#if you want to give your fish a good healthy snack you could give them literally anything else

[savageboar]

my fishkeeping isn't perfect, sometimes i forget to clean the filter media when i do a water change. but you know at least i have a big enough tank with lots of hiding spots...and i don't feed my fish vienna sausages.

[alexanderlightweight]

Happy Wednesday! Hope all is well! Give nightshade a scritch and a treat! There is something wrong with my brain because you and saeths have labeled things as 3DNE and I read them and couldn’t figure out what was bad? I’ve been reading fic for too long.

Anyway I love Frost of Fury and All your cracks painted gold so could I prompt an update for either? :)

the night is going a lot better than the day so I think it's good enough ^_^

I have given nightshade several apple slices and some extra fish snacks so i assure you he has been happily pampered with extra care due to this ask. i mean he's spoiled af but he also got extra spoiling (I almost gave him a second chew bone but he's boycotting his kibble and topper again today and I don't want to reward him too much or fill up his stomach when he needs actual sustenance but is being a picky little biscuit). I try to rotate his food enough that he doesn't get bored but the problem is just because I rotate it doesn't mean he wants what I make or he doesn't like the texture the kibble becomes and will refuse. and he will spit it out if he doesn't like it!!! and he won't eat any kibble that falls on the floor and sometimes depending on how tasty the treat is, he won't eat those if they fall on the floor either.

sorry, moving on from my silly pupper. it's taken a while but this is for all your cracks painted gold and I hope you like it. some team immortal in that verse and soft malec ofc

also I mean something is wrong with my brain but I don't think it's that and I agree with you. i'm never quite sure which of my fics are 3DNE myself but I know quite a few of them are so I just assume they'll end up there at some point or another and plan ahead. plus while it's a soft obsession/possessive/violent adoration/literally salt and burn the world for you. it's still not healthy or condoned in real life context so therefore i'd rather be safe with my tags

<3 lumine

Ragnor’s cottage is warm and cozy despite the insidious dampness of the wet wind that presses against the windowpanes and the cold pitter patter of rain on the roof.  The fire dances merrily and Alec watches it, mesmerized in the way only those half asleep can truly be.

“He’s exhausted,” Magnus says from above him and Alec tries to protest but the words don’t make it past his lips, caught on the heaviness of his tongue.  “The Herbal Anthology you sent him had him up all morning. I woke up to find him still in the garden at noon and was going to make him nap when your fire message arrived.  There was no hope for him resting after he asked me not to use magic because he wanted to learn how to harvest the plants from me.” 

Magnus’ voice is soft and soothing, lulling Alec even further from consciousness as he blinks slowly, the room fading under the haze of sleep.

—

“I wasn’t expecting him to find so many of the plants I needed in that wild terrain you call a herb garden.” Ragnor mutters and Magnus finds himself shocked into silence by the sheer gall of his dear cabbage. If Magnus’ rooftop sanctuary is wild than Ragnor’s own garden — herb and otherwise — can hardly be called anything other than rabid. Even the few trails that only exist because of Ragnor’s frequent use can be described as nothing more than a faint impression in a landscape of bedraggled flora.

“Well, Alexander is quite clever in anything he dedicates himself to.” 

For a moment there is a peaceful quiet, the rain and the fire the only noise until Ragnor gets up to go put on another pot of tea and set up his phonograph to play a soft but hauntingly poetic violin. Magnus leans back into the sofa Ragnor had thoughtfully summoned so that it would be easier for Magnus to coax him into slumber.

There is a dreary comfort in the ambiance as Magnus accepts a hot tea from Ragnor, appreciating the warmth of freshly brewed tea through the delicate fine bone china cup.

Alexander makes a soft whuffling snore even as he turns, shoulders digging sharply into Magnus’ thigh before he settles, content to nuzzle his face against Magnus’s belly.

“How is he handling it?”

“Better every day, but still slowly.” Magnus smiles softly as he pets his fingers through Alexander’s hair while taking a sip of tea. “When I first met him I never imagined how wounded and tender he was under all his strength before I found him broken.  It was heartbreaking but also painfully beautiful, to see him find joy and hope again.” Magnus pauses for a minute and his smile turns sharp, “and of course I can’t deny how delicious his ardent devotion and dedication to me is.  I never imagined it would be like this.” 

—

Ragnor watches as Magnus smirk fades and he sighs in contemplation, “I never imagined someone could feel these kinds of things for me, not truly.  Especially not after my father and Camille. To be able to experience it is... indescribable. Whatever comfort I thought I’d found in life I realize now I was merely settling.  I could never give him up and he could never bear to leave and this—” Magnus pauses and then sets his cup down so he can press his own fingers to his heart.

“It’s freedom, Ragnor.  For us both from shades and wounds of the past.  If Camille asked me for help, I’d burn her on sight knowing that her mere presence is a danger for Alexander.” 

The confession is such a shock that Ragnor chokes on his pipe but he recovers easily enough and uses it as an excuse to blow his nose, carefully hiding any tears.  

Magnus would never judge him for crying but it would hurt him to witness just how deeply Ragnor’s relief and joy is.  It would give him a glimpse into how deeply Ragnor and Catarina have both worried and agonized over Magnus’ unhealthy but lingering attachment.  It’s deeply rooted in the night she saved Magnus — the only worthwhile thing Ragnor and Catarina think she’s done and one they are deeply grateful for — but she’d used that against him far too many times for them to ever help her again.

Camille lingers  like a festering wound even with decades upon decades between her and Magnus’ last meeting but finally, finally the stranglehold she’s had on him is gone.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Ragnor cheerfully admits. “Now shall we leave your boy to rest and move to the study?”

Magnus’ glare is downright frosty at the mere suggestion and Ragnor chuckles and instead lifts his hands, summoning a new and larger table while Maguns quickly snatches his cup back up — saucer and all — before it can fall. Magnus' left hand hasn’t left Alec’s hair since the moment he started petting his shadowhunter and Ragnor would lightly mock him if he weren’t still so delighted by it all.

Maybe in a century or two the euphoria of Magnus finally having found someone to truly treasure and love him in the ways that he needs will wear off, but until then Ragnor will gladly enjoy this.

-

so the reason it says Alec stayed up all morning is they should have gone to bed before dawn and magnus fell asleep while alec read in bed and then Alec got too invested and ended up not actually going to bed and going back to the garden where Magnus found him when he eventually woke up because there was no Alexander cuddling against him.

and i've mentioned it before but ragnor, magnus and catarina really truly love and adore each other in a deep ride or die kind of way that will not break and betryal would never happen and they're never going to suspect each other. ragnor and cat were grateful to camille at first until she started fucking with Magnus and then basically gratitude didn't mean she could fuck with their friend.

ragnor is just truly fucking delight and he can't wait to portal over to cat the moment Magnus and Alec leave because he's going to spill everything and share memories so cat too can experience the joy of Magnus healing and being happy and confident in his joy and his own self worth which is all they've ever wanted for him

alec is asleep in an unfamiliar place after basically being tortured and that's part of the reason Magnus won't leave him and also why would he leave when he can pet Alec and keep an eye on his rest and make sure he doesn't have nightmares while also enjoying that it's his touch, voice, scent and magic that comfort Alec enough to let him sleep in a strange location especially unarmed and still learning what kind of powers come with his new runes or weapons he can wield.

ragnor is also thrilled because before Alec got interested in the garden it was a side hobby that Magnus only worked on or in when he remembered about it and was interested or wanted ingredients of higher grade

[yandere-fics]

♡ Feeder Headcanons ♡

(commission for Clown Darling Anon! Kingdom part! Seaside coming next)

♡ You'll most definitely gain when it comes to Theanna, she is of course the future king and you're her future queen so it' practically a status symbol that all of the kingdom is well fed and this includes the queen in particular. The kingdom itself has no shortage of food due to there not being anything to block trade and mages being not too difficult to find to help with crop production, they'd have more if the academy was more cooperative but even without them they still have a good amount. Not to mention the thing in her garden that grants the nation very fertile soil and plant life so long as the ritual is always preformed so this means towards the capital things get even more fertile, more wild crops, more wild animals her hunters can collect that she can feed to her queen. ♡

