#i think of her vanilla cinnamon tea as being vanilla chai

[x0xomady]

made with love

˙⊹܀☁︎˚˙⊹⁺.

summary: harry and you are in london for fall, so you make cookies, listen to old music, and fall even more in love.

(harry styles x female reader)

warnings: 18+ it’s not heavy smut, but there is still some smut in it, oral fem reciving, sickingly cute fluff.

a/n: my last few stories have had some heavier themes and plots, so i wanted to write something sweet! this is all autumn themed since summer is over :)

˙⊹܀☁︎˚˙⊹⁺.

the cold streets of london are filled with dew from the rain, fallen leaves, and people. harry and you are walking along the street back towards his apartment after being at the store. after much debate and harry threatening to sleep in the guest room for a month, the two of you decided on making chocolate chip cookies.

⋆｡˚⁺｡ one hour earlier, at the store ｡⁺˚｡⋆

“what do you mean, chai cookies? what the hell is a chai cookie? that’s a tea, not a dessert, sweetheart.” harry looks at you in confusion as you walk through the baking isle of whole foods looking for ingredients.

“it’s a thing! you know it has chai, nutmeg, cinnamon, all that good stuff.” you shrug and continue looking for the bags of flour.

“uh no it isn’t. we need to make chocolate chip cookies! everyone knows chocolate chip cookies are the best classic cookie.” harry sighs dramatically and drops the container of chocolate chip cookies into the basket. “where’d you even the get the idea for chai cookies?”

you smile and try not to laugh as you turn and look back at harry, knowing he would be mad about the source of your new fixation. “you know…. taylor swift posted them on her social media-”

harry gives you a deadpan look and doesn’t say anything.

“yeah, yeah, fine we can make chocolate chip cookies, you drama queen.”

⋆｡˚⁺｡ present ｡⁺˚｡⋆

as you make your way through the crowded streets, the cold night air nips at your nose and leaves your hands feeling cold and stiff. the light of street lamps falls upon the wet pavement, casting a faint yellow glow upon it, while the buildings look dull and dark against the dark sky.

harry and you walk silently beside one another, dodging other pedestrians who seem to be just as bundled up against the cold.

you look up at the sky and see the clouds are beginning to move in, covering up the stars and making the city darker. harry looks down at you, his breath visible in the cold night air.

“you warm enough?” he carries the bags in one hand and reaches over, lacing one of your hands with his.

you feel the warmth of his hand against your cold skin and give him a small nod.

“yeah i am,” you say with a smile, feeling harry’s rings against your hand as you walk. “you sure we have everything we need?”

“i think so,” he says with a small shrug, squeezing your hand in his. “eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. and i even remembered the baking soda. which by the way- i had no idea what that was until today.”

you roll your eyes and smile at his words. if there was one thing harry could not do, it was bake. he could write albums, go on world tours, and play multiple different instruments, but if he had to mix ingredients, it turned into world war three.

“you could’ve just bought premade cookie dough,” you point out with a smirk, looking over at him. “or we could’ve made something easier, like rice crispy treats, or brownies-“

“first of all,” he begins with a mock offended tone. “rice crispy treats are a kid's food. secondly, we’re trying to get the full autumn experience, okay? none of this “store-bought” nonsense.”

“we can get the full experience by cuddling on the couch under a blanket and watching a spooky movie,”

you counter, raising an eyebrow as harry rolls his eyes at you. the cold from the air gives him a light pink tint to his cheeks as you walk through the streets. “but i guess you’re right…. watching you trying to bake is horror enough.”

he gasps, looking down at you in mock horror. “you think i’m that bad?!”

he grabs your hand tighter and pulls you down the street faster as you get closer to his apartment. “that’s it. i’m going to make the best fucking cookies and force you to eat them.”

˙⊹܀☁︎˚˙⊹⁺.

“okay…. add…. 3/4 cup of sugar.”

you nod and start measuring the cup of sugar. harry’s sat on the counter with his legs dangling off the side, reading the ingredients out for you to add to the bowl.

“aaaand… 3/4 cup of brown sugar.”

you smile at the sight of harry sitting on the counter so casually. he’s wearing his favorite “DAMN” hoodie that he wore whenever he could. you add the brown sugar to the bowl and look at the dough.

“okay it looks good. come help me roll it out so we can bake it.”

harry smiles and hops off the counter, standing next to you eagerly and looking down at the dough.

“ohhh so i AM allowed to help, good to know.” harry sighs sarcastically and moves the sleeves of his hoodie up, revealling his tattoos.

you roll your eyes and put the dough on the counter. harry had TRIED to help you mix the ingredients at the beginning, but...

⋆｡˚⁺｡ a few minutes prior ｡⁺˚｡⋆

“okay add the flour, h. i measured it, just drop it in the bowl.” you nod towards the cup of flour and watch as harry picks it up.

instead of dropping it into the bowl like a normal person, harry decided to hold it up about three feet, so when it fell in, flour shot EVERYWHERE.

“oh….” harry looks over at you with flour coating his entire face and hands, letting out a sneeze as the flour goes in his nose.

“oh for fucks sake, harry.”

⋆｡˚⁺｡ present ｡⁺˚｡⋆

so he was benched after that.

“yeah, yeah, stop whining and help me roll it out.” you smile at the sight of your boyfriend squishing the dough around.

he grins at you at you and begins squishing the dough with his hands, pushing it out with his palms. the sound of harry’s favorite fleetwood mac song, “over my head” is playing throughout the kitchen.

“i’m over my head… oh but it sure feels nice” harry is mumbling along to the lyrics as he rolls the dough around. your heart flutters and you smile a little at the sound of harry singing. you could never really get over having harry styles around like this.

“this is fun. just mashing around some sticky dough and getting it in my fingernails for no reason whatsoever.”

you roll your eyes again and start forming the little balls of dough, putting them on the greased pan. “stop being gross.”

“no no i can’t help it, it’s too fun.” he grins at you, shoving one of his hands in the dough and holding it up to you.

“see look, my fingerprints!”

he presses the dough against your cheek before you can protest, laughing as he leaves a sticky, doughy handprint on your face.

you gasp and push his hand away, feeling the sticky dough on your cheek. “harry!”

he laughs loudly and holds his hands up in surrender. “i’m sorry, i couldn’t resist. you’re just too cute.”

he moves closer, bringing his face close to yours and licking the dough off your cheek. “mm tastes good. not that you don’t always taste good, because trust me, you do.”

“oh shut up,” you scoff, playfully pushing him away as a blush spreads across your cheeks.

he grins and kisses your cheek before going back to rolling the dough into shape. after a second of silence he speaks up again. “oh shit- it’s everywhere.”

you turn to see that, sure enough, almost the entire counter was covered in dough, with little bits of it clinging to your skin and shirt. you look up at the sight of harry’s hands completely covered in sticky dough.

“harry how did you manage to get dough EVERYWHERE?”

“uhm, excuse me, i think you mean how did WE manage to get dough everywhere.” harry grins as you give him a look. he holds his hands up, admiring the dough on them. “see, we’re bonding.”

harry’s smiling and giggling like crazy. you roll your eyes and give his shoulder a gentle shove. “yeah, bonding over dough. i think we’re at peak relationship goals right now. just put flour on your hands to get some of the dough off”

you couldn’t be mad at him at all. you knew what harry meant by “bonding.” harry had been on tour for almost three years straight, and you finally had the chance to spend more than a week at a time together. you knew he felt guilty about being gone so much, and that’s why he was so set on having a “perfect fall” together.

you look at your messy hands and sigh, shaking your head. “okay let’s finish putting these in the oven.”

harry grins, shaking as much of the dough as he can from his hands, sending little clumps of it flying into the air. he giggles and grabs some paper towels, wiping the rest of it off his hands.

“yeah okay i guess i’ll try not to get any more dough on your stuff and everywhere,” he responds, moving back to the counter towards you. “just because you’re being so sweet about it.”

you smile at his words and give him a peck before grabbing pans and putting them in the oven. “mkay… lets go pick a movie”

˙⊹܀☁︎˚˙⊹⁺.

“johnny depp is so hot in this movie.” you sigh dramatically and take a bite of your cookie, watching the iconic scene of him in a crop top.

harry nods in and takes a bite of his own cookie. “yeah i agree.”

the two of you are sat on harry’s large couch, watching the perfect scary movie, “a nightmare on elm street.” you’re sat on the couch, laying back with your head on harry’s chest eating your cookies. they didn’t come out perfect, harry’s large (and just a little awkward) hands hadn’t formed the best shaped cookies.

but it was all perfect.

the front window of the apartment was left open, letting in the cold breeze and smell of rain as the clouds and mist filled london. each cookie was made with love and it was evident in the taste. you could tell harry was happy. he was so anxious about making sure you spent time together, and he was finally making it happen.

your large, fuzzy throw blanket is draped over the two of you as you watch the classic horror movie. harry’s hands mindlessly run over your waist as his focus on the movie.

he lets out a small breath as his hand rubs up and down your hip. he lets his fingers trail down, tracing little patterns against your skin.

it had been so long since the two of you could just be together like this. tour schedules had been hell, and he hadn’t had a break for almost a year. he was trying to make the best of it, he could tell you were also having a good time. you were so happy to just be near him, he could feel it in the way you relaxed into his touch.

“ughh that is disgusting. acting is…. mm subpar” harry says sarcastically and fake gags at the sight of johnny depp’s characters gruesome death scene. he grabs another cookie and puts it in his mouth, wincing at the sight of the blood.

“yeah yeah, I forgot I was with an experienced actor,” you scoff sarcastically, looking up at your boyfriend, who’s pulling a face. it was cute how affected he was by a cheesy 80s horror movie.

he rolls his eyes and grins down at you, still continuing to make a face as he watches the movie. “hey i’m allowed to criticize, remember don’t worry darling? yeah that’s right, masterpiece.”

he brings his hand from your waist down to your leg, gently squeezing your thigh as he looks back at the tv and watches the movie.

you smile and shake your head at his words, taking another bite of your cookie. “oh that’s right. please forgive me.”

the two of you continue to watch the movie, occasionally commenting on the acting or the plot. harry's hand never stops moving, tracing patterns on your waist and thigh, and you can feel yourself relaxing more and more with each passing moment.

the rain outside picks up, making a soft tapping noise against the window. the cool breeze from outside makes the room feel cozy and warm.

harry pulls your sweatpants down and tosses them to the side before grabbing your thighs and pulling you closer to him. he starts pressing kisses along your legs, starting from your ankles and working his way up. his stubble scratches gently against your skin, sending shivers down your spine. he takes his time, savoring every inch of your legs as he moves higher and higher.

the rain outside continues to fall, creating a soothing background noise combined with the quiet sound of the movie that only adds to the intimacy of the moment. you can't help but let out a soft sigh as he reaches your inner thighs, his fingers digging into your skin.

as he reaches your core, you gasp and grab onto harry's thick curls underneath the blanket. he presses a kiss against your folds, and you let out a low moan. your heart races as he continues to explore, his fingers tracing patterns against your skin. you lean back against the couch, your body going limp as you let yourself be consumed by the sensation.

harry's hands move up to your hips, holding you in place as he continues to taste and tease.

you feel his warm breath against your skin, and his tongue darts in and out, sending shivers down your spine. he suckles your sensitive nub between his lips, holding your body close to his. the scratchiness of his stubble gives a delicious sensation as his mouth, and chin scrape against your mound.

your fingers dig deeper into his curls, holding him in place as you arch your back, pushing yourself closer to his mouth. "yes, please h, need more." your voice comes out as a whimper as you push your hips to meet his face.

harry's hands grip tighter on your hips, pulling you closer as he continues to taste and tease. he can feel your body trembling beneath his touch, your breath coming in short, sharp gasps. he takes his time, exploring every inch of you as if it's the first time he's ever tasted you.

but suddenly, he pulls away, leaving you wanting. he pushes the blanket off, revealing your flushed skin and the desire in your eyes. he gives you his signature cheeky grin, his green eyes meeting yours.

