#but is pretty meh about bitter flavors

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

Hello, love your work btw, it's tied with another fic series for the number one slot of best fics I have ever read, anyway what are your headcanons on what flavour of ice creams the ninja+ your ocs would like, and what are their reactions to the Dairy Dragon? Do they love it, hate it, or meh about the fact that the flavours are named after their villains? Do they even like the ice cream in the first place? How traumatised is Lloyd, post s5 after they name an ice cream flavour, 'the mango morro'. What are Jay's and Nya's reactions when they find out the flavour 'Bananakan' exist? Are the sprinkles and toppings named after the ninja then? Also wouldn't it be funny that while the rest of ninjago gets destroyed by a villain (for the umpteenth time), the Dairy Dragon still stands cuz its that good even the villains love it? Anyway, have a great day/night.

Well thank you!!! I'm honored to share such a flattering title!! :'3

But now, what we all came here for...ICE CREAM THOUGHTS GO

Kai: Is not a huge ice cream guy but will still eat it when the opportunities arises. Pretty meh about the Dairy Dragon; all ice cream places are the same to him. Is a little wary about the villain flavors and generally avoids them. Likes lemon + berry flavors primarily, but will try something wild like a chilli pepper flavor or a spiced chocolate and wind up utterly addicted. Has a topping called "Kai Krunch".

Jay: Loves ice cream, but likes Ice Planet more than Dairy Dragon. Flipped his shit upon seeing the Bananakhan flavor (especially because Skybound events aren't erased this time around ahahaaaaa), but is also amused by the fact it's a banana-flavor. He likes ice cream that has "Stuff" in it, like cookie dough, brownie pieces, fruit bits, peanut butter bites, cheesecake pieces, candy crunches, pop rocks, etc, etc. It's about the texture for him (...and he tends to get Kai Krunch loaded on top of everything, but don't tell Kai that)

Cole: Love ices cream, indifferent on Dairy Dragon. Amused by the villain flavors and thinks there should be more, but will not say that to anyone's face. Like sorbets and sherbets the most as he had those for dessert a lot while growing up, but otherwise isn't all that picky. Has a flavor called "Cole's Rocky Road", which is just Rocky Road, but it's very popular Jesse buys it by the carton

Zane: Indifferent on Ice Cream and Dairy Dragon; much prefers ice pops as a frozen treat. He does make a habit of tasting the villain flavors just to see if they're accurate lmao. Has no real partiality to any flavor, but makes Ninjapolitan his go-to, since its four flavors are based on him and the Core Four (which is cherry, (blue) raspberry, blackberry, and french vanilla).

Nya: Likes ice cream, liked Dairy Dragon until Bananakhan became a flavor (she was always more of an Ice Planet gal anyway), aaand is a huge chocolate ice cream junkie. The "Nya Special" is literally chocolate ice cream filled with chocolate brownies filled with fudge and covered in chocolate syrup and fudge sprinkles, and just looking at it is enough to put even Lloyd into a sugar coma.

Lloyd: Loves ice cream and Dairy Dragon, but is the vanilla fan. "You can make vanilla into any other flavor, but you can't make any other flavor into vanilla, and plus vanilla is always good by itself", is his motto. Hates the villain flavors and is especially put off by Mango Morro and is a little bitter about how popular it is snksnknsnk. "Spinjitzu Swirl" is actually a flavor based on Lloyd specifically, which is essentially a green-colored cake batter flavor with frosting (...which exists and I have had it. It is to die for).

Jesse: Prefers frozen yogurt to ice cream, not that he won't eat ice cream. Likes mystery flavors or not knowing what he's going to get, because he likes being surprised (in this specific instance lol), and finds the villain flavors to be a bit distasteful. Also really enjoys Ninjapolitan and Spinjitzu Swirl. Lowkey slips in some suggestions for a "Fruity Fuchsia" flavor. The time will come, he's sure of it.

Antonia: Ice cream is like her favorite treat ever, but doesn't even discover Dairy Dragon until way later on and kicks herself for it. Doesn't mind the villain flavors, but thinks they could be more creatively named. Is a Buttered Pecan kind of gal, but otherwise just gets whatever she's in the mood for. Is also a strong advocate for making "Fruity Fuchsia" a thing, but for different reasons.

Harumi: Used to like ice cream a whole lot, but the novelty wears off over time. Will still go to the Dairy Dragon if Antonia's egging her on about it. Likes strawberry the most, sometimes shares in Kai's penchant for spicier flavors...but is also unfortunately a huge fan of Spinjitzu Swirl and Ninjapolitan (she tried the latter out of spite) and there's literally nothing else like it in the world so she has to get that specifically if she wants to indulge RIP. Would also actively boycott Fruity Fuchsia if it existed hgdhsfhfs

Miranda: Not crazy about ice cream but certainly isn't going to turn it down either, especially if it's from Dairy Dragon (which Nelson gets her hooked on). Surprisingly has simple flavor preference, as her go-tos are mint chocolate chip and cookies & cream. Also has a whole list of idea for future villain flavors that they could and should use (such as Time Twin Tropicana, Pythor Punch, Mechanic Marble, Overlord Overload, and a Garmadon popsicle with gumball eyes)

Olivia: Might be contradicting something I said previously but she tends to avoid ice cream—the cold is really sensitive on her teeth. She can force herself to eat it but it's not usually a good experience. She does, however, like chocolate-flavor almost as much as Nya does, and can manage some salted-caramel flavor on occasion as well. Attempts to destroy the Dairy Dragon once or twice just to figure out how it manages to stay standing throughout everything lmao

Pixal: Does not like ice cream at all, but can be encouraged to at least try a bite or two, but will never go overboard with it. Therefore, indifferent to Dairy Dragon. Can stomach some vanilla on occasion, but like Zane, would probably go for a fruity ice pop first.

Skylor: Has not really had the chance to indulge in ice cream until getting off the island, and then the Dairy Dragon winds up becoming one of her favorite spots. As with her drink preferences, like a lot of the more tropical flavors (pineapple, coconut, dragonfruit, etc) and finds things like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry a bit bland. She can get behind citrus flavors, however. Really hopes they don't make a flavor out of her dad—she's already got enough bad publicity to deal with.

Bridget: An Ice cream hater, somehow even more than Pixal.

Sunni: Is lactose-intolerant and probably shouldn't even be eating ice cream but that's not going to stop her from indulging in Ninjapolitan or Spinjitzu Swirl snksnksnksn. Would also probably die if she attempted to eat the "Nya Special", and very loudly attempts to boycott Bananakhan (with reluctant help from Samantha).

Harleigh: Not a big ice cream fan herself, but is lowkey waiting for them to make an ice cream flavor out of Ronin (for better or worse)

[deathcupcake]

Food & drink places we visited on our trip, September 2024.

Richmond, VA

The Answer: always a favorite of ours, love their beer and the Vietnamese food offerings. Seating was fairly normal for breweries (meaning not the most comfortable).

Raleigh, NC

Aunt Betty's Gin and Absinthe Bar: Highly recommend if you like cocktails/liquor. They have a lot of amari, and the bartender let me test some liquor that I had never tried, like Malort; she also gave me great bitters recommendations, and also made me realize how much I need Allspice Dram. Seating: comfy chairs/sofas, but lower to the ground.

Brewery Bhavana: Beer was decent but the Shanghai-style mooncakes were *chef's kiss*. The used bookstore/restaurant/brewery theme was interesting. Seating was fairly normal, not very comfortable.

Gas station in South Carolina

Oreo Coke Zero: I'd give it a 4/10

Atlanta, GA

A Mano restaurant: Highly recommend. We made reservations before our trip because they offered amaro flights, and their Italian menu looked delicious (it was). I had two flights, all amari that I have not tried previously. Seating was comfy.

Halfway Crooks Beer: A+ music, nerd rock that the husband and I loved). I wasn't as interested in the beer but the husband enjoyed them. The ambiance was great, really liked the feel, but seating was cheap/uncomfortable.

Big Softie ice cream: Well worth a side trip. Delicious with the cornflake crumble on top.

Birmingham, AL

Dreamland BBQ: The classic white bread and ribs. I ordered the Rib "sandwich" (spoiler alert: not really a sandwich) and it was very tangy. Seating was standard, not that comfortable.

Monday Night Brewing: Visited this place during a tornado watch (hurricane/tropical storm Francine came through). Very windy night. I really liked the Oktoberfest beer, had a bit of honey flavor. The food was pretty good, too (Mexican-ish). I liked that they were holding an event the night we went for women in tech. Seating was fairly normal, not very comfortable.

Hero Doughnuts: Recommend! They had apple cider donuts already! I got two, plus an apple fritter. The husband got the three filled ones. I am always on the hunt for great fruit fritters, with the right fruit/dough/crispiness/glaze ratio. Hero's fritter was pretty good, I give it 7/10. The apple cider donuts were better, though, and really tasty two days later (we took the donuts to go as we left Birmingham for Asheville). I could go on about my donut quest but I'll stop here.

Asheville, NC

Eda Rhyne Distillery: I insisted we go here once we got into Asheville, since I'm always on an amari journey. Had two flights of their spirits and purchased three: Amaro Oscura, Rustic Nocino, and Bitter Tooth. Eight tasters of hard liquor without any food other than a donut was a bit much, I haven't felt tipsy like that in so long. So we headed to

Burial Brewing Forestry Camp Taproom: for dinner (and ok, a cocktail for me). Delicious pastrami sandwich hit the spot. Seating was fairly normal, but at least not those terrible ice cream parlor-type chairs.

DSSOLVR: Seating was slightly more comfortable than the usual fare, and I liked the Emo Nightmare beer.

Wicked Weed: Final meal in Asheville was at Wicked Weed brewing. I had just one cocktail, husband had four half portions of their beer. I'd rather wax lyrical about their shrimp and grits omg it was so delicious (also too salty, but man, so delicious). Now I'm obsessed with making the grits with a roux-based gravy - I always forget how much I love grits.

(not pictured: the very Southern spread and drinks prepared by my friend when we stopped by to hang out at his house in NC - and thanks to him, I am now obsessed with peppadews).

Suffolk, VA

Decoys Restaurant: Cocktail was meh, something in it tasted spoiled to me. However, their crab and corn chowder was so delicious, I would 100% drive back there to have it again.

Sojourn Fermentory: We specifically stopped in Suffolk just to try Sojourn, because one of the owners is one of our neighbors, and owns a Taiwanese Street Food restaurant near us. I was sad they were out of their Asian Glow collab, but the beer was decent, and I liked their dark lager a lot.

Bonus items we brought back from the trip.

[strongdragonmother]

"Hey Almedha! I remember saying you liked spicy foods, but there isn't much around here at this festival. If you want they've got something called chewing gum. It starts off bitter, but ends up being pretty refreshing. If you've never had any, you might like it." Catherine offered, handing the woman a small pack of chewing gum. "Oh, you're not meant to swallow it immediately, but rather chew it over a long period of time."

“It’s bitter? That’s interesting… most sweets are, well, sweet.” Almedha unwrapped the paper and put the gum in her mouth. It WAS bitter, but not overpoweringly so. Still, she could not wait for it to change its flavor as she began chewing. “Thank you for the gift. What did you say this was called? Chewing gum? I think I prefer regular sweets to this.” She laughed, careful not to let the unusual treat fall out of her mouth.

[andrastesknickerweasel]

Sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve been a little preoccupied with starting a new job.  But the cooking must go on!  Heat wave recipes part deux! 

Check out the Master Post to see what this wacky project is all about and get the cookbook to join in the fun!

First up is a Spring Salad from Nevarra

Difficulty: 1/5.  Guys, it’s a salad.  Like, a super basic one.  I mean yes you do have to turn on the stove to boil the eggs, but honestly hard boiling eggs is like the easiest cooking task ever.

Ingredient cost/accessibility: 1/5.  It’s got 5 ingredients.

Taste: 2.5/5.  Meh, it’s a super basic salad.  Non-offensive as long as you like tomato and egg (which I do).  I would have preferred a creamy dressing like blue cheese, but the oil and lemon dressing was fine.