♡ The nobles of the capital have more eccentric tastes due to having access to quite a lot of weird things so you may not love the taste of the food at first as the private chefs are busy experimenting and trying to blow the future queen's mind so they can be appointed the chef to the queen but eventually it will start to get much more refined to suit you particular palette so don't worry you won't be easting grass rolls with a rare fish roe forever. If you really don't like a food a chef makes by the way, she can have them executed. ♡

♡ It being a matter of pride for the kingdom is really just the excuse she gives so you'll feel guilted to do it to show how good the kingdom has it going for them, she would make you do this regardless of that but it helps to have something that she can hold over your head to make you do it. It's somewhat of a sexual thing for her after all if you gain that's just more weight you can place directly on her face but she also wants you to see how much she provides for you compared to when you were a maid before, you weren't starving by any means but you also weren't eating lavish desserts every single day. This is just a taste of what you'll get when you're her queen. ♡

♡ Living on the road means that there aren't as many opportunities to stuff your faces but that isn't to say she's not packing lots of foods for you to try to make sure you have everything you need and this leads her to over correct and so even when travelling you probably will gain because she's overly concerned about the prospects of you losing. Let's say you're her sister too in this scenario, she would extra overcorrect to make up for you having to eat temple foods because she left you behind at first which she feels horrible for. In the situation she's decided to disobey the gods and settle in place you would ultra gain with dragon Elisha. ♡

♡ The food is always going to be good because she's a worrier so she needs to stock everything you ever said you enjoyed at the temple and then when you go back there like once a month she loads up on all the foods she made them order for her and you both dip out again and in the dragon scenario she really doesn't mind becoming a dragon tyrant and forcing humans to give you all their good food because it's for her darling and you're much more important than having morals or being 'nice' to people. Don't worry you will have high quality tasty food, she could also cook on to road for you if you don't want prepacked snacks. ♡

♡ She does it because she feels really guilty about you being forced to travel with her and maybe missing out of good food since you don't always have free access to a kitchen, for her it's mostly a measure on if she's been able to keep you healthy and full enough for you to gain weight, of course she does find the changes attractive but even that she'll mentally reprimand herself for because this is about keeping you taken care of, if you tell her you're okay with her sexualizing it though then she of course will though. This guilt only grows if you're her little sister of course because again she left you at the temple and didn't do enough of what she feels was her job even though you definitely weren't starving at the temple. Dragon Elisha feels less guilt and of course that means she sexualizes it more. ♡

♡ You'll gain with Pauline it likely won't be super quick because in this scenario I'd like to imagine you're maybe her sister and she doesn't have all the time to dedicate to this endeavor because her parents want to keep you away from her cause they think she'd like harm you or something when really all she wants to do is stuff your loser face because you're so pathetic and scrawny. She probably tried to over feed you as a way to show affection as a child because she does like to eat but then you got a stomach ache from her constantly bringing sweets and your parents assumed poisoning so she wasn't allowed to give you things anymore. Rest assured once she gets them out of the way she'll get to do what she always wanted to do. Naga Pauline of course is even worse about it because you need meat to take her eggs and not die from the venom. ♡

♡ Of course the food is tasty, as previously stated the mages have the best farming and she is of course the future dean of the mage academy so even with no magic she gets special privileges like take all of the best foods for her darling sister and since she also has money she gets to import things and high quality chefs. She's partial to giving her darling sweet things and nothing bitter because she doesn't want you to get a stomach ache. Says it's because you're a loser with a weak stomach but really she just remembers how you were snatched from her because you had a stomach ache and it makes her angry and sad and want to kill your parents again. ♡

♡ More of a way to show you affection, she was kept away and not allowed to share her snacks with you when she really wanted to so she's making up for that by showing you all the things she couldn't before, even if you did enjoy a lot of treats as a kid she still wants to show you the specialty things that she went digging for cause she bets your parents didn't dedicate all their energy into finding you cool snacks like she does. Naga Pauline it's more of a sexual thing since she doesn't want her tail to hurt you in the mating process. ♡

♡ You will definitely gain with Abigail, she will make sure of it, a delicate lady does not worry about her figure, she sits and eats little snacks while the knights spar so they can look over on occasion and gloat about how well they take care of their delicate ladies and that is to say all of the knights with darlings in her squad do this. They make their lovers all sit and eat snacks and drink fancy little drinks while they train because it motivates them to push themselves harder and that's what makes her squad extra unique because they have to push themselves, the ladies are watching. That is also to say, you're going to be forced to sit with the ladies during training time and they will of course help with the process of you getting used to being a delicate lady who lives and eats lavishly. ♡

♡ The food is also going to taste very good because the knights have been collecting lots of knowledge of sweets for their darlings so it all gets spread around and eventually everyone in her squad including her knows where to go to get the most amazing cake with a intense frosting you will ever have in your life. The sweets that they have found with taste amount sinful because it's niche stuff that takes decades of people talking amongst themselves to acquire, the average noble isn't even going to know about this stuff but Abigail's family and knights are weird and even before the capital all went mass yandere they were yanderes so it makes since their ahead of the curve on how to spoil one's darling. ♡

♡ It's mostly sexual, I mean you being her delicate lady is already a sexual thing even if she says it's just romantic she gets turned on when you do anything she considers a delicate lady task so it's obviously sexual. She enjoys all parts of it, the gathering the rumors just to find a rare dessert that is made in a village outside the capital, the bringing it to you just to see your face light up when she's found something you've never even heard of that smells amazing, the feeding you the first bite of the new thing she's brought you, seeing you start to incorporate what she found into a regular snack routine and of course the weight, you fill out your dresses so well and it makes her want to rip the dress off you. ♡

♡ As the illegitimate child of a duke you were probably a little bit malnourished in your past life even though once she took over she tried to help with this issue but it wasn't easy when you outright didn't trust her so you didn't trust anything she brought you or her attempts to send extra food to you throughout the day plus having your spouse in the way made it more difficult for her to just invite you to dine out so she wasn't able to achieve her dreams of making her sister the most pampered and spoiled lazy girl in the world which was why when the timeline reset her first task was just taking you out to eat constantly and making sure you had so many snacks you didn't even know what to do with them. After she takes the duke title she outright tells the servants of the house what she intends so they know if they deprive you of food she will kill them. ♡

♡ The food will taste good, she's such a siscon that she remembers every single thing you ever said you liked or disliked, every facial expression you made the few times you ate in front of her in the past timeline, what you were craving last timeline on this year, she even puts an enormous amount of money into bakeries you like that she knows closed down due to underfunding in the past timeline. Of course your health is taken into consideration but even the vitamins she gives you are crushed into something sweet cause she couldn't imagine making her poor sister suffer through something bitter for even a small moment. If she could she would make even your medicine taste sweet. ♡

♡ Honestly she doesn't consider the sexual aspects of it, only thinking about how to make her sister live a more happy a fulfilled life until one day you're standing in front of her and you undress and she sees the body changes and gets so insanely aroused she actually gets a boner for once without trying to get hard or getting really angry. Any time the change to your body is noticeable she will get so hard and you'll be nearly comatose by the time she's done worshipping your body. Comatose also means you can't complain the next morning when she has you on her lap and is shoving a croissant in your mouth upon waking up. ♡

♡ In this scenario Raphael hasn't turned you, of course she'd still feed you lots after turning you but it's just harder to actually gain anything from people's blood so vampires have pretty stilted growth. She'd likely make sure you were a very good solid weight before she turns you so you have plenty of strength to not hurt as much during the turning process. Of course you'll gain pretty decently with Raphael because you are like a goddess to her and so she must make sure you are satisfied with everything in your life including food. Plus she wants you to enjoy human food while you can before she turns you and makes you her eternal goddess. ♡

♡ The food will taste very good, she realizes it's selfish of her to be planning to take her dearest sunflower from their human life full of good cuisine but she just couldn't imagine not being your servant for eternity so it has to be done. In the meantime she'll make sure you have lots of very wonderful tasting things so you can have a fond memory before you switch to only blood. She will of course also make sure you get tasty humans when you're turned but there's less variety there. ♡

