#but this applies to narrow meat soup too

[wubbybubbly]

I don’t want to be negative on my blog but this is just so funny to me. wait until this person hears about powersworth

[reigning-rhapsody]

Bittersweet

Strifesodos, past Gengeal; 2841 words

No TWs

The ear piercing noises of pots and pans and what sounded like now unusable plates briefly silenced the patrons crowding Seventh Heaven and let about everyone in the bar flinch in unison- all but one. Cloud merely quirked up a brow as his head shot towards the kitchen where the newest member of the staff, though it had been months since he’d joined and kept some work away from the ever so eager-to-work Tifa, had been on duty to cook for the evening.

I am, by no means, a great cook, he’d warned them at first, which turned out to be more than true, but his tastebuds didn’t lie, nor did his memory. He could tell what needed more salt and what had to stay cooking on the stove just a bit more until it was at its best, and he knew quite a few recipes for someone that, apparently, was no good as a chef. He wants to evade working any more than just as a bartender, Cloud assumed at first exactly because of that, but as good as the man was when it came to acting, as he had proven quite a few times, what he told was no lie.

Tifa insisted he should try cooking, and Gaia, it was worse than Marlene’s mud-pies from when she was younger. According to Barret, at least, who entered the establishment with a growling belly longing for a meal right as their chef in the making had finished his… attempt. A burnt pot and sore stomachs were the victims in the aftermath of Genesis Rhapsodos’ cooking despite everyone who passed him in the process paying attention to him wearing the glasses he was supposed to have sitting on his nose.

If one wanted to trust the promises given by Tifa, who insisted that teaching her new co-worker how to make some proper dishes was essential, he was a fast learner, and occasionally he even suggested to make a few meals he had memorized. No one knew as to why it was that he had recipes in mind, but no one bothered to ask either. One thing was clear though, the guy sure liked apples.

“Cloud, can you check on him?”, Tifa’s voice rung behind the blond addressed by it, barely able to be heard as the chatter and laughter picked up among the patrons again. She was busy, carrying two trays with food and drinks and a plate on one of her outstretched arms on top of it, so it was understandable she didn’t even wait for an answer and moved to the table that awaited their order. His next delivery would be in about twenty minutes and as slow as he could make himself walk, to evade whatever mess just occurred behind that door a few feet ahead of him would was impossible. Better get it over with quickly.

With a sigh, Cloud turned fully to face the direction of the kitchen and closed the gap that separated him from the door with a few swift steps slipping past filled tables. The blond swung the door open while his unoccupied hand rested in the pocket of his baggy pants. “Hey, the hell-?” He started, cutting himself off as his Mako infused gaze fell upon a kneeling Genesis staring at the floor like he was about to propose to it. Or rather, to the soup on the ground surrounding an upside down pot, porcelain pieces of what once upon a time were bowls circling the romanticized mess like ivory rose petals.

Genesis didn’t look up, nor did he answer, nor did he acknowledge Cloud and pretended the delivery boy wasn’t even present. He picked up the shattered vessels meant for the customers to eat what he begrudgingly prepared out of, seemingly doing his utmost to keep his eyes averted, or fully hidden to begin with.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and stepped forward so the door could fall shut behind him, swaying in and out of the room a few more times and allowing whatever curious mind sat in the much busier space of Seventh Heaven to catch a last glimpse of the scene playing out in the no-customer space, although who was sunken on the ground being covered by Cloud standing in front of him. He approached Genesis, both hands now in the confided space of his roomy pockets as he simply stared down at who he usually had to crane his head back for to make eye contact. Seeing someone who held himself so highly on the floor picking up shards with his own hands, it was amusing in a slightly sadistic way to say the least.

He knew that speaking up would only end in a discussion, then an argument and then a passive aggressive verbal fight that could break out into something physical at any given second. At least it sounded like that, anyway, but if it was the truth stood in the stars since the pair usually got interrupted when they got into another of their near daily banters. So he kept quiet and stayed put until the slender ginger would say the first word. And so he eventually did, pausing his task to exhale a defeated sigh and with what was left of his pride for the day.

And yet, he didn’t look up. “Not. A word.”, Genesis punctuated with a clearly irritated voice and Cloud just replied with an entertained huff. “Need help?”

“No.” “Uh-huh.” He didn’t have the time to put up with the mage’s stubbornness and crouched down, reaching out to grab the pot whilst his eyes remained on the culprit of the ruined meal. Finally eye-to-eye, Cloud noticed the missing black frame supposed to reach behind Genesis’ ears, “So, let me guess…”, the younger man started, turning the pot around and holding it by the handles, “You knocked this all over because you’re not wearing the glasses?”

That earned him a venomous glare, but an exposed one. Unlike Genesis’, his own vision was just fine, and thus not spotting the black supposed to be added to the color scheme around his face wasn’t just an illusion. “I don’t need them,”, the redhead barked back, “As I’ve told you before. You all are being dramatic over nothing at all.”

Hearing him out of all people judging what crosses the line of being too dramatic made Cloud snort and shake his head at how ridiculous that was, much to the wannabe-cook’s further annoyance. They locked eyes, three triplets and one glassy, milky-white outcast cataract.

The cracks scarring the porcelain skin roped themselves from his left eye over the same side of his cheek, shimmering through the applied makeup that attempted to hide them in vain as it had been vanishing with the sweat glistening on the man’s face from standing in a hot kitchen for hours on. Like veins dotted with thorns, they reached down his neck, reaching over the visible parts of his equally pale chest that was exposed due to the button up Genesis wore being partially undone. He could only guess how much of his body they tainted. They are what caused that vision problems too, as he’d been told by Genesis.

“I know I’m just mesmerizing, but make yourself useful if you refuse to let me handle this on my own.” An arrogant voice pierced Cloud’s zoned out thoughts and he blinked himself back into reality, not having the best experiences with anything piercing him. If it wouldn’t have been a vocal trigger that brought him back though, it would’ve been the smell of something burning.

“Agh- shit!” Genesis cursed under his breath and got on his feet again, groaning at his aching legs that fell asleep staying in the same uncomfortable position for some time. Cloud followed and watched the man place down the pieces of the bowls he’d already picked up next to the stove where a pancake was smelling like the victims of his flames- although it wasn’t on purpose for once.

Another swear muttered as he turned off the heat, or at least what Cloud assumed to be one since it was spoken in the ginger’s native language, and grabbed a spatula that rested on the workspace to his right to try and scratch the pitch blackness off the bottom of the pan. After some hard work was put into saving what could be saved, or what he hoped to save at least, that being the pan, Genesis put the inedible dessert on a nearby plate flipped over.

Both pairs of eyes in the room stared at it in silence, Cloud approaching with caution like what was sitting there was a Behemoth about to jump up and eat both of them whole whilst minding the puddle of broth, veggies and meat on the floor. He then stood next to the creator of the ‘food’ and stared it down. Roasted darker than his outfit, the smell was absolutely unappetizing and nothing looked appealing about it at all. It even took he blond a bit to figure out that there were apple slices mixed into the darkness, swallowed by it like stars during a cloudy night sky.

“Well… not that it was satisfactory, anyway.” Genesis admitted in defeat, much to Cloud’s surprise, although his ego must have been knocked down a few from their earlier confrontation. He might even go as far and claim he saw the slightest, embarrassed blush tinting the ex-SOLDIER’s pale cheeks, though mentioning it would only result in more than just a pancake ending up scorched.

“How the hell did you survive this long?”, Cloud asked with a wrinkled nose.”

“Thank you for your, as always, comforting words.”

“And what do you want me to say?”

“Nothing. It’s-”, Genesis took a deep breath, tightening his ponytail by dividing it into two strings in his hands and pulling, “There was never a need for me to learn how to cook. As a child, we had someone that cooked for us, and when I went to Midgar I first lived off of cafeteria food.. which I, eventually, resented and blatantly refused to eat. Then it was takeout, mostly, and once we became firsts we got an apartment together, so I had Angeal cooking for me.”

The drop of his name briefly silenced Genesis who still had his leer cast upon the failed attempt of a pancake. His lips thinned and he swallowed dryly, hands placed flat on the surface of the workspace. He exhaled a breath through his nose and his shoulders twitched weakly in a half-chuckle. “‘You’ll stay out of the kitchen when I’m cooking. You’re banned from the stove, Gen.’”, Genesis mocked a deeper voice to the best of his abilities, a bittersweet smile curling on his lips, “Sugar sweet, no? I never needed to learn how to make anything for myself. It was a thing I had done for me, and people never minded, either.”

“Not that that would have gotten me to start learning.” He added after another few seconds filled with nothing but the mechanical whirring of the fridge a few feet away from them. “Angeal, he uh… He loved cooking, but baking even more. The pie he made was to kill for, and whenever he made it, I would sit there and watch. Talk to him, sometimes even help. Providing he let me, that is.”

Finally, he looked up again and turned his head to look at the other swordsman. “No matter what I will make, it won’t live up to what he did.”, his head then hung low once more, “Nor would it satisfy him.” The normally so confident and boasting voice, teasing and preaching highly poetic metaphors nobody but him understood, grew lower in volume, quieter with every word vocalized and brought to live by it, although it sounded dead, unenthusiastic. It wasn’t a voice that fit Genesis.

“Or me.” His hands visibly gripped the edges of the big table harder, like he was trying to ground himself so he wouldn’t fall into a void that existed to eat him up from the inside, fill him with the worst of what life had to offer. His eyes fell shut, knuckles turning white and his fingers shook ever so slightly until he straightened his posture to one that equaled that of a candle and let out a shaky breath between agape lips, mismatching eyes fluttering open again. “I should clean this up now. Don’t you have a delivery to fulfill, hm?” Genesis ushered, his intent to get Cloud out and not show any more weakness than what just occurred beyond noticeable. It went under his skin, let the hair on the back of his neck rise and spread goosebumps across his arms.

It was… so damn depressing to witness.

“Ah. Ah- yeah, right.” Cloud reminded himself and reaches for the PHS in his pocket, flipping it open to check the time. He had a few more minutes. Watching Genesis move to a cabinet where a few kitchen towels were stored from the corner of his eye, the blond warrior pocketed his phone again, ran a hand through his artfully spiked hair, took a deep breath that let his chest puff out, counted his blessings and took off a glove with his teeth to grab the round little mistake sprawled out on the plate. Leather glove dropped in his lowered hand once it returned from brushing back the sunny mess on his head, he made sure the golden-brown side was the one facing the floor and placed it against his lips. He swallowed, opened his mouth and took a generous bite.

The first few times of chewing were experimental, eyebrows knitted together and eyes nearly pinched shut, though he discovered that keeping the part which wasn’t tainted by the lord of the Underworld and all evil himself judging by the pitch blackness trademarking it did make it a lot more bearable. Whenever some of the burnt bit brushed over his tongue he just gave it his best to swallow that piece, his tastebuds welcoming the sweet flavor of the apples dancing over it whenever he was lucky to have some in his mouth the more bites he took.

Two down, about two or another three to go. It wouldn’t be a chore to eat it if it weren’t for the burnt side, he had to admit, so Tifa wasn’t lying when she said he improved and was indeed a fast learner.

“You’re insane, Strife.”

Cloud nearly choked on the load of pancake occupying his mouth the moment Genesis caught him forcing down the food. He cleared his throat and properly swallowed what was left on his tongue. He ‘tch’ed, glaring at the dessert like it was his worst enemy. “I didn’t eat anything yet today’s all. Don’t want Tifa to get on my ass for not eating again.” “And how would she know?” “She… just does- you should be glad I’m making what she’ll say to you less worse.” The sunny haired man silenced himself by ripping another huge piece out off the pancake, so much it only left one last bite instead of a possible three. Although his angles eyebrows raised into a less hostile expression when he saw the slightest bit of a smile growing on the auburnet’s plush cherry lips. He stopped chewing for just a moment, taking in- no, admiring what he did by refusing to let someone sulk and keep self loathing. “Get out, or I’ll tell Tifa all of what just occurred was your and only your fault.”

Cloud playfully rolled his eyes, though did as told and moved towards the door, no intentions of a further exchange made- not on his side, at least. “Oh, also-”, he was stopped by Genesis speaking up once more, coming to an abrupt halt and half turning around, “You should pay me a visit when I am on cooking duty again sometime, maybe I have more blissfully tasting food for you to devour.”

Cloud snorted, “No promises.”

“Don’t you speak to me with a full mouth, learn some manners.”, Genesis retorted with a playful hum before truly dismissing the other with a flamboyant wave of the hand that didn’t hold a soup-soaked towel.

This time truly exiting, Cloud pushed the last small bite of the pancake into his mouth and chewed with stuffed cheeks, hands returning to his pockets as he eyed the bar counter where the delivery was stored. Forcing down the rest of the half-bitter-half-sweet mistake, he glanced over his shoulder one last time to see Tifa hurriedly moving into the kitchen. He exhaled in amusement at the distant chatter coming from behind the door swaying door before it fell shut completely and blocked out the conversation though. Cloud moved behind the bar to crouch down and grab the package that needed to be driven to Junon and set on his way out of the warm and cozy confinement to let the cold air hit him full on.

Genesis sounded more like himself again, he noted.

[narniaandplowmen]

The Wild Abandoned

Fandom: The Witcher

Pairing: Geralt/Jaskier

Also on AO3

6773 words.

General Audiences / No Archive Warnings Apply

Complete

When he arrived back at the foot of the mountain, Geralt most decisively went in the complete opposite direction of Jaskier’s smell. He didn’t hear the animal following him at a safe distance.

* * *

Jaskier didn’t necessarily plan on following Geralt. They just happened to be travelling in the same direction, that was all.

CHAPTER 1 - The Wild Abandoned

Animals following him wasn’t that unusual, all things considered. Most creatures were curious about this strange, not-quite-human being travelling through their territory, but even when Geralt fed them the scraps of his own meal none of them had followed him for - Geralt narrowed his eyes and mentally tallied. For five days, at least. Of which Geralt spent only three asleep, deciding to hurry his travels as his coin ran out. He had heard rumours of Posada looking for a Witcher, and - although he hated himself for it - he hoped none had shown up yet. He did not have to check his purse to know there was only one coin left in it, nor did he need to check his supplies to know they were dwindling. Geralt sighed as he heard the creature following him speed up to catch up with the chestnut mare. Whatever it was, it would be scared away as soon as he arrived in Posada. If there was any lesson Geralt had learned over and over and over again during his time on the Path, it was to never get attached.

In Posada, he met a bard named Jaskier, and his life changed.

Two decades later, on a mountain, half the continent over, his life changed again.

When he arrived back at the foot of the mountain, Geralt most decisively went in the complete opposite direction of Jaskier’s smell.

He knew the smell of humans lingered, but five days, an equal amount of baths in the Gwenllech and three un- and repackings of his supplies later, Geralt could still faintly smell the bard’s distinctive, pinewood, autumn leaves and wolve’s fur smell, although the flowery perfume he usually masked it with was gone.

Geralt tried to blame his surroundings for creating the smell, but he knew there were no pine trees to be found for at least a hundred miles.

It was still the middle of summer as well.

He didn’t hear the animal following him at a safe distance.

