#cottage cheese plates | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 1 month ago

Text

Mission Control 22

Warnings: non/dubcon, violence, blood, stalking, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Captain Hydra

Summary: a man marches into your life on a mission

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

It’s not calm. It’s just nothing. You’re not afraid, you’re not angry, or sad, or anything. Just empty. The tension clings to his touch as he draws away and you’re left just like that. Numb, but not quite.

You turn onto your back as the soldier stands. You watch him in the strange haze of your existence. Your eyes close as the fire crackles around the fresh log he lays on it. You sink into the depths of your heedless mind.

When you rouse again, it isn’t for long. He’s dressed in black. As always. But you know by his stance, by his armour and cowl, that he is on his way out. He pauses to pet your head before he goes. You don’t react.

You shut your eyes again and let the sleep take over your addled body. The pain recedes to a dull thrum and your thoughts slow to a placid ripple. Hours unfurl in shadowy ribbons. When you wake again, you can sense the time passed. Close to a day.

He is still gone.

You get up, keeping your injured foot off the floor, and hop around in search of your keeper. You lean on the wall to keep your balance as you make your way through the cabin. You stop in the bedroom door and stare at the blood stain on the wooden floor. You quiver at the memory of the intruder’s fate.

You retreat to the kitchen and sit for a while. Your appetite sours your stomach. You don’t know how as your thoughts threaten to make you nauseous.

You flinch as the wind rattles the windows and whistles just outside those battered walls. The world slows and so do your thoughts, just enough to sort them. How did that man find you? How did he get past the traps? Is he the only one? No, you can’t believe that the villain who took you has only a single enemy.

You get up and go to the fridge. There’s a covered plate with a note on it. ‘Eat’. You bring it to the table and remove the foil. Two hard-boiled eggs, a peeled and separated orange, a cup of cottage cheese, and whole wheat crackers. It’s not fancy or especially tasty but it’s more than enough.

As you wash the plate, you notice the mug. Another note. ‘Drink’. There’s a packet of instant coffee tucked behind the paper torn from the same notebook he kept by the bed.

You add boiling water to the mix and gratefully down the caffeine. The familiar taste is comforting. You stay at the table for a while, your eyes skimming the front room. The place is as bland as the meal.

Then you see it. It wasn’t there before the chaos. You stand and hobble through the open doorway and across the room. You stop before the armchair and the stack on the seat. There’s an unopened package of pencils, a sharpener too; beneath, several puzzle books, another book of blank pages, and a rubik’s cube.

Under all that, is something else. A dress. Yellow linen, with eyelets around the waist and short sleeves, and buttons down the front. The buttons are pearl and you can tell it is true vintage.

You leave it on the chair and take a puzzle book. You open the box of pencils and sharpen it to a point. You open the pages and the smell of paper invades your nose. It’s nice. You love that smell. It’s the best you’ve felt in weeks just tasting that scent.

You sit and do a puzzle. You stop as your cheeks ache. You’re smiling. Something so simple is the most amazing thing you’ve ever done. Just writing the letters. Knowing the answers. You close the book and hold it in your lap as your eyes glaze over.

You sit hunched on the couch and sob. It could be the pain, it could be the horror of what you witnessed, it could be the terror of what’s to come, the isolation of this cabin, it is everything and anything. Your grief bubbles over and constricts your ribs to the point of breathlessness. You let it all out until you are spent and your cheeks are raw.

You shakily set down the book on the side table and stand. You angle over to the chair on one foot and lift the dress. You look down at the dark shirt; his. You don’t even remember him putting it on you.

You strip it off and pull on the dress. It smells like laundry detergent. It’s soft. It’s lovely. It makes you feel a little more human.

You limp, touching only the toes of your wounded foot to the floor, and go into the bathroom. You can only see to just below your chest in the mirror. Your face and your hair are a disaster but you don’t care. The dress is nice. It’s cute.

You just watch yourself as you run your hands up and down the fabric. You stay there until you can bear to stand no longer. You come back out, hopping again, but before you can reach the front room, there’s a clatter at the door.

You cry out as your heart lurches. You search around for anything, something to defend yourself. What if it’s not him? What if it’s another villain?

The door swings open but does not assuage your fears. It is the soldier but he is not himself. He has his cowl still in place and his body seems to steam as his chest rises and falls rapidly. His muscles are tense beneath the taut fabric, bulging in his armour.

You cannot see his expression but you can imagine it by his posture. He marches forward mechanically and you whine as you throw up your hands. He grabs your head between his large hands and you struggle with him, dancing on your toes as you cry out in agony.

“No, please,” you beg.

That little bit of joy flies out the door and fades into the billowing winds. You push against his stomach as he tries to pull you closer. You ball one hand and beat on his chest as you strain to keep him from smothering you.

“No, don’t! No, no, not like this,” you plead as you snake your hand up.

You writhe in his grasp as you get a thumb under his cowl. You slide the strap from his chin and the mask shifts. You continue to push against him as you flip it up, getting it just above his mouth. You tear at it again and unveil his face.

You look up at him as his eyes fall to you. His scar is a torturous shade of white as he clenches his jaw. His eyes are dilated and dark. Just like the first time he returned. Your insides quake at just the thought.

He clutches at your dress and pulls you closer. You squeak and shakily press your hand to his cheek. You caress him with your fingertips as he crushes you again him, your arm folding between your bodies. You brush through his sweaty strands and tremble.

“Please, be nice,” you quaver. “Be soft to me, soldier. Please.”

He squeezes you until you can’t breathe. You flutter your fingers around his ear and whimper once more. Then he slackens his hold on you and unhooks his arm from your waist. His eyes clear and his hands rest lightly on your hips.

He opens his mouth and outlines a word with his lips, ‘soft’.

#captain america #captain hydra #steve rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #mission control #au #marvel #mcu #avengers #series

153 notes · View notes

strongermonster · 2 months ago

Text

so my nana is in her late 80's (88? i think?) and i'm up taking care of her right now, and because she's old as the hills she basically eats nothing, so any time she has a craving or a request, we do it for her just to get some food in her.

today for dinner she wanted... plain tuna and cottage cheese, but can't handle a lot of food, so i gave her about 1/4 of a can of tuna and 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese and she was SO happy with it, but when i was making it i felt so complicit in elder abuse 😭 like if someone handed this to ur gramma in a home, it'd be on cbc as barbaric and i'd be arrested 😭😭😭

like this is cat food for a 21 year old dying animal. i felt so ashamed handing her this plate of slop 😭 but she said it was perfect and hit the spot

#jj stuff #now she's gonna have a sliver of nanaimo bar as desert #also nursing her ensure drink over a 6 hour period....

130 notes · View notes

macgyvermedical · 2 months ago

Text

Food Consistency

My wife (who has gastroparesis and frequently needs to go on liquid diets) was watching some tiktoks about people on liquid diets.

People in both the videos and the comments had extremely different (and often startlingly wrong) ideas of what a liquid diet is.

So I figured I would do a post to clarify for anyone who might be confused, and maybe save you from having a surgery rescheduled due to eating the wrong things.

Clear Liquid Diet:

A clear liquid diet is a diet where ONLY liquids you can see through are permitted. That means no other solid food (that won't turn into a clear liquid in your stomach), no chunks, and no milk. If you're prepping for a surgery or colonoscopy there might also be limits on what food colorings are permitted as well (usually red and purple). A clear liquid diet includes:

Water

Flavored drinks (sports drinks, soft drinks, Kool Aid, etc...)

Broth/stock (vegetable, chicken, beef, etc...)

Popsicles/italian ice

Fruit juices (no pulp)

Gelatin

Coffee/Tea

Specialty clear liquid protein shakes

Full Liquid Diet:

A full liquid diet is a diet where ONLY clear liquids and cloudy/opaque "full" liquids are consumed. No other solid foods and no chunks are permitted. A full liquid diet includes:

Everything on the clear liquid list

Milk and milkshakes

Yogurt (no chunks)

Ice cream (no chunks)

Pudding

Custard

Blended Diet:

A blended diet is a regular diet in which the food has been blended with water. Usually, this is the consistency necessary for a gastric feeding tube.

Everything on the full liquid list

Smoothies

Blended soups (no chunks)

Applesauce

Literally anything as long as it's been put in a blender and is now liquid-y

Pureed Diet:

A pureed diet is a diet in which the food has been mashed into a very fine mash. It can be thicker and drier than a blended diet and the food can be "molded" into shapes that resemble the original food on a plate. This is good for people who have few to no teeth or pain with chewing.

