her anger, they were all shocked that a girl like her were even capable of containing such anger. Maybe that’s where the saying: ‘there’s no one scarier than a moment when a kind person gets angry’, because she can and was truly ugly when she was truly angry.

There was a name for such illness that her mum and other members of her family liked to use frequently either seriously or half-heartedly: Hwa-byung. It literally meant fire disease, or if translated, anger disease. A culturally bound mental disorder, it was characterised by depression, stress and anxiety-related physical and mental symptoms and often were marked by explosive temper and bellicose behaviour. The doctors and alike attributed the cause to the chronically suppressed, unexpressed anger felt inside.

She wasn’t proud of it. She absolutely did not want to have it by all means. She liked the kinder side of her. But the anger was constantly bubbling inside her just waiting for a slight trigger to overflow and let the world see her anger and frustrations that had been deeply rooted as long as she could remember. She felt like Hulk sometimes, as soon as something ticked inside her head, she saw red and felt the need to destroy everything in her sight. It was a truly monstrous side of hers’ that was born from multifaceted factors, and mostly reserved for her dad whom she had a strained relationship with.

The two males seemed to be genuinely surprised and shocked by her outburst, and she had expected it at least. Ciel for once seemed speechless for a moment but he had always been fast when it came to pretending nothing was wrong.

“Watch who you’re talking to.” Ciel narrowed his eye, “Remember–“

She jumped out of the carriage, opening the doors as soon as she felt it coming to a stop and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

“How can I forget?” She retorted back, connecting his unfinished but predictable sentence. Then she did something they probably didn’t expect. She turned and walked away from them, from the direction of the townhouse.

She needed to cool her head down, just needed to calm down alone…just like always. Always calming down by herself then coming back with a smile as if she hadn’t been angry in the first place and it hadn’t bothered her. She gave her chest a gentle beating with her fist, as if it would bring down whatever was stuck at her throat. In the past, maybe – just maybe – she could have identified just why and what she was angry about, but now, it was just a messy ball of anger too jumbled for her to detangle. She had no idea why she turned out to be so fucked up.

Yuri found a dirty alleyway she could hide in and she sat on the ground, not caring how dirty the ground was and of questionable liquid pooled near her. It was probably a scandalous sight to others who bothered to look at a well-dressed woman sitting on the dirty ground.

It was at times like this she remembered her all-time favourite poem by Philip Larkin. She had no idea just how she came across it; all she can remember just how much the words touched her and that someone must have read her heart because it felt as if someone out there understood her and wrote it for her.

“They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.

They fill you with the faults they had

And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn

By fools in old-style hats and coats,   

Who half the time were soppy-stern

And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.

It deepens like a coastal shelf.

Get out as early as you can,

And don’t have any kids yourself.”

The words spoke to her in a way she couldn’t describe them. For whatever ironic reason, the words comforted her and she would often murmur them whenever she had an episode like this and she would almost immediately find her peace in the solace the words bring.

“Our fathers and mothers can be a quite the God when it comes to shaping us in their image, don’t they? Their own Adam and Eve. Then they give birth to their own Cain and Abel – it is a never-ending cycle of ruined generations.”

Yuri nearly jumped out of her skin at the closeness of his voice. She had no idea how or where he came from or how she did not hear him approach, not when he and his cat was standing so close she could probably touch him if she partially stretched her arm.

“Oh, did I frighten you again?” He chuckled, “You were deep in thought.”

“N-no, it’s fine.” Yuri managed to say, “Um..what are you doing here?”

“I was heading to the Earl’s townhouse when I saw a bizarre sight in the alley.” His voice remained playful and even boarding teasing.

“Oh…” She nodded, although she found it hard to believe his reason it could have been very true that he saw peculiar sight of well-dressed lady sitting in the alleyway and came to see if she needed any help as dictated in the gentleman’s code.

“I have heard you were kidnapped.” He mentioned as if he was asking if she had lunch yet.

Her face must have said it all: surprise, shock, fear, unpleasantness.

“There was a rumour that the watchdog’s exotic whore was to be auctioned off, with Azzurro being the provider.” Lau revealed, “I assumed it was about you.”

Yuri tried not to flinch at the words, not because she hasn’t been called a whore before or that a well-bred lady in Victorian era probably faint then lawyer up with a case of defamation, it brought back her memory that imagined what-ifs scenario of hell she’d go through if the bargain actually went through. She had a split second in her mind to make a quick decision as she fought off the Italian mafia, will she going to run out of the door and either be shot in the back or if she make it and they don’t, if she can’t find a hiding place in time or her possible exits were locked, then she was fucked. There’s no way out.

Yuri blinked, bringing herself away from those dark thoughts. She presumed the rumour was only exclusive to the underworld and not the world above it.

“Yes, you’re right.” She confirmed, “But I’m here now, so…”

“Yes, what is a lady like you doing in such conspicuous part of the place?”

Does she tell the truth? Does she lie? Or does she white-lie?

“I was just taking a walk.” She settled with the white-lie.

“I am heading to the Earl’s townhouse. If you are done with your stroll, perhaps I can accompany you back.”

“Oh..um..” She didn’t really have the courage to face the Earl right now but she didn’t want him to ask more question why she was hesitant to see the Earl, “…OK…yeah…”

“You have a peculiar way of speaking.” He noted, leaving the implication unspoken.

“…When my family moved from Korea, we settled in countryside far from London and they had a different way of speaking so that might be why.” It was true, they did settle at outer London and they had a very different way of speaking compared to the era she was currently in.

“Hmmm.” He didn’t seem to believe her word even for a second, but for now he left it as it is.

They started to walk back, with her positioning next to Ran-Mao as to obtain much gap between her and the Chinese nobleman as possible.

“Hello Miss. Ran-Mao,” Yuri greeted, noting the girl was always silent and she wondered if she just didn’t like speaking or she was mute.

