#i have lots of other delicious foods with less beautiful images that didn't make the cut

[mildmayfoxe]

series of meals

[worldoffanfiction2021]

{Image Sources: Dong Hua: https://daydaynews.cc/en/entertainment/419895.html Fengjiu: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1196337391276429/}

The family of three deities had bid adieu to their relatives in Quingqui and taken the magical boat to Bihai Cangling. Dijun and Fengjiu had both managed to handle their respective duties and arranged for messengers to visit them here at their new place of residence, actually their real home, for the next few months. They were all very excited about it.

Fengjiu was remembering their last visit fondly. The last time she had been here, she had spent some magical time with Dijun.

Dijun was also remembering his last visit. But there wasn’t any fondness in those memories for him. He had been there was to build the Star Light ward. He had not expected to come back alive to this place, much less to come back alive with his wife and son. He looked at Xiaobai and marveled at her. It had been her who had saved him and saved his home. She was the best. He lovingly played with her hair.

Gungun saw that they were about to reach to a beautiful landscape, the likes of which he had never seen. “Father, your home is so beautiful. It’s even better than the Sky Kingdom!”, he exclaimed clapping excitedly.

“Gungun’s reaction to Bihai Cangling is just like yours when you came here for the first time.”, said Dijun smilingly to Xiaobai. "It's your home too, Gungun. It’s our home.", he added. He liked the sound of that very much.

Xiaobai noticed that a lot had changed since she had last visited. Row of fruit trees and vines had been planted - grapefruits, pears and grapes. There was a long corridor with an artificial hill. The hill really looked like a real rocky mountain, just smaller than a mountain. On either side of the corridor there were beautiful trees of foiling flowers. Spiritual birds danced to ‘paying homage to the Phoenix’ near by.

Then there was a pavilion overlooking a lotus pond. White and pink lotuses swayed gracefully in a cool breeze there. White sandalwood on each side of the pavilion gave the seating area a perfect cover from sun.

Xiaobai recalled her own words from the last time she had visited. Dijun had done everything she had asked for. She was transfixed.

When they walked a little further, her jaw dropped to the floor. Sitting atop a slightly raised platform was a house. Not just any house - the bamboo house she had drawn! Oh, Dijun!!!! She stood dumbfounded with tears in her eyes.

Dijun realized she had stopped walking and turned around. When he saw her face he asked with worry, “What’s wrong? Did I mess it up?” Forgetting about Gungun watching them, she ran forward and hugged him. She buried herself in his arms and said, “No, Dijun. No mess up. This is perfect. You made our home. Our home!” She choked on her emotions and couldn’t say anything else. Dijun smiled and planted a kiss on her head.

Gungun was watching all this and came running. “Mother and Father are kissing again. I want a kiss too.”, he giggled. Dijun picked him up and twirled him high. His giggles and Dijun’s laughter filled the space. And Xiaobai’s heart. They were home.

When they went inside, Xiaobai realized that all the basic things they had planned for, had been done. There was a study, a living room and a well-lit, well ventilated kitchen. The large kitchen window overlooked the fruit trees. There were two identical rooms - one for Gungun and another for his little brother/ sister, as Dijun explained, his eyes hinting mischievously. It made Gungun very excited to think that he would have a playmate. Then there were a couple guest rooms. Dijun and Xiaobai’s  room was a spacious suite with a large bed. A foiling flower tree was the headboard of that bed. They even had a nice little hot spring next to their room.

“Dijun, the house is great, but there’s still work to do. We have to set up the kitchen, the wardrobes and such.”, began Xiaobai. “If I do everything, what will you do?”, he interrupted her, pretending to be arrogant and tapped her forehead. Then he leaned in and whispered in her ears “But I have already done so much work here. You owe me big this time.  I will collect my dues from you at night.” Seeing her cheeks instantly color up pleased him.

There was a balcony behind their room. It overlooked a large playground with targets set up for practicing archery, an open space for sword plays and martial arts. On one side was another building. “That is a workshop where we can forge weapons. I have also placed all the weapons I have made or collected in a room in there. I am sure you will like it.”, said Dijun. She looked at him with pride in her eyes. Dijun felt that all his efforts had been completely worth it.

“I am so hungry, mother. When can we eat?”, asked Gungun. “You and Father can put your things in your rooms. I will quickly get food ready.”, said Xiaobai patting him. They all went their separate directions and got busy.

After some time they all got together in the dining room and ate a simple but delicious meal. Fengjiu had found that right next to the kitchen was a vegetable and herb garden. She had picked some fresh veggies to prepare rice porridge and mushrooms-vegetables stir fry. Some lentil cakes rounded up the meal. She had always been good in cooking. Her years in mortal realm had helped her perfect  the art of making do with whatever was available.