* * *

He knew it was still too early to arrive in Kaer Morhen, so although this far North wasn’t his usual territory, he took whichever jobs he could get. The benefit of breaking out of his usual stomping grounds was, aside from the fact that the ‘Butcher of Blaviken’-legend was not tied to his name, that Jaskier’s joyful catchy kind annoying songs hadn’t reached the area either. A group of drowners, two frighteners, a wreight and a cockatrice later, he could almost forget what happened on the mountain.

Almost.

It wasn’t till the beginning of October, after the wreight but before the second frightener, that Geralt noticed he was being followed. The animal seemingly attempted not to get noticed, timing his footsteps at the exact rhythm of the latest Roach, a horse with a surprisingly consistent walk. Geralt did not know how long it had been following him, but that night he purposefully didn’t finish the rabbit he had hunted and roasted, throwing the bones with plenty of meat in the bushes behind him, in the general direction of the sound of softly padded paws touching the forest floor.

The next day, the bones and meat were still there.

The sound, however, was gone.

He tried not to let the overwhelming silence bother him.

Three days later, Geralt was almost convinced his offer had scared the creature away. Either that, or the pouring rain had caused the animal to give up on his curious pursuit, and find shelter somewhere in the cavernous mountains. The resulting floods paid Geralt’s next meal and shelter as he took care of the drowners plaguing one of the small Northern villages. They pay had been small, but the citizens thanked him for arriving so quickly. For a moment he feared that the villagers would burst into an all-too-familiar song, but instead they told him a neighbouring place needed his help as well.

After fighting the second freightner, the now-familiar sound of the animal’s steps returned. So did the rains, and Geralt decided to cut this season short and turn his meandering route into a direct journey to Kaer Morhen, the closest thing to a home he knew, except for- No. The closest thing to a home he knew. Geralt stared at the deer-made path ahead of him and banned all thoughts from a certain bard out of his head.

* * *

The creature, whatever it was, kept following him. If his medallion hadn’t stayed silent, Geralt would almost be worried. It was far away from its own territory now that the towering, deciduous-treed and cavernous Dragon Mountains had been replaced by the equally towering but pine-treed, steep-cliffed Blue Mountains. The creature hadn’t accepted a single offer of food, or shelter, or warmth. Not even when Geralt, silently cursing his own idiocy, had called out into the forest that the food thrown away was intended for this mysterious pursuer.

Geralt almost considered travelling the long way so he would pass through the planes, simply to see if the creature would follow, would allow himself to be seen, but that morning he woke up covered in a thin layer of snow.

He saddled Roach, saw his latest offering of food was once again ignored, and hastened his journey towards Kaer Morhen.

The creature followed, even during the treacherous journey towards the Witchers’ Castle.

Geralt almost resented the idea of wintering inside, since the creature would surely leave before spring.

‘You can’t follow me inside, you know. A castle isn’t fit for wild animals to thrive,’ Geralt had called into the dark two nights before arriving home. ‘You should go back. To your territory. To your family, if you have one. And if not, I am sure that you will be able to start one, if you are strong enough to follow me this far.’

His reply, as usual, had been silence.

The next day, the creature followed still.

* * *

‘Geralt! You’re uncharacteristically early,’ Vesemir greeted him at the gate.

‘Stayed North this time. I- I was already on my way back, simply hurried my way when the snow started.’

‘You were on your way back? Did that bard of yours finally take that teaching position Oxenfurt has been begging him to accept?’

Geralt placed his bags on the stable floor a little more violently than needed.

‘He’s not my bard. And I don’t care what he is doing right now. It’s not my concern.’

That evening, after a bath in the hot springs and a nice bowl of soup eaten next to the safety and warmth of the fire, the entire story came out, and Vesimir’s heart bled for his young pup.

* * *

Geralt didn’t mention the strange creature that had been following him until Eskel arrived two weeks later, mentioning that he had been followed for the last days of his journey home.

He wasn’t jealous at all when Lambert, arriving five days later, reported he had seen a wolf-like creature from a distance. Nor did he find an excuse to leave the dinner table to train his frustration away when Lambert said he had even fed the creature, for it looked haggard and ragged.

* * *

They didn’t speak of the creature till mid-December, when the three men went out into the snowy wilderness to hunt for fresh meat.

The creature was still there, following them from a distance.

‘If that thing ate every living thing on the mountain, we might not catch any prey at all,’ Eskel wondered aloud after two hours of fruitless searching.

‘Well, it clearly didn’t eat every living thing on this mountain,’ Lambert replied, to a frowning Eskel.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, we’re still here.’

‘I would barely call you ‘living’,’ Eskel retorted, steadying his stance just in time for Lambert to pounce on him.

‘Shh guys!’ Geralt hissed, focussing on a sudden burst of sound in the forest. A running predator, a fleeing prey,  breaking branches, noises rapidly going louder until CRACK a frightened deer broke through a frozen bush, leaping over Eskel, a panicked cry as the Witcher grabbed her leg and pulled her down.

‘It does feel pretty unfair,’ Lambert mused as they dragged the carcass back to the castle. ‘This isn’t our prey, we stole it from that wolf. Should we, like, leave a part of it as some sort of thanks?’

Geralt ignored his two brothers but did hold out his bloodied sword when they decided to leave a part of the animal behind.

The next morning, the Witchers were woken up by a loud howl. When Geralt looked outside, he saw a bloody trail leading from the forest to the castle gate, where their offering was returned. ‘Looks like we didn’t steal its prey after all.’

* * *

The knowledge that, outside of the thick, stone walls, there was some creature looking out for them, made it a strange winter. From the brief glances in the dark evening, they had concluded it must be a wolf, but no reasoning for its seeming loyalty could be found. There was no magic, no curses or spells, no laws of surprise offered to pregnant wolves that could explain the presence of the animal. It didn’t seem to want shelter, and offered food was only touched occasionally. Any attempts at luring it out of the forest failed, as the wolf seemed to know when they were watching.

Geralt didn’t attack his brothers more aggressively during their training when the only consistency they could find was that the wolf didn’t seem to want to accept anything from Geralt, nor show itself when Geralt was nearby.

He also didn’t resent Vesemir when he told them one morning that he had seen the wolf prowling around the castle, and that when he had spoken to it, it had sat down and listened, its head slightly tilted and bright blue eyes surprisingly intelligent.

And that spring, when he travelled south and heard the creature following him, he most certainly didn’t feel relieved.

That was, not after he heard the news that the famous bard Jaskier had gone missing, hadn’t been seen in almost a year. Rumours were that the last time he was spotted, was in the presence of a certain white-haired witcher.

His arrival in larger cities was met with thrown rocks and angry insults.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be called a butcher and a murderer.

It was yet another reminder never to get attached.

The first coherent thought in Jaskier’s mind as he carefully made his way down the mountain was his internal surprise that he wasn’t crying. In all the songs of heartbreak and rejection, there were tears, heartbroken cries of anguish and dramatic falling to the knees. But the reality was that Jaskier was empty. Completely and utterly empty. For once he was devoid of words, devoid of song, devoid of poetic descriptions, laughs, chatter, of everything that made him the apparently so burdensome travel companion as he was.

The second coherent thought in Jaskier’s mind as he gathered his stuff from the inn and made his way into the forest was that he was lucky he never showed his more useful side to the Witcher. If he had, his broken heart would now most likely be literally torn to pieces. Geralt didn’t kill monsters, only if they hurt others.

And isn’t that what he did?

* * *

It took him half a day to find a body of water large and still enough to reflect his entire length. On the edge of the cave’s pool, lit by a hole in the ceiling letting in the midday sunlight, he started taking out his belongings, dividing them into three neat piles of ‘keep’, ‘toss’ and ‘hide’. The cavern itself gave ample opportunity for ‘hide’, and whatever he deemed unworthy of keeping was tossed in the ice-cold water. Whilst he waited for the stillness of the water to return, he methodically packed the rest of his belongings, taking in each item with precision.

A spider building his web in the opening between the light bright world of the insects and the darkness of the cave the eight-legged creature preferred, looked down at the strange man below him. He seemed to stare into the water for an eternity, before the form shifted, turned, and ran.

* * *

He didn’t necessarily plan on following Geralt. They just happened to be travelling in the same direction, that was all. Sure, there were quicker ways to reach the undiscovered regions north of Haakland, but those weren’t safe. Passing through planes and cities in this shape would certainly cause his end.

Jaskier told himself that travelling as a human would only slow him down.

He told himself that he couldn’t perform with this emptiness inside.

He knew that was nonsense, he knew he could act, pretend, and nobody would notice.

He followed Geralt anyway.

* * *

It was almost as if the past two decades hadn’t happened. It was almost as if he was still a young wolf, on his way back home after receiving his education, following a mysterious rider smelling of adventure and death and destiny.

Like last time, it took Geralt an embarrassingly long time to notice his presence. Unlike last time, he had gotten quite good at timing his footsteps to match that of Roach’s. And unlike last time, Geralt had thrown meat and bones in his direction.

Jaskier refused to eat. He could take care of himself, without being a burden.

He made sure to take a different route that night, knowing the direction in which Geralt was headed. He was practised with catching up to the Witcher by now, he was almost surprised that he had been able to find the man at all. If he was the cause of all of Geralt’s suffering, you’d think someone with Witcher training would be able to avoid him.

Then again, you’d think someone with Witcher training would know what he was.

* * *

After fighting a lost garkain without Geralt noticing a thing, Jaskier decides to follow the man for the Witcher’s own safety.

He does not allow himself to think about why Geralt is so out of form that he doesn’t notice a garkain following him for a full day, or the fight happening less than fifty miles from his camp. Instead, Jaskier blames the rain for Geralt’s sudden ineptitude.

He rejoins Geralt after he exits the village where he, according to two children playing witcher-and-monster a little too far into the woods, has defeated a freightener. He ignores every offering of food the Witcher throws in his direction. Not even when the man stupidly yells into the forest that the food was meant for him. There are enough squirrels and rabbits to hunt himself.

He never allows the Witcher to see him.

* * *

They are about a two-days journey away from Kaer Morhen when Geralt addresses him again. ‘You can’t follow me inside, you know. A castle isn’t fit for wild animals to thrive. You should go back. To your territory. To your family, if you have one. And if not, I am sure that you will be able to start one, if you are strong enough to follow me this far.’

If Jaskier were human, he’d laugh. ‘What do you think I am doing,’ he thinks instead. ‘Where do you think I am going? My territory is not where you finally noticed me following you. My territory is here, with you.’

It’s that last thought that makes him halt. His territory isn’t the Haakland’s mountains anymore, it isn’t the pack he left behind, nor is it Oxenfurt, nor is it any court he has performed at. His territory for the past twenty years has been Geralt.

But Geralt’s territory has never been him.

He follows Geralt to the top of the mountain and then makes his way down to await the Witcher’s brothers.

* * *

Eskel notices he is being followed after an hour. Lambert after fifteen minutes. As some sort of price, he allows the Witcher to see him, for just a bit.

He graciously accepts the offered food. He stays on the mountain, unable to leave his territory.

He knows it’s pathetic, he knows he should leave, he knows he will easily be able to take up the position as Alpha and lead his family through Haakland and beyond.

He stays near Geralt anyways.

* * *

It is well into December when he hears three pairs of footprints and silent banter echo through the forest he has now gotten to know so well. The Witchers, out for a hunt. He shrugs, listens where they are headed, and turns to run the other side.

He follows them, of course. And when he sees a lost deer that could feed him for the next month to come, he chases it towards them.

He wastes his precious energy that night dragging their pitiful offering back to the castle’s gate. An Alpha takes care of his pack, not the other way around.

He only eats from their offered food thrice. Twice out of politeness, and once because he is desperate. There isn’t much game and the mountain is cold.

* * *

He doesn’t approach the castle when he knows Geralt is watching. He knows the others have seen glances of him, and he secretly wonders if Geralt is frustrated that he is the only one who hasn’t. He wonders if Geralt has even noticed that he is the only one who hasn’t seen him.

In mid-February, during a particularly bright night, Vesemir talks to him. It’s mostly stuff Jaskier already knows: about who and what the Witchers are, about their history, about their home. But it is also things he doesn’t know. Vesemir tells about Lambert’s love for a Witcher from a different school, about Eskel’s insecurities regarding his scars, and finally, right before dawn starts to break, Vesemir tells him about Geralt. About how he most tortured of the children adopted into in Kaer Morhen managed to find joy on the Path in the shape of a brightly-coloured bard, who followed him and cared for him relentlessly for twenty years. About how he could finally let go of the heavy burden of his responsibilities, how he could finally see it as a joy rather than an oppressive fate. About how he realised the mortality of this human bard when he visited a village just as the little boy whose life he once saved was being carried to his grave by his grandchildren. About how all of the Witchers learned to never get attached. About the danger of the wolf being there, for it is clear the inhabitants of the ancient castle are getting attached to his weird loyalty.

That spring, Jaskier follows Geralt on the Path. He is his territory, after all.

Jaskier is too forgiving. When Geralt exits the first big city with wounds and quickly forming bruises, he is once again reminded the rest of the world is not.

[whsisosn-blog]

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[timetoresurface]

EXCHANGE (3) / JJK

to give something and receive something of the same kind in return

Note: I’ve updated! Yes! First of all thank you for your support and please keep showing your love through likes, reblogs, comments and just by simply reading and enjoying. If there is a spelling mistake or really just something completely off, don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Pairing: reader x Jungkook

Genre: romance, non idol AU

Warnings: none

Word count: 3711 words

PART 1 / PART 2 / / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7

Summary: Yes, you are an exchange student. You noticed EF also organized trips to Seoul and you wanted something different than the same five people in your hometown. You came to the beautiful city to learn and relax, most definitely not to fall in live with one of the teachers. Definitely not the young extracurricular teacher who seemed to be good at everything.

*Y/N = your name *Y/C = your city/country

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

You curled your fingers into the palm of your hand, not even feeling them dig in. If you hadn’t fancied this guy you’d be funny and flirtatious, since you kind of did like him your brain was malfunctioning as much as if you were drunk and hangover all at once. The both of you were walking next to each other in one of the more busier streets in Gangnam. It was hard to keep up with him as people kept bumping into you. You had almost lost him twice in the past five minutes and he was getting a bit annoyed. He looked at you like: you wanted to go to Seoul so you better learn to navigate yourself through it. His hand caught yours and he guided you through the crowd. Your skin tingled where he held your hand but you tried to ignore the feeling it gave you. 

After a few minutes he took a left turn and suddenly you were in a more quiet street, an alley to be more exact. A cute restaurant was hidden behind plants and fairy lights. You were mesmerized by the beautiful simplicity of the place so you didn’t notice Jungkook letting go of your hand. You didn’t notice him taking out his phone to snap a quick picture of you being fascinated. 

“It is one of my favorite places. I accidentally discovered this restaurant when I was feeling really down and the people and the atmosphere inside really helped me get trough it.” He explained and you noticed the fondness in his eyes. You weren’t sure though if it was for the restaurant or if it was a fondness for you. He took your hand in his again and waited for you to follow him.