"what do you need, love?" he asks, his voice low and husky. his hand reaches up to brush a strand of hair out of your face, his fingers lingering on your cheek.

you bite your lip, your breath still coming in short gasps. "i need you," you whisper, your voice barely audible.

harry's grin widens as he hears your words. he leans back in, pressing a kiss against the inside of your thigh, keeping his eyes on yours. "yeah?" he asks, his voice low and husky. "need my fingers, baby?"

you nod and holds onto his curls. harry takes his time, tracing a path with his fingers up your thigh, making you squirm in anticipation. when he reaches your core, he gently slides a finger inside of you, making you gasp at the sensation. he starts to move his finger in a slow, steady rhythm, his thumb pressing against your clit.

harry's eyes never leave yours, watching every reaction and response to his touch.

"you look so good," he murmurs, his voice low and husky. he presses a second finger past your entrance, and you let out a low moan as he begins to explore deeper. "so, so, so pretty," he says, his breath hot against your skin.

he continues to move his fingers inside of you, building up a rhythm that has you pressing your hips up against his hand. your breath comes in short, sharp gasps as you feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge.

harry's fingers curl inside of you, pressing against that spot that makes your whole body tremble.

"oh, shit," you gasp, your fingers tugging on harry's hair for support. he smirks against your skin, his fingers continuing to thrust in and out of you. he presses tight circles on your clit, pressing light kisses against your thighs and mumbling words of encouragement.

you can feel your orgasm building up inside of you, your body tensing up as you get closer and closer to the edge. harry's fingers continue to move inside of you, his touch driving you wild. you whimper out, your breath coming in short, sharp gasps as your orgasm finally crashes over you.

harry smiles as he feels your walls squeeze his fingers, his eyes locked on yours as he watches you come undone. he gently presses kisses against your clit, his lips soft and gentle against your sensitive skin. slowly, he moves his fingers out of you as you ride out your orgasm.

"good job, baby," he whispers, his voice low and husky. "you look so pretty." his eyes are filled with adoration as he gazes at you, his fingers still tracing patterns on your skin. you can feel your body relaxing, your muscles releasing the tension as you come down from your high.

“love you so much,” he sits up from where he was kneeling on the floor between your legs and grabs a towel to gently clean you up. he stands up and presses a kiss to your forehead. “told you, you taste better than any of those damn cookies.”

˙⊹܀☁︎˚˙⊹⁺.

i may or may not have been inspired to write this after i made taylors chai cookies 👀

-💋

[rfaromance]

Remembering the marshmallow Saeran comparisons, how would all of the RFA + V, Saeran and Rika have their tea/coffee and are they a biscuit dunker?

Would how they have their drinks match up to their personalities too? Like with Yoosung, his could have a ton of milk or something to have the flavour nice and mellow

Ray is a tea man to me! He could have loads of sugar for sweetness? Actually Yoosung could too

Suit Saeran could have the blackest of black coffee, dark 'like my soul' XDDD

What do you think? :D

About the dunking biscuits, I'd love to know if the RFA like it because I personally hate it! XDD

I hate getting my biscuits soggy and weird :( T_T hahaha

Hello! Excellent question for the Marshmallow Boy and gang.

First of all, I don't think Zen would drink tea or coffee until Jaehee starts getting into coffee. Before that, it's all water or beer. But Jaehee manages to make him a smooth brew for a simple latte. Zen isn't into very sweet things, so milk and coffee is all for him. If you could get him to eat some sort of sweet with it, maybe a biscotti. He'd bite it raw and probably hurt his teeth. Help.

Jaehee is for sure a coffee girl! She is always trying all sorts of different creations, sometimes changing the beans she uses or the amount of milk she adds, or using grinds vs. grinding the beans herself, etc. I'd say her favorite is probably a lighter roast (think Starbucks blonde) because it has more caffeine, and she's always tired. She likes vanilla or hazelnut. She isn't usually one to have anything on the side, but if she did get a little scone or something, she wouldn't dip it because it would alter the flavor of the coffee.

Yoosung tried black coffee once, to be like a manly adult. Never again. Now he loves making latte art at the coffee club! But after his caffeine scare with Saeyoung, he's more likely to go for a tea, or perhaps a mocha with a nice balance of coffee and cocoa. Either way, it will have a lot of milk. He definitely makes little cookies or biscuits or scones to dip in his drink; he loves baking, after all! He probably experiments with different flavors and textures to figure out what fits each drink the best! Right now his favorite combination is a chai latte and a cinnamon scone, if only because of the autumn weather!

Jumin would unironically drink black coffee. He drinks red wine, so I'm assuming he doesn't taste tannins (the molecules that make coffee and wine taste bitter) and thus would have no problem appreciating black coffee. He might add a splash of milk for flavor, but it would probably be a non-dairy milk. If you give him a biscuit, he's going to dunk it in. You can't stop him. He likes that the liquid softens the texture of the baked treat so it isn't as crunchy.

Saeyoung doesn't drink coffee or tea--just Dr. Pepper! He has an aversion to any sort of drink that people can develop a dependence on. But you could probably talk him into a milk tea, if only because he likes slurping up the boba with the big straw. Honey boba, of course. Probably an almond or vanilla guy for the milk tea, but I wouldn't put any weird flavors past him.

V is a tea drinker. Please, give him something soothing. He is always stressed, whether from the weight of his thoughts or the many secrets he keeps hidden deep inside. I could see him being a fan of chamomile with a splash of lemon and sugar. I think he sometimes dips a treat in his tea, depending on his mood and the flavors. An orange or cranberry biscuit is going in. A chocolate one isn't.

Ray is 100% a tea guy. Full of milk and cream and sugar and honey. He's probably adding vanilla extract, too. He needs something sweet and basic (meaning MILKY, referring to pH, not to pumpkin spice latte girls like me) to counteract all of the elixir that burns his mouth, esophagus, and stomach. He's actually worked it down to somewhat of a science to figure out the best concentrations and mixtures depending on whether he needs comfort, energy, or a kickstart to his brain. But he isn't dipping his cookies in there; that'd ruin his perfect measurements!

Suit Saeran would try black coffee but it would burn his insides instantly. Please, dear, drink something your body can handle. You're not any less powerful if you really like strawberry milk.

GE loves strawberry milk, actually. He's getting strawberry milk tea with his brother. They're bonding. He also likes floral teas and flavors like earl grey, with a lot of cream and sweetness. Also a white chocolate mocha kind of guy.

Rika is a Pumpkin Spice Latte girlie actually. She doesn't care what people think. She likes the flavor, but specifically when it's iced. She has the aura of someone who'd drink only mature drinks, like a simple Americano or a flat white, but she wants the cinnamon lattes and the caramel macchiatos. Please, let her have something fun for once. Let her get a cake pop and a sugar cookie latte from Starbucks. Let her smile and indulge her inner child. Maybe also recommend she tries some black tea, though, because she needs to sit down and be calm for once in her life.

[juliandev0rak]

Beatrice’s Guide to Autumn 🍂

Happy autumn! To celebrate it being the best time of the year I’ve decided to share some of Beatrice’s favorite fall things, as it’s her favorite season 🍂✨

1. wear something cozy 🧣

warm sweaters, earth tones, and of course- her trusty green cloak, compliment any autumn ensemble

2. go on an autumn walk 🎃

there’s nothing better than a crisp morning walk to the library, or to the bakery where Beatrice buys as many warm pastries as she can carry

3. find the perfect book to read 📚

whether it’s an informative textbook or a fiction novel meant to pull you into another world, Beatrice can always be found with her nose in a book

4. make a cup of tea ☕️

any warm beverage will do, but here’s her recipe for the perfect cup of tea 

5. cuddle with someone you love 💌

if she can’t convince @leila-of-ravens’ Lysander to stay in bed all day, Beatrice loves to cuddle her familiar Bramble, a sweet (and always very sleepy) rabbit 

happy autumn ☕️🍂🎃

[leftsidebonfire]

Jojo Characters and What I Would Serve Them If They Came Into The Tea Shop I Work At

A series.

Based solely on my interpretation of the characters and the available ingredients I have at my job that I can remember off the top of my head.

Battle Tendency Edition

What I would serve...

Joseph Joestar: I sit inside his cup. No charge. Sir please 🥵 OK no for real. I know he must really like his teas. So if he didn't just order a regular hot tea, this is what I'd make. Firstly, I think this man would want to try so many samples. So after I make little samples so he can try everything on the list, I think I would make him a peach tea. It's peach and raspberry with peach pieces, one of my faves.

I could also see Joseph ordering a cupcake tea simply because it comes with whipped cream and sprinkles, and I dunno, I get the vibe that Joseph secretly enjoys little stuff like whipped cream on a drink if he's not expecting it. 🥰

Caesar Zeppeli: Again, me in the cup please. Hes probably more of a coffee man. But luckily we do have a way to make any milk teas into coffee, so if he ever wanted to try that, I'd be more than happy to make it. However, if he didn't order a coffee (or tried a tea as a coffee) I like to think he would get a German Chocolate Cake (which is basically Chocolate and raspberry. It's a very good hot chocolate drink 😍)

His favorite color is orange. So if he ever got a legit tea, I'd make him something good and tropical 🥺 Pineapple orange. I think he'd like it. And if he didn't, I'd make him whatever else he wanted 🥺

Lisa Lisa: Lisa Lisa just wants black coffee. I feel it in my soul. But maybe on a hot summer day, I could see her coming in to enjoy a nice lemonade, maybe even a blueberry lemonade to cool off and relax.

Suzie Q: Suziieeeee!! This girl is getting cotton candy tea, I just know it. I hate making cotton candy teas because they are really thick and basically everyone who works there thinks they're annoying, but for her 🥺 I'd make her all the cotton candy she wanted. I also feel like she'd be very polite and leave a nice tip. I'd give her a huge piece of cotton candy on top too 🥺

Santana: Tbh he wouldn't care. He just wants blood and power. But I would still make him a tea. I think I'd go for another strawberry (it's the most popular flavor for a reason lmao) Santana gets Strawberry lemon. The lemon is very strong and distinct, and the strawberry kinda looks like blood.

Wamuu: Totally not holding a grudge here for Caesar. Not at all. Definitely not. No, okay, I can do this. Personally, I think he'd be something like the Matcha Vanilla Honey. It's good, a different flavor. It is simple but tasty and they honey is just 👌 Top teir addition. I think he'd like it. I sure hope he likes it, anyway. 😳

Eisidisi: I get vibes from Eisidisi that he would either get the most plain boring tea in the world, or it would be very outlandish. He would come in and either ask for plain green tea with no flavoring, or something very strange no one ever orders like Red Bean (definitely not a favorite of mine. I've never seen anyone order it 😬) Or he'd get something like Cinnamon Bun and I'd be so taken aback by it. But to be honest, I think I'd judge him more if he got Red Bean than if he got Cinnamon bun. Cinnamon bun is good af. And he'd get whipped cream with it. It all depends on the day tho.