♡ It's sexual while you're a human in some aspects, anything she considers serving you in automatically going to be a huge turn on to her though she'll try to deny that because then she might start to wonder if she's being really selfish but she really does try to ignore the sexual parts and keep telling herself this is just so you can enjoy human life before she turns you. Once she turns you providing you blood is insanely sexual, every part of watching you drain a person or even take some of her own blood turns her on, she wants to fuck over it so badly if you would allow her and only then does she allow herself to enjoy the changes that happened to your human body when she plumped you up prior to turning. ♡

♡ You'll definitely be gaining with Veronia even without her going full attempting so of course when she's actually trying, probably in part to make sure you have more on you to not freeze to death this winter, you'll gain a pretty good amount in a quick amount of time. Remember she hibernates for the winter so she already stocks up food just for herself to have extra she can burn during the winters so she'll do even more for her fragile human mate, fragile compared to a dragon at least. It's pretty easy to gain with her when she is always going out and bringing you back things including a giant bear she expect the both of you to share. ♡

♡ The food might not be the tastiest all the time, she's not a very good cook and you live in the forest and she can't read so she's going to have a harder time making these fancy things you might like but merchants are also scared of her so when they come to offer tribute the moment they learn she has a mate now they bring sweets for you, don't worry she can smell if they're poisoned so no one can sneak something in to try and kill her mate thus killing her. Those are only like once weekly though so you're not going to have the really fancy stuff constantly. The meat she does bring you is pretty good tasting still. ♡

♡ She does is primarily for the you not getting too cold in the winters reasons, doesn't mean she's not going to get sexual about it though, especially if her mate is turned on by it, she can smell when you're horny so she might start to get into her weird princess roleplay with it especially when later she asks a merchant to read a book so found out loud to her and finds the book says princess's are spoiled and eat lots of foods, probably the exact same smutty romance novel Abigail read. Anyways once she hears that she might get into a weird princess dragon roleplay where the dragon has caught the poor princess and is plumping them up. ♡

♡ I'm going to include Bisley for the both of them because as feeders they work best if you include them as a team, it just brings out so much good potential in them when it comes to this. Separately not only are these some of the busiest people in the court but they also don't have enough strategy to ensure this is done properly. Bibi gets tasty foods but lacks the attention span required for this and Ainsley has the time to do things like that in her tower but doesn't know a lot about where to get tasty food because she is inside all of the time but as a unit they make up for the short comings of the other and make sure that you will gain from this and you will like it. ♡

♡ As mentioned above Bibi knows where to get the good foods, since she used to steal the really good stuff in the past and now that she's the court executioner she can get her hands on a lot more than she ever could when she was stealing before but on top of that even if you don't like the foods their providing Ainsley has that magic dick juice that makes you really loopy so you don't even complain when they've been stuffing your face with stuff for awhile now because it's coated in Aisnley's… fluids. Bibi's own body fluids don't provide a benefit like Ainsley's but when she finds out Ainsley is doing it, she wants to as well. ♡

♡ For Ainsley she can put your body through more experiments if you can gain because she can push your body harder so basically a sexual reason that she disguises as being more scientific. For Bibi she enjoys the cuddling part alot though it is also very sexual in her opinion. She likes to rub her micro dick all over your now extra soft skin. You probably have ore areas she can tickle now too so of course with her tickle kink she's going to get off to that as well. They're both very sexual about it just one pretends it's more about the practicality of it and one just openly admits she's horny. ♡

[adviceformefromme]

Hi! Thank you for the health advice! I would love to quit or significantly reduce carbs, I also feel like it's heavy on my body, but so many meals revolve around grains (sourdough bread mostly) and I guess there's a craving aspect to it too... Could you give advice on what you're eating instead?? I have lots of eggs, fish, occasional meat, plenty of fruit, just enough veg haha but i find it hard to imagine going without carbs (or grains more specifically cos I have no prob with vege carbs). Especially in winter 😋 Thank you for any help 🙏🙏

I feel like society has normalised feeling heavy and lethargic after meals, but its amazing you have noticed this and want to change!

You may want to cut carbs gradually (no starches - breads, grains, rice, pasta, potatoes).

I would recommend looking into GI index to see what foods are high glucose, following Hormone Balancing recipes, juices etc (usually very low carb and support women's health). Listening to podcasts on microbiome, or even a tiktok search.

Introducing pre/ probiotics: I make sauerkraut (which is basically cabbage / onions in water and salt left to ferment for a few days - lots of variations on this), also just made my first batch of Kefir (I stay away from store bought Kefir as its pasturised and all the good stuff has been killed off during this process). I mention these as a healthy gut is going to support you as you remove carbs and introduce more wholesome foods.

Breakfasts:

Omlette (spinach / onion / parsley )

Scrambled eggs w/ coconut oil

Buckwheat porridge w/ blueberries (buckwheat is a seed not a grain so low glucose index)

Avocado salad (seeds, olives, rocket, tomatoes, cucumber) +tahini

Snacks:

Nuts, olives, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon

Main meals:

Veg + Protein (Broccli, kale, butternut squash, courgette, carrots, asparagus, cabagge, peppers). I do different variations of veg to mix things up, sometimes i do Chinese style stir fry, I try to add garlic and ginger as much as possible into the veg. Protein is usually grass fed steak, whole fish - seabream, sea bass, mackerel, cod fillet, wild salmon fillet, or turkey breast fillet. I make chimichurri sauce to add some extra flavour to the fish.

Protein + lentil / chicpeas dish. I have a stew a few days a week to break up the veggies because they do get boring after a while.

Bone broth. I boil the bones, and have as a little side dish with veggies but this isn't really filling enough for a main meal.

I make beetroot juice, and also watermelon juice, tumeric + ginger shots throughout the week. I try to throw in flaxseed and chia seeds where possible.

I cut coffee/ decaf all that and now only drinking fresh mint tea, slice of lemon + hot water, fresh juices (within the hour of making), and water ensuring 2l per day.

Number one thing that had to go was oats. So if you are having a morning crash I suggest cutting the carbs first thing. I know there are suggestions (glucose goddess) that fat with carbs or when you eat them (having carbs after veg can help) but personally i think its best to cut them.

I hope this helps! Its a full lifestyle change that has honestly helped so much! It's a commitments, but investing in feeling good and your health will make you feel so good and wholesome! xoxoxo

*I used the free 1 month trial of MyFitnessPal app to track my calories/ meals to ensure I was getting enough food - for some this might be extreme but super helpful to see what’s going on.

[daydreamgoddess14]