“Thank you.” Was the only thing you said before entering the place almost sacred to Jungkook. It was the second time he had shared something personal with you and it made you wonder what was going on in that pretty little head of his. It also made you wonder with how many people had he shared these stories? How many people had he taken to this place? Where you a first or one out of many? You tried to push these thoughts away and smiled. You were glad that your hangover self still decided to wear a dress today instead of your pajama as you first invented to do.

“Table for two.” He said and the both of you were brought to the only remaining table at the back of the restaurant. You looked around at the busy tables. An old couple eating side by side, one glass of wine each. A group of young women in their thirties  or so collapsing with helpless giggles as a stern woman dining alone nearby looked on and frowned. American tourists, trying to decipher the menu. The noise level was high but it didn’t bother you.

A girl brought us some menu’s and spoke fast in Korean. Jungkook smiled and said something that got a laugh out of her. You were learning Korean so you understood simple things as ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ but you felt a bit left out. It almost seemed like he sensed your uncomfortableness as he shot you one of his characteristic smiles that left everyone gasping for breath. Our knees almost touched under the narrow table and you couldn’t help the heath that was entering your body.

“I don’t really know what to order if I’m being honest.” You confessed while staring at the menu. They had some translations into English and some things you understood but you weren’t really familiar with the Korean kitchen.

“I’ll order something for us. Don’t worry.” And with these words you were comforted. His deep brown eyes the color of melted chocolate that stared deep into your soul made your heart race but also calmed your never stopping thoughts.

He called for the waitress at your table and started ordering in Korean. She wrote down everything he said and immediately vanished into the kitchen to give our orders. Silence fell over the both of you and you didn’t know what to say or do. This was a weird situation. Him being kind of your teacher and you only being here for a little of a month. Why were you having dinner with a pretty Korean boy when your return flight was already scheduled?

“How is the hangover?” You had felt embarrassed throughout the day so his question didn’t make you blush as it would have five hours ago. His stare didn’t make your ears go red anymore.

“I’m really good actually. Your greasy breakfast saved me today.” There's that static again, that crackling in the air whenever the two of you got within a foot of each other. It wasn’t the first time you noticed but due to your lack of sleep last night, you felt it more intensely.

“My hangover soup would have been better. Maybe next time when you’re wandering the building and I have to take your crying ass in.” His facial features were babyish, big eyes, soft skin and a cute nose. There was nothing rugged about his looks at all, even his jaw was shaved absolutely smooth. You’d always gone for the lumberjack type before, but he just got you with how kind he looked, how safe.

“I promise you that this won’t happen again. I will stop drinking while I’m here.” Your words were barely said when the waitress arrived with a bottle of soju and two glasses. Jungkook started laughing uncontrollably.

“You should’ve seen your face. You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to but I thought you would appreciate a complete traditional Korean meal with the obligatory Korean drinks.” He said while still having the biggest smile on his face. He opened the bottle of Soju and looked over at you as if to ask if he could fill your glass. You nodded.

“I can’t say no to tradition.” Each drink offered seemed like a better and better idea. The jokes got funnier, you became a comedian of epic proportions and you flirted without embarrassing yourself further. 

After the food arrived he immediately started to grill the meat and explained what everything was and how you are supposed to eat it. Every time when something was done he instantly put in on your plate or asked you to open your mouth. From afar it must have looked like you were already dating, already a couple. But if you looked closer you could see your burning red ears and the awkward glances when one thought the other wasn’t looking.

He listened as if your words were golden, perhaps some drug he'd been waiting for. From what he says you can tell he is thinking so deeply, already with a strategy that's several moves ahead of what you’re capable of after too many shots.

“So you’re really close with your parents?”

“Yes, but I don’t live at home anymore. It started to get really tense with just the three of us living together. They didn’t want me to go but now they understand that moving out was the best thing I could’ve done for our little family. Every time spend together is because we want to and when we have a lot to say. When I lived home it sometimes felt like an obligation to go and talk to my mom.Which I hated but I didn’t know how to change it.” The food was already devoured and the both of you were the only ones left in the little restaurant. He had ordered a second bottle of soju and there were no walls around the two of you. 

“It must have been a difficult decision to make.” And in his words was a kindness, a concern that is so natural for him. This attentiveness is apart of who he is and that is, if you’re being honest, the most attractive feature you’ve ever seen in a man. And as the hours go by it becomes the best conversation you’ve ever had too, it flows, with listening and intelligent responses. 

**

The walk back to your campus was quiet. His hand didn’t find its way toward yours. The streets weren’t as busy as they had been before. The moment you stepped out of the restaurant, reality struck. This was actually not supposed to happen, you starting to like Korean boy who lived seas away from you.

“Have you ever dyed your hair?” He suddenly asked you. A simple nod of your head seemed to suffice. “I’ve always wanted to dye my hair black, but going to the hairdressers they always said I should cherish my brown locks. I mean, we’re in Asia, you know, a lot of people with black hair.”

“I can dye your hair if you want to.” You offered a bit too enthusiastically as this was a promise to meet up again after today.

“Tomorrow evening I have a dance class but I can hang out after.” The last part came out like question and your heart couldn’t help but skip a bit at his cuteness.

“I’ve applied for that dance class so I will also be available after.” His eyes locked with yours and the both of you were just smiling at each other for what felt like minutes.

“You can go in first so people don’t get the wrong idea or something.” He casually said and that’s the moment you realized you were close by campus. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Jungkook.” Goodbyes were shared and you ran toward your room. You didn’t stop when someone called your name, you barely halted at the stairs running two steps a time. When you finally got in your room, you were out of breath and crashed to the ground. Luckily for you your roommate was out so nobody saw you in this weird state of anxiety and happiness. Apparently the two of them were friends in your mind now and they didn’t stop bickering about your shared moments with Jungkook.

Just sitting there your eyes were staring to get tired again due to your lack of sleep the night before. You had eaten so much of the food that Jungkook had ordered your body was ready for a long slumber. It took all of your last efforts to get up and drop yourself unto your unmade bed. Your personal dreamland opened up his welcoming arms and with a content sigh you were off to wherever your dreams would be taking you that night. Zzz

**

It was still weird waking up with a snoring roommate in a different country where nobody spoke your mother tongue. All communication had to be done in English or very crappy Korean. The first few days in Seoul have gone by so fast that you had barely seen anything. You had seen the airport, your campus and two bars and a restaurant close by campus. A mental note was taken to sightsee this weekend without a lame excuse like having to drink with your fellow students. Even though you knew you would choose the drinking option if it presented itself at the right time, like right after class.

The weather was going to be great today so you decided to wear one of your favorite summer dresses. Very casual but apparently also an eye catcher as a lot of people complimented you on your way toward breakfast. 

“You look nice Y/N.”

“That color looks really great on you.”

“Oh do you have a date or something?”

Were a few of the compliments people had given you. Alfie noticed you immediately when you entered the cafeteria area and made his way over to you. The look on his face was filled with worry.

“Where did you go last night? I saw you running to your room all worked up. Everything fine?”

“Oh, I went to eat out alone and afterwards I quickly ran to my room to call my parents.” The lie was easy and effective as Alfie instantly believed you. 

“Good. Then I can fill you in on campus gossip.” His eyes got bigger as he was ready to spill the tea. You grabbed some food and followed him toward his seat.

“There is already campus gossip?” You asked in disbelief. 

“Yes, and it involves your boy.” His smile broadened as he noticed he had my full attention.

“I don’t have a boy. You’re my boy here.” You tried to play it cool even though your heart was racing. What could it be? That he was a known player? Did he have a family? Does he have a child? What could it be?

“And it involves you.” Your eyes widened in disbelief. Did somebody see you have dinner? And if so, why would that be gossip worthy? Don’t we all go out and have dinner with handsome strangers?

“Apparently I was right that he definitely took an interest in you.” He said after taking a quick bite of his breakfast bar.

“What could you possibly mean by that? Can you please tell me what’s going on? Do I have to hide in shame?” You looked around and tried to keep your head down. The yoghurt bowl in front of you was suddenly the last thing you wanted.

“No, I think everyone is quite proud of you to be honest. Everyone is staring at you with jealous eyes.” And he was right. Everyone was staring. Maybe that was the reason everyone complimented you and not just because of the dress.

“What are they saying? I mean, if something had happened I would’ve told you so please enlighten me with you knowledge.”

“Some of the staff also have a crush on Jungkook, and to be honest I think every girl and boy on campus has a crush on him. Some of these girls have tried, but like really tried to get his attention but it never worked.” He sipped from his orange juice but you put his glass down and motioned for him to continue.

“He is nice and friendly and will always answer your questions and blabla but he has never dated anyone. Hell, he has never even talked to a girl if he had to initiate the conversation.” You started to realize where this was leading too. It strangely calmed you down knowing the gossip was about Jungkook not sleeping around. Not that you really cared, you know, he’s not yours or anything.

“That’s were you come in the picture. He has initiated a conversation with you on multiple occasions. He immediately notices where you are and is very interested in your extra activities, if you know what I mean.” The last part was said with a naughty look in his eyes so the only thing you could do was hit him at the back of his head.

“Why are you so defensive? Is something really going on?” His voice was only a whisper and you were glad he finally showed a little bit of tact around you. 

“No, as I said before if there was I would’ve told you. I just don’t like being talked about especially if I didn’t even do anything. I just excited and people created a much more interesting story around it.” A sigh escaped your lips and in that moment Jungkook wandered into the cafeteria. It seemed like he had overslept as his hair was wild and curly and this made it harder for you to tear your eyes off of him. He quickly grabbed some fruit and sprinted outside without noticing the effect he had on the whole room. If all eyes weren’t on you before they were most definitely now.

“I’m just saying if you could hit that you should. You owe it to all the girls who are eying you with pure venom pouring out of their eyes.” 

“He is good-looking but I don’t want to hit anything. I want to learn and I want to sight see and I want to have drinks with you.” It came out more desperate than you originally intended but this whole situation was getting on your nerves.

“Maybe he could learn you new things you know.” Alfie said with a smirk that deserved another hit to the head. “I’m sorry, that one was really too easy. You want to have a drink tonight?” He asked you hopefully. You remembered the plans you had made with Jungkook to color his hair but you couldn’t mention this to Alfie as you had already lied about you whereabouts yesterday. 

“No, not tonight. I think I might study tonight. Because of our last drinking session we practically missed a full day of class even though we were in the room. I didn’t learn a lot yesterday.” The excuses and lies were easy for you today and it only made you grow a certain disgust for yourself. That’s why you don’t want to hang out with cute boys. They make you go al coo-coo in the head and you most definitely didn’t have time to be one of these girls who left everything for a certain pair of pretty brown eyes. Tonight you were going to tell him you would not be secretly having out with him anymore as the lies were already building up.

“I’ll try to catch up today in class, speaking of-“ he opened his phone to check the time “-we should be going if we don’t want to be late.” You ate your last spoon of yoghurt and threw the remaining in the nearest garbage can. 

**

“So that ends our class for today. Remember to pair up and wander around in Seoul to take some pictures.” The teacher remarked as everyone was packing up their bags and waiting for his cue to leave. “You can go now.” He finished and everyone jumped out of their seat toward the exit.

“You want to pair up?” Alfie asked you and you happily nodded your head.

“I am extremely honored that you thought of me to be your everlasting partner through the busy streets of S-“

“Yes I get it. Let’s look for some food. I’m starving.” Alfie interrupted you ready to discuss the more important matters, such as food. Your stomach started growling and Alfie shot up a look of fascination. 

“It’s really strange how much noise your stomach can make.”

“My belly is just really excited to be here. Asian food has always been my favorite. So stop talking and carry me outside.” You said while jumping on his back. He had an odd kind of spluttering laugh but is was contagious. The both of you were running through campus with the biggest grin on your faces.

“Hey Y/N, Alfie, where are you guys going?” The shrieking twins yelled after us. Alfie dropped me and turned around.

“We’re going to look for some food as we’re both starving. You want to come with us?” You asked them hoping they would say no, which of course they didn’t. They agreed and some other people heard too so now you were going out to have some food with Alfie and six other people of your class.

“So Y/N what is going on between you and Jungkook?” Amalia asked you innocently but her eyes showed an interest you couldn’t quite place. Borderline obsession was the vibe she was giving you.

“Nothing is going on and I don’t really know why people would think that. We had two conversations and I’ve only been here for four days so that would be really quick of me to jump on something or someone.” You tried to explain calmly but in the end your annoyance with the situation showed.

“I would jump that on my first day.” Agate muttered under her breath and everyone started laughing. This wasn’t the only moment they tried to get some information out of you but you always just brushed it off. Food was eaten and some soft drinks were shared and before you knew it, it was time to go and get ready for dance class, with Jungkook, as teacher. 

“I’m definitely going to wear something sexy. He can not deny what I’ve been given once he notices.” Amalia said on the walk back to our dorms.

“Well, he first has to notice you as Y/N takes up all his attention.” Agate said while eying your reaction.

“Don’t be worried girls. I will be wearing simple black Adidas joggers and t-shirt.” And so you did what you said. You changed into your only pair of sport pants you had with you and also put on a bucket hat so you could hide your sweaty face while dancing. You were definitely no dancer and nobody had to see your face all sweaty.

“Y/N, you ready?” Alfie yelled from the other side of your door. You took one last look in the mirror and decided to have a good time. Tomorrow there will be other more interesting gossip and people would forget about you and the handsome young man.

“Yes, I am but are you?” You asked while opening the door. He was wearing flashy green pants matched with a blue sweater. 

“I am not, but I have the best outfit out the two of us so I will be fine.” He said while tugging at your hat. The both of you were laughing when you entered the rehearsal area. Jungkook was the first you saw in the room and your eyes locked almost instantly. He was kind of wearing the same outfit and a blush was, as always, to be found on your face. The both of you almost looked like a couple matching their clothes and you could hear everyone’s thoughts. 

“Why are they dressed the same?”

“Is this a secret confirmation of what we already knew?”

“Why does Jungkook look so good in black Adidas joggers combined with a white T-shirt.”

The last thought might have been yours but you knew everyone must have felt the same. He looked good in everything. Alfie guided you toward the back of the room and the both of you ignored everyones stares.

“Is this what it feels like to be famous?” Alfie whispered.

“This is what it feels like to be hated.” you sighed while you put down your towel and water bottle and went to stand in line next to the shrieking twins. They were both in a rather sexy workout outfits and you couldn’t help but admire their determination. You simply mouthed ‘hi’ to them and they both smiled at you. They might be a little jealous but they were good girls, somewhere.

“You look amazing Y/N.” Agate complimented you and you just smiled.

[nrsranger]

3.8

Hyper Space

NRS Ranger

Pilot Ready Room

1000hrs

“Alright, everyone had a chance to get their act together?” Alek said but before anyone had the chance to say anything the newly commissioned pilots walked in and he said “Hey fresh meat! How’d your sims go?”

“Alright sir, I think I finally understand the landing and take off procedure!” Duc Melbun, one of the new X-Wing Pilots who appeared to be barely 17 said.

“Oh great! These were the most qualified pilots Thadmin could find?” Brawl said to Squid in a voice that could be heard by most people in the room.

“Knock it off Brawl, we're about to go into combat and I don’t need anyone to backbite right now!” Alek said

“Understood Sir!” Brawl said seriously.