Suggested pairing: Something more exciting.

Suggested pairing: Guys, it’s a salad.

Nevarran Cold Tomato Soup

Difficulty: 2/5.  Point added for the straining.  There’s a lot of pulp to strain out and my arm got tired holding the strainer full of soup as it sloooowly separated.

Ingredient cost/accessibility: 2/5.  You really want to splurge on nice fancy tomatoes, like at the fancy grocery store, or the farmer’s market.  I used the orange sweet cherry tomatoes (recommendation from youtube which I highly recommend) and some sort of heirloom tomato.  The quality of the tomatoes will make or break this dish.

Taste: 4/5.  I didn’t have high hopes for this, and as you know I HATE bell pepper, but this was actually really good.  I can’t shake the feeling that I just in essence made V8 juice, but it’s some damn tasty V8 juice!

Suggested pairing: Maybe the salad above.  It’s surprisingly intensely flavored, so it will jazz it up.

Suggested pairing: Cassandra/Cullen?  Is that a thing?  Either way this is very bracing and healthy, so I can see both of them knocking this back before a busy day of training the recruits and reciting love poetry and shit.

Rum and Coconut Water from Rivain

Difficulty: 1/5.  I basically made half a cocktail because they wanted this in a tall glass, and I didn’t foresee liking this enough for that.  So I used only 1oz of rum and a rocks glass.  I took the picture before stirring in the bitters because I think it’s pretty.

Ingredient cost/accessibility: 2/5.  I’m just gonna assume you have rum by now if you’ve been following along XD

Taste: 2/5.  It’s weird, I like coconut, but I’ve always found coconut water really off-putting.  I feel like it has a weird aftertaste or something?  So yeah, this was not my favorite.  It’s drinkable, but it’s not sweet enough for my tastes.

Suggested pairing: It’s pretty boring, so Nathaniel?  Buuuuurn!!! 

[carmypen]

I was tagged by the wonderful @seventhstar

Rules: tag people you want to get to know better/catch up with.

Favourite colour: pink!

Currently reading: “Cleaning Sucks” by Rachel Hoffman, AKA the Unfuck your Habitat writer. Also reading about healthy boundaries and I’m part way through the audiobook for Mistborn: The Final Empire.

Last song: I’ve had The Backyardigans “Castaways” song stuck in my head for a few days now 😅

Last movie: “Cruella.” I know the Internet hated it, but I had so much fun watching it. It’s a good, campy time.

Last series: Slowly making my way through Zexal anime, CCS anime, DM manga and the Genshin Impact manga. With the emphasis on the slow. I did watch the first episode of Loki, but found it really meh, so I’m not really sure I want to keep watching. Also been reading Murderbot Diaries, and watching Star Wars movies in chronological order with my mom.

Sweet, spicy or savoury: I would say savory with the addendum that I really like sour/bitter flavors the most. Goat cheese, not totally ripe blueberries, things like that.

Craving: Time to just sit and do something fun by myself.

Tea or coffee: I love tea, but I can’t really have caffeine anymore so what I drink is limited ^^; I love boba tea, too. I do drink espresso and Frappuccino’s sometimes, but, again, pretty rarely because of the caffeine thing.

Currently working on: Writing and cooking projects for two Yugioh zines. Some work training stuff. A short story for Zexal week. Also The Rivalship Thing.....I think I have a lot of projects...^^;

Tagging! @meshimoon @dualumina @ohyema @shinayashipper

[theseerasures]

Conspicuous Media Consumption, 2020

it’s that time of year again! *saddest toot from the party horn*

for those of you just joining us: it’s a “consume a different content every week for 48 weeks of the year” challenge. for a longer explanation, check out last year’s write-up here, and as always, feel free to pop in and ask questions about any and all of this content.

(same disclaimer as last year too: content for this project ONLY here, and not certain...*looks at my billion Sad Cop Lady posts*...hyperfixations.)

(man remember when i was big into X-Men comics earlier this year? better times than these, if only because no one's discoursing about Emma Frost’s woobie/war criminal ratio anymore--her w/w, if you will)

(...i swear at one point i didn’t exclusively like platinum blondes but alas)

Bitter Root (comic, 1 issue finished 1/1/2020): still very cool on a basic concept level, but runs into the Image Comics problem of just not having enough content to keep my interest beyond that. part of that is on me, for picking it up again BEFORE the second arc rolled out, but the first five issues didn’t really follow (or resolve) any cohesive story either, so...meh.

Immortal Hulk (comic, 3 trades finished 1/17/2020): still not gonna be something i care deeply about (maybe one of Bruce’s Hulksonas dyed his hair???), but i do want to give kudos to Al Ewing for sheer consistency in terms of sustaining this level of quality storytelling month by month for more than two years now. working with the dense archive of the Hulk mythos and managing to make it interesting and thoughtful is impressive even if i personally would not expend the same effort.

Disco Elysium (game, finished 1/18/2020): honestly i should have twigged onto what this year was gonna be like when the third thing i drew from the barrel was pure uncut Eastern European flavored depression. i faintly recall people ragging on it for being pretentiously cynical, but i actually thought its core slid more towards idealism than people give it credit for. also gratified that i haven’t heard anything about Robert Kurvitz using slave labor to finish it, which is a thing we have to say about our video games now!!! fun.

Watchmen (TV, 7 episodes finished 1/27/2020): i am a fool who wants to believe in Damon Lindelof and I WAS RIGHT!!! honestly still cannot believe that he pulled off this highwire act with such deft aplomb. might be my favorite TV this year, which is a pretty high bar given how much TV i ended up watching.

On a Sunbeam (comic, finished 2/1/2020): Tillie Walden rightly deserves all the praise for inventive queer storytelling, but i will say that on reread--since i first read this as a webcomic--there ARE some issues with pacing here that clearly come from the foibles of its original intended medium. still just excellent, even if after some plot significant haircuts i was having trouble telling a few folks apart.

Lazarus (comic, 1 trade finished 2/8/2020): it’s so good and i want moooooorrrreee--though obviously Rucka and Lark have the right to take all the time they need. the newer longer issues work really well with the epic prestige drama vibes of the story! i’m into it.

The Good Place (TV, 4 seasons finished 2/18/2020): i’m gonna be super honest: i actually wasn’t a big fan of the finale, nor the last season as a whole. it felt like all of Eleanor’s flaws vanished for a majority of the season, and the Chidi-centric episode where they tried to give a legible justification for why he’s Like This was...i didn’t care for it. still, it’s so good and unique on the WHOLE that we’ll literally never get anything like this ever again, and that counts for a lot.

The Old Republic (game, finished 2/21/2020): it’s an MMO so it will never actually Be Finished so long as the servers aren’t shut down, but i caught up on the content i’d missed in the intervening months. Onslaught thus far has mostly been...kinda bland tbh; going back to Imps vs. Rebs after all the shakeups in the previous expansions feels like a waste.

High Road (album, finished 2/22/2020): someone should tell Kesha not to say that word!! otherwise i was very happy with this album, and happy FOR her even though we don’t know each other. being able to find joy again in the same genre of music you made while you were being horrifically exploited is very cool.

Young Justice (TV, 13 episodes finished 2/28/2020): given how much the middle stuff dragged--STOP KILLING YOUR HIJABI CHARACTER IN HORRIFIC WAYS--i was...actually kinda mad by how the end managed to stick the landing anyway. the day being saved by Vic’s self-acceptance and Violet’s sublime compassion was A+, and even the Brion/Tara switchup was a pleasant surprise, though it relied on me caring about Brion MUCH MORE than i actually did.

Manic (album, finished 2/29/2020): do people still care for/about Halsey? i feel like even That One Song that was on every tumblr gifset ever has kinda faded into obscurity at this point. this album was...okay. i feel like people give Halsey a pass for extremely obvious lyrical turns that they wouldn’t for other folks because of her subject material--which is fine. not really my cup of tea, but i also listened to lots of Relient K this year, so that’s probably a good thing.

Jade Empire (game, 3/10/2020): the only 3D-era Bioware game that didn’t franchise out, and for good fucking reason!!! the Orientalism and appropriation really haven’t aged well, and even beyond that the story was...standard Bioware faire. even my usual “my wife’s a bitch i love her” Bioware type didn’t do it for me, and i just ended up romancing no one. it did make me think a lot about what level of cultural borrowing is accepted nowadays, and why: people still look fondly at Avatar and talk about how ~accurate and respectful it was, for example, despite it being staffed almost entirely by white folks, and the Orientalism ALL OVER the monk class in DND is still fine for some reason.

Alif the Unseen (book, finished 3/31/2020): interesting to have read this AFTER reading The Bird King last year, because it highlights how the intervening years have shifted G. Willow Wilson’s thematic interest and improved her craft. i’m actually quite fond of how her characterization work is rougher here--Alif is extremely flawed to the point of being insufferable, but it makes his development by the end more satisfying. Dina is also just good and i love her

Baldur’s Gate (2 games, finished 5/31/2020): well, having finally finished the series i’m happy to say that it...still doesn’t really do it for me, sorry. any awesome story moments were overshadowed by the EXCRUCIATING inventory management system and the combat (i still don’t know what a THAC0 is and at this point i’m afraid to find out). these games crucially lack the Home Base that later Bioware games were so good about, and that (coupled with the huge cast of characters you can drop off and never see again) really hurts the intimacy for me. by the time we finally did get one it was the Hell Dimension in Throne of Bhaal, and i was just...trying to get through it. (yes, i did just say that about one of the most beloved expansions ever to one of the most beloved games ever.) THIS particular iteration of “my wife’s a bitch i love her” was very good, but the game wouldn’t let me romance her :(

The Underground Railroad (book, finished 6/19/2020): honestly what is there even left to say at this point! it was exactly as good as every critic on the planet said it was, even with my usual aversion to hype. draining and horrifying in turns but still insistent upon a future for Black folks.

Steven Universe (6 seasons and a mooooooviiieeee, finished 7/11/2020): yes, i DID finish the show and almost immediately begin a rewatch. this series is now one of my top five most formative things, and the amount of love and respect i have for it is incalculable. that said: i once again did not love how the central conflict of Future was resolved (just the resolution--i loved the finale just fine). for all of Steven’s breakdown was built up, resolving it with “EVERYONE HUG HIM UNTIL HE CRIES” felt...cheap, especially since up until this point the show had been so good about treating trauma and mental illness with the respect and nuance it deserves. it made me wish some of the earlier, less substantial episodes had been cut so we could spend more time at the end.

What It Is (comic, finished 8/19/2020): y’all i love Lynda Barry SO MUCH. for the longest time i was worried that One Hundred Demons was more a lightning in a bottle situation but every book of hers i pick up makes me feel obscure emotions i didn’t even realize existed. the compassionate way she’s able to describe her child self and how weird and fucked up she was (and still is) is honestly aspirational.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (TV, 5 seasons finished 9/26/2020): so here’s a reversal of what i’ve been complaining about with other shows: i was mostly lukewarm-to-warm about She-Ra, but the later seasons and the finale made me much more into it as a whole. more shows should improve in stakes and overall quality as they age tbh!! i still don’t actively love Catradora (my sole quibble with season 5 actually has to do with the way Adora kept backsliding as a character to make certain Plot/Relationship things happen), but i’m very happy for them nonetheless. i can certainly appreciate a show that will go for High Feeling over tight plot. dark horse standout moments: trees growing everywhere proving that Perfuma Was Right, and Hordak and Adora seeing each other--that weirdly intimate moment of recognition.

Fetch the Bolt Cutters (album, finished 10/7/2020): again i find myself not having much to say that no one else has said. it’s good! once again love it when an artist reclaims something they’d attached with negative affect (anxiety, depression, disordered eating) for better and brighter things.

Solutions and Other Problems (comic, finished 10/25/2020): i was very into Allie Brosh’s ambition with this book, which feels weird to say but i stand by it. it’s cool to see an artist try to make a new medium work for them instead of just sticking to what already works. not all the experimentation was 100% effective, but it was still delightful and occasionally devastating to read, so.