Home Time

MASTERLIST

11 hours on a bus back from Amsterdam is a long time.

~~~~~~~~~

They'd cycled through a number of crowd favourites - Three Little Birds, followed by Sweet Caroline, Livin on a Prayer and a stellar duet of Starman by Rebecca and Piggy Stardust... Once they'd left the city, Ted stood to address the bus.

"First rule on my bus, same as the outbound journey - only number ones on the bus. No number twos, no negotiation. If anyone toots on the bus, they find their own way home." Nods and murmurs sounded throughout. "We have a journey time of about 11 hours ahead of us, first stop is Ghent after lunch, then we plow on to Calais for the boat at 4.30 this afternoon. We should be back in Richmond by 8pm. Where I expect you all to go straight to bed. We have lunch on board, kindly picked up by Will and Higgyboy. What's my snack rule fellas?"

"Share snacks, Coach"

"That's right, you will share those fizzy sour haribos I like so much - especially with me. You wanna sleep? Fine by me, I'll stick a DNR on you-"

"DND" Beard interrupted 

"Oh right, yeah, course. No need for DNRs, I'd happily resuscitate any one of you guys, no fear there! You don't wanna sleep, we've got card decks, Uno, and some other games. Also - book swap! I finished a very exciting cozy murder mystery involving a baking club this morning, if anyone wants to give it a whirl. Lookin' at you Royster. Other than that, relax, rest and I'll catch up with y'all in a bit."

"Thanks Coach" various voices spoke up. Once Ted was seated again, Higgins made his way down the coach aisle with a takeaway cup which he popped down in front of Rebecca. 

"Leslie you wonderful man. How did you know?"

"Didn’t see you at the hotel breakfast, and I was picking up lunch for everyone anyway. It is coffee though, I'm afraid."

"I'll survive, thank you. So much." Rebecca smiled warmly. "How was your evening of jazz?"

"Oh it was excellent, young Will enjoyed it too. Isn't it a lovely city?"

"I saw less of it than I expected to be honest." Rebecca gave a small shrug. Try as he might, Ted was struggling to avoid eavesdropping, fortunately Rebecca didn't offer any further information. "Could you order me a new phone please? Do you think we could have one at the club for tomorrow morning?" Higgins pulled his phone out of his pocket and started an online basket,

"Of course, shouldn't be a problem. Did you want the new model, and in pink?"

"Yes please, that would be perfect. I'm afraid mine is in the bottom of the canal. Can we access my account remotely to forward any calls?"

"Yes, yes, calls only though - messages don't get retrieved until you get your new phone?"

Rebecca caught Ted's eye and smirked. 

"That's not a problem, I'm sure I can get caught up on those tomorrow. Ted, would you mind putting a message on the group chat to let everyone know I'm incommunicado please?"

"Sure thing boss, betcha those little fishes wish they had thumbs for textin!"

After a couple of hours on some team admin, Ted checking ferry tickets, Rebecca checking passports and passing the takeout coffee across the table for him to share until the dregs were too cold to drink. Ted moved towards the front of the bus where he leaned down to speak with Will. Between them, they reached into the overhead lockers and started pulling out boxes and bags of sandwiches with cured deli meats, cheese and salad. Bags of salty crisps came next, and then a selection of bottled soft drinks. Far from the heavily curated super healthy menus they were used to, their comfort lunch was well received. Ted stayed down the front of the bus, taking Will's seat so he could talk with Trent.

"Good night, Trent?"

"Most enjoyable thanks Ted. A very welcoming city."

"That's great to hear, good to have you with us."

"I've said it before, the team is on a remarkable journey. It's a privilege to be alongside." Ted gripped Trent's shoulder in gratitude before taking an open rubbish bag up the aisle to collect the lunch wrappers. 

He paused between Isaac and Dani,

"You boys doing OK? It was a pleasant surprise to see you all at breakfast this morning."

"We stayed in, Coach. Did something you'd be proud of, I think." Isaac's smile grew.

"Coach, we had a pillow fight. It was the most glorious and wholesome experience for me, I felt like I was in a sorority girls movie" Dani beamed.

"Well that sounds pretty dang great! I am proud of you! And it was probably a darn sight less seedy than those sorority movies, Dani."

"For sure Coach, we all kept our clothes on!"

"Hey, that's fantastic! But y'all get naked with whoever you want to, as long as you're in agreement then who the heck cares! I would not stand in the way of true love or male bonding rituals. And I've heard how English folks love a bit of bonding." Ted patted both players on the shoulder before leaning closer to Isaac's ear. "Great job, Captain. Really great job." Isaac nodded solemnly at the praise and sniffed a little at the suddenly dusty bus. 

Further on making his way to the back of the bus, Ted stopped again between Roy and Jamie.

"Coach! I taught Roy howta ride a bike! We saw the whole city!"

"Alright Jamie, put it there!" Ted put a hand up for a high five. "Glad you fellas got some time together." Roy growled,

"We're together every fucking day." He looked at Ted, who discreetly nodded towards Jamie, who's eyes had dropped to the floor. "But..." He added, "it's not every day you learn to ride a bike. Or see a windmill. Or see a city like this." Jamie's head snapped up. "Cheers Tartt, you fucking tart. It was a pretty great fucking night in the end" Jamie's smirked, Ted nodded happily at Roy and moved on. 

He dropped the rubbish bag into the stairwell of the coach loo and sat in Rebecca's previous seat at the table. She'd moved round to talk to Beard, who was busy showing her Ted's epiphanious notebook. 

"Coach Beard has been explaining your method to me."

"Not his method" Beard interrupted, Rebecca slapped his hand.

"I don't care when it was invented and who by, I care that Ted believes in it." Beard rolled his eyes.

"Happy to tell you about it boss. Time for our first stop though so let's get us a coffee and some sugar first. Need to get you some caffeine so my explaining doesn't send you to sleep." Ted smiled at Rebecca as the bus pulled to a halt at a service station. They were about to start getting off the bus when the sound of Dani weeping travelled through the bus. 

The field next to the service station was awash with pale pink tulips.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca marveled at the calibre and quantity of sweet treats being passed up and down the bus, the team never missed her out of the distribution loop - randomly shouting recommendations. She contributed a tray of caramel cookies which had been so well received, they'd earned her a huge cheer. 

"Ms W, try these bad boys from Moe - they're so good!" Jamie put a bag of fizzy jelly sweets in front of her and she took a couple. Jamie's face contorted as he took a bite, "Uuugggh they're so sour!" The grimace turned to a grin, "Sooo good!"

"I love the sour ones!" Rebecca took a bit and felt the sour notes hit her tastebuds "Oooh, that's amazing!" Across the table, Ted watched as the team embraced having the boss on the bus with them, Beard was napping across the very back seats so he and Rebecca had a card game in front of them - he was trying to teach her poker. "Ted likes the sour ones too," she passed the bag along to him, "try these."

"That's cos they start out sour and prickly but they suddenly go sweet without you noticing." He grinned at Rebecca, Jamie had turned back to his teammates who were playing some sort of 20 questions game in teams of 3 or 4. "So it's time boss, I'm mentally, spiritually and cosmically prepared for the story of how you lost your phone." Rebecca smiled, the last 5 bus hours with her team had been just as soothing to her soul as the previous night had been. 

"I was on the phone to Sassy who was trying to persuade me to take drugs and visit prostitutes-"

"Standard Sassy"

"Standard Sassy. I was stood in a bike lane, stupidly. I just got pushed and prodded right over the barrier on the bridge, straight into the water." Ted's eyes widened, 

"Holy smokes boss, why the heck didn't you say sooner? Are you hurt?" she brushed his concern away with a hand wave, 

"Just my pride. Anyway, a gentleman on a houseboat rescued me, I was drenched-" She stopped suddenly and shivered. Ted was quick to remove his sweater and pass it over the table. 

"and?" He prompted.

"He plied me with wine and food, I slept on his sofa and with no phone and no one I could contact, I just... relaxed. I learned to just... be, I think. Nothing at all against you, or Keeley or Sass, but you've all seen the very worst of me. This stranger hadn't, it felt like a total reset of my brain. I don't need to worry about what Rupert thinks anymore, or how he'd control my every mouthful and movement," she gestured to the sweets, chocolate and coffee cups next to them, "I don't need to care about what my mother thinks. I can just be myself. I just need to relearn who that is." She shrugged. Ted had fallen completely still and silent,

"I'm proud of you, boss. You're finally on the same page as the rest of us. These boys adore you, they'd go to war for you. We all would. Believe me, if you could see you the way we see you, you'd know how loved you are around here." He looked down the aisle at the team laughing and joking together, Rebecca's eyes filled with tears, she let them fall for the first time in a long time - no longer needing to hold the facade of total control, elegance and fortitude. She nodded, unable to speak for a few moments. Something was creeping around the edges of her mind, she looked at Ted with a small smile. His t-shirt was dark for a change, he usually wore white. There was some sort of band name, slogan, album cover. She couldn't see with the way his arms were crossed and leaning on the table. 

"Could I borrow a page of your notebook please?" she asked, he passed her the whole thing and a pen. Quietly, she flipped to a blank page and tapped the pen against her lips, thinking with a frown.

"Something on your mind?"

"Just trying to work something out." 

"I'm gonna do a check on the boys, I'll leave you to it for a bit." 

"Green matchbook," she mumbled before writing it down, followed by the initials S.O. "Shite," she wrote, with J.W alongside, her mind beginning to flow more freely, "drenched," she didn't have initials to add, but wrote 'boat guy'. "What was next?" she muttered. "Thunder and lightning..." Beard snorted in his sleep, she looked across and took in the full Piggy Stardust experience with a grin. There was a lightning bolt on his outfit. She froze immediately and looked down at the book and then around the bus frantically. Ted was coming back from his tour, she could see the t-shirt clearly now. It was an old Springsteen tour shirt with Thunder Road scrawled across the front. Rebecca’s jaw dropped,

"Don't know about you boss, but I was not built to spend eleven hours on a bus." He stretched his arms up to touch the roof of the coach. The t-shirt lifted slightly, exposing a neat line of his stomach. Rebecca’s brain was going into overload, the jumbled, rambling thoughts making no sense and in no particular order. 

"Fuck me." She muttered, Ted looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. 

"Well, ordinarily I'd offer to buy dinner first. I don't like to be too presumptuous." Rebecca saw the glint in his eye and felt the heat pool in her stomach. "Our very own Van Damme would like to know if we'll join the guys for a game of poker? I said you were still in training so he suggested we team up." He dropped to her ear level and whispered, "They're playing for M 'n' Ms, the peanut ones." 

"I don't like peanuts."

"That's a shame, I'll have to keep yours and I'll trade you for something else." He winked and offered his hand. As she took it, she felt something bolt in her heart. Thunder and lightning. That crazy old bint might have been onto something after all.