Kars: Kars has a refined taste. I feel like he would want something not many people order. I think he'd get Taro, or Taro Vanilla. Taro is kind of hard to describe if you've never had it, but the best I could describe it would be kind of like a sweet potato. It's semi-sweet. It's not my favorite, however it is purple, which I think Kars would appreciate. I also think he'd probably prefer Taro with vanilla so it's not so plain. He may be aloof, but that doesn't mean his drink has to be boring. 😎

Smokey: I really think he'd like Orange Chocolate or Root Beer Float. Idk, its just a vibe. The orange chocolate is my favorite between the two of those tbh. It's especially good as a hot chocolate. Hardly anyone orders the root beer one, so I could see him coming in to order that and I'm like 👀 It is definitely interesting, and I could see him being the reason we keep root beer in stock. Nobody gets it except him, but hes such a good customer we keep it around.

Straizo (because I forgot to put him in the Phantom Blood Post): Tbh, he's probably going for something simple and refined. Spiced Chai tea. Every now and then, he mixes it up a little with Vanilla almond, but for the most part, he's pretty straightforward with his order.

Speedwagon (again): Speedwagon my love. Order whatever makes you happy 🥺 I'd want to give him peach lemonade because it is sweet like him and refreshing, and he just deserves to relax with a tasty tea 🥺 Old Speedwagon has my heart and I love him.

Well that's about it for main characters, but screw it, if you drop a character in the comments that you really wanna see, I'll tell you what tea I'd give em. Next parts shall be out soon. Because this is all I think about at work 😂😂

[pendraegon]

peppermint bubble tea and chai (if u go to Starbucks lol) for the ask game...

hi finny<3

peppermint:what’s your favourite holiday and why?

my normie answer is halloween because [1] candy [2] costumes [3] i fucking love fall. but also chuseok/the mid-autumn festival (which is coming up this tuesday lol)!!!! some years i make food, some years i don't, but i love seeing family, i love all the dishes, the sujjeonggwa (which is this cinnamon punch??), the songpyeon (which i want to make again this year!!!), hearing stories, or even just.....idk...it's important to me to commemorate and celebrate it every year and even though it's a bit more somber than lunar new year and maybe it's just because it takes place in the autumn, but it has a special place in my heart. last year, my grandma told us stories about her family and she often doesn't do that because of like....well.. [waves hand in regards to the occupation/war] but there's just something about hearing her speak about people whom i will never know and never meet and knowing that they existed and exist on that night in her contemplation. i know this is cheating bc im saying like, three different holidays, but also nowruz which is the persian new year (in the spring) because my dad always makes my favorite dishes and every year i make a vow to learn more about my dad's side of the family but it's always gone to the wayside which makes me a bit upset to think about alsjfdlkasjfdsa.

bubble tea:what ride would you pick at an amusement park?

OH, EASY...THE MERRY GO ROUND<3 like i do not care who is with me at the park and yes of course we can go on the roller coasters but it is VITAL, it is CRUCIAL, it is MANDATORY to go on the merry go round<3 like maybe while waiting in line i stare and try to figure out which is THE cutest horse/animal to be on? yes.

chai:what do you order at starbucks?

if im going to starbucks i want something more on the sweeter side and im a really big fan of their vanilla sweet cream cold brew!!! i've tried almost every other cold brew + additions there and i think this is the best one.

prompt list

send me a cute tea ask im not being productive 🍵🫖

[lalalun-lalun]

Day 16 - Lucubration

Elwyn Dyster chose to sit at the West tables, the one closest to the entryway, although she meandered among several others for a number of minutes before selecting her seat. I observed that even the seat itself seemed to be an item of much debate, for the lady tested each in turn ‘round the table. I will have to determine later as to whether there might be some difference in the fact of the furniture, or if this is a curiousity of the patron herself. She mentioned being in the mood for something particularly refreshing, and thus opted for the Limoncello, served iced, and paired with a trio of iced sugar cookies. Ah, what a classic combination—black tea, with the fragrant rinds of citrus, served over ice for extra brightness and quenching of thirst, and to meet the vanilla tooth of a cookie neither too thick nor too thin, spread with icing to add sweetness against the tea’s tannins. Clearly a guest who shall not be dissatisfied!

What an intriguing countenance has the good ser Beichix Muvier, and so determined in his order! Has he fought in the Dragonsong Wars, perhaps, riding out beyond the parapets of the great stone fortresses to do battle with the winged wyrms? Could his time in those inhospitable distant frozen lands have stirred in his heart the longing for Resolution, one of the teahouse’s flavoured green teas, rich with fruit from greenhouses and the tang of ginger? Surely in there lies a warmth and richness suited to the distant East, a welcome distraction for a tired soldier. Would the Mirror Apple Cinnamon Scone be a delightful accompaniment, or would it perhaps overwhelm him with thoughts of other apples native to Ishgard? He may also require a cut of sandwich or two, I think, but will only suggest if ser seems amenable.

Hihibi Hibi and her party, several other Lalafell, unsurprisingly requested the entire menu. This appears to be an interesting trend gaining traction among my peoples, and I can hardly blame them. Truly, who could blame anyone who elected to sample the full offerings of such a delightful menu? The range of teas is enough to bring a smile to the face of nearly any palette, the baked goods could simply not be improved upon other than to have even more amazing combinations added to the list, and the savories add the perfect balance of salt against a sea of sweet treats! So intrigued was this party that they also requested an assortment of cookies to go, two dozen! They will surely enjoy a marvelous afternoon of fellowship, with the perfect assortment of food and drink to keep their conversations dazzling!

Behold the tale of Guoluwil Xhenwyrn, a simple man with fine tastes, who asked for an opinion on the chai selection...  

The red-haired woman groaned as she rifled through the scraps of fine stationery on the kitchen countertop, shaking her head sadly. 

This was the last time Lalalun would be permitted to take orders.

[pavlovaprin]

vanilla chai, herbal tea and caramel macchiato !!✨

Vanilla Chai Latte : Are you in love?

very much so. 

Herbal Tea : You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

highly depends on the season. my favorite winter candle is always pine/evergreen, spring candle is usually lilac or rose, summer candle is the yankee candle sun & sand (it literally smells like the beach and makes me think of my childhood), and my autumn candle is much more flexible but i love leafy/appley scents over pumpkin or cinnamon. a candle that doesn’t fit into any seasonal category but that i go WILD for is the lemon and tea candle from bath and body works. i don’t even know if they still make it but it’s one of the best scents ever created. 

Caramel Macchiato : You’re traveling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. Who do you take?

okay, this is a hard question and i have to explain my answer. i feel like i should say my boyfriend (whom i love with my entire being), but i am definitely picking bella. matt and i are so similar. like, literally identical in almost every way. he makes me feel safe in a way literally no one else can and he understands me in ways no one else can. it’s for those reasons i would choose bella if given the opportunity. bella and i, again, are so so similar (my whole platonic soulmate), but we’re also incredibly different in a lot of ways. like...we balance each other and i feel like the added level of being different would kick up a trip around the world a notch. i think as a team we’d be more willing to have new experiences and have so much fun. this is not to say i wouldn’t have fun with matt, but i’d be wayyyy more likely to stay in a lil bubble and never even leave my comfort zone because he has the exact comfort zone as myself. that’s not to say bella and i are polar opposites in that regard, but i always feel just a little braver with her. PLUS two babes taking on the world?!? like COME ON it would be a blast. the bonus? i don’t get to see her often and a trip that long would be a dream because that means i get more hugs and bina time. 

[mensbodybuildingtips]

The Right Whey: Tips And Recipes To Shake Up The Way You Use Protein

Water and healthy protein ... Protein as well as water. No matter exactly how you mix it, the combination is simply ordinary stagnant. So when was the last time you made a protein shake with anything however water, whey, and a shaker cup?

We thought so.

The irony of all this is triggered by the truth that whey protein solutions go to their advanced best. Yet, despite protein being at its absolute finest in taste, in bioavailability and in easily blended solutions, exactly how numerous of us still stand at the kitchen sink, fill up a cup up with semi-cold water, dump an inside story of healthy protein in, and shake, after that almost plug our noses as we down it?

At this factor, you're possibly objecting, assuming "I get on a diet - exactly what else should I mix with my healthy protein?" There is some truth to that - specifically if you have a total healthy protein that has a great fat resource included, as well as no sugar, however a pleasant preference. Formulas vary so considerably, it is possible you have a protein you actually like that in fact tastes good.

Whey Protein: Diets vs. Mass

Line up 10 leading brand proteins and also you might locate extremely various dietary assays on each label. Some will differ in whey type, while others contain greater than just whey, such as casein or soy, or vary in the sweetener or flavor utilized to earn the formula palatable.

Each will certainly also include a different macronutrient break down - with more or much less carbs or fats, and a broad swing in the variety of healthy protein grams. Add to that the number of tastes in each brand, as well as the fat resource in each brand name. Some proteins will feature a beneficial medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) such as coconut milk or oil, and others will simply mix in whatever emulsifying fat is cheapest.

Sweeteners also differ widely, and also could consist of every little thing from ordinary old sugar to corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, Splenda, Nutrasweet, or the even more all-natural and also healthy Stevia.

Give or take components, of those 10 healthy proteins, you can most likely separate them right into 2 classifications: Those fit to mass-building as well as those to dieting.

Typically, healthy proteins that attend to diet programs will showcase 25 to 35 grams of protein, no to 10 grams of carbs, and absolutely no to 12 or 15 grams of fat. Those fit to mass gains will include anywhere from 30 to 40 grams of protein, 15 to 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 to 20 grams of fat.

The excellent aspect of having such variance in proteins is that you can prefer to either use a protein on its own as a dish substitute during a diet plan, or as a meal replacement throughout a mass cycle, without having to add other foods.

But we think that if you locate a healthy protein you such as - and that's normally driven by components, high quality and preference - we assume you're going to persevere. So how does one adapt his/her preferred protein to be a year-round formula, as well as what criteria should own that choice?

Choosing a healthy protein that is formulated for diet plan, versus mass, has its benefits due to the fact that you could constantly contribute to the formula using a shake - you can not remove ingredients.

Shakes that claim to be meal substitutes or are mass-monster owned do not constantly have the most effective top quality ingredients either. They are usually rife with fillers that are not healthy and also can trigger fat storage space in the off season.

We assume it's far better to earn your own.

We are frequently asked: What does it cost? healthy protein do I require in a day in order to fulfill my objectives? We such as to take the center of the roadway as well as have you include or subtract from there. Whether you're dieting or intending to get mass, right here's a good guide that you could customize:

Daily Intake Based on 1 to 1.5 grams of Healthy protein per Extra pound of Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Grams of Protein Required

125 extra pounds = 125 to 188 grams of protein

150 pounds = 150 to 225 grams of protein

175 extra pounds = 175 to 263 grams of protein

200 extra pounds = 200 to 300 grams of protein

250 extra pounds = 250 to 375 grams of protein

Another method to take a look at protein requirements in the diet is by portions of calories allotted:

Daily Calorie Requirements/ Percent of Protein (20-40%)

1500 calories = 75 to 150 grams of protein

2000 calories = 100 to 200 grams of protein

2500 calories = 125 to 250 grams of protein

3000 calories = 150 to 300 grams of protein

3500 calories = 175 to 350 grams of protein

4000 calories = 200 to 400 grams of protein

5000 calories = 250 to 500 grams of protein

The biggest reason a bodybuilder cannot gain weight in the off season, or fails to keep it during a diet, might be that they does not take in adequate healthy protein. Yet the various other factor may be lack of strategy behind times a protein shake is blended as well as ingested.

