#go try all the different spicy chickens at the fast food places they all taste so good

[rainbowgothdisaster]

i deserve treats :(

[arvadadentalcenter]

A Local’s Guide to the Best Restaurants in Arvada CO

Nestled just northwest of Denver, Arvada, Colorado, offers a delightful blend of small-town charm and urban sophistication. Whether you're a resident or just visiting, Arvada's culinary scene is a hidden gem that showcases everything from innovative farm-to-table eateries to comforting classic diners. Here’s a local’s guide to the best restaurants in Arvada, CO, where you can enjoy a variety of flavors and experiences.

School House Kitchen & Libations

Located in Olde Town Arvada, School House Kitchen & Libations is a unique spot housed in a historic school building. This restaurant offers a playful twist on American classics with an extensive whiskey menu to match. The "Hot for Teacher" burger is a crowd favorite, paired with their truffle fries for a mouthwatering experience. The nostalgic ambiance, complete with school-themed decor, makes it a fun spot for both families and adults.

Homegrown Tap & Dough

If you’re in the mood for pizza with a creative twist, Homegrown Tap & Dough is the place to be. This locally-owned pizzeria prides itself on using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The wood-fired pizzas are a must-try, especially the "Figgy Piggy," which combines fig jam, prosciutto, and blue cheese for a perfect balance of sweet and savory. With a variety of Colorado craft beers on tap, it’s a great spot for a casual night out.

The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge

The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge offers a unique combination of craft coffee, fine bourbon, and a laid-back atmosphere. In the mornings, it’s the perfect place to grab a rich espresso or a latte made with locally roasted beans. By evening, it transforms into a cozy bourbon lounge with over 200 types of whiskey. Pair your drink with one of their delicious wood-fired pizzas or a hearty sandwich, like the "Kentucky Hot Brown," for a true Southern-inspired treat.

Kokoro

For a taste of Japanese comfort food, Kokoro is a local favorite. This fast-casual restaurant has been serving up delicious bowls of ramen, udon, and rice dishes for over 30 years. The "Chicken Donburi," a rice bowl topped with grilled chicken, veggies, and a flavorful sauce, is a must-try. Kokoro's friendly atmosphere and quick service make it an ideal spot for a satisfying meal on the go.

Smokin’ Fins

Seafood lovers will find their haven at Smokin’ Fins, where fresh fish is the star of the show. The restaurant blends traditional seafood dishes with Southwestern and Asian influences, creating a diverse menu that includes sushi, tacos, and more. The "Fins Signature Roll," featuring tempura shrimp, avocado, and spicy tuna, is a standout. For a landlocked state, Smokin’ Fins offers an impressive array of ocean-inspired flavors.

Mannekin Frites

For something a bit different, head to Mannekin Frites, a Belgian-style fry shop. This casual eatery offers perfectly crisped fries served with a variety of dipping sauces, from classic mayo to more adventurous options like curry ketchup or truffle aioli. Pair your fries with one of their Belgian-style sandwiches or waffles for a snack that’s both satisfying and indulgent. It’s the perfect spot for a quick bite while exploring Olde Town Arvada.

Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Brewpub

Yak & Yeti brings a taste of Nepal and India to Arvada with its flavorful and aromatic dishes. The menu offers a wide range of traditional curries, tandoori dishes, and momos (Nepalese dumplings), all served in a warm, inviting atmosphere. Their house-brewed beers, which often feature unique spices and flavors inspired by the cuisine, are the perfect complement to the food. The "Chicken Tikka Masala" paired with their "Chai Milk Stout" is a combination you won’t want to miss.

New Image Brewing

Beer enthusiasts will love New Image Brewing, a modern brewpub that pairs innovative craft beers with an equally creative food menu. Their ever-rotating beer selection ranges from hazy IPAs to sour ales, all brewed on-site. The food menu is eclectic, offering everything from gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to spicy Korean-inspired wings. It’s a great spot to relax with friends and enjoy some of the best local brews in Arvada.

Rheinlander Bakery

No visit to Arvada would be complete without a stop at Rheinlander Bakery, a beloved family-owned spot known for its European-style pastries. Whether you’re in the mood for a slice of decadent Black Forest cake, a buttery almond croissant, or a gluten-free treat, this bakery has something for everyone. The warm, inviting atmosphere makes it a perfect place to enjoy a coffee and dessert after exploring Olde Town.

Steuben’s Arvada

Steuben’s is a retro-inspired diner that offers classic American comfort food with a modern twist. From chicken and waffles to lobster rolls, their menu is full of hearty, satisfying dishes. The "Green Chile Cheeseburger" is a local favorite, featuring a juicy patty smothered in spicy green chile and melted cheese. The vintage decor and friendly service make Steuben’s a go-to spot for a nostalgic dining experience.

Final Thoughts

Arvada’s dining scene is as diverse as it is delicious, offering something for every palate. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick bite or a leisurely dinner, these local favorites showcase the best that this charming town has to offer. So next time you’re in Arvada, be sure to explore these top restaurants for a taste of what makes this community so special.

Arvada Dental Center & Implants: Your Trusted Partner for Comprehensive Dental Care

Located in the heart of Arvada, CO, Arvada Dental Center & Implants is a premier destination for comprehensive dental care. Known for its patient-centered approach, the clinic combines state-of-the-art technology with compassionate service to ensure each patient receives the best possible care. Whether you need a routine check-up, cosmetic enhancements, or complex dental implants, Arvada Dental Center & Implants is equipped to meet all your dental needs.

One of the standout features of Arvada Dental Center & Implants is its specialization in dental implants. Dental implants are a popular and effective solution for replacing missing teeth, offering a permanent and natural-looking alternative to dentures or bridges. The experienced team at Arvada Dental Center uses the latest techniques and materials to ensure successful implant procedures, restoring not just the function but also the aesthetics of your smile.

In addition to dental implants, the clinic offers a full range of dental services. From preventative care like cleanings and exams to restorative treatments such as crowns, fillings, and root canals, Arvada Dental Center provides comprehensive care for patients of all ages. The clinic also offers cosmetic dentistry services, including teeth whitening, veneers, and Invisalign, helping patients achieve their ideal smile. Click here.

What truly sets Arvada Dental Center & Implants apart is its commitment to patient comfort. The clinic’s welcoming environment, friendly staff, and focus on individualized care ensure that every visit is a positive experience. They understand that dental visits can be daunting for some, and they strive to make each patient feel at ease.

For residents of Arvada and the surrounding areas, Arvada Dental Center & Implants is a trusted partner in maintaining oral health and enhancing smiles, offering expert care you can count on.

Arvada Dental Center & Implants 6695 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003 303–421–7611 https://arvadadentalcenter.com/

[barbequesauceonline]

Spice Up Your Life With The Best Sauce And Condiment Brand

India is a place of diverse music, clothing, food, art, and traditions. In each of these categories, there are different genres and flavours that catch the attention of people all over the world. When it comes to food, it continues to evolve in cooking and consumption styles. One good example is pairing most of the consumables with sauces and condiments. Their contribution to transforming the culinary landscape of the country is significant. This may be due to the increasing exposure to global cuisines and the demand for diverse flavours and accompaniments. For example, barbeque sauce elevates the flavour of burgers and chicken meals. There are many other popular sauces and condiments, as discussed in this blog, that you can buy from Veeba. Read on to discover their usage in Indian cuisine, but first, let’s discuss the top reasons that led to their popularity in our country.

● People find it delectable to consume fast food and street food items that are usually paired with sauces and condiments. Their enhanced flavours let them have a whale of a time while travelling in their day-to-day lives. ● Indian consumers are now more willing to experiment with flavours and share their happy food journeys with everyone on social media. This brings attention to some of the top-flavoured condiments, like the peri peri sauce of Veeba. ● Another major reason behind the popularity of sauces and condiments is that they make lifestyles easier. They provide the benefit of preparing quick meals with the help of ready-made sauces. ● Health-conscious eaters can also add organic sauces to their plates, like barbeque sauce. What are the various sauces that find their place in delectable Indian cuisine? The aromatic combination of spices, herbs, and other ingredients makes up different-flavoured sauces. They complement a wide variety of food platters with their rich flavours. They work much like a cherry on the cake, as they also make the dishes presentable. Visit Veeba to buy some of the popular sauces that are discussed below.

Tomato-chilli sauce This sweet and spicy-flavoured sauce adds a delightful kick to a range of food items. From fried foods to chicken and seafood, it tastes well when paired as a dip or spread. Tomato chilli sauce is one of the main ingredients for Indian consumers due to its versatile nature. Their additions extend from breakfast to dinner or late-night craving meals.

Sweet chilli sauce This is another go-to condiment for fast food and street food items. This includes burgers, sandwiches, spring rolls, grilled meats, and more. The fusion of sweetness and spiciness of the sweet chilli sauce helps food lovers make the most of their mealtime.

Visit Veeba to buy a range of sauces and condiments at the best prices! If your taste buds are craving scrumptious flavours, try some of Veeba’s range of quality sauces and condiments. For example, you can order barbeque sauce online; its rich, smoky, and tangy flavour will make you feel great about your mealtime.

[shoppingnews]

Feeling Hungry? Great Places to Eat at Silicon Central Mall You Must Try

Silicon Central Mall, located in the heart of Dubai, is a haven for food lovers. With its wide range of dining options, this bustling mall offers something to satisfy every craving. Silicon Central Mall has got you covered whether you're in the mood for a quick bite or a lavish meal. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the top eateries in the mall that you must try.

Bloomsbury's: Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery

Bloomsbury's is the place for you if you're a fan of delectable pastries, mouthwatering desserts, and aromatic coffee. This boutique cafe and artisan bakery offers a delightful range of treats that are as pleasing to the eyes as they are to the taste buds. Every item on their menu is a work of art, from their perfectly crafted macarons to their freshly baked bread. The cosy ambience and friendly staff make it an ideal spot for a relaxing afternoon tea or a sweet indulgence.

Bhukkad Café

For those craving authentic Indian street food, Bhukkad Café is a must-visit. This vibrant eatery brings the flavours of the bustling streets of India to Dubai. From flavorful chaats to spicy pav bhaji, Bhukkad Café serves up a variety of delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Don't miss their delicious dosas and refreshing lassis. The vibrant decor and lively atmosphere make it a fun place to enjoy a hearty meal with friends and family.

Chicking

If you're a fan of crispy fried chicken, Chicking is the place to go. With its signature secret recipe, this fast-food joint offers some of the tastiest chicken in town. From classic fried chicken to flavorful wraps and burgers, Chicking has various options to satisfy your chicken cravings. Their menu also includes vegetarian options, making it an excellent choice for a quick and satisfying meal.

Papparoti

Papparoti is a global sensation known for its famous caramel-coated buns. Originating from Malaysia, this unique concept has taken Dubai by storm. The buns, freshly baked and topped with a caramel glaze, are a perfect blend of softness and crunch. Pair it with a cup of aromatic coffee for a delightful experience. Papparoti also offers a range of savoury snacks and refreshing beverages to cater to different tastes.

Haagen-Dazs

When it comes to indulgent desserts, Haagen-Dazs needs no introduction. This internationally renowned ice cream parlour offers many premium flavours with the finest ingredients. Haagen-Dazs has it all, whether you're in the mood for a classic scoop of chocolate or a decadent sundae. Treat yourself to their rich and creamy creations and savour every spoonful.

Piazza Sabbioni

For a taste of authentic Italian cuisine, head over to Piazza Sabbioni. This charming restaurant brings the flavours of Italy to Dubai with a menu featuring traditional pasta dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and mouthwatering risottos. The cosy ambience and warm hospitality create the perfect setting for a memorable dining experience. Remember to try their homemade gelato for a sweet ending to your meal.

McDonald's

McDonald's is conveniently located in Silicon Central Mall for those looking for a familiar taste. Whether you're craving a juicy burger, crispy fries, or their famous McNuggets, McDonald's has been a favourite fast-food destination for many. Its quick service and consistent quality make it a reliable choice for a satisfying meal.

Silicon Central Mall is a food lover's paradise with various dining options to suit every palate. The mall has it all if you're in the mood for international cuisines, indulgent desserts, or quick bites. These eateries mentioned above are just a glimpse of the fantastic dining experiences available at Silicon Central Mall.

As we explore Dubai's food scene, we often encounter questions like "Where must you eat in Dubai?" or "What is the most delicious food in Dubai?" Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, and its culinary scene reflects this diversity. The city has something for everyone, from traditional Emirati cuisine to international delicacies.

Regarding the favourite food of the UAE, it isn't easy to pinpoint just one dish. Emiratis have a deep-rooted love for their traditional cuisine, which includes dishes like Machbous (spiced rice with meat), Ghuzi (roasted lamb), and Luqaimat (sweet dumplings). These dishes genuinely reflect the country's rich heritage and flavours.

Additionally, Dubai has become a food lover's paradise with many international options. From fine dining establishments to street food stalls, you can find cuisines worldwide. Whether you're craving sushi, kebabs, pizza, or dim sum, Dubai's culinary scene has got you covered.

As you explore Silicon Central Mall and its wide range of dining options, don't hesitate to venture beyond your comfort zone and try something new. Dubai's food scene is all about discovery and embracing different flavours. Be open to exploring the local delicacies and the international cuisines on offer.

So the next time you find yourself at Silicon Central Mall and hunger strikes, you have a list of fantastic eateries. Whether you're in the mood for a delightful pastry at Bloomsbury's, a flavorful Indian street food experience at Bhukkad Café, or a savoury chicken meal at Chicking, you will find something that will tantalize your taste buds.

Remember to leave room for dessert because Papparoti and Haagen-Dazs offer indulgent treats worth every calorie. And if you're craving a taste of Italy, Piazza Sabbioni will transport you to the streets of Rome with its authentic flavours.

Silicon Central Mall is a food lover's paradise with its diverse culinary offerings. So the next time you're in Dubai and looking for a great place to eat, head to the mall and embark on a gastronomic adventure. From delightful cafes to international cuisine, Silicon Central Mall has it all, ensuring that your cravings will be satisfied and your taste buds will be delighted.

[seasonalbrunchmenu]

Why is a Chef Owned Restaurant So Popular?

When you go to a chef owned restaurant, you can expect to experience something different than the usual fast food restaurants. In these restaurants, the chefs take their time to make sure that you have a great meal. They also try to get to know their customers so that they can make the right recommendations. This is why chef-owned restaurants are so popular today.

Some people like to visit these restaurants because they provide a more engaging dining experience. These restaurants have great upscale service and they are always willing to help out their customers. These restaurants are also a good way to support local farmers and businesses.

Other people go to these restaurants because they are known for their amazing cuisine. This is because they are able to use fresh ingredients and they have a high level of knowledge about what to do with them. Moreover, these restaurants are often owned by famous international chefs.

If you love eating out, you should definitely consider visiting a chef owned restaurant. These restaurants offer a great dining experience and are a good place to meet new people.

Celebrity-owned restaurants are also a great place to go because they allow you to meet your favorite celebrity. These places are often located in some of the most beautiful locations in the world.

Some of these places have been around for a long time, so they have a lot of history behind them. The owners of these restaurants are usually very passionate about their restaurant and they are always trying to improve it.

The chefs at these restaurants are all very talented and they work very hard to make sure that their guests have a great dining experience. They are always looking for ways to improve their restaurant so that they can become more successful.

The best catering in Boise are a great way to taste the food of different cultures and countries. This is because they often have a variety of dishes that are made from different types of ingredients. This is why they are so popular and are a must-try for everyone.

Chef SuchananAksornnan, better known as Chef BaoBao, has a passion for her Thai cuisine and pairs it with French cooking to create delicious pan-Asian dishes. This is one of the reasons why her restaurant, Baoburg, has become such a hit in the city.

Founded by chef and restaurateur SuchananAksornnan, Baoburg is one of the best restaurants in the city. This is because the food at this restaurant is so delicious and it also has a great atmosphere.

The menu at this restaurant is made up of items from the different regions in Thailand, including spicy chicken wings and satay. This is because the owners of this restaurant are very proud of their culture and want to share their traditions with their guests.

This is another reason why this restaurant has become so popular because it is a great place to go if you are looking for a delicious meal. This is because the owners of this restaurant have a lot of experience in the culinary industry and they are always trying to improve their restaurant so that they can become successful. Visit this website at https://www.ehow.com/how_4809284_set-attractive-catering-table.html for more info about catering.

[payalebarfoodhalal]

Exploring the Delicious World of Paya Lebar Halal Cuisine

Introduction

It's easy to find best halal thai food in Singapore. In fact, almost every type of cuisine imaginable can be found here, halal-certified or not. But there's one halal dish that often goes overlooked: paya lebar.

Paya lebar is usually made with beef offal—heart, liver, and tripe—and served with a rich, spiced gravy. Some variations also include rice or noodles. This dish is unique to Singapore and can be hard to find outside of the country. But don't worry, we've got you covered. In this article, we'll introduce you to the delicious world of paya lebar cuisine.