~~~~~~~~~

Ted had often wondered about couples or friends who could hold entire conversations with their eyes. He and Beard could do it. He and Michelle could not. He was starting to regret his over tired flirtatious behaviour a little while ago because he was now sitting in very close proximity to Rebecca and having a full conversation via eye contact. His eyes which had spent all morning quietly looking at Rebecca. Her legs in those jeans, wearing his sweater, sharing his coffee and snacks, her tired but content smile... He might have been slightly bitten by the love bug, but he thinks they might be better at this than he and Beard. And that's saying something. She sought his approval on her hand of cards, sure, but she was also regarding him with some weird combination of awe, lust, love... and trepidation. And shock. Not shock horror, fortunately. More like revelatory shock. Also a bit of relief. He nearly laughed aloud, that sure was a lot of feelings for one person to be feeling. In reply, she saw humour, confusion and something else she couldn't quite understand.

They were in the coach queue at the ferry port, once boarded, they'd be let off to get food and wander around the boat for an hour. They were all dying to stretch their legs and get some fresh air, the bus was starting to get stuffy and with over a dozen grown men in the bus, there was a distinctly locker room smell going on. They were all starting to flag, curling in on themselves and each other for somewhere to rest their heads. The poker game was over, Rebecca had played well for a novice, but Van Damme dominated the game. He wouldn't take her last 'all in' effort though, and told her to keep her handful of M 'n' Ms which she immediately handed over to Ted. Once the coach was settled in the belly of the ferry, Higgins hopped off to provide tickets and passports. He returned after a while with a weary "We're OK to get off for a bit. We need to be back on the coach twenty minutes before we dock at Dover so let's call it 5.30pm. An hour or freedom before our final furlong."

"I suggest you guys eat? Saves you the job later when we get home, we don't all have a Julie Higgins at home with a hot dinner." Beard offered. 

"Buy you a bourbon, Ted?" Rebecca offered. She wasn't sure the bank card that had been in her pocket would still work, but she had others in her unscathed bag. 

"As tired as I am, I cannot refuse that offer." He'd made it to the coach door before her and held out a hand to help her on the steep steps, which she gratefully took. She didn't let it go once she was on solid ground. They ordered chips to share, and coffees spiked with bourbon and took them onto the upper deck of the ferry where the sea breeze was fierce but welcomed. Most of the team had had the same idea and were enjoying the cool air of the English Channel. Even when they had the opportunity to be apart, they all wanted to be together, Rebecca marvelled. She nudged Ted and nodded her head towards the group a few rows down from them.

"Looks like Isaac has had his John Keating moment." She smiled, knowing with certainty that he'd get the Dead Poet's Society reference. He put a hand over his heart,

"Oh Captain! My Captain! Are you kiddin' me boss?!" She rolled her eyes,

"Ted! I'm not completely pop culturally illiterate you know." He laughed, handing her the last of the chips. "But something has definitely clicked with them."

"They had a pillowfight last night."

"In a sex club?"

"Nope."

"In a pot bar?"

"Nope. At the hotel. They had a couple of drinks, had a pillowfight, and went to bed. Sam was telling me. They spent so long trying to decide what to do - because they only wanted to do something together - that they ran out of time to actually go out and do something."

"It's sweet that they wanted to be together."

"It is, it bodes well for what Beard and I have planned for next week. Freedom, to move around the pitch fully supporting each other. True and meaningful teamwork."

"Oi fuckers! Back to the bus!" Roy bellowed from the front of the deck.

"Looks like the boss has spoken." Rebecca said with a wry smile.

"Oh you just wait til I tell you what he got up to last night, boss. It's such a doozy, I'm saving it for biscuits with the boss." Ted wiggled his eyebrows and took the empty tray and coffee cup from Rebecca, taking them to the nearest bin and then waiting for her to join him.

Back on the bus, silence had descended. Most were listening to music, waiting TV on their phones, or sleeping. Beard had moved to the front to sit with Trent, leaving plenty of space for Rebecca and Ted to lay across the seats. They lay either side of the table, their heads meeting at the top. They'd been unconsciously connected since she'd gotten on the bus that morning, hardly leaving each others side and sharing everything. 

"I'm sorry if I worried you last night." She whispered, turning to lay on her stomach so she could see him better, he did the same making them practically nose to nose.

"Freedom to move around boss. Sounded like you needed it. I'm sorry about the overload of messages. When you actually do see them, I'd just like to remind you that Beard gave me drugged tea. I was probably 'too much Ted'." Rebecca searched his face, she felt like she was truly seeing him.

"I think there might be no such thing as 'too much Ted'." 

"Well, Michelle certainly thinks there is."

"She's wrong. Very wrong." Rebecca said firmly. "Rupert thinks women should be seen and not heard, shouldn't run football clubs and shouldn't speak their mind."

"He's wrong. Very wrong." Ted repeated her words softly.

Y'know someone left a bottle of bourbon in my kitchen after my summer barbecue. When I get home, I'm taking a glass to my bath."

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day. Save me a spot."

"Of the bourbon or in the bath?" Rebecca asked boldly, quietly.

"Both." He replied with a slight shrug and a knowing smile. 

"Do you ever feel like things happen that are purely happening so they can lead you, draw you to something else more important?" Rebecca leaned up on her elbows, angling her body closer toward Ted.

"I sure do boss. We have to go through the mess so we can make progress"

"A work in prog-mess."

"Exactly." He blushed and looked down to where their hands were nearly joined, "Becca... I would really like to kiss you?"

"I would love nothing more, but I do think we probably shouldn't do it on this bus?" Ted lifted his head right up above the table to look down the bus.

"They're all asleep or distracted. No one's gonna know but you and me." He whispered.

"Well in that case, it would be rude not to." She smiled and reached towards him. The terrible angle allowed for the briefest chaste kiss, but it was enough. "Struck by fucking lightning." Rebecca said in awe as the bus pulled into the AFC Richmond carpark, the sun lowering over the training pitch and covering her home in a golden light.

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! In spite of the demonisation of white rice, from family to friends to colleagues, this remains the staple carbohydrate in this region. None of us are overweight btw, and that says a lot, so what gives? I've covered how much more active we are compared to the West in a previous post; let's delve into another layer of this complex aspect of our lives: food choices. How we choose to eat is directly co-related with how active we are if we eat moderately healthy. I'll talk about other aspects of our diet in future posts; today, we'll focus on white rice and how we're able to eat it all the time without gaining significant amounts of weight.

In the West and those who follow them, it's all about protein, protein and more protein *yawn* Look where it got them - people who thought they could get away with being overweight while weight lifting suffered from heart attacks and had to lose the weight anyway. Here, it's more about balanced diets. So we eat white rice or noodles, vegetables and fish, seafood, meat, tofu and eggs. Some ignorant people think we eat less meat because it's expensive; actually, it's the opposite. Some seafood and fish cost much more than meat in this region because they're lower in saturated fat and thus are healthier.

By eating very filling balanced meals, we have very little stomach room for fast food and junk foods. You hardly see cakes, cookies and ice cream in this blog because I don't eat them often. Stomach space is reserved for nutritious meals. Dessert is mostly fruit and snacks are fruit, nuts and soya bean milk. We don't eat whole bags of chips or candy bars because we're too full after breakfast, lunch and dinner. So we eat white rice and noodles very regularly and, on top of exercise, our meals are so filling that we don't need to snack on unhealthy stuff.