Everything on the blended list

Mashed potatoes (no chunks)

Anything the consistency of mashed potatoes

Mechanical Soft Diet:

A mechanical soft diet is one that is easy to chew. Unlike pureed, there can be small chunks. Examples include:

Everything on the pureed list

Oatmeal/cream of wheat/cream of rice

Very well cooked vegetables

Ground and finely chopped meats

Poached or soft boiled eggs

Cottage cheese

#whump reference #writing reference #nursing #Food #food consistency #liquid diets

112 notes · View notes

epigstolary · 1 year ago

Text

The Middle of Nowhere, Part Two

I once said that my feeder didn’t have to do anything to keep me on his farm. That I was building my own prison there, bite by bite. And that’s still true — but only partly true. The farm may be a long way away from anything — town, other people, even the road that’s our only real connection to society — and it may as well be a desert island for someone too big to drive a car or walk further than the yard, but it isn’t my prison. Because my prison isn’t a place.

Things started to change when it got difficult even to go outside to our porch. I don’t mean they changed with my feeder; he was still as caring and doting as ever. He started bringing me my snacks once I got big enough that just shuffling out the front door took all my energy and attention. I had to watch where I placed every step of my bloated legs, laden with fat that looked like bags of cottage cheese, and hold on to the walls and the railing along the porch to keep my belly and chest fat from sloshing sideways and pulling me over. Even those few steps left me breathless and my heart pounding by the time I got settled on my bench; but it was worth it to have a plate of his biscuits and gravy or chicken and dumplings, under that big sky beyond our little farm, gilded with another sunset. And even when my bench finally gave way after one too many helpings of both, he dusted off his woodworking kit and put it back together, reinforced and better than new.

But by then, we both knew it was only a temporary fix. It wouldn’t be long before there’d be no way I could maneuver myself out there every day, and he could tell how being cooped up inside would drive me crazy after a while. If I was going to do anything other than sit mostly alone on the couch all day, we were going to have to find another way.

His first innovation was to invite people over for dinner — farmhands, friends, folks he knew from town that he could get to come to me even if I couldn’t go to them. And they were good company, in a lot of ways; they’d bring a taste of the outside world with them. They might talk about how the crops were doing, recount some recent anecdote from working out in the fields or going into town, opine on some petty local politics or gossip. And it was nice to hear about something other than what was going on within the confines of our little farm — an outside world that it was increasingly impossible for me to get to. But really, it was hard for the focus not to turn around to me. Nobody was ever rude the first time they met me; but it was rare not to see either a reaction of stifled surprise, or else a glassy look of unseeing, a conscious attempt not to notice the half-ton of fat flowing and bulging out of my ill-fitting clothes.

It didn’t help that, with me never leaving the farm, there weren’t many topics of conversation other than myself and food that our guests could engage with me about. When the conversation didn’t turn to recent meals or my favorite foods, which usually elicited at least warm agreement about the country staples forming much of my diet, it turned to how I spent most of my day. We’d do our usual face-saving song and dance about what I did to take care of the house while my partner was out working in the field — all of it lies, and increasingly transparent lies as my limited ability to even move became more obvious at higher weights — and how I was getting ready to start losing some weight. I’d talk about how I really wanted to get healthier, get out and about more often; and they’d smile and nod, giving tepid approval and encouragement.

The thing is, I really did mean it. I really did want to get down to a size where I could at least walk around outside again, maybe even drive a car into town and go to the little greasy spoon like I used to. It was becoming discouraging to have every step, every reach, every movement blocked or restrained by the fat smothering every inch of my body. But our guests knew full well I didn’t have a prayer of keeping to a diet or an exercise routine. It was even more obvious to those who’d visited before, and who saw me even more bloated, even more out of shape than the last time they were there.

The actual meals certainly made them think that, if they hadn’t before. My partner would serve a spread fit for a dozen people — something like a barbecue buffet, a whole turkey with all the fixings, a tray of lasagna — and I’d end up eating everything that was left after the others had their fill. Long after their places had been cleared away, I’d still be gobbling up the heaping plates my partner would keep bringing me until every scrap of food was gone. Since I couldn’t last very long at the dining table anymore, usually we’d sit around the living room, and they would basically watch me gorge myself — tits and chins wobbling as I’d chew, plate sitting on my enormous belly so my blubbery arms could rest on the sweep of my side rolls while I cut and speared each bite. It was obvious to everyone, I guess even to me, that I was never going to drop a pound if I couldn’t resist completely abandoning myself to food like that. By the end of the meal, I’d be stuffed full, taking up the entire couch and looking enormous, almost too drowsy from overeating to notice the expressions passing between our guests, their looks of amusement or disgust or astonishment at what was apparently a typical dinner for me. Sometimes they’d even whisper about it, thinking I was asleep. I wasn’t.

From the front window of the house, I could watch them drive away, taillights receding toward that distant road where proper civilization began again. Probably recapping the dinner and my obscene size and appetite with horrified amazement. They’d been merely passing through, tourists in my isolated bubble, visiting their friend’s or boss’s blob of a partner out of courtesy but with no real desire to bring me into the fold. They could make things more tolerable, but they’d never be any real help in connecting with the world again.

Then one day, my partner’s beat-up old pickup disappeared, and he pulled into the yard in a gleaming new one, looking unusually excited for him and expectantly at me. I was puzzled — by that point, I was already too big to heave myself up into the cab of any pickup. But then I saw the truck bed — more specifically, the crane and winch rising from the front corner. My stomach did a somersault at the sight of him rigging up a harness meant for lifting cows and pigs into the bed; it was a way to let me get off the farm, sure, but at a pretty steep price in dignity. It was as good as an admission that I’d eaten myself far too fat to rejoin the world like a normal person, probably for good.

But the temptation to be somewhere else, anywhere else, was too much. A day or two later, my partner was helping me waddle out the front door and down the steps toward the driveway. Months indoors had obscured just how much my body had changed in even that short amount of time. My legs had both bloated considerably and weakened since my last walk through the yard, making every step like having to lift heavy bags of molasses just to advance a few inches at a time. My belly hung lower and broader than I remembered, physically holding back my steps and making it harder to twist my upper body to steady my walk. My side rolls and bicep blubber fought one another for space, pushing my arms up and sending fat bunching around my neck and shoulders. I was an out-of-breath mess by the time I maneuvered myself around and collapsed into the harness.

The sensation of my weight being lifted slowly off the ground, suspended and moved by an object completely out of my control, sent a surreal thrill through me. My hundreds of pounds, cradled in the harness, wobbled and jiggled with its slow movements, and for the most part I had no choice but to be carried along with my body’s jostling inertia. Even more than usual, I was buried under my immense belly and tits, my bloated legs were lifted level with the rest of my body, and my flab-laden arms — if they’d even been strong enough to do anything — had nowhere to grasp to help stabilize my sloshing bulk. The crane and winch cracked and creaked as it labored to move my weight, lifted me over the sides and into position facing the tailgate, and lowered me onto some foam padding my partner had arranged into a kind of makeshift couch against the rear window. I didn’t fill the truck bed — but there wasn’t room to sit next to me, either.

I’ve never felt a mixture of emotions like I did on that first drive back into town. On the one hand, it felt so amazingly free — finding myself on that once impossibly-distant road, our farm receding into the distance as fields and hills sped by. Fresh air, and the wind in my hair. But then, as buildings grew closer together and we started rolling into downtown, my blood ran cold — I’m a half-ton blob taking up most of the back of a pickup truck, too fat to walk or move, coming to town like a circus attraction, I thought. People were going to react.

I’m sure a lot of it was in my mind. I’m sure I was self-conscious, reading intent into every glance and word and gesture, most of the time when it wasn’t there. But it felt like every last person in the town had turned out to stare at my huge form being paraded down main street. Me looking out over the expanse of lard occupying the truck bed and smothering my body. Blubber sloshing uncontrollably every time we turned a corner. Kids pointing at the enormous fatty passing by, their shouts being stifled by nervous and disgusted parents. Skinny people casting sideways glances at the pickup, stopped at a stoplight, as they muttered to each other amid broad grins.

And that was when I realized. It didn’t matter where I was — on the farm, in town, on stage with a million people watching. I had let myself get fattened past the point where I could exist in this world and connect with it ever again. Even when I was right in the middle of it, I was as far removed from these people as if I’d still been back on the farm. I’m never going to be walking around with them, shopping with them, just existing in the spaces they exist in. I literally don’t fit in, even if I could haul around all the blubber I’ve accumulated under my own power. And I’m just as alien to them — someone five times their weight, who can’t control their appetite any better than to get this big, someone they can deride or pity or judge with impunity.

On the drive back to the farm, under a starry indigo sky and with a backseat full of fast food from the town’s only chain, I had to wonder about my feeder. Whether he really was trying to get me out of the house. Or did he know? Had he already figured out that I was too big for it to matter where I was — that the thick rolls dominating my body and the sacks of fat hanging off my limbs would keep me his, even if I’d tried to get someone to help me leave? That this drive would do nothing more than to show me a world, a life, that my fat — his fat — would never let me go back to?

