#i just tried samosas for the first time!

[whimsithea]

I love eating food that makes my face leak and lights my tongue on fire mmmm the sun is in my mouth!!!!

[hurtspideyparker]

One night in the lab Peter finds an old prototype of the EDITH glasses and puts them on.

"Look Mr. Stark! I am Iron Man," he says with a deep voice.

"C'mon kid, that's the best impression you got?" Tony says before looking up.

He sees Peter with those rectangular frames and big grin. For a moment he thinks he's looking at old publicity photos of himself. A confident Tony Stark, tinted glasses and cocky smile, hair fluffed up and oozing manly charm.

Tony's easy smile drops a bit at the thought of Peter being anything like who he used to be.

"Oh sorry for talking over you Ms. Potts I just like the sound of my own voice more than hearing about the safety of our company. I'm too cool to apologize so I'll buy you a zoo for endangered species later honey," Peter tries again with the mocking deep voice.

Tony is quick to recover from the odd deja-vu feeling of seeing the teenager in the frame of a mirror, focusing back on his hologram.

"Yeah because I call the love of my life by her last name. And for your information it was an alpaca sanctuary, and she loved it." Tony corrects, pointing a pen at Peter in rebuke without looking up from his work.

"I chose to be respectful over accurate. Also I saw those alpaca photos and one of them was trying to chew on her skirt, she didn't look very impressed." Peter replies with a matter of fact press of his lips.

Tony glances back at the boy only to find himself unable to look away. He can't help but hear echoes of "I just wanted to be like you!" when he sees the boy wearing frames reminiscent of Tony's classic fashion sense.

Tony thinks about Howard, how he used to run laps to prove he was good enough, better than, worthy of being his son.

He was never enough for Howard.

"You're always better at remembering that kind of stuff than me anyways kid."

Peter is taken back by the earnest tone the older man suddenly possesses. His mouth opens but no words come out in reply, Tony looking at him as if he can see right through the spiderling.

"Now stop playing with my old crap and c'mere, we have some important decisions to make," Tony waves him over to look at something on his phone.

When Peter gets close enough he sees that it's a food delivery app, Tony's fingers hovering between an Indian and Thai restaurant.

Peter shoots him another grin, "I vote for samosas!"

Tony rolls his eyes but clicks on the Indian restaurant anyways.

Peter notices in the reflection of the phone that he still has the glasses on, reaching up to remove them before Tony puts a hand on his wrist to stop him.

"Keep em on, it's the first time you've ever looked cool enough to hang out with me. The tech in those is useless anyways, they're just a pair of sunglasses now."

Peter looks up at his mentor with such awe and admiration that Tony nearly melts like butter under the sun.

Tony may not do many things right when it comes to people, but he knows that even when he was still young and naive he'd known better than to ever look at Howard like that.

So maybe there's one thing he hasn't screwed up.

[flover4ever]

first date���.˚ ౨ৎ ˚ ˖࣪

a/n: i think abt matt and karen's date in that restaurant all the time. such a perfect scene! i wanted to capture that energy. i've always wanted to write a matt x librarian! oc fic. but times are tough and i can never commit to things lol. here's a snippet of what could have been. also, i am not from new hampshire. but oh my god, how pretty!!!!! im jealous.

warning: matt murdock x librarian! reader

matt didn't think his night could go any better. in front of him, he's got the most beautiful girl of his dreams. she told him that he is wearing a white cardigan and light blue dress, the fabric reaches the ground. she told him that the kids from the library tell her it reminds them of when the sky is clear of clouds, only sunny and blue.

matt takes a sip of his wine. "you got family in new york?"

"no," she shakes her head, taking a sip of her water (when he first asked her out, he wanted to take her to drinks. but she has sworn off drinking for life). "moved here three years ago."

matt's eyebrows raised. matt realized just how little he knew about her, despite how she was the common thread in nelson & murdock. "where are you from?"

"new hampshire." said y/n, a small smile peaking through her, like the first ray of sunshine. "it's beautiful there, so much color and life."

"god, it's hard to describe it," she said. matt loved how she described things, down to its smallest details. she talks in such a cadence akin to deep flowing rivers to morning birds. she can make her grocery list sound like a love poem. "it's hard to capture that beauty... sense of awe at the life around you, you know?"

matt smiled, so hard his cheeks started to hurt. he was sure he'd grow smile lines by the time he's forty if he keeps this up. maybe it was worth it. for y/n. "yeah," he muttered, almost lost in a trance.

"why'd you come to new york, then?" he's genuinely curious, his head titled to the side. "i mean, you make new hampshire seem like another planet next to new york."

she laughs, a giddy and joyous thing. "new hampshire's home. but new york, it never leaves you know? even with the grim and grit, there's something or someone that just makes you want to stay. when I interned here in hell's kitchen, the only thing that kept me moving was the kids. story times, their little faces, their constant questions. all of it. it gave me purpose."

matt hears her heart race, the kind that spoke to one's sense of passion. it was almost melodic, the rapid yet enchanting rhythm of muscle.

"nobody truly understands that they're the future," she said. "our future. i want to give something to them, something irreplaceable."

"like reading?"

"yeah," she sighs, like talking about the children of hell's kitchen filled her with such fervor, she couldn't contain it. "exactly."

"but working with the best lawyers in new york is a definitely a bonus," she adds, holding up her glass of water, the ice swirling against the glass.

y/n narrates what she's about to do, matt chuckles as he does the same, their glasses clinking.

"what about you?" she rested her head on her hand, her heartbeat starting to race as she met his eyes. though their gaze would never be able to meet, his dark gaze became her favorite shade of brown. it wasn't like hers, like earth's dirt in new hampshire's wilderness-- it was gold, shining like embers.

"me?" matt raised his eyebrows.

"yeah," she says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, her vegan samosas long gone by now. "what made you want to be an attorney?"

"it was my father really," said matt. "he was a boxer. . . caught up with the wrong people. and when i was nine, he died. i tried giving him justice, but no luck. i guess i just don't want any nine year old matt's to feel the same way i did."

"like what?"

"helpless."

her gaze softened. "you're a good man, matt."

"i think you are good, too, marianne," says matt. "better than me."

and he meant it. for years when darning the suit of daredevil, he feels as if there is a twisted part of him taking over his soul. every punch felt one step closer to that. being matt murdock, keeps him grounded-- but that wouldn't be possible without foggy, or karen, or y/n.

she seems like she doesn't have to try. she is effortlessly good and pure. and maybe there is a twisted side to her that she hasn't shown to him. but he's hanging out the hope that this is who she truly is. a person who is kind and good at her core, even if she had to eat through the rotten parts of herself. maybe that's what makes her truly good.

[amuseintime]

A Stage of Healing

The Play is Over but the Script Remains/Scriptfrin Saga

For anyone who doesn't know, "Scriptfrin" is a Siffrin who sometimes goes semi-verbal after the loops, (mostly) only able to repeat the "script" from his time in there. I have a bit of it up here, but most of it is in this series on AO3 (though for the general concept, you can just read "Line, Please.")

Months after the loops, Siffrin and their family are walking around a town and Bonnie happens to notice samosas in the window… the thing that they had basically every blinding night in the loops. Siffrin is clearly bothered, but not in the way you'd expect. All this leads to a long talk, a one man performance, and a lot of laughs. Humor and Hurt/Comfort (heavier on the comfort).

Crossposted here on AO3.

(And always, if you like what I do, reblog, leave a comment, or maybe buy me a Kofi?)

“Oh oh oh! Guys! Look, this place has samosas!” Bonnie said, tugging them through the streets of Bagon. Even amongst Vaugaurde, the area was known for its cooking. The smells of food filled the streets, enough to make even the pickiest child consider trying something new, and the outdoor market was in full swing now that it was warming up again!

It was that perfect time of year where spring made it warm enough to travel, but still cold enough to enjoy some nice, hot food (and oh Change, being medicated again made her hungry!), or at least Mirabelle thought so! It was still too cold for Bonnie and Odile, and Siffrin kept pretty warm with his cloak, but she and Isabeau seemed to like it! 

And speaking of Siffrin, he was staring at where Bonnie had seen samosas on the menu. While they were all getting better at reading Siffrin, sometimes it was still a little difficult. This was one of those times. His head was tilted, an odd look in his eye. Not necessarily upset, but not exactly happy either. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but only a breath came out.