The Chinese girl gave her a long stare as if considering whether she should greet back or no, or just sizing her up in general.

“Ran-Mao, don’t be rude.” Lau encouraged, giving his occupied arm a slight jerk.

“Hello…” She murmured her voice barely a whisper but Yuri could tell her voice had a feminine bell-like tone.

“Don’t mind her, Miss. Park, she’s a shy child.” Lau said while patting the girl’s head like one would to a pet they were quite fond of. Their enigmatic relationship slightly disturbed Yuri but the girl seemed to be just as fond of him as he is of her and happy.

“Has the doctor attended to the wound?” He spoke up suddenly.

They had been walking for five minutes or so without speaking and she had been comfortable with that. She needed people like him to not know about her or who she might be as much as she could possibly hide and not speaking was one of the more direct but simplest ways to achieve that feat.

“Wound?” She frowned then she remembered her abused cheek was obvious to those who would take their time to examine close. He always kept his eyes close, and for a short moment, she suspected he was blind but the way he moved and navigated himself suggested of normal sense of sight.

“Yes.” She lied. Sebastian had announced they will bring in a doctor as soon as they reached the manor but she had refused. Instead when she woke up, she simply had Mey-Rin press a hot cloth on her cheek and occasionally massaged eggs on the bruised site to help it heal faster. Mey-Rin seemed aware of this old wives tale.

“Has the Earl been refusing the doctor?”

“No,” Yuri quickly defended, “I told him I was fine and it’s just a bruise anyway. If it were broken bones or if I was in pain for long time, then I’d have him call a doctor but there’s no point of having a doctor see a bruise that’ll just disappear on its own in few days with good hot pack.”

“Hot…pack?”

“Hot cloth.” She reworded.

“Which countryside did you say you stayed with your family before your acquaintance with the Earl?”

She didn’t and she knew he knew she didn’t. Yuri’s pace noticeably fastened and she could see the townhouse.

“Oh, we’re here.” Yuri pointed at the smaller manor.

Yuri knocked the door and it didn’t take long before Sebastian answered with a surprised countenance, “Miss. Park…oh, and Mr. Lau and Miss. Ran Mao. Please come in.”

“I met him while I went out for a fresh air…” Yuri hoped he’d play along and she wasn’t’ disappointed.

“Of course, I hope the walk was enjoyable, Miss. Park. We were quite worry you insisted on going alone without any companion.” Sebastian asked.

“I take a walk on my own alone so it’s fine.” She appeased his false worry.

“Mr Lau, Miss. Ran Mao, young master and Madam Red is waiting for you in the drawing room.” Sebastian informed, “Miss. Park, would you like to join or do you wish to rest for a bit?”

“I’d like to rest.” Yuri snatched the chance she was given and quickly headed upstairs although she didn’t know which room she can go in.

“It is the second room to your right on the first floor.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you..later, Mr. Lau, Miss. Ran Mao.”

“Please call us by our given name. We’ve no care for the English way of formality.” He then glanced down at Ran Mao, who having met his eyes, she waved goodbye. Yuri waved back.

She must have been exhausted. She couldn’t remember ever taking a nap no matter how tired she was but when she awoke, it looked like a late afternoon outside from the dimmed sunlight. The reason why she woke up so prematurely was the nightmare she had; of Madame Red swinging the sword down to Ciel and then reaching her tragic end at the blood dyed, scythe wielding man with sharp teeth grin. Even though she had no relation with her that could stir emotion beyond detached grief, she didn’t think no matter how brat of a kid he was, no child deserved losing his only member of his family that cared for him when he seemed to have no one to baby him like he needed to be.

Yuri went down the stairs and she saw only Madam Red sitting on the sofa. The back of her head turned ever so slightly, her ear tuning to the noise of the creakiness of the stairs.

“You’re awake?”

“Yes…um…where’s Ciel and Sebastian or Mr. Lau?” Yuri carefully ask and the woman in red swirled her body to face her with a cheerful grin.

“They have left to attend a place that requires their attention, but they will be here soon.” She said, and then patted a seat next to her. Yuri sat down as Madam Red grabbed hold of her hands, rubbing her thumbs over her knuckles in an act meant to be assuring.

“I have been asked by Ciel to take care of you whilst they were gone. He told me what had happened.” Madame Red revealed with a sad smile, “Undoubtedly, he probably hurt you with his thoughtless words which were why you were not with them when they came into the manor, yes? That boy…” Her eyes softened with maternal love, “..has very little talent with his words. He might seems uncaring and sometimes, even cruel, but he had not been the same since a certain incident – very similar to what you went through at a very young age and it had traumatised him greatly I barely recognised whether it was the same boy I’ve help to deliver when my sister gave birth, when I first held him when he was found and looked into his eyes. He’s not the boy you think he is. He was a very kind-hearted and shy boy, and I’m very sure that part of him still exists within him somewhere, buried deep inside. I am not asking you to tolerate his behaviours when it should not be tolerated, but I’m asking you to understand why he is the way he is. He probably understands what you are feeling more than anyone in this room and you with his, but he is still a child and he himself has yet to resolve his own issues from that day. Even though he manages more adult responsibility than a child his age should, he still has lot to learn. Help each other…j-just in the case that I cannot be by his side since I am always out in the social events. This is my plea to you, Miss. Yuri.”

She couldn’t see Madam Red’s eyes because she had hidden them with her bang but Yuri knew she must have known she won’t get out of this alive when her identity as Jack the Ripper are exposed and Madam Red knew she cannot run forever as the watchdog never failed any mission given by the Queen.

Yuri’s hand curled into a tight hold around Madam Red’s hands. She will take her words to her heart. She will help him. She didn’t know why she was sent here, only that she would be the angel that made the devils repent. She didn’t know who the devils were or whether she had the suitable requirement to be that angel, but even though she wasn’t unsure of the female demon’s word, the only thing she can be sure was her fulfilment to Madam Red’s promise.