The thought lodged in the back of my mind as he gently helped hoist me, every inch wobbling and quivering, out of the truck bed. He led my bulk, step by exhausted step, back inside and to my usual divot on the couch. And as he got me comfortable, spreading the buffet of greasy, fatty food out before me, and as I bit into the first of ten thick double cheeseburgers, his too-kind smile and his gaze that lingered on my bulging gut for an instant too long told me everything I needed to know.

The farm isn’t my prison. My body is.

#extreme weight gain #weight gain fiction #ssbhm #feeder fiction #gainerfiction #gaining #gainer fiction #wg story #wg fiction #gainer stories

352 notes · View notes

kazoosandfannypacks · 9 months ago

Text

Hey guys! I wanted to put together a list of low spoons foods, and thought you might enjoy it. My primary objective was to come up with a list that requires little to no prep, is relatively inexpensive, and has a fairly long shelf life. There's also a few of my favorite simple recipes at the end. Bon apatite!

Proteins: Tuna/Canned chicken: Canned tuna/chicken can usually last a few years, and you can get it for a dollar or two, sometimes cheaper. It can be cooked easily in a skillet, eaten raw, or added to soups/pasta. Mix with some mayo for a quick tuna or chicken salad that goes well on bread, tortillas, or crackers. You can add raisins or cheese for a little extra variety as well! Breakfast sausage: A lot of meats are really scary to cook with, but I've come to the conclusion that breakfast sausage is designed for people with that groggy, zombie-like morning brain, so it's fairly simple; just pop it on a plate (usually with a paper towel to catch the grease) and toss it in the microwave. You can get it as links or patties, and if you're like me where foods with a hint of flavor are unreasonably spicy, there's a maple variety that's sweet rather than spiced. Deli meats: There's no rule against buying a package of pre-sliced ham, turkey, roast beef or even bologna that's designed for sandwiches and instead just snacking on it when you need some protein, or just serving it on the side with your meal. If it feels weird to just eat sliced deli meat and you've got the time and energy, get some sliced cheese as well, cut them into squares with a butter knife, and eat them with crackers for DIY lunchables. Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, and you can eat it on bread, crackers, tortillas, celery, pancakes, or even just on its own on a spoon! If you don't like the texture, you can mix it into something else like oatmeal, sauces, or pancake batter. If you don't like the flavor, try it with a little cinnamon sugar (put cinnamon and sugar in a jar or shaker and shake it until incorporated.) If you've got a peanut allergy, alternative butters are good too, but often separate if you leave them out for too long, but are much better in baking than on their own. Eggs: Making eggs is hard sometimes, but you can boil a bunch in advance and leave them in the fridge for when you need them (not too many or for too long, though.) Just put them in water and bring it to a boil; once the eggs start to float, leave them there for ten minutes. Once they're done, drain them and leave them in cold water for ten minutes to cool. Either peel in advance if you've got the time, or peel as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Dairy: Sliced Cheese: Just like with deli meats above, you can get sliced cheese to chomp on when you need a little boost. There's a lot of flavors to choose from! Shredded Cheese: Shredded cheese is great for sprinkling onto your meals or just snacking on handfuls of. You can also throw some onto some tortilla chips and pop 'em in the microwave for ~30 seconds to make quick, cheap nachos. Cheese sticks: Not a fan of eating slices or shreds of cheese? Cheese sticks are much more snackable and can be eaten on the go! Yogurt: You can eat it as is, or you can mix in frozen fruits and honey to create an almost ice-cream like treat! Chocolate Milk: A carton of chocolate milk that you are going to drink is better for you than a carton of regular milk that is going to go bad because you can't bring yourself to drink it. If you're like me and milk leaves a weird taste in your mouth, try following it with water or finishing the milk before you finish the rest of your meal. Cream Cheese: You can put this stuff on anything, guys. Bagels? Crackers? Toast? English Muffins? Tortillas? Regular muffins? Cookies, even? Go crazy! Cottage cheese: A lot of people like cottage cheese for salads or with peaches, but it can also be tasty on its own.

Grains: Crackers: You can eat them as is, you can add cream cheese, nutella, peanut butter, tuna salad, deli meats and cheeses, or you could dip them in a spread like hummus, guac, or ranch. Tortillas: Sometimes bread can be Scary and Evil and there's no way you're gonna eat a whole loaf before it goes bad. I get it. Tortillas last longer, they're a better texture, and it's only eight servings per bag. Use them whenever you'd make a sandwich- pb&j, ham & cheese, tuna salad and more can all go in a simple wrap or roll up. If you're feeling ambitious, you can also make a quick breakfast burrito by throwing scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage in a tortilla with a little cheese. Pancake mix: Boxed pancake mix is simple enough- just add water, or milk to make it fluffier, then cook according to instructions. It's a little time consuming, but it's simple to learn, and if you make a big enough batch you can just pop them in the microwave, airfryer, or even the toaster in the morning for the rest of the week. You can also spice up your mix by adding frozen fruits, peanut butter, bacon bits & cheese, or chocolate chips, or by replacing the water in the recipe with coffee, apple cider, or chocolate milk! Toaster Waffles: Toaster waffles are great for a quick breakfast or snack, but can also be used for sandwiches, or topped with a protein like peanut butter!

Fruits and Vegetables: Raisins: Raisins are sweet, inexpensive, take a long time to expire, and are guilt free— no one in the history of ever has ever felt bad about eating too many raisins! You can easily throw them in a trail mix (trail mix is a loose term; just throw whatever little snacks you have in the pantry into a bowl and mix 'em together,) or a chicken salad, and they're really good sprinkled on peanut butter! Dried fruit: You can find these in the trail mix section of most stores. If you don't like raisins, there may be a different dried fruit you do like. Dried bananas are delightfully crunchy. Dried mango is still a little moist. Find a dried fruit that works for you! Pickles: Pickles are a vegetable with an extremely long fridge life. You don't have to settle for pickled cucumber though; you can find all kinds of pickled vegetables at the store, or ask a friend who pickles (you know which friend came to mind) if they have a jar of pickled veggies they'd sell you or any tricks to pickling your own. Frozen Fruit: Fruits last so much longer frozen, and you can get fairly good sized bags of them for not too much at the store. They're great for mixing in with yogurt, baking, pancakes, and more! Frozen Vegetables: If expiration dates are your worst enemy, consider getting some longer lasting frozen veggies. They can be microwaved or added to soups or ramen. If you're not a fan of the taste, you can hide them by adding some in with the frozen fruit in a smoothie. Canned vegetables: Canned veggies also last a while, and can be added to soups, boiled, or sometimes eaten as is. Canned soup: Tomato soup or a soup with veggies in it is a great way to get some vegetables into your diet. You can also add any canned, fresh, or frozen veggies to any can of soup you have on hand to use up some of your leftovers before they go bad. Tomato sauce: If you keep a jar of marinara, pasta, or pizza sauce on hand in the fridge, you can spread it on any grain you have lying around (bagel, biscuit, crackers, bread, english muffin, tortilla) and add shredded cheese to make a quick and fun pizza. You can go crazy with extra toppings as well! Applesauce: It's great as is, but you could also mix in brown sugar and cinnamon, or add it to pancakes or oatmeal. It can also be used as an egg substitute in most of your baking, and you can even use it as a spread on pancakes!

Quick Recipes: 3 Ingredient Pancakes • 1/2 cup applesauce (or one mashed banana) • 1 egg • 1 packet instant oatmeal Mix all ingredients together and cook on a greased skillet at 375°

Two Minute Mug Cake • 6 tablespoons boxed cake mix • 4 tablespoons water or milk Combine ingredients in a mug and microwave for one minute.

Toaster Crispy Quesadilla • 1 tortilla • 1 slice of cheese (I like to use cheddar!) • deli meat Place a slice of cheese toward the top of the tortilla. Layer desired amount of meat on top. Fold the sides over your meat and cheese (so they can't drip out the sides) then fold in half over the cheese (so it won't drip out the bottom.) Place in the toaster with the open end UP! Toast as desired.

Tuna Bagel Melts • plain bagel • tuna salad (one can of tuna with a few spoonfuls of mayo to taste) • two slices cheese Open the bagel and spread tuna salad on it. Place the cheese on top of the bagels. Broil or airfry for a few minutes.

Cracker Pizzas • a dozen crackers • a few tablespoons tomato sauce • three slices of cheese Arrange the crackers on a plate. Spread a spoonful of sauce on each cracker. Fold each slice of cheese into fourths so they break apart. Place one little slice on each cracker. Microwave for thirty seconds.

