#i made chocolate and salted caramel cookies today :3

[romeo-the-homeo]

realising i am so Boo coded (i bake sweets)

[saltymiraculer]

Ceremonial Kisses (Part 1 of 3)

Part 2

So I decided to try my hand at the “Marinette, the princess of China” trope and see how I did! Tell me what you think?

Also, the first chapter is going to be fluffy, the second chapter’ll have a sprinkling of salt, and the third chapter will be a mix of piles and piles of salt and some fluff. Be warned!

.

“I’ve got a big, big, big announcement for you today, class!“ Bustier chirped, clapping her hands to get their attention. “China’s princess will be coronated in a week and a half, the day she turns 18, as many of you know, and one class from the school will be selected to travel to China and watch the ceremony. Guess which class it was?“

“Uhhh…Mme. Mendeleiev’s!“

“Ooh, M. D’Argencourt’s? They’ve wanted that trip for weeks!“

“No, class, it’s ours! In three days, we’ll board the plane to Asia and have a few days to sightsee and explore, then attend the coronation on the second-to-last day!“

“Wow! Why our class?“ Kim asked.

Marinette knew exactly why. Marc had told her that the entire school was sick of Lila’s lies and wanted to enjoy the coronation without her butting in in the middle of the assembly to tell a ‘story’ about herself.

But she couldn’t just say that.

“You know, I actually know the princess,“ Lila said, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “But her identity is being kept a secret for now. That’s how we landed the trip!“

“Wow, Lila!“

“That’s amazing!“

“So cool of you.“

“They know that’s stupid, right?“ Alya stage-whispered, earning a glare from Lila’s new puppy–more commonly known as Kim. She shrugged. “I’m just tellin’ the truth!“

Alya, who was now her only other supporter next to Nino (and technically Adrien, but she’d discuss that later–it was very complicated), had decided to Google Lila’s name during a sleepover and found…some rather incriminating Facebook posts.

After that, she was 100% team Marinette and an amazing friend, along with Nino, who had decided that he needed a theme song. No one knew why.

But they loved him anyways!

So while Bustier was rattling off facts about Chinese emperors and kings and queens, Nino was showing them his latest idea to expose Lila.

“Okay,“ he started. “First, we go to China. Then we do our sightseeing and shit, and then. I did some research, and we can ask the princess questions if we’re with a national news channel. Alya’s blog counts. For real, we can talk to the princess of China. And we ask her if she knows Lila.“

“Brilliant plan, Nino. I wonder how the princess will react to a few teenagers in the middle of a crowd of famous people.“

Nino frowned. “The princess is only, like, 17. She’ll probably notice us, Als.”

“Oh, that reminds me, your birthday’s on the same day as the coronation, Marinette! Weird, isn’t it? That you and the princess have the same birthday?“ Alya asked, pulling out her phone and swiping through something.

“Huh, yeah. You’re right. Maybe we can invite her to my birthday party?“

“Ooh, the wiki page says she likes custard buns, and I’m not sure how they know that,“ Nino chuckled. “but make sure to stock up on those.“

“Noted,“ Marinette said drily as Bustier turned to them with a condemning look on her face. “Alya! I hope what you’re doing on that phone relates to the lesson!“

“China’s princess’s identity is being kept a secret because the last two were sent death threats, dangerous items, highly innapropriate items, and several other things that prompted them to not reveal the princess until it was necessary.“

“C-correct, Alya. Good job.“

“Nice!“ Marinette mouthed, high-fiving Alya, who flipped her phone around to reveal a website about the princess.

                                                           -🌸-

The final bell rang as several of the students cheered. One school day until the trip over, three more to go. Alya swung her bag over her shoulder and bumped Marinette’s elbow. “We goin’ to your place to hang out?”

“Yeah, my dad’s out anyways and mom closed the bakery for the afternoon. let’s go!“ Alya took Nino’s hand and walked the short distance to Marinette’s house. They entered and immediately felt something off.

Ah, there it was.

Sabine was leaning over the counter with a cup of very strong-smelling peppermint tea beside her. She was rubbing her temples and muttering to herself in rapid Mandarin.

“Maman? Are you alright?“ Marinette asked worriedly. Alya and Nino stood by the door–they had only seen her like this once before, when her cousin had been run over and killed.

“Yes, dear, everything’s okay, it’s just–there’s something I need to tell you.“

“Oh, no, did something happen to someone?“

“No, no, everyone’s just fine. I can’t not tell you without there being serious problems.“

“So what is it? What’s so important you had to close the bakery?“

“You’re the princess. China’s princess. The one nobody knows about.“

“I’m what?!“ Marinette screeched, grabbing at her hair. “I’m the heir to the throne of the most populated country in the world, and you waited until a week before the coronation to tell me?!“

“Holy shit.“ Alya and Nino said simultaneously. Sabine stared at them, likely just realizing they were there.

“Oh. They know now, too. Perfect, that’s just what we need, a reporter knowing who–“

“Maman! Alya wouldn’t tell a soul, I know she wouldn’t.“

Sabine turned to Alya. “I’m sorry, dear, I’m just stressed. With that trip to China in a few days and all that, we’ll have to close down the bakery for about a week.”

“And we never close down the bakery.“ Marinette finished, putting a steady hand on her mom’s shoulder. “But I know just the person to run it while we’re gone.“

As she was about to say who exactly would run the bakery, Nino backed into the door, wide-eyed.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. My best friend…holy shit.“

“Nino, I know this is a lot, but we’ll have to stay calm,“ Alya said, grabbing his hand. “So we don’t spill her secret. That’s top priority, all right? Don’t–tell–anyone.“

Nino sighed. “Sorry, babe. This…“ he turned to Marinette. “Do you have any cookies?“

Marinette grinned and led them into the kitchen. “Of course! Chocolate chunk or raspberry frosted?“

“Raspberry, all the way!“

“There’s the Nino I know!“

After a quick cookie interval, Marinette pushed her plate away and sighed. “Anyone up for an impromptu sleepover? You all left a bunch of your clothes here the last few times.”

“Marinette. If you know us, you will know our answers.“ Alya said solemnly.

“Hell yeah. Wanna go choose which terrible rom-com to watch this time?“

They ended up settling on The Kissing Booth, one of Marinette’s personal favorites (”To lighten the tension, you know?” Alya had said. “Although the tension in here probably weighs the same as an obese hippopotamus at this point.”) and made a bowl of caramel popcorn, with a tiny bag of sea-salt Skinny Pop for Nino.

“Sugar on popcorn is a crime, man. I ain’t touching that.“

“You’ve tried it once, Nino.“

“Yes, and I hated it. Is there anything else to be said?“

So they spent the next two hours in a blanket fort that was made almost entirely of throw pillows laughing over Elle and Noah and Lee being idiots, with a few highlights such as the iconic “Ninth grade skirt, eleventh grade body” scene, where Alya snorted and said “You know, Lila’s skipped so much school, might as well be ninth grade brain, eleventh grade work.”

“Too true,“ Nino agreed. “The other day, she called Chloe’s mom Aurora Bourgeois. That was a pretty major mess-up.”

“Shhh! Let’s just watch the movie!“ Marinette said, effectively quieting them down.

They watched the rest in silence with the usual laughs., ending up falling asleep halfway through the second movie, snuggled up on their respective couches. Marinette mother shook them awake the next morning, telling them to take showers and eat breakfast and get dressed and for god’s sake, Marinette, finish your homework.

“Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap! Nino, we’re going to be late if we don’t get ready fast!“ Alya shouted as Marinette ran up the stairs to change. “Can I use your shower, M?“

“Sure!“ was the muffled reply.

After about 10 minutes of running around and shoving waffles in their mouths, they grabbed their bags and ran off to school.

They burst through the door in the nick of time, the bell ringing just as they plunked down their things.

Bustier wasn’t there five minutes into the class, so they started talking.

“Marinette, you have to listen to Nino’s latest track, it’s–“ Just as she was about to describe Nino’s latest track, a bouncy-ball the size of a walrus snashed through the wall, nearly taking off Kim’s head.

There was a cackle from outside. “I am Gradack! You will all feel the same sorrow that I did!“

                                                          -🌸-

The fight was over relatively fast, and everything was calmed down and restored before their next class. Turns out Chat Noir didn’t show, so Marinette had to ask Alya for assistance.

In hindsight, she probably should have picked a better place to transform.

“Tikki, spots on!“ After she transformed, she was about to go to Fu to get one of the Miraculous, when she heard a strangled gasp.

“…shit.“

“My best friend is the princess of goddamn China and Ladybug? What the fuck?! Who are you? How did I not know? When did–“

“Alya, I know the feeling, but you can’t tell anyone. Got it?“

“Nino?“

“Well,“ Marinette paused to think. “Yeah, I guess. I trust him enough. Now, take this and transform!“ she tossed Alya the hexagonal box, and after a quick transformation, they ran off to defeat the saddened graduate of an akuma.

As she said, it was an easy fight.

They comforted the victim with four minutes (each) to spare, then ran back to the locker rooms to transform back.

                                                   Time Skip!

It was the morning of the flight to China, and she was ecstatic. Of course, she had to get up at 3:45 in the morning, but it was worth it–the flight took off at six in the morning, of course.

She could see the logic of wanting to arrive at 12:00, but she would’ve much preferred a red-eye.

Then she wouldn’t have had to stay up all night reading, because no way in hell would she just wake up at 3:45 in the morning.

The alarm would’ve had to go off for hours.

But back to the morning, she poured herself a sasquatch-sized mug of coffee, with about a gallon of cream and enough sugar to put an entire city of diabetics into shock, she started getting dressed.

Trudging around and haphazardly pulling out shirts, she finally decided on a simple red-and-orange flannel, a white t-shirt, and a pair of cropped jeans.

The she downed the rest of her coffee with an apathetic “Bottoms up!” and slapped her cheeks.

She grapped her suitcase and walked outside to where her mother was typing away on a laptop in the pitch-black night.

“Mom, why are you up?“

“Because I have to drive you to the airport, that’s why. And no alarm would be able to wake me up at 3 in the morning.“

“Preach. I’m ready to go, so can we get in the car now?“

After driving to the airport and saying goodbye to her mom, she walked into the airport and immediately saw the group of sleepy teens (and a certain disheveled teacher) leaning on their suitcases, trying not to fall asleep.

Nino and Marinette were already there, their eyelids drooping. The only person who looked properly awake was Sabrina, who was–inevitably–holding a saucer out to Chloé, who was sipping from a teacup.

Alya rolled her eyes and walked over to Marinette and Nino. “Who’re we missing?”

“Kim and Rose. They’re carpooling, so they should be here any minute.“

Just as Marinette had said, a few seconds later, Rose and Kim walked into the airport. Kim was still wearing pajama pants.

                                           Another Time Skip!

“Marinette.“ Alya groaned, shaking Marinette’s shoulders. “Marinette, wake up, we’re here.“

Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. “No. Five more minutes.”

“Everyone else is already off the plane!“

“Shit. Let’s go!“ Marinette said, jumping up, grabbing her purse (which she had recently learned concealed a kwami) and scrambling out the door.

Alya picked up the mini-backpack she now carried (which held Trixx, cookies, and some grape jelly) and followed her out the door.

Almost as soon as they stepped off the plane, they heard a loud wail.

“Great. She’s back on her bullshit.“

“I just can’t believe she would steal that, Lila! It’s so unlike her!“

“M-maybe, but there’s p-proof! Look!“

“Oh, great, what did we do this time?“ Alya asked exasperatedly. They watched as Lila held out the remains of–from what they could see from a meter away–a sketch of an orange mermaid gown with a black lace collar, ripped into quarters and laid out on the ground.

Marinette gasped beside her.

“That’s your dress, isn’t it?“

A small tear made its way down Marinette’s face. “It was going to be for you,” she said softly.

Alya threw her arms around Marinette and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetie. Once you’re princess, we’ll sue her for all she’s worth.”

Marinette detached herself from Alya and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Alya.”

                                                         -🌸-

Nino stormed up to where Alya and Marinette were standing with a furious expression on his face.

“That fox,“ he seethed. “that bitchy little fox of a liar stole your drawing.“

Marinette chuckled wetly. “Yeah, we know.“

“Are you okay? I know how important they are to you.“

“I’m fine, Nino, and o–who the hell are you?“ A man in an oddly formal suit was standing next to her, holding out a small red envelope.

Marinette plucked the envelope from his fingers, opened it, and read the contents. She looked up and nodded at the suit-wearing guy.

“Good. In that case, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’m going to need you to come with me.“ Alya and Nino immediately stepped in front of her in a protective shield.

“She’s not in trouble, is she?“

The strange man looked surprisingly amused. “Not at all–but you might want to come with us, too. You as well, headphone-boy.”

Nino put a hand on his chest and gasped in offense.

“Nino. He’s going to drive us to the palace. You’re coming, too, ya doof!“ Nino made a noise of realization and followed them out to where a black limousine was waiting.

They climbed in and drove off.

About five minutes into the drive, he moved his foot to the side, accidentally kicking a black box.

Just as he was preparing his final goodbyes, it sprung open, and inside was a junk food lover’s heaven.

“Dude.“

[reb-but-fitter]

20/06/21

Homemade protein treats are 💯💯💯

Wanted to eat everything in sight today for whatever reason (probably self sabotage, pork has been making me feel sick lately, and despite making the decision to not eat pork just yesterday, I gave in today (instead of sticking with my chicken), felt like I was gonna throw up for hours, and wanted to *punish* myself I guess?? Idk).

We have a lot of sweets at home right now, but I haven't touched them the whole week they've been here

Was really craving a viscount and kept going back to asking myself if I should grab one 👀

Instead I made myself cinnamon danish protein cookies with a salted caramel glazing and mint chocolate protein cookies with a hazelnut spread topping and mmmmmmmmmMMMMmmMmMmM

600 for the whole lot calorie wise and I am HERE FOR IT (did I mention they are no-bake too??? Ready in 5 minutes and they are sO DARN GOOD)

Super tasty, but I can never eat a lot of them because there is no continuous craving (due to no sugar) and they satisfy my sweet tooth almost instantaneously. I'm not sure why, but it absolutely broke my heart today. I just wanted to keep eating but my body kept sayin "nah fam, we good" 😭😭😭

Skating wise I have had a lot of people compliment me (shout out to the two girls calling me beautiful earlier today, you melted my heart ♡♡♡) and I'm getting pretty good!!!