After they cleared up all the food, Fengjiu wanted to go to her room and take a nap. But Dijun insisted they go to the lotus pond and catch some fish. She almost suspected that he wanted to keep her away from their bedroom. “May be he has made a mess in there with all the stuff. I better not go in there or else I will end up cleaning everything myself.”, she thought to herself as she followed her guys to the pond. When they got there, she rested her head in Dijun’s lap and dozed off happily.

She woke up a little while later when tiny hands were trying to tap on her head. "Mom, wake up! Look I caught a fish!! My first ever fish!!!", Gungun was showing off with eyes wide with excitement. She couldn't help by smile at him. "I will make sweet and sour fish for dinner tonight with this. You both like it, don't you?" She said. Two heads full of silver hair nodded in fervent agreement. "Like father - like son", she chuckled.

She completely lost herself in cooking dinner. In addition to sweet and sour fish, she also made sticky rice and soup. "For Dijun and Gungun. They need this nourishment.", she told herself. All this was gobbled up pretty quickly between the three of them.

After dinner they took off for a long walk that led them back to the weapon forge. Dijun took them in and Fengjiu was like a kid in the candy store. She enjoyed designing and creating mechanical weapons. Among other things, this was something she and Dijun had in common. Gungun was quite curious and looked around with amazement. But he was slowly beginning to get tired and needed to get to bed. So they all returned homewards.

"You take him to his room and get him ready for bed. I will bring him a glass of milk. He will sleep well with that.", said Dijun. Fengjiu nodded and walked away holding Gungun's little hand. In his room, she helped him bathe and change. They both were happy they didn't need to dye his hair anymore. As she was settling him in his bed, Dijun came in with a glass on milk in his hand. He made sure Gungun finished it up. Then they both dimmed the candles, kissed Gungun sweet dreams and left the room.

When they reached the doorstep of their bedroom, Dijun gestured Fengjiu to stop. "What's wrong?", asked Fengjiu puzzled. "Close your eyes.", ordered Dijun. "Why should I?", replied Fengjiu more puzzled. "Please, Xiaobai. Do as you are told.", Dijun coaxed her. So she sighed and closed her eyes. "You are acting very weird tonight.", she said.

She found herself being lifted in his arms. She felt the door opening and he walking in with her.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Feng Jiu asked. "Not yet, just a little bit longer.", Dijun replied. She could feel the smile in his voice.

"What's going on? I am opening my eyes now." She nagged him anxiously as she felt herself being lowered on something extremely soft.

"Wait. Just a few more moments.", Dijun replied as he adjusted her clothes. "Okay, you can open your eyes now.", he said.

She was so not ready for what she was seeing. The room had been transformed. It looked like a bride's chamber on a wedding night. There was an altar placed for heaven worship ceremony. Gold, white and purple lanterns adorned the ceiling. Matching candles, flower arrangements and curtains hung everywhere. Every seat in the room and the whole bed was covered in foiling flower petals. She was draped in her wedding gown. And then as she turned towards Dijun she saw that he himself was looking extremely handsome in his wedding attire. Nothing in the room was nearly as mesmerizing as the sight of the regal man himself. He took her breath away and she could not help but stare at him open mouthed.

"I never gave you a proper wedding. I have regretted that very much.", he said huskily as he walked towards her with a purple veil. "Tonight, let's get married, Xiaobai.", he said softly as he came close and arranged the veil over her hair. She didn't know what to say or do. She was completely under his spell.

He led her by her hand towards the altar. They kowtowed to the heaven and earth. They remembered her parents and kowtowed for them. Then they bowed to each other. Very carefully he lifted her veil and took her hands in his.

"In all three eternities you are the only one who has moved my heart, Xiaobai. You, little fox, will always belong to me.", he looked deeply into her eyes and promised possessively.

She smiled with stars in her eyes and promised him back, "In any eternity I will bring you in my life. Because I love you the most Dijun, you will always belong to me."

He leaned in and planted kisses on her face. He kissed her hair, her forehead, her eyes, her nose and then covered her lips with his. He felt her respond to him and deepened the kiss. She trembled and moved closer in his arms. Slowly he moved to her ear. "Ever since I have had this dress made for you, I have imagined so many ways I would like to undress you from it.", he teased huskily. "Um? So you got this elaborate and extravagant dress made only so that you could undress me from it?", she asked pulling back and squinting her eyes at him. "HHmm.. ", he pursed his lips and nodded solemnly. "You are so... ", she started to say, but completely lost her train of thought under his hot, hungry gaze. He claimed her lips again and started undressing her.