“…I promise.” Yuri swore, “I promise, Mada–“

“Please call me Angelina.”

“I promise, Angelina.”

Terminology:

(1) Camden:  While they are famous and popular for their street stall and music venue that are associated with alternative culture, they are also known as UK counterfeit capital where majority of fake designer brands are sold by vendors.

[solemnrosary]

You know what? I’m bored and I want to pretend that I’m vaguely interesting. So without further ado; 65 Questions!

Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you? - Nah, I doubt my own existence and meaning the most. I have no reason to doubt anyone else’s existence, because I sure as hell couldn’t make such lovely cheery things.

On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you? - 2, because I can’t see. I have terrible night-vision that takes ages to jostle on. So I end up navigating by visual and spacial memory if I need to walk around. Because I have my own system for storing items and leaving them about, I end up remembering my surroundings very well. 

The person you would never want to meet? - Anyone who doesn’t meet my basic moral requirements. 

What is your favorite word? -  In French, it’d be argent, since silver is pretty and I love how it’s pronounced. In English, plethora, for similar reasons. Finnish is harder to pick.. hmmmh, hurma?

If you were a type of tree, what would you be? - what is known here as “The silver willow”, which is a variation of the white willow (salix alba), that has silvery bluish sheen to it’s leaves and a darker tree trunk. Salix alba var. sericea 'Sibirica'. Sometimes 'Argentea' ja 'Sericea' are also considered to be of the same variation. If I was a flower, I think I’d like to be the Eden climbing rose or a marigold.

When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought? - my face is bloated again, I guess the meds didn’t absorb properly. 

What shirt are you wearing? - dark blue men’s print shirt that doubles as a pyjama 

What do you label yourself as? - Agender, nonbinary, trans, bi and a problem. 

Bright room or dark room? - dim room. 

What were you doing at midnight last night? - myself

Favorite age you’ve been so far? - the now. I moved into another city away from my family, closer to my dear friend, so- it’s a whole lot better. Emotional turbulence is easing a little too. 

Who told you they loved you last? - ... my emotionally abusive family. 

Your worst enemy? - myself and the bigoted society. 

What is your current desktop picture? - a cat skull I painted myself. 

Do you like someone? - I do, I like many people. My friends, my brothers and grandma.

The last song you listened to? - I love you by Woodkid. It’s a mood.

You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? - dorito. 

Who would you really like to just punch in the face? - I’d rather not damage my hands. 

If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? - That sounds absolutely dreadful, no I don’t want to have anyone do anything they do not wish to do. It’s about consent, not-consenting is not funny or desirable to me in any way.  Now if you were to give me a butler, who has personal agency to say no and, perhaps, a snarky attitude- I really would love to be pampered a little. just- being held and taken care of would be nice. It doesn’t have to be anything non-platonic but I wouldn’t mind if it was? Gentle snark, reassurance, maybe a massage, please. 

What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional) - Strong legs? I suppose my butt’s nice too. I like the curve of my back? Hands and eyes? it’s a very subjective question for someone who doesn’t like themselves. 

If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do? - find a way not to change back, thank you! finally, the correct bits. Don’t mind if I do. 

Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it? - I can’t.. think of any? Nothing that’d be a secret anyway. Unless walking so quietly that I startle people sometimes counts? I don’t do that on purpose, though. Being so oblivious to something I end up bypassing it’s complications by sheer force of will? 

What is one unique thing you’re afraid of? - I’m usually not afraid of any tangible things, only general things like pain and being abandoned by the people I love. Or never being accepted and loved in general. I’ve been working through haphephobia for years, but specifically; I’m afraid that my fear of touch will smear itself onto the relationships I feel the most comfortable and myself in. I can’t help flinching, it’s still instinctual, and I can’t tolerate a whole lot of contact from most people- but the longer I go without any contact, the more I fear that next time it’ll burn again. I almost regret telling my friends that I have haphephobia, because instead of asking if I’m okay with something, now I’m just- deprived of contact all together. It’s fairly hard to teach the brain that something is normal and okay when it’s never there at all. 

You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal. - OH- definitely begin with some kickass, fresh-baked oat loaf, one you’ve bought that morning. Slice it thick, because it’s soft and divine. As for fillings, I am torn between several types of fish. Gravlax is amazing in itself, but smoked salmon in mayo with diced cucumber, lemon juice, dill, green onion, maybe celery sounds superb. or tuna in tomato purée, with freshly diced chives and tiny bit of mayo to balance the tang, if you want a simpler filling.  For salad bits; salad, cucumber, tomato, red onion, red bellpepper.   Optionally, some bacon and mushroom salad (it’s made from home-salted mushrooms that have been de-salted once, with diced red onion, mayo, maybe dijon, and white pepper. I make the best damn mushroom salad)  As for cheese, feta crumbs, mozzarella slices or a pan-crisp goat cheese button. For sauce, I prefer garlic or cucumber mayo, or even a yogurt sauce.  on top, a slightly gooey fried egg seasoned with citron-pepper and chili (so that the yolk may graze all the goodness). If you wish to be decadent as hell, throw some diced garlic, butter and yellow onion onto a pan, crisp it, throw it on top of all and then throw some choice sauces on it.  Even without the salmon filling, the bacon and mushroom salad with the rest makes for the best damn experience you could have whilst eating a sandwich. 

You just found $100! How are you going to spend it? - Save half, buy food and something for my friend. 

You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go? - no thanks, all my goods are here. But Norway and Iceland would be nice one day.

An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be? - uhhhhh, I don’t usually drink alcohol cause I can’t stand the taste. I’ve known to very rarely have a long-drink or a lemonade-esque thing though. So maybe Smirnoff ICE, If I was to drink it myself. Otherwise, rum or hard spirits like, a vodka of some kind, cause they are fairly versatile to use in emergencies, to bake with, or to gift. 