An Overview of Paya Lebar Halal Cuisine

If you're Muslim and you've ever been to Singapore, there's a pretty good chance you've eaten at a paya lebar food halal restaurant. Paya lebar is the Malay word for "wet market", and Muslims who live in Singapore generally prefer to eat halal food. This means that all ingredients in the dish are halal, and that the cooking and preparation methods have been followed according to Islamic law.

So, what can you expect from paya lebar halal cuisine? Well, for starters, the food is incredibly delicious. You'll find a wide variety of dishes, from Malay classics like Nasi Lemak to Indian curries and Chinese stir-fries. And because it's halal, you can be sure that all of the ingredients are clean and healthy. So whether you're a Muslim looking for a familiar taste of home, or just someone looking for some good food, paya lebar halal cuisine is definitely worth exploring.

Where to Find the Best Halal Food in Paya Lebar

The best halal food in Paya Lebar can be found at Mamak. This restaurant is a Malaysian institution, and their cuisine is some of the most authentic halal food you can find in Singapore. The restaurant is always busy, but the service is friendly and fast, and the food is absolutely delicious.

Another great option for halal food in Paya Lebar is Tuk Tuk Cha. This thai restaurant is a favourite among locals, and their dishes are spicy and flavourful. If you're looking for a truly authentic Indonesian dining experience, Sunda Kelapa is the place to go.

Tastes of the Region: The Local Favourites

There's no mistaking the tastes of Paya Lebar food halal cuisine. The flavours are rich and bold, with a heavy emphasis on spices and herbs. The most popular dishes reflect the rich diversity of the region, and locals have their own favourites that they swear by.

Some of the must-try items include Murtabak, a delicious pancake filled with minced meat and onions; Nasi Briyani, fragrant rice cooked with spices and served with chicken or beef; and Laksa, a spicy noodle soup packed with flavours from all over Asia. If you're looking for a taste of Singaporean culture, Paya Lebar is the place to be.

Exploring Paya Lebar’s Cultural Flavourings

When it comes to the halal food in Paya Lebar, there's a whole world of deliciousness waiting to be explored. And trust me, it's well worth the effort.

One of the things that makes Paya Lebar's halal food scene so great is the diversity of cuisines on offer. You've got everything from Malay and Indonesian to Indian and Pakistani, not to mention all the different fusion dishes that have been created by talented chefs.

So where should you start? Well, if you're a fan of spice, then you definitely need to try nasi Padang. This Indonesian dish is traditionally made with beef, but you can also find chicken and fish versions.

If you're looking for something a bit lighter, then lontong is a good option. This dish is usually made with vegetables and rice, and it's often served with a side of chicken or beef curry.

And of course, no exploration of Paya Lebar's halal food scene would be complete without trying nasi briyani. This Indian-Muslim dish is made with rice that's been cooked in spices and broth, and it's usually served with chicken or mutton.

A Guide to Some of the Best Family-Friendly Dining Spots in Paya Lebar

There are plenty of great family-friendly dining spots in Paya Lebar, so you’re sure to find something to please everyone in your group. Here are a few of our favourites:

- Fatburger is a great choice if you’re looking for burgers, fries and shakes. They have a wide selection of burgers to choose from, including vegetarian options, and the kids will love their famous shakes.

- For something a little different, check out Sana Bistro, which serves up delicious Middle Eastern food. The falafel is a must-try, and the kids will love the fresh pita bread.

- If you’re in the mood for Chinese food, Hong Kong Kitchen is a great option. The menu has all of your favourite dishes, plus they have a special kids’ menu with smaller portion sizes.

- And last but not least, no trip to Paya Lebar would be complete without stopping by Jollibee for some Filipino food. The chickenjoy is a must-try, and the kids will love the adorable bee mascot.

Tips for Navigating Halal Dining Options in Paya Lebar

Here are a few tips to help you navigate the halal dining scene in Paya Lebar food halal:

- When in doubt, ask the waiter or waitress. They should be able to tell you which dishes are halal and which are not.

- If you're unsure about a particular ingredient, ask the chef. They'll be able to tell you what's in the dish and whether or not it's halal.

- When ordering, be specific about your needs. Tell the waiter or waitress that you require a halal meal, so they can make sure to give you appropriate options.

- When in doubt, there are always plenty of delicious fruits and vegetables to choose from!

Conclusion

All in all, we think that you’ll love exploring the delicious world of paya lebar food halal cuisine! There’s something for everyone, and we’re sure that you’ll find a dish or two that will become your new favourites. So what are you waiting for? Start exploring today!

[fruitcoops]

Hi! Do you think you’d be willing to write some Cubs fluff for Mardi Gras? Like Leo making Finn and Lo do something (I don’t exactly know how it’s celebrated)?

Oh my god I LOVE Mardi Gras!!! Also, I haven’t done Cubs fluff in a while, and I combined it with a couple other related prompts. This fic includes Cubs and Coops bonding (ft. Logan being a little shit), Leo learning to drive in the snow, a chaotic trip to the grocery store, and Lions family dinner after a winter walk. Hope you enjoy! Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove, as always <3

“Eas—Easy, babe, just take it nice and steady,” Finn gripped the ‘oh, shit’ handle with one hand and Leo’s thigh with the other; in the backseat, Logan rubbed his neck where the seatbelt bit into it.

Leo took an unsteady breath and carefully pressed the gas again, wincing as the car rumbled under him. “Oh god, oh fuck, okay.”

“Snow isn’t that hard to drive in—” Finn cut off as Leo slammed on the brakes again. “—as long as you don’t brake hard whenever you feel a little bit of ice. Lo, you okay?”

“Fine,” Logan wheezed, bracing against the car door.

“Slow and steady wins the race,” Finn murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on the road as Leo began inching forward again. “If you start to slip, take your foot off the gas and do not slam the brakes, okay? We don’t want to skid.”

“I don’t get why you can’t drive us there,” Leo said, glancing in each of his mirrors even though they were still in a fairly residential area. Ten minutes on the road and they’d barely made it four blocks from the apartment.

“Because you need to know how to drive properly.”

“I know how to drive!” Leo saw Finn and Logan exchange a look through the rearview mirror and smacked him lightly on the chest. “Stop it. When’s my next turn?”

“Still 53rd.”

“Left or right?”

“Right.” Finn tapped out a quick text on his phone. “Cap and Loops just arrived at the store.”

“Fuck,” Leo muttered.

“It’s okay, Peanut, take your time,” Logan said. “Just focus on getting there safely.”

Leo tried to breathe deep and they rolled down the block, flinching each time snow or ice crackled under the tires or threatened to make them slide. “I drive in the rain all the time. This shouldn’t be hard.”

“Rain is way different than snow.” Finn pointed to the next intersection. “Turn there.”

They took the turn a bit wide, but thankfully there were no cars on the other side—still, both Finn and Logan went pale. Logan cleared his throat. “Streets here aren’t as wide as New Orleans, mon amour.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Leo grumbled. “How much further?”

“The parking lot is on the next block.”

They almost got stuck driving up the small ramp into the parking lot due to Leo’s ‘slow and steady’ approach and he could have sworn he heard Logan muttering the Hail Mary in French under his breath. Parking was easy—nobody in their right mind would be driving after a true Gryffindor snowstorm. Except us, he thought wryly as he turned the engine off.

“Don’t forget to lock the car,” Finn said mere seconds after the key was out.

“Dude.”

“Sorry. Uh, Cap’s by the produce section.”

They were too focused on not slipping and falling on their asses to talk much while they walked through several snowdrifts to get to the front entrance of the grocery store; Leo sighed with happiness as soon as the heated air hit his face.

“Harzy!” Cap waved an arm over his head from the apple stand, smiling brightly. “You survived!”

“It was a close one,” Finn called back with a grin, sliding his hand into Leo’s back pocket as the three of them walked over.

“Dibs on riding in the cart!” One of Logan’s legs was already halfway into the basket before Sirius could stop him; he kicked aside the celery and onions and settled down, leaning back onto Sirius’ hands. “Bonjour.”

“Get out.”

“Non. I live here now.”

“I’m not pushing you.”

“I will!” Finn said. “Where’s the old ball and chain, Capsicle?”

“Call me that again and you can say goodbye to your ball and chain,” Remus said drily, lugging a bag of rice over from the other aisle. He stopped when he saw Logan, looking amused. “Hiya, Tremz. You look comfy.”

“Oh, I am.” Logan lounged in the cart, letting one leg drape over the side; he groaned when Remus set the rice bag on his chest. “Was that necessary?”

“No, but it was funny.” He grinned at Leo. “How was driving?”

Leo shrugged. “Decent.”

Sirius snorted as they began walking toward the meat section. “That bad, huh?”

“It’s a miracle I wasn’t beheaded,” Logan said. “Fish, how fast can you make it to the end of the aisle?”

“Loops, time me.” Finn tightened his grip on the cart and bent into a runner’s stance; Leo and Sirius both rolled their eyes as Remus dug his phone out of his pocket and opened up the timer.

“Ready…set…go!” Finn ran for three steps before hopping onto the under carriage as Logan whooped. Remus stopped the timer. “Four point six seconds! Get back here, I wanna try.”

“You’re not going to beat that time,” Logan laughed as he climbed out of the cart.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at the same time Remus stuck his tongue out. “Watch me. Knutty, can I trust you to be an unbiased timer?”

Leo shrugged. “Sure, gimme your phone.”

“You have one of your very own.”

“Trying to hide something, are we?” Logan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Sirius pushed him away by the forehead. “Spill the beans, Loops! Got some spicy messages in there? Some things poor baby Nutter Butter can’t handle?”

“No, I just don’t trust any of you with anything that belongs to me,” he laughed. “You’re walking safety hazards.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Leo said as he set the timer. “Ready? Go!”

Sirius nearly tipped the cart over when he stood on the lower bar, making both of them yelp and wobble for a moment. Leo stopped the clock at the end of the aisle. Three point nine seconds.

“Sorry, guys, that’s four point eight seconds!” he called as Sirius pushed the cart back up to them.

Remus narrowed his eyes. “Show me the phone.”

“I already reset the time.”

“So we definitely won,” Sirius said while Remus clambered out of the basket and Logan took his place. “Get out, Tremzy!”

“Make me!”

Sirius reached in and grabbed him under his armpits, but Logan kept a tight grip on the sides. “Are you done?” Remus asked wearily once Sirius started shaking him. “ ‘cause our grocery list is, like, a million miles long.”

With a disgruntled noise, Sirius dropped Logan back into the cart. “With any luck, he’ll be crushed under the food. What’s next?”

They had a few more competitions during their journey through the store, including onion basketball, vegetable Tetris, and a highly amusing game of twenty questions that ended in Sirius laying the bag of rice over Logan’s face.

Leo did some mental math as they walked out with six grocery bags full of ingredients. “We’ll need about seven pots to fit all this, but we’ve only got two that would work.”

“I think we’ve got one or two as well,” Remus said as he hauled a bag into the trunk of their car and brushed his hands off. “Celeste probably has some, and I can give Lily a call. Where are we making it, again?”

“Dumo’s. There’s nowhere near enough space at the apartment and I don’t want these two anywhere close to it.”

Finn shot him an offended look over a bag of onions. “Hey!”

“I love you, sweetheart, but if you fuck up my gumbo I’ll cry.” In the back of his mind, Leo was already thinking of small jobs for Logan and Finn to do so they could make it together, but they didn’t need to know that. It could be a Mardi Gras surprise.

“The sun’s coming out,” Sirius mused, looking upward at the clear blue sky. “Nothing we bought is going to melt. Do you want to go for a walk before we head out?”

Logan checked his phone. “We’ve got time.”

“Sounds good to me,” Leo agreed.

“I’m never going to say no to a snow day,” Finn laughed, wrapping his arms around Leo and Logan. “Lead the way.”

“So, Knutty, gumbo is basically chicken noodle soup, right?” Sirius asked as he linked elbows with Remus and started down the sidewalk.

“Uh, no.” Leo made a disgusted face and reached out to smack the back of his shoulder. “That’s blasphemy. Gumbo is more like stew, but you put less meat in it and more of a vegetable base. There aren’t noodles, either. Do you even know what a roux is?”

Sirius glanced back at Finn, who shrugged. “…I do not.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Leo muttered. “A roux is the base to all good New Orleans food. It’s flour and oil, and you heat it up so whatever you’re making has an actual taste to it, as well as some thickness. If you get it wrong, the whole thing is pretty much ruined.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Damn.”

Ahead of them, a pack of kids played pickup hockey on the park’s frozen pond. Several of them wore Lions sweatshirts or hats and Leo leaned his head on Finns beanie with a smile. “Look at how cute they are,” Finn cooed, waving to some of the astonished parents who had spotted them.

“Oh, killer hit,” Remus said as one kid went on a breakaway. “Is he—hey, nice shot!”

They paused for a second to applaud and a jumble of excited yelling echoed off the trees around the pond; Leo burst out laughing and draped his other arm across Logan’s shoulders, pulling him in closer to their huddle as they began to walk again. “We should head out there sometime. We live close enough.”

Finn hummed in agreement and stood on his tiptoes with a hopeful smile. “Kisses?”

Leo obliged, still grinning. “You’re ridiculous. That had nothing to do with hockey.”

“I didn’t get any kisses,” Logan grumbled, snuggling into Leo’s ribs.

“Get up here and I’ll give you one!”

“My nose is cold!”

Leo sighed dramatically and bent down to kiss the rosy tip of his nose—at the last second, Logan popped his chin out of his coat collar and caught his lips. “That was smooth as fuck. Better?”

“Much.”

“Are you three being gross again?” Remus teased, craning his neck to look back.

Finn raised his eyebrows. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

“One walk,” Sirius sighed. “I wanted one walk where we could hang out in peace and quiet.”

“You invited the wrong people for that,” Leo snickered as they looped back around the block into the parking lot. “Harzy, baby, can you drive us back?”

“You need to learn!”

Leo turned on his saddest puppy eyes and stuck his lower lip out. “Please?”

Finn scrunched his nose up and flicked his shoulder lightly. “You’re too cute for your own good.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Obviously.”

------------------------

After a quick pit stop at their apartment to pick up the pots, they arrived at the Dumais house just past two in the afternoon. Sirius and Remus pulled into the driveway just as they began unloading groceries from the truck and hurried over to give them a hand; all five of them were immediately mobbed by children the second they set foot in the house. Leo carefully took the onions from Logan so he could sweep Katie over his shoulder and tickle her knees, making her dissolve into giggles.

“My boys!” Celeste called from the entrance to the kitchen. She practically glowed with excitement as she pulled them into a group hug and Leo melted a little when she pressed a kiss to each of his cheeks. “You brought the food, yes?”

“We’ve got everything we need,” he confirmed, holding the onions and a pot up as proof. “As long as you’ve got counter space, we’ll be a-okay.”

Sirius and Logan lingered in the doorway, chatting with the kids in rapid French that Leo didn’t even try to keep up with—he used to think regional differences were made up for internet clout, but even after living with Logan for close to a year he sometimes struggled with the pace.

Celeste helped them gather cutting boards, knives, and basic spices that they hadn’t picked up at the store; Leo felt a thrill in his gut and drummed his hands happily on the countertop at the sight of the familiar ingredients. He made a mental note to send a picture to his mother later that night as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Think you can handle rinsing vegetables?” he asked, passing Finn a bag of green peppers.

Finn rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and he pressed a kiss to Leo’s cheek before going to the sink. Remus unpacked the last of the bags and gave him an expectant look—Leo was struck by the sudden realization that for once, he was the only one in the kitchen who knew the recipe.

“Um, I’ll start the roux,” he said, grabbing the flour and oil. “Loops, can you start dicing the peppers, celery, and onions? Cap can help out once he gets the squid children off him.”

A smile tugged at the edge of Remus’ mouth. “Bold of you to assume he won’t drag them in here.”

“Alright, Rookie, what’s my job?” Sirius panted, grinning wildly as Adele wrapped herself around his lower leg and groaned with each dragging step.

Remus spared him a playful I told you so look, and Leo shook his head. “As long as you can use a knife with a kid clinging to your leg, you can help your fiancé chop the basics.”

Sirius mock-saluted him and hobbled to the counter; behind him, Logan wandered in with Marc under one arm and Katie under the other. “I have potato sack delivery,” he announced, giving them each a gentle shake. “Can these go in the gumbo, too?”

“No!” both shrieked at the same time, flailing their legs.

“Those look like pretty good potatoes to me…” Sirius said, glancing down at Adele. “What do you think?”

“Put ‘em in the soup!” she yelled.

“It’s not soup,” Leo complained, though he couldn’t be heard over the loud protests of the youngest Dumais kids.