Wholegrains offer negligible amounts of added fibre to us. We consume alot of fibre anyway from vegetables, fruit and some nuts. So the takeaway is this: we're not that obsessed with protein here. Rather, the focus in on balanced meals with adequate vegetables and a variety of proteins in moderate amounts. We prefer protein with lower saturated fat so red meat is eaten when the occasion calls for it, such as recuperating from illness or cooler weather. At all other times, fish, seafood, eggs and tofu will take centre stage in our daily lives where protein is concerned. We still focus heavily on veggies though, for good reason.

No matter how the US tries to paint us as eating more fish and seafood because meat is more expensive, it won't change our view. After all, we don't trust you. Eat all the meat that you want. If you die from colorectal cancer and heart attacks, it doesn't concern us anyway. You have your way of life, we have ours. White rice will remain our carbohydrate of choice. You may believe your way is best but... your people are dying, those of us who eat the way we do aren't. Let the facts speak for themselves.

下次见!

[cazort]

I get really frustrated when I see people characterizing impulse buys as "self-care".

Self-care isn't buying something unhealthy with a high unit price because you have a food craving when you look at it in line to check out at the cashier. Self-care isn't buying an overpriced, crappily-made piece of clothing that you don't need and will rarely wear.

Self-care is making sure you are well-fed to begin with so that you don't have the food craving to begin with.

Self-care is buying something that is both tasty and healthy. Don't buy that coffee drink or candy bar.

Self-care is buying clothing or shoes that are comfortable, practical, and well-made. Stuff that both looks good and feels good, that meets a need in your life, and that will continue looking and feeling good for many years of use.

Companies work really hard to try to get people to make impulse buys that are basically a rip-off. The item is itself typically junk (low-cost to produce, examples would be candy, sweetened coffee drinks made with various syrups, or fast fashion) and also overpriced for what it is (often when there is a whole bag of them for sale in the back of the store for a lower unit price, or with clothing or shoes, a ton of them for a fraction of the price in thrift stores or for sale like-new on Poshmark.)

People underestimate just how much these impulse buys can affect your finances. For one there's the simple fact that you're paying more for something you could get much cheaper if you shopped around and bought it more mindfully.

Also, in many cases the purchase itself doesn't even help you. If you're eating empty calories, it isn't actually nourishing your body. You will be just as hungry later, and you may have harmed your health. Medical expenses tend to be much more costly than food. You may actually be costing yourself more in the long-run by buying and eating junk. Impulse-bought clothes may just take up space in your closet until you give them away or throw them out, or they might decrease your quality-of-life like uncomfortable shoes or clothing that looks good but is too cold or too warm for when you'd want to wear it, or they might just wear out super fast.

Because the purchase itself is somewhere between near-worthless and actively harmful, you often end up just as needy in the long-run so you end up spending more because of the impulse buys.

If you really want to use "retail therapy" as self-care, try to think holistically. I definitely treat myself to luxuries sometimes. For example I might splurge on salmon, a fish that is expensive but healthy (high in omega 3 and vitamin D, two nutrients most people are deficient in.) Or I might buy myself a new pair of sneakers, a model that I know is super comfortable and well-made, in a color I like.

Ways to break out of impulse-buying cycles:

Journal and write down when during the past week you have had food cravings and made impulse food purchases. Go out and buy healthy snacks such as nuts and fresh or dried fruit, and pack and carry them with you so you have food on hand in those situations where you made impulse buys before. Alternatively, batch-cook and pack freshly-made food items in a container and then eat them when you get hungry so you aren't hungry when faced with foods to impulse buy. You can save incredible amounts this way. A $2 container of peanuts at ALDI could last you for weeks as you snack on it and avoid buying $20 or more worth of junk food from vending machines.

Do an inventory of your wardrobe and shoes and accessories, and write down any gaps in it. Start looking proactively for things that you need but don't have. Go to thrift stores, and/or shop for them used online, or better yet, look for them at clothing swaps or in local online groups where people give free items away. Go into retail stores before you are desperate for an item, and try items on but think carefully about the price. If something is what you want, but expensive, right down the brand and model and then shop for it online, or go back to the retail store later in the season to see if it went on clearance.

Journal and reflect on anything else you impulse-bought, and try to replicate the same process of the above things. Was the buy meeting a craving or need in the moment? If so, find a more sustainable, cheaper way to satisfy that need long-term. Also for any durable / non-perishable goods you sometimes impulse buy, do an inventory of what you own and what you need, and then when out shopping, keep an eye out for what you need and avoid things (or at least get much more selective about price and quality) for the things you don't need.

A lot of breaking out of impulse buying is about changing how you think about buying things and about self-care.

Buying things can be a form of self-care but there is a right way to do it. The right way thinks both about price and about the effect of the item on your life, and involves only buying things that both improve your life and have a good price.

Learn to feel good about passing up expensive items. See that shirt that you just tried on and looks fantastic on you, but that has a tag of $54, and then think about those two similar shirts you bought for $8 each in a thrift store recently. Think about how you could buy 6 shirts for the price of that one. Your $54 is worth more than that shirt. You want that money, you love having that money in your account. You love being financially secure, financially stable. That is way more important to you than getting that shirt you don't even need.

You feel good passing up the item. That's how you break out of impulse buys.

[catfoodblog]

Do cats eat eggs? An in-depth look at cat nutrition with information on eggs

Eggs are a healthy food that can be used in many ways. Protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals make up most of them. Eggs are a great way for people to get protein, B vitamins, and essential amino acids. We wonder, "Can cats eat eggs?" because of this.

Do cats eat eggs?

In a scientific sense, cats can eat eggs in small amounts because they are a great source of protein. But people should be careful because eggs are high in fat and could contain allergens.

In conclusion

Do cats eat eggs? Eggs are safe for cats to eat as long as they are well-cooked and given in small amounts.

Can cats eat eggs?

Cats might be interested in eggs because they smell and taste good, or they might want to try what their owner is eating. Eggs are not inherently bad for cats, but eating a lot of them can make them gain weight because they are high in fat. Do cats eat eggs? Eggs can be a protein-rich snack in small amounts. They may also contain vitamins and essential amino acids.

Are eggs dangerous for cats?

Cats can eat eggs without getting sick. But it's very important not to feed raw eggs because they could be contaminated with Salmonella or E. Coli. Do cats eat eggs? Eggs can make you fat and may make conditions like pancreatitis worse if you already have them.

Eggs are good for cats.

Eggs have a lot of protein and amino acids, and they also have small amounts of vitamins B12 and riboflavin. When you cook an egg the right way, it can give your cat extra protein, which can help its muscles grow and heal. Do cats eat eggs? Eggs, for example, can be a great extra source of protein for cats that are sick or recovering from surgery.

How Many Eggs Can Cats Eat?

Your cat should only get a small amount of well-cooked egg once or twice a week, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. Do cats eat eggs? Eggs can provide extra protein and some important nutrients if they are given in moderation. But eating too much of it can make you fat and cause other health problems, like diarrhea because of the fat.

How to Give Cats Eggs?

Start by giving them a very small amount to see if they have any allergies or stomach problems.

To avoid the risk of bacteria, only offer eggs that are fully cooked.

The egg should only be given as a treat once in a while, not as a meal replacement.

You shouldn't force your cat to eat eggs if it doesn't seem interested. Keep giving them their regular food, or talk to your vet about other options. Make sure the eggs are cooked all the way through to avoid getting bacteria on them.

Other Options and Supplements

There is a lot of protein and omega-3s in fish.

Chicken is yet another great protein source.

Turkey is low in fat and high in protein.

Liver: Full of good things for you, like vitamin A.

Taurine supplements: cats need this amino acid to stay healthy.

Brands of cat food that we recommend:

The Hill's Science Diet

Blue Buffalo

Royal Canin

Eggs are not inherently bad for cats and can even be good for them in some ways, but they should only be given as a treat once in a while and not every day. Do cats eat eggs? Before making any changes to your pet's food, you should talk to your vet to get personalized advice.

[phenqofficialwebsite]

PhenQ Where To Buy - Does This Product Really Work?

When you begin your weight loss journey, it is essential that you do not allow yourself to quit before you reach your target weight. Fortunately, there phenq where to buy are many invaluable resources available that will help you as you embark on your weight loss journey. The following guide is an example of those resources. It contains helpful information you can use to reach your goals.