It wasn’t just her that noticed. Isabeau put a gentle hand on their shoulder, not minding that Siffrin jumped before settling into the contact. “You alright, Sif?” 

“Huh?” Siffrin blinked owlishly. “Ah, sorry. Was just remembering something.”

Odile’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Remembering what?”

“Remembering loop stuff…

Loop stuff? From samosas?

Bonnie jolted. “OH RIGHT!!! Crab, sorry Frin! I forgot that’s why I stopped making Samosas! ‘Cause you had ‘em every day in forever school.” 

Oh that’s right! Mirabelle had forgotten that Bonnie made samosas that day, but makes sense Siffrin wouldn’t have…

Bonnie took Siffrin’s hand to start tugging him away. “We can go somewhere else-“

“No.” He said it a bit too seriously, which he must’ve noticed as he smiled and mussed up Bonnie’s hair. “I can’t deny my Bonbon TWO of their three favorite foods!” He looked back to the shop. “Besides, I’m pretty sure they sell more than JUST Samosas. Though they might not be as… as…” They scrunched up their eye, glaring at the sign for a moment. Then their eye widened and they puffed themselves up as they said, “DE~LI~CIOUS as yours would be.”

“Why’d you say it weird?” Bonnie asked.

“I was trying to sound like Isa? It’s, uh… been a while. Since I heard that.” He trailed off again, staring into space…

Odile went over to the door and said, “Would you like to have this talk on a chair with some hot food, or would you rather keep staring through the window like an incompetent stalker?”

“Madame!” Mirabelle squealed. You can’t just?! Say that?!

But say it she did, and everyone else was laughing, even as Siffrin also tried to sink into his cloak like a turtle. 

“Yeah yeah, we should go in. But, um… I need time. To get thoughts together first? And not do this in public?”

“Reasonable enough. Now get in, I’m cold.”

They all filed inside. Only Bonnie ended up ordering the samosas, but none of them entirely missed the way that Siffrin eyed them.

————

They were all back at the nearest inn… which was fairly packed, given that spring was here. Mirabelle wasn’t the least bit surprised. After all, Spring was quite important in the Change religion! A time for new growth, a fresh start, and a reminder that while Change was destruction, it was creation too! A lot of people celebrated by picking up new hobbies, clearing out some space for those hobbies and just tidying in general (Spring Cleaning!), travel, and bonding ceremonies. 

All of this to say, there was only one room available… but Madame Odile was pretty insistent on NOT having only one bed, and somehow they ended up with three. Mirabelle made sure to slip extra tips to the poor staff, that was mortifying! Though the space was nice…

“I call Mira!” Bonnie said, grabbing her hand. She could only yelp in shock as they were both catapulted to the nearest bed, making it thunk against the wall. 

“Can I call Sif?” Isabeau said, chuckling at the not-actually-a-question. Even in the days before they saved Vaugaurde, it was rarer that they didn’t sleep together. 

Siffrin stuck his tongue out and, “Nah. Isa…” they trailed, took a quick breath in, and smirked, “Isa has to sleep on the floor.” They looked over to Odile for a moment, then jumped a few inches when Bonnie laughed instead.

“FINALLY! No more being gross!” Bonnie cheered.

“I was just joking,” Siffrin said.

“BOOOOOO!”

“Yaaaaaay!” Isabeau said, even clapping his hands and looking all sparkle-eyed at Siffrin (how had she missed that they liked each other?!) 

“Heh! Heh…” Siffrin trailed off again.

Oh Change. “Hey, Siffrin? Are you okay?” Mirabelle walked over and… wait, crab, what does she do with her hands now? Um… “Pat Pat!” Head pats, sure! Wait… Oh Change, he actually leaned in that’s??? So??? Cute?!?!

Siffrin smiled, eye shutting, and let out a sigh. “I’m alright, just…” He shuffled his feet, looking down, then up again, staring at the ceiling.

“Is this related to earlier in any way?” Odile asked.

Siffrin looked aside. “… maaaaaybe…” 

“We aren’t doing anything too close to the loops, are we?” Isabeau said. “I’m willing to actually sleep on the floor if-“

“NO! I mean, kinda, but also no? You don’t have to sleep on the floor, Isa. And it’s, um… weird.”

“Yeah, well, you’re weird! And we like you that way,” Bonnie huffed. “So out with it!” They scampered over to the door and held their arms out. “No escape!”

Siffrin blinked dumbly. Once. Twice. “Snrk-“ He plopped down on bed and started laughing. “Oh come on! I’m not that bad at talking…” he looked around the room and added, “…anymore!” 

Odile nodded, “I will concede, you’ve gotten better. But Boniface, stay there.”

“Sorry ‘Za! I’m the Defender now! Ehehe.”

“Oh nooooo!” Isabeau said, dramatically swooning onto the ground in exaggerated defeat. Everyone laughed. Some a little, some a lot, but they all laughed, even Isabeau!

Change, she loved these people.

“So then… Siffrin…” Mirabelle stepped closer with the utmost seriousness. Siffrin trembled before her! “You will…” Pause for dramatic effect, hand on her currently missing sword (she was in pajamas after all)… “Talk about your feelings!!!”

“NOOOOOOO!” Siffrin moaned, collapsing onto the bed and snickering. Though he sighed and rolled to look at all of them. “… but okay. Just… promise you won’t find it weird or wrong?”

“Of course, young one.”

“Sif, we aren’t going to judge you!”

“Never! Never ever!”

“I mean, you are weird, Stupidfrin, but tell! Us!” 

Siffrin squeaked and rolled into a ball like a little hedgehog.

Mirabelle couldn’t help but giggle, “Oh no! We came on too strong!” She sat down in bed next to him.

“Scared like the stray animal he is,” Odile tutted.

Maybe it was a little mean to poke this much fun when he was having problems… but it seemed to relax him, actually? She could say from experience that treating it too seriously was anxiety inducing itself!!! A cornered animal bites! 

Siffrin pushed himself up, shuffling close enough that their knees and elbows bumped together, but not much else. “Thanks guys.” In… out. “I dunno how you guys are so sweet when I’m so weird…”

“Like Boniface said, we already know that. It’s going to take more than a few new quirks to scare us off.” 

Blushing, Siffrin tried to bury into their collar, but he was in night clothes. No cloak! So cute! Everyone was nice enough not to mention it.

They continued, “It’s just…” He looked around as though looking for a distraction, but no one was interrupting. “With the samosas, it, uh… Took me a moment. To remember. What you guys said.”

Odile raised an eyebrow. “And that’s… bad?”

“It shouldn’t be…?” Siffrin squirmed. One of his hands found one of Mirabelle’s. She gave it a little squeeze, and he gave one back. “I mean. I… Let’s talking about something. Stars-!” 

Mirabelle squeezed his hand again. “There’s no rush.”

In… out. In. And out. “Thank you.” One more time. Big breath in… big breath out. “I guess it surprised me more than anything. Which is? Kinda dumb???”

Isabeau tried to cut in, “It’s not-“

But Siffrin kept talking, “I was careful! No wishes! No ‘Hi Isa, I need to do the Favor Tree thing!’ Even though I thought I wis- though I wanted to forget. But I didn’t mean those parts!” He held tighter to her hand, breath quickening. “I wanted to forget the King and the Sadnesses and the Head Housemaiden! Not you guys!”

Everyone tried to act at once, tried to protest, but Mirabelle was closest. She took his face in her hands—ignore the way he jumped, the moment of panic, the memory of a slap—and made him look her in the eyes. “Siffrin. You are NOT forgetting us! We’re right here, okay?” 

Bonnie barreled into him, Isabeau showed a little more restraint and just opened his arms for the group hug, and Odile messed up his hair a bit from the side. 

“Yeah! No way you can forget me!!!” Bonnie shouted.

“I would hug the memory back into you,” Isabeau said. 

Siffrin snorted, relaxing into the group hug. “Thanks guys, heh. Sorry, like I said. It’s a little bit weird, but I guess…” he had to stop to breathe again. “I guess a lot of things. I don’t want to forget more. Some part of me’s scared I’ll somehow forget my scripts and just go entirely mute. And it’s- it’s the only proof I have that it happened, because it didn’t! It didn’t happen to anyone else. Not on the loop that stuck!” His grasp on them tightened. Not painfully so, not when spread out across three people, but it was noticeable. “And it’s kind of not blinding fair! I- I… ‘I’d rather you ask everyone else if they need help, first.’ And I did! And- and THANK YOU SNACK LEADER FOR THIS DELICIOUS MEAL! and Fromage and… and it… How can I help you on this wonderful new loop…”

He let out a bitter laugh. “… it didn’t happen.” 