Simple Smoothie Recipe • 1/2 cup yogurt • 1/2 cup milk • 1/2 cup frozen fruit Combine all ingredients in the blender. Blend. [To make this easier, pre-mark your blender. Add a half cup of water to your blender and mark with a sharpie to the fill level. Repeat twice. You now know what level to fill each ingredient to without the hassle of measuring them.

#kazzy's guide to life #recipes #food #cooking #low spoons #cw food #tumblr's in the kitchen with kazzy

129 notes · View notes

germhammy · 4 months ago

Text

“Girls Night 3- The challenge pt 2”

Kent: we are going to have so many bowls to wash but we don’t want any cross contamination - noticing Principal Thropp coming over- oh not yet! This is just a preliminary round! I’ll let you film one of the signature hot sauces

Taking out some gloves Kent put them on and told Enid to put five nuggets into the prep bowl. He then opened a brand new bottle of hot sauce and poured enough to cover and drench the wings. He put on gloves and mixed them up. He then instructed Enid to lay out four small bowls. He put a nugget in each one. Taking off the gloves he placed them all on a platter with the hot sauce bottle which he placed on a plate with a cover. They brought it over and Enid placed a bowl with a nugget in front of everyone. Kent placed the covered hot sauce in the middle of the table

Kent: nugget number one. The milk, cottage cheese, lemonade, orange juice , tomato juice, bread, rice, tortillas are for cooling down or palate cleanse

Xavier: no water?

Harley: water doesn’t help cool down

Mr Johnson: -pulling out a bottle of tequila- a shot of my Spirit of the —

Wednesday: -knocking the bottle down- this is a high school dorm! And you will not be using our night of fun to promote your tequila, Mr Johnson

Mr Johnson: you will pay for that bottle, young lady!

Xavier: Wednesday! I can’t believe you knocked down The Foundation’s bottle of tequila!

Principal Thropp: that’s enough! Wednesday will not be paying for the tequila. I am certain Mr Johnson you make enough that one broken wasted bottle is not breaking your bank account. And Wednesday is in the right. Perhaps knocking the bottle down was a bit much, but she will not be punished. This boarding school while yes does teach up to the equivalent of two years of college? The students here in attendance are not of drinking age and I will not allow you to self promote your bland tequila

Harley: - snickering to Wednesday- bland is right.

Wednesday: indeed.

Mr Johnson: as if the two of you know anything about tequila!!

Harley: I, sir am 22 and am of drinking age. I in fact do know quite a lot as it has been reported that I have a role in an upcoming film where tequila plays a huge role. The cast and crew have been getting quite the history and tasting lessons about all things tequila

Wednesday: my father loves tequila. And I have relatives in Mexico who have a tequila tasting bar the caters to tourists. And to reiterate Principal Thropp. While yes, this school does teach up to two years of college? My school friends are not of legal drinking age. We are 17/18 years old

Kent: Nuggie number one!! What do you think?

The four contestants ate the first nugget

Mr Johnson: I love it!

Xavier: this is so good! I love it

Wednesday: -glaring at Kent- how dare you

Harley: YOU! You did not put the sauce I think you did? This is awful

Kent: -chuckling- sorry. I couldn’t resist when I heard you were coming-revealing the first hot sauce as Ortega mild hot sauce-

Harley: you couldn’t even at least get hot? Not mild?

Wednesday: oh gods no. Mild is at least the best tasting and that is saying a lot

Harley: -laughing- that is true

Xavier: what do you mean? I love Ortega mild sauce. It’s so good on burgers when you’re not in the mood for being typical with ketchup!

Kent and Enid brought out the next nugget bowl

Harley: -she brought the bowl up to her nose to sniff it- ugh. Why, Kent?

Wednesday ate it and glared

Mr Johnson: now this is a good spicy nugget

Xavier: oh! This is definitely hot!

Harley: this is Fred’s Red Hot buffalo sauce

Kent revealed Harley was right.

Kent: okay. No more fooling around. The good stuff is coming. Originally the Red Hot was the opener as a joke on Wednesday. When we were talking about doing this ahead of commented how much she hated Fred’s. When she said you, Alyssa, Frank and Pip were coming? I couldn’t resist the Ortega sauce. Sorry

Harley: -chuckling -that’s fair. good one. Now let’s start this show! Bring on the good stuff, Kent

#wednesday addams #enid sinclair #enid x wednesday #wenclair #wednsday addams #enid and wednesday #wednesday x enid #wenclair au #xavier thorpe #kent wednesday

40 notes · View notes

lordressdragoonbear · 8 months ago

Text

Cottage Cheese - 2br, 1ba 🧀

Hello, hello! Here is my newest build!

I literally just built this for a sim I haven't even had the chance to play as since, I've been busy.

This a small cottage for garden loving sims, I love this freaking house I think it's so cute!

It’s mostly base game, just a lot of store content and a few pieces of CC.

This Here Package contains: 1 House for the garden mouse??

It also comes as a package file, just put it in the library folder then you’re good to go!

Thanks to all the CC creators whose CC I used, ya’ll are grand and I love your work!

Link: SFS/DRIVE

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ApTSJY17VCU?feature=shared

CC Links:

1: https://modthesims.info/d/527775/separated-shutters-shiftable-left-amp-right-pieces.html

2: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-objects-garden/title/hawthorne-patio-set/id/1139943/

3: https://aroundthesims3.com/objects/room_downtown_06.shtml

4: https://modthesims.info/d/436276/simple-shower-tub.html

5: https://modthesims.info/d/439754/animated-modern-ceiling-fan.html

6: https://www.thesimsresource.com/artists/Mutske/downloads/details/category/sims3-objects-furnishing-decor-miscellaneous/title/macau-plate/id/1230977/

A lot of stuff comes for this tumblr.

7: https://grandelama.tumblr.com/

8: https://modthesims.info/d/428179/one-more-slot-please-with-vertical-shifting-update-2-nov-2011.html

Bonus! Here's a pic of Beth with her little sister Lynn!

#ts3 #the sims 3 #ts3cc #the sims #simblr #ts3 download #ts3 simblr #ts3 lot

71 notes · View notes

nathandrakeisabottom · 11 months ago

Note

Yesss please sam drake food/eating hcs?? Fave meals, hated meals, etc

It is with great joy and great belatedness that I post my first Uncharted piece in ages. Thank you for the lovely ask, anon. :)

⋆ Sam Drake - Eating Headcanons ⋆

Two words: scarcity mindset.

After running away from Saint Frances’s, to claim money was tight is to be telling some humorous bit, Money was borderline non-existent. And as such, came what the Drake boys do best: theft.

Liquor stores were their easiest, and most consistent source. Sam still takes great pride in telling his many stories revolving around ‘cashier meet-cutes’ disguising their proudest heist to date: a 12-year-old Nathan smuggling canned goods under a moth-holed hoodie.

Because of this, gas station snacks: twinkies, Lays chips, slurpees, etc. all tend to give him this simultaneous sense of nostalgia and nausea. Like when you’re eating eggs and all of a sudden, your body gags on the next bite.

But on an especially shitty day, expect him to be gobbling a Big Gulp and a half-frozen hot dog on the nearest street corner, with a half-smoked cigarette still sunken between his lips. It’s the way he wallows.

Secretly wants you to tell him how bad that shit is for him so he has an excuse to snottily spat back “who the ‘ell cares?”. He finds pride in not caring about anything. (He cares about everything.)

Getting fast food at the drive-thru? Man waves you off a total of three times claiming he doesn’t want nothing before proceeding to eat half of your McNuggets without asking. He loves BBQ sauce and needs Tabasco on everything like it’s his will to live.

Big fan of spicy, sour, and tart, anything that makes your mouth pucker. Pretzels, salt and vinegar chips, cottage cheese, pickles, pineapple (😉). “What can I say? I admire a fruit that fights back!” — he snorts before taking a raw bite of a lemon, just to squirm you out.

Maybe a bit of the masochist in him.

When he and Nate were able to get proper gigs (12-year-old Nathan: illegally, of course), they were able to progress to the simplest of grocery outlet options. Eggs, instant ramen packets, canned vegetables that were 9 out of 10 times eaten raw out of the can with a fork, and more nothing-but-toast-for-dinner than they’d want to admit).

Sam and Nate spent most of their childhood eating their dad’s scrambled eggs and microwaved peas. When their mom passed, and dad released them to the state, Sam decided he’d only ever eat over-easy again.

Nate still chooses scrambled. He asks for cheese and green onions to split the difference, but always ends up only eating half of it before the memories come too strong and he has to push his plate away.

QUICK eater. MESSY eater. And I mean quick and messy.

Will use as minimal cutlery as possible, and if disposable, even better.

A scooper. Tends to be a chronic careless spiller with how frequently he tries to funnel all the last crumbs into his mouth, how quickly he chugs even a glass of water. (Most shirts of his are stained as a result.)