Here's a good rule of thumb:

BEST TIMES TO HAVE A PROTEIN SHAKE

First thing in the morning - Complying with a fasting state you'll place yourself right into favorable nitrogen equilibrium immediately.

Between meals - Make these easy trembles that simply fill up the void and also maintain you in positive nitrogen balance.

Pre- and Post-Workout - Protein shakes before as well as after exercises can be loaded with included nutrients to sustain workout as well as healing: Creatine and also Nitric Oxide for pumps as well as power, as well as Glutamine and BCAAs for recovery.

Evening - If you're diet programs, yet do not wish to comply with the 'Don't consume after 6 p.m. rule' have a healthy protein shake or more (one with couple of carbs as well as reduced fats) to optimize nitrogen balance during sleep as well as maintain the metabolic rate burning.

Think you know a lot about whey healthy protein? Right here are some facts in order to help you utilize it

WHEY WISDOM FOR BOTH GAINER and LOSER

WW1: Throughout mass cycles, you can enhance protein uptake with fast-digesting carbs, such as waxy maze or add your own to shakes that contain hardly any carbohydrate.

WW2: The very best weight gainer shake has a carb-to-protein proportion of 2:1. No commercial blends around actually attribute that - always placing even more protein in the mix than carbs. Make your very own with this ratio in mind.

WW3: If you are adding added fat to a blender shake for mass-building, add great fats, such as Omega-3s: walnuts or walnut oil, peanut butter and flax seeds as well as flax seed oil.

WW4: A suitable diet plan must have an Omega-3-to-Omega-6 ratio of 2:1. To include even more Omega-3 foods to your mixer drinks - without the fat - add foods such as spinach, watercress, kale, mint and also oatmeal. Mint leaves make a fantastic enhancement to any chocolate shake.

WW5: Whether building mass or dieting, maximize your post-workout shakes by adding recovery aids, such as glutamine, arginine, waxy maize, beta-alanine, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), along with additional vitamins An as well as C, and trace element, such as potassium.

WW6: The difference in between Whey Isolate as well as Whey Concentrate: Separate expenses much more as well as has a higher bioavailability rating of 98 percent, and nearly no lactose. Concentrate has lactose, has a reduced BV rating of 80 percent, as well as is less costly. For weight gainers, a whey concentrate could be the best option since it's greater in calories.

WW7: In spite of hearing that it's always much better to consume "entire foods" supplementing with whey healthy protein is hassle-free, requires no refrigeration, is much easier on the stomach and less dental filling, has a greater BV compared to a lot of foods, as well as is strengthened with vitamins you may not get eating just entire foods.

Tips for Easy Mixing:

All proteins advertise that they are conveniently combined, however exactly how numerous lump cost-free trembles have you had in the last 10 years? Because it's always a lot much more tasty to consume alcohol a shake that has been blended to a smooth uniformity, here are some suggestions in order to help:

Use a blender or food processor or glass and mix - don't utilize a shaker cup. No blender? Combine with a fork, not a spoon, or little mini-whisk

Add protein as well as water right into the glass a little each time. Fifty percent an inside story of protein mixes much better with 2 to 4 ounces of water.

Let it rest for a couple of mins before alcohol consumption, after that blend again.

WHEY SHAKE ADDITIONS and RECIPES

The possibilities are limitless for drinks as well as much of exactly what you can mix in relies on your very own taste as well as just how versed you remain in just what food mixes produce desirable preference. However mixing whey protein trembles ought to also be a calculated means to obtain specifically just what you need at any type of offered time throughout your day.

Foods You Can Mix Into Shakes:

Milk

Cream or half-and-half

Fruit (iced up for added density, or fresh)

Fruit juice

Coconut water

Brewed coffee (or granules for taste and also pick-me-up)

Nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, walnut)

MCT oils (coconut oil, coconut milk, or Cap-Tri)

Cereal (Kashi, grapenuts, oatmeal)

Greek yogurt

Ice cream or frozen yogurt

Pasteurized egg whites

Pudding and dessert mix

Extracts (almond, vanilla, mint)

Spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg)

You can also mix protein, thinned down with water, right into points like pancake and also mashed potato mixes to lend a higher healthy protein value to your carbohydrates.

Dieter Shakes:

Coconut Chocolate Mint Shake:

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

1 small container of coconut water (not milk)

1 teaspoon Dutch process cocoa

3 or 4 mint leaves or mint extract

1/2 packet of Stevia

Chai Tea shake

Whey protein

Sugar-free Chai mix

4 tablespoons Non-fat Greek yogurt

Water

Weight Gainer Shakes

Maple-bacon-nut butter B-Fast Shake (Like a bacon-maple syrup pancake breakfast)

Unflavored or vanilla whey protein

Cooked crisp bacon, (ground into dirt in mixer)

2 tbsps maple syrup or 1 tbsp maple extract

1/ 2 cup raw oatmeal (ground in advance into dirt)

Pasteurized egg whites or whole eggs

1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter - or 2 tablespoons walnut oil

Whole milk

Berry-ana Peanut Butter Shake

Vanilla whey protein

1 Banana

5 frozen strawberries

1/3 cup heavy cream

Pasteurized egg whites

1/4 cup oatmeal

3 tablespoons peanut butter

[littlemiss-rio]

plain black coffee: Does your TC drink coffee? Do you know how they take it? Bonus: If they bring it to class, what does their mug/thermos look like?

- cherry blossom tea, to literally everywhere, in a starbucks cherry blossom thermos, although now that she’s cut her hair again she might go back to the black one

cold brew: How do you imagine your TC spends their Saturday nights?

uhhhhh working, but not her teaching job, the stuff she does for her friend’s company/her cousin’s company/watching football/watching musicals

iced caramel coconut milk macchiato: Have you cried over them?

not over them but surely i used to cry so much at her

iced mocha: Do they know how you feel about them (or do you think there’s a chance they do)? Do you want them to?

she does but she thinks its like super platonic, well she knows i “like” her but also that i’m mature enough to tell that it’s not “love”. i dont think she knows i want to kiss her really badly which is a blessing

white chocolate mocha: Describe how you realized you liked them. Was it love at first sight? Did it hit you suddenly or come on slowly?

i broke up with my exgf, and to get over exgf i slowly fell in love with p who i’d kinda? had a tiny crush on when i was still with exgf. i think seeing her every single morning kinda makes you fall a little bit in love. god i stared at her for like a whole year just wishing i could talk to her/be closer to her

iced vanilla latte: If you could travel with them to one place, where would it be?

japan!! we ARE going actually!! well corona kinda fucked up the plans but we’ll figure it out!! (we like the same japanese idol group)

cappuccino: What do you admire the most about them?

everything. shes the smartest, kindest person i know. she isn’t sweet though kdsfj she made me realise you can be kind without being sweet at all lol

americano: Do they drink or smoke that you know of?

ohhh she drinks, but like beer (i drink vodka? so i think beer is kjasdf lame). we hung out yesterday and she smoked in front of me but i’ve known for ages because i went to school drunk once and she lectured me by saying “you can only choose one vice in life, and drinking is the stupid one. i chose smoking”. shes jkashf not a conventional woman

ultra caramel frappuccino: What is your favorite scenario in your head that you’ve made up of the two of you? (come on, you know you’ve done it 😉)

we’re abroad, i go out to a bar trying to find someone to sleep with, she tells me its dangerous and stupid, i tell her i have needs, she tells me “well ill do it with you then”, we go back to the hotel room and [redacted], we proceed to act like a couple for the entire trip (feat. me kissing her neck while she does her makeup) its lovely and sweet and amazing

java chip frappuccino: What is your favorite physical feature of theirs?

… i really fucking like her.. are they freckles? idk but i like her cheekbones and her nose a lot and tbh her eyes are nice but i literally just told her they were ugly yesterday

iced soy latte: What kind of music, movies, and TV shows do they like?

idk about music, she got a film degree and likes japanese movies, she doesn’t watch tv i think she watches football

pumpkin spice latte: What cute/funny/weird habits do they have?

… she pretends to be a cat to get me to do things for her.

iced cinnamon dolce latte: If they were an animal, what would they be?

A CAT

chai tea latte: Do they have social media? If so, what accounts? Do you follow them? Do they follow you?

she has facebook that i stalked, and an instagram that she just started using because of corona online schooling boredom, and she watches my ig stories… which makes it weird… because i swear a LOT and complain about everything and she doesn’t understand english that well and doesn’t know that you can use the phrase “fucking” as an exclamation instead of an action. i use the phrase fucking a lot.

strawberries & cream frappuccino: If you could reenact any scene from a movie with them (and have it be real if that makes sense😂), what would it be?

any kabedon scene ever

[larpgourmet]

How to Feign Alcohol

Every great LARP has some sort of bar or tavern, but most LARPs allow for people under the legal drinking age to play -- which means that serving alcohol is usually a no go. Where I play, in Southern California, it’d also be doubly dangerous to drink something so dehydrating in the heat while being so active. So, how do you serve alcohol without serving alcohol?

For this post, I’m going to focus on simple bottled drinks, liquor, beer, and wine. I’ll do some recipes for faked mix drinks in a separate post.

Amber Liquors (Cognac, The Whiskey Family, Rum, Resposado) If you (like me) enjoy bourbon or whiskey, and you only want to emulate drinking such a drink -- you can imitate it easily with iced tea. You may need to play with the brewing time so it’s the right color -- but that’s how they do it on TV! Bonus, if you have something with a little caffeine, it’ll help perk you up! Black tea is best for this, as the color will be the closest. Simply bottle in a pretty decanter of some sort, and you’re good to go.

If you don’t like tea, apple juice is also pretty close in color, and doesn’t have the caffeine!

If you’re hardcore about wanting a flavor to match your offering, consider finding a vanilla honey tea. Most amber alcohols get their color as a result of the oak they’re aged in, usually adding notes of vanilla, honey, or molasses to the drink. Getting a tea flavored in the same vein will help! There are also teas that are designed to taste like amber alcohols, shop around!

Silver Liquors (Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Rum) For the easiest trick, just use straight water. But for added benefit, a clear sports drink will give you extra electrolytes while you’re drinking. If you go with the sports drink option, consider naming your alcohol to match “Raspberry Vodka” or “Cherry Vodka” for instance.

Cream Liquors (Amarula, Irish Cream) The signature look of cream liquors is that they do have milk (or cream) in them, but they’re mixed with something else that carries the alcohol. Consider making something like a cold chai tea latte, or other tea latte. The slight brown color of the tea will color the milk and give it the right kind of look. If you go with a chai latte, consider naming it as a Spiced Cream Liquor, for instance, as chai is a very spicy tea.

It’s also very easy to get creamers in Irish Cream, Amaretto, and Hazelnut  flavors. Rebottle creamers in pretty glass bottles, and label appropriately for the best visual appeal!

Be careful to keep these cold!

Coffee Liquors (Kahlua, Coffee Brandy) This is a fairly easy one! I would just serve straight, cold coffee. If you can get away with a decent kahlua flavored coffee, it’ll add a very nice smell!

Other Colored Alcohols There’s a variety of other colors in alcohol. Absinthe and other herbal liquors, like Jagermeister are usually green (food dye is your best option here.) For an added bit of realism, get an anise flavored extract to make your drink taste like anise.

For other less natural colors, look no further than a booze like Hypnotique, which is an odd blue swirly color (try blue food dye and edible glitter in your bottles).