My family (literally everyone present) has also made some comments about a specific part of me that apparently has been poppin' lately and bOY WAS IT UNCOMFORTABLE

My plan for the remainder of the month is to basically perfect single foot backwards uhhhh zigzags??? Side to sides?? I should really learn the names :D just wanna be able to switch directions without doing crossovers/jumps

Gonna also start incorporating my arms and emotion into the skating more.

I want to be able to take on a curve at a fast speed and then balance back out on the same foot consistently and also improve balance on my left foot (ironically my right was my most unstable one, but I've pretty much aced it and neglected the (now) weaker one).

I can easily do crossovers backwards immediately after switching directions, so the only things left to do are perfecting my balance (mostly going from outer to normal/ inner to normal wheel???), doing jumps (not gonna try on skates just yet, want to magically lose a bit of weight so my protective gear fits) and flexibiliy (I can switch directions and immegiately hold a ~100⁰ angle with my left leg up (right down), while staking backwards and also changing direction ever so slightly). I could do this with my left leg down too, but I've rotated my wheels earlier today, so apparently that's not one of my abilities anymore :D)

Soooo yeah. I've been neglecting proper workouts lately, and instead spent like 3-4h a day rollerskating but that has to change right about now :( The plan is to dedicate most time to basically maxing flexibility of my legs and arms in all directions and getting those jumps in, huh

I don't want to watch my intake. It's looking like I'll have to pay closer attention to it now than I have done since I've started this blog but eh, I guess it has to be done. At a good pace it will take me half a year to lose 13kg of fat, but eh

I guess I need to remember my motivations. I want to spin faster. I want to jump higher. I want my joints to not be burdened by my current excess weight. I want my old protective gear to fit me the way it did when it was bought. In fact I want my whole warderobe to fit me as intended 👀👀👀 I've been slacking and actually gained a few kg :D it's minor, but my favourite dresses don't fit me right now 👀 appparently I'm carrying 6 bricks I don't need.

Please give me strength. I strongly dislike dieting 😭I don't even know what I'd change. Portion sizes, probably, but I don't wanna 😭

Alright, end of rant/cry for help

Feeling sleepy and I'm up in 5 hours for this new plan :) wiiiiiish me luuuuuuck ♡

[kerwritesthings]

The Exquisite Taste of Love

Summary: Everyone’s love language is different and special, getting to share that with the one who you call your heart is something else entirely

Word Count: almost 5.2k (Oops? But not really!)

Warning: tooth rotting sweetness, a touch of naughty and a whole lotta of love

Author Notes: What started out as inspiration from a gif, because the muse likes her pretty, evolved into the idea of a cute little Valentine’s Day blurb which then morphed into a bit of a love letter to the folks in this crazy corner of fandom who have been my biggest cheerleaders when it has come to my writing, with such open arms and friendship. My Valentine’s Day gift to them (and even to the rest of you) – but specially for @whenidance​, @parkerdavis​, @sinplisticshawn​, @fallinallincurls​, @illumecherry​, @hollandraul​ - y’all will notice little special fun in here for each and every one of you. My little love language gifts to you <3 

This, as always, falls again in line with this little world I’ve created, but again can be read as a stand-alone one shot piece, however I would recommend taking a read so you understand the build and the dynamics  – the masterlist of everything can be found here. 

“Can we do a baking night, like a date night?” he inquires, slinging himself against your back and nuzzling into your neck as you finish packing the cookies scattered across the kitchen island into Tupperware. You tried to get a jump on it this year, it’s your tradition to always gift your friends and family little homemade treats for Valentine’s Day. This year, you included adding in plans for special batches for some of Shawn’s team and his family, as well as a surprise for Shawn himself. Tonight’s adventure was for the folks whose items must hit the mail to get their treats in time.

“Wait, did I hear you right?” you giggle. “You, you’re asking to do something in the kitchen? By choice? That has nothing to do with trying to mix drinks?”

“Hey,” he whines, drawing out the y, licking sloppily at the side of your neck. “Can’t get better if I don’t try to learn right? And this is fun stuff, not like chicken or broccoli or pasta.”

“Baking is a lot more precise though than cooking. You need to follow recipes and instructions down to a tee,” you explain. “But you’re right, you won’t get better without trying it more. We’ll start with something a little on the easier side. I was going to do salted caramel cheesecake brownies and chocolate covered strawberries for your family to drop off on Friday. We can make them together.”

“Yay,” he replies, blowing a raspberry against your skin. “What else do you have to do?”

“Nothing else tonight thank goodness, these baby Linzer tarts and chocolate cherry truffles were enough,” you tell him as you package up the last of the chocolates. “I still need to make chocolate pretzel drops and spritz cookies for my office. The boys are going to get the crazy squares they inhaled the last time they were here, so I’m going make those for them. Need to figure out what to send the rest of your out of town contingent. Maybe Nanaimo bars. I may have something up my sleeve for you too, but you will have to wait and see on that.”

He shifts you about in his hold, pressing you into the back of the island before kissing you soundly. “I love that all my folks are now tangled up in your traditions, especially when they don’t need to be.”

“Of course, they do,” you state so matter of factly with a smile. “They’re a part of my life now too. You love them, so. Hell, I even have come to love some of them, despite me questioning why on a few.”

He laughs, swinging you around in his arms before sitting you down on the island before cupping your cheeks. The next thing you know, he’s kissing you again, “I love you. Now let’s plan out the next couple days of your crazy baking adventures.”

The next night while he’s locked away in the studio, Skype session with some of the LA crew you think, you at least get the dough made for the spritz cookies, settling in the fridge to chill, and the crazy squares done for his friends here at home. You’re elbows deep in coconut shortbread when you hear him padding down the hall.

“Ok whatever that it, it smells amazing. Coconut, vanilla and what else is in that?” he asks, hopping on the counter behind you. His long legs start swinging and his socked heels tapping against the cabinets like he’s a child.

“These my dear, are the Nanaimo bars. Or at least my version,” you explain, pushing your hair back off your face with your forearm not to get dough all over the place. “More coconut, vanilla and caramel than chocolate. It’s a coconut vanilla shortbread base, it’ll have a vanilla bean studded caramel custard in the middle. That’s in the fridge already, then I’ll do a chocolate caramel coconut topping for them. Figure little taste of Canada to send out to the rest of your folks.”

“I have no idea how you do it, but it looks and smells yummy. Think we can find candles that smell like this somewhere? That’s a scent I could get used to around here. Could sneak one on the road too, have for when I’m missing you,” he replies, poking his nose in some of the new Tupperware you have on the back counter by him. “What are these? They smell different, they’re not that.”

“Those are the crazy squares. It’s basically like a kitchen sink cookie, but in bar form. And since your friends are human garbage disposals when it comes to eating, I think it’s a good choice,” you get out through a laugh. “Oatmeal, chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, peanut butter and a little bit of toffee.”

“My little baking machine,” he comments with a tiny grin, stealing a small bar from the container he was sniffing in. “Damn, these are really good.”

“Shawn,” you yell, flicking the towel that was over your shoulder at his knee. “Those are gifts! No eating the presents. You’ll get your own treats.”

“’M sorry, but not really,” he mumbles through a mouth full of crazy square. “Ooh! We need cards to go with these.”

“What? No, baby we don’t,” you try to explain. “The gift is the goodies.”

“Nope. Cards. Have to,” he says, hopping down from the counter then hip bumping you. “At least for my parents, my sister, and then of course Didi and Tomas too. Maybe a stupid one for Cez to make him laugh.”

He drops a kiss to the tip of your nose, “I’ll handle it. Where did you stash all that extra craft stuff from when you had the A and all her girls over? The fancy scissors and all the paper?”

You have no idea what he’s up to, but you know you’re not going to be able to get him off this train. “Clear bin. Guest room closet, right hand side,” you describe. “Should be the one right on top.”

He scurries off and you just have to roll your eyes, biting back the giggle bubbling up. He’s such a softie. You love it, despite your reticence on his need for cards.

While you finish off the trays of bars, get the spritz cookies in the oven and start the chocolate pretzel drops, he’s stationing himself in the living room cross-legged in front of the coffee table. He’s awfully quiet, minus a hum here and there. You only hear the shuffling of papers and the click swish from scissors. You decide to let him be and have his fun, it gives you the time to finish off more than you were planning for the night.

When you’re done, you come out to a living room that’s just exploding with cut out hearts, but no Shawn. There’s a chain of them hanging from around the television, scattered piles over every table like confetti, a few bigger ones at the center of the coffee table in front of the couch.

“So, I may have been a little sneaky,” he confesses from behind you, arm wrapping around your hips to draw you towards him. “I made a few to use as cards but I wanted to do something a little randomly special for you early, since you’re doing all this baking for everyone when you really don’t have to.”

“You are such a squish Shawn,” you whisper, before leaning your head back on his shoulder. “It’s adorable. I love it. Thank you, sweetie.”

“Love you,” he murmurs into your hair.

There’s a massive vase of white roses and jasmine when you walk into the house the next night after work, sitting smack in the middle of the kitchen island, another cut out heart, this one bubble gum pink with silver writing on it, propped up against it.

So you can take the time to smell the roses, and the jasmine too. Can’t wait to bake with you later. Be home by 7 – xo S

“What is he up to now?” you mutter to yourself, not hearing anything in the condo other than the click of your heels on the kitchen tile floor. You find another bouquet in the living room, a smaller version in your bedroom on your bedside table, a new jasmine candle in your bathroom next to a tiny glass holding a fresh sprig of jasmine along with a tiny white rosebud and even a little spray of them on your desk in the guest room that doubles as your home office. You should be getting everything ready in the kitchen for the big bake, but you sit on the end of the bed needing a minute. You pick up the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Didi responds quickly. “You never call unless something’s wrong. Wait, did he propose finally? Is there a ring? You’re not pregnant, are you? Shit girl I told you...”

“Damnit Dee. No, breathe,” you try breaking through on your best friend’s babble. “There is definitely not a baby. Shit’s sake. Not doing things reverse order. Plus, there’s new album and tour and life. So no, not that. And. When there’s a ring, it’ll be a FaceTime, not a phone call. He just. Last night it was cut out hearts everywhere. Today, I come home. The condo’s filled with white roses and jasmine. Everywhere.”

It’s quiet for a moment. “You cry yet?” she asks softly.

“No,” you sniff. “Close though. I think I only mentioned this once. Of course, he remembers and then goes and does something like this.”

“He’s your person, girly,” Didi replies. “And a mushy lovey fucker for you at that.”

Your best friend is right. He is. “Thanks D, I needed this. I gotta go though I’m sorry. I’m attempting to teach him brownie baking tonight. I still need to change and get everything ready before he’s back at 7. I’ll text you.”

Quickly you throw yourself together as best as you could, changing and pulling everything you need to together along with moving the flowers in the kitchen to the living room. You’re rinsing off the strawberries when you hear his keys hit the lock.

“In the kitchen,” you call out when the door shuts.

“Good day?” he asks, head leaning in to place a kiss against your shoulder, his lips cold against your skin exposed by your tank top.

“Better when I got home,” you reply, leaning your head against his still pressing against you. “You’re a crazy boy, and I don’t even know how to say thank you for it. They’re beautiful. All of them.”

He kisses your shoulder again, before shifting to trail his lips up your neck, nibbling at your ear before a lingering kiss to your cheek. “Love you is all,” he states casually. “Let me change and then I’ll be back in for my lesson.”

While he’s gone, you decide to get the strawberries out of the way first. Brownies will be the more complicated of the two, so to start easier will be a good idea. He comes back in as you’re breaking up the chocolate bars into a large glass bowl.

“Chocolate covered strawberries first,” you begin. “They’re the less difficult of what’s on the agenda and we should get them dipped and set in the fridge before the oven gets on and warms the kitchen. Normally I’d melt and temper the chocolate over a double boiler, but not fussing with that tonight. It’s breaking it up, adding a little bit of oil and melting it in the microwave. Then we just dip away. I’ll finish on the milk, why don’t you get started on either the dark or the white, then I’ll do the other when I’m done.”

The both of you find a rhythm, breaking and chatting, sneaking in a kiss here or a prolonged touch there while you get the chocolate ready.

“Now, that those are melted. We pat the strawberry dry to make sure the chocolate will stick,” you explain, showing him the first one. “Hold it closer to the end of the stem and swirl, leave a little bit showing and let it drip the extra chocolate off, then place it down on the wax paper. Once they’re all dipped, we can drizzle another color chocolate over it with what’s left.”

“This isn’t so bad,” he declares after a few rows of berries are done. “Though, I think I know a way to make this a little more fun.”

He dips his finger around the edge of the bowl with the dark chocolate, pulling some off the glass. He eyes you carefully, crooking the chocolate covered finger at you.

“Shawn,” you question.

“C’mere,” he requests. You move slowly over, his non chocolate covered hand grabbing a strong hold against the curve of your hip. He takes the chocolate laden finger, tracing your bottom lip first, then the dip between your collarbones, chocolate sticking carefully against your skin.

“Dessert before dinner, yum,” he whispers, a breath from your lips before sinking into them. Licking his way into your mouth, you can’t help but slide your hands into his hair and moan. It was dirty and deep from the start, but when you flick your tongue against his, you feel his grip on your hip tighten even more.

He breaks from you first, trailing his lips down your cheek, across your neck to latch onto your collarbone and the chocolate he left there. You don’t want him to leave a mark, but secretly, you’re hoping he does.

“Baby,” you whine, hands gripping at his hair harder as he bites and sucks along the line of your bone. At this rate you’re going to be so bruised. He nips his way back up your neck before sipping at your lips again, leaving you breathless.

“Mmm, well you’re quite delicious, I think like this baking thing,” he grins like a cat who got the cream.

“It’ll be my turn soon, don’t you worry,” you proclaim, trying to stir the rest of the chocolate back to life. “Let’s finish these off before the chocolate starts gets too firm.”

He slides behind you, leaning in flush against your back, “I could make a really bad joke here, you know.”

You feel him, half hard and snug against your ass.

“Baking, Shawn. We’re baking,” you remind him with a sigh, while arching back to tease him. “You’re the one who asked for a baking date night. There will be more of that after if you’re lucky and you behave.”