No one knew what to say. What even could they say? There was a heaviness in the air, an oppressive silence. It felt like if something broke it, everything might shatter…

But Change is destruction, and Mirabelle was a Housemaiden. “It happened to you.”

“But-“

“No, Mirabelle is right,” Odile said. “Even if it didn’t technically happen to anyone else, it happened to you for the equivalent of months. And if I recall correctly, you’ve mentioned before that that was your rock bottom, as it were.”

“I don’t think anyone blames you for feeling cheated, Sif,” Isabeau said. “Or for missing good memories, or, uh… wishing things went better.”

Siffrin sighed, resting his head on Isabeau’s shoulder. “I just, I just wish- wait! No. I want you guys to remember too. But I know that can’t happen without, um, actually wishing it. And no thank you. I think sharpening my dagger is the most wishcraft I want anymore.”

“Fair and valid,” Isabeau said. 

“Yeah… though I feel like it’d get confusing, having two memories of the same day,” Mirabelle said.

Siffrin gave her the most deadpan look and-

“Oh Change, I guess you technically do have a lot of the same day huh,” Mirabelle said one quiet breath. 

Siffrin chuckled, “Understatement. Though for better or worse, the fact that I, uh, didn’t change much made parts of it less confusing? Like…” He looked around and his eye widened. “Y’know, if you push that bed off the far wall to be more in the middle, it looks like the clock tower…” He trailed into mumbles as he just… apparently decided to do that! Without much issue! Sometimes Mirabelle forgot how strong they were now.

Isabeau, regardless, decided to pick up the other end and help. “Uh. I am going with this because you started it, but why are we doing a thing that seems kinda tailor made to trigger you, Sif?”

“I have, like, half an idea. Working on it,” Siffrin said as he set the bed down.

“Curious as I am, I’m with Isabeau on this one. This seems ill-advised,” Odile said. 

“That took, like, five seconds. We can move it back!” Siffrin huffed, sitting on the newly moved bed. “Besides. They’re way closer.” The room was quite a bit smaller than the clock tower after all, not really meant to shove all five of them in there.

“Oh! Are we making one BIG bed?” Mirabelle said. “Ultimate bed!!!”

“Gross, Frin! I don’t wanna be next to you and Za KISSING!”

“I agree with the preteen,” Odile said. “Veto’d.”

“That’s not-!” Siffrin huffed and pulled his legs in to sulk.

Oh no! “C’mon, we should probably let Siffrin think! And then tell us, um, what he’s thinking,” Mirabelle said.

“Thank you!” Siffrin said, flopping onto his back with an overdramatic huff. There were a few chuckles, but then they let the poor guy think. 

Siffrin took a deep breath. “So… I know I’ve been, uh, a little skittish. With play stuff.” They’d tried to see one once or twice, but he couldn’t step foot into a theatre without looking like he was just… empty. “But maybe I could act it out…?” His voice hoy quieter until it was a near whisper, eye averted…

And she couldn’t blame him. Isabeau and Odile both looked like he’d suggested going to swim with Sadnesses, and Bonnie looked to Odile and tried to mimic it.

“Sif, I don’t think-“

“Don’t be stupid, Frin-“

“Young one, this might not-“

“I THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA!” Mirabelle shouted… and jumped, surprised at just how loud that came out. And oh Change, all eyes were on her now! But… oh, just pretend they’re in their underwear… hmm, that doesn’t work as well when you’ve had to wash clothes and bathe in rivers and have actually seen that. 

Deep breath, like Siffrin! They’re her friends, and it’s her turn to help. She walks over to Siffrin, sitting beside him and pulling them up enough to take their hands in hers. “I know it might sound a little counter-intuitive, to do something relating to what scares you, or, um, trauma in your case, but sometimes it’s good to? In little ways where you have control!”

She rubbed the backs of his palms with her thumbs. “It’s kind of like reading horror books? Getting to be a little scared, but safely? Or, hmm… no. Not reading… writing fanfiction! All the control is in my hands! I can make it horrible if I want, or can make them live happily ever after, or can have them face my greatest fears in front of an audience and make out over the gorey remains! And yeah, maybe it’s scary, but it’s safe scary? My, um… some of the other Housemaidens who are good at medicine and therapy and stuff recommended it, actually.”

She smiled at Siffrin, putting a hand on his cheek. The rest are probably staring at her, but this is no grand stage. It’s… “It’s us, our family! Not a whole theatre, not Dormont, or a House or anything like that. You’re safe here with us, and you can stop or break the script whenever you want, okay?“

He was looking at her like she was the one who made the seasons change and sun move across the sky. “Okay.”

She stood up and clapped. “Good!” And then dared look around. Everyone was staring!

“So, did you take a class on psychology, then?” Odile asked. 

“Three. One of which was actually theatre related!”

“Crab yeah Mira!” Isabeau pumped his fist for her. 

“You guys are nerds,” Bonnie said.

They couldn’t refute that! 

“Snrk- yeah, we can’t all be as cool as you, Bonbon,” Siffrin said. “So… if we’re good, do I just, like, do it…? I mean, the scene setting is already here.”

“What, by yourself?” Odile said.

“I’m not writing you a script and having you do it. If I see you guys say and do those things again, it might actually give me a panic attack,” Siffrin said. He stood up on the bed. “Sorry guys! One man show!”

“One! Man! Show!!!” Bonnie cheered. “Should I make popcorn?”

“I mean, yes, always,” Isabeau said. “But how long should this take?”

“Not long. Two minutes or so? Provided you don’t combust, Isa~”

“Wait, why would I combust???” Isabeau was already blushing some, holding his hands up defensively.

“EW! I don’t wanna hear you pretend to be Za being mushy! We get enough of that!” 

Siffrin smirked. “Okay, but, then you can laugh at me being Isa being mushy. And you’re in this scene too!”

Bonnie’s eyes went wide, mouth open in childish awe. “Am I yelling at you?”

“Mmmmmmaybe~” Pause. “Yes.”

“I KNEW IT!”

“Oh I’m going to have to give the neighbors something to make up for this,” Mirabelle whispered to herself. It wasn’t too late though, so hopefully they weren’t in, or at least weren’t trying to sleep.

“Dile! Get the tea heater!” They pulled out a small pan and lid from their bag. “I’m making POPCORN!” 

“Guess we’ve got a few minutes before the show. Everyone take your seats~”

“There is only one chair, and I claim it,” Odile said. 

“Overbooked! A tragedy!” Isabeau said with an exaggerated gasp and hand over his heart. 

Mirabelle, meanwhile, felt some of her theatre classes coming back. Just the rehearsals though! There was a play, but she panicked so hard that poor Junette had to just throw on the bonnet she was supposed to wear and, well, improving that that mother requesting help was the secretly the villain in disguise was sheer genius, actually! 

Wait… “Oh!” She pulled an extra bow from her bag and gave it to Siffrin. “Here! To play me! Um, assuming I’m here?” 

“You were!”

“Hmm, probably better than you attempting to do accents. Because, young one, if I didn’t know you, I’d think your attempt at mimicking me was offensive on purpose,” Odile said, smirking at Siffrin.

“Sorry Madame.”

“Here,” she passed him those weird, opaque glasses that they’d… wait… when did she get those??? 

“What about you, Bonbon. Should I steal your hat~?” Siffrin teased, inching to where it was piled atop their things.

“No. Borrow a spatula.” 

“Bon yes bon!” They pulled a spatula. Brilliant!

“Wait! What can I give you…?” Isabeau said, making a sad puppy dog face. And that was fair! Siffrin’s ears weren’t pierced, and putting earrings on and off would be a chore anyways. And Isabeau’s gloves were just too big for Siffrin’s hands!

It apparently stumped everyone as they just stared… 

Until Bonnie said, “Make your hair stand up like a bird’s.”

That alone got a chuckle out of some of them, and it turned to outright laughs when Isabeau fake cried, “So MEAN! I’m not a bird. I’m buff!”

“The buffest of birds,” Siffrin said, pressing again Isa and standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. 

Bonnie threw some corn at them. 

“Worth it!” Isabeau chirped.

The popcorn was ready shortly afterwards, salted and put in a little bowl in front of everyone. Siffrin was on the bed, stage right. He spit in his hand to spike up his hair, like a bird!