And some liqueurs are dyed to be more beautiful. (Liqueurs, for the record, are sweeter, less alcoholic drinks. They tend toward being more syrupy (higher in sugar) and are often flavored with different things, like berries, honey, or nuts. They can be either silver or amber colored, or they can be colored artificially to be pretty much anything else in the rainbow.)

Wine Honestly, I think your easiest wine trick is to go with the sparkling grape drinks, and sparkling apple juice that’s readily available at any grocery store. If you’re feeling extra, you can always paint the labels to make them come from a winery that would be appropriate to your setting!

There’s a wonderful woman at my game who mixes a little vinegar in with her drinks (I’ll have to ask her for the recipe sometime, if she’s willing to share), to give them a bit more of the wine bite. Bonus -- apple cider vinegar is very good for your system.

For some more esoteric wines, like mead, you’re probably better using apple juice. If you’re trying to get the right flavor, consider adding honey to the apple juice and boiling the mix down so it thickens a little. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but slightly syrupy apple-honey will taste good (mix in some cinnamon to be really bougie) and if you serve it in small glasses as a speciality drink, people will love it!

Beer I think my favorite for this is home brewed root beer, or sarsaparilla. Totally non-alcoholic, fizzy, and served in fun bottles -- this is a great booze alternative for anyone who’s looking to do something more creative with their faux alcohol.

Don’t know where to start? Check out the link below for a home-root-beer kit you can buy on Amazon for about $16.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Root-Beer-Home-Brewing/dp/B0033UX8A8/ref=asc_df_B0033UX8A8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167124686369&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7605819140602283334&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030820&hvtargid=pla-84579849446&psc=1

Final Thoughts The real win here will depend on how you sell the bottle. If you’re old enough to drink for real, save any interestingly shaped booze bottles and paint the labels to fit your world, then simply fill with whatever liquids it needs. I’ve also made a game of relabeling certain other juices and things so I could make a cocktail completely of sodas and juices. “Fire Whiskey” could be cranberry juice, as a for instance.

Home made labels on a home printer will go a long way to selling the effect. Avery sells printable labels that have a nice texture on them. For an added bonus, increase your in game economy -- hire an artist in game to generate the art for your label for you! Check out the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Textured-Printers-2-25-Inches-22809/dp/B005IMARK8/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=avery+labels&qid=1564595329&s=home-garden&sr=1-6

If you’re running a bar or tavern in game, just make sure to leave a little note as to what is actually in the bottle, in case someone has an allergy or aversion -- or just doesn’t like the specific drink. A smaller sticker on the back of the bottle that is clearly marked with the real liquid will help a lot.

Another trick -- bring a funnel with you, and leave the larger bottle in your cooler. If you brewed iced tea, or brought apple juice for your bar, for instance, leave the majority of the tea or juice in your cooler, and simply pour a bit into the bottle based on how quickly it sells. That way it’s always pretty cold, and you don’t have to worry about it.

[sternenteile]

NAME!  ♡   nikki / bun HEIGHT! ♡   5′3"......... i am a small creacher. i Canot change this. NATIONALITY!  ♡   puerto rican / german, american-born. FAVOURITE  FRUITS! ♡   strawberries, apples, and watermelons! FAVOURITE  SEASONS!  ♡   winter. forever. FAVOURITE  SCENTS!  ♡   vanilla, honey, cinnamon, basically dessert scents. lavender vanilla is the best for sleep. FAVOURITE  ANIMALS!  ♡   cats, dogs, and bunnies! for more obscure ones, tardigrades, axolotls, and purple frogs. yes, purple frogs. i love them. they look so stupid. TEA  /  COFFEE /  HOT  COCOA! ♡   tea! spiced indian tea (so, basically, what we all call ‘chai’) is my absolute favorite with english breakfast, a builder’s brew, being a close second. AVERAGE  HOURS  OF  SLEEP!  ♡   wildly depends between like... six to ten hours. it is so inconsistent rip. WHEN  MY  BLOG  WAS  CREATED!  ♡   november 25, 2018! well, it was a bit before that, i think, but that’s when i officially ‘established’ geno. RANDOM   FACT! ♡   guess what, y’all. i used to hate geno. i used to think he was overrated and soulless and just kinda stupid. fanon’s boring portrayal of him didn’t help much. revisiting smrpg and thinking of his lore potential, personality potential, etc. made me go from hating him to absolutely loving him, though. it was a total 180°. FAVOURITE  FOOD(S)!  ♡   pizza, pasta (put it in a boooox), chicken thighs / wings, macarons, and just... a lot. i’m a glutton. FAVOURITE SHOWS!  ♡   steven universe, star vs. the forces of evil, original powerpuff girls, lots of old cartoon cartoons in general, gamecenter cx... aaaaa. tbh i don’t watch a whole lot of tv nowadays. FAVOURITE  MOVIE! ♡   heck if i know tbh, but i have quite a few that i liked a lot. the first four pokemon movies, deadpool and its sequel, the lego movie, the first two shreks (li STEN), wolf children, lots of ghibli movies... y’know. things. FAVOURITE  VINE!  ♡   soft and squishy, soft and squishy, shARP AND POI NTY

SEXUALITY! ♡   lesbian asf. PRONOUNS! ♡   she/her or they/them FAVOURITE  BOOK  SERIES! ♡   i dont. read much lately. oops. FAVOURITE  VIDEO  GAMES! ♡   smrpg + the first two paper marios, gens 1/2/5/7 of pokemon, a link to the past / majora’s mask / zelda ii (shh) / breath of the wild, super mario 64 / sunshine / galaxy (2) / odyssey, ghost trick, undertale / deltarune, almost every kirby game ever, literally every smash bros. game, the whole banjo-kazooie series (even nuts & bolts, fight me), grabbed by the ghoulies (FIGHT ME!!!), donkey kong country 1 + 2, terraria, okami... uh. i could be here forever tbh.

FAVOURITE  BANDS!  ♡   idk i mostly listen to vidya tunes nowadays. FAVOURITE  SUBJECT!  ♡   english literature. writing is a blessing. any art subject is up there, too, of course. GUYS   OR   GIRLS!  ♡   the layyy-deeeees. poses like a french girl. LAST  TIME  I  CRIED! ♡   yesterday over geno going through ROUGH SHIT. u will see soon enough. WHAT  I  SHOULD  BE  DOING!  ♡   actual productive things omG FAVOURITE  FANDOM! ♡   almost anything nintendo outside of smash fandom. (smash rpc is baller, though, i love u guys.)

[tfwonthefarm]

Fighting the Chill at the Homestead

So Dean runs hot, sleeps on top of the blankets most of the year, and seems genuine in his concern that the electric blanket is a fire hazard, but it's December and the central heating in the farmhouse is pretty crappy, and also our husband's feet feel like they're made of ice, so... 2 to 1, the ayes have it, out comes the best 75 bucks we ever spent at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.     

There are some downsides to having bed be the most comfortable spot in the house. I definitely run less often when I'm so warm in the mornings and remember how cold it'll be outside, and it practically takes a crowbar to get Cas out of bed when it's his turn to do the morning chores (again, he's a damn heat sink). Also, it means Dean banishes himself to the far side of the big bed (or to his own room) for the better part of three months a year, but given it keeps him from kicking me awake in his sleep every other night, I won't exactly be crying myself to sleep over that one. (JK - we miss him. He's a more vital contributor to cuddling than he'll admit.) 

So given the downsides, I thought this week I'd share some of our favourite ways to keep that cozy feeling alive and well even when there's three feet of snow on the ground and yes, you really, really gotta get up and feed the chickens, babe. Including a few nice, warm, and not totally out of season recipes.

Keep a fire going. It's actually not that hard to keep a fire running all day (and all night, if you have a set up to safely handle that) without wasting a ton of firewood, as long as you base your fire building technique on keeping big hardwood logs going rather than feeding in kindling. It heats up a house a lot faster than electricity, and depending on the size of your house, might be comparable to a furnace. Obviously, though, you have to feed it throughout the day, and for safety you shouldn't leave it unattended. We have a fireplace in the farm house, but if you're lucky enough to have a wood burning stove it's probably even more optimized to heat the house. Regardless, it's nice to have a warm spot to hang out without totally bundling up in blankets and falling asleep!

Tea! Dean and I have a pretty strong tolerance for caffeine, and can drink coffee throughout the day without an issue, but Cas starts feeling the jitters if he doesn't switch to tea, or even just hot water, about noon. Compared to coffee, it's also way less dehydrating and can in fact serve as a substitute to drinking cold water throughout the day which can be hard to think of as necessary when you're already chilly. We haven’t tried making our own herbal tea blends, yet, but it’s something Cas is likely to give a shot in the coming year.

Knit goodies. Since this is a homesteading blog, how about something else you can make yourself and reduce your dependence on the dubiously sustainable, often exploitative clothing market? Hats, scarves, and when you get good, gloves, are always a little warmer with the pride of knowing you made something with your own two hands, or when you can feel the love of a family member who made them for you. My favourite are socks and slippers, though. Warm feet? Awesome. Bonus: spinning your own yarn is also surprisingly easy. We keep sheep, of course, but Cas has a talent for sweet talking the lady a few miles down the road who keeps alpacas and I love him so much (for other reasons, sure, but mostly for scoring that sweet alpaca wool.) 

Baking. Long time readers know by now: bread is the best. The oven makes the whole kitchen warm, and bread is so, so easy to make yourself, and then you get to eat it? Amazing. We love beer bread (because Dean is predictable and realizing he could cook with beer was the best moment of his life bar none), which adds a bit to the cost compared to something like a peasant loaf, just for the cost of the 12 oz. can of beer it takes, but it's still cheaper by far than buying a decent loaf of bread at the store, especially considering we bake and eat three or four whole loaves a week between the three of us. Scroll to the bottom of the list for Dean's easy, foolproof recipe. (Seriously foolproof. Even Cas can do it.)

Cooking. Yeah, we're in recipe town, now. You know what goes good with bread? Stew. And chili. And soup. If you can make it hot in a pot (or a slow cooker!) it's a good wintertime meal. I've typed up our usual chili recipe below, but I think the best thing about chili specifically is that it's an easy formula to riff on. You don't like peppers? They're out. You love tomatoes? Put in as much extra as you want. Vegan? You can leave out the meat or replace it with whatever you want. Dial the spice up or down as much as you want. Our base version doesn't even include much in the way of ratios - it's all what you feel like. 

Drinks. I mentioned tea before? Tea is nice for all the time. Now I'm talking getting fancy. I'm talking hot chocolate with real, non-powdered milk. I'm talking cider. I'm talking boozy stuff. We've have a few favourites at our house, but at the risk of jumping the gun and getting Christmas-y too early, I'm going to include a nice eggnog recipe here - because if it can be made with eggs, Dean's mastered it just to keep us from being crushed by the hens' productivity.

Bonus Item: Illegal Barn Cat. Husband just kind of bummed out by the thought that the poor cat is sleeping in the uninsulated barn? Brother horribly allergic? Try Sneaking The Cat In When Dean's On A Run Into Town™! You can try to keep her in Cas' room, but she will escape! She will enter your joint bedroom in the middle of the night! And she will sleep directly on the chest of the one person in the bed whose breathing is affected by her dandruff! But what a hot water bottle substitute a cat can be before she's once again banished from the house because the hay loft is plenty warm enough to keep her safe and comfy.