He bites at your earlobe, grinding into you once. “Can we keep some chocolate for later then?”

You push back at him, “Says the one who isn’t always keen on chocolate.”

“But it’s chocolate off you, it automatically tastes better and makes me want more of it,” he proclaims with a cheeky smile, sliding over to the sink to wash his hands.

You make quick work of the last of the berries, getting the trays into the fridge so you can finally get going on the brownies.

“Salted caramel cheesecake brownies next,” you say as you pull the bricks of cream cheese from the fridge and the blocks of butter off the back counter. “Two different batters, but they’re both pretty easy. We start with the brownie batter first, then whip the cheesecake batter, swirl the dulce de leche through that, then swirl that into the brownie batter. Drizzle it all with a little more caramel, then sprinkle on some flaky sea salt before popping them into the oven.”

“It’s unfair how you make it sound so simple and easy,” he notes, watching you measure out cocoa powder. “I see that recipe and it’s like 38 steps long.”

“Not that many. Come over here, I promise let me show you, it’s not hard,” you slide your arm through his to pull him closer.

“That’s what she said,” he quips, poking at your side. The two of you plug away step by step, first on the brownie mixture, before starting in on the cheesecake. While you trust Shawn to continue keeping an eye on the whipping cream cheese in the stand mixer, you break out the jar of dulce de leche you’ve had warming slowly in a warm pan of water on the stove.

“Now that it’s done, and once this is a little cooler, we’ll drizzle some of this in there to make a ribbon through it before adding it into the pan with the brownie batter,” you describe, popping the lid carefully off.

You dip your pinkie into the warm sugary syrup, “Mmm liquid gold. This is perfect.”

Shawn snags your hand before you get a chance to wipe it on the towel, popping your pinkie into his mouth.

“Damnit Shawn,” you husk out as he works at your finger with his tongue. While he’s preoccupied, you quickly poke another finger from your left hand into the jar. Payback, you think, is a bitch. You slide your pointer finger down the line of his jaw before taking it down the line of his neck. His eye pop open and grow wide, sliding your finger free.

You don’t give him a chance to say a word, latching onto his jaw. His hands grasp you immediately, one lacing around the back of your head to hold you to him, the other square on your ass. You take your time, just as he did earlier, licking and nibbling your way through the sweet caramel until you hit his skin.

“Sweetheart,” he moans, almost bordering on a growl, when you hit that spot on his neck that drives him crazy. The hand on your ass draws you closer to him, sliding his thigh between your legs. You keep at that spot, you know there’s nothing coming up so if you do mark him up, which you want to do badly, there’s no real repercussions.

“Shit, baby,” he whines, needy and desperate as you keep up your assault on his neck. You make quick work on the rest of the dulce, sliding right back up to exactly where you know you can get him keening. Kitten licks at first, then tiny bites soothed by a bit of sucking. You keep the pattern up for a few passes, his skin warm under your tongue, warm until you know they’ll be a bit of a reminder tomorrow.

“Fuck,” he bites out, drawing you up and away from his neck to bring you up to meet his eyes.

“Something wicked this way comes,” you smirk, licking at your lips.

He dives for your mouth, hot and hard and fast until you’re both out of breath.

“Now, think we can keep our hands to ourselves to get these in the oven?” you pant. “And when your mother asks how we made these together, we do not tell her about the soft-core porn action in the kitchen.”

He kisses you sweetly, softly, “I think it would be a fun story though.”

You roll your eyes, pushing at his chest, “Brownies, swirling, salting and into the oven. C’mon.”

You both manage to keep your hands, and your lips, to yourself for the rest of the process. You cannot help but chuckle, watching him salt the brownies ever so carefully. “It’s like icy snow,” he proclaims, grinning like a little kid.

Once in the oven, you split clean up duty and then start to pack up the berries off the trays.

“I feel bad that I can’t go with you to drop this all off tomorrow, but there’s no way I can duck out early enough,” you lament, shifting the berries about to make sure they’re not going to be smushed in transport.

“The fact you made all this for them, from scratch no less, is more than enough,” he insists. “I normally just send flowers. Which I’m still doing for both of them. This is just over the top extra awesome.”

You can’t help but smile, “They’re my family now too. Well, close enough you know? I love them…”

He wraps you in a hug, “I love that you consider them yours, cause they are. Absolutely, they’re your family. Now, let’s finish this and go cuddle on the couch until the brownies are done.”

Before leaving for the office, with Shawn still cozy in bed asleep since you’re up a good deal earlier than normal today, you slip out the red box you’ve had hidden in the back of the pantry out onto the kitchen counter. Inside, a few smaller red containers, filled with his treat surprises for the day.

You steal one of the blank hearts from the dining room table, a white one, for a note.

For my darling, the first of a few surprises for you today. Despite your recent affection for chocolate, here’s a little something to start your day. Through the day you’ll find little things here and there, just small little sweets that I know you adore, maybe as much as me. Because my heart, you have mine and I want to spoil you a little today. Love you valentine xo <3

You prop the note against one of the larger containers, this a perfect square. The first time you ever made him your lemon lime scones, it was one of first nights you stayed over. He waxed poetic about them for days. You knew they had to be a part of his treat trail today. This time though in a mini version. The second box, a smaller thinner one, you slide into his guitar case, filled with rolls of homemade strawberry fruit leathers. A third box, shortbread thumbprints with sour cherry jam, you place in his studio by his journal. The fourth, in a tin on top of the corner chair in the living room where he leaves one of his guitars out always, most difficult of the treats you made for him - tequila laced gummy bears. The final, and a last minute addition made last night when he was half dozy on the couch and thought you were boxing the brownies, a few chocolate covered caramels that you leave by his keys at the front table as a nod to last night’s funtivities.

You grab the bag filled with the baked treats for your office and head out the door. When you finally arrive at your office, a few minutes late because of your hiding duties at home and setting up your treats for the team in the kitchen, you’re greeted by a bouquet of blush peonies and antique roses.

“Came in just a few minutes ago,” Rosalie, the office receptionist tinkers gleefully, peeking her head into your office. “Do we get to see that boy of yours today? That would be a lovely Valentine’s Day treat.”

Rosalie, who is old enough to be your grandmother but has the energy level of a teenager, absolutely adores Shawn. They’re thick as thieves, getting along together immediately. She mothers the heck out of him when he comes to see you, helps him sneak things into your office, the two of them gang up on you to make sure you’re fed and hydrated when you’re pulling late hours, and is an absolute godsend when you work remote if you’re out on the road with him.

“Not sure,” you smile, smelling one of the blooms. “I know he’s heading out to Pickering at some point to see his family. Not sure what he’s got up his sleeve or has plans on for later. I’m being surprised. Best not poke at him and ruin whatever he’s got going.”

“Just let him know his smiling face is missed around here ok?” she nods, heading back towards her desk.

You snap a quick photo of the flowers and fire off a text – Happy Valentine’s Day indeed. They’re so pretty, thank you! <3 ilu :) xo

You’re knee deep in trying to clean out your inbox when your phone chimes. A selfie, his bed head in full force and he’s smiling around one of the scones in his mouth. Omg you made me the Sprite scones! AND THEY ARE TINY BABY SIZED ONES I CAN FIT IN MY MOUTH ALL AT ONCE! Followed by alternating string of lemon, soda cup, green and yellow heart emojis.

He finds the thumbprints next, a photo of a cookie next to him giving you a thumbs up, more emojis again this time alternating the cherries, red lips and red heart. Where did you find the sour cherry jam? I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. OR DID YOU MAKE THIS TOO?!

Immediately after was a boomerang, the tin of strawberry fruit rolls, rocking and rolling back and forth. Followed by strawberry emojis between kissy face smileys. These taste exactly like you do after we go strawberry picking in the spring and you sneak berries along the way when you think no one is looking. But I always am.

It takes a little longer for the next find. You’re in the middle of a conference call when your phone starts buzzing. A gif of a worm with a sombrero on, tipping back on a bottle of tequila. How the hell did you make me seriously boozy af gummy bears? They’re as big as my thumb! I can’t have these before heading out to the ‘rents. I’m drunk already from just smelling them.

You have to mute your line and laugh heartily. This right here made it all worth it. His reactions are priceless. You’re so glad the little surprises are making him this silly happy.

The next one, about half an hour later, is a voice memo.

“You sneaky, naughty little minx,” he husks out, voice deep. “Chocolate caramels. You knew exactly what I’d think of, didn’t you? I’m in the car trying to get out and through downtown, but now all I can think about since finding them are your breathy little moans, your hands in my hair and your mouth at my throat. Fuck baby, you definitely left the best for last. I snuck them in the car to have one on the ride, but there’s no way I can even try one now.” He pauses for a beat; a hard sigh escapes his lips. “Just you wait until later. Now, I need to get out of this tangle you’ve got me in before I get home to my parents. I’ll be back by the time you get home from work. I love you sweetheart.”

Thank god you didn’t put that on speakerphone. He sounded like pure wicked sin, plain and simple. He’s got you in knots now too. You just need to get through the rest of the day in one piece. Thankfully, your boss kicks the entire office out early, partially because of her own plans, and partially because of the long weekend stateside. You’ll take it. Hopefully you can beat Shawn home to be able to maybe shower and change before he gets back.

A cute video comes through as you walk out of the office, from his sister. “First off, I’m mad at Shawn for not bringing you with, but then he said you had work. So, I let it slide. A little at least. Then he let us open the goodies. You made all our favorites! You’re the best. Please come visit, or let’s plan another girls’ night and we’ll kick him out of the condo! Wait wait, hold on. Someone else wants to say thanks!” She pans her phone to the kitchen and flips the camera around. “Sweetie, thank you so much for all the treats. You will need to send me the recipe for the brownies, they’re delicious. I still don’t believe Shawn helped you with all this, if that’s the case, congratulations for getting him in the kitchen willingly. And without disaster, I hope at the very least. I’m hiding some so maybe there’s still some left when Manny makes it home. Let’s figure out dinner all of us together next week. Love you!”

Warmth spreads through you as you navigate your way back home after that one. You’re floating at this point. However, you did not luck out in beating him back as you walk through the door. There’s a litany of white pillar candles of all different heights and thicknesses everywhere in the living room, flickering as if they’re just lit. There he is, ensconced in the corner of the couch, guitar slung across his lap. He smiles, patting the open cushion next to him.

“I will spare you from the ultimate perfect yet cheesy Canadian Valentine’s Day, singing some Celine Dion love song to you,” he jokes, pressing a lengthy kiss to your temple. “But I did dig through someone’s playlists to find something. Mind you, this is only part of your gift, which will never rank up against all that you did for me today. That was, just, ridiculous and perfect and sweet. So damn thoughtful, babe. I loved it.”

He leans over to quickly press a kiss at the corner of your mouth before diving into the song.

“The dawn is breaking, a light shining through. You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you,” he sings. “I’m open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face light up again.”

Your breath sticks in your throat. Your brain scrambles slightly, eyes clouding up. You miss him sing the chorus the first go, the blood rushing through your ears.

“I'm quiet you know. You make a first impression. I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind. Even the best fall down sometimes, even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time. I somehow find you and I collide,” he continues. “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find you and I collide.”

You sniff as he finishes, shifting his guitar out of his hands to move behind you before throwing yourself into his lap, arms tight around his neck. “So, you’re going to need to record that for me, so I have that to sing me to sleep when you’re out on tour. Honey, that was just…”

You trail off, leaning your forehead against his, trying to catch your breath and your words all at once. His hands a steady hold on your waist, fingers trailing up and down slightly.

“Just when I think you’ve permeated every part of my heart already, you go and do something like that,” you profess honestly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispers against your lips. “So much.” He draws you closer, arms tightening around you. His heartbeat a tether to yours, a steady rhythm in time with each other’s beats. 

TAG LIST: @whenidance, @parkerdavis, @sinplisticshawn, @hollandraul, @fallinallincurls, @itrocksmysocks, @rainbowshawn, @lasingphomustra, @illumecherry​

[tsuki-chibi]

Passionfruit (November) Day 3: Lace

See the full story on AO3: Passionfruit

--------

“Okay, so that’s three macarons, one croissants, and half a dozen choux à la crème,” Marinette said breathlessly, popping back up above the counter. She dropped the box down for her maman to ring up and turned to the next customer with her best smile in place.

“Can I have one of those cakes?” the customer asked, gesturing to the wall above Marinette’s head.

“Sure!” Marinette chirped, grabbing another box. She carefully went up on her tiptoes and grabbed the cake the customer had pointed to.

‘How’s your day going?’

Two weeks ago, the sudden voice inside of Marinette’s head would’ve made her trip. The cake would’ve ended up all over the floor if she was lucky, and on her head if she wasn’t. Today, the blip was barely enough to make Marinette twitch. She concealed a proud smile as she set the cake inside the box. Slowly but surely, she was getting used to having a soulmate.

‘It’s okay,’ she answered mentally, pulling the lid down on the box. She slid it across the counter to the next customer.

‘Are you busy?’ Adrien asked tentatively.

‘I’m never too busy for you,’ Marinette replied inwardly, pasting on her customer-service smile. Out loud, she said, “What can I get you?”

“A dozen chocolate chip cookies,” the next customer said.

‘That line up would beg to differ,’ Adrien said, now sounding amused. Marinette glanced over her shoulder and sighed when she saw that he was right: the line still stretched out the door. The bakery hadn’t had a day this busy for a while. She hadn’t even noticed, yet Adrien had still commented on it, which could only mean...

‘You can see through my eyes now?’ she asked, intrigued.

‘Uh... kind of. I get little flashes, but only if I focus hard. And just getting that much gave me a headache,’ he admitted.

‘Cool! I haven’t tried that yet,’ Marinette said. ‘What’s up? You bored?’

‘No... Look up.’

Startled, she obeyed and nearly dropped the box of cookies when she saw Adrien crinkling his fingers at her from just inside the doorway. It was the first time she’d seen him in person since the party. They texted, spoke mentally, and video chatted every night, but Marinette still beamed when she spotted him and automatically waved back.

Adrien’s schedule was both busy and strict, so he didn’t have much spare time. Marinette understood: the bits and piece he’d already shared with her sounded kind of overwhelming, and she couldn’t imagine having literally her whole day, every day, scheduled. Adrien’s life sounded exhausting.