Legend of Zelda (3 games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Link Between Worlds, finished 11/1/2020): this was the third time i’d played Ocarina of Time, which made it the nice, comforting groove i settled into before Majora’s Mask blatted me in the face. i’m not usually a completionist Zelda person because...the gameplay in Zelda is bad, do not at me it just is, but i really felt like i HAD to be one for Majora’s Mask since the whole point is to get attached to the banalities of the town. i’m sure nobody’s surprised that i loved it, even if it gave me an existential crisis about how life goes on in the game for NPCs when you’re not there to save them from it, and there’s not enough time to save them all all the time (also not a surprise to anyone: Romani and Cremia gave Personal Feelings). Link Between Worlds...bad. not like in a “this is a bad story by every measurable gauge” way, but i was already struggling with the 2D playstyle shift enough that for the whole story to end with some “yes it’s v sad that Lorule is Like This but trying to steal Hyrule’s privilege is Even Worse Actually” noblesse oblige bullshit left a VERY poor taste in my mouth, this year of all years. i did audibly gasp when Ravio took off his mask, though. i’m currently playing Breath of the Wild in cautious increments; it’s the first time i’ve enjoyed early Zelda gameplay, but if they wanted fully voiced cutscenes i wish they got voice actors who...knew what words sound like.

folklore (album, finished 11/6/2020): my belief that Taylor Swift is Just Fine continues, i’m afraid. i LIKED this album, don’t get me wrong, and respect her constant drive to innovate, but i didn’t love it substantially more or less than any other Taylor Swift album. mostly i’m just tickled by how she thinks leaning into the indie aesthetic means borrowing Vita Sackville-West’s entire wardrobe, though i will admit to feeling Something when she swore in a song. i think it was like. savage vindication?? you go ahead and swear, Taylor Swift. you deserve it.

Shore (album, finished 11/19/2020): do people still care about the Fleet Foxes? i think there was some Drama with Josh Tillman a while back but i don’t remember where the discourse landed with who was being more problematic. it was nostalgic for me to listen to their new album--made me remember being an undergrad who exclusively listened to men who mumbled and played acoustic guitar all over again.

Star Wars (3 movies: original trilogy, finished 11/27/2020): there is So Much bad Star Wars these days that every time i rewatch the original trilogy i’m afraid that they will suddenly be bad, but guess what! they’re not. i love these children and their hot mess stories, i love that Lando doesn’t know how to say his best friend’s name. what stood out to me this time was the way Obi-Wan described the Force in A New Hope, which strongly implied that ANYONE can be Force Sensitive; that obviously faded with each subsequent movie, but part of me does wish they’d kept it.

X of Swords (comics, 22 issues finished 12/5/2020): i am enjoying Hickman’s X-lines!!! not so much here for the Grand Conspiracy or whatever, but the character work and highkey weirdness is fabulous--they FEEL like X-Men, despite all the shakeups in-universe. this crossover is a nice microcosm of all that: grandiloquently all over the place, but still full of cool standout moments and genuine hilarity. ILLYANA DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SPELL MAGIC.

Fire Emblem (4 games: Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Awakening, finished 12/14/2020): this was the thing that i was closest to giving up early on, but i ended up hyperfixating on it instead. that’s a credit to what the gameplay does to my lizard brain more than anything else, because the story and character writing is...insipid. it was very bizarre to witness this franchise blunder around with its animal-people racism allegory around the same time i was getting back into RWBY, and ITS animal-people racism allegory blunders. Awakening was the first time i felt anything for the franchise beyond “teehee red units disappear make exp bar go up and brain go ding,” so i’m excited for more mature storytelling in subsequent games (they MUST get better. they MUST). the child husbandry thing is...very bad tho, and Apotheosis being “challenging” entirely through the game changing all the rules is also bad.

once again no vidya games that came out this year--i’ll probably pick up Spiritfarer or Hades after the New Year, though (or maybe TLOU II! but probably not. sry Laura and Ashley). more TV and franchises this year, which made me feel In Touch with the Children but was also kinda exhausting. nothing was so egregiously terrible i dropped it without finishing! in a year like this that feels almost like an accomplishment

[homosociallyyours]

@velvet-impala tagged me to answer this long set of questions, and bc I love this sort of thing I’m DOING IT! I’ll tag folks here just in case you don’t want to read thru this whole dang thing. But I wanna say: if you want to do this, PLEASE DO IT and tag me so I can see-- I *love* reading responses to stuff like this. But @la-paritalienne @disgruntledkittenface @and-id-marry-larry @calmrry @crinkle-eyed-boo @lightwoodsmagic -- y’all are tagged :) 

1. Do you prefer writing with a black pen or blue pen? black, but what matters most is how smoothly it writes.

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or city? walkable neighborhood in a city. 3. If you could learn a new skill what would it be? would love to learn how to hack into billionaire bank accounts without getting caught so i could redistribute their wealth to a variety of mutual aid funds. :)  4. Do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar? no, just milk! unless it’s really shitty/bitter coffee, and then i will take it with a couple sugars or sweetened creamer. 

5. What was your favourite book as a child? probably the Anne of Green Gables books  6. Do you prefer baths or showers? showers! i wanna love a bath, but i get bored too fast and i never feel comfortable (where do i put my head? my feet? what do i do when my belly isn’t covered by the water and it gets cold?) so they’re meh. 

7. If you could be a mythical creature, which one would it be? dryad! i wanna be a tree spirit!

8. Paper or electronic books? paper, i guess. but i do love reading fic electronically, so..

9. What is your favourite item of clothing? used to be my work hoodie. but now i would say this blue striped button down i have OR this one black dress i have with 3/4 sleeves that’s really soft and comfy. 

10. Do you like your name or would you like to change it? i always meant to start going by Dottie when I got older, but it hasn’t happened yet so it probably won’t by now? but i would never change my name generally speaking. 

more after the cut! 

  11. Who is a mentor to you? i had a co-worker who was really a mentor for me since i got into being a cheesemonger in 2008. he’s been in the industry for a long time and basically recruited me to the job i have/had here. but when i got sick he basically dropped me/hasn’t spoken to me in a long time. let me tell you: it fucking sucks. bc a mentor is a cross between a friend and a colleague and a relative; we jokingly called him my lesbian uncle. and so losing him from my life so completely over something like this is deeply shitty. 

12. Would you like to be famous and if so, what for?  not now, but before i was sick i would’ve said yes. BUT only bc i think i would be a great Saturday Night Live host (not a cast member! just a one time host with a monologue/skits). So whatever level of fame i needed to get that..

13. Are you a restless sleeper? I have really bad insomnia that means i take at least an hour to fall asleep most nights. Once I’m out, I usually sleep ok, but i do have intense dreams/nightmares that wake me up sometimes. 

14. Do you consider yourself a romantic person? yeah :/

15. Which element best represents you? earth: the wet dirt and leaves in a forest after rain in particular

16. Who do you want to be closer to? emotionally i’m pretty good i think. physically i wish i could be closer to friends and family in NYC, Seattle area, TN/Atlanta, and Germany

17. Do you miss someone at the moment? the people referenced above. also missing my Grandmomma a lot lately and my mom. 

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory. art lessons with my grandmomma. her set of pastels that were all worn down and the heavy paper (black) that she pulled out to work on. she drew a quick portrait of a man, showing me how to create depth in skin tones with blue and green against the softer flesh tones. she didn’t blend it out, the marks all painterly and strong-- her style. i was 10, maybe? 12? so not *early* but it feels like forever ago. 

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten? i have no idea? i’ve eaten a lot of weirdish cheeses. i’ve had geoduck? 

20. What are you most thankful for? the amazing friends i’ve gathered into my life along the way, my dad, and my baby dog. 

21. Do you like spicy food? yes, within reason (i don’t get stuff that’s spicy just for the heck of it, like ghost pepper chips or whatever? but when spice is integrated in with other flavors i love it)

22. Have you ever met someone famous? i used to make up stories about meeting famous people that were based on partial truths. i’ve hung out with or met a lot of gay famous people. but the biggest person who comes to mind is Sandra Bernhard. I sold her cheese.  23. Do you do you keep a diary or journal? i have over the years. now i sometimes write things down in a paper journal, but mostly go to a really old blogging site where i basically put all my big feelings down in a public but sorta private spot.  

24. Do you prefer to use a pen or a pencil? depends on my mood.

25. What is your star sign? taurus sun and moon, gemini rising

26. Do you like your cereal soggy or crunchy? in between...not HARD crunchy, but not soft soggy. 

27. What would you want your legacy to be? would like people to remember that i loved them well and made them feel good/happy when i was around them. and hopefully that it made them feel like being good to others too. 

28. Do you like reading, what was the last book you read? i do, but i’m mostly reading fic these days. i think the thing i read last was Pink Like the Paradise Found, which was FANTASTIC!

29. How do you show someone you love them? i tell them, shower them with physical affection, and do little things for them. also try to remember small details about what they enjoy and then do stuff to make them feel good when they’re down

30. Do you like ice in your drinks? yes, but not too much

31. What are you afraid of? sometimes being along but only when it’s very dark out and i’m in the sads. honestly-- this is some deep internalized ableism but here it is --i’m very afraid of never getting better and not being able to take care of myself or anyone else. 

32. What is your favourite scent? jasmine flowers, pu-er tea, the specific scents of people i love

33. Do you address older people by their name or surname? however they’re introduced i guess. maybe because i’m an older person lol

34. If money was not a factor, how would you live your life? i would live in the apartment i had alone (with a guest room). i would hire someone from my community to come help me out sometimes. i would get a weekly grocery delivery from the good quality place. i would have a dog walker. and i would fly home to see my family more than once a year and fly my family out for a visit sometimes. so like. probably the way a lot of ppl live? idk. 

35. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? ocean

36. What would you do if you found £50 on the ground? get dinner at the thai restaurant down the street a couple times. 

37. Have you ever seen a shooting star? yes, lots! 

38. What is the one thing you would want to teach your children? i’m not having kids BUT for the kids in my life, i try to teach them/model the importance of consent and respect for their own bodies as well as other people’s. and i know it said one thing, but alongside that is that i respect and love them for who they are, and that’s something they get to decide. 

39. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? i want a lot of tattoos, but if i could get one tomorrow it would be a cheese themed tattoo with a variety of cheese knives (parm tools, dutch style knife) and a small cheese assortment. or a portrait of my dog

40. What can you hear now? this kinda dumb netflix show that i decided to binge today even tho it’s only kinda meh and my dog snoring just a little. 

41. Where do you feel the safest? when i’m surrounded by friends. 

42. What is the one thing you want to overcome/conquer? my stupid money issues prolly

43. Of you could travel back to any era, what would it be? wanna go back to 1977 and live in the girl direction AU i wrote last year, lol.

44. What is your most used emoji? laugh crying emoji or sobbing maybe

45. Describe yourself using one word. colorful

46. What do you regret the most? not sure if this is a thing but i regret not realizing when i got bitten by a tick/got lyme disease the first time, bc maybe i could’ve just taken antibiotics and killed it, and then maybe i wouldn’t be sick? 

47. Last movie you saw? watched the new charlie’s angels the other night

48. Last tv show you watched? this dumb show is called sweet magnolias, and it’s. honestly not terrible! it’s just not my style of show. OH WAIT i take it back, they left it on a really shitty cliffhanger without warning, and that is the one way to make me drop your show/fic HARD unless i like. genuinely love you. so byeeee dumb show, hope you get cancelled

49. Invent a word and it’s meaning. saungry: sadness brought on by being hungry, like hangry except oops you’re crying now! example: “fuck i knew i should’ve eaten before calling my best friend, now i miss them and i’m too saungry to figure out what to eat! Guess I’ll have tears for dinner” (almost called it sungry, but the internet thinks that might just mean ‘so hungry’)

did you make it to the end? WOW! devotion. thank you. 

[artificialqueens]

The Taste of You (Brooke x Yvie) - ImposterZoe

AN: I literally wrote this in 2 days. Thanks to Pipedream for helping! From Brooke’s POV. IZ

I hate being an empath.