Tends to wait till the last possible moment to eat or drink anything. Breakfast basically doesn’t exist to him.

Spills more beverage down his chin and shirt than his mouth (but a wet t-shirt certainly isn’t the worst thing to happen. Especially not to Samuel Drake. ;)

Pizza order: Meat Lover’s with extra sausage. Maybe some green bell peppers when he finally compromises with Nate during movie night.

Never, ever orders (well, non-alcoholic) drinks when eating out. And only water when he finally lets himself cave. Otherwise, he’s stealing sips from the nearest patron’s Jarrito bottle (his favorite is Tamarind).

Doesn’t bother cleaning up his fruit peels or peanut shells, even around others. That shit’s going on the floor without a second look.

Surprisingly, a king and natural on the BBQ. Despite having so little in their childhood, Sam still tried to go hard on the holidays for Nathan’s sake. Fourth of July is still Nate’s favorite holiday exclusively because of Sam’s public park-smoked ribs and the long, bumpy motorcycle ride up the highest hill in whatever city they were currently loitering in, just to see the fireworks.

A dive bar master. Nate always orders whatever grease-covered appetizer they got in the back. Sam purposely keeps his stomach empty so there’s more room for whiskey. (Since nobody asked, incredible at pool, and will offer any woman in a twenty foot circumference a lesson. Cue the leaning chest over back, cue stick fantasy.)

A love language that was a total surprise to him is his partner cooking/baking something just for him, especially if it’s from scratch. Gets that rare, soft look in his eyes as he watches them carefully place each steaming plate onto the table. And trust, he’s not looking at the food when it happens.

Loves his partner in an apron. Like… loves his partner in an apron.

Make him food, and as soon as it’s eaten, he’s eating you after. ;)

When he finally settles down post-Madagascar, it’s a fucking struggle to get him to go grocery shopping at all for the first few months.

Self-punishment, maybe.

Nathan buys them himself instead and leaves them on the porch of Sam’s trailer park home when he’s too depressed to answer the door.

Basically has to be forced to eat actual meat and vegetables. For the first few months, he reverts and eats only familiar prison food. The same single pot of chili/beans for a whole week, half portions only for each meal. Uncooked canned carrots. Microwave popcorn when Nathan calls him asking if he’s eaten, and when Sam lies, it sounds more believable with the microwave droning in the background.

However, when he finally starts to pick himself back up, when he gets his first day job since prison, finally lets Nate buy him a used truck to get around, his first solo call from Sully, that’s when he finally starts to eat.

And when he finally feels like himself again, when he finally lets himself want to live again, the first hobby that Sam Drake takes up is cooking.

#uncharted #sam drake #sam drake x reader #uncharted 4 #uncharted 4: a thief's end #shea is back babyyyy (at least a little bit)#life's been real hard and i think i need to go back to uncharted and writing a bit to save my soul #also i love this man and wanna see him well #don't we all???#also biggest hugs and heart eyes to the anon who decided to stick around this dead blog #thank you <3

96 notes · View notes

simstorian-blog · 10 months ago

Text

Rio Verde – Wedding Venue

(CC List + Links)

World Map: Oasis Springs

Area: Skyward Palms

Lot Size: 40 x 30

Gallery ID: Simstorian-ish

Packs Used

City Living

Cottage Living

Dine Out

Discover University

For Rent

Get Famous

Get Together

Growing Together

My Wedding Stories

Snowy Escape

Spa Day

Strangerville

Vintage Glamour Stuff Pack

Build Mode

Anachrosims – Murals Wallpaper Pt 1

Felixandre – Colonial Pt. 3 (Tiles)

Felixandre – Paris Pt. 3 (Boiserie Door Single)

Felixandre – SOHO Pt. 1 (Single Sink, Toilet + Toilet Remote, Travertine Floor, Wide Mirror)

Harlix – Harluxe (Shutter Window – Open)

Harlix – Tiny Twavellers (Plain Wall)

Harrie – Brownstone Pt. 2 (Arch Medium)

Harrie – Coastal Pt. 1 (Doors)

Harrie – Klean Pt. 2

Pierisim – Tilable (Plaster)

SimPlistic – Elegant Wallpaper Peacock

SimPlistic – Vintage Country Wallpaper

Buy Mode

13Pumpkin – Golf Cart

BlueTeas – Heron Office (Ceiling Lamps)

BlueTeas – Milano Lounge Chair

CowBuild – Urban Rug

Felixandre – Colonial Pt. 3 (Plant)

Felixandre – Florence Pt. 1 (Piano)

Felixandre – Grove Pt. 2 (Stacked Bowls, Stacked Plates)

Felixandre – Shop the Look 2 (Vanity)

Harlix – Bafroom (Wall Mirror Small)

Harlix – Baysic (Bedding w Blanket, Mirror in Stand, Packs Wardrobe, Short Dining Table)

Harlix – Baysic Bathroom (Modern Flush, Modern Wipe, Towel Clutter, Sink, Shower, Shower Wall)

Harlix – Kichen (Glasses, Olive Oil)

Harlix – Livin’ Rum (Coffee Table)

Harrie – Coastal Pt. 7 (Leaning Mirror)

Harrie – Halcyon (Kitchen Counter)

Harrie – Octave Pt. 4 (Double Light Switch)

Harrie – Shop the Look 2 Ceramic Side Table)

Joyce – Simple Live #5 (Bathrobe, Shower Gel)

KHD – Contemporary Sofa

Kta – Abstract Prints 3 (Mesh Needed)

Kta – Abstract Prints 4 (Mesh Needed)

LedgerAtelier – Stoneleigh Pt. 2 (Faux Wall with Porthole S, Porthole Window S)

Max20 – Ever After (Sign of Attention, Table)

Peacemaker – Hinterlands Living (Fringed Pouffe)

Peacemaker – Kassova Sectional

Pierisim – Calderone (Bedframe)

Pierisim – Domaine Du Clos Pt. 2 (Account Book)

Pierisim – Domaine Du Clos Pt. 3 (Curtains, Suitcases)

Pierisim – MCM Pt. 3 (Narrow Rug)

Ravasheen – Mini Fridge

Ravasheen – Invisible Dance Floor

Ravasheen – Lentil Things (Host Station)

SixamCC – Life in Plastic (Bar, Dining Oasis, Stool, Vanity Chair)

Sundays – Kediri Pt. 1 (Throw Pillow Solids)

TaurusDesign – Lilith Chilling Areas Pt. 1 (Sul Sul Sign)

Tuds – Cave (Panel Lights)

Tuds – Ind 02 (Décor Bottles, Wine Rack)

Tuds – Ind 03

Tuds – NCTR (Fridge, Tray w Cheese)

Winner9 – Yokeda Wall Lamp Triple

DO NOT REUPLOAD MY LOTS.

DO NOT CLAIM THEM AS YOUR OWN.

DO NOT PLACE BEHIND A PAYWALL.

Tray Files: DOWNLOAD

#simstorian #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 #cc #ts4 simblr #build #sims 4 build #oasis springs #commercial lot #wedding venue

98 notes · View notes

fairytwirler · 5 months ago

Text

Alright. I have let myself go HARD the last few days because of being on my period and also being stressed out af and I can't be living like that any more. Starting today, here are my new rules for this summer.

Breakfast: Coffee with one creamer packet and one packet of Splenda with one bowl of fruit with two tablespoons of cottage cheese.

Morning Snack: None.

Lunch: Coffee with one creamer packet and one packet of Splenda. One bowl of salad with either five pieces of grilled chicken or one hard-boiled egg.

Milk and Cookies: None, unless it's below 100 calories.

Dinner: Coffee with one creamer packet and one packet of Splenda. One bowl of salad with either five pieces of grilled chicken, one hard-boiled egg, or one-fourth of a plate of whatever protein they are serving.

Evening Snack: Fruit ONLY.

Exercise: At least 20k steps, standard core workout, and 30 minutes of stretching.

Wish me luck! Hopefully this gets rid of some of my bloat.

#tw ana bløg #⭐️rving #pro for me not for thee #tw ed but not sheeran #tw ed sheeran #ana is my friend #tw ana rant #@na motivation #tw 3d vent #th1n$pø

34 notes · View notes

jerzwriter · 6 months ago

Text

Mostly Pleasant Surprises 3 of 4 The Best Laid Plans

This is the final installment of "how they finally got together." I promise. 😊

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Pairing: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen

Series Summary: It's been months since the chemical attack, and "kind of" exes-turned-friends Tobias & Casey have been stubbornly denying their growing feelings for each other. But when a series of events threatens to come between them, will they find their way back together?

Part 3 Summary: Casey's friends are determined to get her and Tobias together at long last. When Bryce has a chance encounter with Tobias, it seems like all systems are go. Will they get the fairy tale ending they deserve?