But even though she got it, the distance between them felt like a physical ache sometimes. Newly bonded soulmates were encouraged to spend as much time together as possible. Not just so that they could get to know each other, but also so that their bond wouldn’t be too stretched by physical distance before it had the chance to naturally grow.

She and Adrien were doing things backwards, Marinette knew. But short of telling everyone the truth, they didn’t have much choice. Adrien was adamant that he didn’t want to tell, and honestly Marinette was enjoying having her own little secret. Now when her parents were staring lovingly at each other and having private conversations, she didn’t have to stand awkwardly by: she could have her own mental conversation with her own soulmate.

“Is that a friend of yours?” Sabine asked, and Marinette startled.

“Uh, yeah. I met him at that party,” she said, deciding to go with a close approximation of the truth. “His name is Adrien.”

Sabine smiled. “You should go take a break,” she said.

“But Maman, it’s really busy!”

“It’ll be fine. You’ve been here all day helping me. Go on. And take some macarons,” Sabine added.

“Okay... thanks!” Marinette set the box of cookies on the counter and stepped away, putting three passionfruit macarons and three salted caramel macarons on one of the bakery’s plates. Then she took her apron off and walked out from behind the counter, making her way towards Adrien.

Rather than stay in the bakery, which was full to bursting and where they’d be under Sabine’s too watchful eye, Marinette led Adrien upstairs to the apartment. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Adrien shut the door behind them, and he looked over at her and smiled.

“Too loud?” he asked, probably already knowing the answer.

“I’m used to it, but it’s still a lot sometimes. So many people... so many eyes on you... but I guess you know all about that.” Marinette pointed him to the couch and went into the kitchen to get two glasses of milk.

“Yeah, I have to say I do,” Adrien said. “Mm.. passionfruit.”

Marinette giggled as she walked back into the living room. “Your favorite, right?”

“It tastes even better than it looks on clothes,” he teased, eyes twinkling, and she blushed and pouted at him as she sat down beside him on the couch.

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” she asked, resigned.

Adrien laughed and shoved the rest of the macaron in his mouth. Mentally, he said, ‘Probably not. It was cute.’

She blushed harder, grabbing a salted caramel macaron rather than respond. The way Adrien teased her caused butterflies in her stomach, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it. She hoped he didn’t know. It was hard to tell how many stray thoughts were slipping through their bond.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to have their bond fully formed and functional. To not even have to fully form a thought for Adrien to already know what was on her mind. To be able to look through his eyes as seamlessly as she looked through her own. To know what he was feeling at all times, without even having to concentrate hard on him.

The thought was both scary and exhilarating.

“So how did you get away today?” she asked, both because she was curious and because she desperately needed a subject change.

“My father thinks that I’m at Chloé’s,” Adrien said unapologetically.

Marinette looked around, half-expecting to see Chloé materialize out of thin air. She popped a bit of macaron in her mouth and sent a questioning nudge at Adrien.

“Chloé is at some spa,” he explained. “She agreed to say I was with her if my father asked her later. I just really wanted to see you, and I knew Nathalie wouldn’t move things around in my calendar just for that.”

“But they will for Chloé,” Marinette said, squelching a bit of jealousy.

Adrien made an apologetic face. “Honestly, he doesn’t have much choice. Mayor Bourgeois could make things pretty uncomfortable for my father if he wanted to, and Chloé’s got her dad wrapped around her little finger.”

“That’s for sure,” Marinette said. “So... you snuck out of the hotel and over here?”

“Yup. Ran the whole way.” Adrien grinned triumphantly and ate another passionfruit macaron. “My bodyguard won’t be back to pick me up until seven, so I’ve got almost two and a half hours free.”

He was so boyishly excited, the feelings flowing through their bond freely, that Marinette had to smile. As little free time as Adrien got, it was flattering to think he wanted to spend it here with her. She reached for another macaron and then paused when she saw that the third salted caramel macaron was missing... with only one culprit.

Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at Adrien. “I thought passionfruit was your favorite.”

“It is, but it’s good to try new things,” he said innocently. “Your dad makes amazing macarons, by the way.”

“Yeah, he does,” Marinette said. She found it hard to be mad when Adrien was clearly getting so much enjoyment out of this. Thinking about it, she supposed that he didn’t get many sweets.

“I don’t,” Adrien said, answering her unspoken question. “I have a nutritionist who keeps me on a very regulated diet to make sure I don’t gain a spare pound. Have to keep in model shape, you know.” He poked at his belly, not that he had much of one.

Marinette frowned at that, staring thoughtfully at Adrien’s midsection and thinking about all the pictures she’d seen him in. She’d always paid a lot more attention to the clothing he wore, of course. But now she realized that he was pretty skinny. Too skinny, especially for a thirteen-year-old boy who was potentially due for a growth spurt any day now.

“I’m going to feed you pastries every time I see you,” she said decisively, picking up the last passionfruit macaron and thrusting it into his hands.

Adrien blinked, looking startled. “Uh... okay? That might be a problem, though.”

“Why?” Marinette demanded.

“Because when school starts up again in September, I want to go to Collège Françoise Dupont with you and Chloé,” Adrien said. “I’m sick of being homeschooled.”

“What? Really? Your father agreed to let you come to school?” Marinette said, overjoyed by the prospect. If Adrien started going to school, they’d be able to spend most of the day together! She’d be able to sneak him pastries every day then.

“Well... no,” Adrien admitted. “But I’m going to come anyway.” There was a determined glint in his eyes, and she could feel a strong sense of stubbornness radiating through the bond. He really and truly had his mind made up about this, she realized.

“I would love to see you come to school. If you need any help, let me know what I can do,” Marinette said.

Adrien smiled at her. “Thanks, Mari.”

His smile made those butterflies resurge. Marinette cleared her throat, embarrassed, and picked up the plate. But in her rush, she accidentally dropped it. She squealed in protest, already dreading the crumbs that would stain her maman’s lace coffee table cloth -

And Adrien’s hand snapped out, grabbing the plate just above the table. “Careful!”

“R-right,” Marinette said. “Thanks.”

His smile widened as he handed her the plate. “No problem.”

Wrong. This was a very big problem. Marinette took the plate and fled into the kitchen.

[lucasseliott]

thanks for tagging me lejla! ( @britt-wie ) 💞💞

1. what is the color of your hairbrush?

pink

2. a food you never eat?

lamb

3. are you typically too warm or too cold?

too warm

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago?

watching harry potter and the chamber of secrets with my parents

5. what is your favorite candy bar?

kit kat chunky salted caramel fudge

6. have you ever been to a professional sports event?

ive been to a premier league football game once, and also a a couple of athletic events at the london stadium

7. what is the last thing you said out loud?

‘night’

8. what is your favorite ice cream?

pralines & cream

9. what was the last thing you had to drink?

pepsi max cherry

10. do you like your wallet?

i love it but its a bit old now

11. what was the last thing you ate?

chocolate chip cookies ( that i made myself)

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

the last thing i purchased was the bastille distraction tatics tshirt, but i cant remember if that was last week lol

13. the last sporting event you watched?

i cant remember, probably a bit of football or rugby or whatever my dad was watching at the time haha

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

sweet/salt mixed, from the cinema i work at cause we pop it ourselves and we are good at it!

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to?

@mickey-milkovich hey babeee

16. ever go camping?

once

17. do you take vitamins?

lol no

18. do you go to church every sunday?

nope

19. do you have a tan?

im either pale or sunburnt i have no inbetween

20. do you prefer chinese food or pizza?

chinese

21. do you drink your soda with a straw?

nope

22. what color socks do you usually wear?

black

23. ever drive above the speed limit?

no (i dont know how to drive)

24. what terrifies you?

change

25. look to your left, what do you see?

my water bottle on my bedside table, and my currently unread book...

26. what chore do you hate?

washing up

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent?

the hemsworths

28. what’s your favorite soda?

pepsi max cherry

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru?

normally use uber eats hahaha

30. who’s the last person you talked to?

my dad

31. favorite cut of beef?

whatever tastes nice in a burger lol

32. last song you listened to?

the skye boat song - bear mccreary (outlander theme tune, cause im currently watching an episode as i type)

33. last book you read?

imagine me - tahareh mafi, currently reading: chain of gold - cassandra clare

34. favorite day of the week?

thursday

35. can you say the alphabet backwards?

not really no

36. do you like your coffee?

nopee

37. favorite pair of shoes?

my nasa vans

38. at what time do you normally go to bed?

atm go to bed: like 10.30/11, go to sleep: like 2am

39. at what time do you normally get up?

atm about 10.30

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets?

sunsets

41. how many blankets are on your bed?

just my duvet

42. describe your kitchen plates.

theyre a big mix of different ones, got one with avocados on, one thats made by heinz, a few plain white ones

43. do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage?

i dont drink ( it all tastes gross anyway)

44. do you play cards?

rarely

45. what color is your car?

i dont have one

46. can you change a tire?

er i dont think so

47. what is your favorite province?

erm the uk doesnt have provinces, imma just say london

48. favorite job you’ve ever had?

ive only had one job and im still at it (when we reopen) so i guess working at a cinema

49. how did you get your biggest scar?

its on my palm, and i hurt myself on a till drawer at work

50. what did you do today that made someone else happy?

made cookies with my mum

imma tag: @kikimachwitz and @lepetitepeach

[lovemesomesurveys]

1 - What did you do to celebrate your last birthday? Did you get any decent gifts? Well, this year other than the doctor appointment I had that morning I didn’t go anywhere. I had one of my favorite breakfasts, my fam and I watched, You Should Have Left, I opened presents, and I had Wingstop (my fave takeout) for dinner and a coffee cake for dessert. It was super chill and I was perfectly fine with that. And yes, I enjoyed and appreciated all my gifts. I always do.

2 - What was the last “random act of kindness” you experienced? My brother had a Starbucks for me when he picked me up from my doctor appointment yesterday and then he bought me lunch. I’ve been obsessed with this local place lately that makes the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had and they serve it all day, which is a bonus for a late sleeper like me. Anyway, I didn’t know he was going to do that and it was very kind so does that count?

3 - Have you ever “paid it forward” by putting money behind the counter somewhere so the next person can get a free coffee or similar? No.

4 - What caused the last injury that made you bleed? Was it a serious injury? Not an injury, but I get hang nails a lot and bleed because my nails are too short. Oh, and from always biting my lip.

5 - Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? Are you close to that person at all? My mom and yes we’re very close.

6 - What was the last item you received in the mail? Presents I’ve been ordering.

7 - When was the last time you received flowers? What kind were they? A few years ago for my birthday. It was a variety of flowers, I don’t recall what kind exactly.

8 - Are you a fan of salted caramel? What about other “odd” combinations like sea salt and chocolate or chilli and chocolate? I don’t like salted caramel. I have tried chili and chocolate back when I could eat spicy stuff and it was actually good. Also, chocolate covered potato chips are absolutely delicious.

9 - Do you enjoy watching bloopers or outtakes from TV shows? If so, which series do you think has the funniest ones? Sure. I don’t know what series I’d say has the funniest ones.

10 - What’s your favourite dessert food? Cheesecake, brownies, donuts, muffins, cookies.

11 - Do you have any really dangerous wild animals where you live? Have you ever encountered any of them? Not that I’ve ever seen or encountered. We don’t have bears or mountain lions or anything like that near us.

12 - Have you ever dreamed of owning your own shop? What kind of thing would you like to sell? No.

13 - Are you a twin? If not, would you ever want to be a twin? If you are a twin, do you ever wish you weren’t? I am not a twin. It’s weird to think of someone looking exactly like me (if we were identical twins, obvs). And to think what their personality might be like. Like, would they be completely opposite of me? I do think the bond twins often have is really cool and special, though.

14 - Do you prefer wearing your hair straight or curly? My hair is naturally wavy and I don’t straighten or curl it. It’s always just thrown up in a pony tail or bun because I don’t have the energy or motivation to do anything with it.

15 - Would you ever want to go and visit the moon? No. Just the idea of that and outer space in general absolutely freaks me out. I can’t even look at pictures.

16 - What was the last hot drink you had? What about cold drink? Or alcoholic drink? A peppermint white chocolate mocha from Starbucks yesterday/Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink/I don’t drink alcohol.

17 - Does anything on your body hurt or ache right now? Yes. Surprise, surprise. 

18 - When was the last time you struggled to get to sleep? Was there was a specific reason for that? Every night?

19 - What three countries would you most like to visit? That’s really hard to choose.

20 - Who’s your closest friend from another country? How did you come to meet this person? I don’t have any friends from other countries. Or from my own country for that matter.

21 - When was the last time you had a cold? With everything going on in the news, did you worry that it was COVID? I got a cold back in April, which is during the height of the pandemic when it was still very new here and we were on lockdown and quarantining and things were really crazy. I absolutely worried about it being COVID. Anytime now I feel sick at all I worry it might be that. 

22 - As of today (10th December, 2020) the COVID vaccine is being rolled out in the UK. Are you going to have it once it’s available to you (if it ever is)? Oh wow, this is a super new survey. It’s going to be available very soon where I live as well and I’m gonna be real, it’s scary and I’m totally unsure. It just seems so fast and I’m worried about side effects and gahhhh. 

23 - What are your favourite websites to browse when you’re bored? I switch between my social medias, scroll through Tumblr, and watch YouTube videos.

24 - Do you think people should have to pass a test in order to own pets? What would that even entail?

25 - When was the last time you fell asleep/had a nap during the day? Is this something that happens often? A few days ago. It usually depends how late I sleep in that day. 

26 - Do you suffer/have you ever suffered with bad acne? What kind of things did you do to try and improve it? I didn’t have it too bad. It felt like it at the time, but looking back it wasn’t tooooo bad. 

27 - When you think about it, do you think it’s odd that we stop drinking human milk at a young age, but we happily drink milk from other species instead? Lol it sounds much more weirder to me if we kept drinking our mother’s breast milk as we got older. 

28 - How’s the weather where you are? Is this a good or a bad thing for you? It’s rainy and cold and I absolutely love it.

29 - When was the last time you ate a pizza? What toppings did you get? A little over a week ago. I got white sauce, feta and ricotta cheese, garlic, spinach, crumbled meatballs, and pesto drizzled on top. SO good. Damn it, now I’m craving that. 