Have you ever tasted an emotion before? I have. I guess technically, I have a type of synesthesia where I can taste emotions. But I like empath better. Anyway, I can tell what you’re feeling. Only problem is I have to french kiss you to do it.

Seems like a good deal, huh?

“My emotions don’t make sense to me.”

“I can help! Just gotta lemme slip you the tongue!”

Cool, right? Hahahaha!

Wrong.

Try explaining to someone you can taste their emotions by frenching them, and tell me how it is when they send you to the looney bin.

That’s why I’ve never had a boyfriend. I can taste it. Every one night stand, I taste the sweet-salty tang of passion. (Makes the sex great, by the way.)

But in the morning, if I care enough to kiss goodbye, it's… normal. No added tang of leftover passion, the fruity taste of hope for a date, the indescribable taste of love. There’s no flavor and I don’t try to do anything to add some. I just…. Leave.

I didn’t even know love had its own distinct taste until Vanessa.

Drag Race was… what it was and I learned. I discovered the plethora of emotions I could taste. The hint lavender in her happiness. The coolness of relief every time she survived a lip sync. The overwhelming iron that showed her anger. The heat that showed her stress. The beauteous taste of love that I tasted for four months camera free. The strongest bitterness my tongue ever struck when I gave her that last sad kiss goodbye. And I started to think I would never taste the sweet tang of love again.

Then Yvie won. And in my drunken haze later that night, I kissed her. When I kissed her, I tasted it all.

The strong lavender for her happiness. The sorting popping taste (like pop rocks?) of her excitement. The tang of her cigarette, (I know it’s not an emotion but that’s besides the point). But in the back of her throat, just as it became evident she knew who she was kissing, the sweet caramel-like taste of a pleasant surprise.  Then the unmistakable taste of… love?

I froze in shock as I determined her feelings. Yvie loved me?! She pulled back and stared at me in confusion.

“Why do you taste so much like lavender?” There was a very evident blush on her face that was probably mirrored on mine.

Yvie loved me and she could taste me back. And she tasted lavender? That means I’m happy. I shouldn’t be happy. I just lost Drag Race after making top two. I was so close and I just kissed the person who’s going home with everything I wanted. And she tasted happiness?!

“I… had tea.” The lie rolls of my tongue too easy for my liking but just because Yvie can taste me back, doesn’t mean she needs to know the details of what it means.

“You like lavender tea?” It occurs to me that there are two drag queens incredibly close to each other, bright red, looking stupidly confused. A fan walking by would suck right now.

“I like kissing you,” my drunken brain replies and Yvie smiles that damn smile, touching her front teeth with her tongue. She has so much tongue, no wonder she can taste me.

I leaned in again, wanting to taste her beautiful mix of emotions again when A'keria comes to the end of the hallway.

“Where’d y'all go? Party ain’t over yet!”

Can you say mood killer?

“Be back in a second,” I call, stepping back from Yvie, “Miss Winner here needed a breather. Not used to people actually liking her.”

Yvie gives me one of her famous eye rolls. “Fuck off, Runner-up,” She mumbles. As A'keria walks away, I lean into Yvie’s ear.

“My name is actually Brock,” I whisper to her, “Learn it so you can scream it later.”  Yvie turns bright red and on impulse I kiss her again, tasting the tartness of embarrassment and nervousness, mixing with the richness of her love. I pull away and smirk as I walk back to the party. After a long minute, (enough time for me to get a fresh beer), Yvie comes back looking dazed with her lipstick slightly smeared.

A'keria looks between me and Yvie with a shocked expression. I just winked at her and enjoy the party.

After too long a time, I get to my hotel room and turn myself back into Brock. Just as I’m organizing my makeup, there’s a knock at my door. I walked over and open it, a knowing smile on my face the second the door opens.

“Hey there, Miss Winner,” I purred, relishing the blush on Yvie’s face.

“Hi, Brock,” Yvie chokes out. And the rest of the night is history.

[Many months later.]

I walk in the door of me and Jovan’s shared apartment, throwing my keys on the table.

“I’m home! You here, Babe?” I call, dropping my bags. I hear a faint call of, “Bedroom,” and hurry in. Jovan’s bent over a sketchbook and I have many conflicted emotions as I take in the fact that he’s wearing my beanie, has my hoodie around his waist, and is using Henry as table while he sketches with one hand, petting Apollo with the other. Seems like a renaissance painting, but whatever. I sprint over and jump in the bed, effectively leaving it cat free and Jovan rubbing his leg from where Henry used it as a launch pad.

“Hi,” I whisper in his ear, kissing him softly. I don’t use tongue. I haven’t seen Jovan in about a month, and long periods away from each other, makes my first taste of his emotions special, so I try to save it.

“Hey,” he grins. We hug each other, Jovan’s head buried in my shoulder. After a minute I pull back and glance at his sketchbook.

“What’s this for?” I ask, taking in the sketch. Jovan attempts to cover the page but I move his hands, admiring the tiny details he must’ve spent forever on.

“Do you like it?” he whispers excitedly. I nod, tracing the drawn hem line.

“It’s so pretty, Jovan,” I whisper back, my finger still running along the page. A humongous smile blooms on his lips.

“Thanks. As far as what’s it for,” he bends over the page with me, “It’s going to sound cheesy but I drew it thinking of you. It represents how you make me feel.” Jovan is slightly pink as he says this and I blush too, as I find that he was looking at me when he says this.

“I love you.” The words pop out of my mouth and in the back of mind I realize that maybe these words should’ve been said BEFORE we moved in together.

Meh, what’re ya gonna do?

Jovan stares at me, not in shock, but in adoration.

“I’ve loved you since drag race,” he admits.

I almost say that I knew that but how could I tell him? Even after all this time, Jovan doesn’t know I’m an empath. But I’m thinking too much right now.

I pull Jovan slightly in my lap and kiss him deeply. I sigh as I taste the deep coolness of his relief that I’m home, the lavender of his happiness, for a second I taste the slight citrus of doubt, but it’s gone as I rub his back. It’s all wrapped up in the silkiness of his love. Jovan’s love tastes different than Jose’s. Jovan’s is fresh. New. And for once in my life, I like something different. I love something different.

Jovan pulls back with a complentative look on his face.

“Kissing you is different. You taste,” he struggles with the right word, “… Different.”

“Different how?” I have to ask. I can’t taste myself and I bury everything so it’ll be nice to get my feelings read.

“Different like lavender,” (happiness),  "something cool, like mint or something,“ (relief), "and something I can’t describe. Something…silky.” Love. He tastes love.

“Did you just say I taste like Silky?” I ask in mock disbelief.

“Oh my god, I hate you,” he yells slapping my shoulder. I smirk as grab his hand and kiss his knuckles.

“I’m pretty sure you just said the exact opposite.”

“You’re an asshole,” says my blushing boyfriend.

My grin turns impish. “And you love me.” He sighs softly.

“Yes I do. And I have no idea why.”  I smile wider and kiss his knuckles again.

“Wanna get lunch?” I ask, standing up.

“Yeah sure.”  He kisses me again and I taste the now familiar silkiness of love on his tongue.

“If that’s what Silky taste like, I’m leaving you,” Jovan deadpans as he pulls back. I simply smack his side and walk out.

[…]

Usually when I kiss Jovan, it’s all good. Happiness, Passion, Love. But the longer we were on tour, the more different emotions came into play.

I tasted the bitter sadness on his tongue as we watched the reunion. The citrus that shows his doubt after Vanjie hugs me for a smidge too long. The intense heat of his stress before a show. The strong iron of his anger after a drawn out argument with Silky. That’s the only reason I’m glad he can taste me. With a simple flick of the tongue, the silky taste of my love mixed with my cool calmness relaxes him. The bitterness turns to lavender. The iron turns to the coolness of mint. The citrus turns into copper taste of possessiveness which eventually turns into that silky taste as he realizes I’m with him and only him.

But I still have to kiss him to relax him. And lemme tell ya, when Jovan puts his barriers up, trying to steal a kiss is quite the uphill battle. Trying to steal french kiss? Basically like trying to fight a war.

How am I supposed to explain that I can help understand him if he lets me kiss him?

The realization comes to light after a bad argument between us.

“You just try to solve everything with kisses!” Jovan had screeched at me. I don’t remember my reply but Jovan had locked himself in our bedroom and I heard him crying his eyes out. I paced along the wall for the better part of an hour when it hit me.

Jovan doesn’t know, so he doesn’t understand. I’m knocking on the bedroom door before the thought had even formed. I need to tell him about my ability.

The door cracked open. “What do you want?” Jovan asked miserably.

“I have to tell you something important and I can’t do it through the door.”

If anything Jovan’s face breaks even more and the door slams shut, the lock turning. I heard his sobs on the other side and realize that what I just said is scary as hell.

“That came out wrong. I’m not breaking up with you,” I call through the door.

“Yeah right,” comes the soft, shaky reply.

“Please let me in.” I whisper. After several seconds, I hear the lock turn and I don’t hesitate before rushing in the room.

Jovan’s on the bed now, staring at the ground and wiping his face dry.

“I have to tell you something,” I blurt.

“Yeah you said that.”

I kneel before him and grab his hand.

“I don’t think you get. This is important. I’ve never told anyone this before.” Jovan looks at me.

“No one?” he whispers.

“No one. Not Vanjie. Not Nina. Not even my mom. But I’m going to tell you and I’m just praying you believe me, because I’m going to sound fucking nuts.”

Jovan looks like he wants to make a joke but my face is deathly serious so he just pats the bed. I get up and sit down next to him. Jovan looks at me expectantly and immediately words fail me. I open and shut my mouth like a fish out of water while he stares at me.

“Brock I know words screw with you, but if you don’t say something soon, I’m leaving and I won’t turn back for a long time.” It’s not a threat. Jovan’s serious and I try to force the words out. I’m not losing him.

“I can taste your feelings!” I blurt. Jovan stares at me for a long time. Then he gets up and heads toward the door. I jump up and rush to cut him off at the door.

“I told you it sounds nuts! But I’m not lying. And you can taste me back. I know you’ve noticed that my mouth taste different when I french kiss you based on what I’m feeling.”  

Jovan just gives me a blank stare before he rubs a hand over his head.

“Brock, this is insane. No one can taste emotions. Especially not other people’s by kissing them! I mean how stupid do you think I am?”

I rub my own face in aggravation. “I don’t think you’re stupid. I’m telling you something about me that’s special and I want you to believe me. Ask me anything about it. You know I can’t lie and it’s to crazy for me to make up.”

A sigh leaves him but he sits on the couch and thinks on it. I sit in the chair opposite of him and watch him.

We sit in silence for a while and each passing second making my anxiety skyrocket.

“Do you love me?” Jovan whispers. My head snaps up at the sudden break in the silence.

“Yes. I do.” I whisper back. Short, sweet, and to the point.

“What does love… Taste like?” He whispers.

I swallow hard. “It’s hard to describe but to give it a try… it’s the sweetest, silkiest taste. Like the world’s best dessert.” Jovan weighs my words quietly.

“That’s what you taste like,” he mumbles, “no matter what else you taste like, that’s always there. In the back of your throat. That means you love me?”

I nod again. “I love you more than anything.”

Jovan sits back on the couch. “That’s why you kiss me when I’m upset? To know what I’m feeling?”

I sigh softly. “No. Like I said, you can taste me back. If I’m calm and I kiss you while you’re angry, you taste my calmness which helps you relax. But sometimes when you retreat into your head, I kiss you so I can figure out what to do.”

I pat my lap and Jovan makes his way over and settles onto it, his head on my shoulder.

“This is insane,” he whispers.

“I know,” I whisper back, “but I know you’re special because you can taste me back.” I grab his face and make him look me in the eyes. “So anytime you’re scared, just kiss me and remind yourself. I love you.”

I lean forward and kiss him softly, slowing sliding my tongue in his mouth. There’s a strong taste of citrus. He still doubts me. But as my tongue pushes forward, I taste the pop of his excitement and the lavender of his happiness.