You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place? - Be kind. 

What is your favorite expletive? - Saatana or perkele. I am a finn after all. 

Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno? - computer. It is the most expensive one and it has all my art of info in it, so it’s very obvious. That or my important papers file. 

You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? - one would not be enough to erase the damage I suffer from today. I would erase being born, if given free choice. 

You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! - I’d find a remote community in an area, have a cottage and just. I dunno, do art, bake and have a garden for fruits and cool projects. I’d make my own earthen oven. A big cast-iron pan. 

The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? - Grandma. Her shitty husband bullied her in her last year while she was dying to breast cancer. I love her, and she deserved better.  

What was your last dream about? - [Trigger warning, this gets extreme] I was belly-down on the ground, grabbed by the throat from behind. I wrangled one hand off, but every time I managed to get both, one of those hands would slip my grasp and choke me again. I barely got a single breath between. This went on and on and on. I cried for help and reached out, only for someone to grab my hand in disdain, saying something like ‘tsh, fine. Cry then.’ They held my hand in a way that their nails dug into that hand. I no longer had both hands to pry the assaulter’s hands away. I slowly choked to death.   I woke up and hand to claw at my own hand just to breathe through my panic. I felt those hands on my throat for days. This is, unfortunately, normal for me.

Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]? - No.

Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? - I have an autoimmune condition that has hospitalized and nearly killed me on several occasions. So yes. I take that in strides.

Have you ever built a snowman? - Yes, with my brothers. It was nice.

What is the color of your socks? - Black, always

What type of music do you like? - Anything between rock, pop, folk and classical. Violin music in particular.

Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? - Both are nice

What is your favorite milkshake flavor? - chocolate or blueberry

What football team do you support? - I don’t watch football

Do you have any scars? - Yes. Stretch marks, old wounds, new wounds. I have a scar behind my left ear that if you were to touch it, you’d notice it has a split beneath it on the skull from how hard it was hit. I fell on a radiator edge when I was younger and almost lost my ear from it, got three stitches. I also have a scar below from a biking accident, couldn’t sit for a few weeks.

What do you want to be when you graduate? - Already did, and the answer is odd jobs and nothing, apparently.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? - torn between ‘existence’ and ‘bodily gender’

Are you reliable? - Yes and no. I will keep any secret and help out whenever I can but would I trust myself to handle anything I care about? No. 

If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? - Does it get better?

Do you hold grudges? - I do not forget, but I do not dwell. 

If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? - A cat and a duck. The ultimate bastard. 

What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? - the one where a stalker told me they’d dug every information they could find for two weeks before talking to me. They asked for my home address in 30 different ways, apparently hoping I’d forget I’d said no. They proceeded to hand me a yaoi manga as a souvenir from a con. I felt vaguely threatened. 

Are you a good liar? - hmm. I try not to lie, If I don’t want to answer I’ll dodge or say I don’t want to answer. But, I suppose I am, for being able to hide half the things that I’ve been able to.

How long could you go without talking? - I begin talking out loud to fill out soundless spaces, so not a whole lot. 

What has been you worst haircut/style? - ‘I want to speak to the manager’ and ‘little timmy is the best soccer player in his class’ 

Have you ever baked your own cake? - I baked most of everything back at my parents, so yes. 

Can you do any accents other than your own? - funny ones, mostly

What do you like on your toast? - spread, ham, cheese, tomato, cucumber, aromasalt, fried egg  - spread, liver patée, cucumber and aromasalt/pickles - spread, gravlax/tuna/salmon - spread, boiled egg slices, pickled herring (they come in jars, I prefer onion ones) in thinner slices, I add extra dill into the jars when I open them so they can marinate more. 

What is the last thing you drew a picture of? - currently working on a personal WIP

What would be you dream car? - A car that someone else drives. With air conditioning. 

Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. - no and no. I shower and then I’m done. I don’t like my voice, nor my body, nor wasting water. I do wash thoroughly though.

Do you believe in aliens? - It doesn’t interest me at all whether or not there is or isn’t. 

Do you often read your horoscope? - only if it’s the only thing left to read or if it’s just readily visible without me looking for it. I think they’re bogus, but sometimes admittedly silly.

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? - H or lowercase T, because I write them very loopy. 

Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons? - They’re both cool in their own ways. A dinosaur is way bigger but as fantasy creatures dragons can fly, breathe elements and shape-shift though, hard to top that. 

What do you think about babies? - Ew.

Tell something of your choice - If I had a cat, I’d name it Mishka or Meowkolash or Umi (sa, umineko ga inai to, “Umi” neko ga onaka ga suite iru) because I’m a nerd who loves umineko and bad jokes. 

[howellrichard]

Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad (Perfect for Summer!)

Hiya Gorgeous!

Here in the US, we’re about to celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the season—the Fourth of July. That means fireworks (don’t forget to care for your fur pals who might be afraid of the loud noises!), swimming, parades and extra time with the people we love most. And did I mention food? Cookouts/barbecues/feasts of all kinds, here we come!

Pasta salad is a must-have for any summer gathering, but it’s often heavy and laden with not-so-healthy ingredients. I believe that comfort food can be satisfying, indulgent, delicious AND great for you… and this Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad from my Test Kitchen is proof!

It’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a vegan pasta salad and more…

Packed with fresh veggies

Indulgent but won’t weigh you down

Perfect for meal prep or a make-ahead dish

A crowd-pleaser

Gluten-free, and can be made nut and night-shade free

Easy to make

Creamy and smoky

Fresh and summery

Loaded with plant-powered nutrients (more deets in a bit!)

Cheesy (sans the dairy)

And cool with a kick!