“Ok, we have obtained no further information or recon yet, so get ready to fly.” Alek said “Blue Birds will launch from Launch Bay 2, and the Firebirds will also Launch from Bay 2, and Night Owls Primary Launch Bay '' Alek paused to take a short breath before delivering his final words, wondering how many men were these his last words to. “Good Hunting, I’ll be monitoring you from ops''

From there the group was dismissed to the pilots locker room that bordered the ready room. Dovinivan Castile wonders his way to his locker and looked to the one next to it, the one that belonged to Mathis (4) Rass his old gunner. Now being occupied by one of the new gunners, a big bulky Yellow skin Zabrak.

“What's your name?” Dovinivan asked

“Whats it matter? '' The Zabrak said, not even turning his head to acknowledge Dovinivan.

“Well I rather know the name of the person who I’m trusting to watch my 6” Dovinivan said squaring his shoulders forcing a confrontation.

“Its Kal, Kal Movs” The Zabrak said finally noticing Dovinivan’s threatening behavior.

Not taking his eyes off of his Dovinivan stuck out his hand “I’m Dovinivan, I’m going to be your pilot, in-flight entertainment and your only hope of coming home” he said in a threatening voice. Before Kal could respond the Alek came over the intercom

“All pilots to your craft! Repeat all Pilots to your craft”

Suited up in their blue jumpsuits the pilots rushed out of the door on the other end of the entrance to the ready room, that opened up into the Hanger Bay, a few meters from the exits stood the Chief Canton who supervised the rushing pilots and crew fueling and arming his letter birds. When the Chief caught the site of Dovinivan he took several steps with this large thick feet

“Next time you bring in a Letter bird like that Dovinivan, you will end up like that” He said gesturing toward the Y-Wing Dovinivan climbed back in when he destroyed the Stealth ship. The Y-wing was currently sitting in two parts one was the decapitated head of the cockpit. The second end part consisted of the ball turret and engine cells.

“I understand, Chief!” Dovinivan said with his hands up in defence walking away

After a few steps Kel asked “What happened to that?”

“Oh, that, my old gunner and I blew up a First Order Stealth Ship, and some shrapnel caught us on our way out!” Dovinivan said nonchalantly, trying to scare his new gunner

“That’s a tough break” Kal said matching Dovinivan nonshalness

“If you fly with me, there will be closer calls than that” Dovinivan said by this time they reach the Y-Wing Chief assigned to them.

Climbing in Kal said “Good, I’m looking forward to it”

Pausing a moment to smerk “You might just make it yet!” Dovinivan said thinking that this Zabrak just might win him over in the end.

“CAG to Air Group, Comm check?” Alek said arriving in Ops

“Tower to CAG Comm Check, Check” The Flight Control officer said

A Few seconds later

“Firebird leader, here, Firebirds Comm Check, Check” Joker said

“Bluebirds, Comm Check, Check” Noodles said

“Night Owl, reporting in Comm Check Check” Vine said.

“CAG to Chief, status update.” Alek said

“All fighters are towed to launch bays” The grand said back

“CAG to all Fighters, ready to launch?” Alek said

“Firebird, are raring to go Sir!” Joker said after checking with his squad.

“Blue Birds, are standing by” Noodles said

“Night Owls, are standing by” Vine said

“Roger Flighters stand by for jump out of hyperspace” Alek said

“ETA 1 minute 30 seconds” The Flight Control Officer said

Alek grabbed his comm and said

“All fighters are starting by Captain.”

“Thank you CAG” Captain Eggos Namin said

Several moments passed as each pilot went through their good luck rituals. Tripper touched each knockled with his opposing index finger and repeated reasons to live,

“friends to keep safe, a wife to return to, a new child to see, defend the innocent.” he switched hands

“Dead to avenge, Galaxy to save, new pilots to train,” he then paused trying to think of a final reason to live

“Soup day tomorrow?I want to live, I want to live, '' Tripper repeated constantly. He then touched the print picture of his pregnant wife and two kids, that sat in the corner of his cockpit, Alek and Joker once asked why he did not have a holo, Tripper always prefered the primitive prints of his homeworld than the technical holos everyone else had, it just felt more like home. Tripper looked at the countdown clock and it read 7 seconds. Tripper took a breath and buckled his helmet and focused on the task ahead. The clock winded down, they felt the massive deceleration, and the hanger door opened. In the front row it was Tripper, Squid and Brawl’s responsibility to go first so Tripper applied power to his engine and helped out of the hangar bay.

It took Tripper a few seconds to recognize his surroundings. He recognised the large gas planet and the several moons orbiting around it, he refocused and saw the asteroid belt the briefing mentioned. At this distance he could not make out the transport ships; he then tried scanning for the Star Destroyer but he could not see it.

“Alright head toward the large moon, were sending you the coordinates of the Transport ships!” Alek said to all the Fighters

Tripper checked his navigational display and nine red dots popped up marking the location of the nine enemy transport ships.

“Data received ETA, five minutes, do we know where that Star Destroyer is?” Joker asked.

“Negative Joker, stay on your toes” Alek said

“Understood!” Joker said back

No one broke the comm silence for two minutes then Tripper had to ask.

“Tripper to 11, so how much flying experience do you have?”

“11 to Tripper, I qualified at the academy” 11 said seriously

“which academy?” Tripper ask

“The Hosnian Prime preacadamy” 11 said

“Oh……..wow. A precadomy program” Tripper said, sounding sarcasticly impressed.

“Cut the chadder! Tripper we got the location on that Star Destroyer!” Alek said “315 mark 05 distance, 18 kilometers”

“Roger Firebird, are they launching fighters?” Joker asked

“Unknown, they just seemed to notice us same time we noticed them.” Alek said.

Sweat broke out on Tripper’s gloved knuckles, “how many Tie fighters can a First Order Star Destroyer hold?, 12 or 1,012” Tripper thought fearfully. But then he reached a decision, that he could not be scared, fear would only get in his way, fear would only get him dead, he was to drive fear from out of his head. Tripper took a deep breath and headed into the asteroid field.

While the Star Destroyer did not notice them right away, the nine transports did. They began to form some sort of a defensive perimeter and arranged themselves in a loose circle. The Ranger’s X and Y-wings zipped zoomed and drove around Asteroids, When they cleared the Asteroid field they began to mark their targets Tripper and Joker went first with all other X and Y-wings tailing behind them. Tripper looked down and flipped the switch that primed his Proton Torpedo and switched on his targeting computer. He waited a moment as his targeting computer picked out certain systems, engines, power generator, bridge, etc,

“What are we aiming for?” Tripper asked his wingman

“Were going to hit the engines' ' Joker replied.

Tripper, selected the engines and made a few adjustments to his course and let fired his red Proton Torpedo which locked on its course, a few seconds later, the shields could not withstand the power of the proton torpedo, and the explosion rocked the medium sized transport. An instant later Jokers torpeado hit home and the back half of the transport look more like a Rishian Honey Comb, than a transport. Tripper than vered from his course as a small point defence cannon on an neighboring ship opened up on the approaching Fighters. Instantly each fighters straight line flight path turned into corkscrews and sickle shapes.

“We have to locked out that ship!” Vine said into the comm “None of my Y-wings are fast enough to survive an attack run on that thing!”

“Understood Vine,” Joker said “Squid, Brawl, take that thing out”

“Yes, Sir” Squid’s Quarren voice said as he and Brawl’s X-Wing broke out of their turns and made their way toward the ship firing red laser bolts.

“Cut across their top to draw their fire I’ll come in low, and hit their power generators” Squid said

“You got it!” Brawl said a little too excited as his X-wing accelerated, When he was in range he open fired with his quad laser cannons. But the Transports cannon did not even notice Brawls strafing run, instead the point defence cannon saw through the diversion and aimed for Squid’s X-Wing.

“Squid! Break off your attack run!” but before Brawl finished Squid's X-wing was shredded.

With great prejudice, he cut power to the engines and pulled on his throttle hard, pulling more G’s than his inertial dampers could handle, he began to go through tunnel vision and his face strained to keep the blood out of his head. When his narrow pinpoint vision caught sight of the enemy transport, he cut his turn and shoved his power forward. The Transport was caught unaware that an X-Wing could pull that tight of a turn that fast, but when the gunner saw Brawl’s X-Wing he tracked toward it. But it was too late Brawl primed and fired his torpedo. His targeting computer automatically selected the point defence cannon, and the gun went silent, along with a chunk of the top half of the transport. Brawl blackout for two seconds, but when he came to he fought his remaining head rush, but when his head quilted he saw that he was headed toward the asteroid field, he gently turned his X-Wing back to the battlefield, he saw that three other transports were destroyed leaving four undamaged transports.

“There is an opening in the Asteroid field and it looks like the transports are trying to use it” Vine said

“UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES let any go! If even one transport gets through the Fondor System will have to fight that many more StormTrooper and blasters.” Firebird said through the comm.

The Y-Wing pilot Dovinivan Castile or Credits saw the X-wing pilot explode but he also saw the opening Vine reported, he also saw the transports making their way toward the opening.

“I have an idea” he said to his gunner as he pulled his Y-Wing out of its path and turned toward the asteroid field

“Umm, ok?” Kal said hesitantly

Entering the closed ring of the asteroid field he zoomed over and rushed under the floating space rock. When he saw the opening he shut down his engines and waited there. When the first Transport enters the small opening, closely followed by the two more. Credits, pushed his throttle forward and engaged his engine. He ambushed the broad side of the transport and with 3 proton torpedoes disabled the ship causing a bottleneck of the little window of opportunity the transports had to escape. The two transports following the now disabled transport turned sharply to avoid a collision but that left them exposed to other X and Y-wing bombs, the night owls and Firebirds finished them off quickly. The transport Credits disabled floated there for a while until a large asteroid clobbered the transport pulverising it, flinging debris in every direction. Credit slid his Y-Wing through the remains of the transport.

“Firebird, this is Vine, all transports are destroyed!” Vine said into her comm pulling her squadron out of the attack zone.

“Heads up! Sensors just picked up a TIE Fighter Space Port on the moon.” Firebird said in the comm his high strung voice that unerved the Air Group.

“Have they launched TIE’s yet?” Vine asked

As she said that an A-Wing exploded in the distance.

“I think they have!” Noodles said angrily. Pulling his A-Wing to intercept a TIE Fighter Squadron.

“Orders from the Captain, Destroy the Space Port any means necessary,” Firebird said

“Squad, heads up! 04 degrees mark 03, heading toward the Cruisers, there is an unknown fighter craft” Joker said “Can someone identify it?”

“It is some sort of TIE variant,” Root said, zooming his X-Wing toward the craft, With his wingman Mob close behind.

“From their size and configuration I think they are bombers” Mob said

“Joker split your squadron into two, half hit that Space Port, the other half take down their bombers. Noodles keep intercepting those TIEs and keep them away from the fleet, Vine, let’s get your Y-Wings here then cover the fleet until we jump out.”

“Yes, sir!” Noodles said “Already doing it but I have already lost three Fighters”

“Yes, sir!” Vine said having her squad form up getting back to the fleet and full speed.

“Understood!” Joker said then to his squad “Tripper, Gungan, Book and I will hit the Space Port, Brawl take Sabbac, Drip, Mob, Root, 11, 12”

[shorilicious]

Sexy Zone Q&A – 14 honest answers

Q1. What’s your favourite fashion coordination?

Shori: I like a clean, smooth and simple style. When winter comes I don’t really use small things like scarves, I rather combine my outfit with a cute coat. Kento: Recently, I like a refreshing tuck in around the waist. Fuma: From oversized tops and skinny jeans with sneakers to a formal style with a shirt and tuck in, I like wearing various styles depending on my mood. Marius: I think L.A. fashion. It feels casual but also trendy. A t-shirt with shorts and then just a shirt on top, I like a rough style like that. Sou: Guys in Harajuku do that a lot, they often wear genderless fashion that is also okay for girls to wear. I’m getting into that kind of style, I wonder if that’s Masuda-kun’s strong influence~

Q2. In private, which item do you want to purchase?

Shori: A new compass to attach to my bicycle. Although it’s working together with my navi, I don’t need detailed routes to know my direction, so I can enjoy nature while cycling. Kento: Coloured sunglasses. Maybe with blue lenses. You can see better through them than through black lenses. Even when I attach them to my chest it will be on point. Fuma: To change my image a little, I want to collect various types of hats. Marius: The mobile phone I’m using right now is a little old. Because I want to replace it soon, I want to buy the newest model that’s rumoured to be released this autumn! Sou: Since I sweat during concerts, I want to buy a fancy designer towel that’s a little rough on my skin. There are many simple ones but there aren’t any stylish ones of that type!

Q3. Do you specify it finely when you go to cut your hair? Shoi: Relatively. Because I’m a public figure I have to worry about things like that (laughing). Kento: When they finish it to a certain extent, I go like „Shouldn’t it be to the nape of my neck? Cut it a little more“, I will instruct them in details. Sometimes I also show them pictures of foreigners. Fuma: Of course. I never just leave the decision to someone else. The image that I want to portray in myself, I have to firmly tell them in words.   Marius: I will leave them do the basics, but occasionally I’ll say „don’t cut here“. Sou: „How much centimetres is about here?“, I’ll say it like that. I have my own image of what it’s supposed to look like. I try to tell my hairdresser exactly how I want it.

Q4. What’s the most addicting food to you right now?

Shori: If you eat too much of something that’s bad for your body, you start feeling like you’re not healthy, so I’m not biased towards what I eat. As of now, I don’t have any health problems at all! Kento: Fruits in general. Especially cherries and Bing cherries. Fuma: I don’t eat a lot of sweets but I like to eat only gummy candy when I feel a little hungry. The soft types with grape or orange taste are my favourite. Marius: Chinese food! Any Chinese food is delicious. I also really love the flavour of Chinese cuisine. What I’m addicted to especially are their sauces! Sou: Grilled fish such as Okhotsk mackerel or salmon. I always make sure to ask if they serve it when I go for dinner.

Q5. Which restaurants do you often go to?

Shori: Japanese ones. There aren’t many that I go to by myself but I really like creative dishes that are based on Japanese cuisine. Kento: Something like a cafe bar. I like places where I can spend time with adults and seniors, and where I can eat my favourite omurice and carbonara, sometimes also pork belly with rice. Fuma: Tonkatsu restaurants. From simple shops to a little expensive ones, I’m always going to various tonkatsu restaurants. Mixing the sauce and mayonnaise in mustard, I like using that as a sauce. Marius: Italian. Because it feels casual, it’s easy to enter the shop. There’s also many menus and everything sounds good, so I’m relieved. Sou: I wonder if I often go out for meals. I like set menus because the balance of the food is just right. I try to gather as many points on my point card as I can (laughing).

Q6. What would you want to eat if you were to have your last dinner?

Shori: Definitely not my mother’s home cooking! But I would dislike anything to be my last~ If you don’t know that it’s your last if would be different but knowing that, I think it would be painful to make anything. Kento: My last day won’t come! I was asked the exact same question by an acquaintance before, so I replied „Why are you making the assumption that my last day will come in the first place?“ and instantly striked back (laughing). Fuma: I guess my mum’s stew of cubed fish~ It’s not very tender but super delicious! It’s my favourite thing ever since I was a child. Marius: Salad. If I eat it at the end, I want to make something with vegetables instead of meat or fish like in the main dish. I want to eat it with my dad’s special dressing. Sou: Miso soup! After that white rice, dried plum and it would be perfect if there’s natto.