And I know it’s because we both taste the same sweet, silky taste in each other’s mouths. We both taste the love we have for each other and I feel a tear fall from Jovan’s cheek to mine but judging from the lavender that’s everywhere in my mouth, they’re tears of joy.

“I love you.” Jovan whispers later that night.

“I love you, too.” I whisper back. He looks down and kisses me slowly.

“I know.”

We relax in each other’s embrace, love coating both our tongues.

I love being an empath.

“Hey, Brock?”

“Yeah?”

“What does horniness taste like?”

“Oh my god. Fuck all the way off!” I laugh.

I do love being an empath.

I just really hate my boyfriend.

[rancoeur-the-unfortunate]

Pills (Chapter 14)

(1142 words 😓)

Somewhere in space.

"Hey Red?"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't weird that Zim hasn't contacted us yet?"

"Huh?"

The two Tallest were currently in their lounging room. Tallest Red on his couch eating donuts while Tallest Purple was playing a video game while stuffing his face with chips.

"Well, I was just thinking since Zim usually calls us every time he takes a pill and its been about two weeks already how come he hasn't called us yet?"

Red thought for a second then his eyes went wide.

"Pur pause the game. We need to contact Zim. Now!"

Red rushed out of the room Purple following behind.

"Someone get Zim on screen!" Red ordered getting into his usual spot, hoping to the control brains that Zim wasn't doing what he thought he was.

It took several minutes before Zim's 'SIR' unit answered.

"Heya Tall people!"

"Oh uh hello there short slave thing." Purple waved and gave Red a worried look.

Zim NEVER missed a call.

"Do you know where Zim is?"

"Um...... lemmme hmmmmmm"

"Can you AT LEAST tell us if he took his pills?"

"Oh, you mean these?!" The SIR unit lifted up Zim's box, now empty.

"Yeah... that's his box." Confirmed Purple with worry.

"Master said Marry tookem an put little sweet things inside! I ATE em!" The SIR unit laughed and then a strange animal thing appeared.

"Meh! Mei! Me!"

The Talkest looked at each other.

"Is it speaking to us? With those words?"

"Listen here you!" Red yelled before the creature ended the call.

Red growled but Purple just fell to the floor.

"That's it! That's it! We're doomed!"

Purple clutched his antennae and started balling like smeet.

Red walked over and smacked him.

"Snap out it! We'll figure something out!"

"Yeah... yeah ok." Purple calmed down and got to his feet.

"Alright alright, we need a plan."

Red paced.

"Why don't we call the doctor? He helped us the first time." Red suggested.

"What that old creep? I don't think we should trust I mean you saw the way he looked at us."

"Yeah that was a little creepy but what other choice do we have?" Red sighed.

Pur nodded and ordered one of the lesser Irkens to fetch the good doctor.

A few minutes later and the head Doctor entered the room with two guards at his side.

"My Tallest." He bowed slightly.

"To what do I owe the pleasure." He smiled though it was a weird one.

"We have another...

situation. We need your help Doctor." Red spoke up.

The Doctor smiled and nodded.

"Of course and what seems to be the problem?"

"It's Zim! He's gone sober! He hasn't taken his pills!" Purple yelled in panic.

"I see. Have no fear my Tallest I will take care of everything. I'll just need a few resources if you don't mind."

"Sure take whatever you like just get Zim back on those pills. Who knows what horrors he could create if he actually got sober." Red rubbed his antnnae in exhaustion.

"One shutters to imagine. Have no fear my Tallest. Relax I'll handle it." The good Doctor snapped his fingers and a food service drone came over. It held and plate of donuts and offered them to the Tallest.

"Well I am pretty hungry." Purple took a donut and took a bite, calming down instantly.

Red did the same.

The Doctor smiled.

"Yes go rest." They did as they were told and went to their quarters while the doctor couldn't help but giggled lightly.

Zim sat up with a start. He couldn't remember what his dream was this time, only static.

Zim grabbed his jar of fireflies and held it in his lap. The little bugs inside must have gotten tired because now they were just clinging to the walls. Zim let out a sigh, he was tired too but there was no way he could get back to sleep. So instead he started to really think about the recent events.

His medicine was taken from him, he was then exposed to every kid at skool, and when Zim thought it couldn't get any worse these horrible nightmares started plaguing him.

But those nightmares were becoming a little concerning, so vivid, so real.

Why did his last one have Skoodge in it?

Zim scratched his head. Was his pac trying to tell him something?

The alien sat there for what felt like hours just thinking about those horrible dreams.

They didn't seem like dreams though more like...

The human beside him started to stir.

"Zim?" The boy slid his glasses back on and blinked his eyes the alien before him.

"Why are you up so early?"

"That's none of your concern!" The alien shot back.

Dib rolled his eyes and sat up. He unzipped the tent and walked outside to stretch.

"What are you doing?" The alien quipped behind him.

"Uh stretching? Our bodies go stiff if we stay in one place for too long. Stretching helps with the ache."

"That seems a little stupid. If human need so much rest why would their bodies get stiff?"

Dib just shrugged and continued to stretch. Unbeknownst to him however behind him, Zim was copying his movement with a strange sense of curiosity.

When Dib stopped Zim quickly followed.

They sat in their respective places around their fire pit.

Dib pulled out a bag of pretzels from his backpack. While Zim retrieved some rations from his pac.

"Hey, Zim?"

"What is it Dib-worm?"

"What are those? What do those things taste like?" Dib pointed to the silver bag in Zim's hand.

"They are rations, Dib and I don't know I have nothing to compare... want to try one?" It would be interesting to see how Dib's human body reacted to the foreign substance.

"Uh sure thanks, Zim."

Dib took one of the rations from Zim's hand. It was grey and had the shape of a celery stick. Dib sniffed it a bit and took a bite.

Bland and bitter was all Dib got. He spat it out in disgust.

"Ugh, what's in that thing?"

He handed the rest to Zim who took it back.

"The rations are filled with vitamins and supplements just what's necessary. Irkens don't waste precious resources and time on flavors."

"Look I know most human food is toxic to you but have you tried anything with any real taste cause that stuffs nasty."

Zim shrugged.

"Huh."

They ate in silence for a while.

"Hey, Dib?"

"Yeah, Zim?"

"Um... thanks for helping me back there and uh not just leaving me to expire."

"Oh um you're welcome."

They sat in awkward silence.

When 'breakfast' was done the two picked through Dib's book to decide what to do that day.

(I know it's short I'm sorry but Skool has been kicking my ass lately and I know I had to post this before you guys got bored of me. Thank you for reading.)

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat April 19

 Okay, so it occurred to me that I accidentally marked last months TokyoTreat as February <3< I hope that didn’t confuse anyone like it did me. . .

“Happy Easter to our awesome TokyoTreat family! We hope you’re ready for an exciting mix of treats in your box this month. We have a number of sweet and savory treats for you and pulled together a box of treats we hope will get you into the Easter spirit! Lookout for some special fruity flavors, crunchy crispy texures, and an all-around fun box! Are you ready? We certainly are, so please enjoy this month’s Easter Surprise box!“

Lucky Treat & Contest Prizes

(I always forget to take these pics, but since I had room I decided to get them before starting :P)

For this months Lucky Treat we have a whole plethora of Pokemon-themed goods x3 from sweets and snacks to home goods to various random knick-knacks and cuddly new plush. This would be perfect for any Pokemon fan.

Meanwhile, the prize features some adorable shiba, and some Pokemon desk figurines. They all look like a lot of fun~

Sakura Cola

Our first item is this really pretty pink Sakura Cola drink. Now, originally we were supposed to have a Banana Yogurt Fanta drink, but because of everything related to the box being curated months in advance and the last-minute switch, this new drink wasn’t put into the booklet. Instead we got a note about it, explaining that because this was such a new drink and everyone has been requesting Sakura-flavored items, they had to include this.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I wasn’t disappointed by the last-minute swap in drink items, and I love this shade of pink so I fell in love with this drink quickly. Unfortunately, as pretty as it looks... its taste is weird. 

It’s sort of like... a really light or bland cola, with a faint floral aftertaste that lingers. I can’t really say it reminds me of previous Sakura/cherry blossom tastes I’ve had. It does have a smoothness to it though, and I feel like the more I drink the better it gets. But it’s still a little weird to me.

---

Our DIY for the month is a Chocolate Banana Soft Candy DIY kit we’ve already had before. I think around last Easter or some months ago, I do remember it though so I won’t be doing a review post on it. It’s great if you like easy to no instructions and like banana- but it tastes very artificial to me and the only part I like is the chocolate and candy...

Tohato Caramel Corn Tiramisu & Good Moist Chocolate

Our first item is the ever-so-popular Tohato Caramel Corn in Tiramisu flavor. This chocolate is baked with cocoa flavors and those in the tiramisu dessert, and it’s enhanced with coffee to add that extra touch.

The entire bag is 425 calories; so you shouldn’t eat these all at once or alone. I can’t say this brand is healthy, but in small doses it’s okay.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Okay, so I never actually had real tiramisu before; I think I tried it once in a set of exotic puddings I bought at the store, but it wasn’t like the actual dessert.

However, I think this tastes delicious. They’re light chocolate with a pinch of saltiness and coffee. The coffee isn’t really bitter or anything, and until reading the information i didn’t realize there was coffee flavoring in this.

If you don’t like coffee I’m not sure how you would like these; but I feel like they’re tolerable, unless you’re extremely sensitive to it.

----------

To go with these, with also have this off-brand bag of good moist chocolate, which is chocolate said to melt in the mouth. These come in circle shapes, but as you can see in the picture there are also some heart-shaped ones. I’m not sure why but I think it’s adorable~♥

The entire bag is 192kcal, and they have a crispy texture and are completely soaked in chocolate.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

See, now these actually taste bitter. They’re not bad or anything, and I like dark chocolate a lot, but I don’t think that’s what they use in these... and I found them to be meh. The booklet says they melt in your mouth (they also like these way more than I do :P), but I didn’t enjoy them enough to wait and find out. I noticed a little melting but nothing too extreme or exciting...

Okin Milk Coffee Crisps & Banana Kit-Kats

Next up we have some milk coffee-flavored little crisps (that reminds me a teensy big of fossilized dinosaur heads) by coming in a cutesy bag that resembles a canned drink!

The entire bag is 77kcal.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

These remind me a lot of a cereal, like the rice puffs from the previous box. They taste good, a lot more coffee-ish than the tiramisu caramel corn and it lingers in the mouth more noticeably. They don’t taste bitter but again if you don’t like coffee you might not be fond on these.

-------

Next is an item I won’t be reviewing because we’ve had it before. These banana kit-kats are exactly the same as last years Easter box; nothing is different. They have a banana milk-ish taste I find tolerable- but I still don’t like bananas, so I usually share these ones more than the others :P

Furuta Egg Chocolate & Rice Puff Bar

Our next item is a fun one- because not only does it come in this neat egg container to go with the holiday, but the egg came in a few different colors :D but as you can see, the inside candy is essentially non-marked, dull colored M&Ms.

I’ve decided not to review these ones because hasn’t everyone had M&Ms at least once? they have a crunchy non-flavored candy shell over chocolate; which tastes a bit different than M&Ms do.

-----

Meanwhile, this is kind of a not-really funny story, but when I used the rice puff in this I though it was sweet because last months were. I prefer savory rice snacks, and I was very delighted to find out this was!

Sorta, it’s made with sweet soy sauce- which is absolutely one of my most favorite things ever~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The only way this could be better would be if the soy sauce flavoring was stronger. But to be fair it might have been back when I got this, I don’t know, it wasn’t opened beforehand.

The flavoring is light, so I want to say it’s a great blend of both sweet and savory, because it doesn’t bring to mind sugary cereal, nor does it remind one of a rice dish. It reminded me a lot of something I had before, but I can’t think of what...

Anpanman Mini-Chocolate Lollipop & Sherbet Cola Candy Stick

Who doesn’t love a good lollipop now and then? Our first item in this set is an adorable Anpanman chocolate lollpop featuring the adorable Dokinchan (my favorite anpanman character). The chocolate is half strawberry and half milk, and this is a mini one, so as you can assume they do have bigger ones. I have seen them before.