Beer Bread [x]

3 cups of flour (sifted, but we find sifting only part of it lets you control how dense a bread you prefer - sift 1 cup for a dense loaf, all 3 cups for a fluffy loaf, etc.) 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 12 oz beer (or as needed for dough consistency) 1/4 to a 1/2 cup melted butter

1. Mix all the dry ingredients, then gradually add in the beer. Remember you want the dough to be semi solid, not like a batter. 2. Push the dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment-lined loaf pan. Pour the melted butter over the top. 3. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Chili

1lbs ground beef (can sub other ground meat or meat substitute) 2 cans crushed or diced tomatoes 3 cans beans (we use kidney or black beans) 3 bell peppers, diced 1 large white onion, diced Chili powder

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan, ideally with the onion. 2. Put everything in a big pot. Heat on medium. 3. Adjust chili powder to taste, let it stew as long as you can stand (remembering to stir), serve with rice or bread! Sour cream and shredded cheese are also great toppings.

Chai Eggnog [x]

2 cups of cream (can sub coconut milk) 2 cups of whole milk (can sub almond milk) 5 egg yolks 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 chai tea bags Bourbon

1. Mix dairy, egg yolks, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a pan. Whisk it until it’s frothy. 2. Heat on medium, stirring, until it bubbles just a bit. Turn down the heat and add the tea bags, cooking for another 3 minutes, and then remove them again. Add and mix in the vanilla. 3. Adjust for taste and booze it up.

[saferincages]

a couple of weeks ago, a friend showed me this amazing post (where the photos are far better than mine, which just didn’t want to turn out at all) of @the-far-bright-center‘s beautiful, sparkly Force Ghost Anakin, and it brought me such joy (I was maybe giggling excessively...), and today he arrived in the mail as a surprise gift! 💖

I want to take a moment to appreciate this bio, and the “weapon of choice” being loyalty and love, because it is. a lot.

this could be a very silly post (okay, it already is), but it actually gives me an opportunity to talk about something that I’ve never had a chance or reason to discuss before without some frame of context, so here is an unbelievably overemotional story (one of many regarding Star Wars’ history and special place in my life, I could write a series of these focused of specific themes and characters in all honesty) that no one really needs, but that I feel compelled to write anyway.

I’ve written before about my first experience seeing Revenge of the Sith (most recently here), so I apologize for retreading a certain amount of ground, but it’s important to know what the state of my life was at that time, which was a frightening, burned out shambles. ROTS premiered in May 2005, I believe I had just completed the physical therapy I’d been undergoing since the car accident we had that February. I was extraordinarily ill, and no one knew why (diagnoses were forthcoming), I was rapidly losing weight, and at the time, the scariest thing for me, was that I had no choice but to withdraw from school. Academia, which was such a constant for me, wasn’t even going to be on the horizon. I was, in short, not okay. I felt almost hollow in that uncertainty.

That midnight premiere was incredible, exciting, emotionally fraught, and I remember the weight and the sorrow of it hitting me in a very profound way when we got home, at which point I crawled into my bed and sobbed. I saw it several times that summer, but the final time (which is also a story a couple of my friends know, but I don’t think I’ve posted about it publicly?) was on my birthday that September. It is a crystalline memory. I can recall everything about that day, even what we ate (the cinnamon rolls my mom made for breakfast, the vanilla chai tea I had at Borders that afternoon), because it was the last birthday I had when certain things were not yet permanent, when I was still in the misty place between before and after. By then, the film had moved to our local little budget theatre, and seeing it that way, with a handful of other people rather than with a big, enthusiastic crowd, lent it an intimacy and poignancy which struck me on a wholly different level. (That was also the night Supernatural premiered, which is an aside, but don’t doubt for a moment that the events are inextricably emotionally connected for me.) September, and I should have been in school, but I wasn’t. I had no idea at that point that I never would be again, but I was frightened, and sad, and deeply angry. Anger isn’t a feeling I’d had a lot of experience with, I was a sweet, shy, overly sensitive, naive child (and teenager), but I didn’t often deal with anger, and then I usually sublimated anger with grief and guilt instead (and those things were warring in me, too, and of course I still carry them), but the anger at the unfairness of it all, at how cruel it was that this had happened to me, at how much I hated my own body for turning against me, how I irrationally hated myself for not being better or stronger or able to fight it, was consuming and yet almost childish, as though being ill was causing a perpetual temper tantrum in my mind.

My touchstone in the prequels was always Padmé, and she deserves her own post, but she was so inspiring to me, her compassion and her goodness and her belief in justice, her loving nature and her femininity and her tender heart being strengths, and never undermining her bright spirit, her keen mind, her ability to lead, her powers being her forgiveness and empathy and kindness. I love her so much and she had (and continues to have) such meaning for me. 

It took me by surprise when the aching heart of my identification in ROTS plunged more towards Anakin. I loved him too, and I had a lot of varied, complicated feelings about him already, about his gentleness and his trauma, about the immensity of his capacities and his contrasts, but this was the fall, the dark hour of the story, the nadir of everyone’s suffering, and so much happens at his hand, because of his tragic choices. When I was reading the novelization, I didn’t know what to do with the fact that I understood certain aspects of his struggling in such a harrowing way, and seeing it playing out made that even more acute. Those choices he makes out of desperate fear aren’t rooted in evil, they’re driven by the chasm of grief and terror of loss, and they’re mixed with disillusionment and disappointment and frustration. Up until the moment when he walks into the Jedi Temple, when we really see him cross a line he cannot return from, hope for a course correction seems possible. Even knowing what’s coming, it’s like...just turn back. You can still fix this. It ripped my heart out because of course he wouldn’t, he couldn’t. There’s the scene where he’s denied the title of Master, and his outburst at the council (“this is outrageous! it’s unfair!”) is tinged with an adolescent level of upset, but...of course it is. He’s still so young and he wants to trust them, it’s not ambition causing that fury, it’s desperation for inclusion, for some measure of respect, and he keeps being refused. It’s a strange analogy because the things holding me back had nothing to do with a council of old men deciding my fate, all my hindrances were physically trapping me in my own body, the jury denying me the ability to move ahead was my own failing immune system, but I understood his rage, because I wanted someone I could yell at. The person I was so terrified of not being able to save, of having to watch die, wasn’t my beloved, it was...me, the girl I was, the girl I dreamed of becoming. I’ve talked so many times about feeling like I let her down, like I’m the ghost of her, the revenant walking around in a shape that vaguely resembles her, but at that point, she wasn’t gone yet, she was just rapidly slipping away. I didn’t know what to do to save myself. People would say it wasn’t my fault, to let it go (which felt a lot like being told the useless “mourn them do not, miss them do not”), that I was still here, I didn’t ask to get sick, and I knew, logically, that was true, but emotionally all I felt was that crushing guilt and despair (all of this remains a lingering struggle). I didn’t want to be powerless. I would have clung to something that offered me a way out. I knew where Anakin, conflicted and misguided as he was, was coming from, and it eroded everything that made him good and heroic and kind, so the only power I had left was to fight against it and keep the anger at bay.

This is such a specifically personal thing that I won’t get into the analysis of what happens in regards to his descent (which I also expounded upon in that other post anyway), but every time it happened, the same muscle memory seemed to take hold of me, my hands would shake and I’d press them together, my chest would pound, I’d bite my lip to try not to cry. I have this overwhelming fear of fire, so Mustafar was its own nightmare, and I’ve literally only watched the immolation scene once (that first time, at the midnight showing), otherwise I close my eyes tightly shut. I don’t even like seeing gifs of it. But because of what I was going through at the time, what I’ve gone through since, the physical aspects of him so painfully and horrifically losing himself, being so stripped of his humanity that hardly anyone ever looks at or acknowledges him as a person again (until Luke) held its own terror (it’s such an awful metaphor when it’s examined, and it’s that re-enslavement, he did not choose that reconstruction) because I didn’t understand what was happening to me physically, and because so many people were questioning the veracity of my pain and my incapacitating illness, were treating me as somehow less (ableism wasn’t even a word in my vocabulary yet, I just thought maybe everyone had a point and I didn’t deserve the space to be heard or understood, since so much of what I was going through was invisible). I genuinely felt like my personhood and my agency was being taken away. I didn’t have school, I was quickly isolated from everyone else and kept in the (comforting yet confining) cage of my room, I didn’t know who I was supposed to be anymore, and I didn’t know what to do if no one would listen or believe me (my mom aside). The torture Anakin is put through in that conversion to Darth Vader is unimaginable and I don’t want to dwell on it, but there’s a passage from the novelization that goes in part: “The first dawn of light in your universe brings pain. The light burns you. It will always burn you...You can hear yourself breathing. It comes hard, and harsh, and it scrapes nerves already raw, but you cannot stop it. You can never stop it. You cannot even slow it down...now your self is all you will ever have...and within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame.” It’s such a wrenching description that some part of me separated it out from the villainous aspect, because the rest of it felt true. My nerves were raw and burned with sensation, touch and too much strain hurt, but my heart persistently, stubbornly kept beating, and I was left sifting through the alternating aspects of its passions (both the transcendent and the desolate).

This isn’t at all “excuse or justify the things Vader did” (since, again, this isn’t actual analysis, it’s sentimental personal nonsense), because of course I do not and never would, but the depth of empathy I had for Anakin, as a person and as a lost soul (and a lost future), and the way that left an imprint on me right at the onset of my illness became indelible.

There’s a point to this, I promise.

George Lucas did re-editing and reworkings of the original trilogy and I’ve never minded any of it, because they were his to edit and fix up if he wanted to do so, and little extra CG snippets of planets and creatures only expands the universe in my mind. That said, I realize adding Hayden’s Anakin at the end of Return of the Jedi was divisive, even upsetting for some, but for me it was everything. I’ve hesitated to ever reblog gifs of the scene because I felt like I had to justify or explain why I hold it so dear before I did, so this is my chance to do that. 

As a child, I never felt really connected to the fleeting glimpse of Sebastian Shaw (my mom actually remembers me asking why he was so “old,” apparently I reasoned at the time that Anakin should have been younger, I think because I imagined him then as more of a dashing hero, based on Obi-Wan’s description in A New Hope). Anakin never lived as that image of a more middle aged man, that was never who he was within Vader’s suit, and there was always an evincive resonance that I was seeking. Once Attack of the Clones came along, Hayden was my Anakin, he was the embodiment of that character, and I loved him, and I loved his performance (and saw so much nuance and layering in it despite what was often said). Yet one of the last images we witness of him is burning on that scorched lava shore. It’s devastating. 

Luke’s unwavering faith that some glimmer of his father still exists, that goodness can’t ever be entirely erased, that love will overcome, that throwing aside his weapon is an act of bravery and grace, is the moment when Anakin is finally released from that. “He takes the ounce of good still left in him and destroys the Emperor out of compassion for his son.” Balance is restored, and redemption is very small and quiet, not a washing away of violence, but a ceasing of it. It’s the hope that we can always find salvation, that we can still choose to act in love.

When Luke turns around and sees those spirits watching over him, benevolent and glowing and one with the Force, Anakin is his beautiful self again, as the description on this little package says, restored to the “hopeful young Jedi he once was.” The first time I saw that edit of the film, I wept. That was the connection I’d been looking for, the understanding that we’re never wasted, that our souls endure and are mended, that we can choose light, no matter how lost we feel we are, that love can persevere and illuminate even the longest night. It reminded me that I wasn’t only my body, no matter how much it hurt, no matter how it felt like it was collapsing on me, no matter how often I felt like I was failing to be the person I thought I would be, my body could never capture the entirety of who I was, or am. My spirit could still shine, my heart could still be soft.