“Sif…” Siffrin deepened his voice, prompting snorts from all of them at his attempt to sound like Isabeau. “Hey… hey Sif. Siffrin. Siffarooni.” 

Siffrin then scooted over and tamped his hair down just to look behind him then quickly scoot back and fluff his hair again. If the ridiculousness of such an act weren’t silly enough, it was clear he was aware of this, trying not to laugh. 

He took a deep breath and got back “in character,” looking at the empty space in front of him with the biggest, puppiest eye he could muster. “Um… Sorry? To wake you? I just have to tell you something. If that’s okay?”

“Oh crab, I didn’t!!!” Isabeau groaned, pressing his hands into his eyes. 

“In front of my Belle?!” Bonnie said, gesturing to Mirabelle like she was an art piece.

Siffrin once more played “himself” and nodded before doing his silly little scoot back to being Isabeau. “Okay, okay, okay. Then I shall tell you the thing! The thing I woke you up to tell you!”

“Siiiiiif I take it back let’s end this!” Isabeau groaned. 

“Quiet, I’m watching the show,” Pdile said, taking a handful of popcorn.

Bonnie seemed considerably more interested in laughing at Isabeau, but Siffrin didn’t seem to mind.

Siffrin continued, unmoved by the begging. “Haha! Um. So.”

“The thing I have to tell you. Is. That…” Siffrin looked off to the side, a snort escaping as he caught Isabeau’s clearly shaded face. Still, he delivered his line. “I don’t have anything to tell you right now. But I will, when, uh, we beat the King, okay?”

“Oh Change and I said this every night, didn’t I? Aaaaargh that must’ve gotten so crabbing annoying!” Isabeau moaned. 

“Now you know how I feel!” Bonnie said.

Siffrin was back in his place, but… “Uh… hmm. Breaking character of, uh… myself? A sec? Eventually I just got quiet but that’s more sad than funny, so we’re doing the funny one. Okay back to it!” He cleared his throat. “That is still SO ominous, Isa.”

Back to Isa and oh Change he actually did a really good impression of Isabeau’s flustered face! “I, uh, just don’t wanna tell you right now when it might distract you! Wouldn’t want that! So, uh, I’ll tell you when we beat the, um, King, okay?”

Siffrin looked at them, opened his mouth to say something, then it split into a head manic grin as an idea hit. Oh Change here we go. 

Siffrin bolted up, snapped, grabbed the spatula and a pillow, threw it, dropped the spatula, and lunged for the bed so it hit him in the face. 

“SIF?!”

“Pfffft, hahaha!”

“PILLOW! THROW!”

“Hahahaha! Oh noooooo!” 

They had to take a short intermission from everyone laughing too hard. Once, even twice it almost ended, but someone snickered and started it again! But third time’s the charm.

Siffrin picked the dropped spatula back up, “I’ll wash this after,” and then got on the middle bed and pointed accusingly at the empty bed, “SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!” 

“HEY I DON’T SOUND LIKE THAT!” Bonnie huffed.

“Oh he’s trying,” Mira said. Though truthfully, the squeaky voice Siffrin had chosen was awful.

“You hit me with a pillow?!” Isabeau said.

“I would’ve used a book,” Odile said.

Siffrin hit the bed and set the bow on his hair. “YEAH ISABEAU! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND SLEEP!”

“PFFFT, Belle sounds like a mouse!” Bonnie said. “Belle’s on my side Belle’s on my side!”

Then Siffrin rushed over to stage right once more, slicking hair in the midst of a fit of giggles. “CLOSE YOUR MOUTH HOUSEMAIDEN! YOU’RE GONNA WAKE UP M’DAME ODILE!”

“How could I have slept through this?” Odile said. 

Siffrin went to the far bed, stifling giggles behind his hand before putting on the dark glasses and somehow managing to be utterly serious as he said, “I’m already up.” He didn’t bother with a voice, but got the tone scarily serious. 

“Oh, so I didn’t,” Odile remarked.

“And if the noise continues, I will stand up. You do not want to know what will happen if I stand up.”

Aaaand right back to the energy. He looked exaggeratedly spooked as he picked up the spatula and dove under the covers. “Sorry.” Then tried to roll over, presumably to be Mirabelle, and-

THUMP! “NYA!”

“Did you-?”

“Did he-?”

“Did Sif-?”

“Did they-?”

“Stars- YES I JUST SAID NYA!” Tangled in the sheets, Siffrin had hit the floor, and now was hiding in the covers, wiggling futilely for a few seconds before giving up. “… for the record. That did not happen. Uh… crew? A little help? Rather not cut these.”

Mirabelle giggled as she got up, helping get the sheets off without having to resort the scissors craft. 

Siffrin brushed the dust off of him, held the bow up, and gave a quick little, “Sorry.”

Then went back to be Isabeau. “Sorry m’dame…” He looked appropriately abashed, but the look turned into one of a familiar, adoring smile. “Good night, Sif!” 

“Aaaaaand scene!” Siffrin said, standing back up and giving a little bow.

They all clapped for him, even if Bonnie was breathless from laughing and Isabeau was still dark-cheeked. 

“Good job, Siffrin!” Mirabelle said, going over and playfully spinning him… and forgetting their current lack of space, squawking as they both tumbled onto a bed, laughing and breathless.

Isabeau must’ve gotten jealous as he scooped Siffrin into his arms and started kissing his cheek! “Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah!”

“GROOOOOOSSSS!” Bonnie whined.

Siffrin was laughing so much that both he and Isa had to sit down a minute, but eventually Siffrin got back up to put the bed back, then munch on some popcorn. “Mmmmm, good as always, Bonbon~” They mussed up Bonnie’s hair with a smile as more salty snacks disappeared into their mouth. 

“I AM the best chef cooker after all!” Bonnie said, little chest puffed out.

“You are!” Siffrin said. He went a bit quiet for a moment before saying, “Speaking of that, we’re near a market anyways… wanna try making those fritters again? Maybe with a few spicy peppers?”

“YEAH!!!”

“We might wanna grab something for the neighbors too, if only to apologize…” Mirabelle said. 

“And we haven’t been kicked out yet, so to bribe the inkeepers as well,” Odile said.

“MADAME!”

They went into another bout of giggles and finished up the popcorn before going to brush teeth and settle in…

And in the dark and quiet, as she was starting to drift off to sleep, she could hear Isabeau say, “And hey Sif, just gonna tell it this time… I love you!”

“I love you too!”

Mwah!

And that night, everyone slept well.

-----

I prefer tea, but buy me a Kofi?

[bloodymiso]

jump shot!!!

hobie brown x gn!basketball player!reader hcs mentions of injury, some swear words, sfw

i had a competition yesterday and thoughts ensued. ig reader just plays basketball for fun as a college sport, not professionally or anything. reader started playing in hs and continued through college:) pavitr ver coming soon!

hes so supportive like babygirl goes to ALL of your games

he tried to understand the rules of basketball so he wouldnt be shouting “FOUL!” all the time like a dumbass

h. “youre telling me you cant move while givin’ a screen?” r. “yeah so you arent the first to make contact with the opponent, if you do its a foul.” h. “that’s stupid”

ofc games are kinda rare cause who tf wants to hold college sports competitions

when he met your team, they lowkey BEGGED him to join(as if he could) because of his body proportions

long arms, long legs, bro was perfect

ygs like making bottlecap pins together so he made you one w a silly lil basketball

now its your goodluck charm:3

assuming youre pretty much his height and size, sometimes he’d wear your jerseys

if youre bigger than him, he doesnt really care he’ll wear them anyway

if youre smaller than him(and it wont fit) its okay he’ll hug it to sleep when you arent there

whenever you win a game he literally carries you and twirls you around like a prince/princess/whatever you prefer

he’d probably join you in after parties

wrapping his arms around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder/head while you talked with your team mates

one time he couldnt see one of your games because ew spiderman duties and he ended up getting injured after

he didnt want to interrupt you so he just climbed through your window and waited in your apartment

when you got home you tended to his injuries and scolded his dumb ass

r. “ugdhAGSH youre so stupid why didnt you call me or go to the hospital” h. “hospitals are concepts produced by the government to earn money through overpriced treatments.” r. “why am i dating you.”

whenever youre the one who gets injured, he tends to you himself

idk my angsty ass is thinking he probably had some sort of hospital trauma as a kid or just in general

whenever basketball and studies start to pile up he’ll bring you to some sort of secret spotty spot and just cuddle w you

whenever you need to rant about a teammate(or just anything tbh) he’ll listen to you

like literally he’ll memorize every bit of gossip you spat out whenever ranting

r. “yeah so anyway, ___ was such an ass today” h. “aye, isnt that the one who ate your biscuits?”

gwen and miles thinks youre cool asf like damn

you and pavitr are literal besties

he’ll bring you some vegetable samosas from his earth

eventually you stocked up on them to eat after practice

okay bye:3 want to support? reblog pookies!! i swear ill work on the matchups soon..