The brand is Fujiya, and this is 30kcal.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s very tasty, it reminds me a lot of those yummy apollo chocolates. The only disappointing thing is that its gone in like two seconds ;P

(Also, as a side note the top piece the chocolate is on resembles Anpanman. On the opposite end is Dokinchan, they’re so cute~)

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Our partner item is an adorable cola-flavored lollipop in a sherbet powder. The powder tastes like soda (the blue kind in Japanese candy obvs) and it has a little bit of foaminess to it~ 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Both flavors individually and together are delicious. The powder has a bit of a tanginess to it but it isn’t sour or anything, while the lollipop is sort of a mild-sweetness, so it’s not overly sugary or anything. It’s just perfect :3 I loved every second of it.

Kappa Shrimp 4-pack & Garlic Edamame Chips

Our next items are both by the brand Calbee (which I didn’t realize when I took the picture, but the color should have tipped me off?), first is the 4-pack set of Kappa Shrimp, which I won’t be reviewing because we’ve already had it before.

I will say this though. Each bag is 60 kcal, and if you like light crunchy snacks and the flavor of shrimp you’ll probably like these? A few years ago I loved eating shrimp but then I got over it, and I really don’t like seafood as a whole, so these I’m... eh, with. By that I mean, they’re not my favorite, but I don’t actually hate them.

-------

I always get excited when we get Japanese Chips; I’m not a huge chip fan, but I love their unique flavors! This time we got a bag of sweet edamame mixed with salty garlic to create a lovely, delicious, and crunchy blend.

Each bag is 305kcal. Which is kind of a lot, but if you share them or eat them in a few sittings it’s not so bad.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I can’t say these taste sweet or salty, they’re actually pretty peppery if you ask me. They make me think of a really yummy garlic bread with a hint of edamame, and they have a hard crunch- which I usually dislike since it makes my mouth sore, but I find it tolerable in this case~

Dragon Bar Umaibo & Corn Potage Crisps

These our are final 2 items, a special and unique Umaibo (which was part of a collab with a game I forgot the name of...) said to be “Dragon“ flavored. If you’re curious in this, I’ve seen it on Blippo.com, and the TokyoTreat online store might have them in...

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥  

So if you don’t like spoilers I’d suggest not reading this next part.

Dragon flavor is actually Soda. It tastes exactly like soda flavoring and seems a little foamy. It’s very weird, but I don’t hate it. 

----

The final item is more up my alley :P it’s a corn potage snack and if you’ve been around long, you’ll remember my most favorite Umaibo is the corn potage one. So whenever we have corn portage or just corn flavored anything, I always have high hopes it’ll be good~

The bag is only 48kcal, so I feel like this would be a nice snack to have because you get a lot of them per-bag.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

They’re very delicious~ They have a typical corn/corn potage flavor and are lightly crisp. I would recommend them if you see them.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 5 out of 5. Everything was very tasty, and if you like banana you’d probably love this one. Nothing tasted bad or was too intense, except for the banana items for me personally but it’s not fair to judge it on that. Quality was good, nothing tasted stale or expired, the repetition wasn’t too bad this time around either. 

Theme - 1 out of 5. Here was where the box kind of flopped, yes in comparison to the other boxes I can say this one is probably the most Easter oriented, but in comparison to last year I feel like it was heavily lessened. They only gave us 2 Easter items, 1 was a repeat I’m pretty sure, and the other was similar to another item we had in another box. Nothing really special or unique...

Total Rank: 7 out of 10. The items are fine and good, again I hate banana but I don’t want to discredit it over that. I’m only really disappointed by the failure of a theme. I would otherwise recommend the box because I thought everything as pretty good. Also, as I suspected, they removed the health snack. We haven’t had it for... what 3 boxes now? So far they’ve been getting rid of everything I liked DX first the cute bonus items, then the original characters, they have also been giving us the boring repetitive DIY kits too lately so I’m not too happy about that either...

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Garlic Edamame Potato Chips- This one gave me the stronger flavor and quantity I wanted in the corn crisps :P the flavor is a bit odd at first bite, but addictively tasty~

2. Corn Potage Crisps - Surprisingly this isn’t my #1 of the box, but only because I wish the flavor was a little stronger and it’d be nice if we had more of it~

3. Cola Candy Stick - I wasn’t sure what to expect with the “sherbet“ but the soda flavor goes well with the cola. I love both of them together and seperately~

4. Rice Puff Bar - I loved snacking on this, but the flavor needs to be stronger~

5. Caramel Corn Tiramisu - Pretty much a better version of the below, and sweeter, but not overbearingly so like previous Caramel Corn I’ve had. I love the crispy texture.

6. Okin Milk Coffee Crisps - Honestly I didn’t have too much of an opinion of these, but I do like them. The coffee taste lingers though, so I wouldn’t recommend them to non-coffee fans.

7. Anpanman Chocolate - Dokinchan is so cute, and I love strawberry. I just wish it was bigger!

8. Kappa Shrimp - Had them before, I don’t hate them and I’m sure if you like shrimp you’ll love these.

9. Good Moist Chocolate - I didn’t hate these, but I can’t say I liked them either. I loved the heart-shaped pieces though.

10. Dragon Umaibo - I didn’t hate it, but it was so weird, in a fun sort of way.

11. Sakura Cola - I love how pretty it is but I had higher hopes for it...

12.  Egg Chocolate - They weren’t anything special but I thought the egg container was cute.

13. Banana Kitkats - They were okay but because they’re nothing new and my disliking of banana... yeah...

[talitaemy]

Japan Festival '19 • The 22nd Edition

📌 São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center • Rod. Imigrantes KM1,5 (there are buses come-and-go from Jabaquara Station to the festival for free :D ⏰ July 5, 6 and 7th of 2019 (it depends on the year) • I went on the 6th♡ 🎫 R$28 this year (you can buy it on the event or on some stores/websites, that is usually cheaper) 🚗 YES. there are parking lots (R$50) 🍽️ Festival, traditional cuisine from Japanese provinces and some other stuff that I have no idea why 💰 $$ (aka: well, since you're there, u gotta eat) 🌐 website • instagram • twitter • facebook • youtube 💖💖💖💖

안녕하세요! 恵美です~

SO! After many many years I finally went to the Japan Festival again! I used to go every year when I was younger (when it was all in the open, no roof at all, now it's a MASSIVE STRUCTURE), but somehow it ended up always in a hurry and I didn't enjoy going anymore. This year I even considered going because it was the Hello Kitty 45th anniversary and I really wanted to go to this specific event, but I was kinda meh about it, plus it is a little bit expensive, BUT MY FRIEND INVITED ME and paid for my ticket so I needed to go lmao thanks my friend ♡

The festival started on 1998, to celebrate the 90th Japanese Immigration Anniversary and was organized by the KENREN with the intention of share and celebrate de Japanese culture in Brazil, it changed places around 3 times and settled on the São Paulo Expo Center, having a different theme each year, always bringing events, booths, music and food representing the Japanese provinces (this year, unfortunately, Kyoto and Kanagawa didn't attend </3).

Back to when I used to attend to this festival, that was a gianourmous 鳥居 (torii the Japanese entrance gate), but this year I didn't see it, instead right when you pass the ticket office, you're greeted by Bradesco's booth (which is styled as a Japanese traditional house, with a cute garden and all) followed by the immense Toyota, Honda and Nissan booths where cars and motorcycles are showcased. Also, if you take off your attention of the car booths, on the very right, there's a little 活け花 (ikebana) exposition and a tea ceremony area, and this year there was a secret not-so-secret Hello Kitty hidden there!

The festival is structured by streets (A, B, C, D, E and F, vertically, while the horizontal ones don't have specific names) and the principal one, on the middle, called the Japan Ave (it's the largest where the biggest and most outstanding booths *COUGHS* HELLO KITTY *COUGHS* are. On the very end of the vertical streets, there are 2 recreational areas, the children's (this year they had activities like 折り紙 (origami), おにぎり (onigiri) making, etc) and the elderly's (usually they have radio-taiso), and after that, the Food Court, while on the sides there are "resting spaces" and toilets, after the food court, there's a stage where some dance and musical events are performed (and also not a lot of people go there, so if you want to chill, go straight there).

As soon as we got there (around noon), we were s-t-a-r-v-i-n-g, so we ignored all the non-food-booths and went directly to the food court (except by me slowly walking pass some obassans that were wearing kimonos ♡), our mission there: お好み焼き (okonomiyaki) from Wakayama (Booth 18), but I misread the map on hashitag and we ended up in front of a たこ焼き (takoyaki) booth, from Gifu (Booth 24), which we decided on trying, because takoyaki is the best yaki. And on our way to the search for the okonomiyaki, a lovely obassan suggested us to try the outdoor booths, and we went to the Nara Booth (31) where we tried the 炉ばた (robata), which I've never heard of and it was AMAZING, totally worth the price.

Now full and ready for a walk, we decided on walking around, going through the horizontal streets, and that got totally ruined when we spotted the HELLO KITTY BOOTH, which was sooo crowded (after all, it's Kittyさん), but fortunately, all the lines I entered there were pretty fast, and we got our Hello Kitty 45th Anniversary Special Ice Cream from the cutest Ice Cream shop ever, Dona Nuvem (they're known for their cotton-candy ice cream ♡) red velvet flavored (best choice e-v-e-r), the bitterness of the ice cream balanced perfectly with the chocolate and it was like, the cutest and tastiest ice cream ever. We also got to enjoy the booth, taking pictures, strolling to the full store, etc. (oh, and there we met one of his students, she's lovely~, actually, we ran into like, 4 of his students there).

We also stopped by: the Yakult booth (yakults units were just R$1!!), the Panco booth, the Hirota Food Express (a food/supermarket chain, partner(?) of Daiso Japan here in Brazil) and we got some お弁当 (obento) and drinks because, let's be honest, we were there for food. (also, there was a book launch happening there)

Furthermore, there are a lot of shops there, you can buy everything from cosplay to ドラマ (drama), clothing (t-shirts to kimonos), plants, funkos, accessories, etc etc etc (it's kinda you gotta already know the price outside the event, some things are pricier other things are actually cheaper)

And very lastly, we returned to our first mission: お好み焼き (okonomiyaki), we found the booth and IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE (R$27) BUT SO GOOD, so yeah, festival food. and all the notes from the food court were personalized and so cute so it was okay ;A; (and I also got an いちご大福 (ichigo daifuku) that I forgot to take a picture ;___;)

That's it! that was a kinda brief description of my experience of this year's Japan Festival ♡ it was the first time I really enjoyed it, so I'm kinda looking forward the next one (they already have a date!)~

oh, and they were selling this adorable mug for Hello Kitty 45th Anniversary ♡♡♡ 그런, またね♡

[shoutmonishere]

I liveblogged my experience at a wedding- for some reason-

Tomfoolery under the cut

Holy fuck it's so pretty in here, its like a flower garden at night— but it's cold af-

This tea cup reminds me of creme brulee containers- though the tea is super bitter-

New brew and it's not as bitter

OH OKAY OW, FLASHY LIGHTS AND LOUD MUSIC

My god dragon the bass is so intense it vibrates in my chest

Food!

WAIT THEY SERVE LOBSTER FOR APPETIZER-

AYO THEY STUFFED A CUCUMBER UP IT'S HEAD- IMMA TRY TO POKE IT OUT-

T

Tiny baby octopus edible

My relatives are giving me their salad delimeat /pos

Your sacrifice was not in vain, my little friend. You're very delicious- along with the salad

Went down to this daycare area with my little cousin

It had Donald Duck cartoons playing, ah nostalgia-

(P.S, these trips are a constant later-)

Soup, but it's- how do i even describe this meat texture in the soup- jellyfishy???

I mean this is shark fin right??

It's fancy AND expensive, yes, but it's kinda a meh for me

Three in one dish!

S

Swan charsiew puff??

It has swan in it???!