Anakin says to Padmé in AOTC, “Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life, so you might say we are encouraged to love.” It’s one of my favorite scenes because it’s so sincere, and yet so richly layered in its meaning. And in the end, this is fulfilled, this belief is proven right.

People may think the idea of the Force is hokey, but because of the way I was brought up, and the intense theological discussions that used to be framed around it (particularly by my dad, we used to do this over e-mail back in the olden days of dial-up, I wish I had those conversations saved), it was a really important, formative concept for me. The Force is connectivity, it’s like a variant of the belief in Tikkun olam that parts of the vessels of the divine used to shape the world shattered, and their shards became sparks of light trapped within the material of creation, and thus exist and persist in all of us, in all the diverse and breathtaking life around us, and that we should respect and cherish that life. “The best expression of the Force is not a lightsaber fight or other combat techniques. It’s really about your connection to life, to everything around you, and your ability or willingness to let go, to find peace, and ultimately become a selfless part of existence...in the end there is no power that aids [Luke], except the power of compassion and love; the act of forgiveness and apparent self-sacrifice is what saves his father from the dark side.” 

It’s the idea that there’s something eternal within all living things, something powerful and connected that binds us together, that means we affect one another, and that we make choices as to whether those influences are for the better (or not). That we can decide to increase the power of light and warm energy in the universe. The idea that we’re not limited to our physical selves, that we’re luminous, radiant, possible beings. That we can reach out in love and compassion to heal the world, even if it’s only in small ways, even if we’re the only ones who see it exist, who know it happens, and still the summation of that additional light can radiate everywhere.

[ellocentipede]

Nocturne Alchemy Holiday 2019 Limited Collection Review

There are some stunning scents in Nocturne Alchemy’s Holiday 2019 limited collection. Fan favorites Vanilla Copal and Sandalwood were rereleased, along with many of last year’s delicious ice cream scents. Standouts for me in this year’s limited collection were Eternal Ankh Snow (a beautiful wintry vanilla), Sandalwood Chai (a warm, woody spice and resin), and Vanilla Dreams (a pillow, dreamy vanilla).

Eternal Ankh Snow

Scent description: White Amber, Powdered and reconstructed oil of Egyptian Vanilla Husk, Vanilla fleck, African White Vanilla, White Amber, Roman Blue Chamomile, White Pine essence, Bay Leaf, White Musk and a drop of pure Peppermint infused orange skin

This is a beautiful, wintry take on Eternal Ankh. It really does smell like Eternal Ankh with snow. It’s fluffy and pillowy, with hints of cold, bracing ozone and pine. It reminds me a lot of BPAL’s Go to Sleep, Darlings scent—pillowy vanilla snow. I love this one so much!

Dream

Scent description: Smoked Orange Zest, Benzoin, Lavender Absolute, Ginger, Vetiver, Orange oil and Sweet Clove absolute with a beautiful dry down of soft spice, orange zest and eNVie saphir

A hint of orange zest (freshly grated), benzoin, and ginger, that dries down into a fresh ginger scent (like a freshly cut slice) with just a bit of citrus. It’s very relaxing—a non-traditional calming blend. I tend to not love perfumes that have ginger, but this one is so fresh and lovely. I can see myself reaching for this when I don’t feel well or am exhausted.

Vanilla Dreams

Scent description: Bastet’s Ice Cream absolute, Tonka Bean concrete, Bourbon Vanille absolute, White Patchouli, Pear, Pink Grapefruit essence, Raspberry essence, Muguet flower, Vanilla Orchid and a rich creamy Egyptian Musk to scent your dreams

Fluffy, dreamy vanilla bean ice cream, softened into a gentle cloud by the musk. The other notes hover in the background. I can barely pick out the rich muguet and a gentle pop of grapefruit. This is a beautiful and relaxing scent that’s a nice change from typical herbal bedtime scents. It reminds me of a lulling linen spray that L’Occitane used to make about a decade ago.

Incense Chai

Scent description: Creamed Incense accord, Chai Black Tea and spices of Allspice/Clove/Nutmeg, Sweet Myrrh Resin, Vanilla dust, Vanuatu Santal, Bastet’s Musk

Ooh this incense is smooth. It reminds me of Alchemy Bazaar, which is one of my very favorite resin blends. It is smooth, golden, a bit warm and dry, and wears elegantly. It blends effortlessly with the chai and nutmeg spices. With wear this becomes a bit fuzzy on me, like a cloud of incense or a fluffy sweater.

Sandalwood Chai

Scent description: Chai Black Tea with spices of Allspice/Black Clove/Nutmeg, Santalum Absolute and Vanilla Beans

Cardamom Chai Sandalwood is one of my favorite scents ever and I only have a tiny sample of it, so I ordered this scent as soon as it was released. It is really lovely. I get a good amount of chai tea, though it is not at all milky. There is a lot of dry clove and nutmeg as well, and they are a touch sharp. Luckily the sharpness fades fairly quickly and I begin to smell more of the warm, dry sandalwood. It’s now ultra smooth sandalwood and fuzzy chai spice. A gorgeous blend!

Garden Rose Bee

Scent description: Orange Blossom Honey accord (creamy honey – this is a new honey we’ve created that is not like previous Black Honey accord), Black Rose, White Garden Rose, Bastet’s Amber Absolute and Eternal Ankh Absolute

Though a lot of people love it, I’ve had poor luck with NAVA’s honey blends in the past. They tend to go super funky on me. This new orange blossom honey accord is much better for me than the black honey accord, but alas it also goes a bit funky on me in the end. It’s a shame, because otherwise this is a lovely blend! The rose notes are beautiful—gentle, smooth, and soft.

Moonstone Nag Champa Seahorse

Scent description: NA Studio Nag Champa blend of Patchouli/Sandalwood/Dragon’s Blood/Champaka/Frangipani and Crystalline Vanilla Absolute with Moonstone Absolute and Copal Resin

Beautiful, airy Nag Champa (like a fresh, unlit incense stick) with a slight kiss of smooth vanilla from the Moonstone. I haven’t tried the original version of Nag Champa Seahorse, but I do have Tibetan Crystalline Creme, and Moonstone Nag Champa Seahorse has much less vanilla and creaminess (as one would expect). NAVA does Nag Champa very, very well and this is a beautiful blend.

Private Universe

Scent description: NA Oudh agarwood, Santalum sandalwood absolute, Cardamom, Teakwood, Cedarwood, White Patchouli, Black Clove and eNVie saphir amber musk

I have terrible luck with oudh blends, but I grabbed a decant of this one because I read a review that compared it to BIC Teak & Sandalwood, which is one my favorite scents. Alas, I get a fair amount of stinky oudh (think barnyard and band-aids). I do smell some lovely woods in the background, but they are all outshone by the oudh.

A Kiss Upon Her Shoulder

Scent description: Mimosa Flower, Gardenia, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Lilac, Eternal Ankh absolute, Skin Musk, Peach skin and eNVie saphir amber musk

A pretty, mild, musky floral. Gentle and will probably work for those who tend to not love florals. Well-blended—it’s hard to pick out individual notes, but perhaps I get more lilac than anything else. It’s not heady—I surprisingly can’t discern the jasmine. I smell a good bit of the peach skin. With time the peach skin becomes more prominent on my skin and becomes a bit sharp before settling in. A clean, elegant scent.

Peppermint Candy Cane Cotton Candy

Scent description: Cotton Candy Accord, Peppermint Pure, Violet, Marshmallow accord, White Lily, Peach essence and sugar accord

This is a very bracing peppermint candy! At first it’s a bit overwhelming, but it quickly mellows into a glittering white candy cane scent. Surprisingly, I don’t really get any of the cotton candy. I do get a bit of the pungent violet and peach, which make this more interesting than a simple candy cane scent. The use of peach in this is like BPAL’s Snow Angel—like a ripe fruit crusted with a thin layer of sparkling ice. The cotton candy does come out on drydown.

Vanilla Snow Cotton Candy

Scent description: Cotton Candy accord, Bavarian Crème accord, Malted Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Custard accord, Marshmallow accord, Vanilla Sugar and Bavarian Vanilla Bean

Oof—this one is very, very sweet! It’s too sweet for me, alas. It’s like sticky sweet cotton candy and the sweetened, custardy condensed milk topping on snowballs in New Orleans.

Frosted Japanese Cherry Blossom

Scent description: Asian pear skin, White Bulgarian Rose, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Mimosa, Cotton accord, Vanilla Whole, Bastet Amber and a drop of blue mint

A pretty, breezy cherry blossom blend. It’s a little too breezy for me at first, like clean laundry. The fresh, just-bloomed cherry blossom and mimosa sit beneath the cotton accord. The pear skin sharpens and peps up the blend, keeping it from being overly floral. There’s just a peep of vanilla lending some sweetness, but this is primarily a fresh and airy floral scent.

Vanilla Copal

Scent description: Peruvian Copal EO, Copal Resin, Crystalline Absolute, Kobalt Absolute, NA Studio Snow Musk (sweet wood-infused musk), Vanilla Bean extract

I wasn’t sure that I liked this one at first—and I think that it was just that I was expecting something different. This is not a sweet, rich vanilla scent. It is primarily a copal scent. That said, the copal is beautiful. It smells like an actual lump of copal that is lightly smoking in a censer. It’s sweetened a bit from the vanilla, but it’s a bit smoky and a bit soapy as well. This scent is addictive to me and I keep sniffing it. It fills a hole in my collection that I didn’t know that I had.

Sandalwood Copal

Scent description: Venezuelan Copal EO, Copal Resin, Sandalwood, Tibetan Sandalwood (future SL), SL Crystal Absolute, Skin Musk, SL N8 Musk and Crimson Musk Absolute

I love NAVA’s sandalwoods, so of the two copal scents, this one is my favorite. The sandalwood note is beautiful—dry, clean, warm, resinous. It’s a bit soapy, but in a pretty, clean way. It’s an elegant and effortless scent.

Warm Amber, Sandalwood, and Vanilla

Scent description: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vanilla Bean Extract, Tonka, White Cinnamon, Clove, Kobalt Vanilla, Amber Resin, Bastet Amber, Labdanum, Benzoin, Rockrose and Egyptian Sugar

This is an elegant resin blend. The sandalwood is warm, smooth, and dry, and the amber is sparkling. I get a hint of dry clove in the background, like an open jar of the powdered spice. I also pick out something like a fresher version of labdanum (not like a resin), which must be the rockrose (cistus). This is a nice, classy, well-blended scent, reminiscent of a fine perfume.

Pink Sugar, Patchouli, & Cotton Candy Sweater

Scent description: Red Sandalwood, Pink Sugar accord, Gold Patchouli Essential Oil, Cotton Candy accord, Egyptian Sugar, Spun Vanilla infused Sugar, Bastet Amber and Santalum White.

This review is for last year’s version of this scent. My track record with NAVA’s patchouli has unfortunately not been great (none of the bats have worked for me, alas), but this scent is beautiful! I think the sweetness of the cotton candy makes this wearable and beautiful on me. This does smell like a fluffy pink sweater. It’s warm and fluffy and comforting. It is not a sweet or gourmand scent. There’s just enough sugar and cotton candy to tame the earthiness of the patchouli for me without turning it into a confection. A beautiful, comforting scent for the cold months.