Q7. What does your family call you?

Shori: It’s pretty simple, they just call me „Shori“. When I was little I was also called something different but it’s embarrassing so I don’t want to tell (laughing)! Kento: It’s „Kento“. Only my grandma calls me „Ken-chan“. Fuma: My little brother and sister call me „Fuma nii-chan“, but mostly I’m called by „Fuma“. I noticed most people around me call me „Fuma“, I guess I have a pretty simple name. Marius: My mum says „my treasure“ in German to call me. Sou: Normally I’m called by „Sou“. Since people often call me by „Matsushima“, it feels refreshing. Kenty calls me „Macchan“ (laughing).

Q8. What is the most relaxing place in your house?

Shori: It’s on my bed. Because I don’t have a sofa in my room, it’s normal that it’s my bed. Although I’m not picky about my bedding, I chose a good pillow since my shoulders are never stiff! Kento: It’s a place where I can dream, whether it be my bed or sofa. What I dream about? Of course I dream about spending time with you ♪ Fuma: My bed. Although I feel a little guilty about lying down on our family living room sofa, if I lie in my own bed to whine I will be excused (laughing). Marius: The living room sofa. Because it’s huge so I can sleep on it, I often take a nap there. It’s the best because there are many big fluffy cushions! Sou: The toilet! I like narrow spaces and if the seat is warm as well I feel relieved (laughing). I play with my phone there and just take things slowly without even noticing.

Q9. Do you have any habits before sleeping?

Shori: Watch movies and foreign dramas. I just waste my time away until I fall asleep. Kento: I charge my phone. I would feel uneasy if I don’t charge it until it’s completely full. Actually it seems like my battery lasts longer if I only charge it until about 94% (bitter laugh). Fuma: I don’t have any. I don’t even prepare for tomorrow. I think tomorrow about tomorrow (laughing). Marius: I take care of my skin. I don’t do too much, after taking a bath I just apply face lotion and a serum, but it’s also a habit to put on body cream before I go to sleep. Sou: I don’t have any. After doing muscle training and taking a bath I crave to drink milk though (laughing)!

Q10. Do you believe in ghosts?

Shori: I feel that compared to the past I believe in them about 40% now. Kento: I believe. Unfortunately I haven’t seen any though. I believe that there is a superior guardian deity following us but because it rejects ghosts, you cannot see it (laughing). Fuma: I don’t believe. I don’t have anything against people who do believe in it and I indeed think that there is something like a „spirit“ but it’s hard to believe that they come in the form of a ghost. Marius: I believe. There have been a few times when I felt them as a child, I have also seen them. That’s why I don’t feel like they’re „scary“ anymore! I’m used to them (laughing). Sou: I believe. In a popular place where „ghosts appear“, my family has seen them but only I didn’t. I don’t want to be scared but I would like to meet my pet dog Muku who went to heaven...

Q11. Which junior are you paying attention to at the moment?

Shori: Tokyo B Shounen’s Sato Ryuga! Since we have the same last name I wonder if he will follow my path~ (laughing). I’m just joking but I feel like he will be good in the future. Kento: All of Johnny’s Jr. Since everybody is always working hard and because we’ve walked the same road, I totally understand their efforts. Fuma: Kishi (Yuta). Even if he makes mistakes I cannot hate that guy, he’s just genuinely cute (?). Even though he has a comedic character (laughing). But his face is also turning cool so I look forward to the future. Marius: Vasayegh Wataru who’s a hafu like me. I wonder how tall he will grow? Sou: Two juniors that look like my little brothers! They were also backdancing for Summer Paradise, it’s Murakami Maito Raoul and Miyazaki Emirio. They’re so cute! I was playing a lot with them in the dressing room (laughing).

Q12. Where do you want your first date with a girl to be?

Shori: Although it’s clichéd, I want to go to an amusement park. The attraction I want us to go to together is the haunted house! When my partner gets scared...I want to see that (laughing). Kento: First I want to see a movie. While watching, I can stay next to her the whole time, then since we’ve seen the same movie, we can have a conversation about it that will blow us away. Fuma: A festival with a wide space and great view, I think it will be easy to hold a conversation there. Marius: I want to go to an aquarium. There’s a romantic mood and it’s perfect for a first date? I want to see the jellyfish together! Sou: The amusement park is a place where we can have the most fun. While we’re waiting in line and she says „ah it’s so hot“, I can go and buy her juice!

Q13. How far can you do matching clothing with your girlfriend?

Shori: If I’m told to do something I would do everything but I would not walk around the city in matching clothes! Although if there’s something like an event it would be fine, we can become twins (laughing). Kento: To go out in a matching outfit, I wonder if I have a little courage to do that (bitter laugh). But I don’t dislike it, I’d enjoy having a cute matching sweatshirt to wear at home. Fuma: It’s impossible for me when it comes to clothes! About accessories... I can’t do that either. Thinking about it, I guess I can only match our phone models~  But of course we can’t match our phone cases (laughing). Marius: I think if it’s a hat or pants. It might be nice if we choose our shoes’ brands and design together. But wearing matching shirts might be a little embarrassing (laughing). Sou: I’m okay with anything. Clothes and shoes and even the whole outfit! When I did the concert with Marius, I saw some fans in matching outfits and thought it was really cute.

Q14. Tell us some kind words so your long distance relationship girlfriend doesn’t feel lonely!

Shori: (I don’t want a long distance relationship...) I’m sorry for making you feel lonely. Kento: I will teleport to your place right away. Fuma: Next time let’s go to **. Until then let us both do our best. Marius: It’s okay because you’re always in my heart! Sou: (very manly) You will always be in my heart, okay?

Keep in mind I am not a native speaker therefore there might be mistakes in my translations. Also I’m not exactly translating word for word. Feel free to correct me in my ask box any time you want, I’d appreciate it! I apologize if someone already translated something before me and I didn’t notice, I hope you don’t mind.

Credit goes to yoshiko_mama @ LJ for the scans, thank you!

[petite-neko]

Characters: Gohan, M!Trunks, Pairing: Gohan/M!Trunks, M!Gohan/M!Trunks Rating: T Warnings: Violence, Character Death, Angst, PTSD, Universe Alteration Author’s Notes: Overwhelmingly lazy, so here’s the next chapter (finally)

(I set up a ko-fi account guys! Feel free to donate! Link in blog description!)

Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8

Anger. Anger. That was the first thing he felt.

It snapped at him, it growled. It ate away at him.

A child. Gohan had a child.

(And it hurt. Oh Kami did it hurt. It tore at his heart, hurting in ways that broken bones never could. But the pain shrunk in the presence of this overwhelming anger.)

How could he have forgotten that! Kami… his chest hurt and it wasn’t because his ribs were broken. The wounds that had been opened before but closed by memory were torn anew. So, so this was the kid that the androids encountered! This was the boy formed by his teacher and some… some girl. This was the boy who held Gohan’s genes, this was the sole survivor of the Son line! He wouldn’t go so low as to call the child a bastard though, seeing that he, too, was one. His eyes narrowed as he glared up at the boy he learned to call Chibi and saw as he froze, as the child had withdrawn his hand looked away guiltily. He knew it. Their looks, their mannerisms, their ki, their smell, and even their taste was the same. “How old are you?” He deserved to know, he deserved to find out if Gohan had truly betrayed him.

“Seven…” The boy said meekly. “I just turned seven.”

Trunks winced, he felt tears come but he forced them away. He remembered back then, when he had just turned nine a week prior and Gohan was turning eighteen in a few hours… that was when Trunks had given Gohan an early gift – his first kiss. That was when they passed the line from mentor-and-student, brothers, father-and-son, best friends, to boyfriends. And unless the woman had an unusual carrying time, there was no way that Gohan could have remained loyal to him.

“Trunks… what’s wrong? Did I bind your ribs wrong? Did I knock them out of place? Is it your concussion?” Chibi asked as his eyes wandered Trunks’ body for injuries. He reached out to help.

No! He couldn’t allow it. This kid! This kid was the proof the Gohan wasn’t loyal to him! Was it because Gohan didn’t have enough faith in him? Was it because he thought that Trunks would fail? The Saiyajin prince slapped the small hand away and continued to glare into those big, black eyes. “Don’t touch me!” He yelled, but his ribs wouldn’t let him ignore them anymore as he yelped and fell forward. Fuck they hurt!

And yet, his words were not heeded as the boy lifted him and moved him to lie against the rock again. He glanced at the stone set and realized Gohan must have shown the boy it, and… why was the boy wearing Saiyajin armour? Did Gohan have some stashed away somewhere? Then, those cursed small hands grabbed a pot before collecting some water and placing it over the fire. Next, he used the knives to cut the partially-cooked meat into the pot before he turned around.

“I’m going to get some herbs.”

Chibi’s voice sounded neutral, and if he was hiding anger behind those lips, he was hiding it well, because Trunks couldn’t tell.

.xxx.

What was up with Trunks! Gohan glared at the herbs that he went out to pick. After guessing that he was his own son, Trunks started to treat him horribly!

And then, when Gohan displayed concern, the man slapped his hand away! How could Trunks be his student and yet direct so much anger towards whom he thought Gohan’s son was! If was as if the prince hated Gohan, and hated him for being his own supposed son! Yet Trunks even admitted to missing him! How? Gohan couldn’t understand it! If Piccolo had a son, Gohan wouldn’t treat the boy like Trunks was treating him, especially of Piccolo was dead. No, Gohan would cherish the child, raise him, and tell him stories of his father…

But as the Son carefully plucked the herbs (they never tasted good if he yanked them from the ground) his anger blinded him from whatever obvious truth there was.

.+++.

When Gohan returned, the pot was beginning to bubble and his irritation at Trunks was hidden. “It’ll be done in five minutes.” Gohan said but avoided the other’s gaze. He would not look into the anger that was in those blue eyes.

And it seemed that Trunks decided to be silent and ignore him as well. Good, that suited Gohan. The boy sprinkled the herbs into the water and stirred it. He knew that the soup wouldn’t taste great (he was supposed to let the herbs sit in the water, bring it to a boil and add partially cooked meat in last) but he forgot about Trunks’ stomach earlier. He should have made the man eat solid food and let him puke it up – but that was rude and his mother always told him to mind his manners no matter what. Though, he reasoned, it probably didn’t apply to people who were trying to kill him, but since Trunks wasn’t trying to that exception didn’t work. Instead, the man just hated Gohan for being his own child – for being something he was not. It was infuriating but manners must be minded. As long as he remains quiet anyway…. Gohan thought with a glance over to the man.

…Who was simply looking at the pot of food. Oh well, it was better than glaring at him anyway. Gohan glanced over at the food and deemed it ready. He dipped one bowl in before giving it, and a spoon, to Trunks. Next, he grabbed another bowl – Trunks probably made his own since Trunks knew about the stone set, and Gohan only made one in his time – and filled it with more soup.

“Hey, you’ve got my bowl.” Trunks said spitefully.

“And you’ve got Gohan’s.” Gohan said and used the spoon to begin eating, but after a spoonful he continued. “You said you missed him so you can use it.”

“Did I give you permission to use mine?” The blue-eyed man snapped back.

“Then let me use Gohan’s.”

“No, make your own!”

Gohan’s eyebrow twitched. “I–” He started but realized I did would just confuse Trunks. “I own what is Gohan’s.” He said instead. It was the truth, and even to Trunks’ ears it would be sound.

The blue eyes iced over in pure hatred. “You! You think you can waltz in and take things? Oh hell no! Just because you’re his son doesn’t entitle you to everything! You need to earn it brat!” Here, Gohan saw a smirk that Trunks had inherited from his father. “And I know of one thing that was – is – his and you’ll never get it!”

Gohan’s eyes flowered. “I have to earn it? Earn a bowl? Earn his power? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” He knew he was letting his temper get the better of him but he didn’t care.

Trunks laughed. “Everything Chibi.”

Here, Gohan put down his bowl and stood up. “And your respect is on that list too? I suppose saving your life isn’t enough huh? What is it that you have against me anyway? Or is it that you’ve got something against Gohan? Is it because Gohan died? Is that why you hate me?” However, something felt wrong. He couldn’t control his anger, it was slipping from his grasp. What was wrong! Even his mouth wouldn’t stop! “I don’t understand you! I wouldn’t dishonour my mentor’s memory by treating his son like garbage!” Why was Gohan’s body glowing and his hair standing up? Why was his ki rapidly rising? Why couldn’t he control it?”

“What…”

Why was Trunks surprised? Why was he getting dizzy? Why was he…

.xxx.

Trunks stared at the boy. He had… he had just turned Super Saiyajin. But how? He’s only a quarter Saiyajin! Yet, now I do know that he’s Gohan’s son… a mere human could not do that, and Gohan and I were the only Saiyajins living when the boy was born. Trunks pushed himself up into a standing position – slowly and solemnly. Even so, it still hurt but it was something that he could deal with. He had dealt with worse.

The kid’s words also rung in his head, the ones yelled in anger and confusion, and they made him think. The child was mad, but he had made some sense, and it made Trunks feel bad. Why was he treating Chibi the way he was? Because Trunks didn’t notice it before, because he proved that Gohan wasn’t loyal, because he gave Gohan a reason to be disloyal? Those reasons didn’t sit well with him. The child was as much of a chooser of his parents as he was of his black eyes. And even though Trunks was unable to chose his own fate – that was decided because of who his father was – he had to follow it for the fate of the entire world depended on it, this was different because he was judging Chibi and he was treating him horribly solely based on who his father was. Chibi was right... it was Gohan whom he should be mad at, not his son! Chibi deserved an apology – that is if he would accept it. If he didn’t, Trunks would understand because he was being an absolute prick to Chibi.

The lavender-haired warrior sighed and looked at the unconscious child. He just couldn’t… leave him there on the ground could he? Chibi had to have been sleeping somewhere. Trunks glanced around and saw a makeshift bed of leaves and grass and proceeded to pick the child up and carry him over to the bed. Next, he walked over to some bushes nearby and relieved himself before he returned to his spot by the river and against the rock.

Chibi was a very unusual character. For he was reluctant to reveal that he was Gohan’s son, he called Gohan by name and not father or dad or any other familiar terms. It confused Trunks, and he wondered why that was? Was Chibi ashamed at being Gohan’s son, and is only now accepting that fact and abusing it to get back at his old man? Or was the child just estranged from his father and only knew him as Gohan, only could think of him as that and not as a father? There was also the way the child spoke – cryptic, calculated, cautious – almost as if he was hiding something, trying to dance around a series of steps that could uncover his secret if he slipped up. Chibi was awful mysterious as well since Trunks only knew a select few facts that he could number off on one hand while the child seemed to be far more knowledgeable about him.

Could it be when the boy had found him after the android attack? Trunks couldn’t remember anything after falling to his defeat to waking up by the river and puking his guts out, and he’d probably never be able to recollect that time, concussions tended to do that. Did he talk up a storm? Did the child hear rumours? Did the androids tell Gohan’s son, or was it Gohan himself who did the talking?