Nope, nvm- it doesn't- it kinda tastes like some sort of meat paste

I think i've tasted this before-

I decapitated the fool

Get shrimp ball'd (with almonds)

I like the shrimp one, its simple(?) but very pleasing :}

That leaves this black puff thingy

Wait did they sprinkle gold on this-

THEY DID-

!!!! Ooo-

Im pleasantly surprised

It crumbles easily and the filling reminds me of salted egg but sweet

I really like the flavor :}

So this black pastry thing is made of charcoal and actual salted egg- but sweetened

I like this black salted egg pastry :}}

Spicy korean beef and mushrooms- and just mushrooms

Not much to note about the mushrooms other than it is mushroomy

The beef is spicy, but not that overwhelming one, its got the right kick to it

There's this weird yellow vegetable- wait is this pineapple-

Oh yeah it is pineapple, and it contrasts nicely to the spicy meat

The meat is super chewy tho

I just noticed this blue thing under both of the dishes

It looks like gatorade- is this edible...?

Nope, its just decor to make it pretty-

Noodles!

Though it's a meh-

Wait is that fucking gold on- Holy god dragon, the put gold on this too—

Dessert at last, Soymilk pudding and cheese brulee!

I genuinely thought it might look like creme brulee-

But both flavors contrast very nicely despite it's mediocre looking appearances

I like this one :}

Aaanddd- that's the end of my random ass liveblog!

[tenitchyfingers]

anyway... AHS Apocalypse is exactly what you should expect from AHS. Trashy, campy as hell, with some gore thrown in for the horror aesthetic, but especially so much kitsch and mixes of stuff that should not be mixed together that it ends up being an absurd acid trip but somehow it’s still entertaining and it works. Like forreal, it started out as a more or less Very Serious Horror Show and then, I suspect from Freakshow onwards it became... this mismatched mix of stuff you’ve never seen all together in anything horror. It’s not comedy horror because the humor here is acid, petty, dark, very... bitter-eighty-years-old-grandma-like, and obviously very gay, but the thing i like about RM’s gays is that they’re not the socially acceptable flavor of gays that circles like tumblr adore. You’ll never catch any gay person who wants to assimilate into straight society ever identifying with RM’s gays, because they are the opposite of what assimilationists would want to praise tv for. And Apocalypse’s gay character openly talks about this, about how he’s not the gay man his grandma would’ve wanted (the kind that gets married and lives a respectable lifestyle) and that’s exactly why I love him. 

i mean ok AHS is a pile of trash and it’s always been and it’s not a great show (it never was), it was always declaratedly a trashy show for a very niche audience even among horror fans, but I really like how a gay man is writing and directing stories with gay characters who aren’t the flavor of gay tumblr would want to exist solely and in contrapposition to the Evil Straights. Everyone’s evil and fucked up here and I absolutely relish it. 

This said, Langdon is already a meh for me, so far. Like, I’m pretty sure he’s the Antichrist from Murder House because duh, LANGDON, but he seems kinda boring so far. also I really want to see who Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd are going to play and *Gayle voice* I HOPE TO GOD that they’re going to be the 2 Chanels from Scream Queens because that would be beyond epic, glorious, iconic, show-stopping (semi-cit) etc

[boozedancing]

This blog post marks the 10th different Crown Royal expression that we’ve reviewed on our little corner of the internet. Some we loved, some we liked, some we were kinda meh about, and one we just didn’t understand. While our experiences with Crown Royal have been a bit of a mixed bag, for the most part, the good has outweighed the bad, so whenever we’re offered a sample, we rarely turn one down, so when Taylor Strategy reached out yet again, we obviously said yes. If we said no, there wouldn’t be a 10th Crown Royal review for you to read. Funny how that works.

This 10th Crown Royal review of ours is all about their Texas Mesquite expression which was released in late Spring of this year. Here’s what the folks at Crown Royal have to say about their latest  whisky release:

Nearly 60 years ago, Canadian oil workers made the trek to the Lone Star State, bringing with them their whisky of choice, Crown Royal. Known for its regal history and distinguished flavor, Crown Royal became a mainstay in Texas and has left its mark with innumerable Texas fans. Today, Crown Royal is giving back to Texas with its first ever limited-edition release of Crown Royal Texas Mesquite.

Marrying two iconic Texas traditions, barbecue and whisky, Crown Royal Texas Mesquite combines the smoky flavor of locally sourced Texas mesquite wood with the signature smoothness of Crown Royal De Luxe. Crown Royal Texas Mesquite adds a special smokiness to summertime grilling, barbecues and celebrations of all kind that are in need of a little Texas kick.

And here’s what we thought of it…

Appearance: Pale amber color.

ABV: 40%

Aroma

Limpd: Wood smoke and bacon with some maple syrup (the urchins thought it smelled like Canada; not quite sure what that means).

G-LO: Heavy on the BBQ notes with mesquite smoke, brown sugar, clove, thyme, cumin, vanilla, and some honey. I’m suddenly craving some Texas Style BBQ Brisket!

Taste

Limpd: A bit viscous with a big blast of smoke. Like leaning over a campfire. Followed by some sweetness but the smoky, ashy flavor never really recedes. There is a little bit of heat late in the taste which is matched by the smoky, ashy flavor.

G-LO: Medium bodied with a touch of oiliness. Once again, smoky mesquite is front and center. That smokiness really dominates the palate. A bit of peppery heat and some brown sugar comes through, but it’s tough to get past the smoke. There’s not a lot of depth here. The smoke is still there in the finish with some alcohol burn and some herbal notes. The aftertaste is very astringent and a little bitter.

The Verdict

Limpd: I am not a huge fan of the smoke but I have come to appreciate peated whiskies. That said, I have not come around on the mesquite just yet. I’ve tried the Balcones Brimstone and, while that is more refined than CR Texas Mesquite, it did not win me over. I think the CR Texas Mesquite needs more time in the barrel to round out the flavors. Or, perhaps a little less mesquite.

G-LO: When we were first contacted to try this, I was hoping that this was gonna be as good as the Balcones Brimstone. It’s not. It starts off sort of promising, but then I realized that this was pretty much a one note whisky. The smoke doesn’t taste artificial or anything (though I suppose it could be!), but it is a bit much. I would have liked more standard issue Crown Royal goodness and less smoke. This wasn’t awful, but it also wasn’t very good. I’m thinking you should stick to using this for mixed drinks. Better yet, buy yourself a bottle of Brimstone instead.

_______________________________________________________

Many thanks to Taylor Strategy for sending us these very generous samples!

A review of @CrownRoyal Texas Mesquite. #whisky #whiskey @taylorstrategy This blog post marks the 10th different Crown Royal expression that we've reviewed on our little corner of the internet.

[jorystory]

West Coast Trip 2021 Journal Part 1 - Vancouver

Day 1

We walked around downtown, corner-to-corner, in about 4-5 hours. Prepare for a leg workout and wear good footwear.

Japadog on Robson. I got the “love meat-cheese” dog, hearty late night street foody, but nothing special. They open until 3AM. The store is small, be prepared to line up outside on the street. 7/10. Not worth the visit unless you’re craving something dirty and have stomach space. 

Robson street is a nice bustling street with a lot of stores, worth checking out if on your first visit.

As part of the downtown walk, we passed through English Bay Beach, Sunset Beach and parts of the Sea Wall. It’s a nice walk. Not a lot of shade, bring sunscreen. 

Canada Place is a bit boring, just walking and seeing, but not much to do.

We made it to Gastown for dinner. Gastown is a charming area to walk around with lots of restaurants, but the area smells like pee, you’ll start seeing more homeless people in this area. For dinner, we went to Gringo, located in a sketchy alley. It’s a tiny bar-style joint with Mexican fare. Of the tacos we tried, the brisket was superb. It was super juicy, flavorful, and wrapped with corn-style tortilla. The rest of the tacos were meh, nothing special. I would recommend just getting the brisket ones. We got their lemonade, which was refreshing and a nice sour, not too sugary. Super friendly staff that makes you comfortable. At $3-4 for a taco ($4ish for the brisket), it is definitely worth it, compared to other places. 7.5/10.

We walked back to downtown to meet up with friends and get dessert. We tried the gelato at Bella Gelateria. It was disappointing, too hyped and pricey at around $9 for 2 scoops in a cup. 5/10. Don’t bother. The gelato at Stella Luna in Ottawa is better.

For accommodations, we stayed at Days Inn Wyndham in DT. It’s bait and switch advertising, the room in reality looks nothing like in the pictures online. The price was cheap for downtown though, but the room is tiny with an even tinier bathroom.

Day 2

Morning coffee at 49th Parallel Lucky’s Donut in DT on Thurlow. Lot of room outside to sit with 90 min of morning WIFI. I got my favorite donut, a cruller, which has a really good sweetness and airiness to it. It was also big size-wise. The black Americano I got was also good; not too acidic/bitter. 7.5/10. I would go again if I had time in the morning to chill.

Walked to Chinatown. LOTS of homeless people here and it smells pretty bad. There’s not much to visit here other than the famous garden and New Town Bakery. See it on your first visit, but that’s it.

Japantown, which is next to Chinatown, don’t bother going. There’s nothing to see and even more homeless/crazies/druggie as you get closer to Main and East Hastings.

I tried the Bulgogi Burrito at Tako, near Chinatown. It’s Mexican-Korean fusion. It was on the smaller size for around $12-13 for a burrito, but it was flavorful and had a nice mild heat. It’s no Kogi in LA, but it’s okay. 7/10. Not worth visiting if you’re limited in time and stomach space.

I also tried the tacos at Tacofino, located in the same sketchy alley as Gringo in Gastown. Their tortillas they used for the tacos are paper-like; they don’t use standard corn tortilla. It was overhyped, busy, underwhelming and overpriced at $7 a taco. The fish taco was bland and dry and relies on the sauce to bring out any flavor. The meat of the crispy chicken is good with some mild heat, but it ends there. The taco is also on the drier side. Nothing special, Disappointing. 4/10.

We bused to Wreck Beach, on the far western end, near UBC. It’s a popular destination on sunny days, known for optional clothing. It was cloudy and empty when we went, but was still nice to sit and chill. There’s quite a bit of stairs to go down to the beach; was not expecting that for our tired legs.

Take out dinner at Sal y Limon Mexican. They used corn-style tortilla tacos, had good flavors, but something about all the meats we got were off (lamb > al pastor > pulled pork > chorizo). The churro was good. We also got a carnitas (pulled pork belly) huarache, which was flavorful, but the shell was not very deep fried, with too much sauce soaking it and making it soggy. For authentic Mexican, it was underwhelming. 6.5/10. Not worth your time or stomach space.

The Hive @ Strathcona is a small bouldering gym with a sufficient amount of climbs. The staff were friendly. They have a Friday night cheap night ($18), which was good since their regular admissions are on the pricier side ($25). The grading system wasn’t that intuitive. More importantly, it was super hot/humid with no AC and only a couple of fans running.

Day 3

We went for early morning bakeries at the popular local spot, New Town Bakery in Chinatown, before our day trip out to Squamish. We got: 2x egg tarts, 1x bbq pork, 2x pork steam buns, 1x coconut bun, 1x butter cream cone, 1x curried beef bun, 1x meat spring roll, 1x pineapple-coconut bun. All the items were quality, and exceeded expectations. 10 items among 2 people was a lot of food though. Prices are good, smells like heaven. 9/10  Worth visiting. 

Originally, we wanted to do the Chief hike at Squamish, but as of this year, you need to buy passes, which they were sold out. Instead, we went to Shannon Falls. The main attraction at the lower falls is whatever and mostly packed with families and kids. We found an moderate/hard trail to Shannon Falls Pools that not many people hike and takes you higher and up close to the falls. Dangerous place to slip. There were some rope sections where you have to pull yourself up that were sketchy; definitely not family-friendly. Also, easy to get lost at the beginning if you don’t take the correct fork. Use the Trailforks app to not get lost. Once we were up close to the falls, we were treated to great views and a perfect spot to relax all to ourselves.

A late-afternoon visit to the popular Earnest Ice Cream on Saturday was perfect. No crazy lines like you would see at peak hours and after dinner hours. We tried the Cookies & Cream, London Fog, Whiskey Hazelnut and Milk Chocolate. The first three were highly rated ones on Google, and they were true. I loved the first two the best. The price for double scoops was around $6, but you get a lot. Compared to other places, this was really good value for size and excellent ice cream. 9.5/10. I highly recommend this place and would go again.