30 - How often do you wear make-up? What kind of make-up do you wear? I haven’t worn makeup in like 3, going on 4 years. 

[hearrtrender]

50 QUESTIONS YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ASKED

Thank youuu for the tag @jesseblackthorns ilyyy

what is the color of your hairbrush? black, pink and like a lime green

a food you never eat? sushi...not into fish other than fish and chips 

are you typically too warm or too cold? warm...my hands are always too warm/hot....at one point I thought I had that super power when you touch smthn and it gets hot (think of Chris Evans in fantastic four...dk his name anymore)

what were you doing 45 minutes ago? mentally screaming and hating myself cos I couldn't get this chord transition on the guitar right

what is your favorite candy bar? galaxy with caramel in it, dairy milk..the Oreo one....and not a candy bar but my fave candy ever...peanut butter cups

have you ever been to a professional sports event? yeppp

what is the last thing you said out loud? bYE

what is your favorite ice cream? peanut butter and chocolate swirl situation...idk it was a limited edition cant remember its name...or cookie dough....or caramel chocolate fudge...basically salty and chocolate works for me

what was the last thing you had to drink?  coffeeeeee (it’s like..midnight.....fuck)

do you like your wallet? it’s cute like it has a cat on it but I wanna change it

what was the last thing you ate? chocolate...I think?

did you buy any new clothes last weekend? nOPE....not in a while anyways

the last sporting event you watched? really cant remember?

what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? idm anything ngl....salted with butter the basic is the besttt...cheese one I cant have more than five....caramel I cant have more than 3...HOWEVER mixing the three of those.....thats a good mix...salty and sweet...none too overpowering (maybe kick the cheese one out if you want)

who is the last person you sent a text message to?  a friend...we were talking about what we would be doing if the world wasn't like it is rn

ever go camping?  Yepppp and I LOVEEE IT

do you take vitamins? nopppeee

do you go to church every sunday?  noppeee im not christian (however I did go to a catholic school at one point...thats a different fun story for another time....too long for this)

do you have a tan? nopee...however I was sun burnt not too long back

do you prefer chinese food or pizza? BOTH...BOTH IS GOOD

do you drink your soda with a straw?  NOPE...theyre unnecessary..they float out of the can/glass and they make the soda too fizzy until its just bubbles

what color socks do you usually wear? listen...funky socks are fun...I have a shit load of those...but nothing beats black socks...

do you ever drive above the speed limit? I dont drive..

what terrifies you? thunder

look to your left, what do you see? my water bottle

what chore do you hate? laundry

what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? I think of how once I had to put on one for a drama thing and then it ended up sounding cockney....I also think of 5sos, Margot robbie and Tim tams 

what’s your favorite soda? diet coke

do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? I mostly get take out anyways...unless im with my friends then we sit and eat..so idk

who’s the last person you talked to? parents

favorite cut of beef? idkkk?...idk cuts of beef?...I dont even like beef ngl

last song you listened to? im currently listening to ‘na na na by MCR’ 

last book you read? currently reading a darker shade of magic

favorite day of the week? saturdaaaayyy

can you say the alphabet backwards?  used to be able to I think *tries again* yea no not anymore

how do you like your coffee? cold.

favorite pair of shoes? idkk ngl...any of them...but my go to are these pair of black boots with a slight heel....I put them on anything and BOOM they always work out

at what time do you normally go to bed? what is sleep again?...idek nglllll....quarantine fucked my sleep schedule badddd

at what time do you normally get up? 7:45 cos online school...6 when the world was ‘normal’

what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunrises if I wake up for them...I love listening to music and watching the sun rise while looking out of my bus window.....ugh I miss it

how many blankets are on your bed? just oneee

describe your kitchen plates. ...too many to describe....

do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? I don’t drink alcohol...dont ever plan to

do you play cards? I'm an only child.

what color is your car? my car....I dont have one...my dads is white

can you change a tire? lol no 

what is your favorite province? a what?....people have fav provinces.....describe province again?

favorite job you’ve ever had? never had a proper job...however I am (well ‘was’ before everything went haywire) interning/learning/scholar-shiping (I have no idea what it really is) at this cancer research thing...so ig that

how did you get your biggest scar? first week of sixth form (for those who dont understand...its like the final two years before you leave school for uni.....).......cut my thigh against the side of a white board...gash through the pants...yelled FUCK in front of a new teacher...fun times

what did you do today that made someone else happy? nothing

I tag @kazz @thomaslightwoodx @fair-y-child @youve-cath-to-be-kitten-me @snackariah @tenthprinceofhell @highladyofstoriesandmusic and anyone else who wants to do this

[marvelsaos]

Thank you @acerobbiereyes for tagging me 💖

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? Black

2. Name a food you never eat. Fish Maw 🤢

3. Are you typically too cold or too warm? My hands and feet used to be too cold, not so much now.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Doing Vitrification 🙈

5. What is your favorite candy bar? Kinder Bueno

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports event? Nope

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? It was work related

8. What is your favorite ice cream? Cookies n’ Cream or vanilla, sometimes chocolate

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? English breakfast tea

10. Do you like your wallet? I guess I do since I don’t particularly want to get a new one

11. What was the last thing you ate? Breakfast which was bread with cheese, onion and ham in it

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nope, I don’t buy clothes a lot since most things don’t look good on me. I found one outfit that looks good and I stick to it pretty much every day. Great way to save money.

13. The last sporting event you watched? I don’t really watch sports so I can’t even remember

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Salted caramel/ chocolate

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? A friend

16. Ever go camping? Nope

17. Do you take vitamins? Nope

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? Nope, I don’t have any religion although I grew up studying in Catholic schools

19. Do you have a tan? Nope, don’t like it

20. Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Chinese food, duh, and I don’t mean American Chinese takeouts

21. Do you drink soda with a straw? Nope

22. What color socks do you usually wear? Black/ navy

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? I don’t drive

24. What terrifies you? It’s a long list 🙈 probably speaking to people

25. Look to your left, what do you see? An empty seat

26. What chore do you hate? All of them?

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? Jesse Spencer

28. What’s your favorite soda? Sprite

29. Do you go into a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Go into a fast food place, I don’t think there’s drive-thru in where I live

30. Who’s the last person you talked to? A colleague

31. Favorite cut of beef? Sirloin, I think

32. Last song you listened to? Uh Oh by Chloe Bennet 😂 ‘cause my brother always says Uh Oh in a singsong so I made him listen to the song

33. Last book you read? Does fanfic & textbooks count 🙈

34. Favorite day of the week? The day AoS is on

35. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Nope, I’ve never tried, but I can say the times table backwards

36. How do you like your coffee? Black

37. Favorite pair of shoes? I don’t have one, but the one I wore everyday is so worn out I’m hunting for a new pair

38. The time you normally go to sleep? Before 22:00 on work days, after 00:00 on off days

39. The time you normally get up? 07:00 on work days, after 08:00 on off days (I’m not quite sure ‘cause I’ve been getting up at after 12:00 during quarantine)

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets ‘cause not a morning person

41. How many blankets on your bed? One

42. Describe your kitchen plates. There’s a lot, but mostly round & white

43. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? TsingTao beer

44. Do you play cards? I know how to but rarely plays

45. What color is your car? I don’t own a car

46. Can you change a tire? None of my family owns a car ‘cause public transport here is very convenient. It’s way too expensive to own a car and it’s not worth it, parking space is hard to find. So I’ve never learnt anything related to cars.

47. Your favorite province? Of my country? I like the city I’m living in but it doesn’t belong to any province

48. Favorite job you’ve ever had? I like the job I’m having right now, but I really enjoy working part time at a canteen kitchen during my exchange in the States. Personally, I like cooking but I know I could never get a part time working in a kitchen and I don’t plan on doing it as a career, so that was a nice experience.

49. How did you get your biggest scar? It’s on my knee when I tripped at 6. I tripped a lot as a kid, I mean I still do but now I don’t actually fall onto the ground.

50. What did you do today that made someone else happy? Nothing

I’m tagging @queen-of-love-and-beauty @meanderings0ul @agentmmayy @cjs-deppendent

[queenmiriamele]

Tagged by @queen-of-salt-and-fury! Thank you.

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

Dragons, for killing evil men purposes, obviously.

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

Soundcloud.

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

Several history books, specially regarding fascism.

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

I don't mind, as long as they are my size. Most of my clothes right now are second hand aniways.

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

I won some extra money washing my aunts kitchen and bathrooms walls. She paid me well.

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

I will read more again.

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

The sky, to watch everything else from where I am.

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Yes.

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

No

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

Fine.

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

It was a nightmare. My cat was ill.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

Three chocolates cake

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

Intelligence/ignorance

water lilly; when was the last time you cried?

Two nights ago, over the nightmare.

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

Yes.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

Lick

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

Probably Pride and Prejudice or Lilo and Stitch.

desert rose; do you like yourself?

Most of the times

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

Yes, I met Mary Beard in person and I acted as translator when she visited the Ancient History department at my college.

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

Two: France and Belgium.

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

Yes, several castles, fortress and alcazars, and participated in the archeological excavations of one (Gozon)

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

I don't know.

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

Lots of things and nothing at all.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

Gemini, but i don't act like one at all.

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.

I've got really small feet. There are only 94 women with my first name in Spain. I'm currently reading 'the dagger' from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. My favorite drink is diet cola. I don't like any of Tarantino's movies.

daphne; do you believe in karma?

No.

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

Not besides early stages.

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

Mary Beard, Taylor Swift and Ter as professional women. As a person anyone who stands to defend themselves and others.

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

Several biblical stories, specially the ones turning around King David.

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

No.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

No

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?

The 60s. Late 19th century. 1st century BCE Rome.

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

No, unless I got a permanent salary despite not working, and permanent youth for me and my loved ones.

primula; what makes you sad?

Suffering, mine and other's.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not? Yes. I did the same I do every Tuesday.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

My mom and my BFF

Lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

Chocolate cookies.

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

Yes, I would choose another master and risk more on my professional options.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

Annie Dalton's books' heaven.

violet; favorite tv show?

Aquí no hay quien viva.

sunflower; share a favorite quote.

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

Wake up around 9. It's sunny but cool. I read until 12, go outside, have the meal at a restaurant. Go home and dedicate the evening for my hobbies.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

Reading, watching movies, TV shows and YouTube videos. Puzzles. Tabletop games.

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.

tea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Dying my hair blue, but i did it.

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

My age or older.

sweet pea; who means the world to you? My mom, my BFF and my cats. why? They are my emotional support.

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

Colleen McCullough Masters of Rome. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen. Lazarillo de Tormes. Gemma Doyle Series by Libba Bray at the top of my head.

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

Prince Zuko.

magnolia; coffee or tea?

None.

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

Loved.

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

Cat person.

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction? Diet cola and YouTube.

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

Not really.

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

Blue turquoise.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not? Yes

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

Morning

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

Yes, depression, several times.

clover; how would your friends describe you? Responsible and capable.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert? Introvert.

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

Bad but entertaining comedy shows and wartime romance movies.

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.

Critical, empathetic, intelligent.

lotus; best memory as a child?

Watching cartoons, buying books and toys.

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color? Green, brown.

dahlia; do you like crystals? I'm indifferent

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? Poverty.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house? Ravenclaw.

calendula; biggest pet peeve? I don't know.

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet? Second.

blazing star; share a secret. If I share it is not a secret.

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier? Happier

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?

Daenerys Targaryen

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

No

nymphea; forest or river? River.

orchid; do you like exercise? No, I hate it.

pansy; do you like poetry? Some of it.

morning glory; any special talent that you have?

Critical analysis skills.

@latristereina, @marta-elentari, @niniane17, @oadara, @tatticstudio55

[shittyfandomimagines]

Broken Promises

Yeah well my heart was broke but that bitch survived, she’s okay.

Word count: 1,866

Angst with fluff !??

GIF creds to owner

“He’ll be here, I promise.” It felt like an apologetic lie was rolling off my tongue, I mean it was for sure a lie. I have told several people that lie already; the flower shop, the tux renters who called to speak to Calum, and even with his parents who wanted to meet up last week.

The apology side of it came for myself, I had given up on Calum’s help on the wedding stuff. I knew he wouldn’t care what we picked and he would most likely say “it’s just a cake, it’s just some decorations, it’s just flowers.” I wanted him to be excited as he was when he first proposed. He would speak out about what he would like to do and what format, or venue.

I take a deep breath in and just look at my phone once more. “You know what, let’s just do this. I’m sure he can eat any flavor.” I try to joke with her and she seemed to understand my disappointment. I knew our wedding was 2 months away, but this girl is so popular and I wanted her to do the cake. I was lucky to even be here.

“Any flavor we want to avoid?” She asks and I nod quickly. “No red velvet, can’t stand the color or how much it tastes like dye,” I speak and she nods, writing it down on her notepad. “Here is a menu of what our cakes are and their descriptions.” She slides the menu to me and I scan it over.

I wasn’t a huge fan of caramel but I knew Calum liked it. “I want to try the flavored cookie dough cake, salted caramel cake, and the marble cake.” I slide it back to her and she nods again. “Any filling or icing flavors or do you want to just try the ones that usually come with it?” She asks, man I thought this would be the easy task.

“I’ll just stay with what you offer per cake.” I decide and she writes more things down, she starts to walk into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she comes back out with the three cakes.

“This is the cookie dough cake, it is filled with strong vanilla bean buttercream, and it is iced the same as filled, but the flavor won’t be as strong so it doesn’t end up too sweet.” She explains as she slides it over, I pick up the fork that was provided. I absolutely loved this flavor, it was like my childhood dreams came true.

“This is the salted caramel cake. It is filled with brown sugar and almost a coffee flavor, it is topped off with vanilla buttercream.” She points to which one was the cake. I take a bite of it and try to hide my disapproval, I just am not that big of a fan of caramel but I tried it for Calum. I knew in my heart he’d like it so I smile up at her.

“And this one is the marble cake, it is filled with a chocolate mousse and is iced in almond buttercream.” She adds and I eat a bite of it, I honestly loved it. I loved the chocolate chip and the marble one, I knew Calum would like the other.