Here are some of the superstar ingredients in today’s recipe:

Chickpea pasta: Who says pasta can’t pack a protein punch?! We used Banza’s rotini, which has a whopping 14 g of protein in each 2-oz serving. You should be able to find Banza at your local health food store (especially at a place like Whole Foods), or you can order it in bulk here. This stuff makes a fabulous pantry staple!

Jicama: I was so excited when the Test Kitchen Tuesday crew suggested we feature this starchy root veggie in our vegan pasta salad recipe! Jicama was originally grown in Mexico, and it’s mild, subtly sweet flavor make it super versatile. It’s full of antioxidants like vitamins C and E, selenium and beta-carotene. Plus it contains inulin, a prebiotic fiber that’s good for your gut!

Corn: This gorgeous veggie has gotten a bad rap because of how it’s often farmed here in the states, but corn has a lot of nutritional value (not to mention flavor!) to offer. Just make sure to opt for the organic, non-GMO variety. Sweet corn is a good source of folate, potassium and lots of other wonderful nutrients.

Roasted red pepper: Red bell peppers aren’t just beautiful, they’re also great for you! They’re one of the richest dietary sources of vitamin C, which plays an important role in iron absorption, immune function and many other bodily functions. And roasting bell peppers is one of my favorite ways to eat them because it brings out their natural sweetness and adds a touch of smoky depth—the perfect addition to our vegan pasta salad!

Comfort food can be satisfying, indulgent, delicious AND great for you… and this #TestKitchenTuesday Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad is proof! Get the recipe!

And here’s my favorite part about this scrumptious recipe: It was inspired by elote, aka Mexican street corn. If you’re not familiar with elote, it’s a whole ear of corn grilled, covered with toppings like butter, chili powder, mayo and cotija cheese, and served on a stick (source). Some of those ingredients aren’t so Crazy Sexy friendly (though I have seen plant-based versions available at some restaurants—yay!). But we love the smokey, summery flavor profile of elote, so the Test Kitchen Tuesday team and I dreamed up this tantalizing twist!

Without further ado, let’s get to cookin’, good lookin’!

Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad

Serves 8 (about 1 cup per serving) | Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 30 min

Pasta Salad Ingredients: 8 oz (224 g) gluten-free chickpea rotini pasta 3 tsp oil, divided 4 ears non-GMO corn (about 2 cups or 270 g kernels) 1 large red bell pepper 1 cup (180 g) halved cherry tomatoes 1 cup (120 g) chopped jicama or radishes 1 Hass avocado, chopped ¼ cup (4 g) chopped fresh cilantro 2 green onions, thinly sliced ½ fresh jalapeño, minced (optional)

Cashew Crema Dressing Ingredients: ¾ cup (90 g) raw cashew pieces, soaked, drained and rinsed 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 1 garlic clove 2 Tbsp lime juice (about 2 fresh limes) ½ cup (120 ml) water ½ tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions: 1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Strain, rinse with cold water until completely cool and thoroughly drain.

2. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). On a baking sheet coated with 2 tsp oil, place ears of corn, husked and cleaned. On a separate baking sheet coated with 1 tsp oil, place red bell pepper. Roast for 30 min, rotating vegetables halfway through, until lightly charred all over.

3. While the vegetables roast and pasta cooks, prepare Cashew Crema Dressing. In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients and purée on high speed until completely smooth. Set aside.

4. Place roasted pepper in a paper bag and seal the top by rolling it closed. Let steam for 15 min before peeling the skin, removing the seeds and roughly chopping.

5. Using a serrated knife, slice kernels off each corn cob.

6. In a large bowl, combine pasta with corn, roasted pepper, tomatoes, jicama or radishes, avocado, cilantro, green onions and jalapeño (if using). Toss together with the dressing and serve immediately.

Notes: Storage tip: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Simplify this recipe: Substitute ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise (such as Earth Balance’s Mindful Dressing and Sandwich Spread) or plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt (such as Kite Hill’s Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt) instead of soaked cashews and water. Use frozen roasted corn and jarred roasted red pepper instead of roasting them yourself.

Make it nut-free: Substitute raw, shelled sunflower seeds for the cashews.

Make it nightshade-free: Substitute lightly steamed chunks of zucchini for the tomatoes. Opt for radishes instead of jicama.

Make-ahead tip: Store the salad and dressing separately, mixing together just before serving. You may need to add an extra splash of water to blend smoothly. Keep uncut avocado separate to avoid browning, chop and add to salad just before serving.

Nut soak note: If you have a high-speed blender, you can skip soaking your nuts or seeds. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can either soak your nuts or seeds in water for 4 hr, or you can do a “quick soak” by covering them with water in a pot and bringing it to a boil. Once the water boils, remove them from the heat and let them sit for an hour.

Calling all recipe lovers!

Whenever I ask this incredible community what kind of content you want to see more of, one of the top responses is always (without fail)… MORE RECIPES! I love that you enjoy playing in the kitchen as much as I do. After all, preparing tasty, nutritious home cooked meals for yourself is one of the greatest acts of self-love.

My Crazy Sexy Recipe Club is the place to be for exclusive recipes, cooking tips, and other free goodies that’ll help you make your time in the kitchen simpler and more fun. And I’m excited to announce that my team and I are cooking up some really exciting stuff for the Recipe Club, which is coming your way soon. So if you haven’t yet, now is the time to become a member! Trust me, you’re not gonna want to miss this.

Become a Crazy Sexy Recipe club member + get your free Recipe Club Starter Pack:

Hungry yet? Me too! Let’s see that vegan pasta salad!

Before it gets gobbled up (and it will!), I’d love to see your cheffy skills! Snap a pic of your very own vegan pasta salad and share it on Instagram or Facebook with #TestKitchenTuesday. Don’t forget to tag me at @crazysexykris—I’ll share my faves with our spectacular community!

And finally, a very special thanks to the incredible Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog and the rest of the Test Kitchen Tuesday crew for helping to create this spectacular dish!