Sirius finally got Adele to let go of him when he started cutting onions—“Do you want to smell like onions?”—but Katie perched on the edge of the counter and watched every move Leo made with eagle eyes as he finished each roux and began mixing the trinity in. Each motion was muscle memory—the smells wrapped him in a hug made of tangy peppers, smooth chicken broth, and a kick of spice at the very end.

Much to his surprise, Sirius, Finn, and Logan were quick learners. Making five massive pots of gumbo was much easier when he had five more hands helping him; Celeste had even been sweet enough to put jazz on as they cooked and the six of them took turns dancing, partnering with whomever was closest.

The others started arriving at five—almost immediately, the kitchen was crowded with ten new hockey players who crammed as close as they could to the stovetop to smell the bubbling broth. Noelle was the only one who was allowed to get within ten feet of the food, much to Talker’s chagrin.

Honestly, it was a miracle that they made it to the table without the rest of the team falling on the gumbo like a pack of wild hyenas who hadn’t eaten for a week. Kasey’s bouncy leg shook the edge of the table in anticipation until Leo reached over and smacked him on the thigh with his spoon. “Be patient, Bliz.”

“I’m always patient!”

Eight different people made noises of protest and he scoffed, leaning his face over the bowl to get a whiff of the thick steam. Dumo tapped his fork on the side of his cup; it wasn’t quite a classy ding-ding, but it made enough noise to catch people’s attention.

“First, thank you all for coming here for a family dinner,” he said, smiling so wide it made Leo’s heart warm. “Second, I’d like to welcome the older and wiser O’Hara to his very first Lions dinner, since he had the great fortune of visiting just in time to be adopted by the team for a night!”

Loud cheers filled the house and Alex gave a slight wave, blushing under the attention as Kasey and Nat jostled him between their shoulders.

“And finally, everyone say ‘thank you’ to Knutty for sharing his top-secret gumbo recipe from home. We might not celebrate Mardi Gras like New Orleans, but this is a party nonetheless.” Dumo raised his water with a wink and Leo squeezed Logan’s hand under the table as seventeen voices thanked him for his cooking, despite the fact that they hadn’t even tasted it yet.

The house went dead silent as people took their first bites, then erupted into noise. “Holy shit, Knutty!” Nado all but shouted, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. “This is witchcraft.”

“It’s called ‘cooking’, you should try it sometime,” Leo shot back, grinning. The chicken thighs melted in his mouth, and the pop of lemon and spice at the back of his throat tingled all the way down to his bones. He didn’t think Pots had taken a breath in thirty straight seconds. Leo closed his eyes, letting the tangled muddle of his family’s voices roll over him, mixing with the taste of home.

“Ça va, mon amour?” Logan asked under his breath, touching his elbow.

Leo smiled and touched their foreheads together, setting his spoon down on the edge of his bowl. “I’m so fucking happy right now.”

Logan smiled and the edges of his eyes crinkled. “You look happy.”

“You two are whispering without me?” Finn whined, scooting his chair over a few inches and squishing Logan between them. His bowl was already half-empty, Leo noted with a sense of satisfaction. “That’s rude.”

“I love you,” Leo said. It needed no embellishments; no big, dramatic displays. “And I love making food for everyone.”

“You can do it any time, baby rookie.” Kasey scraped the sides of his bowl to catch the last few grains of cornbread, knocking his knee with Leo’s. “Next time we have a sleepover, I’m not ordering pizza.”

“So I’m going to be your personal chef?” Leo snorted. “Not a chance.”

“What’s that saying? The Mardi Gras one?”

Leo savored his next bite of gumbo and looked around the table as everyone chatted and laughed at the top of their lungs. “Laissez les bon temps rouler,” he said. “Let the good times roll.”

[navegandoaciegas]

I love my baby to death

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader 

Warnings: fluff, friends to lovers, tiniest bit of angst but really tiny I promise, 3.5k words, set after Endgame

Summary:  “Say, hypothetically, there’s a 100 year old fossil who’s a bit confused most of the time but he’s got the spirit, right?, and he’s outside with a packed duffle bag, what would you do?”

You were supposed to enjoy a solo roadtrip after years of Avenging, but Bucky invites himself along and you can’t say no to his happy face.

A/N: I haven’t slept in a week because of nightmares and I just needed something to cheer me up, I guess. Reader took Steve’s side in CA:CW and spent two years with him as a nomad. You can choose to see her and Natasha as a platonic relationship or a romantic one, it’s up to you.

masterlist

Read the sequel to this here

“They’re just so fuckin’ gross I don’t understand how you can eat them.”

Bucky sends you his best death glare as he continues digging in his soggy cardboard In-N-Out fries.

“We could have literally stopped by Arby’s three miles west of here” you continue, “they have the best fries. We’re missing out, clearly.” you deadpan eyeing his food skeptically. 

“The curly ones? God no, they’re so spicy. I don’t know why you like your food to hurt but I don’t.”

“Okay, first of all they’re not spicy at all, I don’t know where you got that from. And second, they have a taste at least, unlike these.” You reiterate your point by swinging one the fries in his face. Bucky just grabs your hand and bites the fry, almost biting your fingers off too.

“Yeah, like that god-awful spicy chicken you forced on me the other day? No thank you, ma’am, I’ll stand by my own food choices.” 

You snort. “Not my fault your post-Depression ass can’t handle anything other than salt and black pepper. But sure, go ‘head and enjoy your sorry excuse of a meal, Buck.”

“People from your generation sure love complaining, huh? Back in my days you ate what your mama made you and never bitched about it, or else you went to bed hungry.” 

God, he’s such a grampa. You make a show of rolling your eyes and huffing in annoyance. He likes his senior citizen card a bit too much. He tries to stifle a laugh when he sees the look on your face and just shakes his head at you. 

California (and Bucky Barnes) has stolen your heart and you’ve loved this road trip so much you often wonder why it took you being snapped and facing the end of the world twice to retire from the avenging business. 

Fresno is interesting, to say the least. 

He wanted to stop by, saying something about wanting to see “an old pal from the war” ’s hometown for himself, and you’ve been dreaming about exploring Yosemite for as long as you can remember.

-

Online pictures of Yosemite National Park were stunning but the real thing is just breathtaking. 

You never thought camping would become your thing and you never imagined you’d enjoy stargazing so much. In five months you’ve discovered how big of a nerd Bucky really is and he’s been trying to teach you the names of all the stars and constellations. 

He sees Big Dipper, Orion, Ursa Major and Minor; you see pretty twinkling lights and the occasional shooting star. Nevertheless you sit through hours and hours of explanations, because when he speaks of the things he’s passionate about, Bucky is the most beautiful thing in the world.

“You know, the stars are one of the things I missed the most.” he says softy, furrowing his brows as he does when he remembers something from the past. “Stevie and I used to do that as kids sometimes. We’d sneak out of our houses and go on the roof of this abandoned building to watch the stars. Now there’s so much goddamn light everywhere, you can’t even see them anymore.”

Sometimes when you stop and think about it, really think, you can’t imagine how hard it must have been for them, having everything, even the night sky taken away from them. 

“Steve never told me.” 

“He probably missed the stars too.”

You eye him looking for clues on how he might feel, but you only see a sad smile on his face. “You miss him, don’t you?”

“Every damn day.” his voice cracks and you hold him closer.

“I know Buck, I miss him too. I miss him so much that sometimes I feel like my life has no direction without my Captain.” You’re barely holding back your own tears at this point, “But we’ve got Sam if we need orders, yes?” but you still try to make him smile. You’re always going to try for him.

Your attempt works and he snorts. Always bring Sam up to cheer Bucky.

“I hope he was happy, you know.” he says, “I hope he made the right choice and never regretted a thing. I hope that now he looks back and thinks he wouldn’t have had it any other way. His happiness is all I could ever ask for.”

You cling to each other that night and cry until the early morning. It feels good to let it all out, to let Steve go and look at the future. You’ve lost too much but tonight you only have hope.

-----

New York

Five months before

“Words on the street is you’re retiring your crusty old ass from the field.” 

Sam is leaning on the door of your hotel room with his arms folded and a pleased look on his face.

“Rumors travel fast in this post-apocalyptic word, I see.” you say as you continue stuffing a duffle bag with all the clothes you have left.

“How are you?” Sam asks, with his newly found Captain voice. You wonder if it’s something in that damn shield that gives them that stern commanding tone.

“Tryina analize me, Sammy? I’m not one of your guys at the VA.”

It’s not like you’re pissed at Sam, you love him with all your heart, you’re just angry at the world and Sam’s the one standing in your way right now.

You hear him sigh, “I know what you’re feeling right now, I understand why you would think that-” “Don’t” you interrupt him, “Don’t give me that speech, Fury did that for you already. I’m not running away from my problems.”

“I’m not saying that-” you really don’t want him to talk today, so you stop him again “No but you’re thinking it.”

“I know what it’s like.” he says raising his voice “To lose who you care the most in the world. We all lost someone important but you lost Natasha and I know, trust me I know what you feel right now, because it’s what I felt when I lost Riley.” 

You stop and swallow the tight lump in your throat.

Your eyes well up with tears as you turn to look at him. You’ve been so blinded by your own pain and anger you didn’t stop for a moment to think about others. “I’m sorry Sam, I shouldn’t have treated you like that.” you say sobbing.

Why did she have to leave you?

Stupid, stupid Natasha. Why did she have to sacrifice herself for the world?

Why her?

He hugs you tight and rocks you back and forth. “I understand why you’re leaving and I’m not here to stop you, I promise. Just keep in touch, yes? Text me everyday so I’m not tempted to track you down and fly wherever you are to see if you’re good.”

You smile for the first time in a long time.

“Don’t worry Sam, you’ll get tired of all the selfies I’ll send you, eventually.” 

“You know I’ll never get tired of this pretty face.” he says raising his eyebrows suggestively, making you laugh. “Good, that’s my girl. I missed this laugh so much.”

You stay in his arms a while longer until it’s time for you to leave.

“This is not the only reason I’m here.” he says and clears his throat, “Say, hypothetically, there’s a 100 year old fossil who’s a bit confused most of the time but he’s got the spirit, right?, and he’s outside with a packed duffle bag, what would you do?”

“What?” you manage to stammer out. “Bucky just... wants to...tag along?” 

You are now as confused as Bucky is most of the time.

Sam shrugs. “I guess? You know he’s weird like that.”

What he really means is he’s just like you, lost and confused and in desperate need to live a little, but he doesn’t say it out loud. There’s no need to.

“So, would you mind if he came too?”

You see Bucky standing outside, leaning on your SUV. He’s cut his hair short and he looks hotter than you would like to. He turns around and waves at you with a big smile on his face. Like Sam often says, you too like his energy.

“No, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

----

Denver, Colorado

It’s a long way from New York to Colorado and if you’re honest, you’ve loved every minute of it and you’re glad Bucky came along with you. He’s witty, laid back, snarky, smart and overall a fun guy for someone who was a prisoner to nazis for 70 years.

“Look all I’m saying is I think Edward is a fuckin’ creep. Would you like it if someone stood in your room and looked at you while you sleep?”

“But is that someone a hot vampire, Bucky?”

“It literally doesn’t even matter.”

“Stop saying literally Buck, you’re a 100 year old man, not a valley girl.”

-

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Lemme check a map.”

“Bucky it’s on the screen there, Google says we have 20 minutes left.”

“But can we trust this Google guy?”

-

“All I’m saying is if you made and enjoyed congealed salads you probably don’t deserve your right to vote for the future of this country.”

“I mean...fair enough?”

-

“Do we count blipped years or not?”

“At this point it, it barely makes a difference in my case, doll.”

“Honestly you’ve got a point, old man.”

-

“How are you so calm right now?”

“My standards are so low it’s practically impossible to piss me off.”

“But you aren’t even a little bothered?”

“Chill, it’s just a flat tire, it’s gonna take 10 minutes to fix.”

“Buck we talked about the things that are unacceptable. ‘Chill’ coming out of your mouth is one of those.”

It’s your second week in Denver already, and you’re having the time of your life. 

Bucky is spooning you like he usually does. You think back to the first time you’ve shared a bed and you almost giggle at the memory. 

“Uh, Buck?”

“Yes?”

“We might have a problem.”

He enters the room after you and his eyes widen when he sees it.

There’s a bed in the room.

A single bed.

You weren’t expecting much from this place that gives you ‘Bates Motel’ vibes, but you thought you’d have two beds, or at least a couch.

“I’ll just sleep on the floor, don’t worry about it.”

“What?” you shriek “Absolutely not, I’m not letting you suffer all night. We’re going to share.”

“But I-”

“No buts, you know how many times I slept with Steve? I’m used to you supersoldier men by now, I’m no longer affected by your kicks.”

He stays silent. “You and Steve used to…?”

Only then you realize you could have phrased it better.

“God no, I meant just, ya know, share bed.”

He smiles and nods. Why does he look relieved?

Now he clings to you every night, and most times he’s the little spoon because he likes to be held. You used to hate sleeping tangled with someone else until you woke up on top of Bucky, his hands caressing your back, and he told you he had the best night of sleep he’s had in decades.

There’s a lot of things you do just because they make him happy, actually.

But how could you not?

There’s no point in denying your feelings.

----

Salt Lake City, Utah

God, you love Utah.

You drive through immense stretches of red desert whilst Bucky blasts Nicki Minaj like his life depends on it; that’s how it always ends up when he rides shotgun.

He insisted on visiting Monument Valley despite it being out of your way, but you can never find it in yourself to refuse him anything, so you drove 9 hours straight from Denver to the southern border of Utah just so he could see a place that looks a lot like the ones in those Western cowboy movies from the 50s and 60s he loves so much.

“Yasha would have hated it here so much.” you say as you pull over the Airbnb you’ve rented for a couple of days in Salt Lake City.

He snorts, “Yeah, I bet she would have.”

You thought time would heal all wounds and that someday you might stop feeling the void in your life when you think of her, but now you know you’ll never stop hurting. She was such a big part of your life for so long that your heart will never stop aching for her. 

Sometimes you think how she never got to see you again after you were snapped. 

You wonder if she ever stopped missing you.

You know you’ll never not miss her.

-

You’ve driven for more than humanly possible in two days, but he’s a supersoldier and you’re really stubborn, and now you can’t wait to sleep in a nice bed for the first time in a long while. Usually you just make do with motels, but tonight you wanted to treat yourselves.

You enter the place and notice immediately the two queen size beds. 

You should be relieved, and if it was 4 months ago when you first shared a bed you would probably be, but now you’re so used to his warm body next to yours, his flesh arm over you and his face resting in the crook of your neck that you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to fall asleep without him.

“I’ll go shower first if you don’t mind.” you say as you mentally berate yourself for your thoughts. 

Your goal to not fall in love with Bucky Barnes flew out the window somewhere in the green fields of Western Iowa, but at this point you’re just treading a dangerous path and you know you’re going to get hurt.

There’s no way Bucky feels the same about you, right?

You get out the shower, put on a t-shirt you’ve stolen from Steve ages ago and get out of the bathroom, only to stop when you see Bucky on the bed you claimed as yours.

“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind but I feel better when I sleep with you.”

Maybe he does.

----

Nevada

Technically it takes roughly 43 hours to get from New York to Sacramento by car. It took you almost five months.

You’ve been covering Interstate 80, stopping and visiting towns, cities and parks along the way as you pleased, sleeping in seedy motels, your SUV or that fancy ass tent Bucky bought somewhere in Ohio. You’ve begged Bucky to drive from Salt Lake City straight to Sacramento, stopping only when it’s absolutely necessary; you’ll be visiting Nevada after California anyways, so for now you’re just enjoying the scenic drive, with the windows rolled down and the air messing up your hair.

“What’s that song called?” Bucky asks and raises the radio’s volume.

“That’s Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers.” you answer absentmindedly, distracted by the seemingly endless stretch of black asphalt and yellowish nothingness around it.

She’s lover, baby and a fighter

Shoulda seen it coming when I got a little brighter

Bucky sings along and smiles glancing your way.

“I like this.” he exclaims when the song ends “Can we listen to it again, please?”

You smile softly and play it again. If there’s one thing Bucky is capable of is listening to the same song on repeat multiple times until you’re so sick of it you don’t ever want to hear it again.

 Who knew the other side of you

Who knew what others died to prove

You never thought Bucky would be like this, or that you’d be privileged enought to see this side of him.

There’s a big smile on his face and the orange hues of the sky reflect in his clear eyes. He’s got one hand on the steering wheel and the vibranium one resting on the car’s door and he looks so different from the man haunted by his past and loneliness you met in Budapest all those years ago. He looks so carefree and relaxed now, so happy. 

You are proud of him.

California rest in peace

Simultaneous release

California show your teeth

She’s my priestess and I’m your priest

I love my baby to death

------

San Diego, California 

You’ve hiked the hills of southern Cali and gone parapending in Torrey Pines. You landed on a breathtaking beach with beautiful dark sand and soon found out, much to Bucky’s dismay and utter disgust, that it was a nudist beach.