A/N: Graduations and family events are over; I'm getting my babies together! For the 2 fans still remaining, I hope you enjoy the final two parts as much as I've enjoyed writing them!

Series Masterlist || Tobias x Casey Masterlist Full Masterlist

Casey was half asleep as she plodded through the cafeteria. She never showed up this early for work, and it showed.

“Excuse me,” an intern apologized, even though it was Casey who had tripped into him.

But the exhausted resident was too tired to care. After muttering something nasty about interns under her breath, her eyes went wide. If she didn't watch herself, she would morph into Ethan Ramsey! In the distance, Bryce and Jackie waved her to their table. Delighted to see friendly faces, she rushed to join them.

Bryce eyed the food on his friend’s tray with disgust. “What... the hell is that?”

“Breakfast!"

“On what planet? A scoop of grey cottage cheese, artificially flavored orange Jell-O, chocolate milk, and a package of Fruit Loops.” Bryce looked up in horror. “Are you pregnant?”

A bark of laughter escaped her. “Please! There’s a better chance of Sister Agatha from St. Joseph’s being knocked up than me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jackie teased.

“Because if God wanted a vessel for another immaculate conception, I assure you, he’d choose Sister Agatha over me.”

“Ouch,” Bryce winced, placing one of his pancakes on Casey’s plate. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. God could do much worse than you.”

“What’s the pancake for?”

“I don’t know,” he smiled. “Do you really want to eat any of the crap on your plate?”

Casey looked down at her plate with a sigh. “No. I’m so tired, I didn’t even know what I was grabbing.”

“Why so tired?” Jackie asked. “You were already in bed when I got home last night.”

Casey went to answer but couldn’t find words. Sitting with her mouth agape, Sienna slid into the seat beside her and saved the day.

“She wasn’t feeling well last night... she went to bed early but was up and down a lot.”

“In that case, why don’t you take a sick day?” Bryce asked. “Ethan knows you’re still easing back into work. I don’t think he’d mind.”

Casey mumbled something unintelligible as she stuffed a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

“Uh, come again?” Bryce asked.

“I said, I doubt Ethan would be all right giving me the day off to get over Tobias.”

“Over Tobias?” Jackie asked with a raised brow. “I’ve been waiting for you to be under Tobias. When did this happen?”

“Casey saw something online last night,” Sienna jumped in. “But we don’t have all the facts.”

“Online?” Bryce asked protectively. “What exactly did she see... online?”

“It’s nothing,” Casey stated. “Tobias was on a date, that’s all. But it doesn’t matter... he and I are just friends. So, it doesn’t matter.”

Jackie was already scrolling through her socials to find the damning post as Bryce looked pointedly at Sienna for more details.

“We don’t know that he was on a date!” Sienna insisted. “A nurse from Kenmore posted something that alluded to that, but I have my doubts."

“Nurse’s name?” Jackie asked.

“Audrey Kenner,” Sienna replied before Casey could stop her.

“There’s nothing daming on her Insta now. Are you sure it was there?”

“It was there,” Casey spat. “Trust me.”

“Yeah, but it’s gone now,” Sienna tried to placate. “That tells me something is fishy! You can’t jump to conclusions.”

Bryce nodded in agreement. “Sienna’s right. Everyone knows he's crazy about you. Talk to him.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Casey said, dropping her fork to her plate with an exasperated sigh. “It doesn’t matter because we’ve only been friends, and that’s what we’ll stay.”

She ignored her friends eyeing each other but took the opportunity to steal a second pancake from Bryce’s plate.

“Fine,” Jacie shrugged. “Fairy tales are overrated anyway. But you should get yourself back in the game. It’s bad for your complexion to be celibate this long.”

“What?” Casey huffed, rubbing her face. “My complexion is fine!”

“For now,” Jackie said without missing a beat. “But you’re in the danger zone.”

“Then I’ll up my skincare routine. Because I’ve decided to focus on work... my career. Who needs the other shit, anyway?”

“You do,” Bryce interjected. “Come on, Case. All the work and no play make Jane a very dull girl. That’s never been my Casey.”

“Well, near-death experiences have a way of changing outlooks.”

“What have you changed your outlook on?” Elijah asked, joining the table.

“Casey’s going to remain celibate for life,” Jackie said as Elijah erupted into laughter.

“Sure she is!”

“You know,” Casey said, pushing away from the table. “I’ve really had enough. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

“Casey... come back,” Sienna called, but Casey marched right out the door.

“Nice work, Greene,” Bryce groaned.

“What did I do?” his friend wailed.

“Nothing,” Sienna sighed. “Casey’s just nursing a broken heart.”

“A broken heart?” Elijah asked. “Who broke her heart?”

“The internet,” Jackie deadpanned.

“I think she has the wrong idea about Tobias,” Sienna stated.

“Are we sure it’s the wrong idea?” Elijah asked.

“No,” Sienna replied. “But I’m pretty confident. The only way to know is to ask him, but Casey refuses.”

“So,” Elijah shrugged. “Ask him yourself.”

“I’m not going to overstep like that!” Sienna insisted. “It’s up to her to ask if she wants to.”

“You’re right,” Bryce insisted. “And if she doesn’t... maybe it means she is over him.”

Jackie let out a laugh. “You know she’s not over him! The girl was all googley eyes looking at him not two days ago.”

“Of course she’s not,” Bryce replied. “I was being facetious.”

“She’s scared,” Sienna countered. “She’s had her heart broken a lot... her college boyfriend, her med school girlfriend, by he of whom we shall not speak of at Edenbrook, and even by Tobias last year. It’s not surprising that she’s protecting herself.”

“So,” Elijah grinned. “What do you say we force her hand?”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“If she’s so over T, let’s hook her up with someone else!”

“Terrible idea,” Bryce grimaced.

“Yeah,” Sienna agreed. “That wouldn’t work.”

But Jackie was intrigued. “It could. What do you have in mind, Elijah?”

“That new guy that signed up for the softball team.”

“Oh! The hottie from Radiology!” Sienna enthused as a smug Elijah nodded.

“That’s him!”

“I’ve seen him,” Bryce shrugged. “I’m unimpressed. Besides, Casey doesn't even know him."

“Not yet,” Elijah grinned. “But if we talk him up... offer to set them up?”

“It’s brilliant!” Jackie jumped in. “She'll realize she has no desire to see anyone else, and it’ll force her to face the fact that she wants Tobias.”

“Since when do you care about other people’s love lives?” Bryce asked.

“I don’t. But I’m invested in this... I’ve been watching those two circle each other for months and I deserve the payoff."

“Don’t do it,” Bryce warned.

“Too late,” Elijah grinned, looking up from his phone. “I just texted nurse Sarah who confirmed radiology hottie is single, and he was asking her about Casey just the other day.”

“Great,” Bryce sighed. “So he has a thing for Casey. Let’s use him to trick her into seeing she has a thing for Tobias. Except she already knows she has a thing for Tobias; she’s just too scared to address it. What could go wrong here? This isn’t a dumpster fire waiting to happen.”

“You are such a drama queen,” Jackie griped. “Elijah, you know him... talk to him about Casey. I’ll start to upsell radiology hottie at home tonight. By the way, does he have a name?”

“Jake,” Elijah smiled. “You know he’s a nice guy... worst case scenario, Casey falls for him instead.”

“Yeah,” Bryce shook his head. “That’s the worst-case scenario.”

“Relax, Lahela,” Elijah laughed. “When we’re heading to their wedding one day, you won’t be able to say you played a part in getting them together.”

“Whose wedding are we speaking about, exactly?”

“Casey & Tobias’s!” Jackie spat. “Duh!”

“Knock yourselves out, guys,” Bryce said, stepping away. “But count me out of this.”

~~~~~

Across town, Tobias was just beginning to wake up and eagerly reached for his phone, disappointed to see Casey had yet to respond. He instinctively shot her another text, and when he didn't hear back a few hours later, he tried once more.

Casey picked up her phone when it buzzed in her pocket... she knew Tobias was persistent. He was bound to show up if she didn’t answer, so she shot a text his way...

She felt her stomach turn, and her eyes went moist. Great, she thought. He needs to tell me... tell me he’s been dating Audrey. She was angry at herself for letting this bother her so much. All she wanted to do was cry. But there was no avoiding this. Maybe biting the bullet and confirming her worst fears was the way to go. But not during the work week... she had just returned to work and didn't need the distraction.

~~~~~

The next few days passed in a blur; before they knew it, it was Friday night, also known as Pizza Friday, at the roomies. Jackie & Elijah’s attempt to sell Jake was now entering day three, but Casey was still not biting.

“No,” she stated firmly.