Introduction

If you wish to lose weight you ought to keep a daily food journal. By keeping track of all foods and beverages consumed throughout the day, and under what circumstances they are selected, it becomes easier to remain accountable for your dietary patterns. Knowledge of what kinds of situations trigger your overeating can help you adjust your behavior and adopt healthier habits.

When trying to lose weight, pay attention to the way that you prepare your own food. This can be a simple way to cut back calories and fat content when cooking at home. When cooking meat, try to bake, boil, grill, or broil as much as possible. Stay away from pan frying or deep frying. Grilling is a perfect way to burn away the fat while preparing a tasty dish.

Keep a log to track your workouts. Record the time you spend, the distances you cover and the weight you lift. This will allow you to track your improvements and also show you the areas that could use a little bit of extra work. It can also tell you when you need to increase the challenge of your workouts.

Weight loss could quickly become fishy business. Adding fish to your diet has benefits for your heart, muscles, and skin. Tuna and salmon are both good and versatile choices, try them fresh and for a fast snack, try the canned varieties. Canned varieties are usually more cost effective too.

Does It Work Effectively?

Although potatoes can be a really healthy food item for you, you should try to avoid this starchy vegetable most of the time. A potato every now and again won't hurt you, but this vegetable contains those carbohydrates that will go straight to your waistline, especially if you're eating fries or chips.

Instead of rewarding yourself with a cookie or snack cake for a job well done, think about going out and purchasing some new clothes instead. Buying a new outfit is much better than an unhealthy snack. When's the last time you strutted around with your new box of chocolates to show off for friends?

If you are having trouble losing weight, then you might want to try natural health supplements which can boost your metabolism. These fine supplements give your metabolism a boost, helping you digest food more quickly, allowing you to lose more weight more quickly. Make sure you check out weight loss supplements today.

Chew gum to suppress your appetite. The next time you want a snack, just grab a piece of gum. While gum is not filling, the taste and movement of your jaw can trick your body into feeling like it is eating. Make sure the gum you are chewing is sugarless.

Ingredients in PhenQ

One vital tip for successful weight loss is to avoid drinks with high amounts of calories. Even though some fruit drinks can be good for you, some have high amounts of sugar and calories. The best thing you can drink is water. Most of your body is composed of water. Therefore, it makes sense that your body needs water, in order to operate effectively and efficiently.

A great way to lose some weight is to ensure that your dishes are not too large. If you are very large plates, you may be dishing out extra-large portions without realizing it. Target a nine inch plate for your meals. Any bigger and you are using a plate that is too large.

Find a healthy substitute for something you just have to have. You have a strong weakness for candy bars, and don't want to give up that daily dose of chocolate? Buy a bag of the miniature version, and limit yourself to one or two of those a day. If you need to separate them into snack baggies and label them with the day of the week to stick to this, then do it.

One way to make sure to stick to your weight loss goals, it to always have vegetables in your fridge. When you have time try sauteing a bag of frozen mixed veggies with some olive oil and garlic. You can add some pepper or turmeric for flavor, and keep them in the fridge in serving size portions.

There is no easy way to lose weight except just putting in the work. Proper eating on a consistent basis and daily exercise, are the safest phenq official website ways to lose weight. Adding a few supplements to help burn fat might be an option, but discuss it with your doctor before adding them to your diet.

One way to quickly lose weight is to reduce one's salt intake. Reducing the sodium one adds to foods will adjust the taste buds to the lower levels of salt thereby increasing one's awareness of the natural taste of food and curb one's salt cravings. Avoid fast food; it has very high salt content.

Final Recap

Stay consistent by eating meals at a regular time each day. This helps your body to know when the next wave of food is coming, and staves off snacking. Also, schedule a time for snacks. Creating an eating schedule reduces the risk of overeating.

Gauge the portion size of meat by the palm of your hand. You can also think of a healthy size portion as being the approximate size of a deck of cards. If you keep these visual images in mind you aren't as likely to load your plate up with too much meat and blow your diet for the day.

To conclude, there is plenty of excellent advice out there to help you in your quest to lose weight. The article you just read is one such resource that can help you get started losing weight.

[moonedman]

All other sagas done in previous or future posts

Thunder Saga

Suffering

Fun fact this song doesn’t have any viola to foreshadow that it’s not Penelope

It does have a lot of piano, which is Athena’s instrument. If that means anything to you guys.

Real fans know Odysseus isn’t a bitch coward

“Take the sufffering from you” by KILLING HIM she’s not wrong though

If i remember correctly odysseus was a boat guy before he was a soldier so this song is so goofy to me [he is NOT afraid of the water}

Manipulation time

“Oh nooo” she is not invested

Manipulating the ocean and direction fixation smh

I can’t imagine watching my captain do this

“The things I do for you” yeah we know you’re going to do anything to get home to your wife.

Different Beast

Hehe the transition

The hiss

Hough ho ho

I’m so insane about this voice acting

“We are the ones that feast now” sirens literally just want a snack this guys never heard of a healthy ecosystem and food chain

Killing them all couldn’t have been good for the fish population

This is going to affect the trout population

“Man made monster” they’re changingggg

Storytime

“No more of us deceased now” boy howdy do i have new for you.

“Can’t take more risks of not seeing my wife” he really lives up to that his life is his priority in a way

He genuinely. Didn’t need to drown them. Also so many of his own men drowned. Like buddy.

“He is the different beast now” switching the lyrics up because. Nobody else could be thinking that. He’s becoming more of a monster than everybody else

Not that it’s a competition

This won’t have any lasting consequences, surely

Scylla

Her vocals are so good

Now is not the fucking time Eurylochus

“Hm I just watched Odysseus ruthlessly kill a bunch of sirens and come back from the underworld a little different. Is that a scary cave we’re going into? Yeah, i need to tell him about the bag”

“Leaving them feeling betrayed” odysseus feeling right now and his crew in two minutes and thirty seven seconds

“Breaking the bonds that you’ve made” same thing they’re betraying each other this will continue to happen

Eurylochus can apologize Odysseus take notes

“We both know what it takes to survive” god i love this song because it’s like Scylla is talking to Odysseus [he’s certainly not talking to his crew may as well talk to Scylla]

“We only care for ourselves” Odysseus rn fr fr

Odysseus you’re so fucked up right now i am insane about you and Eurylochus right now

“Drown your sorrows and fear” odysseus right now and also the end of get in the water

Also. drowning is a very common thing to happen around Odysseus and to himself (he drowns at the end of Get in the Water right that’s what that is i’m not misreading those lyrics and animatics)

“We must to what it takes to survive” laying it on thick that Odysseus is going to end up sacrificing everybody in order to get home.

Eurylochus was going to die in that cave. He was supposed to die in that cage. His brother was going to sacrifice himself along with five others. Instead of the usual “i can talk my way out and find a way out” attitude, he just straight up killed six men willingly.

“We are the same you and I” and Odysseus joining in on the melody? Shoot me dead i love this song it’s easily one of my favorites holy shit

Mutiny

Eurylochus knows Odysseus is a liar and witty. He’s expecting and ready for a lie or elaborate story. Some excuse. And odysseus can’t give him one because what he did was just his plan and final decision

“Six of our friends” one of which was supposed to be him

“Say something” “I can’t” really shows the crew [not just the listener] how far gone he is

Crew backing Eurylochus vocally and literally

“You must carry all the blame” when does the reason become the blame - Odysseus is the reason they’re there in that situation

To an extent

“I am not letting you get in my way” woah buddy. Different beast and Scylla lyrics were really setting that one up.

Perimedes!!

Luck runs out tune

“Relied on wit and then we died on it?” and whooo called it? Eurylochus.

Finally tied to a pole.

What.

Does nobody know their own gods? Like the sun god statue. Golden cows. Hmm. golden cattle being a sun god symbol. Nothing fishy there, right?

So desperate to get home vs giving up

“I need to get home” not we. not them. He does. His life is the only one that really matters to him, deep down.

“We can get home” he’s trying to convince them but we all know this is about him

GOD voice acting i love you

Even after everything they’re still listening to him because they know he’s right

Thunder Bringer

Is he trying to say only he can be proud in the horniest way possible.

He is.