Yet, there was something that continued to bother him – that he could not remember where he had gone a few weeks ago, and something told him that wasn’t right. Did he get a concussion there too? He didn’t even remember how he left or even what he said when he returned except that he had just simply returned. And now his head was hurting even more so than before, it was throbbing, it felt like it was going to explode. Perhaps he’d just eat some soup and sleep. Sleep sounded like a good idea, because whenever he thought about where he went before, his head acted up, or at least more than usual. Trunks massaged his temples, trying to will the pain away.

[liguanglan01-blog]

1.Identify your chosen animal, cut and reasons for this selection.

This week I went to Foody World supermarket to buy my food for a week.When I went to the seafood area, I found that there was a kind of frozen hairtail section that was on sale. The original price was $ 6.99, and now the price is $ 3.99. The weight of a bag is 800g, which is enough for me to cook twice. The best quality  is still for 9 months. So I decided to buy 2 bags without hesitation.

2.Provide a brief 250 word background on the animal, including a detailed description of the cut and which part/area of the animal it is from.

The package of the wild hairtail I bought shows that it is made in China. The fish's body is more than 100 meters long, and its long tarantula like head and Jawbone make it an efficient carnivore. It preys on krill, squid and other small fish and catches wind and shadow in school at night. The fish is high on the underwater food chain. Another, Wild hairtail is one of the most popular fish dishes in China. Hairtail, beltfish, ribbon fish, knife fish- it's a lot of English names, but Chinese usually call it Daiyu. Wild hairtail is specially prized as a salty fish.The freshly captured fish formed a row of stalls in which the long ribbons were like flattened eel. When fresh hair is caught, it is a fascinating electric blue color, but when it dies, it will soon fade into silver gray. It had no sharp scales, but its skin was covered with tiny powdery flashes. Nowadays, people often cut the fish body into shorter parts. Storage method is keeping frozen -18c. In terms of nutrition, fish sticks usually contain about 100 grams of calories, making them a very calorie fish. There are many benefits for eating fish, including : Promote cardiovascular health, Diminish inflammation, Improve one's vision and so on.

3. Discuss cooking methods that can be applied to this cut and the reasons why these methods are suitable.

I'm going to stew it. Because I think I bought this one with more fish and wider. If the meat is less and narrow, it is suitable for frying or frying.

4. Illustrate your selected cooking method with a recipe. Make sure this recipe includes a detailed methodology, using accurate culinary terminology.

Ingredients:

A section of a hairtail that cuts the thumb

Salt to your taste

Ginger four tablets

Two slices of garlic

Sliced onion

Ten peppers

Half a spoon of sugar

Cooking wine 2 tablespoons

One Octagon

Half of the fish will be submerged

Stewed hairtail:

the ingredients, wash the fish and stew the hairtail. 

Put all the seasonings in the pan and simmer for half an hour. Stir fry the onion, ginger and garlic in the pan. It's not easy to have too little oil. (you can put some onion companion soy milk instead of salt) put the fish together and pour the soup into the pan and simmer until it's cooked! Step 2 of stewing hairtail

Super simple dish for collecting juice

[knappwdavid]

15 Kitchen Gadgets that Will Save You Time and money

The blog post 15 Kitchen Gadgets that Will Save You Time and money was first published on www.companionmaids.com

Everyone one wants an easier time in the kitchen especially if you are lazy at cooking and have little patience. Time is a crucial factor for a hungry person.You want the food there and then. A few people would part with money especially when it comes to the kitchen little do they know it would save them time and money. Here are a few kitchen gadgets that will make the kitchen your favorite place if you invest in them.

The egg slicer

This can not only be used on eggs alone but on mushrooms and strawberries. It slices the hard boiled eggs evenly within a short time. It’s made of a plastic holder with wires with the same spacing.

Egg white separator

Egg separation is a stage in cooking. This is when the egg white is separated from the Yolk. The egg white separator should be one of those must-have kitchen gadgets if you practice egg separation frequently. Those who don’t want to buy this gadget could also crack open the egg manually and separate with a spoon. In this case, this was made easier by inventing the egg white separator. It can come in rubber, plastic or metal design. It is affordable and every household can own one.

Funnel

This is a tube-like item that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom used to guide liquid or powder into a container with small openings. It is very effective and saves you a lot of time. It also minimizes spillage and wastage.

Lemon squeezer

A lemon squeezer has silicone handles to ensure it has a firm grip. It is made out of stainless steel because it is durable. It has a large space to fit the fruit in it easily. Cut the fruit. Place it in the hopper facing down.Press the lemon and see how much juice will come out it because the squeezer inverts the fruit turning it inside out and no seeds will go in. It’s super easy to hand wash and doesn’t take too much space when storing.

Fruit and vegetable keeper

  Fruits and vegetables go bad easily and we try to keep them stay longer so that we can enjoy them. This gadget lets you enjoy the small part you would want to eat first then keep the rest for later without it not getting spoilt. You can also let your kid carry a small part of the fruit to school with this.

A mini waffle maker

When the waffle maker is plugged in, takes about ninety seconds to warm up. Clean up is easy. Generally, it takes 2-4 minutes to cook depending on how brown you want them. It’s fast and the kids really like it. Whenever you need to make an easier breakfast that is cheaper, waffles can always be the best option. Just dribble honey on them with a slice of your favorite fruit.  

Pressure cooker

This is very effective for foods that take longer to cook at the best temperature. For example cereals, tough meat and some vegetables that takes too long as well. A pressure cooker can come in different size depending on the purpose used like 2 litres,5 litres and 10 litres.This saves you money because it takes a shorter time to cook compared to when you used  ordinary cooking pots. It will last you up to 20 years and you can hand it down to your children.

Blender

From smoothies to ice cream, soup, cake mixes, it can do all this and save you so much time. It comes in different sizes. It has different modes depending on the consistency you want. So far there is no competition for this.It polarizes the small seed to the biggest ones. It is fast ,efficient and easy to use. It also has a manual in cases where the user is not familiar with its usage. It is readily available in supermarkets or utensil shop .The spare parts are now readily available if need be.

Grater

A grater was first invented to grate cheese in the 1540’s.It is used to grate food to fine pieces. You can find in different colors and sizes. Its prices are very affordable. A grater is safer than a knife. It also makes you get different sizes of whatever food you are grating. It is made of metal with sharp perforations.

Sandwich maker(dual)

It takes about three minutes to heat up after plugging it in. First put the bottom half of the sandwich then the meat, then the cheese. Then you can crack your egg in the top, season with salt and pepper, then put the top part of the sandwich. It has a timer, which blinks when the food is ready. Clean after use and store out of reach of children. Its mobile you can take it camping with you. You can carry the sandwiches to work or let your kids carry them to school and it will save you a lot of money 12.A sharp knife A blunt knife is more likely and injure you. A sharp knife saves you a lot of time and reduces stress. It is one of those kitchen gadgets that you will find a lot of use for. 13.Kitchen scissors A kitchen scissor is different from the normal scissor because it it more versatile. It could be made from aluminum or steel. When purchasing it make the blades open wide for easy gripping on the chicken joints or any other thing that would need cutting. It can also be used to slice pizza without making the toppings fall off. It is also used for gripping that is why the handles are made out of rough plastic for easy grip.

Silicone Garlic peeler

Peeling garlic looks like it take an eternity in the kitchen. Kitchen gadgets have been created to make the  exercise easier. All you need to do is cut the ends of the cloves and put them in the silicone rubber peeler one after the other. Roll the silicone rubber applying pressure and if you are keen you can hear the covers coming off. It is fast and easy to use. 15.Express whisk The express whisk makes you mix everything effortlessly. You only need to pump the handles to make it spin. The rods can be adjusted depending on the type of foods. It uses a non-slip base that prevents it from scratching. It is very sturdy and easy to wash. Your cooking shouldn’t take you a lot of time. All the above kitchen gadgets and more of them should make your work easier. Do things the modern way during these times of great innovations and technology advancement.Make your home life easier while adopting more kitchen secrets with the gadgets as inspiration.

[companionmaidscs]

15 Kitchen Gadgets that Will Save You Time and money

The blog post 15 Kitchen Gadgets that Will Save You Time and money was first published on www.companionmaids.com

Everyone one wants an easier time in the kitchen especially if you are lazy at cooking and have little patience. Time is a crucial factor for a hungry person.You want the food there and then. A few people would part with money especially when it comes to the kitchen little do they know it would save them time and money. Here are a few kitchen gadgets that will make the kitchen your favorite place if you invest in them.

The egg slicer

This can not only be used on eggs alone but on mushrooms and strawberries. It slices the hard boiled eggs evenly within a short time. It’s made of a plastic holder with wires with the same spacing.

Egg white separator

Egg separation is a stage in cooking. This is when the egg white is separated from the Yolk. The egg white separator should be one of those must-have kitchen gadgets if you practice egg separation frequently. Those who don’t want to buy this gadget could also crack open the egg manually and separate with a spoon. In this case, this was made easier by inventing the egg white separator. It can come in rubber, plastic or metal design. It is affordable and every household can own one.

Funnel

This is a tube-like item that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom used to guide liquid or powder into a container with small openings. It is very effective and saves you a lot of time. It also minimizes spillage and wastage.

Lemon squeezer

A lemon squeezer has silicone handles to ensure it has a firm grip. It is made out of stainless steel because it is durable. It has a large space to fit the fruit in it easily. Cut the fruit. Place it in the hopper facing down.Press the lemon and see how much juice will come out it because the squeezer inverts the fruit turning it inside out and no seeds will go in. It's super easy to hand wash and doesn't take too much space when storing.

Fruit and vegetable keeper

  Fruits and vegetables go bad easily and we try to keep them stay longer so that we can enjoy them. This gadget lets you enjoy the small part you would want to eat first then keep the rest for later without it not getting spoilt. You can also let your kid carry a small part of the fruit to school with this.

A mini waffle maker

When the waffle maker is plugged in, takes about ninety seconds to warm up. Clean up is easy. Generally, it takes 2-4 minutes to cook depending on how brown you want them. It’s fast and the kids really like it. Whenever you need to make an easier breakfast that is cheaper, waffles can always be the best option. Just dribble honey on them with a slice of your favorite fruit.  

Pressure cooker

This is very effective for foods that take longer to cook at the best temperature. For example cereals, tough meat and some vegetables that takes too long as well. A pressure cooker can come in different size depending on the purpose used like 2 litres,5 litres and 10 litres.This saves you money because it takes a shorter time to cook compared to when you used  ordinary cooking pots. It will last you up to 20 years and you can hand it down to your children.

Blender

From smoothies to ice cream, soup, cake mixes, it can do all this and save you so much time. It comes in different sizes. It has different modes depending on the consistency you want. So far there is no competition for this.It polarizes the small seed to the biggest ones. It is fast ,efficient and easy to use. It also has a manual in cases where the user is not familiar with its usage. It is readily available in supermarkets or utensil shop .The spare parts are now readily available if need be.

Grater

A grater was first invented to grate cheese in the 1540’s.It is used to grate food to fine pieces. You can find in different colors and sizes. Its prices are very affordable. A grater is safer than a knife. It also makes you get different sizes of whatever food you are grating. It is made of metal with sharp perforations.

Sandwich maker(dual)

It takes about three minutes to heat up after plugging it in. First put the bottom half of the sandwich then the meat, then the cheese. Then you can crack your egg in the top, season with salt and pepper, then put the top part of the sandwich. It has a timer, which blinks when the food is ready. Clean after use and store out of reach of children. Its mobile you can take it camping with you. You can carry the sandwiches to work or let your kids carry them to school and it will save you a lot of money 12.A sharp knife A blunt knife is more likely and injure you. A sharp knife saves you a lot of time and reduces stress. It is one of those kitchen gadgets that you will find a lot of use for. 13.Kitchen scissors A kitchen scissor is different from the normal scissor because it it more versatile. It could be made from aluminum or steel. When purchasing it make the blades open wide for easy gripping on the chicken joints or any other thing that would need cutting. It can also be used to slice pizza without making the toppings fall off. It is also used for gripping that is why the handles are made out of rough plastic for easy grip.

Silicone Garlic peeler

Peeling garlic looks like it take an eternity in the kitchen. Kitchen gadgets have been created to make the  exercise easier. All you need to do is cut the ends of the cloves and put them in the silicone rubber peeler one after the other. Roll the silicone rubber applying pressure and if you are keen you can hear the covers coming off. It is fast and easy to use. 15.Express whisk The express whisk makes you mix everything effortlessly. You only need to pump the handles to make it spin. The rods can be adjusted depending on the type of foods. It uses a non-slip base that prevents it from scratching. It is very sturdy and easy to wash. Your cooking shouldn’t take you a lot of time. All the above kitchen gadgets and more of them should make your work easier. Do things the modern way during these times of great innovations and technology advancement.Make your home life easier while adopting more kitchen secrets with the gadgets as inspiration.

[fuckyeahtattoogirls-blog1]

The Way You Can Cook

New Post has been published on https://best-topliste.com/?p=1275

The Way You Can Cook

The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook: 650 Recipes for Everything You’ll Ever Want to Make

Now you realize the Keys to Xperimental Cooking, whatever you have to do is always to start out ingesting; all things considered, since the expression goes … “Practice Makes Perfect”. C. DESIGNING — Today comes the exciting component of Designing diet. The very first thing is exactly what are their preferences and that you’re cooking for. Take sometime for you to ask guests, friends, or your family members regarding their preferences, specially if they are allergic to food items or might require special diets to health reasons. In this survey, you may plan. Now you can start to narrow the options down; consider should you prefer to create desert, of course, in the event that you would like to do soup, which would be the ideal alternative for your classes?

Design a elaborate feast or an easy meal. Take advantage of your comprehension of ingredients about which mixture of ingredients will achieve to pick. Consider the way it is possible to create your dishes visually-appealing, and the ingredients will probably appear together. You might feel comfortable cooking tested and tried recipes and sticking to flavors. However, then its time for you to become more creative and bold as you get confidence by changing their taste to fit your preferences better after Xperimenting with foods; decide to try to look something new . It’s fairly simple for one to create meals to take into account preferences one of your own guests; then add or withhold them into portions of one’s meals and simply split up your ingredients. At the Design phase, since how food is cooked can really make a difference, you might want to regard the style too.

Everyone and anyone can pick up skills; the inventors and ladies or older, younger. It will not matter what your level of skill is now; you make dishes and certainly can do better. And what’s more, the more meals you cook will likely be achieved to perfection — your own kind of devotion. And also you know just what the very best part would be? You currently have the main ingredient … do you realize very well what great food is right! E. PRESENTATION — The last element is the way you serve the feast up which you’ve prepared. Food Demo could be your craft of making meals appealing. Since the aim will be to serve something which may seem good up, Xperiment using what you imagine can look fine when assembled. If you would like to continue to keep it simple, simply focus on the dish and also that which exactly is to be placed about it.