He grumbled something about ‘hygiene’ and ‘decor’ and you just laughed at his flustered state.

“First time seeing a naked woman, old man?” you asked in between fits of laughter.

You didn’t notice the sea lion swimming next to you in La Jolla and not even Thanos’ creepy gang could have scared you as much when you turned around and looked him dead in the eyes. Bucky got his revenge filming you as you shot out the ocean with a shrill, covered in algae and terrified. 

You are loving the San Diego area so far. Minus the sea lions.

“Hey I- uh- do you mind if I take the car? I wanted to go do some shopping.” Bucky tells you.

He’s really embarrassed for some reason.

You shrug and mumble a ‘sure’ before going back to basking in the sun by the pool of the hotel you’re staying at.

“Okay, I-I guess I’ll g-go then, I’ll come pick you up at 5.30 for dinner.” he stutters out.

Weird, you think, but you don’t give it too much thought. Bucky is like that.

-

Dinner time rolls around and as promised Bucky comes pick you up on time.

You’re wearing a short green dress with white daisies printed on it and a pair of strappy white sandals. You look good and you know it; Bucky knows it too, judging from the glances he tries to sneak your way.

“So, uhm-” he clears his voice, “I know it’s going to sound weird but I promise it’s not. Can I- Can I blindfold you?”

Can he...what? You could split me in half and I’d be glad about it, you’d like to say.

“Kinky. You could at least buy me differ first, tho.” you settle for something safer instead.

He blushes three shades darker than his usual color and you take the black scarf he’s handing you, barely concealing a teasing smile.

He drives around for a while. When you get to your destination the first thing you hear is the waves beating on the shore and the smell of the ocean. He helps you get out and guides you somewhere.

“Wait here.” 

You hear him park the car in reverse, open the trunk and fiddle with something. He comes up behind you and removes the blindfold. You feel his hot breath on your neck and it sends tingles down your spine straight to your pu- “You can look now.”

When you open your eyes you are stunned for a moment. You turn around with a big smile that turns even bigger when you notice the blankets and the little picnic he’s assembled in the trunk.

“Buck, this is- I can’t believe you remembered.”

Somewhere in Colorado you mentioned how romantic you thought Sunset Cliffs were, and how much you wished you could do something like this. It was a fleeting moment, a thought uttered out loud absentmindedly over a couple of drinks in some bar. You were tipsy and you were running your mouth about all the things you’d want in a partner to some random girl who became your best friends for the night.

You realize you’re tearing up when his fingers grace your cheeks.

It feels nice to be cared about so much. It’s been too long since someone took such good care of you.

“I thought I’d do something special for you.” he says with an adorable blush.

“Thank you Bucky, I love this.” you hug him tightly and bury your face in his chest, inhaling his scent.

“Anything for my girl.”

“When did I become your girl, huh?” you ask teasingly.

“Probably when I invited myself on this trip.”

You both laugh at that.

You swallow hard when you see the look on his face. God, how did you miss the signs? You were always a better sniper than a spy, Yasha always told you.

Your heart is beating out of your chest in anticipation as he leans down slowly and your lips brush lightly. His hands are on your waist and yours on his broad shoulders. He kisses you timidly at first, and more passionately as he gains confidence. 

“I wanted to do this since Bucharest.” he confesses after your lips part.

“Took you long enough, Sarge.”

But it was worth the wait.

-

Tonight’s sunset will be burned in the back of your mind permanently. 

You kiss and laugh some more, and feed eachother seedless grapes because they’re the only ones you eat. He’s brought strawberries, white wine because you don’t drink red, hummus and pita and an assortment of cheese and crackers.

You kiss and talk, cuddle, laugh and kiss some more all night.

You’ve accepted long ago that you’ll never fill the gaping hole in your lives, but that night when you make love to eachother the void in your hearts that Steve and Natasha left behind doesn’t seem as encompassing as it usually is.

---

Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please reblog and comment, feedback is always appreciated 🥺🤲 might fuck around and write Bucky’s POV too.

[72stars]

Golden Deer Food & Wine Festival (aka idle thoughts on characters' favorite foods and teas)

in which I try to organize information and my thoughts on a topic and then go ahead and post it because "eh, someone else might be interested". includes Fire Emblem: Three Houses spoilers, but mostly about Claude's heritage which is basically an open secret in this fandom in general by now anyway? (honestly if you're paying attention you can figure it out in part one pretty easily - he may have promised his parents not to say where he's from but he really pushes the boundaries on that promise.) anyway fair warning!

post includes: the Golden Deer and the (non-Wolf) students I've recruited in my current playthrough (Sylvain, Caspar, Linhardt, Dorothea, Ferdinand, Mercedes, + Cyril & Flayn) because, well, those are the characters on my mind atm and this is already going to be super long, so I'll leave it there (for now?)...

Byleth

no canonical information. a blank slate that eats a lot, for you to headcanon preferences onto as you wish. iirc there's one or two early game questions other characters ask re: whether Byleth likes sweet or spicy food (as if these are somehow mutually exclusive), but these effect nothing but affection points.

(headcanon: actually really likes both sweet and spicy foods, but main preference is just for convenient foods - sweet bun trio, sandwiches, skewers, etc. something they can shove in their face as they move on to whatever they're doing next. also likes sweet teas. likes putting more sugar in their sweet teas. sometimes has to be actively stopped from turning their tea into a lightly tea-flavored pile of wet sugar. why are you like this, Teach? (the answer: not used to sweets and now has regular access to them and cannot and will not be stopped))

Claude

favorite teas: Almyran Pine Needles, Chamomile

liked foods: Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Onion Gratin Soup, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Bourgeois Pike, Sauteed Jerky, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cheesy Verona Stew, Gautier Cheese Gratin, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay (mentions in different places that he can cook, but maybe it's just wrt to Almyran dishes. though given his cooking dialogue shows him being adventurous with ingredients/ingredient combinations, it might also just be that he cooks things that he really likes, but everyone else is just kind of "eh, it's okay" on because of how much he tailored it to his preferences...) (thinking about it, given his knowledge of poisons and the fact that he's survived multiple assassination attempts, I wonder if his cooking style (and also maybe his fondness for wild game) came about because he had to learn to cook for himself with whatever he could get his hands on to limit opportunities to kill him...)

thoughts:

fandom: haha Dimitri likes cheese :)

Claude: YEAH, look at that wacky guy Dimitri, liking all the cheese dishes. so silly, liking cheese so much, haha... ha... *quietly shoves more cheese in his mouth when no one's looking*

...yeah but no seriously it's just funny to me that you see a lot of fanart with Claude playing the straight man to Dimitri's cheese fixation and oh, would you look at that, guess who likes every cheese dish on the menu. Dimitri, yes, but also Claude. (doesn't like the Blue Cheese gift item, though. guess he prefers his cheese with less mold in it, idk) (and okay, with the cooking ability section in mind: how much cheese do you think he puts in his cooking. maybe Dimitri'd like his cooking...)

okay, call-out post about Claude's love of cheese aside, main things of note: doesn't like sweets (though apparently is neutral on it if it's ice cream, maybe because of the novelty? will also accept sweet sauce on pheasant), really likes cheese and pheasant and meat-heavy dishes in general. "eh" on fish, likes some vegetable dishes. likes a fair amount of convenient foods, like skewers, the meat pie, and the fried pheasant, which specifically mentions its sandwichability in its description. would probably love fast food, just burgers and 20 piece chicken nuggets everyday. likes almost every recipe in the "bitter" category, and everything in the "meat" category.

tea! likes the explicitly Almyran tea, because of course he does, and, interestingly, chamomile, which according to the description "calms nerves and heightens concentration", the latter of which fits with Claude, and the former of which fits with what chamomile's known for irl, and is interesting to me, in a "further justifies my headcanon of Claude having anxiety issues, he's just usually pretty adept at hiding it" kind of way. (being subjected to assassination attempts and harassment from an early age will do that to you, I'd imagine) oh, and apparently pine needle tea is actually a thing? and it's said to be good for eyesight, and high in vitamins A & C, so good for things like skin regeneration and your immune system...

Hilda

favorite teas: Albinean Berry Blend, Southern Fruit Blend, Rose Petal Blend, Mint Leaves

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Peach Sorbet, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Fish and Bean Soup, Fisherman’s Bounty, Two-Fish Saute, Cheesy Verona Stew, Gautier Cheese Gratin

disliked foods: Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Cabbage and Herring Stew

cooking ability: okay (and is very "haha it's probably going to be bad don't be upset if it is :) ( :( )" about it, oh no. does mention having fun, but also would rather not do it every day)

thoughts: a fan of sweets and cheese (though not as much of a fan as Claude on the latter, given she's missing a cheese dish). likes fish well enough, so long as it's not pickled or has fish guts in it (two of her liked fish dishes have white trout in them - favorite fish?). has a surprisingly wide variety of teas she likes. just kind of has a variety of likes in general, maybe cultivated by her social butterfly nature? just kind of picked up different dishes and teas she likes from trying foods her friends and people she's getting to know like. (thinking about it, the "oh, okay" varied aspect of her liked/disliked lists could also be due to her fear of disappointing people - she could possibly like or dislike more things but doesn't express that so as to avoid people being like "oh." at her. or maybe she just has varied tastes, eh. (either way though she still stares directly into Claude's eyes as she pushes two of his favorite dishes onto the floor like a disappointed and judgemental cat))

Lorenz

favorite teas: Bergamot, Rose Petal Blend, Seiros Tea

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Daphnel Stew, Onion Gratin Soup, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Gronder Meat Skewers, Fisherman’s Bounty, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Small Fish Skewers

cooking ability: okay (starts out confident despite admitted lack of experience then quickly goes "uhhhh what am I doing ;;")

thoughts: likes three expensive teas (though neither of the two most expensive), because of course he does, and one of them has rose petals, because of course it does. (interestingly, the Seiros tea is specifically mentioned as Almyran - "Seiros tea" is just its name in Fodlan. kind of quietly hinting at his potential for a friendly rivalry and later just friendship with Claude via one of his main interests? hm. or maybe it's just "gotta look religious because I'm a noble so I guess I'll drink the religiously named tea". it's also said to be "fairly basic" in its flavors, maybe good for adding whatever you'd like into it, which would appeal to a tea nerd? also fun fact: bergamot is used in the real-world Early Grey Tea, which is probably what 3H's Bergamot tea is meant to be. a tea associated with being "posh" or upper-class and associated with a real-world noble...) also likes the dish that literally has "bourgeois" in the name, because of course he does. has a lot of dislikes, and apparently a specific fish dislike of Teutates Loach, which features in all of his disliked fish dishes except for the fish skewers, which is also the only recipe with the Airmid Goby. not a fan of wild game dishes - is it specifically the wild game, or does he just not like non-fish or -poultry meat in general? hm

Marianne

favorite teas: Dagda Fruit Blend, Cinnamon Blend, Lavender Blend

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Peach Sorbet, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Onion Gratin Soup, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Cheesy Verona Stew, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Gronder Meat Skewers, Gautier Cheese Gratin

cooking ability: okay (mother taught her when she was very young, but not good at complicated dishes. probably hasn't had the chance to cook much since her parents disappeared...)

thoughts: going through her liked foods I thought she was pescatarian, which makes sense, then all of a sudden pheasant dish. I guess she's mostly pescatarian but just really likes that one dish? a guilty pleasure sort of thing. (wait, actually, according to the description the vegetable stir-fry has eggs in it. maybe she likes eggs?) another fan of sweets, and likes two teas with "unique" flavors. also, lavender is said to be good for anxiety...

Lysithea

favorite teas: Sweet-Apple Blend, Southern Fruit Blend, Crescent-Moon Tea, Honeyed-Fruit Blend

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Peach Sorbet, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Two-Fish Saute

disliked foods: Vegetable Pasta Salad, Onion Gratin Soup, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fish Sandwich, Bourgeois Pike, Sauteed Jerky, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Cabbage and Herring Stew, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay (confident, steers away from using an unspecified vegetable because "it's not highly favored". not highly favored by who, hm? :V)

thoughts: oh. my. god, this fucking dislike list. I started laughing like halfway through it because it's ridiculous, she dislikes basically every vegetable dish and all but like two fish dishes (and the one fish dish she likes is the buttery one), but of course loves everything sweet. Lysithea. Lysithea. this is not how you get people to not view you as a child, Lysithea.

also it's kind of funny she specifically likes the wild game dish that involves rabbits, given she has roughly the coloration of an albino one, and even has lop ear-like chunks of hair. that's cannibalism, Lysithea.

Leonie

favorite teas: Four-Spice Blend, Angelica Tea

liked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Onion Gratin Soup, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Fish Sandwich, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Peach Sorbet, Small Fish Skewers

cooking ability: okay (confident, "just do what feels right")

thoughts: in direct contrast to Lysithea, likes practically everything on the menu but the sweets, but particularly likes fish and vegetables. her favorite teas are a "cleansing herbal tea" and one "that requires a mature palate". she's the practical tomboy big sister of the group and she's not too fussy. also the only female character so far to not like sweets. oh, and did you know angelica is an actual plant? it has medicinal uses, but is also used in alcohol...

Ignatz

favorite teas: Dagda Fruit Blend, Seiros Tea, Lavender Blend

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Gautier Cheese Gratin

cooking ability: okay (humble, gonna do his best, interested in aesthetics as much as taste)

thoughts: another almost-pescatarian character with a poultry dish (or two, in his case - three if you include that sneaky egg-having stir-fry dish) in the mix! also the first of the dudes in this post to like more than one sweet dish (he's also implied by Raph to have low blood sugar, so the penchant for sweets makes sense even besides as a simple taste thing? though eating meat or some kind of protein in general generally helps me out more, personally). has a broad range of liked teas - one "unique", one "basic", one "refreshing". note the lavender tea, though, and remember its use for anxiety.

Raphael

favorite teas: Almond Blend, Ginger Tea

liked foods: Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Fish and Bean Soup, Fisherman’s Bounty, Fish Sandwich, Sauteed Jerky, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Gautier Cheese Gratin

disliked foods: Vegetable Pasta Salad, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: a disaster (good at eating food, but not making it. "try throwing everything together and pouring in some salt. I'd eat that!" honey, no.)

thoughts: practically a carnivore - has exactly one dish he likes with no meat in it, and it's the "country-style" one. if it's not full of protein (or country-style) he's not interested. speaking of protein, one of his favorite teas literally has sliced nuts in it - a tea with protein and stuff you can chew on, sounds about right. the other one, meanwhile, is made with ginger, which is said to help with digestion, which I imagine would be handy for a big eater.

Sylvain

favorite teas: Bergamot, Seiros Tea

liked foods: Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fish Sandwich, Two-Fish Saute, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cheesy Verona Stew

disliked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Fisherman’s Bounty, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay (but not confident about it all)

thoughts: big fan of spicy food and fish, this guy. neutral on his region's signature dish on the menu. the one pure sweet he likes is the one he can share, which fits? fancy tea and a basic tea. also he likes two of the same teas as Lorenz. Bergamot and Seiros tea: the teas for skirt-chasers.

Caspar

favorite tea: Ginger Tea

liked foods: Sweet Bun Trio, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Sauteed Jerky, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie

disliked foods: Onion Gratin Soup, Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fish Sandwich, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Gautier Cheese Gratin, Cabbage and Herring Stew, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: a disaster (very confident! has no right to be. (does mention "and try not to burn", at least.) ends up apologetically leaving everything to Byleth because he fucks up the ingredients "every time". Cas why)

thoughts: the one sweet thing he likes is the shareable one and it's a liked dish he shares with Linhardt and that's cute as hell. also boy howdy does this boy hate fish and cheese. he dislikes all but one fish dish, and dislikes every cheese dish. given you learn early on that he tends to just sort of inhale his food so he can move on and do something else, I wonder if he dislikes those because he tends to choke on them... (or maybe he has a fish allergy and is lactose intolerant, who knows? he even dislikes the one fishing-related gift, the fishing float...) does eat his veggies, though, so he's got that. like fellow big eater Raph, likes the ginger tea - it is, in fact, the only tea he likes (aside from the two most expensive ones, which are basically the Owl Feathers of the teas and don't count). though given he likes the two non-fish dishes in the "spicy" category and the ginger tea is described as spicy, it may just be a spice thing.

Linhardt

favorite teas: Almyran Pine Needles, Angelica Tea

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Peach Sorbet, Daphnel Stew, Onion Gratin Soup, Fish and Bean Soup, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Gautier Cheese Gratin

disliked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Gronder Meat Skewers, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Grilled Herring, Fisherman’s Bounty, Sauteed Jerky, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay ("most useful as a taste tester ;)", the rest is up to you! (he's kidding) recipe-only, "easy")

thoughts: well someone's a picky eater. likes sweets and cheese (opposite of his bff Caspar), and for a guy who likes to fish, only likes two fish dishes, both of which involve white trout. (has one of the other white trout dishes in his disliked list, though, so it's probably not that he's a fan of white trout.) also dislikes wild game, and has mixed feelings on poultry, which given his dislike of blood makes sense. also has no liked vegetable dishes, and dislikes one of the ones Caspar likes. I'm becoming concerned with how well he and Caspar manage to eat in their ending together... tea-wise, likes an earthy tea and an herbal tea. pine needles for eyesight, angelica for... digestive problems, including loss of appetite? maybe he's not just picky, and it's a stomach thing... (I went and looked at his dining hall quotes and he calls himself picky, though, so eh?)