[m4dm4yhem]

pavitr x reader

reader is implied black

pavitr didn’t know why his senses didn’t set off when his auntie came close to the two of you; her gaze wasn’t cold nor did it give off a bad vibe for pavitr.. his eyes had one of panic.. panic and desperation to get you two out of the situation you somehow had gotten into..

“ …uhh hi maya auntie!” pavitr moved away from you almost instantly; the look of pain on your face made his heart sink… he didn’t want to hurt you; he was just scared his aunt wouldn’t accept you, fear that his aunt would prefer him to be with someone who was like them, someone indian; which judging by your features, you were not.

“ …pavitr..who is that?” his aunt spoke; as she stared down at you; her gaze didn’t set off any alarms in pavitr’s head; but his mind was still running all over the place; the two of you were sat.. eating lunch together in a nearby building from pavitr’s home.. you two had recently started dating, and he wanted to share a few of his favorite foods with you.. some of his favorite dishes from his culture.. pavitr slowly put the naan he had in his hand down and chewed on his lip; “ uh…this is..” it’s not like he was ashamed of you.. because he wasn’t..

pavitr loved you.. more than anything; you knew that.. well not in this moment. which made you speak up yourself. “ im pavitr’s partner.. [name]” you let an awkward smile make its way to your face; before you covered your mouth because you had just introduced yourself with your mouth full of a samosa.

his auntie, who you now knew was named maya.. giggled at your little introduction; and your appearance; a smile filled her face; your mouth was full; your lips stained with hints of curry here and there.. and pieces of rice sticking around your mouth, as well as your fingers covered in curry and single pieces of rice sticking to your fingers as well; your eyes had a look of panic in them; to be so messy in front of your boyfriend’s aunt made you embarrassed; as you quickly grabbed a few napkins and wiped your hands and your mouth.

“…Aw!” that certainly wasn’t what pavitr expected to come out if her mouth. “ why didn’t you tell me? “ his maya auntie gently nudged him; a grin on her face as she pulled up a chair to you two’s table; sitting right in the middle of you two; “ oh my goodness! I have stories to tell you! I always dreamed of telling such things to whoever pavitr bought home..but he never did.” she forced a frown; and the embarrassment was obvious on pavitr’s face. “ …maya auntie..please don’t-“ his words fell on deaf ears; stories upon stories.. questions upon questions.. by the end of it.. you and pavitr’s auntie seemed to have an amazing relationship begin to blossom; although you ate way more cleanly than you did when it was just you and pavitr..

you glanced over at your boyfriend for the first time in the last hour and his head was in his hands; embarrassment evident in his face; as his auntie had just finished telling you how he nearly burned the house down because he forgot about the tea he sat on the stove; while she was exaggerating the story; and that was obvious.. it was still painfully embarrassing for your boyfriend to have these memories brought up.. after he tried so hard to shove them down.

“ hey..auntie?” you spoke; stopping her in the middle of her sentence

“ yes dear?”

“ im gonna go to the bathroom… and i need pavi to show me where it is.. we’ll be back, kay?”

she gave a nod as you dragged your boyfriend to god knows where.. you certainly didn’t

“ what’s the matter? you know where the bathroom is..?” pavitr spoke; this wasn’t the first time you guys had been here; last time you two celebrated that you had found the bathroom without help..

“ I just..wanted to make sure you were okay without making your aunt feel bad..you looked pretty upset.” you spoke softly; a frown on your face as pavitr let a grin play on his lips, he was fine.. just embarrassed. but the fact you cared enough to notice his change in mood and take him somewhere private to ask.. it made his heart skip a beat!

“…im okay, love.” he spoke softly.. he wasn’t embarrassed anymore.. more or so excited… because this moment made him feel loved.. his heart was happy.. and was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.

“ okay..just..let me know if anything makes you feel some type of way..and I won’t entertain it.. okay?” you spoke; mostly gesturing towards how you’d been giggling at the stories his auntie was telling you; wrapping his arms around you; pavitr pulled you in, your tight curls tickling his nose.

“..okay.” he spoke softly and pressed a kiss to the top of your scalp.

[sagesolsticewrites]

Sleepy for Ruthie & scrunch for Juliet 🫶

oh gosh well this request has been sitting in my inbox for like a month but I finally finished it! So so sorry for the delay, darling Nonnie, and thank you so much for your patience!

kiss prompts

[ sleepy ] for a half-awake kiss - Ruthie x Benny

The door of Benny’s apartment swings open to reveal an exhausted but smiling Ruthie, blush pink Pyrex in her hands.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Benny beams, stepping aside to let her in.

“Hi,” she says, shifting up onto her toes to press a kiss to his cheek as she passes, “Long time no see.”

“I know, it’s been forever,” he laughs, knowing full well she was here just last week, “What’d you bring this time?”

“Samosas,” she beams, gesturing excitedly with the Pyrex, and Benny smiles, though it doesn’t escape his notice that there’s something slightly less cheerful about her demeanor today.

“How are things at the hotel?” He asks in what he hopes is a casual manner, following her into the kitchen, “You said a while ago that business wasn’t great, is it getting better?”

“You remembered?” Ruthie pauses as she removes a pastry, in the middle of moving it to a plate.

“Of course,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Ruthie ducks her chin in an attempt to hide her growing smile, busying herself with plating another samosa.

“It’s actually gotten really busy,” she says happily, “I… don’t really remember the last time I slept? I’ve been doing laundry and making beds and cleaning practically all the time to try to keep up with the guests, but if it means business is good and my parents have one less thing to worry about, then…” she trails off with a shrug.

Now that she’s said it, Benny can see tiredness etched into every line of her face, the poorly hidden dark purple bags under her eyes now crystal clear even through her ever cheerful smile.

“And you still came here?” He asks, frowning slightly as he steps closer to scan over her face.

“Of course,” her brow furrows, “I wanted to see you, and how can I keep up with my lessons if I skip a week, hm? Besides,” she says through a yawn that utterly destroys the point she’s trying to make, “I’m not that tired, I promise.”

“Sweetheart— Ruthie, look at me honey, please?”

Ruthie looks up from where she’s sweeping crumbs off the counter, still very much in cleaning mode, as Benny takes her hand and guides her to the living room.

“We’re gonna skip the lesson today.”

“Wait, what?”

Ruthie frowns. She’d been practicing her Italian all week to keep it fresh in her mind for today— she’d made very good progress since Benny had offered to teach her more than the simple phrases Val had taught her in a rushed, impromptu lesson, and she wanted to keep improving.

“Vika,” Benny sighs, thumb stroking gently along the back of her hand as they sit, “You need rest, honey. Lesson for today? Vai a dormire.”

“Vai…” Furrows appear in Ruthie’s forehead, adorable as always, as she tries to translate.

Benny brushes a kiss to her forehead, wonders if she knows he can feel how much she’s leaning on him, if she’s aware of how heavy-lidded her eyes are.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart.” He murmurs, moving to kneel beside the sofa and shifting a pillow under her head as she lays down despite her protests.

“Benny—” she mumbles, stubborn even when she’s half asleep.

He leans in, silencing her tired protests with a gentle kiss, “I promise I’ll wake you when it’s time for you to go home.”

Finally, finally, she relaxes, eyes closing as she gives his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Th’nk you, Benny.”

“Dormi bene, sweetheart.”

[ scrunch ] for a kiss on the nose - Juliet x Brady

“Honey, are you almost ready?” Juliet calls from her vanity, checking that the Victory Red on her lips is still immaculate before slipping into her heels.

“Ready, sweetheart,” John says from behind her, and the sight of him in the mirror has her beaming before she turns to look at him properly.

John Brady stands there beaming in one of his nicer suits, ready for the first proper date night they’ve had since their daughter was born.

“Oh, Johnny,” she breathes, standing to get a better look, her hand coming to rest gently on his chest, “You look very handsome, darling.”