“Why not!” Jackie demanded. “Look,” she held her phone with a picture of the handsome radiologist in Casey's face. “Look at him! He’s adorable! He’s got that dopey, doe-eyed look so many of you chicks go crazy for and blue eyes. Not for nothing, I’ve noticed blue eyes are your thing.”

“So? Go out with him yourself?” Casey shrugged.

“Meh, you know guys are just a passing interest to me,” Jackie replied.

“Well, for the hundredth time, I’m not interested either.”

“You know, you snooze, you lose,” Elijah smiled. “A hottie like that won't be on the market for long.”

“Would you stop calling him a hottie!” Casey cringed. “And I’ll take my chances... the answer is still no.”

“Guys...” Sienna attempted to intervene, but Jackie spoke over her.

“Because you’re not over Carrick.”

Elijah’s and Sienna’s heads flung toward Casey, and if looks could kill, they’d be planning Jackie’s wake.

“There’s nothing to get over,” she said through clenched teeth.

Jackie was undeterred. “Look, the Casey I know would have been all over this. It’s time to get back out there, hon. And if Carrick isn’t a thing, what’s the harm in talking to the guy? Worst case scenario, you tell him you're not interested."

“She’s not wrong,” Elijah agreed. “It doesn’t even have to be a “date date.” You can just happen to be at Donahue’s at the same time; you grab a beer together....”

“No!”

“Fine,” Jackie snapped. “But when you die alone surrounded by seventy-five cats, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“I happen to like cats,” Casey smirked.

“Well, Jackie may be giving up, but I’m not,” Elijah insisted. “I’m sorry, Casey, but I think this one has real potential!”

“I’m not giving up!” Jackie yelled as Sienna unsuccessfully attempted to change the subject once again.

Casey's head pounded as the three friends continued to bicker. She rubbed her temples as the noise and the monotony continued.

“Fine! Fine!” She yelled. “If I share a beer with this guy, smile, and go home... do you promise to never discuss this again?”

“Absolutely,” Jackie beamed.

“Then make it happen. But I’m just doing this to shut the two of you up. It's not a date! Is that clear?”

“Crystal!” Elijah grinned. “Just leave it to us.”

~~~~~

Casey sat hunched over the bar. Her lack of enthusiasm was impossible to miss as she downed her third beer of the night. Her dutiful sidekick, Sienna, hadn’t left her side, still trying to make her best friend smile.

“If it makes you feel better, I think Jake is working tonight. So they probably won't spring him on you today."

“It doesn’t matter,” Casey sighed. “I just wanted some time out with my friends, and their stupid quest isn’t helping at all.”

Sienna placed a comforting hand on Casey’s shoulder. “Their hearts are in the right place, but their brains... not so much.”

“Well, if they spring him on me tonight, I’m ready,” Casey grinned, gesturing toward her attire. “See this? My rattiest, oldest jeans, accompanied by my shittiest sweatshirt! The messy bun and minimalist makeup complete my look."

"And what look is that?" Sienna laughed.

"I call it... I'm not interested."

“You jerk. You’re still prettier than just about anyone in the room. So that plan is a major fail!”

“I don’t care,” Casey shrugged, her mood slipping even lower; then, she spoke in just a whisper. “I’m having lunch with Tobias tomorrow.”

“You are!” Sienna enthused. “That’s great news!”

“Don’t get hopes up,” Casey frowned. “He said he had to talk to me.... he’s going to tell me about Audrey.”

Sienna let out a long sigh. “Do you know this for a fact?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I just do.”

“Casey,” her friend winced. “Sometimes, you’re your own worst enemy.”

Casey motioned to Reggie for another beer... and she didn’t even like beer.

“I can’t do it again, Si. I’ve had my heart broken one too many times. What kind of an idiot falls for Tobias Carrick... Boston’s biggest playboy who’s already hurt me once. Tomorrow, when he tells me about Audrey, I will smile and wish him the best, and then I’m moving on. I... I can't do this again.”

“Casey....” Sienna whimpered.

“My mind is made up.”

“All right then,” Sienna said, swirling her drink. “Then you do what you need to do.”

“Casey?”

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to find an incredibly handsome man with the kindest eyes she’d ever seen standing behind her. Even sitting, she could tell he’d stand a good half-foot above her 5’9” frame. “A little bird told me I’d find you here,” he smiled.

“Mmm hmm," she hummed, playing it cool. "Was the little bird’s name Elijah or Jackie?”

“I won't give them away," he grinned. "But, I can already tell I’m going to be thanking them soon. What are you drinking?”

“Blue Moon,” she said, nodding toward the bottle Reggie just delivered.

“Well, this one is on me.”

She should have gone home. She knew she wasn’t interested in anyone whose name wasn’t Tobias Carrick. But that familiar ache in her chest told her another heartbreak was just hours away. With that on the horizon, would it be so bad to give this man a chance?

“Would you like to grab a booth?” Jake asked.

Casey grabbed her beer from the bar, stepped off her stool, and sauntered past him. “This isn’t a date,” she smirked.

“I never said it was. But if I play my cards right... maybe the next one will be.”

She found herself smiling despite herself. “You have one hour."

That hour went by in a flash. Even if Casey would have noticed it ended, she wouldn’t have been inclined to point it out. Jackie and Elijah were right. Jake was delightful. Smart - he graduated top in his class from Harvard Medical – followed by a residency at Hopkins. He had already published more than physicians twice his age, and Edenbrook considered snagging his a coup. Still, he couldn't have been more humble. He was easy to talk to and far more interested in talking about her than himself, though she managed to get her questions in. He was very close with his younger sister, who had turned him into a bonafide Swiftie. As he talked, Casey couldn't help but think this guy checked every single box. He was perfect for her, everything she ever thought she wanted, and she was decidedly not interested.

She might regret passing up this opportunity one day; she was sure she'd be discussing this with her shrink. But, no matter how mesmerizing his blue eyes were, they weren't the ones she wanted to be gazing at. Jake's shy, unassuming charm was the polar opposite of Tobias’s confident swagger... but how she missed it.

“What do you say,” Jake asked, pointing to her empty bottle. “I realize my hour is up, but would you care for another?”

“Sure," she smiled. "What's the harm in one more.”

~~~~~

Tobias looked good. Too good. In his black cashmere coat, herringbone gaberdine pants, and black turtleneck, he was well overdressed for a Saturday night at Whole Foods. He was picking up a few items and then had the night free. He considered stopping by the Puddingstone. Seeing some old friends wouldn’t be the worst idea, and maybe it would keep him from counting the hours until he’d see Casey tomorrow. He just reached the checkout area when someone called out his name.

“Lahela,” Tobias grinned, extending his hand.

“You can call me Bryce.”

“Sometimes I do,” he smiled, taking notice of the younger man’s scrubs. “Just getting off shift?”

“Yeah! It was a long day. I can’t wait to get home and get some sleep.”

“On a Saturday night?” Tobias mocked. “Come on, Lahela! You’re too young and too good-looking for that... you should absolutely have a date.”

“Is that why you're so dressed up?" Bryce asked.

“Excuse me?”

Bryce exaggeratedly sniffed the air. “Is that Tom Ford? And those clothes.... not exactly a going home after grocery shopping look.”

“Nah,” Tobias chuckled. “No dates for me. At least... not tonight.”

“It’s Casey... isn’t it?”

Tobias looked startled as a brief silence fell between them.

“You two drive me crazy,” Bryce sighed. “Everyone can see you're crazy about each other.... and you'd be perfect together... so why don’t you tell her how you feel already?”

“Well, as fate would have it, that's exactly what I was planning to tell her tomorrow at lunch.”

“Nice!” Bryce beamed, patting Tobias on the back. “Finally! I’ve gotta give you credit, though.”

“Credit? For what?”

“Your patience! If I was about to tell the person I loved that I was crazy about them, I’d rush to do it as soon as possible. I wouldn’t be able to wait. You’re much cooler than me, Carrick.”

Tobias’s eyes went distant. “You know what... you’re right.”

“I am?”

“You’re absolutely right. I’ve been waiting long enough; why should I wait any longer?” He grabbed a bunch of loose bills from his pocket and tossed them into his basket. “Can you take care of this?”

“Sure!” Bryce insisted. “Just...go! Go! But where should I bring your groceries?”

“I don’t care,” Tobias hollered. “I’ll call you later!”

“All right,” Bryce grinned at the cashier as he pulled out his phone. “Si? Who is the man?”

“I’m assuming you’re the man?” Sienna replied.

“Oh, I am absolutely the man!”

“Good to know,” Sienna laughed. “Now, why are you the man?”

“Jackie and Elijah had all those bullshit games, but who is the one who got Tobias to finally tell Casey the truth? ME!”

“Bryce.... what talking about”

“I ran into him at Whole Foods. A sixty-second conversation with me, and our boy is running off for a romcom-worthy ending.”

“Running off to tell Casey?” Sienna asked with concern. “Where is he running to?”