“How many tiers of cake would I need to feed 250-300?” I ask and she calculated it on her notepad. “At least 4 tiers.” She looks up and I nod. “Okay, I want 1 layer of the caramel, 1 of the cookie dough, and 2 of the marble. I don’t care which order they’re in.” I say and she nods. “What about designing plans?” She asks and I open my phone to find the pictures.

“I absolutely love the piped lace look on the cake, I would want that for all layers. I have my own flowers that can be used, I want the traditional white.” I explain and she was jotting it down, I saw her drawing a sketch. “Okay, is that it?” She asks kindly and I nod. “Yeah, it is. Thank you for this.” I shake her hand and she nods. “My pleasure, I’ll see you in 2 months.” She says and I wave as I walk out.

——

When I walk in, Calum was sitting in front of the tv watching reruns of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. “Afternoon, babe.” He smiles towards me and I didn’t reply, I just walk towards the kitchen. I see dishes piled up and the garbage needed to be taken out soon.

I groan to myself as I load the dishes into the dishwasher. I use the backdoor to shortcut the walk to where the bins were. When I come back in, I could hear Calum talking obnoxiously loud on the phone.

I tried to tune it out as I started to wipe the cabinets down and re-bag the trash can. I start to boil some water and pull out the ingredients for lasagna. I preheat the oven and find the noodles and jarred sauce.

I add the sauce and ground hamburger meat that I had made last night. It took about 15 minutes before I could even begin to layer all of the things. I set my timer for 35 minutes and just lean myself against the counter.

I couldn’t help my mind from racing with all of the annoyance I had built up for Calum. We’re getting married in two months and I have done most of the things by myself. If this is how we’re going to spend our marriage, then I don’t want it.

I hear Calum coming near because I notice that he was saying his goodbyes on the phone. “Something smells amazing in here.” He compliments and stands in front of me. “Thanks,” I mumble and he raises his eyebrows. “Were you home all day?” I ask and he makes a face. “Well, we recorded until 12 and then I came home.” He states and I nod, how fucking great!

It would have been nice if he could’ve picked up a little or remembered our fucking cake appointment.

“Well, that’s great Calum. Glad you had a nice and relaxed day at home.” I sassily remark and he crosses his arms. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He huffs and I laughed, literally fucking laughed.

“I had to come home and do the dishes, take out the trash, make supper, and clean up the kitchen. I’m sure you didn’t do the laundry so I’ll also do that.” I defend myself and he rolls his eyes. “You’re going to bicker about me not doing the chores? You’re not my mom, y/n.” He chuckles but I could tell it was a condescending one.

“Yeah, I’m not your fucking mom Calum. I am your fiancée. Your fiancée that has planned the wedding alone for and is basically now your maid. You have ignored all the times I’ve told you that we had an appointment. I had to try cakes today alone and the look the chef gave me was sad.” I feel the annoyances boiling over. “Well, that’s just stuff I knew you could handle. There’s no point in me being there.” He shrugs it off and I laughed again.

I would have felt better if he had said that he forgot the appointments instead of choosing not to go.

“Calum, the point of you being there is to support this marriage. It’s supposed to be something we do together so it is blended for the big day.” I try to calm myself back down but he just shrugs once more. “It’s too late to worry now.” He blows it off and I had tears starting to surface.

“Calum, I don’t want to marry you if it’s going to be like this. I can cancel all of the things in a heartbeat, I’m not afraid to either. I don’t have to marry you if our lives are gonna stay in this ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.” I spit and his eyes widen.

“What?” His voice cracks a little and I move my hand away when he tries to clasp ours. “I said that I don’t have to be with you. I’m independent, I don’t have to be a maid who plans a wedding and cooks/cleans at home.” I sass and he stumbled a step back.

It was true, I didn’t have to be with him. Of course, I loved him more than anything and it’d be devastating to not be with him, but mama didn’t raise no bitch.

“I-I didn’t know that you were to that point. You never mentioned that it hurt when I didn’t show up. I just thought that you liked to do it on your own or with your sister.” He mumbles and I hear a tiny sniffle. I had to look towards the ground to avoid seeing him cry, I knew it would have me on my knees begging for forgiveness of what I said.

“I told you multiple times that we had appointments at certain places, you chose to ignore that,” I say and he started to weep, I literally was squeezing my eyes and hands so tight so I wouldn’t run back into his arms.

“You are the love of my life and that’s why I proposed. I know I’ve been slacking and I am sorry that you have been doing this stuff without me. I don’t want to even think about not marrying you or not being with me. I’ve loved you for 3 years and I can’t just not be with you.” He grabs my tightened fist and I relax under his touch.

I didn’t know what to say to his little speech, but I knew in my heart that he was being honest. I look up and all I could see was the tears still flowing down his face.

“Calum, I love you with all my heart and soul. We’ve always had bumps in the road but I need a promise, I need to know that something is going to change. I can’t live as your maid, but I can live as your wife.” I explain and he was nodding so quick. “I promise, I promise on Duke's life and the longevity of 5sos.” He was getting closer. “That’s two big things to swear on.” I chuckle and he was pressed up against me.

“Well, I can’t lose you.” He says while pecking my lips continuously. I wrap my arms around his neck and he pulls me into a tight hug.

“What flavor cakes did you get?” He asks as he puts me down and I smile up to him. “Marble, cookie dough, and salted caramel,” I tell him and his eyes go wide. “You actually tried a caramel cake?” He asks and I nod. “It was nasty to me but I’m sure you’re gonna love it.” I laugh and he was grinning big.

“That’s how you know this is real, you tried something you hate but I like.” He pecks my lips again.

“I feel like there are more factors than just a caramel cake.”

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat May 19

Hello, welcome to our next review :3 today we’ll be looking at the May Tokyo Treat. I’m going to point out now that i was a little disgruntled by some details in this specific box- but I will still fairly access everything as usual.

(You probably recognize the DIY item there, I won’t be reviewing it because I already have, and have gotten it numerous times since <_<)

“We’re so excited for you to try this month’s mixture of snacks. Doesn’t the crisp air and budding springtime flowers make you just want to devour some juicy fruit and enjoy their sweet flavors? You’re in luck, because this month we’ve got some yummy fruity flavors in a variety of sweet treats! We’ve also got some delicious savory snacks in store for you! Are you ready? We can’t wait for you to enjoy this months Tutti Fruity box!“

Lucky Treat

This month, the Lucky Treat is full of adorable Rilakkuma goods ranging from cuddly to practical school and kitchen items, many of which feature Rilakkuma hanging out with his friends and visiting various places. 

May Prize

Meanwhile, the contest is all about Gudetama, featuring two plush for the grand prize winner, and Gudetama cookies for the runner-ups.

--------

Fanta Banana Yogurt Mix

Our first item (see pic on top) is the Banana Yogurt Fanta we were supposed to get in the previous box, but due to the “exciting release“ of the Sakura-flavored cola, it was pushed back to this box. Which isn’t bad since it still fits with the theme of this box. Made from healthy banana and nutrients, this is a carbonated drink at only 34kcal, making it a great choice for those seeking less-calorie intake.

Rating: ♥ 

Honestly I didn’t even want to give it that heart. I’ve said this several times but I’ll say it again if you might be new, I don’t like bananas, and I especially HATE the taste of artificial banana! I tasted no sort of creamy yogurtness or vanilla or anything else except banana. My parents loved the drink meanwhile, so I let them share it.

BUT in saying that, if you like bananas/artificial banana, you will probably really like this. Even though I disliked it, I never spit out the portion I tried and didn’t think I would throw up (like that takoyaki nightmare from a few boxes ago). So it earned 1 heart for at least not making me hate bananas even more.

Caramel Corn Puffs

I decided to start with this because I’ve had it numerous times and didn’t feel like I needed to entirely review it. The Tohato Caramel Corn is a popular brand that we’ve encountered many times, not only in the original/regular flavor, but in a variety of others.

This time we are receiving the original in “share pack“ form, each bag/10 grams being 56kcal.

These are delicious, lightly crisp caramel-flavored puffs. They are pretty sweet though so unless you have a sweet-tooth, you might find them cloying after a while. They make all sorts of unique sweet flavors, from fruity to desserts like tiramisu and ice cream. I would recommend them and they’re pretty easy to find online.

Curry-flavor Crispy Flakes & Salt and Wasabi Chips

Another item I won’t really be reviewing are these little ramen noodle crispy flakes flavored after curry. Besides snacking on them, they can also be used to top udon or other noodle dishes.

I’m not reviewing this because this is also another item I’ve had a few times- but in comparison to caramel corn, I don’t actually like this one. They have a nice crunchiness and the flavor is strong, but that was why I didn’t like them, I wasn’t into the flavor. This was another item I gave my mom.

-----

Meanwhile, we also have a bag of salt and wasabi chips by Calbee. Now, originally we were supposed to get the Pizza Mayo Mentaiko flavored chips, but due to regulations in meat substances being shipped, it had to be replaced last-second, so we either got the Wasabi chips or the lightly salted.

I was a little disappointed by the change, but at least they were giving us another Calbee brand chip to replace it. These chips (which I have no info on due to the late change not reflected in the book) have a total of 305kcal per-bag.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  

I usually love these chips, but this one I was a little mixed with opinions because I only like wasabi in extremely small doses sometimes. The flavor is pretty strong and bold, and they get spicy the more you eat, and if you love wasabi I’m sure you would really like these. I can’t say they’re my favorite of the brand, but the crunch is great and they still taste good. You also get a lot of foldy chips (the ones that resemble fortune cookies or wontons), which are my favorites~

Also, I discovered they go good with cream cheese :P my favorite sushi is a Philadelphia roll, which is what gave me the idea to try it.

Matcha Chocolate Corn Puffs & Strawberry Rusk

Following those are two more items I have tried before- so I won’t be reviewing them either (I’m sorry but I don’t see the point in writing the same thing, and essentially I’m still reviewing the item...). First are the Matcha Chocolate puffs by Ginbis, a brand known for their delicious star-shaped corn puffs with chocolate baked into them. This specific flavor is a limited edition, so it’s not always available. Each bag is 321kcal.

So... this is pretty much like the banana drink. I hate green tea and these have no sweetness at all. But the texture is a smooth crispiness which I do like, so I usually like this brands products. If you like green tea you’ll probably love these.

-------

Our other item is a strawberry chocolate coated rusk (rusk are baked bread pieces coated in glaze and/or sugar) from Ginza Rusk. These are sweet little biscuits embedded entirely with the strawberry flavor, and each pack is 208kcal; something I find a little unappealing about them when you compare the amount to some of the other items <3<

They’re a light crunch and taste pretty good, but I’m usually not a big fan of these rusk snacks. This one I found more tolerable then usual though; maybe they’re starting to grow on me.

Chobo Chobo Cookies & Sakura Japanese Sake KitKat.

These little baked, puffy cookies are made from a traditional recipe and are known for melting in ones mouth. Their bags feature all sorts of adorable little character variations, and each bag is 62kcal.

Rating: ♥ ♥

I don’t know what they put in these but they aren’t my most favorite thing. They remind me a lot of something I don’t like, but I haven’t had said thing in a really long time so I don’t remember what it was...

All things considered they do melt in your mouth though.

-----

Next is another unique KitKat, featuring the fresh sakura (cherries) and Japanese sake (alcohol). These are limited edition and out in time to celebrate Hanami (cherry blossom viewing). You get 12 mini-sets per usual, and each one is 63kcal.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

They have a lovely pink color (its my favorite shade in fact) and as soon as you eat them you taste the sake and a perfumey cherry- it reminds me of a fresh powdery bath product from Avon. But as strange as that is, I actually kinda like it. I’m not sure if they put alcohol in these, but I’m assuming they might soak the wafer in it or something.

New Mochitaro Puffs & Sugar Rusk Umaibo

These are our last crunchy snacks presented in this months box. First is the Mochitaro Puffs, which are small, bite-sized crispy snacks. I couldn’t find the calories on this, and these are basic salted. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

There isn’t too much flavor in these compared to the other snacks in the box, but the saltiness is noticeable, without being too intense. I kind of like how they aren’t as bold as the other snacks though, it’s a nice change of pace. They sort of remind me of the regular/plain Bugles.

------

We also have our monthly Umaibo; this time in a sweet sugary rusk flavor. It has a buttery sweetness in scent, and each stick is 43kcal. If you’re interested in trying Umaibo, they’re super-easy to find online; I’d recommend them but they can become Addictive!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

In terms of favorites, it doesn’t make my top 3- but it would probably make my top 10. It’s really good, it reminds me of buttery pretzel sticks, I would recommend it if you want something crispy and sweet.

Strawberry Lollipop & Strawberry Mochi

I love strawberries, so I was overall happy to see a few strawberry items in this box- even if I’m not hugely into rusk. First up we have a basic strawberry lollipop with a Hello Kitty package. There are multiple packages, each with a cute little game on the back, like for example mine has a “find the matching flower“ game. Each lollipop is 22.8kcal.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Tastes like typical Japanese strawberry candy, which is a little different than American strawberry candy in most cases. It’s not a realistic flavor, but I really like it. I swear I get a little hint of watermelon or peach in it too.

------

Our next item is an actual Mochi :3 these are very rare in this box, I can’t recall if we ever had t before or not... but I do like mochi. It’s become pretty popular where I live as of late, especially ice cream ones, but I think I prefer the basic snacking ones more.

With this little pack you get two, adorable baby mochi~ I couldn’t find calories on them either. But as you can see in the pick, each one has a marshmallow-like inside with strawberry cream or jelly in the middle.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Dissecting it, you don’t get much flavor or taste but its very soft, and just a little sweet. They’re also fun to squeeze and play with, and when you eat it entirely (careful so you don’t choke though >x<) you get a bit of flavor. I can’t say I strongly taste anything but I like it.

Cherry Mochi

If you’ve read my blog before then you might recognize this, this is an alternate Mochi treat and we have had these before- these ones are cherry flavored, and last time they were soda. These are by the brand Kyoshin. I couldn’t find calories.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Besides the cute and unique packaging, these also taste good. They’re very different from the other mochi, in that they’re little chewy candies. They taste like normal cherry-flavored candy.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 5 out of 5. Everything held up and it was all plenty tasty, with the exception of a few items I didn’t really like, but I know catered to those of you who do like the taste would love the items. Nothing tasted stale or old.