Dorothea

favorite teas: Sweet-Apple Blend, Albinean Berry Blend

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Peach Sorbet, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Onion Gratin Soup, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Gautier Cheese Gratin

disliked foods: Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay (can cook, but "meh" on it. "all the same once it's in your stomach")

thoughts: like sweets, vegetables, and cheese well enough, and not a fan of fish in most contexts (any context other than "smothered with cheese and onions", specifically). tends to express a "meh"/"idk" attitude toward food in her cooking and dining hall dialogue, and pretty much carries through, except for the pronounced dislike of seafood. both of her teas are specifically mentioned as popular. actually, thinking about it, the phrasing of her dining hall dialogue is kind of odd - "I think I like this, but it's been a while, so I'm not sure", "I'm pretty sure I don't like this, but I'll be OK as long as it's edible". can she taste things? is she hedging around what she likes/dislikes? or due to her childhood has she just simply reached new levels "well so long as I'm not starving and so long as it's not fish, fuck it who cares"? ??? ???????????

Ferdinand

favorite teas: Almyran Pine Needles, Southern Fruit Blend, Seiros Tea

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Daphnel Stew, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Onion Gratin Soup, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Grilled Herring, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Fish Sandwich, Bourgeois Pike, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs

disliked foods: Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Gautier Cheese Gratin, Cabbage and Herring Stew

cooking ability: okay (knows how to cook, but inexperienced. ...immediately starts fucking up, but apparently not bad enough to be part of disaster squad)

thoughts: literally the only things he dislikes are all in the "bitter" category, and aside from being ambivalent toward the "meat" category he likes practically everything else from every other category. even his tea likes are a bit all over the place. honestly so long as it's not particularly bitter you can probably give him anything to eat and he'd just shove it in his mouth and probably enjoy it or at least be like "yeah, this is okay". (and even with this bitter category, in BE playthroughs where you build his supports with Hubie he learns to like coffee, and could potentially get to like other bitter things as well?) he'd be right at home in SoV, eating flour. :V Dorothea compares him to a bee, but he's a lot like a dog in some ways. a big, friendly dog that will eat almost anything...

Mercedes

favorite teas: Albinean Berry Blend, Southern Fruit Blend, Crescent-Moon Tea

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Peach Sorbet, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Onion Gratin Soup, Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Two-Fish Saute

disliked foods: Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Fish Sandwich, Sauteed Jerky, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Gautier Cheese Gratin

cooking ability: great! (enjoys baking sweets, "not sure about cooking other kinds of food". likes cooking more than studying or training)

thoughts: here for the sweets and some fish, dislikes all but one "meat" recipe, dislikes the entire "spicy" category, and both poultry options in the "bitter" category. I thought her not being sure about cooking non-baked goods was just her being humble, but maybe it's also because she dislikes so much stuff she's worried it'll affect her cooking...

Cyril

favorite teas: Almyran Pine Needles

liked foods: Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Beast Meat Teppanyaki, Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Daphnel Stew, Gronder Meat Skewers, Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Vegetable Stir-Fry, Fish and Bean Soup, Two-Fish Saute, Sauteed Jerky, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs

disliked foods: Onion Gratin Soup, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Cabbage and Herring Stew, Small Fish Skewers, Fried Crayfish

cooking ability: okay (doesn't know how to cook, but willing to help. has done other work around the kitchen, but not cooked)

thoughts: likes meats, not a big fan of cheese or couple of items from the "bitter" category (and as you might've noticed, most characters are ambivalent at best toward the fish skewers and crayfish but I mean who fries their crawfish anyway, boil it in spices or put it in an etoufee or something), but otherwise? honestly probably just happy to be eating regular meals. his lone liked tea is the primary Almyran one, which again benefits eyesight, befitting an archer (and thinking about it, also handy for axe-wielders, given axes' lower hit rates)

Flayn

favorite teas: Sweet-Apple Blend, Crescent-Moon Tea, Almond Blend

liked foods: Saghert and Cream, Sweet Bun Trio, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Peach Sorbet, Onion Gratin Soup, Country-Style Red Turnip Plate, Grilled Herring, Fish and Bean Soup, Fruit and Herring Tart, Fisherman’s Bounty, Fish Sandwich, Two-Fish Saute, Bourgeois Pike, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Cabbage and Herring Stew

disliked foods: Vegetable Stir-Fry, Sauteed Jerky, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Sauteed Pheasant and Eggs, Garreg Mach Meat Pie, Gautier Cheese Gratin

cooking ability: a disaster (mother was an excellent cook. her? not so much. "a bit of this, a bit of that! This will make it all the tastier", apparently not)

thoughts: tfw when you're so used to jokes exaggerating how much Flayn likes fish that when you compile a list of her liked dishes she feels like a parody of herself. also likes sweets, apparently only likes pheasant with a sweet sauce, and does not like eggs or spicy food, but only dislikes a fish dish if it's super-spicy. teas are all on the refined/subtle/elegant side of things. I wonder if she and Raph have tea together after their training sessions...

final thoughts

Cyril has never cooked and is better than Raph, Caspar, and Flayn. what are you even doing, guys...?

at some point this post became Cheesewatch 2020, carefully monitoring who does and does not like cheese amongst the Deer.

it's after 3 am and I think at one point I had a better idea of how to end this post, but...

[oohfluffy]

TIHM Ch.5 |BBH

Group: EXO

Member: Byun Baekhyun

Theme: Angst | Fluff | Rated M | University!AU | Football!AU

Word Count: 4,173

chapter 5

You slumped against the wall, your usual spot on the 4th floor, the Composition Studies of Music Department. You took out your lunch box with a satisfied sigh, taking in the comforting silence around you. You looked up at the hallways, eyes drifting at the last door where you last heard the beautiful piece last week. 

"Not playing today, huh?" You mumbled to yourself as you opened your lunch box filled with cheese buldak, spicy chicken dish with lots of cheese on top. You figured how to cook it when Jiwon showed you a video of the recipe, and she kept on saying that you should try to cook it with her and you did. You were surprised with the result as you don't really eat spicy food often.

You picked your chopsticks and started digging in, chewing loudly as you tasted the flavorful spices along the soft white meat of the chicken. You smiled to yourself as you thought that your grandma would probably be proud of you, managing to cook good dishes now without her guidance.

As you continued eating in peace, a hard press in the piano keys made you look up in expectation. It was a single note and was not even a clean one, but your heart thumped in anticipation. You munched on your food slowly, putting your lunch box on your lap. 

You were expecting a piece to be played, but you waited for a few minutes already and nothing was played.

You frowned as you finished your food in disappointment. You packed your box quickly before standing up. You slowly walked towards the hallway, careful and not making a single noise. The last door was closed. It was a glass door but with blinds inside, so you can't really see how the room looks like from the outside.

You wondered why the person didn't continue playing.

You stood there for a while, still expecting that he or she would play something, but to no avail, you were left with silence. Giving up, you moved towards the elevator and pressed the down button. You waited until the doors opened and you entered with a frown, expectation not met. You pressed the close button, when a shout surprised you inside.

"WAIT! Don't close the doors, please!"

You instantly pressed the open button, eyes wide as you looked up. Your lips parted in awe and shock as you see a disheveled gray-haired guy with a red polo shirt—buttons open crazily like someone just snapped it open in an instant. And you prayed that's not the case. You looked away as you saw a lipstick stain on his neck, so red that you silently agreed with your first assumption. 

"It's you." He breathed out as he smiled in recognition, walking inside the lift quickly. He was even the one who pressed the close button, eyes on you as he did. "We keep bumping into each other, huh?"

You kept silent as you looked at your side—the elevator wall, trying to ignore the feminine scent that he has right now. You just let your mind wander to different kinds of questions, distracting yourself from his smouldering stare.

Why was he in this floor and building? Is he probably a student of the Music department? 

Your eyes widened as you looked in front, a possible incredulous thought passing in your mind. 

Don't tell me he's the one in the piano room, doing his dirty deeds inside of it?!

You stared at his figure on the elevator doors, which reflects your images clearly. Your fiery accusing gaze probably pierced through him as he suddenly stared back at you through the doors. You looked away in surprise.

"I can't believe you're really shy and quiet." He chuckled as he continued staring at you. You breathed out a relieved sigh as the doors opened, reaching the ground floor. You instantly went out when he walked quickly with you. "Hey, are you avoiding me?"

"Can you button up your shirt first and clean yourself up?" You couldn't contain your embarrassed state as you looked back at him with a grimace. "You don't look presentable right now, so I can't talk to you."

He looked surprised that you managed to say all that in one go, but then a smirk formed on his face. This so-called Baekhyun guy followed your advice and tried buttoning them all, but then two at the top fell off clumsily, making you follow them roll hopelessly on the ground.

"Oops." Baekhyun breathed out with a playful tone, eyes darting up at yours. "I guess she was too desperate earlier?"

With your cheeks on fire, you turned away from him and walked as fast as you can to your next class. You gripped on the straps of your bag tightly as you turned swiftly on the corner, occasionally looking back in case that guy followed you.

How the hell can he be so confident about such matters?!

"So scary." You mumbled as you breathlessly sat down on your seat in the room. You were the only one inside as you were 30 minutes early for this class. "I really hope they didn't make a mess in the piano room." 

You don't know how would your favorite, yes favorite, pianist react if he or she sees such dirty affairs inside his or her place. It would probably make him or her stop playing there, no? You frowned at the thought. You hope not.

That pervert.

"Hey, Ji!" 

You looked up as you heard a familiar high-pitched voice call out. It was Irene with her gang. They were looking at you with smiles on their faces as they walked towards you. You looked around, trying to see if they were calling you or someone else.

Ji? If I remember correctly, my name's Saejin.

"Come with us later!" Seulgi exclaimed as she sat next to your chair, eyes glancing at her friends before looking back at you. "There will be a party at the Kim's mansion, we should go together!"

"The Kim's?" You asked silently, pushing back the more relevant questions like why are they inviting me, why all of a sudden are they back to talking to me, are they up to something. 

"The captain of the football team! Don't know them?" Yeri feigned shock as she looked at you, her hand on her mouth ridiculously. 

"We saw you with Kim Jiwon last Friday though, so you probably know them, right?" Joy piped in as she looked down on her nails, a nail filer in her grasp. 

"Of course, she knows them! They're the hottest and most popular guys around campus." Wendy smirked as she leaned towards your desk, a glint of teasing in her gaze. "Surely, Ji won't pass on the opportunity to get close to them, right?"

The girls giggled at Wendy's remark, which probably had an underlying inside joke for you. You looked down on your lap, not knowing how to counter these kinds of conversation.

"Just come with us, and you don't know maybe..." Irene smiled, that innocent one that creeps into your nerves and screams evil to you at the same time. "...you could catch one or more hottie in your web?"

No thanks. 

"I think Jiwon would be there as well? I heard her saying that she'll ask you to come too. We're just so excited that we invited you first." Yeri grinned, patting your shoulder as she sat behind you.

Is it just me or I feel like I'm being surrounded by witches?

—

The bell rang, and as quick as bees, the class buzzed instantly. Everyone, yes, everyone stood up excitedly and talked loudly as if the professor went out already. You glanced at Mr. Lee in pity as he sighed while looking at his last class before going out in relief.

"Now, let's go!" 

That was the last shout you heard from Irene before you were dragged out by the girls.

You're in it for huge trouble.

You cringed as you were pressed hard in between Yeri and Joy on the back seat of the car. Irene was on the passenger seat beside her driver, while Wendy and Seulgi on the rear seat at the back of yours. It was the first time they were going with you together in one car. They never did in the past months of hanging with you.

What's with tonight's event? Why do they need to drag me with them? Is it because Jiwon wants me there too? That's impossible. She would have told me last night if she did.

"Are you excited, Ji?" Joy asked with an enthusiastic voice, combing her hair with her hand. "It will be much more exciting now because of your presence."

"Yeah! Junmyeon's parties are the best!" Seulgi squealed at the back while taking a selfie with Wendy. "It's so good that his parents aren't always home."

"Everyone can go crazy as much as they want." Irene looked back at you with a smirk. 

That makes me want to go home more.

"I-I don't think I want to go." You bravely said as you looked around. "I'm sure Jiwon can handle herself."

"No. It's your time to free yourself from loneliness, you know! You've been too silent and timid that no one wants to approach you." Yeri furrowed her brows as she looked at you. "If you're worrying about the past," She looked at her friends, lips curling but then frowning in a second. "nothing will go wrong now. Everyone has forgotten about it already."

"Yeah. We'll be with you throughout the party. Jiwon can join us!" Wendy smiled.

Is it really okay? I don't feel comforted by that though.

"O-Okay."

"That's better." Irene proudly looked in front with a smile. "We're here anyway."

As soon as you went out the car, your eyes fed on the majestic aesthetics of the mansion. There were lots of cars parked on the space near the gates, but they didn't hinder you from appreciating the features of the place. It's as if a prince lives inside that mansion. Everyone was buzzing with excitement as they entered the gates, guards welcoming the incoming guests for the night. It was still 5pm, but a lot of people were here already.

"I think I just saw Cha Eunwoo with his girlfriend for this week." Joy gasped as she grabbed her lipstick in her bag. She instantly applied a bright red color on her lips, smacking her lips loudly. "Does it look good?" She turned to you and her friends with a smile.

"Good enough to snatch him away from his date." Yeri showed her a thumbs up, supporting her friend.

He has a girlfriend though? Is that okay?

You furrowed your eyebrows as Wendy looped her arm on yours, and Seulgi on the other side. You were surprised by the intimacy, but you paid no mind to it as you went with the flow. Joy walked in first, her hips seductively swaying as she confidently went to follow the guy.

"W-Will she be okay?" You asked quietly to the girls as you entered the doors. Your eyes were wide as you took in the mansion's interior. It was bright as the white wallpaper with gold intricate designs welcomed you, the wooden staircase at the middle of the receiving area captivated you. The sparkling chandelier on the high ceiling made your eyes light up in awe. 

It indeed looks like a castle.

"Stop gawking, we know it's so beautiful." Yeri laughed as she noticed your gaping mouth. "Regretting now for not attending parties for the past years?"

You weakly smiled as you took in the buzzing crowd around the place. The girls went to the living room, where not a lot of people were hanging. Probably because more were in the kitchen or the open area? You don't know how huge this place was, but it might fit in all the students in campus.

"I can see the buffet table!" Seulgi screamed as she let go of your arm, eyes on the long table of food. Your eyes widened in surprise at how expensive every dish looks like. 

"I can see the drinks at the bar." Irene smirked as she automatically went to the bar by the corner of the area. "I'll see ya'll later. I'm gonna take a drink before this party starts."

"I'll go with Seulgi!" Yeri said as she followed her friend excitedly. You were left with Wendy, who just tugged you down to a sofa. You watched as a bunch of girls started to approach her with smiles on their faces, until their eyes fell on you.

"Hey, Wendy! It's nice to see you!" A blonde girl said as she grinned at Wendy, who greeted her back. The girl's eyes went back to you, and you can visibly notice the grimace on her face. "You're with her?"

"Ah yes. We brought her here tonight..." Wendy grinned as she looked at you. "...so she could have fun for the first time in two years after that incident." Her eyes were shining with a prodding sharp look. Like she was pushing you to say something.

"Oh!" The blonde girl's lips curled into amusement as she looked at you. Her gaze became different. It was not disgust now, but full of anticipation. "I see. Well then, enjoy the night, Lee Saejin. Let go all of your worries tonight." Wendy stood up and chatted with them.

With that, Wendy was quickly among the crowd. 

"When will Jiwon arrive?" You asked yourself as you looked around. Everyone was having their own businesses. Most of them were chatting loudly as if they haven't seen each other for a long time, some were drinking beer or champagne (how elegant), and some were doing things you would not do in a party—making out.

You looked away as soon as you see a couple sucking each other's face off. You'd rather watch the news right now than see a live show. You can hear a dj greeting the crowd on the open area behind the mansion, and following that was the loud music blasting across the air. You stood up as most of the people went out to the start of the party. Even the girls you were with earlier were out of sight.

"Better alone than with plastics." You muttered as you took a barbeque stick from the buffet table. You took a bite from it and instantly craved for more. "It's good as expected."

As you walked around the table, not hesitating to take bits of food on each dish, you cautiously looked at the paintings hung on the wall. They look like they were from ancient times, historical and intricately made by well-known painters. You wondered how rich Kim Junmyeon's family was.