[indies--blog]

INSECURE: Minsang

this one shot is based on some my personal experiences with body image.

pairing: mingi x yeosang

top: mingi

bottom: yeosang

word count: 1320

genre: slight angst, romance, fluff.

this is my first one shot, so i am very sorry if it's weird and there are grammatical errors. enjoy~!

★──────────★─────────★

Yeosang looked himself in the mirror, pointing out all of the insecurities he would hide all the time around Mingi and the others. His eyes were puffy and red from crying for two hours.

Yeosang could not stand the man he was looking at. He wanted to change everything about him. His body, his face, his personality. Everything that Mingi shouldn't deal with. At least that is what his mind tell him all the time.

When he heard the car pull up, Yeosang quickly cleaned his face with a tissue and put on light makeup. The front door opened and closed, indicating that Mingi came home from work. He glanced at himself in the mirror one last time.

"I'll be okay. He won't notice. I know he won't," he mumbled to himself and walked out of the bathroom with a forced smile on his face.

'I just have to lie to Mingi and pretend I'm fine when I'm not.'

Mingi was setting up the kitchen table with food, plates, and kitchen utensils. The food was most likely bought from a local restaurant he and Yeosang always go to. His back was turned, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed when concentrating. Even though he could not see it, Yeosang smiled fondly and walked over to Mingi. He wrapped his arms on his boyfriend's torso and nuzzled his head on his shoulder.

"Welcome home, Mingi," he softly spoke. "How was work?"

"Long and boring. A bit too long, but I'm happy to see you," Mingi replied, turning around and kissing Yeosang's forehead and lips. "I bought us dinner tonight. We have chicken, japchae, gimbap, mandu..."

Yeosang's mind went blank while Mingi pointed out the foods he bought. His stomach growled from the sweet and sour smell of the chicken, but his mind told him otherwise.

"Sounds delicious. I'm not hungry though. You can eat without me tonight, babe. I'm feeling a little tired," Yeosang excused, forgetting half of what Mingi had said. He secretly held his pants up to his waist as if he were adjusting them.

Not letting the excuse fly, Mingi gently grabbed Yeosang's hand and gazed into his eyes. Yeosang felt his stomach dropped. His hands were shaky and cold, and he knew he was going to be in trouble for not eating a lot today. But, summer was coming up, and he wanted that summer body Mingi would be proud to have. Yeosang just needed to drop a few more pounds, and he'll be a whole new man.

"Sangie, you haven't eaten anything since this morning and last night," Mingi stated. "Are you sick?"

"No. No, Mingi. I'm not sick."

"Well, if you're not sick, then take a bite of this chicken. I know you love chicken," Mingi offered, holding a piece in front of Yeosang.

His mouth watered from the smell of it, and his stomach growled louder. He chewed on his bottom lip, trying to maintain his composer. Yeosang gently shook his head and murmured, "No thank you."

Mingi quirked an eyebrow.

"That's not what you're stomach is telling me," he chuckled, inching the food closer to Yeosang's mouth. "Eat this, and I'll leave you alone."

Sighing in defeat, Yeosang swallowed hard and parted his lips open. He felt Mingi's thumb press his chin, and he dropped his jaw open for him. Yeosang bit down on the fried chicken, chewed it, and swallowed it.

"You want another bite, baby," Mingi asked. Yeosang nodded his head and repeated the process again and again till he was left with two chicken leg bones, an empty bowl from the japchae, and ate three mandus just from Mingi feeding him.

"Must've been that hungry, huh," Mingi said while Yeosang nodded and looked down at the floor ashamed of himself to starve and let his boyfriend worry about him all because of his insecurities.

'I shouldn't have ate that much. Mingi is going to think I'm fat and ugly. I didn't want him to know about this shit.'

The couple sat down on the couch after cleaning up the dishes and packing up the leftovers. Yeosang was sitting on Mingi's lap, his head resting on his shoulder while watching a movie. He was currently thinking if he should speak about how and why he has been himself. The confident and happy Yeosang Mingi has known since they first met.

He grabbed the remote and paused the movie.

"Aw man, this is our favorite part. We've always laughed on this part, Yeosang," Mingi complained then felt Yeosang's hands on his cheeks and turned his head to look at him.

"Mingi..."

"Yes, Yeosang?"

"D-Do... Do you think I'm... I-I'm..."

Yeosang sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes again. He smiled to not show any pain, but it was too late when he finally asked, "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Mingi's heart broke when he saw his boyfriend sobbing on his shoulder. He wiped his tears with his thumbs and shook his head.