Peace & pastabilities,

The post Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad (Perfect for Summer!) appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

[igotthatfireapp-blog]

Review – Mad Anthony’s Hot Sauces, BBQ Sauces, and Fiery Hot Mustard

The Mad Anthony product lineup, 2017, from left to right: Fiery Hot Mustard Sauce, Original Style BBQ Sauce, Original Hot Sauce, and XXXtra Private Reserve Hot Sauce. As a few of you chileheads know, I was a huge Van Halen fan in a “past life.” I won’t bore you with how much I ate, breathed and slept the band (thankfully, not slept with the band) during my younger and leaner days. I will state, though, that even though my fanaticism for the mighty Van Halen has waned quite a bit as I’ve approached middle-age-hood, I’ve still carried over a bit of the “5150” spirit because of former VH bassist Michael Anthony‘s involvement in the hot sauce world. I interviewed Mike (or “Mad Anthony” as he is sometimes referred to) a while back, and he revealed that his passion for fiery foods started off around the age of 17 or 18 when he first started dating his now long-time wife Sue, and he saw his future father-in-law douse his eggs in hot sauce. Mike splashed a little liquid fire on his own food, and before long, he was carrying around bottles of Tabasco everywhere he went. Fast forward to the early ’00s when Michael Anthony teamed up with my friend Michael Greening of Mike & Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen, (the producer of one of Mr. Anthony’s favorite hot sauce lines, Ring of Fire) to concoct his own spicy condiment. Through Greening’s genius kitchen skills and Anthony’s astute palette, the two were able to develop a world class condiment in the original Mad Anthony’s Hot Sauce. Since then, an XXXtra Private Reserve Hot Sauce, a Fiery Mustard and two BBQ Sauces (one regular and one Extra Hot) were added to the Mad Anthony lineup. Since then, Michael Anthony has switched from Mike & Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen to another co-packer to meet production demands. As VanHalenStore.com touts, these sauces are “new and improved.” Since this implies reformulation of some kind, I wanted to give these a fresh and honest review for 2017 and see if the quintet of sauces fare better or worse in my mind than how I’d previously remembered them. A huge thanks goes to Jeff Hausman of the Van Halen News Desk and VanHalenStore.com for hooking me up with these products! Mad Anthony’s Hot Sauce Ingredients: Pimientos, Vinegar, Red Pepper Puree, Habanero Chiles, Garlic, Tomato Sauce, Spices, Salt, and Sugar. Aroma: 3.5 out of 5. A recondite and heavy aroma of garlic, spices, chiles, and a hint of onions and tomatoes. Appearance and Texture: 4.5 out of 5. Thick, meaty and has rich red hues, this original hot sauce has wonderful body and heft to it. Similar to the aforementioned Ring of Fire sauces, it’s nicely clumpy (with only minor separation between the watery ingredients and more solid components), this sauce has top-notch stickability on which any food you pour. Taste Straight Up: 4 out of 5.  There’s a deep, playful dance that the various chile peppers, tomatoes and herbs & garlic are performing with each other. It seems worlds away from where the popular “pepper-colored vinegar” sauces the TABASCOs and Frank’s RedHot of the world are entrenched. While describing this as a sort of spicy tomato sauce or marinara sauce is a gross over-exaggeration, it does hint of being influenced by Italian flavors throughout the complex web of pepper puree, dark pimientos, habaneros and black pepper. Taste on Food: 4.5 out of 5. That previous description may make Mad Anthony Original Hot Sauce sound like it would be home primarily on lasagna, but I actually think it’s awesome on Mexican! Try this on burritos, chiles rellenos, tacos, and more. Oh, and this condiment is outstanding on burgers and as a dipping sauce for fries! If you splash this on eggs, it will elevate your breakfast to strange new euphoric levels of which you’ve never dreamed! There are a few things that it’s not best suited for: chicken tenders, plus most Asian food. You can’t win ’em all, but if you use Mad Anthony Original Hot Sauce on the above items that do work, you’ll be making out like a champ. Heat: 2.5 out of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hottest. Michael Anthony does love his heat, and this “regular” version of his sauce packs some decent spiciness that will please most general chilehead tongues. Final Thoughts:  Mad Anthony Original Hot Sauce is a complex, peppery and spicy product that would be a good “table sauce” for most heat fans. Mad Anthony’s XXXTRA HOT Private Reserve Hot Sauce Ingredients: Pimientos, Vinegar, Red Pepper Puree, Habanero Chiles, Garlic, Serrano Chiles, Tomato Sauce, Spices, Salt, Chile Pepper Extract, Sugar. Aroma: 3.5 out of 5. Very similar to the above Mad Anthony Original Hot Sauce, but with a little more brightness and noticeable pungency from the increased proportion of chile peppers. Appearance and Texture: 5 out of 5. With less separation than the Original Hot Sauce, this XXXTRA HOT Private Reserve Hot Sauce hit a winning bulls-eye in thick consistency and viscosity when pouring. Scotty here is very pleased! Taste Straight Up: 3.5 out of 5. It’s interesting what a fresh perspective has on something. Eight years ago, I was nuts about the initial taste of XXXTRA HOT Private Reserve Hot Sauce. Now? The presence of chile pepper extract (with a weird chemical-like tone running through it) has turned me off of this slightly. While it is by no means dominant, this bit of “off taste” brings this otherwise killer brew of spices and flavors down a few notches. There ares still the admirable intricacies in XXXTRA HOT Private Reserve Hot Sauce that are found in the Original Hot Sauce: the swirling morass of tomatoes, pimentos, chiles, and hints of garlic punch. At its base, it’s still a good product, only with amped-up notes of habaneros that bring up both the heat and taste. Taste on Food: 4 out of 5. Being based on the Original Hot Sauce, this hotter version does about the same job on similar foods. Luckily, the slightly irritating presence of chile extract is diminished more, bringing the overall flavor of the XXXTRA HOT back up a notch. Heat: 4 out of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hottest. NOW WE’RE TALKIN’! If you’re craving moderate fire, then stick with Mad Anthony’s Original Hot Sauce. XXXTRA HOT Private Reserve Hot Sauce is an elixir that appeals to the hardcore heat freak who want a taste to match the burn. The fire takes a second or three to build, but when it does, there’s a mighty good fire going on wherever it hits. Yes, there are much hotter sauces, but this will not disappoint. Final Thoughts:  This sauce has dropped