"I told you she'll be here early! She'll come looking for you as soon as she arrives!"

"Shut up! Just don't tell anyone I'm here. Tell her I'm dead."

"As if she'll fall for that same reason that you told all of your girls before."

"Just listen to me, Sehun. Let her—"

When you looked down on the buffet table, you got to have a glimpse of two guys near the living room. They were talking by the door when a familiar face noticed you. Your hand was on the air with a barbeque stick when you met his eyes. Your face dropped.

"Go out and do it, maknae." Baekhyun pushed his friend out before trudging towards you with a grin.

"Oh no." You mumbled as you walked around the long buffet table, trying to avoid his approach. When you turned the corner, Baekhyun must have seen your move and followed. Sensing that he would not let you go, you face him with an obvious grimace to keep him off your back. "Hi."

"I see that you look really happy to see me, huh?" Baekhyun chuckled at his sarcastic remark, eyes sparkling with amusement. "You wound me, love."

"I'm just glad you look presentable now." You said as you walked passed him and went to the bar, where different kinds of drinks were. You grabbed a can of coke, settling for soda instead of beer. You see Baekyun's hand grabbing a glass with tequila and lime.

"Well, I wanted to please you, so I followed your advice." He slyly said, following you as you went back to the sofa—the only place you could go for now. But that idea seems to be not that good as you saw Baekhyun glance at the couple by the side, almost doing the deed shamelessly. "What a sight." He whistled.

Your cheeks were on fire as you went to the other way, leaving the shitty living room. You can hear Baekhyun's laugh as he followed you. You hastily went to the double doors that probably led to the open area as you hear the noise getting louder. 

"Hey."

Before you can even hear him say nonsense, you opened the door and went outside. His voice got covered by the party music played by the dj. You quickly slipped in the crowd despite the noise and energy of these people, wanting to be out of sight of that playboy. Different colors of lights played around the area as people jumped and danced the night away. You almost spilled your coke on someone as they bumped into you.

"Sorry!" You muttered every time you bumped on to someone or the other way round. You wonder if Jiwon was around here? "Where can I stay in peace?" You sighed as you found a little space by the corner.

"Oh! Just the person we were looking for!"

You looked back at the crowd and saw Irene with the girls, smiles on their faces as they approached you. You didn't feel great when a bright light hit your face, as if you were placed on a hot seat. 

"Let's greet our guest of honor tonight! Lee Saejin!" The dj shouted with a grin as he lowered the volume of the music. You looked shocked as you looked around, feeling so small at how the people stare at you while whispering to each other. 

"She said she'll be participating in the shots game!" Seulgi exclaimed as she raised a tall glass of an almost clear drink with a lemon on the top. It has a tinge of pink, which looks aesthetic, but you know it was alcohol. "Who wants to do it with her?"

Still surprised of what was happening, you looked at them incredulously as you processed what Seulgi just said.

"Oh? No one wants to? Well, that was expected." She giggled, making the crowd laugh along with her. "Who would want to, right? You might get poisoned and she might take you to bed. That's her specialty, right?"

As the laughters became louder, your mind did not know what to do. You can see all of them looking at you with distaste, if not, they looked amused with whatever's happening to you right now. You looked at Irene who started to approach you, the drink in her hand.

"The audience is waiting. Don't disappoint us, hm?" She sweetly said as she placed the glass in your hand. "Just drink it in one go, and we'll leave you alone."

Your eyes watered as the embarrassment filled your system, feeling your hands tremble as the coldness of the glass touched your skin. This was not simply humiliating, but it was painful for you. 

Why does the past keep on hunting you? Why can't they just leave me alone? I didn't do anything wrong. They just weren't on my side. They choose to believe the wrong.

"A-Are you sure you'd do that?" Your voice cracked as you lifted the glass to your chest, the strong scent hitting your nose. You cringed at the smell, but you tried keeping a straight face.

"Yes, Ji."

With a submissive nod, which you didn't like at all, you drank the liquid.

"OOOH." The crowd cheered as you drank the alcoholic beverage. It stung your throat as if flames started to spread throughout your system, burning everything that it passed through. Your eyes were filled with tears while you gulped down everything.

"Lee Saejin is as wild as ever!" The dj shouted in glee before continuing with the loud music. "LET'S PARTY HARD!"

Dropping the empty glass in front of Irene, you glared at the people for the last time before walking away. It wasn't until a few steps when you almost fell down on the ground.

"Woah there, slut." You heard a disgusting voice whisper as his arms wrapped around your waist. "Feeling hot? Wanna go somewhere less crowded?"

"Wanna go to fucking hell, man?!"

Your blurry vision didn't help as you balanced yourself, trying to push the guy away. You thought it was easy as the arms on your waist were gone in a second. Your eyes went down to the ground, trying to focus your eyesight, when a body dropped next to your feet. Your eyes widened a bit in surprise, your feet moving back in instinct. You don't recognize the face but he seems to be that guy that grabbed you earlier. 

"Come here, Saejin." 

You almost moved away when a hand grabbed your waist securely, leading you out of that stuffy and scary place. Scarier than the dark restroom. Your mind was probably not working that well now as you followed his lead.

In a minute of walking, your eyes were already filled with tears. Everything came back to you in a blink, tears started flowing down your cheeks. You hiccuped all of a sudden before sobbing with your hands trembling.

"Hey, hey. Shh." The person, who led you out to somewhere that looks like a garden, shushed you with a comforting rub on the back. "I'm sorry that happened. I guided him to hell. That won't happen again, I swear."

You just sobbed louder, hands clutching at your shirt, a habit of yours whenever you cry. With a sigh, he made you sit on a bench. Fortunately, the garden was empty and silent. Only your cries and sobs were heard.

"W-Why is it so hard to move forward?" You cried as you looked down on your lap, voice trembling with emotions that he couldn't comprehend. His arm was still around your waist, until he realized he was too comfortable with that that he didn't think what you were feeling about it. He quickly gave you space, moving his arm away and scooting farther from you.

He kept silent as he watched you try to contain your pained cries.

"I didn't do anything..." You whispered as tears continued to taint your rosy cheeks. He badly wanted to wipe them away, to make you stop hurting, to hug you tight, to let you forget those painful memories. He doesn't know what happened that made you cry like this, but it surely is not just about the guy harassing you. It's something more.

"Why do they hate me so much? Why me?"

"I don't." His voice soft and gentle as he spoke, making you look up at him. With tears in your eyes, cheeks wet, and trembling lips, you still looked breathtaking for him. You're beautiful. "I don't hate you, love."

You let out a sob as you stared into his eyes. All the rational things going out of the window.

"W-Why?"

"Because I can't see anything that will make me hate you."

"I-It's because you don't know me."

"I do though. You're Lee Saejin, the clumsy, quiet, smart, and straightforward girl that's too shy to admit she's a fan of the team." He smiled, a hand reaching to wipe a stray tear away from your cheeks. You flinched as his warm fingers touch your skin. 

"T-That's not the whole me."

"Well, I just need to know you better then?" He said, scooting a bit closer to you with a gentle smile. You continued looking at him with those eyes. A look that he thinks that wants him. "Stop looking at me like that, love. Or else I might just bite you."

His eyes widened in surprise as your head fell on his shoulder. 

"I feel so tired facing them..." You whispered as your eyes closed. "I'm so tired fighting."

His heart ached at your voice. The one that made his smile waver. His arms were like moving on their own as they wrapped themselves around you. You scooted closer to him as you felt comfort in his warm embrace. The cold wind of the night blew against the bed of grass and flowers around you.

It was the most peaceful moment you've ever had in the past years of hurting.

"We'll face them together then." He whispered as his fingers combed through your loose hair, gently rubbing your head. "Baekhyun will be with you, hm."

With those last words from his mouth, he leaned his head on yours before he closed his eyes.

—

♫ Ch.6

[beardycarrot]

While on the other side of town today looking for a quick lunch, I noticed that there was a Bojangles in the area. Huh! Who knew. After one of the most underwhelming meals of my life at KFC last month, I decided to check out the competition. It couldn’t possibly be WORSE, could it?

Since it was after two and this was my first meal of the day, I was hungry, so opted for the three-piece meal. While the one I got last year that reminded me just how bad KFC had become came with two legs, a thigh, a biscuit, and a single side, looking into it, KFC now now offers the same meal as I got today at Bonjangles: two thighs, a leg, a biscuit, and two sides. Is Bojandles any better, though?

Uhh... YES. Significantly better. Compare this thigh to the grease factory from KFC linked above. Bojangles’ breading isn’t as “crispy” as KFC’s, but at least I can eat it without a grease tarp. Also? This is just really good fried chicken. It was quite a bit darker than the lighting in this picture makes it look; the one down in the box reflects this more accurately.

Now, it WAS a little greasy down inside, this is skin-on fried chicken after all, but it was about what you would expect... and nothing like the visibly-shiny-from-every-angle level of grease on the KFC legs. It’s crunchy, moist, well-seasoned, and everything you would hope fried chicken to be.

The biscuit... was fantastic. This is the first thing I tried, and this is when I knew I was in for a good time. Buttery flavorful... it’s an actual biscuit! If you did a blind taste test between this and KFC biscuits, after trying KFC’s the subjects would assault you for even comparing them. I’m not even a biscuit guy, but I’m 100% sold on this. Bojangles is everything that KFC isn’t... and I haven’t even gotten to the two sides I picked out!

I’m not big on southern food, and wanted to directly compare this to what i got at KFC last time, so got the seasoned fries. They’re every bit as good as they look. KFC’s tries, which I guess are tossed in their eleven herbs and spices, are okay... but these are genuinely good. If you eat a bunch in a row they can get a little spicy, but that’s more than welcome for me. If I was driving by Bojangles, I might stop in just to get an order of them as a snack... that is, if I the remaining item in my box wasn’t the single best item I’ve ever gotten from a drive-thru.

BOJANGLES DIRTY RICE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE.

I don’t know what the sausage in this is, it isn’t really anything special, but it all comes together perfectly. I honestly cannot believe this is from a fast food place. This was the last thing I tried, and I was already pretty sure that this was the best meal I’d ever gotten from a drive-thru. I mean, the bar was pretty low because I don’t like fast food... but I was already impressed BEFORE the rice. The rice seals it, though: Bojangles is by far the best fast food I’ve ever had.

The remaining question is price. That absolutely pathetic KFC meal with the dry biscuit and thin strips of chicken jerky was $9.62, and as you can see above, the KFC version of the Bojangles meal I had today is $8.50 before taxes. It’s worth noting that the KFC meal comes with a drink and the Bojangles one doesn’t, but I always travel with my own drink anyway, so it doesn’t make much difference to me. So, how much does the Bojangles meal, better than KFC in every conceivable way, stack up price-wise?

After taxes, it’s about a dollar less. We can call that dollar the missing drink. The difference in quality, for being the same price, is just mind-blowing. Maybe there are other places where KFC is decent, and Bojangles is less so... but for my money, where I live, there’s no question. If I want chicken, I’m going to Bojangles.

Or, well. If I want rice. If I go back in the near future it’s gonna be for the rice.

[purplesurveys]

1106

survey by mickey-mouse

Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of? I haven’t been feeling that way towards anyone, be it from real life or someone on the internet or a celebrity, for a while.

Do you drink the milk from the bowl after you eat all the cereal? I’ll try to drink some of it, since I do think milk tastes nice haha, but I keep it in moderation so that my stomach won’t end up being too upset.

Have you ever kissed anybody accidentally? Oh wow, how does this even happen? Hahaha but no I haven’t.

Who was the first person to wish you a Merry Christmas last year? Most likely a family member. My friends and I usually greet each other late into the evening.

Do you think it'll be the same person this year? It will probably be family again, yeah. I just can’t tell which one would be first.

Is your display picture in black and white? None of my profile photos on all social media are.

Do you know anybody who has had an online relationship? I don’t think so. I have some friends who met their SOs through dating apps, but I think all of them have since seen each other in person. I’m not sure I know of anyone whose relationship has been entirely online/virtual so far.

What food are you always in the mood for? No matter how full I am, I will always take a slice of pizza or two if it’s ever served at a table. That or chicken wings or spicy tuna salad.

When was the last time you played Guitar Hero? Safe to say more than a decade ago. I had always preferred Rock Band since I found it more fun that switching instruments was a main part of its gameplay, whereas you were stuck with the guitar on Guitar Hero.

What friend could buy clothes for you and not have to worry what they bought? Angela. We have nearly the same sense of style and we find the same things cute, so if I ever had to make a friend control my wardrobe for the day I will likely trust her the most.

1 thing that your guy best friend doesn't like about you: I don’t have a guy best friend. Hans is my closest friend of the opposite sex; while I don’t think he dislikes anything about me, I’m sure he thinks I’ve acted dumb about love and relationships many times before. Which is fine, we’re very honest and blunt about those things and I actually appreciate it when he gets brutally honest with me.

How about your girl best friend? Again, I don’t know if Angela doesn’t like a certain trait of mine but she’s well aware of my past stupid decisions i.e. staying in a harmful relationship.

Do you loan your friends money? No, but I’m ready to lend to my closest friends should they ever be in need.

Are Lucky Charms really magically delicious? I dunno, I’ve never tried.

When was the last time you had Lucky Charms anyway? See above.

Who is the last person you called long distance? I don’t do video calls with friends living in other countries, mainly because I’ve grown apart from them haha. My mom will sometimes start calls with relatives living abroad though; I believe the most recent one was a group video call with my dad’s side of the family, which included an uncle who lives in New York.

Do you sleep with a nightlight? No; I would find this too distracting and bright.

Is Lil Wayne really the best rapper alive? I never thought he was one of the best to begin with. Some of the songs he’s featured in are fine but I don’t like his slurred style of rapping very much.

What is the first text in your inbox? Like...the very first one in my inbox? I scrolled all the way down and it’s from Frances - an orgmate who has since disappeared off the face of the earth and blocked all her friends on social media lmao - asking about an org-related thing three years ago. Wherever she is, I hope she’s doing okay.

Are you taller than your siblings? I am the eldest yet smallest child in the family. My relatives get a kick out of it, which is fine because I do too HAHA

What are the first letters of your friends first names on your top 8? Myspace? Was never active on it.

When was the last time you almost cried from laughing? I can’t pinpoint an exact moment for you but this happens a lot when I watch 2 Days 1 Night, so this has probs happened recently.

Do you have “photoshoots” with your friends/family members? Not with me as the subject – I’m very camera shy and turn into an awkward stick once I’m asked to pose. But I love taking photos of loved ones, especially an SO.

Are you generous? To a fault.

Are you excited for Thanksgiving this year? I don’t celebrate that.

Are you excited for Thanksgiving ANY year? Yeah, I still don’t celebrate that.

Any plans for the weekend? I had plans to start a new series and spend a lazy day watching YouTube videos, but we haven’t had internet all day today and it’s felt quite deflating to have the first day of my weekend taken away from me. I’ve been running on data which is...fine, I guess, but I can’t use too much if I don’t want to keep paying for it. That said I’ve only been able to do surveys and stream music today. For tomorrow, I wanna go to a coffee shop and perhaps even treat myself to ramen because I’ve been craving.

Do you lay your clothes out the day before? Before Covid happened I planned out my clothes the night before, but I didn’t lay them out.

Who was the last person you bought a gift for? Andi; got them a dress and a skirt.

What was the last song you had stuck in your head? My Limb has been repeatedly playing in my head all day.

Are you ignoring anybody currently? Not ignoring, more of I’ve already given up on them.

Do you curse at your parents in a different language? I don’t curse at my parents in any language, lmfao.

Do you get the mailman a Christmas gift every year? We don’t have mailmen, buuuuut the maintenance staff in my village (trash collectors, security guards, those in charge of trimming the grass, etc) will usually hand each household an envelope in time for Christmas. My family and I help them out and place a certain amount in all envelopes.

Are you afraid of lizards? They are very common visitors in homes here so no I’m mostly not. They move very fast and get freaked out when they see humans though, so sometimes I’ll be shocked by them suddenly scurrying away.

How legible is your signature? I don’t make it legible at all so that it’s difficult to replicate. I actually get a lot of comments on it because my signature is mostly a lazy scribble and I don’t actually spell out any part of my name, which exactly fulfills my goal of making it hard to copy.

Do you think anybody else has a bedroom EXACTLY like yours? I actually live in a neighborhood where the houses are the same models, so I can confidently tell you that there are around 10-20 bedrooms that look similar to mine. But as for being styled and furnished exactly like mine, I doubt it.

How hot are your neighbors? Lol uh I don’t pay attention to this particular trait. All my neighbors are your typical suburban families with young kids, anyway.

Do you have pictures of clouds on your cell phone? A lot. I like looking up at the sky from time to time.

Do you send compliments through text message? Sure, when it’s appropriate and only with close friends.

Do/did your high school theme colors match? I never thought they didn’t go well together, that much I can say.