"No, Yeosang. No, no, no. I don't think you're ugly at all. You're beautiful just the way you are," Mingi assured, noticing the makeup on his fingers and Yeosang's face. "Who told you were ugly, baby?"

Yeosang pouted and lowered his head in shame.

"I did. I thought you wanted someone thinner, taller, and prettier, so I started eating less and working out more to make you happy and achieve those things," he confessed, wiping his tears with the bottom of his shirt. "A-And I still end up looking the same with the awkward personality and body, and I don't —"

Mingi placed a finger on Yeosang's lips and shushed him.

"You don't need to change anything for me, Yeosang. I love you just the way you are," he soothed, opening the coffee table dresser and taking out makeup wipes in case Yeosang decides to sleep on the couch if he didn't feel like sleeping in the bedroom.

"Bubby, no. I don't wanna do this again," Yeosang whined, covering his face with his hands. "You know how I feel when you do that love yourself makeup thingie."

"Angel, we've been married for three years. I'll keep reminding you to love yourself like this even if you don't wanna hear it," Mingi reminded, causing a blush to appear on Yeosang's face and stop hiding his face.

Mingi took out a wipe and began wiping off the eyeliner and eyeshadow.

"First and foremost, I love your pretty brown eyes. They were the first thing I noticed when we met in college," Mingi complimented. "They always shine when you smile, you get excited over a date, or you just see me when coming home from work or waking up with you."

"Mingi, my eyes aren't —"

Yeosang stop and thought for a moment. He tuck a loose hair behind his ear and smiled shyly.

"Okay, I take that back. Maybe they are pretty, but you have pretty eyes too," he replied. "Are we done now?"

"Nope. We've just started. Let me see your forehead."

Yeosang pouted and pushed his bangs back. Mingi gently wiped his husband's forehead.

"Sometimes I can't help but give you forehead kisses everyday. You always liked them, so I won't stop kissing your forehead anytime soon."

He then kissed Yeosang's forehead and grabbed another wiped to clean his nose and cheeks. He made sure to boop his nose and softly pinch his cheeks before kissing his lips. Soon after, there was no sign of make up left on Yeosang's skin.

"Thanks for taking off my makeup, Mingi,"Yeosang spoke, handing his husband the remote. "You always know how to make me smile and feel confident about myself. I love you."

"Anything for you, baby. I love you too."

[cozywine]

Title: My Type pt. 1

Summary: A fluffy piece based on a dream I had. F!Reader feels self conscious about her body size and he makes her feel better.

Pairing: SpencerxF!Reader

CW/TW: mention of general challenges with dieting and body image. No description of eating disorder though.

................................................................................

The case the team was currently on had been twisty turny in the worst way. They had been brought to Chicago after human remains had been found within 3 churches that were recently demolished. The remains were posed the same way and had been hidden in the same manner- beneath the baptismal font. They had been there over a week and were still trying to figure out who was responsible for the crimes. They'd had a suspect but it had led to nothing... Starting over was always the worst.

"Ok, let's go back to the beginning... What do we know about the victims?" Rossi instructed paternally.

"All females between the ages of 21 and 35." Y/N stated quickly. "No ties to the churches they were found within."

"All of them were college educated and single," added Emily. "And they were attractive... physically fit, well dressed and likeable types. Popular on Tinder and their other social medias."

Y/N always felt uncomfortable when profiling someone based off their physical traits... Bluntly put, she wasn't slim. In a profile, that would make her considered less sexually appealing for the majority of UnSubs. Statistically, it was a fact. Yet it always felt like there could be some subjectivity when her colleagues brought up the stature of those they worked to avenge.

All of her female colleagues were slimmer than her. She often found herself donning bulky sweaters in dark colors, hoping they would disguise the softness of her belly and the rolls on her back, just below her bra line. In magazines she'd read that she should emphasize her face and cleavage, as if that would distract anyone from the parts of her body she disliked.

Of course she was physically fit and capable of passing her field tests... She just didn't have the same body type as her colleagues. Where they were lean, she was voluptuous. Over-full. Despite lifelong diets and general misery around food, her body size remained a pain point until finally after working with a therapist, she discovered intuitive eating. Y/N now felt more connected to her body, appreciated it's cues for the type of fuel it needed, and generally struggled less around her eating habits. But the body image challenges... Those continued. Some days worse than others... And today was one of those.

She knew it wasn't necessarily intentional, but Derek never made flirtatious comments toward her. She sometimes sensed that Rossi put all of the vegetables closer to her end of the table. Hotch usually signed her up for desk work if it was an option. And Spencer, pipe cleaner that he was... Never gave her a second glance. They were all great friends, especially Y/N and the younger Doctor... Both intellectual, sensitive and intuitive, they got along famously. But Y/N knew it would never be more than that... Someone as beautiful as Spencer Reid would never give her the time of day.