a bit from the hollowed heights I once held it at. Yet it still remains a solid product through and through. Mad Anthony’s Original Style BBQ Sauce Ingredients: Ketchup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Less than 2 percent Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavors, Molasses, Cider Vinegar, Fig Concentrate, Dehydrated Onion, Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Salt, and Natural Hickory Seasoning. Aroma: 3 out of 5. Smoky and sweet, this smells like a good, standard barbecue sauce. Appearance and Texture: 3.5 out of 5. Mad Anthony’s Original Style BBQ Sauce is a darker brown tonic with medium pourability and a good, puréed feel to it. Taste Straight Up: 3.5 out of 5. This BBQ sauce lies on the side of flavor spectrum that favors bolder, richer, sweeter notes; definitely a Kansas City style topping! There is nothing exotic about this BBQ topper, just a good, straightforward sauce. If the hot sauces weren’t enough of an indication (and we would expect them to be fiery), Mr. Anthony is indeed a chilehead of the highest order, as this barbecue sauce is very much away from the milder side of the heat spectrum. Taste on Food: 3.5 out of 5. Versatility rules the day with Mad Anthony’s Original Style BBQ Sauce, as anything I threw at it did admirably well with the sauce. Some barbeque products excel in being a product for the masses, while others benefit from being a more specialty product. This is more the former, tasting favorable on grilled wings, chicken thighs, burgers and pulled pork from my Weber Smokey Mountain. Heat: 2.5 out of 5. If you don’t care for your regular BBQ sauce to contain a good deal of heat to it, then stay away from this one. But I enjoyed the low flash of chile pepper fire lurking beneath the rich amalgam of flavors. Thoughts:  Because a flavor expert (Mike & Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen’s Michael Greening, mentioned above) helmed the creation of Mad Anthony’s Original Style BBQ Sauce, it would have had a ridiculously slender chance of failing. This succeeds at being an enjoyable and satisfactory sauce for the masses. Mad Anthony’s Xtra Hot BBQ Sauce Ingredients: Ingredients: Ketchup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Less than 2 percent Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavors, Molasses, Cider Vinegar, Fig Concentrate, Dehydrated Onion, Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Salt, and Natural Hickory Seasoning Aroma: 3 out of 5. Much like the Mad Anthony’s Original Style BBQ Sauce, with only a hint more of a pungency. Appearance and Texture: 3.5 out of 5. No noticeable difference between this and the Original variety: a deep brown liquid that tells you it’s going to have that darker and sweeter sugar and molasses punch. Taste Straight Up: 3.5 out of 5. A sweet, smokey blend of lots of the perfect hints from all the main and supporting players…tomato from the ketchup…sweetness from the HFCS…and lots of savory notes from onion, garlic and other spices. And, the fire! No, this won’t compare to some of the ghost pepper, trinidad scorpion and carolina reaper BBQ products out there in the market, but this is a formidable spicy sauce that would be too hot for non-chileheads. Taste on Food: 4 out of 5. Ah…this stuff improves slightly while on food! I cant exactly put my finger on it, but the additional heat in conjunction with the deliciously complex flavor profile make this a winner on all your grilled and smoked meats. Heat: 3.5 out of 5. Mad Anthony’s Xtra Hot BBQ Sauce boasts some serious wallup with serious burn. Michael Anthony wanted real heat with his Xtra Hot BBQ Sauce, and that’s certainly what you’ll find here. If normal, milder levels of chile-laden fire are more your speed, then go for his Original BBQ Sauce. Thoughts:  My favorite out of the two barbeque offerings from Mad Anthony. A killer, all-purpose, Kansas City Style dipper and topper for all your outdoor cooked meats. Mad Anthony’s Fiery Mustard Sauce Ingredients: Organic Yellow Mustard (Organic Grain Vinegar, Water, Organic Mustard Seed, Salt, Organic Turmeric, Organic Paprika, Organic Spices), Mad Anthony’s Hot Sauce (Pimentos, Distilled Vinegar, Sweet Red Bell Peppers, Habanero Chili Pepper, Roasted Garlic, Tomato Puree, Sea Salt, Ancho Chili Pepper, Crushed Red Chili Pepper, Black Pepper, Cane Sugar, Spices, Onion Powder), Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Sugar, Salt. Aroma: 4 out of 5. Mustards in general are some of the last things I would ever offer up as being pleasant smelling. Yet this was pleasing to the nostrils with sweet and savory notes twirling about with some standard prepared yellow mustard scents. Appearance and Texture: 3.5 out of 5. Mad Anthony’s Fiery Mustard is super-duper thick – perhaps too thick to get out of the glass bottle (maybe it would be a bit easier to extract of it came in a classic plastic squeeze bottle). It’s a darker yellow tinted condiment speckled with finely-crushed pepper fragments and spices. Taste Straight Up: 4 out of 5. Let me tell you right away that I have particular preferences when it comes to mustards. I love spicy mustards with loads of flavor with a base of smoothness and sweetness of honey. I also like your good ol’ basic yellow ballpark mustards. Most others…well, it really depends. I’m not a fan of horseradish, nor am I a lover of pure, pungent mustard seed (which has a powerful, nasal-blasting flavor similar to horseradish ), and I don’t care for mustards heavy in harsh vinegar or ones that have an eggy, mayonnaise base. Yeah, I’m picky, so it had better be in my preference zone. Mad Anthony’s Fiery Hot Mustard Sauce is luckily within those confines of my taste palette.  A glance at the ingredients list shows that it’s a combination of organic yellow mustard and Mad Anthony’s Original Hot Sauce. I don’t know what proportions of each are included in this, but whatever amounts exist of the mustard and the hot sauce, they just flat-out work. There is the bright, vinegary bluster that hits you immediately, with rich peppery elements popping on your tongue a few seconds later. Although I would have loved Mad Anthony’s Fiery Mustard to be a tough sweeter, it’s still delightfully complicated and tasty enough to do the trick. I couldn’t wait to try this on food! Taste on Food: 4.5 out of 5. It gets even better on food! Hot dogs, smoked sausages, ham sandwiches and soft pretzel bites all benefit greatly from this condiment. It’s already one of my favorite mustards, and plan to keep it in my rotating arsenal of mustards that I use. Heat: 2.5 out of 5. This possesses a nice, comfortable, medium heat that doesn’t disappoint, just as long as you’re not looking for a brush fire in your mouth. Thoughts:  With a slight amount of tweaking, this could be the perfect mustard.