Do you own any Nike shoes? Several.

Have you ever rode in a VW Bug? Never.

How about a Mini Cooper? Never have, would absolutely love to.

What was the last fast food place you got food from? Yellow Cab. I got two pizzas and pasta for my family.

When you invite people to your house do you usually hang out in your room? I never invite people to my house because it’s too far compared to where most of my friends live, and it would only be a big hassle for everyone. As for my room, the only people who’ve been in it are Gabie and Angela/Hans, the latter only once.

Have you ever seen your crush/current bf/gf cry? I don’t have any of these.

Do you own any Spongebob merchandise? I’m pretty sure we have a Patrick plushie we continue to keep around.

Do you have any food traditions with any of your friends? My orgmates and I frequented a certain bar near our university; we went there whether it was to celebrate the end of an exam-filled week, or if we simply wanted to spend an ordinary Thursday with a few drinks. A few months ago they were in danger of closing because of the pandemic, but I hope life has been kinder to them recently.

Do you like Gwen Stefani? Erm, not particularly. Some songs of her I like, but I’m not a passionate fan.

Do you know anybody with a thick Jamaican accent? No.

Are you closer to your mom’s side of the family or your dad’s? Mom’s. Aside from being able to see them more often, our humor is also similar.

Have you ever been to a haunted house? I’ve stared at one, but never gone inside haha.

Yes or no: red eyeliner? Do whatever you want with your face and makeup, man.

Yes or no: red lipstick? ^ Still applies.

Would you ever own a pet black widow spider? No.

Do you wear holiday themed clothing? I don’t think I own any, so no.

At 6:00 tomorrow night where do you think you’ll be? On my way home, or preparing to head home, I hope.

Is it night or day right now? Evening.

What time did you get up today? Like 5:30. I fell asleep on the rooftop and got to see the pretty sunrise and the sky gradually change colors :)

[shytiff]

Small Dec Wins

i cant believe its December already tf?!?!?!

1 - poli KIA today. saw a mother who cant feel the movement of their baby. the senior midwife tried to find the baby’s heart beat but not finding it. she said she hopes she were wrong. fell asleep at 3pm-ish, woke up super hungry. ate. i swear i feel like my weight when i measured it this morning was ~52, but after eating its close to 54 lol. eating banana and chocolate nextar is yummm. dalbang today is hella funny as always and suuper endearing. fell asleep after dalbang, didnt study hufttt

2 - today im at igd but joined azkia at vk for a bit to see partus. its not that im scared (maybe not consciously) but when the mom was being stitched i felt lightheaded, nausea, cold extremities, and i even had to squat multiple times because i couldnt stand. But i felt better after the partus so maybe seeing it was the cause. I did not feel scared at all honestly ._. and i’ve seen multiple partus before. i dont know why. i can literally feel my symphatetic tone giving out lmaoo. tried matcha latte with Cy matcha powder. it tasted more milky and grassy. mom thought it tasted like nori. i prever cocodeli alll the way (although Cy is cheaper). i think it also has a bit of caffeine that made me feel awake like a normal person should be. 

3 - today is vk but there’s no patient so thank god i saw sumn yesterday. did some cicil ukmppd in the morning accompanied by matcha latte. tried to order dufan tickets and i couldnt find my damn ktp...... fell asleep after worrying about said ktp

4 - matcha latte in the car, swab at lmk, went to dufan by tj with willy, had quite some funn with atikah nila willy amel pupuy. first time trying kereta misteri, quite fun. it rained after ashar so we didnt ride anything after that. turns out my ktp was at barel’s fotocopy lmaoo thankyou ara for picking it. went to solaria ancol afterwards, picked up by mom. i didnt tell her in the morning that i was going to dufan lmao. plenary @ zoom 19 pm. rapat nemo. fell asleep.

5 - went to lmk by tj to surprise clara. went back home and fell asleep. didnt rly do anything afterwards because this ragged body gets tired easily and i dont eat much recently. i can feel the difference before and after eating and there’s actual energy after eating. its not that im hungry though, but i feel less energized. felt annoyed terrible and just wanna lay in bed (this is unrelated with the less food in my system). even though i met up with friends

6 - after LOTS of sleeping i feel somehow better but not to a ‘normal’ amount. watched kimbab family videos. did power vinyasa by doogether with fianti. took a shower and ate indomie and i felt quite normal, except i slept again wtf. i thought i would have the second half of the day but nah. did self tryouts with fianti, 150 FDI questions. I got 96/150 right. huft. such a great reality check

7 - poli lansia with dokter isip, matcha latte in the afternoon rly helps me not sleeping the day away, packed up for depok

8 - poli umum with dr gita (helped doing phys exam), packed the rest of my stuff, ate some risol and matcha lattteee in the car, took swab results, picked up hazmats etc, zoom discussion with FT PKM Kalideres (dr gita) on the way, and i finally arrived at tamel. dinner is granola with vsoy. Taste like a slightly wet granola bar, nutty fiber-y vibe

9 - walked in ui with ara, managed to jog from the trees near st ui until kuburan bikun wow. i reached that point where my leg and heart were going in a steady unburdened pace and my willpower to keep going on was tested. tried the signature steak in Double U Steak by Chef Widi, while ara tried ribeye. the ribeye was more tender than the signature. but the seasoning in the signature is quite delish, salty and oily without being too much (like futago ya). read poppyland fast pass from ara’s phone omg season 1 is finally complete! went to coftof (omgggg i miss this place), it looks different now. ordered matcha latte and it tasted weirdly like a soy milk although ara doesnt feel that way. the matcha tasted weird. wont repurchase. read chainsaw man, its so entertaining, funny and deep at the same time. denji mess around and be too naive sometimes but hes lowkey hot lmaooo. aki is lovvvvve.

10 - first day at rsud budhi asih. had moesli combined with granola + vsoy for brekkie. went back to tamel at 3 pm. it rained when i got back. bought warteg lugina worth 32k. walked to sbux for tumbler day its been a while since i had their matcha latte. it tasted quite good, but not as good as i remembered (?) maybe bcs i asked for non fat milk. sbux closes at 8 pm for now hikss

11 - left tamel at about 7:10 and arrived on budhi asih at 08:54 yalll the traffic. Icu. Bought eatlah double and ate the salted egg part. Nap. ICU discussion with dr Dedi @8pm. I presented from my phone to save data hehe,,

12 - woke up at 8, eatlah brown butter for brekkie, symcard, saladstop's caesar salad for lunch (quite 'eneg' because i didnt eat the cheese evenly so the chicken and cheese were eaten last after the vegs are out. The vegetable's not that variative, and the non vegs make the salad taste delicious (albeit maybe not THAT healthy). Evening jog @UI and i realized i can get wifi sitting near the lake n library. Stared at the night sky from my room, i swear the sky seems super clear. Saw tiny fireworks in the distance

13 - ate muesli and saladstop’s banana walnut cake, symcard, bought moon chicken and saladpoint. lunch was egg salad and the wings. the original tasted so good like??? maybe i havent had msg for a while. also tried big bang, not too spicy which is nice. cicil ukmppd. put my laundry at buih barel lmaoo. try out with fianti. got 70/100

14 - breakfast was salad and leftover chicken. today was bangsal with angga armand. the geriatric patient has a loud murmur yall (and scoliosis, so much that the heart looks distorted). went to margo city to see sales, but when i think about it id rather just thrift stuff lmao. bought lugina. slept through kuliah guru besar. writing this in yellow truck coffee, that had 2 customers on the 1st floor including me. tried banana milk. yall after trying to drink less sugar the beverage tasted super sweet. my headache just goes away. sugar is magic but unhealthy whyyyyy.

15 - igd siang with indah. This body sure is frail. Did cbd with dr afifah AND rescheduled pleno. Rip mobile data i have to use for hotspot.

16 - ok today. Inserted goedel and did bagging. I bagged the patient the wrong way at first (too much). Thankfully the nurses were kind and taught us a lot :) watched some bts content. I feel like after reading househusband my tiktok page is now immensely funnier. Dalbang is also hilarious as always. Put on ginseng sheet mask (smells quite strong)

17 - bangsal. snacked on fried chicken. matcha latte starbucks (turns out its quite full here) and liqo about keeping our tongues in check

18 - arrived at icu. And then opened line. Turns out hadin's swab is positive, so agung kak iman and me have to isolate and swab. So i went back. Ordered kanayam chicken and fish and tempe. Nasi liwet tasted goood damn. Sleptt in the afternoon. Pleno at 4 pm (entered the room 4:30). Had no motivation to do anything. Azkia is getting married! Spent 20 mins formulating words to congratulate her lmaoo

19 - osce simulation, kak nanu was so kind and encouraging. Did try out solid. Lunch is fish bite pasta with melted cheese (cause i had to reach the minimum amount for promo). It got cold so its not that good (pairing it with self made mentai sauce, mixing the mayo and chili, is way much better). Jogged in ui (and searched for wifi). Approached by someone selling haraus coffee (25k), saying that some earnings will be for charity. Its basically sweet. Can barely taste the coffee.

20 - had kanayam for lunch (brekkie is almost always muesli lately). The nasi liwet tasted much better the first time. Walked to yellow truck coffee in the pouring rain. Got banana milk. Saw webinar ksk (electrolyte correction and dr nadhira talkshow). What i got from it is that, dr nadhira is a different person from the first place. Shes visionary, knows what she want and not afraid to reach it. The mindset is different. Even if i try as hard as her, her propensity to growth is different. Cicil ukmppd. Try out with fianti (got 72/100). Talked for an hour about love and marriage and engagements (there are so much of it lately)

21 - leftover kanayam for brekkie, also ate roti salman in cikini st. swab today (met kris, nessa and others). muesli for lunch. i thought my body felt a bit warm, so i decided to find sumn to eat. tried kedai abu bakar’s spaghetti brulee. its okay. maybe because its not too cheesy or meaty, mainly bechamel sauce. the one pupuy made is much tastier. finished the whole 10x20 portion in 2 eating sesh. cicil ukmppd @ bed in the evening (somehow felt refreshed enough to be able to concentrate in bed)

22 - went early to icu to put dops form. lugina for early lunch. i feel like my metabolism is faster? or my body is not so much in calorie deficit mode anymore and it got greedier lmao i used to just ignore hunger but not now, for health. starbiiies tumbler day. ordered black tea latte with non fat milk and vanilla syrup (because raspberry syrup is no more). did cbd geri ppt. 

23 - finally knew the swab result bcs kak iman asked kak farras. thankfully negative. igd with jordi. quite a few chances to do iv line, but i failed 2 times. managed to do iv injection to insert 2 drugs. saw the worst cpr ive ever seen in my life. its too slow, with maximal interruption. fish bite for lunch. wasted the rest of my day

24 - originally intended to run but i cant bring myself out of bed. packed up my stuff. picked up by mom. got the paper result of swab, got ksk from kelvyn @ capitol. can finally drink self-made matcha latte again, but it tasted horrible. i know cy matcha doesnt have that much going on, but even this is low even for them. previously i was starting to get used to the grassy smell.

25 - my lil bro remarked “maybe shes depressed because she doesnt have her chair”. fuck yall. this “depression” that im in is caused by this very place and the people. and im supposed to still muster the strength to study for ukmppd AND get my face together for solid book photoshoot. that shit is too much. this is why the money that goes to cafe, and the bike ride there is worth it for my sanity. after showering, things felt a bit better. had absolutely no will to study today. ate muesli with a bit of matcha latte.

26 - muesli for breakfast. matcha latte is lyfff ive probably said this before but it ~somehow~ makes me feel normal and not in a slump. like im a regular person. with normal moods. and not wanting to sleep all the time. i try to do ukmppd exercises but the pace is so fucking slow, bcs im distracted by get rich haha,,,. the latest potn update (64) is omgggg the mixed feelings? love? hate? anger? everything and nothing? the ~tension and passion~? im obsessed. watched a ton of bts content today and yesterday lmao.

27 - nasi kebuli for brekkie. went to flavola, im the first customer lmao. tried kopi susu coklat, tasted quite close enough to janjiw’s kopi soklat. had the same ~improved mood and concentration~ effect. tried to read ksk. bought milky banana 1L from puyo to give dajen (its his bday yesterday) (i feel prompted (?) to gift people when theyve given a present to me) (because my love lang is not gift giving at all so i barely think abt gifts lmao). talked with sum 33 ipa guys @ dajens house. yay appropriate amount of social battery charging. tryout with fianti, padi this time. got 67/100. 

28 - ate muesli with matcha latte after breakfast. cicil ukmppd. Listened to yoongi's vlive until i fell asleep lol. 2 burger and salad for dinner. omggg hansol revealed his gf. 

29 - spent half of my day tidying up the mess that is my room. figured out what to wear for solid book photoshoot with fianti, ara. matcha latte terosss. phd for dinner. 

30 - breakfast is muesli with cimory choco hazelnut. mom made matcha chocolate brownies. tryna study. slow pace terosss. read some padi materials. dalbang.

31 - bought vsoy low sugar and multigrain. moved my body a bit to youtube videos. showered. felt better. it also rained (which i love). the pleasant mood only lasted til the evening. did nothing from 7pm even though im not sleepy. cant tell when did i start to sleep

and just like that, 2020 kkeut. its sad to say i dont rly remember much remarkable things this year. other than the trip and memories with minor rotation friends. i just remember wasting my life away in my house. i guess that’s the danger of living a monotone life. sometimes you gotta invest some time to have fun, to have motivation to live on and do things. not doing this makes it difficult to live day by day. and friends. meeting friends, seeing new stuff. that helps me live. 

[dixieleebancroft]

Dixie Lee Bancroft

Premium Fried Chicken in Bancroft

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The crispy and delicious fried chicken in Dixie Lee Bancroft is like a tradition passed on from generation to generation. The Dixie Lee chefs just make use of the freshest meat and components from the local market to prepare one of the most scrumptious chicken wings, thighs, and drumsticks.

As the top fast food fried chicken bancroft, Dixie Lee has no plan of disappointing their customers. They continue to offer food that will certainly bring family members together and make the regulars and even first-timers come back for more!

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For a much healthier dish, you can try a salad of fresh and delish dressing. Choose from their in-house favorite coleslaw, macaroni, or potato.

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Sides are an important element of a meal. They might not be the pièce de résistance, but they absolutely add excitement to the main course. Dixie Lee has a variety of side dishes you can choose from. They have onion rings, mushroom caps, dill pickle spears, queso sticks, jalapeno poppers, and gravy.

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The dish will never be complete without giving your sweet tooth a little treat. Right Here at Dixie Lee Bancroft, you can forget your diet and just immerse in pure sweet taste and happiness. Complete your dish with a blast and select from different desserts. They have Marsian, cookies, butter tart, strawberry delight, and sticky toffee pudding.

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This is french fries with a spin! Poutine is a Canadian meal that contains french fries and cheese curds, covered with a charitable quantity of brown sauce. When going to Dixie Lee, never ever miss out to try out this quintessential special.

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For fried chicken, crunchy and golden brown are insufficient! Right here at Dixie Lee, we offer you the best Bancroft fried chicken that will certainly give you all the good feeling. We promote healthy food and all the poultry meat and ingredients we use are fresh and all-natural, you can now take pleasure and savor the taste of premium fried chicken. 

Visit our website:

https://www.dixieleefriedchicken.com/canada/on/bancroft/

Dixie Lee Bancroft

121 Hastings St N Bancroft, ON, Canada

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[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep6: Gozaburo Kaiba Just Casually Started WWIII And Only This One Guy Cares

Welcome to November, where we celebrate writing a 50,000 word book as if I don’t do that every single time I write about an episode of Yugioh. Hello, this is my season. It’s wordy season. I’m so freakin good at doing this. I can’t say most of what I’ve made is any good, but I CAN say at least I’m prolific. Do enough content to fill that bitter pit and walk right over it, that’s been my motto for the past 5 years.

Anyway, I had an awful flu this past week. (Everyone I live with had it so every bathroom was like ground zero) It was SO bad. I still can’t eat spicy food over a week later (Which is so hard for me because usually I can keep up with my Indian friends, that’s my spicy level--max spicy, please--but since this illness, my white taste genes went into overdrive and I tried putting pepperoncini slices in my sandwich and it set my mouth on fire. Pepperoncini. It’s v embarrassing.)

I did attempt to write this post. Unfortunately I never made it past this cap because I got VERY distracted by the emblem on Alister’s face, and how it isn’t proportionally adjusted to match the angle of his face, and it was like three paragraphs of just wanting to talk about it. And then at some point I got very distracted talking about how many empty glasses I was given at my place setting at this baby shower I went to during the flu epidemic, and it mattered a whole lot to me at the time, but I think, overall, was mostly just some sort of nonsense. The things I’ve spared you. 