He always did, of course, but the suit was a welcome change from the usual somewhat creased button downs he wore, as was the neatly combed hair from the usual rumpled brown waves (caused by a certain six-month-old finding endless fascination with her father’s hair).

“And you,” her husband smiles, arms winding around her waist, “Look as beautiful as ever, Mrs. Brady.”

Even after over a year of marriage, a thrill still runs through her at both the compliment and the use of her married name.

Smiling, Juliet leans up for a kiss, but John pulls back slightly.

“I don’t think I can bring myself to mess this up just yet,” he says, eyes soft as his thumb traces along the edge of her red-painted lip, “So I think I’ll just…”

He leans in and pecks her nose, eliciting a delighted giggle from his wife.

“As sweet as that was,” Juliet teases with a raised eyebrow before her eyes turn pleading, “Please kiss me properly, John Brady.”

Captain John Brady — who once threatened to “smash the living shit” out of the pilot who was taking up his slot in a formation while in the air with no regard for the very expensive planes that would be damaged by this action — is helpless against his wife’s doe eyes.

Grinning, he leans down to press his lips tenderly to hers, his heart going soft at the sigh that escapes her as he pulls away.

“Better?”

“Much,” she grins, thumb swiping over his lips to rub away the Victory Red that transferred from her own, “Shall we?”

They step out to the living room, greeted with the sight of Rosie Rosenthal playing with his newest niece.

“Thank you so much again, Rosie,” Juliet smiles, “We really appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” Rosie grins, “You know I’ll never pass up a chance to hang out with this little peanut.”

Little Olivia lets out a delighted giggle as her Uncle Rosie tickles her, reaching for his pomaded curls.

“Wait, no, not the hair—”

Once he’s disentangled Olivia’s tiny fingers from his hair, he lifts her into his arms with an ease that comes from months of practice with Little Croz.

“Say bye to Mommy and Daddy, peanut!” Rosie lifts her little hand to wave at them as the Bradys make their way into the foyer.

“We should be back around 10,” Jules calls as John attempts to herd her out the door, “And don’t hesitate to call us if you need to!”

“Or your mother!” John calls with a grin from his place by the car door.

“I’ve gotten better, I swear!” Rosie replies, playfully exasperated, “Have fun, you two.”

“You too, Rosie,” John grins at the same time as Juliet says “Be good for your uncle, Livvy!”

The couple says their final goodbyes and heads out, John Brady leaning over at a red light to press a kiss to his wife’s nose.

“What was that for?” Juliet laughs.

Her husband smiles and shrugs, turning his attention to the road as the light changes.

“Just because.”

[heartfullofleeches]

Heyo, waited a bit to see if you got my last ask I guess tumblr ate it oh well. Or maybe you went to sleep lol

I'm glad you're doing better, mental health is a battle. Glad you're getting some weed tmmr we all got ways to destress.

Hectic few days, got into a car accident nothing too bad just some bruises on my left uh tit? (Gender neutral is chest but that's boring) And today some lady who owns this vegan Cafe I went to for the first time tried to make me join her cult. Which sucks since her samosas were Hella good. Uhh and I also ran out of anxiety meds.

I volunteer as tribute for a kind and loving partner to Adonis, I promise to cuddle and kiss him after he drinks my piss!

Should I continue using emojis 🥳 or should I switch to kaomojis ୧⍤⃝💐

-Adonis piss anon

I'll have the house to myself tomorrow too which'll be chill. My mental health is all over the place but writing keeps me stable - even then I need a break every one in a while. Onto more important things, are you good??? I've been in a minor car accident before myself and while not being hurt badly I still get anxious at times on the road. I'd like to hear more about this cult stuff cuz what the fuck but I understand if you don't feel like explaining

Adonis would die a happy butterfly if he had a darling that treated him good and let him drink their piss

You can use whichever you prefer, but I kinda like the vibe of the one holding the flowers more

[toiletpotato]

Get to Know Me Game!

Do you make your bed?

Yes. It is part of my morning routine!

What's your favorite number?

3 or 5 or 42

If you could go back to school, would you?

Yes, absolutely! If I could afford it, both time and money wise, I'd love to just study and learn everything I can. If it were more worth it I'd love to be (an academic, not medical) Dr. Potato. Perhaps in another life/world/universe/timeline.

Can you parallel park?

I have never tried it! It is a skill I have yet to learn.

A job you had that would surprise people?

I have yet to be employed!

Can you drive a manual car?

Not yet! (But I found out today that apparently learning how to do so is in my future).

Tattoos?

Not yet! I'd love to have something floral one day, preferably by an artist of colour/someone with experience tattooing colourful pieces on brown skin.

Favorite color?

I love all colours! Though I'm quite fond of bright colours or pastels. Especially pinks, purples, and oranges!

Do you like puzzles?

Yes, I do!

Any phobias?

I have many that I would rather not share. Many of them are common.

Favorite childhood sport?

I was not good at it in the technical sense, but I enjoyed soccer. I received a certificate for the fact that I never stopped smiling.

Do you talk to yourself?

Yes, a lot! Sometimes I have my own potatocast, which no one can listen to as it only exists in my mind.

What movies do you adore?

Oh, I love a documentary that discusses the history of a particular medium, or ones that discuss relevant social history. I also love musicals and comedies, and musical comedies. I love exploring international cinema as well. Oh! Also, fun theatrical adaptations. I love movies that reflect experiences of the diaspora. Some actual titles: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Badhaai Do, Four Samosas, Theater Camp, and The Wiz

Coffee or tea?

Coffee as tiramisu and tea with a frightening amount of condensed milk. (Secret third answer: milk or juice or water).

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

A firefighter. I do not want to be a firefighter any more.

Next up:

@emo-and-dumb @thottybrucewayne @theinfinitedivides @re-lunastos @snixx @unholybinchicken

[scavengerssuccotash]

What are some nicknames they have for each other, or just random things they’ll call the other?

Ohh pet names! I do love a good pet name!

Of course the fandom favorite is ястребок.

Which I do believe is Russian for Hawk. (Per a quick google translate search) It makes Clint blush a little when Natasha calls him that. There’s just something about the way it falls from her pretty lips in soft endearing tones that rises his temperature.

Clint in turn calls her родная which is my dear. He also calls her Princess, Sweetheart, and Red depending on the occasion and the kind of reaction he wants. Sweetheart is reserved for the everyday, he’s called her that the moment they met. Red is reserved for the work comms, especially when they’ve got someone else listening in. It happened by accident and it just sort of stuck. (It also doesn’t help that Clint totally has a thing for redheads) Finally Princess is usually lavished upon her when Clint’s flat on his ass drunk or otherwise in a flirty cheeky mood. It’s a quick way to tease her and get the kind glare that leaves him hot under the collar. (“Good enough for you, Princess?”)

Finally at last we come to Tasha’. This one much like Red came to him by accident, well it was in all honesty the drunk slurring of Natasha. He said it and Natasha giggled in that cute way that she does and that was that. It stayed, right there in the middle of them like it was always meant to be there. Tasha is special and Clint treats it as such. It’s said in the tenderest of moments, and often as the last gasp of pleasure.

Natasha’s pet names are far less creative than Clint’s and prefers the tried and true baby. Not that Clint’s complaining about the lack of originality, he’s perfectly content to be called whatever so long as she’s saying it.

One time she called him lover by accident, in front of Phil and Clint just about fell through the floor. Often times though she just calls Clint by his first or last name. Barton if she is feeling particularly playful. (She tacks on his title Agent Barton when she’s being cheeky which is certainly a thrill)

Clint however shoots to the moon whenever she adds the rare possessive my Clint in conversation. “Well my Clint favors counter clockwise rifling in the barrel but if all you have is clockwise we’ll take it” “Yes, may I please have an order of Lamb Korma and my Clint would like an order of Chicken Tikka Masala, Yes medium spice. Oh and an order of Samosas! Thank you.”

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: West Coast Trail

Day 0.9: The Coast Express

August 27

... was an early but mercifully dry morning. The Bamfield Market has great chipotle-spiced potato bacon breakfast burritos. I got a second one to save for lunch during the day's journey.

"Orientation" at the Parks office by the Trail's north head was shorter than I'd imagined. I was handed a map, and then we had to wait for the bus to shuttle us to Port Renfrew at the south end. Since we had a few spare hours we walked without packs along a short loop of what would be, a week later, the end of the trail.