“To Donahue’s...she’s still there, right?”

“He’s heading there NOW?” Sienna yelled.

“Yes, now... why is there....”

“Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no!” Sienna was already slipping on her sneakers. “I have to get back there. I have to call Casey....”

“Wait, why? Oh, no....” Bryce gasped. “They didn’t set up that thing with the radiology stud for today, did they?”

“YES! Casey was so sure Tobias was telling her he’s with Audrey tomorrow that she agreed to have a few drinks with him.”

“Oh, shit!” Bryce cursed. “I’m heading over there now.”

“Not if I get there first!”

~~~~~~

The ride from Whole Foods to Donahue’s went by in a flash, and if fate wasn’t smiling on him enough, Tobias found a parking a few doors away. In Boston! It was reminiscent of the day when he met Casey at the deli; a spot had been waiting for him as if it was bringing him to his future. It was all coming together.

He smiled as he took in a deep breath of the cold, New England air, making sure he memorized everything about the night. The way the streetlights sparkled on the icy patches on the sidewalk, the old Celtic tune blaring from inside the bar—he wanted - needed - to remember every moment of this night.

So, this was what it felt like? He had successfully avoided it for nearly four decades, never understanding what all the fuss was about. But here he was—Tobias Carrick was in love. He had dreamt of telling her for some time, and as he reached for the door, he couldn't believe the moment was finally here.

Sienna was in an Uber, not chancing this to public transit. She dialed Casey a dozen times on the ride there and tried Jackie and Elijah, too... but nothing. Bryce was already running to the bar, grocery bags in hand; his messages to Tobias had gone unanswered as well. Inside Donahue's, Casey and Jake’s conversation continued under the dim lights and the haze of one too many beers.

“Are you a Disney fan?” Jake asked.

“I'm not anti-Disney, but I’m not obsessed.”

“Tsk. That’s too bad,” Jake frowned. “Maybe we'll go to Disney World together one day, and I could help change your mind.”

“That would be a hard sell,” Casey grinned. Jake was a nice guy... a really nice guy... and this wasn't right. Even if Tobias was about to break her heart, experience told her that she'd be better off taking some time before seeing anyone else, and she could tell Jake deserved better.

“I have a few friends who are Disney freaks. If you’d like, I’d be happy to introduce you.”

Jake deflated a bit but quickly picked himself up. “Hey, if Disney is hard no, I will happily give up the Mouse for you.”

“It’s not that,” Casey smiled. “You seem like a great guy, Jake, and if this was another time, I might let you attempt to make me a Disney convert. But I’m still dealing with the after-effects of the chemical attack... and I’m not quite over someone I loved... so it's not a good time for me to begin seeing anyone."

“I understand,” Jake smiled. “And I appreciate your honesty. But we can still be friends, right? Because I hardly know anyone in Boston.”

“You’ve got a deal,” Casey smiled, extending her hand over the table to shake his hand. The handshake lingered a little too long, and with their hands intertwined, Casey smiled and turned toward the door.

Timing. Life was always about timing. After months of meaningful conversations, long rides, hugs, and occasional kisses, after all the tenderness they shared, the time was finally here. He could have told her dozens of other times, or she could have told him, but this was the moment fate had brought them to; he was going to do it. His heart was so full he worried it might burst, and then...it did.

The packed room seemed to fall silent as he stared at the woman he loved, and his face turned to stone. Her smile, her laugh, that light in her eyes... but she wasn’t looking at him. Maybe it’s not what it seems, a voice inside him pleaded, but that didn't stop his heart from sinking. He was nauseous, and his legs felt like gelatin beneath him. Maybe this was the flipside. This was why he had avoided it for so long. Dating was fun. Sex was fun. But relationships? Love? They were work. Work punctuated with heartache, and he successfully avoided them until he met her. Casey... his precious Casey, sitting no more than a few yards away, her face flushed as she held the hand of another man. Had he imagined everything before today?

Casey looked around the room, and the blood drained from her face as she locked eyes with Tobias.

“Hey, are you OK?” Jake asked.

“Yes... I’ve just... give me a minute.”

She rushed toward Tobias, who wished he could have lurched for the door, but it was too late; there was no choice but to face her.

“Tobias!” she yelled. Breathless, with a genuine grin when she reached him. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” he said, acting as nonchalant as he could. But as his eyes darted back to the table and Jake, realization washed over Casey.

“Oh, Tobias! Wait... let me explain...”

“There’s nothing to explain,” he replied with a level of coolness that shook Casey to her core.

“No... you don’t understand,” she insisted. “I want to explain because you should know that....”

“You’re on a date,” he shrugged. “That’s cool. Nothing wrong with that.”

“There’s.... there’s not?” She swallowed, her eyes beginning to glisten, and she suddenly felt much smaller than she was.

“Nope. It’s a good thing... it means you’re really ready to be back out in the world again.”

“Well, I am, but that's not what....”

She grasped his arm with desperation, but Tobias gently pushed it away.

“We’re friends. Right? We haven't been more than that since we broke up last year. You don’t owe me any explanation.”

“Oh,” she whispered, diverting her eyes so he wouldn't see the impact of his words. “I see...”

“Go have fun, Case. We’ll talk soon.”

“T...Tobias...” she called after him. “Are we still on for tomorrow?”

“Actually, I wanted to tell you that I got called into work. I’ll have to take a rain check.”

“Oh... but wait! You said you wanted to tell me something... tomorrow... what... what was it?”

He took a deep breath as he stepped toward her, steeling himself as he gently touched her shoulders. He never thought of himself as a skilled actor, but he had to pull out all the stops tonight. He would have made his college drama teacher proud.

“I was going to tell you that now that you’re back to work... and you’re doing well... you don’t need me as a crutch anymore.”

“Tobias!" She interrupted. "I never thought of you as a crutch! I hope that’s not the impression I gave!”

“Of course not,” he smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. “But it’s time for us to move on... that's what I wanted to tell you... but... it looks like we already have. Now, I really have to go.”

She wanted to run after him, but her feet felt like they were glued to the floor. What had he just told her? All she could do was stand in stunned silence as the man she loved bolted out the door. He had barely taken ten steps outside when Bryce ran up to him.

“Hey,” Bryce gasped, attempting to catch his breath. “Did... did you see Casey?”

“I did,” Tobias grunted. “And now, I’m heading home.”

“Wait... what happened?”

Tobias remained silent, his demeanor like steel as he opened his car door.

“Tobias!” Bryce hollered. “I don’t know what happened in there, but I know Casey, and I know she's crazy about you."

“It doesn’t matter," Tobias said with a wave of his hand. "Sometimes, the universe gives us signs and tonight, it delivered a neon sign to me. Now, if you’ll let go of my door... I really want to go home."

~~~~

Casey grabbed her coat from the rack, then rushed to the front door in tears.

“Casey!” Sienna hollered, grabbing her by the arm. “Where are you going? What happened?”

“Si,” Casey wailed. “I just... I just want to go home.”

Noticing the commotion, Jackie raced across the room. “Hey, what happened? I saw Tobias was here... what did he say?"

“It doesn’t matter!” Casey cried. “I told you, I’m an idiot... now, please... I need to go home.”

Sienna was already buttoning up her friend's coat. “Then that’s exactly where I’m taking you, sweetie. Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.”

“I’ll come, too,” Jackie added nervously, but Sienna held up a hand to stop her.

“No. Not now. I think you’ve done enough for tonight.”

~~~~~~~

Tobias tossed his keys on the side table as he entered his townhome. The place had never felt this cavernous, this quiet, this empty. He walked to the sideboard and poured himself a tumbler full of whisky, downing it quickly before pouring a second. He brought the decanter with him when he retreated to his couch; sitting in the darkness, he hoped the alcohol would begin to numb the thoughts in his head, and he prayed that when he woke up tomorrow, he'd revert to the man he once was... with no memory of the foolish one he had become. Minutes turned to hours, and by the time he decided to rise, he nearly had to crawl up the stairs to his room.

He collapsed into his bed, fully dressed, only taking a moment to kick off his shoes. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scoffed when he saw a text from Casey.

"This was a horrible experiment," he groaned, deleting her message before reading a word. He pushed a button next to his bed, and a buzzing noise surrounded him as his shades came down, ensuring light couldn't peek through until he was damn well ready to let it.

He looked at his phone again, squinting to see another message that had come in. This one was from Audrey, and in this state, he considered replying; the company might do him good. But stopped himself. Audrey, like Casey, was now in the past, and that's where the past belonged. It's not like he didn't have other options. Tomorrow was a new day, and he was determined to come back to life when the sun rose. It was time to move on.

(OK we're almost there... almost. I promise :) )

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

#open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x f!mc #tobias x casey #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic

32 notes · View notes