Quality - 2 out of 5. I was severely disappointed, not in the quality of the items but the box itself for being extremely repetitive; half of the box had repetitive items, the theme was very repetitive, and the DIY kit was disgracefully repetitive...

Theme - 3 out of 5. A good portion of the box was fairly fruity in going with the theme, and I believe if you’re going to do a theme you should stick with it, and I noticed that the Classic edition of the box caters more towards the theme than the Premium, but this time I thought it was decent. However, as I said above it was pretty repetitive, so I can’t say I enjoyed the theme.

Total Rank: 5 out of 10. Not counting my preference in flavors, I feel like the items were great. Nothing was stale for having sat around a few months (which is a problem sometimes), no quality problems in terms of item damage or issues, but the fruity theme didn’t appeal to me at all because I feel like the box only half-tried in following it, and there was a lot of repetition. I even wanted to justify the DIY but you honestly can’t at this point. I think this is the 3rd time I’ve gotten it recently, and several kits have fruity tastes or themes, there was no excuse for them to give this same DIY kit to us this soon. They quit with the health snacks and everything else that made this box unique and fun, I don’t understand why obtaining equally priced DIY is suddenly so hard.

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

I’m not doing it this time, I’m kind of in a bad mood now that I wrote that <3< sorry.

[punfit]

7/8/21

Breakfast - 0.5 serving of smoothie (sweet potato, canned jackfruit + syrup, carrot, pine-mango juice, plain cashews), 1 banana, sweetened black coffee.

Dinner - 2 servings beef curry and cheese toasties with sour cream and kimchi.

Dessert - 1 vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting and 100s&1000s, sweetened black tea.

Water - 2L, excellent.

Exercise - 22 mins on the treadmill at 4.5km/h and incline of 8%; 30 Day Fit beginner and intermediate abs (20 mins).

8/8/21

Breakfast - 0.5 serving of smoothie (sweet potato, canned jackfruit + syrup, carrot, pine-mango juice, plain cashews), 1 pink lady apple, sweetened black coffee.

Dinner - serving of biriyani, 2 chicken dumplings, 2 roast BBQ chicken wings with potatos and carrots, 1 fried chilli, 1 boiled egg.

Dessert - 4 meringue kisses, green tea.

Water - 2L, excellent.

Exercise - 22 mins on the treadmill at 4.5km/h and incline of 8%; Blogilates back workout (10 mins).

Pretty mild blogilates today, but boy has my back weakened 😂 I was struggling through the grasshoppers, no joke.

9/8/21

Breakfast - serving of yoghurt and granola with 1 pink lady apple, honey and sultanas; sweetened black coffee.

Dinner - serving of fried rice with salad with ranch dressing and minced meat curry.

Dessert - 5 meringue kisses, green tea.

Snacks - 2 servings Vege chips and Doritos with sliced cheese and sriracha.

Water - 2L, excellent.

Exercise - 20 mins on the treadmill at 4.5km/h and incline of 10%; 2kg arm weights.

Too much chips.

Seems like my weight is slowly rising. :(

10/8/21

Breakfast - serving of yoghurt and granola with 1 pink lady apple, honey and sultanas; sweetened black coffee.

Snacks - 1 meringue kiss, 1 small ANZAC cookie.

Dinner - 3 pan rolls with BBQ sauce, 1 white bread roll with butter and cheese.

Water - 1.8L, good.

Exercise - lawn mowing, 90 minutes.

Today was supposed to be HIIT, but the weather was nice enough to mow the lawn. It had been over 2 months since the last time I'd done it, so the grass was super long and I thought it would be a great substitute for exercise. Similar garden conditions have exhausted me in the past.

I barely broke a sweat. Either I've made huge physical process, or the cool weather and 'new' lawnmower made it super easy.

11/8/21

Breakfast - 1 banana, 1 choc caramel muesli bar, packet of sesame snaps, serving each of salted cashews and sultanas, sweetened black coffee.

Lunch - serving of fried rice, chilli paste, 2 chicken dumplings, fried beef, serving of Cola.

Snack - sweetened white coffee, 5 pieces rusk with apricot and almond cheese.

Dessert - black tea, brownie and chocolate ice cream.

Water - 1.6L, alright.

Exercise - none.

That second coffee made me feel terrible, physically and emotionally.

12/8/21

Breakfast - 1 banana, 1 LCM bar, packet of sesame snaps, serving each of salted cashews and sultanas, sweetened black coffee.

Lunch - serving of fried rice, chilli paste, fried beef, medium kransky sausage.

Dessert - serving of apple crumble with strawberry ice cream.

Dinner - mixed steamed veggies, 2 steamed dim sims, serving of roasted beef steak, corn on cob, cheesy sauce.

Snack - 5 meringue kisses, black tea.

Water - 2L, excellent.

Exercise - none.

Didn't feel like exercising today, sad too stressed about getting some uni work done. Definitely know I'll have gained weight tomorrow.

13/8/21 Weight

SW: 80KG

CW: 63KG

GW: 60KG

0.5KG down from last week. ???? Am I taking these measurements on a scale, or a trampoline? How am I hitting 63/63.5 so consistently over this last month?

Really doesn't feel like that's accurate? I definitely feel more chub building around my face, probably from all the sugar I've been eating, and exercise hasn't been feeling as... challenging as it used to. I don't feel like I'm doing enough to shake these kilos.

Breakfast - 1 banana, 1 LCM bar, 4 large strawberries, serving each of salted cashews and sultanas, sweetened black coffee.

Dinner - 1 pan roll, serving of fried rice, 0.5 serving of lamb chop, 0.5 avocado.

Dessert - serving of apple crumble and chocolate ice cream, black tea.

Snacks - black tea, 5 pieces milk rusk with apricot and almond cheese, 1.5 servings Doritos with sliced cheese.

Water - 2L, excellent.

Exercise - 25 mins on the treadmill at 5.0km/h and incline of 5%; Chloe Ting Summer Shred 2020 12 minute HIIT.

At least today's breakfast was slightly less sugary, and the exercise felt good rather than easy. Had to go slow on the Chloe Ting vid because I overworked my knees during the walk. But only because Spotify kept playing fast-paced songs (and I like to walk to the beat :P). Regardless, I felt so much better, mentally, after the workout.

Tonight's snacking was a guilty combination of procrastination on my studies, and binge-watching a TV show. So felt a little down after that.

[weightlosschrncls]

Food Log #3

I goofed. I was doing so well all day yesterday and then I messed up big time. I went to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions and made the mistake of going inside the store instead of doing the drive-thru. While I was there, I bought three small bags of sugar-free candy. I ate the entire bag of sugar-free Werther’s caramels, and there must be a laxative effect to the sugar-free component because I paid the price. Along with my dinner of cauliflower, broccoli and roast chicken, I went over my calorie limit by at least 180 calories. 

My sugars were back up at 129 today. However, I know that those can fluctuate on a daily basis so that didn’t upset me too much. And I actually lost a quarter pound from yesterday. Scale said 190.2. I’m going to try my best to stay on the course today.

For breakfast, I had a Lemon Zest Blueberry Luna bar (yum. Not as good as the blueberry bar alone, but definitely better than some of the other flavors I’ve had), a peanut butter sandwich on Keto bread, and a yogurt smoothie. My breakfast came out to about 590 calories.

I packed a Sargento Balanced Break (Sea salt cashews, golden raisins, and white cheddar), a banana, and a chocolate dipped coconut Luna bar (Tastes like a more synthetic Samoa cookie.) I didn’t pack a Diet Pepsi today because I am going to try and see if I can hold out until dinner time. Lunch comes out to about 485 calories.

In total, by the end of the day, I will have consumed about 1,075 calories, leaving me with 764 calories for dinner. I think I’ll probably just do a frozen meal to try and prevent any mishaps like yesterday. I got sent home early yesterday too which gave me more time to snack before dinner. That won’t happen today so it will eliminate temptation.

My doctor’s appointment got moved to May 8th so I won’t be going this Saturday, and while I am relieved because my numbers should be better by May 8th, I was kind of hoping I could get some reassurance from the doctor that I’m doing well. Now I’ll just have to wait a little longer.

Hope everyone is well. See you on the dash.

[shytiff]

Small Nov Wins

1 - cant bring myself to study, got out of bed 10:30-ish am. While lazing around i read royal servant and do random internet stuff and watched romee's vlogs. Ate breakfast and i somehow has no appetite?? This is rare. e, cicil kompre began at 15:30 pm (i know, i waste my time a lot). Pengumuman wahana mpi wow yay kalideres makara and budi asih

2 - the weather was pleasantly cloudy. poli anestesi anak, simul. went to what used to be calais, its called flavola now. at this point i quite need some calories because i only ate bubur ayam and its like 2-3 pm ish. Eventually the hunger is gone, arrived home at about 4-ish, drank protein to curb my hunger (nanggung dinner). dad said sumn that annoyed me so after maghrib i just lazed in bed, not feeling like doing anything (even though there’s lots of exams and hw lmao), fell asleep

3 - woke up at 2 am, prated, randomly searched for angel - chancellor and taeyeon’s lyrics and i basically wept at 4 am. i assumed the song was just like,,, a guy talking to a girl, his angel, you know. EXCEPT,,,,,,,,. the 2 MVs was also rly222 beautiful 🥺. Poli geriatri today, didnt even see patient because there was no more at that time (status salin nadia). ate ichiban salad (surprisingly quite good) at dm bcs i rly do be functioning better outdoors, made matcha latte with full cream milk ((powder)), cicil PT

4 - can finally wake up late. finished 1 sitasi pt, made ikk ppt, bujing lina called about diarrhea and nausea meds, laddered the leader for tomorrow’s exam and it,, was,,, me,, group call with shiko. frantically studied for EA

5 - PT (finished in 45 mins), simul as a leader, with STEMI, VF and hypoglycemia case. somehow made it through. i suck at dosages omggg. PP by car with mom (not rly that tired) but i SLEPT after i got home and had no mood to study helpppp

6 - did my first swab test today. i pushed the doctors hand when she’s doing oropharyngeal swab im sorryyyy 😂. slept. matcha. cicil kompre

7 - still havent finished ikk (deadline: today), and still havent studied for geri and ikk AND i still managed to take a nap. why. Read a bit of kompre. Not sleepy after matcha, but insted i reread bj alex and tsubaki chou lonely planet until 2 am the next day #rippriorities

8 - im having matcha latte seven days in a row as of today :))))) woke up at 10:30 am, went to flavola with atikah and got strawberry yakult (tasted like es mony), arrived home at abt 7-ish am and there no dinner, so i drank protein and ate japota honey butter. My breakfast was chicken porridge, so my diet is sooo liquid today. Rip proper nutrition (ate buryam, lumpia, japota for the whole day and drank 3 beverage). Cicil kompre and studied geri

9 - suma geri, slept, cicil kompre, ny head kind of hurts

10 - my head still hurts, suma ikk with dr herqu and dr retno, didnt take swab result by car because the TRAFFIC in soetta so my brother took it. Thankfully negative.

11 - lulus kompre alhamdulillah, the examiner were Prof Saptawati and dr. Dani from THT. Dr dani still remembered me :"") they were very kind. Went to tamel for first wahana: klinik makara UI. Picked up masker first at mahmudas place, and then went to depok. On the way i was interviewed by maba 2020 wtf im so old. Cleaned up my room with the fam, printed sumn in barel (its quite empty there)

12 - first day at klinik makara ui. i WALKED. such wow. fixed my shoes in kutek. had breakfast in barel and bahari for lunch-dinner. somehow i felt very drained. bought Dapur Alya (nutella and regal) and 2 salads from Salad Point since there was 11.11 promo. Put all of them in the fridge. Read Fools and its sooo good omg

13 - had salad and left over bahari rice for brekkie. went to clinic by grabbike :)))), had my first teleconsultation experience today, a chemical trauma case. suma ea with the help of shiko

14 - woke up at 5:20 ish and i jogged a bit at ui lmaoo. fisip - ft - fisip. By 6:30 im already back at my room. 1 hour can be spent a lot of different ways, it turns out. Washed my clothes. Ate monstercheese pizza. Slept a bit. Went to blok m with ara (she was late as always, surprised her with koi milk tea), ate futago ya (greasy cheesy milky goodness, enak tapi eneg afterwards), bought red bean bread at la mouette, bought discounted onigiri bento box at papaya. We went to m bloc space, looked around, ate gelato at kebunide (blueberry: yum, fresh, kiiinda feels artificial, salted caramel: delicious but makes me thirsty) and did photobox at connectoon. Walked to mrt asean but turns out!! for weekends mrt is closed at 8pm. Took grabbike to sudirman, seeing the pretty city and people just hanging out, playing skateboards on the wide sidewalks.

15 - planned to go jogging with salemba frens but i woke up late (06:45), so i just lazed around. Ate onigiri bento (super worth it for 25k for the proteins), fell asleep again 10ish to 14:30 lmaoo. The doms from yesterday was present even on the right side of my lower back 🙂 the red bean bread made me feel full, and the red bean was not too sweet, which i love. Reviewed some meshwork materials i missed. Fianti called and we talked abt her and hari

16 - had mujigae for sahur and fish bite for iftar. The fish was not as soft as fish streat, but the flour was definitely better and crunchy. But it doesnt have the seasoning micin like fish streat do. The pasta was quite a lot im in food coma afterwards. Fell asleep, and my stomach was so gassy that i woke up in the middle with a headache that does not play around. Fortunately it dissapeared in the morning

17 - breakfast is rice kimchi and abon lmaoo just pretend it makes sense. The scrubs i ordered finally arrived. I fell asleep AGAIN, WHYYYY. Lost my streak in DL, i guess i can stop using it for now.

18 - finished reading blood link, girlll i thought the human died at the end. Did not buy food today wow. Took a nap and cicil kompre.

19 - brekkie at barel. Helped measuring antropometry today at clinic, and also measured my own. The fucked up thing was that i THOUGHT my body fat is still at 28% compared to the past (dr rina's research). So i looked at the old paper AND. I USED TO HAVE. 35% FAT 🙂 even my memories are in denial and are fooling me. All this time i thought i was at 28 🙂 did swab at rsui. The one swabbing was from fkui 2012 and we had small talk. It hurted more than lmk :( now this does feel like drowning in water (cause before i said "nah its not like water in nose"). Took angkot back to tamel, bought piscok lumer pocin and its soooo gooood ugh

20 - i feel like if i have breakfast with leftover rice and abon and sozzis i get hungry faster lmaoo. Ordered ken karaage from kukusan, yaa okela for 25k with ongkir. Did online posbindu education through wa. BTS BE COMEBACK 🥺 i maximized my wifi time (no wifi at tamel) so i listened to the whole album. My mobile data is at 200MB lol. Read a good longreads from the atlantic, about down synd and genetic screening. The writing is so so good im just blown away. And teary eyed.