That loop gave a nice sampling of beach, rocky shore, and woods walking, plus some of those famously long, rickety wooden ladders. Those are fun, but I see why it’s preferable to “beach boogie” along the low tides and avoid the up-and-down.

We were first to load up the bus, even able to grab another samosa from the Market before it filled. Most fellow passengers had just finished the trail, walking north to south and then shuttling back. We talked to a couple who enjoyed it, recommended Tsusiat Falls campground, and said to swim in the creek and explore behind the falls (I didn’t remember that later.)

My behind-seat neighbour was A——, a small woman from Guadalajara. She was a novice hiker who had been talked by a friend into hiking with a 50 lb pack. Mine, for the record, was close to 40 pounds, I’m about half again her height and weight, and I was feeling that I had too much weight (but what could I take out?) So no wonder A—— turned around. This walk in the Park was looking to be no walk in the park. We spent time talking about what’s worth visiting in Mexico. Guanajuato, apparently. And the cenotes of the Yucatan, as I’ve heard from tourists through work back home.

The afternoon saw us on a long, bumpy bus ride along twisting half-paved roads. I tried, without much success, to get a bit of sleep in my seat. Four careening hours later we arrived in Port Renfrew.

Our tiny hiker’s hut booked for the last night before the Trail was very nice and cozy. We strolled down the road to the Renfrew Pub. My city friend J—- had said to get the fish and chips here, and she was right. They were great. Fish and chips are always best with a beer, but it was probably best to stay healthy before the trail I thought. The waters of Port San Juan were beautiful in the evening light.

Early to bed again— the last night for a while that To Bed meant a bed. Not that I’ve anything against thermarests.

[rollforthings]

When I say you should try a system (any system) that isn't DnD5e, I'm not discounting the enjoyment you've gotten from playing 5e with your group. I'm not saying your fun has been wrong. I'm saying Hey, I've noticed that the only food you eat is HotPockets[tm] and I think you'd like a good chunk of the non-HotPocket foods out there.

Maybe you've made a small step and tried store-brand, HP-compatible Pizza Pockets in place of name-brand HotPockets. That's good. Maybe you've tried your hand at cooking yourself, and that's good too, though chances are if all you've ever eaten is HotPockets, you'll struggle to make anything palatable that's not pizza-based and pocket-shaped. Maybe the HotPockets community and the HotPockets marketing team have insisted that HotPockets make great samosas if you cut one open, rinse out the pizza filling and put in curried veg, and that's... weird, there are actual samosas out there, and they're delicious.

I'm not saying you can't like HotPockets or that you should feel bad about thinking they taste good. (I might have something to say if you continued to support HotPockets with money and attention after the company that owned and operated HotPockets made terribly unethical decisions and disrespected their own community, but THAT would never happen amirite.) I understand if you think HotPockets are delicious and I understand that they've made you happy. I used to eat only HotPockets, too. They were the first food I stumbled upon and the company that makes them spends a lot of money making sure it's most people's first food. But other foods are also fucking delicious, and liking HotPockets shouldn't be barring you from other foods. As a fellow tabletop player, I want to share in scrumptious grub, and I think you'll enjoy a lot of the new flavors if you step outside of a HotPocket-only diet.

Yes, non-HotPocket foods are unfamiliar, but exploring new flavors is part of the fun. And believe it or not, most other foods are much easier to pick up and eat than a HotPocket. Yes, you already have the HotPockets, but they'll keep in your freezer while you try the fresh stuff. Yes, you've already bought (or "bought") your HotPockets, but most foods are much cheaper, many chefs offer free samples, and some are just giving away the food completely free. And yeah, maybe your friends all eat only HotPockets too. You don't have to eat with the same people every time you eat. There are even foods you can have alone, without scheduling a meal as a group. But more importantly, consider sharing this post with your HotPockets-only friends, because I'd like to say to them what I've said to you.

Excite your pallette. There's a whole world of fresh, creative, delectable ttrpgs out there that do things with ingredients you've never even seen. Or don't, I'm not your mom, and I won't even know if you keep eating only HotPockets, if you keep playing only 5e. I just wanna help people not miss out.

[chapatitrailsandcoconuttales2025]

Trains, Toilets & Taj Teasers: A Day in Agra

Today started with an early taxi ride to Delhi train station, where we braved the chaos, wrangled our own suitcases, and found our assigned seats. I made a tactical toilet stop, wanting to be the first, and assumed squat toilets were the only option.  I did become the first passenger to cause a mess that I was trying to avoid, the bin was bottomless and my paper came out the bottom and onto the floor🥴 Tania later informed me there was a Western-style toilet on the other side. Good to know after the fact.

The two-hour train ride was smooth—breakfast, water, and tea included. On arrival, we met our bus for the week, where I briefly (and unsuccessfully) tried to claim Raj’s front-row seat. Apparently, my karaoke dreams weren’t a compelling argument.

At Agra Fort, we wandered through its grand red sandstone walls, once home (and later prison) to Shah Jahan, the mastermind behind the Taj Mahal. From here, we caught our first glimpse of the Taj, more a silohuette n the distance—a teaser for part two of today.

Before that, though, a stop at a local cottage industry store, where we watched beautiful hand  knotted rugs being unfurled before us. Not expecting to buy another rug, I couldn’t help myself, nor could most of my fellow travelers. It’s being made and will hopefully make its way home. While admiring the rugs, we had our first samosa of the trip (delicious) and more chai before heading to the hotel for a quick check-in.

On the drive, one sight that stuck with me was the street barbers—just a chair, a mirror strapped to a fence, and the open air as their salon. Simple, efficient, and completely fascinating.Then, finally, it was time for the real deal: the Taj Mahal. But that deserves a post of its own!

[debanish]

Road Trip: 6,000 Km, 7 States, 2 Plates Of Kolhapuri Chicken, And 1 Orange

A short highway drive led to this blog post. Three of us drove down from Delhi to Goa via Udaipur and Mumbai. After getting sunburn for three days in Goa, we drove onwards to a town near Mangaluru to see the beaches.

No one gives a samosa these days, so this post will omit annoyances like scenery, sunset, wanderlust, the mountains-are-calling, and I-love-travel nonsense.

My mother is used to hearing unpleasant, unexpected things from people about me. When word reached her that I have decided to drive down south thousands of kilometres with some people from Delhi, with the possibility that I may drive back home alone for a few thousand kilometres more, she tried to change my mind.

"No, no, no," she said on the phone at night, far away from Imphal. "It's very dangerous. What if you get hurt in an accident, or worse?"

"Accidents happen all the time," I said. "But we will be fine," I told her, not entirely sure about that. Who can predict the future? After a while she agreed she would be cool about it.

Mothers are like that. But they will let you go eventually. They know that you, too, have been collecting years.

We set out for Udaipur from Delhi at 6 am. A lab in Jaipur, a city that falls on our route, agreed to take samples for COVID-19 test. Any cop at state borders could ask for an RT-PCR report even if you are fully vaccinated. Whatever the cop says is final when you are travelling by road, so we decided to be well-prepared. The only chai-paani I like is the one I have myself.

We reached Udaipur at 9 pm. For dinner, we ordered Rajasthani laal maans. This drive across seven states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka - opened up infinite possibilities of tasting the best food in each state.

We entered the Gujarat border at 10 am. A police officer stopped us to check documents and asked, "Carrying any daaru?" We said no, of course, and he let us through.

Next came the Godhra bypass, a state highway with a smooth surface and proper markings that made driving quite fun. The state highways in Gujarat are better than some national highways.

Baroda, Surat and hunger followed soon. We drove past dhaba after dhaba with "only veg" and "pure veg" signboards, until we found one with a poster that showed an omelette. This, we blamed the Bengali in the car.

Over 13 hours of driving put us right on the doorstep of Navi Mumbai. Pushing and fighting your way inside a coach in Delhi's busy Rajiv Chowk metro station is way easier than entering Mumbai during evening rush hour traffic.

There are two main routes from Mumbai to Goa. The first is a twisty old highway that passes through ghat roads, and the second is a straight run on the plains via Pune and Kolhapur. Many prefer the second route because why not? The old highway is full of potholes, back pain and feelings about taking a U-turn for home ASAP.

We stopped at Kolhapur bypass for Kolhapuri chicken. See for yourself in the photo below.

The road from Nipani in Karnataka all the way to the Goa border is narrow. But it was on this stretch that we liked stopping for tea and filter coffee.

We reached Goa at night on Day 3 after we drove out from Delhi.