For dinner we went to Ajisai Sushi Bar in Kerrisdale. They were only offering takeout during the pandemic and you had to call to order. Expect 2 hours order times during peak dinner times; this place is BUSY, their phones are constantly ringing. We ordered around 5pm and got our food around 7pm. You can see the chefs working non-stop from the store front window. We got the Spicy Roll (Salmon/Tuna/Scallop) combo that includes 24 pieces for around $13. Great price for the quality. We also got the Assorted Sushi combo which includes around 9/10 items, mostly nigiri and some special rolls for around $19. The sushi was QUALITY and FRESH. The salmon and tuna were melt-in-your-mouth quality. For around $40 for 2, this wasn’t too expensive relative to other meals and surprisingly filling. If you love sushi, this is perfect mid-tier sushi (higher than budget sushi places, but lower than expensive top-tier places like Miku/Minami). 9.5/10. Worth visiting and would get again.

To digest, we drove around and ending up relaxing at Burnaby Central Park. Nothing touristy, just a local park in Burnaby to say that we’ve been to Burnaby. At night, we just drove across Lion’s Gate bridge back in DT Van to check out the bridge lights and night views. Driving in busy Saturday-night traffic is tough, you need some confidence, aggressiveness, and focus (there’s a lot of bright lights) especially when you have day-trip fatigue.

Day 4

We tried the red velvet cake and ice americano at Breka Bakery on Denman St in DT Vancouver. The cake was moist, light, airy; and the cream not too sweet, which was perfect. The chocolate pieces in the cake were a nice touch. The ice americano was good, a hint of bitterness, but refreshing. It’s a 24h café with a couple locations. 8/10. Worth visiting.

Today was bike day around Vancouver. This was probably the best way to get around since public transportation is slow (not much better than Ottawa’s), walking is tiring and ride share for 2 isn’t that cheap. Spokes bike rental, $40-50ish for the day, provided solid Trek hybrid bikes, helmet, lock and phone holder. The staff were friendly and helpful. It seems expensive compared to the city Mobi bikes, but its definitely more fun and flexible in my opinion. It will be around the same price as an attraction somewhere (like Capilano bridge), but you get all day fun. Worth.

Riding leisurely around Stanley Park, took about 1-2 hours. Great views. Worth visiting.

We biked to Granville market and walked around lunch time. It’s a cute and charming market. This place is busy, lots of fresh fruits and the local strawberries were perfect, not too sweet and good tartness, but expensive at 2.5lb for $13.

Lee’s donuts - high quality donuts, jelly, chocolate, honey dip, Dutch. Good size. Pretty good compared to what we have in Ottawa. Long lineups. 7.5/10. Worth visiting.

Biked to Kitsilano beach - extremely busy large and bumping beach. Definitely a popular spot in Vancouver. Worth visiting.

Biked to Jericho beach - smaller beach, more old people and families with younger kids. Good for swimming.

Rain or Shine Ice Cream Kitsilano - large portions like Earnest, get the waffle cone (it’s good), malt chocolate honeycomb flavor was A+++, slightly more expensive (~$1) than Earnest (at $7 for a cone) but just as good. Busy, expect long lineups. 10/10. Worth visiting. We came twice ;)

Kook Korean BBQ - We got the Combo A for 2 for around $60-70, lots of side dishes, 4 types of meats, which were marinated well, soondobu soup was spot on, meets expectations. Busy - reservations of 2h wait times. 8/10. Worth visiting if you’re craving Korean BBQ.

Day 5

Walked around Yaletown, pretty bougie, not much to see.

Lunch at Phnom Penh, Viet/Cambodian, popular local place. Must tries: butter beef, beef lok lak, crispy chicken wings, usually lines, around $15-20 per dish. We got the three dishes for 2 people, we were full. 9/10. Worth visiting.

I went to climb again but at the Hive North Shore location, far from downtown (~50 min by multiple buses). The gym is clean, spacious, has AC, a nice store, and high climbing walls (feels pretty sketchy up high, higher than Altitude Kanata’s), so they make you do an orientation and practice falls. I booked for 2pm on a Monday, not much people, which was nice. I prefer this location over the central Vancouver one.

Afternoon snack at La Casa Gelato, they have too many flavors (238 to be exact) in my opinion. It was empty when I went, I tried their popular flavor, the  durian, but I wasn’t a fan, more sugary sweet than anything. I think it’s overrated. And for around $6 for one scoop cup, its not that cheap. Decent size though but not too big. Seems very gimmicky to me. The building exterior is entirely bright pink, good for Instagram I guess. 5/10. Not worth.

We had dinner at Ramen DANBO in Kitsilano (DT location was closed for renos) For around $10-14 for a bowl of noodles only, the tonkotsu broth, which was rich and flavorful. The thin noodles were perfect, two pieces chashu included were meaty/fatty/juice. The Negi-goma broth (sesame oil, specialty-roasted sesame seeds and fresh scallions, tonkotsu) which adds a nice sesame-oil flavor to the broth was excellent as well. I choose standard options for noodle firmness, broth thickness, broth richness (lard), karadare (umami spicy sauce), can get really spicy depending on what you choose. 9/10. Worth.

Day 6

We had an early morning flight to Calgary, so we stopped by Breka Bakery again at 4AM. This time at the more popular location on Bute St. in DT Van. We got croissant sandwiches and loaf cake slices. They weren’t that good, but not surprising since they weren’t fresh at 4 in the morning.

[lunedin]

I’ve been tagged by several people to do this tag..so I have to answer many, many questions :’)...anyway let’s do this

RULES:

Answer the new questions given by the previous person

Write 11 new questions  I’m uncreative af

Tag 11 people I don’t know how many people already done that tag...aaand I’m too lazy to tag too :’) sorry..

@queenofkadaara‘s questions (thank you very much for tagging, dear <3):

i. what music genre do you usually listen to?

I usually listen to slavic folk songs...I’m weird ok :’D

ii. what words would you use to describe your aesthetics?

Idk...weird? Shitty? Dumb? I’m not ver good at this :’D

iii. favorite tea flavor?

Uhhhmmmm..probably some kind of berries, I really like blueberry flavour :D

iv. favorite time period? why?

WINTER!!!! The only season I’m not feeling hot :’)

v. favorite motto / quote?

Waść machasz jak cepem!!! idk ok XD

vi. language you wished you speaked?

POLISH!!!!!!!! I want to speak it so badly..

vii. name of your first plushie / stuffed animal? do you still have it? and while we are at it, do you still have plushies?

I don’t really gave my first plushie a name since I got it when I was born :’) but yeah I still got it :) I only own one plushie and it’s made by my friend, it’s a green/white whale and his name is Asse :D

viii. what color do you wear the most?

BLACK! Black is my happy color :’)

ix. favorite ice cream flavor?

Do you know these blue ice creams??? They taste like bubblegum..so yes..

x. most emotional fictional moment? can be from video games, books, movies, etc.

Don’t remind me of Stygga Castle :’)

xi. if you could make one fictional character real, which one would you pick?

*cough cough* MY HUSBAND!!!! EMIEL REGIS ROHELLEC TERZIEFF-GODEFROY :3

@lithialetheia‘s questions (Thank you veeery much Ali! :3):

I. What’s your favorite flower? Why? Does it have some special meaning for you?

Blue..it doesn’t have a special meaning..I just really like it :’D

II. Which song describes you better?

Ugh...*cough* Mad World- Gary Jules

III. Do you like classical music? Who’s your favorite composer?

I don’t listen to classical music :’)...but I would say Beethoven :’)

IV. In which city would you like to live?

Warsaw or Kraków XD

V. What’s your favorite mythical creature? Why?

Mermaids...I’ve always been fascinated by them

VI. What’s your favorite word?

Kurwa x)

VII. Who’s the person you desire to meet currently?

Ugh....my whole squad tbh :’D

VIII. What’s your favorite profession?

Profession?...never heard of it xD I don’t have one ok

IX. Who’s the person you admire the most?

@queenofkadaara <3 and @dandelionandbuttercup :D

X. If you could be a fictional character which movie, book or videogame would you like to be in?

Everything that has to do with The Witcher xD

XI. Can you post a photo of your favorite accessory? It can a ring, necklace, bracelet, piercing, glasses, etc., something you usually like to wear.

My witcher necklace..I don’t have a pic of it but I searched for one on the internet :’)

@vattgherncirilla‘s questions ( thank yoe soo much!! ^^): I. what’s your favorite game and why? The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt..all of my Witcher love started with this game..it’s still my favourite out of all the witcher games!

II. why do you have tumblr?

Idk..I thought it could be fun :’D

III. what do you think about this war between Team Triss and Team Yen people?

It’s unnecessary...everyone prefers another woman for Geralt..You just have to deal with it tho I fight that war with my brother XD

IV. which team are you: Triss or Yen and why?

Yen. I think Geralt and her are just working very well :’) besides..I don’t really like Triss x)

V. which character (from book, game, movie) you appreciate the most?

REGIS!! the end

VI. what’s your favorite meal? describe it!

Pizza..I think ya’ll know what pizza is x) (usually with sheep cheese and corn :’D)

VII. have you met someone on tumblr? If u did, tag him/her here!

What do you mean with this question? Like in real life? No...but I found some friends! @queenofkadaara, @dandelionandbuttercup, @ilonavic, @lithialetheia, @vaporeox, @vattgherncirilla, @ferelden-doglord, @whitenerine, @cirillach, @holy-squirrel-of-death, @akhuna

VIII. which season is your favorite?

WINTER

IX. who’s your spirit animal?

Regis sideburns a bear I guess x) atleast my friend says so

X. how many books have you read? what’s your favorite?

Ugh..many..idk..my favourite one is Baptism of Fire tho :D

XI. what do you think of me? Tell meh tha truth!

I really like you! You are funny and very beautiful! Aaaaand you are polish x) sorry...I’m not ver good at these things..

@holy-squirrel-of-death‘s questions (thank youuuuu Aleks! ;D): 1. Who’s your favourite celebrity and why? I don’t really have a favourite celebrity..Andrzej Sapkowski? Cause he is funny?? x)

2. What’s your favourite song lyrics (either whole song or just a few lines) and why?

ok..it’s Polish sooo it could be bad xD:

Przeraża mnie ta chwila, która jej wolność skradła

It just speaks to me ok.. :’)

3. Which dead fictional character would you bring back to life?

MILLLVVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

4. What’s your favourite weather?

Rain and thunder and lightnings..perfect.

5. What do you think happens after death?

Idk..nothing I guess..tho I think we will go to a etter place..wherever it is

6. Which planet do you like most?

Neptun is so pretty :3

7. What have you dreamt about lately?

Just meeting @ilonavic xD

8. What’s your favourite topic to talk about?

WITCHER

9. What do you do when you’re sad?

Nothing xD cry and listen to sad songs xDDD

10. Which taste do you like best: sweet, salty, sour, bitter or spicy?

Spicy >:)

11. Do you have any words, that you use really often? 

Shit, Fuck, Kurwa XD

@ilonavic‘s questions (thaaaank you Vic!! ;3): i. What is your happiest and saddest memory? Idk what my happiest memory is..my saddest is being bullied tho xD ii. What/Who is your most precious possession or person in your life? @queenofkadaara :3333 iii. What character describes you the most? Milva..just Milva xD idk anyone else x) iv. Favourite time period? Why? WINTER! Every other season is just too hot for me xD v. Favourite meal? Pizza vi. What profession will you most likely work as? Psychologist or artist x) vii. Name your favourite song? Zozulja - Percival viii. What is your favourite season/weather? Winter, rain, thunder and lightnings ix. Why did you originally join Tumblr? I just wanted to check it out :D  x. What movie/game/book has made the most impact on you? The whole witcher series...it is just..omg..I LOVE IT WITH EVERY BIT OF MY HEART xi. What do you wish would disappear from the world? War and hate against each other