21 - ran a bit, solid class (gastro, rheum, infection), embryo, webinar about sleep by dr Gita Anindyajati, SpKJ, bought ayam geprek gold chick (lotsss of oil since i ordered tempe, jamur, egg, bought pop cookies. matcha cheese was actually better than i expected (the combination somehow fits), dark chocolate and marshmallow is very chocolatey like mom’s brownies, and vegan strawberry cookie with a hint of mint. i wonder how they replace the egg. I wonder why after i run i dont feel hungry for a moment. bloating just gooes away

22 - joined kris' healthy weekly event (lmao) in tamsur. They went to epiwalk first. Its difficult for me to run w mask, ngl. Went back to tamel, embryo, ate leftover meal from gold and chick, felt somehow drained to the bone so i just laid in bed and lazed and lazed. Theres no soreness, but the weakness was generalized lmao. Ordered bbq chicken almond salad from salad point, it was actually quite fulfilling and delishhh (added chili sauce to the dressing). Literally laid in bed from 7 until i fell asleep and woke up at 6 the next day. Finished readin shame application lmao

23 - i still feel tired ckckck. No doms, but i feel like i just want to lay down. got DV patient today at clinic, its most likely derm numularis??? Ate salad and dark choco marshmallow cookies in the evening and that cookie. Is so damn sweet im just thinking about the increase in my blood sugar. And i like sweets so!!! Never thought id find sumn too sweet. Washed my clothes and cicil ukmppd (i put things about studying ukmppd in habitica now)

24 - ate tanoshi sushi and ufo ramen for bfast, ate the sushi again for lunch and after waking up from my sleep i tried kokku ramen (so so, but the egg yolk's good)

25 - bfast: superbubur, protein shake and cookies. (did not make me feel full long enough). Ordered burger from EATG (so so, burger bener is better) for lunch. Last day at makara ui. Ara arrived coz shes staying here in tamel. Waiting for mom to arrive from cibubur, she arrived at about 20:30. I passed out at home

26 - first day in pkm kalideres, i volunteered to be pj to avoid RSUD. my room is a mess, i feel tired after i go back. maybe its the physical withdrawal (?) because i dont walk like when im on klinik makara. came to pkm thinking i wont do anything (orientation only) but the 6 of us ended up going. i was at igd. i saw nail extraction and injected ats for another patient 

27 - talked for almost an hour with the doctor at poli lansia. went home, felt sooo tired, i slept and actually showered after maghrib. originally planned to go to sbux but i was just tired af. my mood was horrible at home. 

28 - turns out i started my period today. i havent studied at all during pkm kalideres era. embryo. slept again. read some manga by nishin something with the psychological and BL genre. 

29 - embryo. cut my hair, showered, and felt better. fell asleep on dr gita's lecture. Drank cimory banana milk with a bit of matcha powder. I dont know if its the sleep, or a bit of caffeine, but my mood feels better and im more awake. Cicil ukmppd with a slow pace. Read itasaku ff. Slept at about 2 am

30 - surprisingly, i dont feel sleepy when i wake up. poli anak today, surprisingly i got perinatology case (jaundice). presented it on pleno. for bfast i ate 3 slice of bread (2 with meat and cheese, 1 choco and cheese) and protein shake, lunch: a slice of choco cheese bread and a banana, fell asleep, dinner: 1 bakwan, a banana and nextar. i can feel that the calories i got today is even less than what i usually got (and usually i already try to limit calories that i am counting the intake amout and made sure im not too far from my bmr lmaoo (~1100)

[geekprincess26]

Like Paint on Porcelain

Part 3 of my “Northern Lights” series (Part 1 | Part 2).

A silly mistake prevents Sansa Stark from getting her longtime wish for an afternoon spent sipping salted caramel hot chocolate in Wintertown’s coziest coffee house.  When her friend Jon Snow steps in to rectify it, Sansa gets more of a treat than she’d bargained for.

“I’m sorry, miss, it’s declined.”

Sansa Stark snapped her gaze from the scones populating the glass case to her right to face the cashier in front of her.

“Excuse me?” she asked, but her heart sank.

“It’s been declined.”  The young woman gave her an apologetic look.  “Do you have another card?”

Sansa did not.  She’d canceled all three of her credit cards when she’d left King’s Landing.  She could hardly afford them on her salary as a temporary receptionist in Winterfell University’s visual arts department, so her silver Northern Star Bank card was all she had.  

“Could you run it again, please?” she asked.  She checked her bank balance every evening, and she knew she should have more than enough money in her account to afford one of Hornwood Coffee House’s famous salted caramel hot chocolates.  Sansa’s strict budget, however, had made it an unattainable indulgence until now.  Thanks to Jon Snow, the graduate student who had asked her to make a shoulder bag for his sister’s Christmas gift, she had met that sister, Rhaenys Targaryen, who had convinced Sansa to fulfill requests for similar bags from a few of her friends.  “They’ll be marvelous,” Rhaenys had assured her, and, even though Sansa had not sewn anything for over a year, Rhaenys’s friends had agreed with the assessment.  

So Sansa had been thrilled when she had deducted all of her monthly expenses from her most recent paycheck and calculated that she had enough left over for a small indulgence.  She had longed for months to enjoy a quiet afternoon curled up on one of the overstuffed chairs scattered around the shop’s fireplace, sketching patterns for new bags while sipping on a salted caramel hot chocolate from one of the hand-painted mugs in which the shop served it in-house drinks.

She’d checked again last night.  The money had been there.  But now the young cashier was handing back Sansa’s useless bank card and telling her for a second time that it wasn’t.  The girl spoke loudly enough to make the barista behind the counter turn around and stop making the drink he’d begun preparing, and Sansa felt a flush as red as her hair sweep over her face and neck.

“Do you have another card?” the girl asked, and Sansa shook her head.

“Oh.”  The girl shrugged.  “Sorry, then.”

Sansa shook her head.  “No, it’s fine,” she murmured, and turned abruptly to make way for the next person in line.  She blinked back a rush of tears, which blurred the light of the flames dancing in the fireplace she was now facing.

Wait.  Light.

Sansa groaned.  She’d forgotten the e-mail she’d received last week from her utilities provider informing her that due to her usual due date’s occurring on a weekend this month, her automatic payment would be deducted from her bank account two days earlier than usual – three days before her next paycheck would be deposited into her account.  That meant the money would have been taken out today, leaving not quite enough for the hot chocolate she’d ordered.

“Sansa.”

Sansa wiped hastily at her eyes and turned around to face none other than Jon Snow, who was standing in front of the counter and regarding her with concern.

“Oh, hi, Jon,” she offered weakly.  “How are you doing?”

“Good.”  Jon nodded briefly.  He still looked concerned.  “Would you like to get a table?”

Sansa thought her cheeks must be the color of beets by now.  She shook her head.

“It’s all right,” she said.  “I was just leaving.”

“You ordered a salted caramel hot chocolate, right?”  Jon asked, as calmly as if her were inquiring after the location of the nearest bus stop.  He turned to the cashier.

“That, and a medium café Americano, please,” he said, handing the girl his own bank card.  Sansa, much as she did not want to, forced her feet in his direction.

“Jon, no, it’s all right,” she murmured.  “You really don’t have to.”

Jon shook his head.  “No problem.  I want to,” he said.  Sansa swallowed the protest on the tip of her tongue and replaced it with a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Sure.”  Jon took his card and the receipt from the cashier.  “Would you like to share a table?  Maybe the fireplace?”

Much as Sansa wanted to crawl into a dark hole and sip her hot chocolate there over the course of the next week or so, she nodded and reserved them two armchairs next to the fireplace.  A few minutes later, Jon set a green-and-white painted mug on the table next to her chair.  It was filled to the brim with something brown and steaming, and the drink was topped with an artful swirl of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and a barely visible sprinkle of salt.

“I think this belongs to you,” he said, settling himself into the chair next to hers, and Sansa felt another wave of heat sweep across her face.

“Thank you,” she said again.  “You really didn’t have to, Jon; it was my fault I can’t do math like a grown adult.”  The tears rushed back with a vengeance, and she stared at the fire and bit her lip.

Jon shook his head.  “It happens to the best of us,” he said, and Sansa, not expecting that, looked over to meet his gaze.  It gentled behind his owl-eyed glasses when he saw the moisture in her own.

“Really, it does,” he repeated.  “I pulled much worse than that in college.”

Sansa’s eyes widened.  Somehow, she could not imagine Jon’s having been that irresponsible.  Jon, however, continued without missing a beat.

“I went out to a bar with some friends,” he said, “and when I had to pay, I realized I’d forgotten my wallet.”  His hand reached back to rub his neck.  “And I was drunk enough to think I’d left it in the bathroom.  I stayed in there so long, they almost called security on me.  I had to borrow the money from Aegon.”  His face twisted at the memory as though he had just eaten a whole lemon.  A giggle escaped Sansa, and then another, and before she could swallow a third, Jon had begun chuckling along with her.

“Yeah,” he said when they had stopped laughing.  “Egg’s never let me live that one down.”

Sansa shook her head, still smiling.  “Well,” she said, “in any case, I think I’ll just make a salted caramel hot chocolate the next time I want one.”

Jon raised an eyebrow.  “You can make those?”

Sansa shrugged.  “I used to do it back in college, years ago,” she said, and refrained from adding that once she had begun dating Joffrey Baratheon, he and his mother had mocked her mercilessly any time she had so much as mentioned making anything from a dress to a dozen cookies by hand rather than purchasing them from a person of taste.  “It’s not terribly hard, especially if you use chocolate milk and a bit of butter instead of melting down a piece of chocolate.  You just have to make sure the brown sugar dissolves properly before you stir it into the chocolate mixture.”

Jon gave her a bemused smile.  “You and Uncle Jorah should definitely get together some time,” he said, taking another sip of his drink.  “He doesn’t make hot chocolate, but he does brew his own beer.  He’s got almost half the basement set up for it, and any time I come over to help him he’s got another idea for another different batch.  How he keeps all the different ingredients and flavors straight in his head I have no idea, but he’s a master.”  He nodded at Sansa.  “I just do whatever I’m told, but I think you’d really understand it.  I’m sure he’d love to show you some time.”

Sansa blinked.  Had he just asked her to visit his aunt and uncle’s house again?  Or maybe he thought his sister would invite her, as Rhaenys had done for Daenerys’s New Year’s Eve party the prior month?  But Jon said nothing else and merely rubbed the back of his neck again.  Sansa took a long sip of her salted caramel hot chocolate and sighed with delight.  It melted over her tongue in a wave of velvety sweetness and left behind the most delightful aftertaste of toffee.  

“Mmmm,” she said, her eyes widening.  She took another draught and gave another moan of delight, and Jon grinned like the Cheshire cat before emitting a rumble of laughter.

“Well, it is that good,” Sansa said, directing her sweetest What-are-you-looking-at? stare at him.  That only made Jon laugh harder – much as her brother Robb would have done back in Riverrun, when they were children.

“Well, have you ever had one?” Sansa asked when Jon had done laughing.  He shook his head.

“Oh, you have to try it some time,” she said, then added, “unless you’re not a hot chocolate person, of course.”

“No, I like hot chocolate,” answered Jon.  “I just haven’t tried it here before, is all.  I don’t come here much.”

“Oh.  Well, I can tell you that it’s wonderful,” said Sansa, taking another sip.  Her eyes widened in pleasure again, and Jon’s eyes twinkled.

“Maybe I’ll try it next time I’m here,” he conceded, “although I agree with you.”  Sansa looked at him, uncomprehending.  “I mean, I usually make my drinks at home,” he continued, “although I probably don’t do it as well as you or Uncle Jorah.”

Sansa smiled and shook her head.  “Well, like I said, it’s not that hard,” she replied.  “I mean, once I get back in practice, I could show – or tell you, really, or e-mail or text you a recipe if you want.”

Jon’s smile spread to the corners of his brown eyes.  “That would be great,” he agreed.  “And – well, I can’t give you any recipes in return, because only Uncle Jorah really gets what he does to make his beer, but if you meet with him, he’ll show you the whole process.  He’ll talk the ear off anyone who will listen to him describe it.  And he’s always keen on giving samples of his drinks.”  He scratched the back of his head, tousling his curls into a more beautifully tangled mess than they already were.  “Actually, plenty of what they served at the New Year’s party was his.  Did you have anything you liked in particular?”

Sansa tilted her head.  “Actually,” she said, “I did; I think – yes, Rhaenys said it was blackberry cider.”

That earned her another grin from Jon.  “Good choice,” he said.  “I remember helping him out on that batch.  It wasn’t nearly as hard as brewing beer.  We didn’t have to worry about any hops; we just had to get the yeast mixture right, and then afterwards listen to Aunt Dany yell at Uncle Jorah for not cleaning the basement thoroughly enough…”

Almost three hours later, when the cashier trotted over to the fireplace and informed them that the shop would be closing in ten minutes, Jon checked the old-fashioned watch on his left wrist and raised an eyebrow.

“This is a first,” he said.  “I’ve never been kicked out of a coffee shop before.”

Sansa did not try to bite back her laughter this time, and Jon gave her the wide grin that showed off his crooked tooth and his crinkling eyes.

“Well,” he said once they had deposited their mugs on the counter, “if you ever want to share a recipe with someone who’s been kicked out of a public establishment, I can give you my phone number.  If you want, that is.”  He stopped in front of the door and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

“Oh.”  Sansa stopped in her tracks as well, but she hesitated only a moment before fishing her phone out of her purse and offering it to him.  The screen cover was cracked down the middle and the corners of the case were dented, but Jon did not mind in the least, for when he took the phone from Sansa, he smiled again, and Sansa felt a sweet, warm trickle travel down her throat into her stomach and fingers and toes, and she decided to forgive her utility company.

After all, mistakes happened to even the best of people.