Then proceed with a motif of one’s own choice if you would like to take all of of the stops and then liven everything up, including the living area. Let us explain to you a few suggestions to go you together … On the easy end of this scale, so all you have to do is pick a acceptable bowl plate and then arrange the meal about it, you can add some thing to garnish. The simplest would be to place of your meal on serving dishes for the guest. If desirable Select meals and dishes, fitting, which may hold. You’re able to fill a bowl and then sprinkle some chopped spring onions in addition to garnish. Fish might be functioned within a few of the fish shaped dishes, or a oval plate, also you’re able to arrange a number of around and lettuce pieces of lemon to decorate. To get prawns, consider organizing them then apply sauce. You are able to be creative once you do parts.

For the primary course, you can put out the beef, vegetables and potatoes on various businesses of this plate in a manner; arrange them into your design and just make sure you include ingredients. Consider using tomatoes or carrots to add crimson or orange orange . Utilize pasta corn or potatoes . Pasta to mix up? Appetizers and deserts really are my favorites since you really can let your imagination go … and develop very beautiful creations. Consider having a Burgundy wine glass for the own shrimp cocktail garnish the brow of the glass using a round piece of lemon to get a demonstration with this appetizer and plant a slice of celery with the wind using both sides. Now go and create edits to serve your guests. You can look at the chefs in the regional restaurants gift their own meals, or you could flip food stores, or even browse the net for heaps of thoughts for you if you need thoughts. Let us talk with you that the tiny secrets of Xperimental Cooking … the A, B, Cs in the event that you may … D. COOKING STYLES — Crossing lots of Cooking Designs is one other means to boost the diversity of one’s diet.

Brush up by not practicing the forms of cooking, but by simply paying attention to the specifics of the practice, exactly what each Cooking Style doesn’t the appearance and also the own food, texture & taste. Xperiment with variations to the normal procedure (distinct temperatures, timing, chain, mixes, etc.) and see the outcomes. Learn Styles while you decide to try your hand, and stumble together. There are lots of procedures of cooking the meal; some traditional such as Steaming, Barbecuing, Braising, Roasting, Stewing and Baking. Some are far such as cooking beef onto the slab of stone exotic. Do check the various styles to your own favourite foods and also find that which will be for your own liking.

Additionally Xperiment as an instance you can steam a spoonful; with mixes cut it away and put a few cheese before grilling to get a time to melt and brown the sausage sauce. Consider new ways to cook with its heat. Whenever you’re travelling you can expand your expertise and techniques by observing how their own meals are cooked by individuals of lands in manners. Yes you are able to cook meals and rejuvenate your nearest and dearest! Ever wondered gourmet cooking is you don’t cook personally, or not for you? Then it is the right time for you to completely alter your mindset away from now … A. INGREDIENTS — The very first key will be for one to build in your own knowledge of ingredients, because they’re the basic foundations for a fantastic meal.

You know Xperiment together with it and of ingredients go and have a look; experience each ingredient. Every thing edible is definitely a part on your production, and that means you want to understand and know each component; out of the way that it tastes and looks, to its own feel, to the way it acts when cooked in various methods, to what other ingredients it’s appropriate for, from what exactly goes on in the event that you add more or less of it into the meal, etc.. Since folks encounter things you might be your own personal expert; discover exactly what you could certainly do without and exactly what you want.

Have the opportunity for those who have diet every day. Involve friends & your family members and also make it interesting as you possibly experience & Xperiment. Once you venture, wonder the chefs when you have a earn and chance perspectives, also at restaurants you run into. For the personal computer savvy, you gain penetration and can surf the internet. Try assessing the ingredient and also locate an abundance of knowledge. You’re going to be equipped to combine the range of dishes to enlarge on your thing since you are able to know about ingredients and also become attentive to the faculties of each component. There are infinite combinations maintain Xperimenting; you may discover winners to surprise your visitors.

Have some fun building your database of the ingredients . Let us reveal how … Xperimental Cooking is putting YOU in control — you are the boss of this kitchen! You pick the ingredients you whip up meals to fit your tastes and prefer. Just forget about rigorously after recipes which can be complicated … that will require one to obtain exceptional ingredients you’ll just use after which store till they perish … that requires that you quantify out exact quantities of each component. All that’s necessary is for one yourself to have Xperiment and pleasure that you would like. Let your creativity principle … select the things and make your master piece; out of types of vegetables and meats, to how they’re cooked, from that which amazing structure in your meal. Xperimental Cooking is about the people and also you you’re currently organizing dinner to get.

You are aware that every individual has their own preferences that are distinctive, therefore Xperimental Cooking is all all about assisting you to meet those tastes. Sounds complicated, you can be thinking? But it’s pretty simple after you open a completely new dimension of imagination and build the basic principles which will alter your mindset you never knew you needed on your own. B. QUALITY — Once you start with fantastic high quality ingredients, then you’re sure to generate excellent meals; in the event that you focus on bad quality ingredients, then it wont come as a surprise that the outcomes will likely be unsatisfactory. Quality can readily be ascertained whenever you utilize all of your perceptions … Use your awareness of Sight to check closely in the ingredients. Check along with to determine whether it gets defects or is dull or bright, persistent. Is symmetrical or symmetrical. Look at the feel of all these products. The awareness of jealousy may be the sense when assessing any such thing you will utilize also it’s a potent tool in ascertaining almost any ingredient’s standard.

Exercise whether you’re able to tell what the grade of a object is by taking a look at it and see. You will have the ability to utilize your Sight to proceed or to screen whether they truly are worth a closer review ingredients to find out. Use of Hearing to obey the tone when tapping or vibration an product, your sense. Can it seem solid or solid, will there be a sound? Hearing isn’t commonly used, but may be helpful at a closer review of nuts fruits and vegetables. Use your awareness of nourishment to sniff out the odor of fresh herbs and fruits. You can find once they exude off smelling scents what in order to avoid. Your awareness of Smell along with train your nose up should be handy once you search for meals. Sample those items when you’ve got the opportunity.

Besides assessing that the Flavor is exactly exactly what it will be watch the feel or texture it’s on orally, once it slips down your own throat , whenever you chew it on. Additionally, this is your opportunity to ensure before buying you enjoy this ingredient’s Taste. In terms of blending ingredients your awareness of Taste is going to function as the main tool. Having a awareness of Flavor, you are going to have the ability to establish at what amounts, will go, and also what ingredients. Is a awareness of Touch.

Go get and handle the ingredients you’re currently inspecting. How can it feel on the hands? Can it be light or heavy, soft or hard, business or sweaty, smooth or coarse, moist or dry? You’re able to tell a great deal regarding the caliber of a ingredient by the way that it feels; you only require a small practice to finetune and “get the feel” of stuff. Practice using your senses to examine ingredients and also understand to select on Top items for your needs. It’s now time you go searching for food to exercise your perceptions. Take a fantastic time tuning your skills at stores and the markets in hunt for Quality.

[mariemathews-blog]

Solar Cook Your Thanksgiving Feast

Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry. Rub butter combined with herbs all around the fowl's pores and skin and as some distance below the pores and skin on the breast as feasible. Bake cake recipes in sun oven for 6 to 8 hours (on a clear, sunny day). Bird is done while interior temperature reaches a hundred and eighty°F on meat thermometer.

Green Bean Casserole

1 Can cream of mushroom soup 1 Cup half and 1/2 1/four Teaspoon white pepper four French reduce inexperienced beans 1 half cups French fried onions

Mix soup and 1/2 and half. Pour into a casserole dish, including in inexperienced beans. Dust with pepper and stir to mix nicely. Pour in 1 cup of the fried onions and stir another time. Cover the pinnacle of the casserole with final onions. Cover and bake  cake1 hour within the solar oven.

Mac and cheese

16 Ounces elbow macaroni 10 Tablespoons butter, divided 1/3 Cup flour three Cups milk 12 Ounces cheese - shredded, cubed, or sliced 3/4 Teaspoon salt 1/four Teaspoon pepper four Tablespoons dry bread crumbs

Start by using boiling water to cook your macaroni noodles. Then in a saucepan, soften 1 stick of butter over medium warmness. Once this is melted, upload 1/3 cup of flour. Stir in the flour and then regularly upload three cups of milk. Boil mac eleven minutes, and drain. Bring milk mixture to a boil, stirring all of the even as on medium warmness, approximately 2 mins. Remove from warmth once combination thickens and stir in cheese cupcake recipes . Add in macaroni and stir to combine. Pour combination into casserole dish and pinnacle with bread crumbs. Cover and bake 1 ½ hours within the solar oven. Note: Cover with plastic wrap.

Pumpkin pie

2 Eggs-slightly crushed 1 3/4 Cups pumpkin pie filling three/four Cup sugar half of Teaspoon salt 1 Teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 Teaspoon cloves 1/2 Teaspoon ginger 1 2/3 cups evaporated milk

Mix all of the above together properly and pour into unbaked pie shell. The recipe says that is sufficient for two pies but I want to fill the shell right as much as the pinnacle or use a deep dish and so for me this is for one pie. Cover and bake chocolate cake recipes in solar cooker about 1 half hours or until a knife inserted inside the center comes out smooth.

With sunshine and multiple days, you may prepare this thanksgiving the "green" way and store the fee of strength as well. I wish this works properly for you.

Teach Your Children At Home With These Simple Methods

Many parents are concerned about their children's educations, but are not sure what alternatives there are to traditional schools. Homeschooling is one approach that has become quite popular in recent years. If you think that you may be able to teach your children at home, Tesol Certification this article can help you learn more about this approach.

Treat homeschooling like a job. You're a teacher now, and that means you also have to seek out more education. Professional teachers take "PA" days to attend conferences and training, so you should, too! Find homeschooling events near you or even attend one as a vacation. You'll find they teach you not only specific topics you might not know a lot about, but also how to be a better teacher and how to plan out homeschooling lessons like a pro.

When you go on vacation, take your lesson plan with you. Include your vacation in your home classroom so that your kids can truly enjoy their schooling. Have them keep a scrapbook of the event, or take a video which they turn into an amazing family adventure later. Take them to cultural locations and teach them about the area, then have them reenact wars or important historical situations. There is so much to learn around the world, don't let it pass them by!

Many children learn through experiencing things for themselves. For example, make learning about foreign cultures fun by experimenting with foreign cuisine. If they're learning about Germany, Tesol Certification  you could cook up some cabbage rolls. Prepare dishes and snacks from the countries you are studying or help your children put together some costumes from the historical periods you studied. Learning with the full complement of senses helps information stick.

Understanding your child's learning style and educational needs is the key to creating a successful learning environment. For example, many children experience peak learning times in which they are more receptive to new information and more likely to remember it. Identifying this peak learning time allows you to develop an itinerary that is perfectly aligned with your student's needs.

Remember that when you are homeschooling you do not need to follow a classroom set up. The learning environment can be a lot more flexible, and you can tailor it to fit you and the child's needs. If your child has a hard time rising in the morning, instead of trying to teach them, chemistry at 7am, start their classes a little later in the morning or later in the afternoon.

Determine which approach to homeschooling you will follow. You may decide to follow a traditional curriculum, setting up a "classroom" within your home. On the other hand, you might decide to "unschool," allowing your kids to play a large role in defining their educations. Take your kids' learning styles and personalities into consideration when choosing an approach.

It is crucial when homeschooling children not to underestimate the importance of socialization. Eventually, your children will need to go out and function in and with the general public. Enrolling them in local clubs, youth programs or summer sports is an easy way to ensure that they have an opportunity to build important social skills like sharing, teamwork and leadership.

Offer your children incentives from completing their lessons. This can be extra free time, less homework or even additional television time. By using incentives, you can help your child learn the importance of completing their tasks and how it will relate to working in the real world when they grow up.

Now that you have read this article, you should have a better understanding of exactly what is involved in teaching your children at home. Tesol Certification  It may sound like a wonderful idea, or you may find it too intimidating to even consider. In either case, you can still use this advice in making your decision.

Top Skincare Products You Can't Live Without

Every society is full of members seeking out beauty. There are many factors that contribute to beauty, including what is inside. Tribal Tattoos  It is sometimes the small changes that make a huge impact on personal beauty. Changing certain things can give yourself the chance to enhance your beauty.

If you have a hard time getting your eyeliner to stay put, you can apply eyeshadow after you put on eyeliner. You should lightly put your shadow over your eyeliner with a cotton ball. This will seal the application of eyeliner and it will last longer and not run.

Before you apply makeup, moisturize your face lightly. Moisturizers help your skin, and also allow makeup to go on evenly. If you apply makeup without a moisturizer, you might appear blotchy. This is good if you want to stay looking fresh and keep your makeup on for a while.

Gently brush your lips with a soft toothbrush. This will help you remove dead skin cells from your lips and make them soft. You should then apply Vaseline or another type of lip balm to moisturize your lips and keep them soft. You can do this every day or every other day.

If you have very narrow eyes, you can create the illusion that they are more widely opened by first using an eyelash curler to curl your top lashes. Apply a dark brown mascara to the middle lashes, then tilt the wand diagonally and apply the mascara to the outer lashes.

Do not use extremely hot water when bathing. In hot water, your pores will open and your skin's natural oils can escape. It is then washed away. Try tepid and warm water to keep your skin beautiful and soft. This should also help you reduce your bills.

Apply shimmer with a light touch in carefully selected areas that will be exposed to light. This will create a pleasant glowing effect. When you use highlighter, put it on your brows, nose, and cheekbones; then set with loose powder.

Drinking fruit juice can help your skin be more beautiful. The nutrients in fruits and vegetables are great for your skin, along with the rest of your body. It's easy to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies into your diet with freshly made juice. Replace the sugary sodas and coffee you drink with natural juices. Your skin will thank you.

Eyelashes are a small part of your face, but if kept in good condition, they can really bring out the beauty in a person's face. Always use your eyelash curler to show off those lashes to their full potential. This will make your lashes more visible, help your eyes look larger, and draw a lot of admiring attention.

Sometimes, when coloring your hair, you may find that the color you chose simply isn't strong or intense enough for your liking. You can solve this problem by purchasing a second box of color, mixing half the product with shampoo, and reapplying it to just-colored hair. Let it sit for only 5-10 minutes before rinsing and you will find the color intensified.

For a boost of sun protection for your everyday products, look for foundation and moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or higher. Sun damage causes fine lines, wrinkles, and even skin cancer, so the extra dose of protection from products you use anyway can help keep your facial skin looking younger longer.

As your skin gets older, be sure to wear the moisturizer that meets your skin's needs for this age. Skin tends to start out oily and becomes drier over time, so it's important to make sure that your skin's need for moisture is being met appropriately. If your moisturizer feels heavy or is giving you skin trouble, it's time to reevaluate.

If you are diligent in your daily hygiene routine by brushing your teeth and using mouthwash, yet you still have a problem with bad breath, you must remember to floss, as well. Flossing dislodges bacteria that are between your teeth, which could be causing the odor problem. It is recommended you floss daily.

When you are filing your nails, be sure to only go in one direction. If you go back and forth you are sure to weaken the nail. The stress that this causes will damage the nail plate and make your nails more susceptible to breaking a lot more easily then they will if you go in one direction when filing.

Look at getting extensions for your eyelashes for those fun nights on the town. This is perfect if you're a bride or going to some kind of formal event. They make your eyes look so much brighter. You'll be ecstatic with your new look.