"With no ties to the churches, being buried beneath the baptismal font could indicate our UnSub as someone looking to cleanse them of their sins of life." Y/N added, snapping out of her negative thoughts to focus on the case. "What would make someone want to do that?"

"If I'm the UnSub, these churches mean a lot to me.. So I'm religious. I would be repulsed by their lack of virtue... Yet possibly attracted to them. What would that make me do?" Morgan added. "I might feel that this is the only way to feel holy again."

"So we need to go back to the church... We already figured that this UnSub would need access to the facility but there must be someone we missed." Rossi said.

Rossi and Morgan went back to the church while the rest of the team worked with Garcia to pinpoint any specifics of who might be the culprit. Limited social media use by the UnSub made it tricky, but you eventually tracked down Joseph Knight. He was a current seminary student placed at one of the many Catholic churches in Chicago. In his mission work, he organized events for young professionals to volunteer as tutors for lower income students. As it turned out, all three victims had been to at least one tutoring session, each in a different neighborhood.

"So there's our connection, my furry friends. And wouldn't you bet the next event is tomorrow night?" Garcia said.

"If we send someone in who fits his type, we could draw him out..." Emily added. "What do you guys think?"

Y/N took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think it could work. You or JJ rock paper scissors for it. I'm going for a coffee refill... Anyone need anything?"

Y/N pushed away from the table, pushing up the sleeves of her navy blazer and wrapping the strap of her wallet around her wrist. She adjusted her jeans quickly, making sure they still sat at the narrowest part of her waist and ensured that her striped tee wasn't clinging anywhere. She felt a little flustered, her outfit not doing as much as she'd hoped to make her feel confident. The local coffeeshop around the corner had friendly baristas and a little positive human interaction would definitely improve her mood.

"I'll join you," Spencer said quickly. "If that's all right. I could use some fresh air."

They walked in silence to the coffeeshop in the brisk September air, Spencer holding the door for Y/N with a small smile. He did this for everyone, so Y/N paid it no mind. The shop smelled delicious, roasty and warm. They hopped in the short line, and Y/N perused the drink list. In their week there, she'd tried a few specialties but mostly stuck to plain coffee.

"Okay genius... Which has more caffeine, black coffee or an Americano?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood.

His eyes shone, excited for the opportunity to talk about something other than work.

"Contrary to popular belief," he explained, his hands moving as he spoke, "One 2 oz double espresso shot has about 80 milligrams of caffeine. Whereas a 12 oz brewed coffee has about 120 milligrams. So actually there is more caffeine in an average cup of drip coffee than in espresso. If you really want to go crazy you could get a red-eye, but I wonder if the post-caffeine crash is really the best idea for you today."

"What do you mean? I'm fine." She said. "Frustrated that I had to board Millie for a second week, but I know we're getting closer to solving this." Thinking of her sweet lab mix made her smile.

"Fair. I just mean, you seemed a little touchy when Emily suggested sending in someone as bait."

"Yeah, I don't know. They'll figure out who's the most attractive. It will probably work. It's good, for sure."

"The most attractive to that UnSub, you mean?" He tried to clarify, not totally sure why she sounded so down talking about it.

"Oh yeah, yeah... Of course." She shrugged. The line had dwindled. She smiled at the barista, who was wearing a hand drawn name tag. "Hi Jenny, how are you?... Great thanks. Can I please have a medium plain latte with an extra shot? Thank you so much. Spence, what's your order?"

He flushed, clearly feeling a little awkward. "Oh, a large pour over... The Guatemalan single origin, if you have it."

The barista nodded, and Y/N chuckled lightly at his very specific order. She paid, tipping Jenny generously, and they went to stand near the pickup counter.

"Single origin, huh? Getting fancy, Dr. Reid." Y/N teased. Her brief conversation with Jenny had brightened her day.

"Yeah, they tend to be more interesting than a blend so I like to try them when I can... Thank you for buying by the way... next one on me, ok?" She nodded in response, and he continued.

"Did you know that Guatemala is one of the top ten coffee producers in the world, producing more than 204,000 metric tons of coffee beans a year?" He looked delighted, a far cry from his usual down turned look when they were on a case. He looked... Great.

Y/N tried not to focus too much on the happy crinkles around his eyes or the way his large yet delicate hands gestured as he spoke. She knew he would never consider her equally lovely.

Their coffees came up quickly and they returned to the station ready to plan for the next days effort.

A/N stay tuned for part 2... Just thought this was getting a little lengthy!