(bro has just informed me that the 4 gold-lipped crystal goblets I was given at this baby shower was actually very distressing and a very big deal and that I should absolutely talk to at least someone about it, but maybe he’s just saying that to make me feel better, but I have no idea. I am too sick for sarcasm at this time but my god why was I given so many glasses????)

I straight up have no memory of if I’ve made this joke before. Maybe.

(read more under the cut)

Since it feels like 8 years since the last time I could just eat chicken without feeling like I consumed an entire Thanksgiving meal, a little recap:

-Alister pretended he was Pegasus to lure Kaiba and then, off screen, murdered everyone in Pegasus’ castle

-Pegasus got murdered by I’m pretty sure Mai (which is like...OK then...)

-Yugi and Co went on vacation by driving directly through San Francisco and peeking out the window and saying “yeah that’s enough for me”

-No adults, not even Roland, bothered to come with their kids this time, so the only adult of the entire crew--Pegasus--is dead

-Rex and Weevil are luggage

-The Eye of Sauron showed up and it was the end of the world but Yugi threw a dragon at it so I guess everything is OK now

-Monsters are real but they are hard to animate so we’ll just pretend like they’re causing havoc everywhere although most of the planet seems basically unaffected by this.

-The Grim Reaper is a friendly monster that hangs out in a Japanese park and that feels fairly on brand.

And I think that was all that was happening so far.

In a weird twist of fate, Mokuba is the only one in this room that isn’t trapped which sort of...if you’re the only one NOT kidnapped wouldn’t that also be a type of being kidnapped?

And we finally get to figure out why Alister wants to Murder Kaiba so bad and, spoiler, it reaches.

???

I’m gonna get more to the obvious problems with Alister’s devotion to murdering all the Kaibas in a bit but yes, Alister is in fact going to try and Kill Kaiba on this kid’s show because of Kaiba’s Dad, who is such a horrible and abusive person that Kaiba essentially drove the bastard out of Japan and straight to the bottom of the ocean.

Just kinda feels like Alister has been living under a rock...which, I guess he has been. He has been living in some weird Atlantis structure so I guess he never got the memo that Gozaburo Kaiba is hella dead.

So that’s what they’re up to. How’s Sausalito?

Um.

Huh.

So the North Bay is a really classic scenery. It’s rolling hills. It’s NAPA. It’s like...definitely not Arizona. California has a couple of mesas but they’re no where near here and the Monument Valley style Mesas really only exist in Monument Valley.

And I know it’s because the background artist for Yugioh is all horny for horny rock structures but like...this couldn’t be farther from the Bay Area in the way that it is drawn and it is such a shock after all the work they did last episode to research that Bay Area lore. Once they crossed the Golden Gate they were like “well no one will care about this part” which is true not only of Yugioh but also of real life Californian politics.

Anyway, I have been making a map, but unfortunately my original file will not suffice. time to fix it.

There we go. Now they’re in the right place. Just smack dab in Monument Valley, Arizona, smack dab in the middle of the Navajo Nation and so hypothetically, not even in the United States anymore.

While in the car, Yugi has just been anxious as hell the entire time, and just going “y’all I have a bad feeling I’m uncomfortable I have a bad feeling” while Joey and Tea just patiently stared at him flipping out in the corner. So...kinda like a normal trip with someone who has high anxiety/possessed by a ghost. I  kinda feel like this is every girls trip to Disneyland for me. There’s always one Yugi who’s like “no one said anything about CROWDS.” and you kinda just gotta let them do their thing. Just let them get it out of their system and hide in the bathroom when they need to hide in the bathroom and don’t fight it, they’ll be fine. Just hold their spot in line when they desperately look for a secret place to medicinally vape because there’s too many freakin children at Disneyland.

And it is HILARIOUS that Yugi is able to have this type of premonition but cannot figure out that they have somehow missed San Fransisco and have wandered into a DESERT.

Back in Pegasus’ California (an island that legitimately looks more like California than actual Yugioh California) Alister has decided to go completely off the rails and it happens so fast and without any warning.

the line is actually “This doll used to be my brother’s” which is a very different meaning but both are likely from weird ass Alister and this weird ass show, so I’ll leave the cap like this (although yes, this is what I thought Alister was saying for kind of a while until I recorded it for this blog and was like “oh shoot I heard the line wrong when I had the flu huh.”)

Man, RIP Noah, he would have been excellent this episode.

Honestly seems like just yesterday when Seto and Noah were pitted against eachother by a cyberdemon Dad-head floating in the sky, Mokuba was possessed for some reason and being used as a human shield, Tristan was a robot monkey, and Yugi was just shrugging at Kaiba from across the field like “Kaiba if you don’t play good you die--oh my gods, he died. Well that was bound to happen...again.” Man.

Alister should be their best friend, this is nonsense.

So lets do the math to 7 years before 2002.

I searched Wikipedia for wars during 1995 (they do have a list of 90′s wars) and looked for any that involved heavy use of tanks and their artillery fire (on big swatches of cities like this), inner city western architecture, temperate landscapes, and western clothing that match Alister and Mikey (AKA WWII vibes) and found out:

Nothing fits that description

UNLESS Alister and Mikey are time travelers from a WWII bombing in Europe. This is Yugioh. That could happen. Probably not, but youknow...it’s not too late for Yugioh to bring in time travel.

I mean if you don’t want to get super political in your cartoon just invent a world war I guess? We’ve already clarified that Gozaburo was Big Boss, so at this point I can easily see him inventing wars just to sell ships.

(I could probably add thousands of more deaths at this point but I have no idea where they are, if they’re on a tiny island or an entire country so I’ll just...leave the count alone but just now it’s implied that a hell ton of people died during this episode)

People going off about how Sesame Street is so amazing for talking about issues like you’re Dad going to prison while Yugioh was straight up talking about the intricacy of the War Economy. Yugioh being all “don’t forget kids, your good capitalist economy survives off of the undeserved bloodshed of civilians in other countries! Eat the poor!” and it’s like hot damn this heavy commentary came out of freakin no where.

Anyways, this is stuff most kid’s shows will delicately skip over but nah, Yugioh is going to go here, and they are going to steamroll directly through it with massive tanks.

So, lets kill this kid’s entire family and talk about the terrors of the World War of 1995 and all the war orphans who get recruited to become soldiers at the ripe old age of 9. Alister was 9 when he was recruited to be a child card soldier.

This kid’s show.

Alister is...basically Raiden, right? Like as long as we’re talking about Metal Gear, this kid is just one step away from cyborg implants and weird colored blood?

Better wear bright red when you visit the war crime scene, surprised Gozaburo didn’t invite like an entire photo -op crew to incriminate him even further.

Now we did look up “where the hell is Alister from Yugioh from?” (there is no answer) and we did find out a little factoid. In the Japanese version of the show, Gozaburo had bought the land and was just forcibly evicting Alister and his family from their home with tanks.

Which is wild.

He just straight up evicted an entire metropolitan city????

Like the dub did a way better job than the sub at this one, I’ll give them that.

It’s just so weird that Gozoboro just didn’t like...raise the rent like a normal bad landlord. Instead he was like “rather than gentrify my land and save me a ton of money, I’ll just destroy everything I just bought and murder everyone here” which is like...

...Seto did the world so many favors when he kicked out his Dad, right? Like Damn. I don't understand why Alister isn’t freakin worshiping Seto right now when his whole deal is “I must kill Gozaburo” and Seto’s like “yo I already did that. Twice. I didn’t even have to literally kill him either, I just embarrassed him so bad that he killed himself. His stupid tank company sells joke games now. I literally turned the man into a joke.”

Then again, Alister is on the green magic and like I think it alters your brain chemistry somewhat.

(How ripped did Alister get in this episode, by the way? The kid is like 16 years old or something so how did this happen? ...The perpetual horny line running straight through Yugioh, man. Look at it run. That 16 year old is drawn like he’s 28 and really into Crossfit and his crop top gets smaller and smaller like every scene.)

So like this is a very gray issue that I cannot believe they brought up in a kid’s show (like can you imagine if Scrooge McDuck had to face facts that his company murdered tons of people???), but also this is Seto Kaiba. Seto grew up in the system, so like he doesn’t need to be lectured to about dirty money because he was on the losing end of that not too long ago. Seto is himself basically a upscale war orphan since he was adopted by Gozaburo to continue the machine like a freakin maniac (a Solidus Snake, if you will) so of all the people on this show I don’t get why Seto would care about this. This is just how Seto views the entire world as either losing or winning and no reason to feel bad about it because he’s been both.

Also...Seto stopped the machine. Kind of. He was unaware that cards were the same thing as weapons, but at least he stopped the sale of huge child-stealing tanks.

So they play the game for a little while and Seto does kind of poorly as usual, and just when I thought this episode couldn’t get any weirder...

And just like that, Seto peaces out. Like he does almost every single time he has ever played a card game solo except for that one time he was playing Joey Wheeler. (Which was also one of the few times Seto ever won.)

Like I just want to remind you that this segment is in the same episode as WWIII and the tonal whiplash is pretty remarkable.

That’s right, we’re back in the Unnamed Monster World, which is not the Shadow Realm, and which I thought you could only access if you were dreaming and able to search through the puzzle maze.

Apparently this can just happen at any time and all that stuff with the guiding Kuriboh and Yugi and Pharaoh trying to find this place was just...them wasting time.

Again he ditches the legendary sword so freakin fast because who needs a sword when you have a dragon? Only this anime.

And that’s how Seto, who was absolutely going to lose this game, somehow just barely came to a draw.

So just to recap, Seto has yet to win a card game that he didn’t get prophetic help for via a hallucination or Yugi telling him what to do. Unless you count Joey and grandpa.

Then, the one last adult I forgot about, the driver of Yugi’s car, decides that it’s about time that he also died and left this show as adult free as possible.

THE HELL ARE THEY?

Also...maybe it’s the angle but the writing on that gas station looks a lot like kanji.

Yo, what if this is the backgrounds for a different show and they’re just sharing? I mean I doubt it because Yugioh had a good enough budget but...what if? What if that’s why they’re in Arizona?

Anyway, next time we’ll find out if this guy just drops dead or has been a Yugioh monster this whole time, and I think maybe both?

And if you just got here, this is a link to read all my Yugioh recaps in chrono order

[feynavaley]

50 Questions

I took this from @mandelene, thanks for the open invitation!

———

1. What is the colour of your hairbrush? Light brown. (It’s a wooden hairbrush.)

2. Name a food you never ever eat. Well... I’m quite a picky eater but I generally try everything if I’m pressed (even though I end up not liking it). I won’t eat very spicy food though, I don’t have a good tolerance for it. Another food I used to enjoy but now I can’t even stand the smell of anymore – and even less I would eat – is almond paste. (Long story short, I came up with something – maybe labyrinthitis – that made me awfully nauseous and dizzy for a few days. I would throw up any time I even just stood up, I couldn’t eat anything. But my roommate had on her desk and almond paste cake, which has a very strong smell. Since I constantly smelled it while feeling so sick, now that’s what I associate that smell and taste with.)

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Generally, too cold. I handle being cold better than I handle being hot, though.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Translating from English to Italian some stuff my dad needs for work. (He doesn’t understand/speak English.)

5. What is your favourite candy bar? Kinder Bueno, Tronky, and Bounty.

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? No.

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? “No, I haven’t seen your glasses. Are you sure you didn’t leave them upstairs?” to my mother.

8. What is your favourite ice cream? If it’s good, Pistachio. It’s very hard to get right, though. Not many ice cream parlours can prepare it well, they tend to make it too sweet.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Water.

10. Do you like your wallet? Yes. Actually, I have two – one is a big red one where I keep basically everything, the other is blue and small and I just put in there a few banknotes and coins and the cards I need, changing them every time. I like both of them.

11. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken breast and salad for dinner.

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nope. I’ve been confined home for almost one month and a half. 😅

13. The last sporting event you watched? I don’t know. I’m not a fan of sports so I don’t watch anything spontaneously. I only watch something if I’m with somebody who wants to watch it, but I don’t remember when the last time was.

14. What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Uhh... there are different flavours of popcorns? I only know one... 😅 I’m not a great fan, though.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? An aunt of mine. (My mother’s youngest sister.)

16. Ever go camping? Yes and no. I’ve never gone with a tent in the wild or anything – however, my grandparents used to own a trailer that they kept in a fancy camping location/trailer park by the seaside. When I was a child, I would spend the entire three months of summer break there. I don’t know if it counts as camping, though. After growing older, my sister and I would sleep in a tent instead of the trailer (because the trailer was too small for everybody), but it was still in that fancy campsite which I don’t know how much can count.

17. Do you take vitamins? No.

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? Yes. I mean, not right now, clearly (all the Churches are closed due to Covid-19 lockdown) but I would go under normal circumstances.

19. Do you have a tan? No. And it’s very hard for me to get one, anyway. I’m as white as a person can possibly be. 😅 (I’m paler than an actual albino person I know at work. I wish I were kidding. 😓)

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? I prefer pizza. Very stereotypical, I know. 😅 (I’m talking about real Italian pizza, though.)

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? Generally not.

22. What colour socks do you usually wear? White or black.

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Depends on where I am and what the speed limit is. I respect the 50 km/h limit inside the cities and towns, but the 30 km/h that can be often found... yeah. 😅 (I’ve never met a driver who respected it, though.) If I’m out of the city and on a straight street across the countryside, I respect the 70 km/h limit but I tend to go faster if there’s a 50 km/h one. (Unless I know there’s an autovelox.) I’ve never gone above the 90 km/h limit, either – actually, I tend to go more around 80–85 km/h on those streets. I should probably also mention that I never drive much above the speed limit, though.

24. What terrifies you? Failure. Hurting or even just disappointing or upsetting other people. On the irrational side, I’m highly arachnophobic and I’m terrified of dogs.(Because I was attacked by a freaking SAINT BERNARD. Luckily, it just got my sweater, but it was completely mauled by the time somebody managed to get it back so... It also turned out I’m mildly allergic though, so me not staying around dogs is probably for the best anyway.)

25. Look to your left, what do you see? I actually don’t know how it’s called in English. I have a sloped wooden roof covering the left side of my bedroom, and I see it along with the skylight.

26. What chore do you hate most? Washing the dishes. Our sink is at a height that forces me to bend in an awkward way and makes my back ache if I have to wash more than a couple of dishes.

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? “OMG what is that person saying?? 😭” I’m not a native English speaker so strong non-standard accents always throw me off a bit, at least at first. 😅 I need a few minutes to get used to them.

28. What’s your favourite soda? Citron soda (I don’t know the brand. It was one my great-grandparents used to have in small glass bottles, it tasted amazing and was so refreshing...), Fanta, or Coke Zero. I don’t drink soda often, though.

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive? I go in. I think there’s only one place with a drive-through in my hometown. 

30. What is your favourite number? For some reason, I’ve always liked the numbers 3 and 11. They aren’t my lucky numbers or anything, I just like them. (Actually, thinking about it, I know why I like the number 11... In German, it’s ‘elf’, and I started taking German around the period I was obsessed with LoTR... 😅)

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My mother.

32. Favourite cut of beef? I hardly ever eat beef (I eat meat about every other day, but it’s generally chicken or turkey breast), I don’t have a preference.

33. Last song you listened to? This one. (You’re welcome.)

34. Last book you read? Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin.

35. Favourite day of the week? Saturday.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Yes, but only the Italian one (that is missing J, K, X, Y, W). I tend to mix up some letters in the English one. 😅

37. How do you like your coffee? Plain espresso.

38. Favourite pair of shoes? My ankle-height black converse.

39. The time you normally get up? Since the lockdown started, between 8:30–9. I’ve been having trouble sleeping so I’m always tired in the morning.

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunset, the colours are gorgeous. Sunrise is still beautiful and so it’s the atmosphere, but the colours tend to be fainter.

41. How many blankets on your bed? One, at the moment.

42. Describe your kitchen plates. Kind of square, white with blue and yellow stylized flowers in the corners.

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment? Quite empty. We’re due a grocery run.

44. Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? No, I don’t like any alcoholic drink. For some reason, I don’t like the taste of alcohol. (And there’s probably something genetic here as it’s also true for my sister, my father, and other relatives from my father’s side.)

45. Do you play cards? Technically, I know a few games but I’m not really good at them and I don’t play often.

46. What colour is your car? I use my mother’s car and it’s dark blue. We also have a dark grey car (belonging to my father) but I’ve never used it because it’s very big (you can go up to 7 seats), I wouldn’t feel comfortable with driving it, let alone parking.

47. Can you change a tire? No.

48. Your favourite state? I’ve never been anywhere in the US so I can’t say.

49. Favourite job you’ve had? The current one. The pay is very low so I’ll have to leave it as soon as I find something better, but I love these children so much. 😭

50. How did you get your biggest scar? I actually don’t have any big scar... I have several small ones. The biggest one is probably on my arm, from when I leaned against the toaster to unplug it and got this long, thin burn. 😅

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I tag anybody who feels like doing this! And please tag me back, I’d love to read your answers! 😊