In Conclusion

Mad Anthony’s five sauces prove that they simply aren’t just pedestrian or novelty sauces with a celebrity’s name slapped on them. Thanks to the initial collaboration between Mike Greening and Michael Anthony, they made sure they came up with a stable of aces in these. If you’re interested in the Mad Anthony lineup and get your taste buds soaring, you can pick up the whole set at http://www.vanhalenstore.com/page/VH/CTGY/Mad. Related Posts Review – Mad Anthony’s Hot Sauces, BBQ Sauces, and Fiery Hot Mustard Share this: Click to Post

[nyyhkis]

1-70 >:D

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents?- Yea, pretty good

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to?- Rather not say, since it was a long time ago and they were a Tumblr person

03: Do you regret anything?- I think everyone has those “what if”-moments, but I try not to linger on them too much. Usually I regret not being able to say the right things at the right time and slowly starting to fade out of friendships that way

04: Are you insecure?- Somewhat yeah, but I’m trying to work on it. It’s hard to find a balance in self-love though, when you’re afraid of being an ass to others 

05: What is your relationship status?- Single

06: How do you want to die?- Quietly in my sleep, happy and proud of the contributions I’ve done.

07: What did you last eat?- A grape.

08: Played any sports?- Some football and martial arts stuff when I was younger. Nothing too serious.

09: Do you bite your nails?- I try not to, but I guess sometimes during nervous situations.10: When was your last physical fight?- I’m not sure if I’ve ever had anything that could count as one. Maybe as a kid with my brother or something?

11: Do you like someone?- Yes

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours?- I’m not sure, but most likely not. I remember being around 30 hours awake or being awake for three days with really minimal sleep, but no full-on two day sessions.

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment?- I wouldn’t say that I hate anyone.

14: Do you miss someone?- Yes

15: Have any pets?- My parents have an old dog, who’s like 13 years old, I think.

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment?- Little anxiety, little restlessness, some warmth and some happiness.

17: Ever made out in the bathroom?- Not in a public one.

18: Are you scared of spiders?- Not really, they’re so tiny in here.

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?- Maybe check out ancient Rome, but only if I can come back at will!

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone?-  So kissing? I don’t remember, to be honest. (I had to Google what snogged meant)

21: What are your plans for this weekend?- It’s Sunday evening, so I’m gonna go to bed soon…

22: Do you want to have kids? How many?- It depends, most likely none or maybe two.

23: Do you have piercings? How many?- Nope.

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)?- In our version of high school, I think my best subjects were English, Finnish, religious studies, philosophy and history. But yeah, I’m more of the jack of all trades -type, so I’m alright with everything but not really that good on anything.

25: Do you miss anyone from your past?- Yes.

26: What are you craving right now?- Being cared for

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart?- Probably yeah. I might be a prude sometimes.

28: Have you ever been cheated on?- I don’t think so.

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?- Yes

30: What’s irritating you right now?- Having a Monday tomorrow.

31: Does somebody love you?- Well, my family at least.

32: What is your favourite color?- Natural white, light/pastel blue.

33: Do you have trust issues?- Kinda, but they’re mostly my own insecurities.

34: Who/what was your last dream about?- I saw some dreams last night, but I forgot them already.

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of?- My friend this weekend.

36: Do you give out second chances too easily?- Not too easily, I think? I can read people pretty well

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget?- Forgetting is too easy. Selective memory etc.

38: Is this year the best year of your life?- Nah, those childhood years seem the best, usually for nostalgic reasons I think. So maybe it actually is.

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss?- 16 or 17

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked?- Yes. Typical Finnish things.

51: Favourite food?- Sweet potato purée soup

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason?- Nah, everything is too chaotic so the “reason” wouldn’t even matter.

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?- Drank water.

54: Is cheating ever okay?- Yes? I guess it depends on the relationship type, people involved and stuff like that.

55: Are you mean?- I try my hardest not to be

56: How many people have you fist fought?- None for real

57: Do you believe in true love?- Not anymore

58: Favourite weather?- Slightly windy and slightly cloudy early autumn weather. 

59: Do you like the snow?- Maybe a little, but not really.

60: Do you wanna get married?- I think it’s a little silly, but never say never

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?- I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before

62: What makes you happy?- Seeing other people be happy

63: Would you change your name?- Nah, it doesn’t matter that much.

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?- I don’t think they would want to

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?- Uhhhhhhh I never do anything

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around?- I mean, I’m usually maybe even more comfortable talking to other sexes

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?- Texting with a Tumblr friend, does that count?

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?- Depends on what you can count as a deep conversation. I guess it’s been a long time since the last time.

69: Do you believe in soulmates?- Nah, but I think some personalities fit together better than others

70: Is there anyone you would die for?- Anyone