Some days later we prepped for the ride to our next destination - Surathkal, a clean, green, and quiet beach town 20 km from Mangaluru in Karnataka.

Fish thaali in Karwar, on the Karnataka-Goa border, and filter coffee in Udupi really charged up the drive to Surathkal, where we reached in no time and stayed at a friend's house, just a 10-minute walk from a white, sandy beach.

We chilled at Surathkal for two days, visited Mangaluru and enjoyed ghee roast chicken and gadbad ice-cream.

When the time to return home came, a small but not an entirely unexpected problem presented itself like magic. See, I drove down with two friends all the way from Delhi, but they flew back to attend a wedding. A stern message came from home that either I find someone to ride shotgun on the return leg, or I give the car to Agarwal Packers and Movers and fly back. I cannot drive back alone, the serious people at home said.

The only person who came to mind was an old friend from school, who in Class 12 taught me how to drive a motorcycle wrong and wreck it. By now we go back a quarter of a century. I dialled him and presented the plan - he would fly down to Goa, stay for a day, and drive back with me to Delhi with a night's stop each in Mumbai and Udaipur. "You can eat anything you like, stop anywhere you like," I told him. It did the trick. He took a flight to Goa within 24 hours with only a small backpack.

The return leg did not play out any different than how we had come. We traced back the same routes. The Godhra bypass had excellent reflective markings that made driving at night safe. The Rajasthan-Gujarat border near Udaipur had similar safety features. These two stretches helped a lot in improving night driving skills.

That's all people. And about that orange, I forgot where I had kept it for the entire trip. When I finally reached home, it tumbled out from the magazine holder of the front seat.

Fin.

The fine print:

Vehicle: Maruti Suzuki Ignis 1.2 petrol manual, stock tyres upsized by 20 mm to 195/60/R15, Continental UC6

Total toll cost: Rs 5,210 (as per FASTag statement)

Total fuel cost: Rs 28,000 (approximate)

Best roads: Udaipur to Gujarat border, Udaipur-Jaipur highway, Godhra bypass, Mumbai-Pune expressway, Udupi to Surathkal highway

Worst roads: 30 km from Amboli ghat to north Goa border, exit from Navi Mumbai to Thane, Gurgaon-Jaipur highway (road surface is relatively smooth, but it's really bad for night driving due to absence of lane markings on the road; you can get blinded with oncoming headlights and not find directional help since the white lines on the road are missing)

Recommended dhabas and restaurants: Shree Mahalaxmi Seafood Restaurant, Kolhapur bypass; Shetty Lunch Home, Mangaluru; Cafe de Voyage, Margao; Laxmi Family Restaurant and Bar, Morjim.

Thanks to Ira, Jayashree, Munmun, Stella, Rajib, Smitha and Jayant for the company during the road trip and taking these photos.

[shoehorseconstant]

i said 'oh yeah! my friend said they like afghan cuisine bc it has some similarities to the indian food that they grew up with' (because i had recently tried an afghan dish for the first time and i was just using this comparison as a starting point with my friends who were curious about afghan cuisine and i WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE CONVERSATION ABOUT SOMETHING COOL I EXPERIENCED RECENTLY) and white interlocutor said 'you know, i've never been the type to be into cuisine. like you know how some chefs travel the world, looking for different flavours... that's not really me. it's not my thing to look for world flavours' and i was like... idk do you at least know what a samosa is

[rabbitcruiser]

National Empanada Day

Even if you’ve never tried empanadas, there’s a good chance you’ve had one of their distant (and delicious) cousins. Originally from Galicia, Spain, empanadas now exist in over 30 countries in some shape or form. The name comes from “empanar”, which means “to bread” in Spanish and Portuguese. But some historians argue that the true meaning is “Can I have another?” That might not be a historical fact, but we can keep the spirit alive when National Empanada Day comes rolling in on April 8!

When is National Empanada Day 2023?

Spanish pastries are in the spotlight on National Empanada Day on April 8.

History of National Empanada Day

An empanada is a type of fried or baked pastry with Spanish origins. The name is derived from the Spanish term ‘empanar,’ which literally translates to ‘enbreaded,’ meaning coated in bread. The dough or bread used for making empanadas is stuffed with tasty fillings of meat, vegetables, and in some cultures, fruit. The dish is also popular in Latin American and southern European countries.

The exact origins of empanadas are linked to Portugal and Galicia (Spain.) The pastry made its first appearance during the Moorish invasions in Medieval Iberia. In 1520, a cookbook featuring Catalan, Arabian, French, and Italian food had seafood-filled empanadas listed as one of its recipes. It is widely believed that empanadas and its similar cousin, the calzone, are both inspired by samosas — a triangular-shaped pie popular in Arab and South Asian cultures.  

In Portugal and Spain, empanadas are prepared by cutting a large pie into pieces, so that it can be enjoyed on the go. Portuguese and Galician empanada fillings include sardines, tuna, other types of seafood, and sometimes pork, in a sauce prepared from tomatoes and garlic.

National Empanada Day timeline

100 B.C. First Evidence

The first evidence of an empanada dates back to Ancient Persia.

711 A.D. Empanadas Make an Appearance

During the time of the Moorish invasions, empanadas start to appear in medieval Iberia.

1520 Recipe for Empanada

The first recipe for empanadas is published in a Spanish cookbook in Catalan.

16th century Making Waves

The Spanish present their recipe for the empanada to the Aztecs and Mayans.

National Empanada Day FAQs

What are empanadas traditionally filled with?

Empanadas are savory pastries with a dough shell filled with vegetables, tuna, cheese, chicken, beef, and tuna, either dry or mixed in a sauce. The final pastry is either fried or baked.

Are empanadas Mexican or Spanish?

Empanadas have Spanish origins.

What is the difference between an empanada and a samosa?

The main difference between empanadas and samosas is their shape. Empanadas are crescent-shaped while samosas are triangular-shaped.

National Empanada Day Activities

Go out to eat!

Make Your Own at Home

Share Your Pics on Social Media

Sometimes it's best to leave things to the professionals. This is especially true if your area has a thriving Latin American or Caribbean community. But even if it doesn't, there's no reason to fear—just stumble into a place that offers fried pie (yes, it counts).

The biggest problem you'll run into here is finding a recipe—there are so many good ones! This isn't to say that you can't experiment and add your own fillings. However, you'll probably want the support of a buddy or two. Aside from helping with prep and clean up, the extra mouths will ensure that you leave the table on your own two feet. Getting rolled away like empanada dough probably isn't the look you're aiming for.

Yes, sharing food pics on social media has been done to death. But it's a special day, so why not make an exception? Whether it's a work of art or just a “piece of work”, you'll put a smile on someone's face. Also, if you and your friends tried making empanadas from different countries, it could be interesting to compare the results. Just remember that it's all in good fun, and that there are no winners or losers...except for the people who forgot about this glorious day.

5 Tasty Facts About Empanadas In Different Cultures

It has many variants

Empanadas are the center of attention

Synonym for empanadas

Empanadas are important in Chile

The pastry shell has different recipes too

Every region of Argentina has its own version of empanadas.

In Argentina, empanadas are served as a starter or main course at get-togethers and parties.

In Belize, empanadas are known as panades.

In Chile, empanadas are consumed in large quantities, especially during the country’s national days.

Traditional Venezuelan empanadas are made with ground corn dough.

Why We Love National Empanada Day

Empanadas are the perfect finger food

They make a mean dessert

There's endless variety

They come wrapped in an edible, flaky container, which means you don't need pesky utensils. Doesn't matter if you're at a restaurant or food truck, every bit of goodness will safely reach its destination (psst, that's your mouth). Best of all, they're a breeze to share with your friends...but no one's saying you have to do that.

Most people are aware of the meat and cheese variety, but you can stuff empanadas with pretty much anything. This could be sweet potatoes, peaches, or even guava paste. Of course, in these cases they tend to resemble more of a puff pastry. In Bolivia, they like to have the best of both worlds. There you can find salteñas that are filled with a sweet and spicy soup. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, we'll take them off your hands (strictly for research purposes).

Remember, more than 30 countries have their own version of empanadas, so you're bound to find one that fits your taste. If you can't live without peanuts, you might want to check out Colombia—parts of the country add peanuts and top things off with an aji sauce. Or maybe you can't decide between noodles and bread? In that case, Indonesia has you covered, as their local variety comes chock full of potatoes, carrots, chicken, and glass noodles.

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