If you do not have self-tanning lotion, try bronzer in your daily moisturizer. This can be used as a custom self-tanning product that will produce the desired color. Doing this can help you pick the color you desire so that you don't need to settle for those already mixed.

Your beauty has many different aspects, and it is something that you have complete control over. The options you make and things you do to your skin and body today will change how you look in the future, so make healthy choices now to stay beautiful. You deserve to look and feel beautiful every day. The beauty enhancing tips you learn can last a lifetime, but it is up to you to apply them.

[bastardtravel]

November 22, 2017. Prague, Czech Republic.

There are different kinds of surreal. Barcelona was a psychotropic fever dream, everything outsizedly absurd, the kind of ridiculousness that even dream logic can’t slip by you. Fifteen-foot tall matadors burst from an alley to the sound of spirit flutes and you stop and say, “Wait, this is a dream. Obviously. Okay.”

Prague is different. It’s cooler, more refined and lucid in its creeping abnormality. It’s easy to understand how a place like this churned out a mind like Kafka. The city carries an overtone of dread, the subtle but implacable discomfort that comes in the strange vision quests that too much NyQuil gives you.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful city. It’s just, when you walk through it, you feel like it’s being made up as it goes along. The architecture is eclectic to the point of the random. You can stand on a single corner and look around a square and see three, four, five different styles of building, ordinarily separated by centuries, now jutting against one another.

That’s what’s so unsettling about Prague, I think. That’s what gives it the static buzz of a medicated dream.

Think about your last nightmare. You’re running down a hallway, maybe a childhood school or something, you get to the staircase, you run up the steps, two at a time, you throw open the doors to the roof and you’re suddenly in the middle of the woods.

It’s like that every time you turn a corner. The same jarring sense of something being wrong.

Good thing morbid absurdity is my bread and butter. I’ve been bumbling around Prague for two days now, fending off a chest cold in the rainy, 30 degree weather. I walk into a Baroque alley and come out a Gothic one. Roman churches suddenly give way to municipal buildings covered in arabesques. Down another alley, which gets so narrow that you can barely fit two people through it at once, and I walk out into an expanse of Soviet Brutalism that goes on for as long as my vision does.

I caught a snippet of an interview on a TV screen in some museum or other, a local architecture teacher was saying, “Builders just kept coming. We had some from Germany, we had some from France, we had many from Italy, from Portugal, from Spain, from the East, all these builders came to add something to Prague.”

Well, mission accomplished. It felt to me like a weird echo of the Great Bazaar, jumbled miscellany writ large and rendered permanent.

I crossed the bridge out of Old Town and climbed the hill toward Prague Castle, a standing complex that had been restored (and, in keeping with their whole theme, remodeled) since the 1300s. That’s where I found the crown jewel, a Gothic masterpiece called the St. Vitus Cathedral.

The pictures don’t do it justice. It was like a factory that mass-produces religiously themed nightmares. It’s like the Devil made a church as a joke, and it was so over-the-top that they decided to keep it. The whole big bastard looks like a 2-page insert from a gritty early 90’s Batman comic. I was so awed by it I didn’t even mind the Asian families doing noisy selfie-stick gymnastics next to me.

I climbed to the top of the South Tower. Allegedly 287 steps. Bull. 283. I counted.

It didn’t start to really suck until step 140, but that was probably just the chest cold. Probably.

I made my way back down the hill and discovered a “Medieval Tavern” with a row of blackened skulls across the door.

Welp, my hands are tied. I went in, figuring that I’d grab something to eat here.

It was nearly pitch black inside, lit only by candles. Lots of rough-hewn stone, lots of weird haunted house decorations like skulls, chains, robed mannequins. I don’t know how prevalent robed mannequins were in actual medieval times, but I have to imagine they used more lighting and fewer bones in general tavern decor. Maybe it was a special dungeon-themed tavern. I wandered down some winding stairs into some dark, empty rooms, and then eventually into a well-lit modern kitchen, which is when I knew I’d gone too far. I wandered back up the stairs and sat at the head of a table, looked over the menu.

After maybe 10 minutes of alternating between looking at the menu and a candle, a beautiful blonde skeleton appeared and asked what I wanted to drink. The menu said “Home made beer with love”, so I ordered that. She slam-dunked it on my table on the way past and either didn’t hear my attempt to order food or ignored it.

  It was a porter, and it was okay. Nothing to write home about. Not particularly strong. A little light and hoppy for my tastes, but beggars and choosers; I hadn’t gotten my hands on anything darker than a lager since Ireland, and even that had just been knockoff Guinness.

Well, I finished it, and she never came back. Guess I was gonna eat somewhere else. I paid my 25 ckz (about $2) to a dour-faced young man in a shirt that was, for some reason, full of holes. Maybe it was supposed to be a peasant throwback, but the effect was ruined by the visibility of the Calvin Klein logo on his boxers.

I guess a porter is a lunch. That’s around 200 calories. That’s 2 bananas. Or 3 eggs. 3 eggs could, arguably, be lunch. I drifted through the spontaneously rendering streets calculating how much actual food could have taken the place of that mediocre beer with love when I happened upon a “Ghost Museum”. Well, those are some of my favorite things, and it had a student discount, so why not?

The upper floor was a collection of badly but wittily translated ghost stories printed on single sheets of giant fake scroll paper that was then pasted into giant fake books. The downstairs was advertised as “a walk through the ghost-haunted streets of the underground”, but was more of a long basement full of cheap haunted house decorations. I wonder if this part of Prague has a guy. Like, a Party City wholesaler, so they just wound up with all these lame Halloween decorations and went, “All right, what can do we do with this?”

I found my way to the surface and walked the mile or so back to my hostel, then down the street to yet another pho place. I’ve been subsisting mostly on pho in Prague, partly because both hostels I booked have been in Little Vietnam (it is not that little, considering they’re a mile and a half apart), partly because pho is basically chicken soup and that’s as close as I can get to eating healthy here.

Here, let me walk you through Czech cuisine real quick.

anywhere else it would be reasonable to assume “tatar sauce” is a typo

So far, I’ve only had the opportunity to sample 2 totalitarian classics in Prague.

This one was right after I got off the bus, before I understood how much Czech money was worth. This was the first and last time I would pay $15 for three mouthfuls of deer meat and some tater tots.

This monstrosity was much more reasonable, something like $7 all told. On the bottom, it’s around a half lb of chicken breast and all sorts of delicious peasant vegetables, broccoli, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, the usual. And then also, giant fried potato wedges. Then cheese. It’s like shepherd’s pie without any broth, and then instead of mashed potatoes, a gallon of cheese. It was called Žižkov, after a popular student district. It was cheese fries gone out of control.

I’ve done more than I’ve written since arriving in Prague, but since everything has felt so haphazard and disjointed, that’s how I’m going to tell the story, too. I’ll tell you one thing for damn sure, though, I’ve got to find a better place to get breakfast.

This morning I opted for the $6 hostel breakfast. “English Continental”, he said.

“Yeah, but what’s in that?” I asked. “I’m from the States, When hotels say continental breakfast, they usually mean coffee and a danish.”

He looked at me strangely, possibly because he was, himself, Danish, then showed me the list. Lunchmeats, bread, milk, eggs, omelettes optional, just ask the cook. I forked over some of the Czech currency and he said, “Okay, now go outside, across the courtyard, through the gate, to the other hostel on your left, and give them this voucher.”

Uh. All right.

I did that, and the man at the door was obviously displeased to see me. That seemed to be a recurrent theme in Prague, truth told. No one has seemed particularly excited to see me, but I’m trying not to take it personally. The dining room was full of three lazy German shepherds, which I approved of for reasons more moral than sanitary.

The spread. Ah, the spread. Three types of stale bread! It was great, if you ate around the mold.

Canned eggs, served chilled. Ice-cold, perfectly circular eggs, their yolks a distressing and unnatural orange color. A pinch of parsley had been applied to the top, presumably to simulate “preparation”.

Wet tortillas rolled up with apple jelly. Just like Mom used to make, during her psychotic breaks.

Some sort of single-serving spreadable ham.

Small, sad apples, their skins all withered and pruny and generally looking like grandpa testicles.

I looked at the angry Czech men. They glared back at me, as if daring me to ask for an omelette.

I ate an entire plate of tomatoes and lunchmeat, then more tomatoes, then a quantity of bread and butter that even I found sort of alarming. Feed a fever, starve a cold? Feed a cold? Then I went back to the hostel, where the possible Dane asked, “how was breakfast?”

“Fine,” I lied, then passed out for another 3 hours. I think that was more immune system than food, though.

If I get to the Kafka museum tomorrow, I’ll double it up and tell you about my Adventures in Communism!

Love,

The Bastard

    Prague: Architectural Anarchy November 22, 2017. Prague, Czech Republic. There are different kinds of surreal. Barcelona was a psychotropic fever dream, everything outsizedly absurd, the kind of ridiculousness that even dream logic can't slip by you.

[paytonspassport]

A Freudian Trip: Day 28

This morning, Olivia and I woke up veeeeery early and got all of our stuff together to go to Budapest! We rolled up to the bus just in time, got on, and off we went! I spent a lot of the ride napping even though I was very excited. Three or so hours later, we got to Budapest and our bus driver carefully guided our bus through some way-too-narrow-for-a-bus streets until we were ultimately dropped off at the Dohány Street Synagogue which is either the second or third largest synagogue in the world. We got a tour that discussed how the building was like the cathedral of synagogues, and how it belongs to the neo-orthodox sect in Budapest. We got to go to learn a bit of the history of the Jews in Budapest, specifically a bit about how the synagogue is honoring memories and helping people to find information on and honor their family members. It was both interesting and a very powerful way of exploring a part of Hungarian history. The synagogue itself was beautiful and the little museum was nice as well, and would’ve been nicer if I wasn’t really really hungry... 

The bus picked us up from the synagogue and then took us to our hotel, Hotel Hungaria. After much drama about who would have to share a room with who if they were 4 person rooms, they all ended up being double rooms with two little twin beds side by side and all the drama in the program subsided in an instant. Olivia and I stuck together as we have worked out a pretty good understanding of one another as roommates. We threw all our stuff in our rooms, then the program head gave us an hour and a half to convert money and find lunch all on our own. In Hungary, they use Forints, not Euros. They told us that 1 Euro = 307 Forints, and we figured out $1 = 276 Forints. Needless to say, these conversions boggled our minds. 

Beyond the conversions, we had no idea what prices would be like. We all pulled out around 7000 Forints (about 25 USD) and then began our search of lunch. It was a very frustrating endeavor. The Hotel Hungaria City Center was a very safe hotel but felt like it was in a weird area. Olivia and I had ventured out with two other girls, Charis and Ellie, but after only finding a place that would be a buffet for 4000~ Forints (about 14 USD, which we decided was a bit much) we parted ways because they caved and decided to go back to the Burger King we passed on the way in. Olivia and I ran into another herd of discouraged IES students, and followed them a bit, pausing while I ducked into a bakery for a little pizza roll thing that cost less than a dollar because I was in no way going any further without some sort of food. We ran into the group again at one of the many many “Doner Kebab” stands we see in Vienna, and now in Budapest. It was hot food that was readily available and the price was cheap. We ravenously ate falafel sandwiches and sandwiches with the shwarma-like meat on the sidewalk before I dragged Olivia to the nearby Aldi so I could buy snacks, swearing to never get that hungry ever again ever. 

After lunch, we all got back on our bus, now with a local Hungarian tour guide named Adam who took us on a walking/bus tour of Budapest. My favorite things I learned were 1) that Budapest used to be two cities, Buda and Pest and then they just smacked ‘em together and called them “Budapest.” It’s so simple and I love it. Also, tell me Buda and Pest (with that little “sh” sound on the s so it’s not straight up ‘pest’) wouldn’t make great cat names. Just sayin’. 2) I learned that the Hungarian people are a greatly sarcastic and self-depricating people. It’s like a whole country of angsty teens, but like the funny ones on the Internet that are very relatable. Our guide kept making jokes about how Hungary never won anything ever and was ALWAYS on the wrong side. He warned that, in the event of the (impending????) WWIII, choose the side that Hungary *isn’t* on and you’ll be good to go. He also peppered his tour with many digs at Vienna and Austria. Although it was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna totally had priority. Since the Hapsburgs lived in Vienna, it had to be the best. Sure, Budapest could have a state opera house, IF it’s smaller and uglier. Mostly, all the nice stuff in Budapest was built to entertain Sisi, the much-beloved wife of Franz Josef. 

Beyond learning that we were in a weird country full of angsty teens with an identity struggle and some resentment issues, we went to the Citadel (fortress on a hill atop the city) for some stunning views of Budapest and to see the Soviet soldier monument there. 

We learned yet another hilarious story about the Soviets after WWII, much like the Russian soldier monument in Vienna I ride by every day on my way to school, the Soviets had a sense of humor about their representation in Budapest too. During the Soviet occupation, the Soviets put up a lot of monuments to celebrate when they liberated Hungary (ya know, before occupying it again?) and after Hungary became its own thing again, they allowed their previous occupy-ers to chose one monument to leave up. Instead of choosing the one we saw (which overlooks everything and can be seen from great distances) they chose a single soldier monument that stares down the US Embassy, ya know, just to remind them who succeeded in liberating (then reoccupying??) Hungary. The Hungarians sorta changed the definition of the monument at the Citadel and called it good. (I was trying my best to remember everything, please never use my blog posts as a history lesson, also I never took AP Euro so my European history knowledge is severely lacking at best. In my defense, none of it seems to really be sensible anyways). 

We bussed around a little more, driving by the Mambo “gentleman’s club” on our way down the Citadel. It used to be run by the Hungarian secret service which was just very amusing. It is no longer used to obtain blackmail or share government secrets, but the signs outside will let you know it is still serving its other function. We then went to the hero’s square to learn a bit about Hungary’s history and great leaders. It seems tumultuous at best, and like our guide said, they need a little more work in defining a national identity. It was very hot out and I was still in the dark jean capris I wore to be appropriately dressed in the synagogue so some was lost on me, but it was interesting to see who the Hungarians chose to have as their “heroes” in light of their interesting and frequently-occupied political history. Before I got too hot, I did know that the pillar in the middle houses the archangel Gabriel and the 7 men on horses below are the leaders of the 7 tribes that originally came to Hungary. 

After our tour, we had about an hour at the hotel to apply more deodorant and quit sweating (hooray for AC! Living the luxury life). Then we went to dinner at the Trófea Grill, where there was an unlimited buffet for all of us to eat which was the nicest gift of all. I tried so many things (I even tried to eat my vegetables) including Hungarian beef goulash (yum!) and their sour cherry soup--which is not actually a dessert but was eaten with my dessert plate because that’s when I had a hand to carry it. It was really good, it tasted as pink as it looked but not in a sickening sweet way. It was a good tart-sweet. Also I got lots of dessert but come on people, I had to make up for the horrible rum cake incident in Semmering!

The place was also chandelier goals for the future. After dinner, I hung out in Crystal’s hotel room with her roommates Chelsea and Catie and our friend Erika. We wanted a quiet night and to get some sleep early because we have a busy day tomorrow.