Sugar Cookie

Scent description: Buttery Sugar Cookie accord, Vanilla, Bastet’s Délicieux blend, extra Crystalline Absolute

When first applied, this smells like the sugar cookies that they sell at the grocery store for every holiday—heavily coated in thick, sweet icing and seasonally-appropriate sprinkles. The sprinkles are so sweet that they have a Lush Snow Fairy quality—almost like peptol bismal to my nose. Luckily the sugar calms down pretty quickly, and I am left with a perfect buttery (but not too buttery), sugar cookie, with maybe just a thin sheen of icing on top and flavored with a few drops of vanilla. It’s a beautiful gourmand scent that’s not overwhelming. I’m so glad that I picked this one up.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Original

Scent description: Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar

This is well and truly the perfume that began my collection of NAVA scents. I received a very old decant of this in a swap, dabbed it on my wrists (because ice cream!), and was blown away. It is a rich, creamy vanilla ice cream. It even smells a bit frothy as if it has been churned like actual ice cream. This is a comforting blend for me, and I wear it whenever I need a warm hug or a pick-me-up. It’s truly lovely and I recommend it highly.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Cardamom & Tahitian Vanilla Creme

Scent description: Tahitian Vanilla Bean Absolute, Honduran Cardamom essential oil and pods, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, aged Tahitian Vanilla Bean whole

This scent is rich and warm and lovely! The cardamom is so fragrant, but not overwhelming. It’s very present—dry, full, and rich. I get more butter with it than vanilla, making this to my nose more like a warm cardamom bun slathered in butter than ice cream. The cardamom remains the dominant note for me with wear, and with time I do get a bit more of the ice cream.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Marzipan & Rum Vanilla Creme

Scent description: Almond accord, Mimosa, Marzipan accord, Rum, Vanilla-Benzoin, drop of Cassis, Coconut Milk, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean

This blend is potent! It smells of rich, almond marzipan and sticky-sweet rum and warm caramel. It’s more gourmand than Pistachio & Almond Vanilla Creme. The marzipan eventually disappears for me and I am left with an incredibly rich caramel rum scent.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Pistachio & Almond Vanilla Creme

Scent description: Pistachio, Almond, Vanilla Custard accord, Heliotrope, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar

I don’t always love almond and pistachio blends, but I do love this one! This is a very realistic pistachio pudding blend. It smells like pistachio flavoring (not like actual pistachios) and almond extract, which I personally adore. It’s a little sharp, but in a good way, like actual almond extract. This reminds me of my very favorite cookies in the world—my grandma’s bright green almond flavored Christmas tree cookies.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Rice Milk & Vanilla Creme

Scent description: Delicate and creamy Basmati Rice crème, Rice Milk accord, a touch of brown sugar, Vanilla bean fleck, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar

This one is beautiful—soft, mildly creamy, addictive. Surprisingly it’s not very sugary. It’s a bit like Lush’s Snowcake scent—creamy and comforting. The rice note is almost like the almond in Snowcake in that it is a bit like Play Doh, but in a good way. The Play Doh-ness dissipates with time and this starts to become a true rice pudding scent—warm, gently fragrant, and not overly sweet. This sits close to the skin on me.

Peppermint Crystalline

Scent description: Exclusive gift for NA Store Customer Holiday orders: Peppermint Pure, Crystalline Absolute, Apricot essence, Marshmallow, Sandalwood Light, Strawberry and Lily accord

This is another bracing peppermint scent! That peppermint pure must be strong stuff. I get mostly cold peppermint with some sweetness from the Crystalline and a light touch of fruitiness from the apricot and strawberry. This is similar to the Peppermint Candy Cane Cotton Candy, but is closer to smelling like an actual candy cane since it doesn’t have the cotton candy drydown. A nice scent for peppermint lovers.

Nocturne Alchemy’s scents may be perused and purchased at https://nocturnealchemy.com

[graysongraysoff]

All the ones you haven't answered!!! Lol

lol A’IGHT LET’S BRING IT HOME

vanilla chai latte: are you in love

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe

pumpkin spice: dream car?

i don’t have my license so let’s slow down (a cute little one, though)

old english: you’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?

this question doesn’t specify that i have to bring just one person so HA i’m not stranded i have brought all kinds of experts in Getting Off Islands

iced choclate: do you have a crush on someone?

so many………………….. actually only like. four people. but idk maybe that’s a lot?

caramel frappe: favorite video game?

i think actually the game @takethewatch recently ruined my entire life with, brothers: a tale of two sons, might be my new favorite. i’m not a huge Gamer, so i appreciate a game that’s fun and interactive without being so challenging that it’s discouraging, and that game definitely fit that criteria. also when i play games it’s usually for the plot (this is why i often prefer watching other people play games to playing them myself), and that game had a lovely one.

hot chocolate: are you an affectionate person?

i can be i guess but i don’t like. tend toward it?

caramel macchiato: you’re traveling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. who do you take?

this question learned from the last one and made sure to specify, huh.

my mom is a pretty good traveler, so probably her!

mint tea: how do you relax?

I DON’T uhhhh i tend to make some sleepytime tea and curl up in my bed with a book or some comics. turning off the phone/computer is key, as well.

vanilla latte: board games or drinking games?

i am not a huge fan of…………………… either of those tbh. i mean unless dnd counts as a board game, then dnd lol. (i mean it also depends on who you’re with, i guess, but i am never with cool people when i am playing board games or drinking games, you know.)

italian soda: describe your dream date

ROBOT MOVIE MARATHON

orange juice: have you ever had a valentine?

i guess not technically?

rose hip tea: describe your first kiss

drunk

herbal tea: you’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

depends on the time of year! in the spring/summer i like to have more sort of beachy/oceanic vibes with like coconut notes and things like that, whereas in the fall/winter i’m all about them warm spices and stuff like apple cinnamon and such

i try not to get anything that smells too much like a baked good though bc it just makes me hungry

[rosevalntne-blog]

all of the questions!

thank you so much my love

bubble bath: do you have any routines before bedtime? like skin care, etc.? what are they? i’m trying to establish a solid skincare schedule but i’ve been so ill in the last year that i’ve been literally incapable of figuring out how bedtime works?? so it’s pretty much just clean the litterbox (wash my hands) and brush my teeth most nights

champagne: what topic could you talk about for hours? shakespeare and also food network

crushed velvet: have you ever used your charm to get something you want? i have no charm lol

diamonds: how do you feel about excessively spending money? fun but don’t probably

faux fur: describe your wardrobe lots of dark colors, flannels, lots of dresses and striped stockings, lots of dark leggings

glitter: describe someone special to you fnfnfndskjs i can’t pick just one and leave ppl out!!! so: gina has been my friend since we were in, like, sixth grade. we hit a rough patch once but other than that she’s seen me through everything. i try to be a good friend to her bc i love her so much and i really want to help her feel happy whenever i can.river is my platonic soulmate. i’ve never met anybody more relatable & they’re so supportive of me when i’m not well. they never ever ever call me terms i don’t like applied to me (e.g. “psychotic”) because they know that whatever i’m experiencing is real to me and that’s enough. they show me so much affection & i show it back and they make me feel so loved. cassie (you) is someone i wish i’d spoken to earlier. you followed me for a while before we became friends and i noticed you in my notifications but was always a little shy to reach out to you. i’m really, really glad you came off anon one day because you mean a lot to me. rae has helped me so much, especially as i learn which of my traits are bpd related and how to cope with them. i try to be supportive because i love them and even though i know sometimes i’m not the best friend i could be, i hope they know how much i love them because they really mean the world to me. i wish all the best for them and even if i’m scared to reach out because i easily think people don’t want to talk to me, i’m sending them good vibes every single day. spence is somebody i’ve really only become closer with recently but i want to be closer to him. not a day goes by that i don’t think of him and send him good vibes. i luv him and he’s really fun to bake with and i hope he’s having a good day. (if we’re pals and i didn’t mention you, it’s not bc you don’t mean a lot to me! i’m just rambling a lot so i need to cut it off here.) 

gold: describe what you would call the most perfect meal. hmmm i really like breakfast food and especially oatmeal but i like it kind of watered down? so i would say slightly watery oatmeal with raspberries, peanut butter & co. chocolate peanut butter, slivered almonds, and a little honey, and also a croissant and green tea! or also i make the fucking best vegan peanut butter cookies so like a whole batch of those probably.

jazz: name a song that resonates with you and your emotions: explain the reason why. there are so many but most of all, in this moment right now, i’m going to go with “the high road” by broken bells. i listened to it a lot in eighth grade when my depression first really set in (i.e. to a clinical level episode instead of a more slightly-below-cyclothymia situation that i had going on from ages eight to twelve), and i’ve been thinking a lot about then because i had the chance to get help then and i passed it up, and that makes me really sad because maybe my illness wouldn’t have progressed as much as it did if i had gotten help earlier. lyrics like “come on and get your overdose / collect it at the borderline” make me think of the “borderline” between reality/psychosis even though that probably wasn’t the original intention, and even though i’m not quite there yet, i feel like it might be coming, which is why i’m being so aggressive with med changes right now. and it just sounds echoey and surreal, which is how i feel. 

lace: what is something in your life completely different from last year? my manic depression has gotten significantly worse. i have full blown mania now, which changed my diagnosis from bipolar ii to bipolar i. i know diagnoses are only ways for clinicians to know how to treat you, but that feels like a big deal to me. unfortunately, i’ve definitely gotten worse. 

lingerie: do you consider yourself to be a promiscuous person? not at all. i am severely sex-repulsed. i slept with a girl once and had such a severe breakdown i almost killed myself, & still have flashbacks to this day. 

lipstick: do you enjoy talking to strangers? not in the least. 

pearls: what’s something about your personality that surprises others? i think most people are surprised to find how desperate i am for validation until they get to know me. i’m told i come off as rather mature and pulled-together, so i think people who don’t know me well don’t realize how dependent i am on the opinions and validation of others. 

penthouse: what do you consider your dream home? describe it. a little cottage in the woods just on the outskirts of a little town! it would be made of uneven stones with ivy crawling up the sides and a garden out front. there would be a river nearby with willow trees. inside, it would be quaint and often a little dusty, with mismatched furniture found at tag sales and filled bookshelves everywhere. the kitchen would be the biggest room because i spend so much time baking in there. 

perfume: if you could make your own signature fragrance, what would it smell like? roses, honey, and vanilla. 

robe: how do you prepare for an evening alone with a loved one/date? clean up my room, pop hamlet into my dvd player, and bake something? idk i’ve never dated anyone,,

roses: if it had to be winter, spring, summer, or autumn for the rest of your life, which would you choose? autumn! when the air smells like cinnamon and cloves, it’s the perfect time for chai tea and pumpkin spice lattes, the leaves are beautiful, and it’s neither too hot nor too cold. 

satin: what is your most favorite article of clothing? black and white striped stockings :^)

sheet mask: what is your favorite lazy activity? drinking lattes and watching food network!

silk: do you have more inner beauty or outer beauty? neither i’m a bad person and a goblin

silver: do you have any obscure hobbies? what are they? i used to collect the tags on tea bags but i lost them all lol

sparkling water: what are your top three songs for the summer? for an ideal summer? (1) “my girl,” the temptations; (2) “rosalita (come out tonight),” bruce springsteen; (3) “on my way,” phil collins. 

wine: what kind of drunk are you? i’ve only been drunk during severe episodes but when i’m in a mixed episode and drunk i get very poetic and write a lot and i’m very self-reflective and stuck in the void and when i’m manic i’m just very giggly and i shout a lot.