Being able to undress pride in a “I’m stripping away your pride because that’s my job” kind of way

“Pride is a damsel in distress” being a hero and if he’s the only hero he’s the coolest

Word play of “Thunder, bring her” and “Thunder bringer”

God games

He’s holding a lot of gruesome fate and damned weight.

The way everybody throughout the musical sings “please” makes me ill 

His men are watching him become a monster in real time for his wife

I’M ILL ABOUT THEM

Piano? Like Athena?!

I’m so insane about the Ithaca saga do you tumblr people want to hear my full analysis of each song to celebrate

[anime-grimmy-art]

What do you do when there’s not much to an AU? You make up your own stuff, ofc. And as is per usual when I make Character Designs, I make up a shit ton of lore too.

The ramblings under the cut, but what I’m really interested in, is what you guys think. Do you guys have any headcanons/ideas for this AU? Let me hear them! Also, if you don’t wanna read on tumblr, here’s the Google Docs link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/151yshHxnb_--P6eMKkwkI2dee9xC_Llb/view?usp=sharing

Before I get into the characters’ roles, here’s some general facts and backstory of their town:

- Basically, it’s Undertale meets Harvest Moon / Stardew Valley. Well, kinda. I at least used that approach for coming up for the jobs for the characters. You know, how there’s always a general store, a doctor, a smithy, etc.

- The usual story of a HM game is that you come to a town that’s way past its glory days and you, as the player/farmer, help them get back to that. The “backstory” of the town is that that already kinda happened. I’ll get into it more in the character description, but basically when Asgore was still mayor, the town got really popular. Then yadda yadda, a certain tragedy happened, two kids died, and the town suddenly got very bad publicity. There was a lot of stuff going on back then, bad reputation being spread and also a lot of law stuff, cos, you know, supposed child murder ‘n all, so Asgore made the decision to shut off the town to ppl from outside. This was in the interest of most monsters living there, because as fun as it is to have a lot of people coming there, most just wanted to live a quiet life. Not everyone was happy with that though, so many moved away from town and some others are trying to get the town back on its feet. But more on that later.

On to the characters:

I’m just gonna start with the skelebros, cos it’s their fault in the first place I got so invested.

Basically, they are what the player is in hm/sdv. They just showed up one day, took over the abandoned farmhouse and began their life there. The two came to town way after it was “closed” and since then a new mayor has opened the possibility for new residents to move in. Their farm helps the economy of the town a lot and the mayor, like usually in hm games, is trying to use that to make the town more known again. The skelebros aren’t really working towards that goal however.

So, now a bit more detail on them individually.

Papyrus:

- The design is mostly based on what’s “canon” in this au.

- He works mostly on the fields and is in charge of the crops. Their fields aren’t spectacularly big, but still big enough to plant a few dozen rows of veggies. 

- Paps also helps out a lot in town when he has the time. He helps Asgore with his plants, he goes fishing with Undyne, helps Toriel carry crates around and so on. This is inspired by the part-time job mechanic in HM ToT.

- Unbelievably, in this AU Pap is not an absolutely awful cook. Since he helps out at Muffet’s and Grillby’s a lot, they tend to show him some tricks to cooking. Even though Pap’s not a big fan of the greasy or overly sweet cooking those two do, he picks up a lot.

Sans:

- Again, design mostly based on the “canon” look. Maybe a bit more baggy.

- This is finally an AU this dude gets to rest. Since there are no resets and he doesn’t have to see his bro die again and again, for once in his life, he’s not a sad ball of depression. He’s just a chill and lazy dude that loves to make puns. Though, since he’s not too experienced with the feelings of loss, helplessness or grieving, he still tends to hide behind puns and fakes smiles if he does feel bad.

- Sans is in charge of the animals on the farm. Papyrus begrudgingly gave him that role since Pap’s loud demeanour and hectic movements usually scare the animals. Sans’ relaxed attitude draws the animals to him naturally and even if Pap mostly finds him sleep against a tree, in a stack of hay or on one of the sheep, the animals are always fed, healthy and relaxed, so Sans seems to be doing his job.

- Sans always has a small chic sit inside his hoodie or hat. Is it always the same one? Who knows, maybe.

- Sans also, somehow, can produce eggs out of thin air. Grab into his hoodie pocket, in his pants pocket, in his hat, in his slipper, there’s suddenly always an egg there. On good days he can even make butter or cheese appear. 

Gaster:

- He’s literally just a scarecrow in this. Though, if you ask any of the bros why they designed their scarecrow that way, they won’t have an answer.

Frisk&Toriel:

- Frisk is mostly based on what I wore myself as a kid in summer. Just a loose shirt with a cappy. Toriel basically has her ut gown, just with an apron on top.

- Frisk just appeared outside the “magical” forest one day. Napstablook and his cousin found them and brought them to Toriel, who has been taking care of them since.

- Toriel runs the general store in town, but also often takes care of the few kids that still live there.

- Frisk usually helps out in Toriels store, plays with the other kids or sits around at Asgore’s. They’re notorious for nabbing small snacks, mostly from Asgore’s plants. You’ll always find them munching on something. 

- Frisk was in town before the skelebros. Since they’d moved in, Frisk often went to spy on their farm. After a small incident with angry chicken, Frisk got to know the two better and now they see them as something between brothers and uncles.

- But Frisk honestly gets along with everyone. Just like in UT, they’ve not only been adopted by Toriel but literally everyone.

- Toriel and Asgore’s relationship is not as bad as in the main game, since, you know, Asgore didn’t kill literal children, but there’s still tension between them. Back when Asriel and Chara died and the whole thing with the bad rep for the town began, Toriel felt betrayed by Asgore focusing more on the town than giving their deceased kids the grieving they deserved. They’re not divorced, but Toriel still moved out and said needed space to think. Now that Frisk is in the picture though, the both of them are slowly coming to even ground and may even be able to talk things out and clear up the uncertainty of their decisions.

Asgore:

-Asgore has his UT Ending / Deltarune clothes, just with a gardener’s belt.

- He’s the previous mayor of the town, but after all the crap that happened, he stepped down from the position. Now he has his own little shop and sells seeds, saplings, homegrown veggies and fertilizer. So, basically what e.g. the Marimba Farm is in HM AP

- His main customer is Papyrus and they’re on friendly terms. Asgore is worried about how much and how hard Pap works, so he often gives him a discount. 

- Since his family’s past tragedy, Asgore is kind of nervous around kids. So, when he first met Frisk, he hoped they’d not visit him too often. But to his chagrin, Frisk took an instant liking to him and spends a lot of time at his shop (and steals eats the fresh grown veggies). Now, he’s really grateful for that, because for one, he loves Frisk as dearly as he had his own children, and also because now the tension and mistrust between him and Toriel seem to grow smaller day by day.

Undyne&Alphys:

- I gave Undyne a pretty basic fisher’s outfit. Alphys basically has Elli from HM’s outfit, just a bit more doctory stuff added. She still has her canon lab coat too.

- In essence, Undyne and Alphys have 2 completely different jobs. Alphys is the resident doctor and Undyne runs the fish market.

Two things. Yes, I know Alphys is more a mechanic than a doctor, she fits the aesthetic though, so she’s the doc now. And no, Undyne being a fisherwoman is not cannibalism, think of it more as a shark hunting smaller fish.

- The reason I lump them together is because they act as the local “smithy”. Alphys is still really tech savvy in this (I mean, Mettaton is still part of this AU), so she takes on most problems with electronics and stuff. For Undyne, I didn’t want to lose her Royal Guard’s Captain image, so she’s really good at handling tools (and weapons, but Al doesn’t let her make them anymore). So basically, if there’s a broken tool, you can be sure that either Undyne or Alphys can fix it.

- As for relationships, those two are still an item. Alphys is still really shy and a shut-off, but since Undyne and Pap become best friends, she gets to know the skelebros better. She and Sans especially get along well, since most of the time Undyne and Papyrus are let loose, they sit back and talk about science-y stuff. (no, Sans doesn’t have a background in science but he’s still into sci-fi)

- Alphys has a bit of a strained relationship with both Asgore and Mettaton.

Back when Chara and Asriel died, it was because of “illness” (maybe poisoning?). Alphys feels awful because with her back then limited knowledge on medicine she couldn’t help the two. Asgore doesn’t hold anything against her but Alphys can’t help but feel guilty.

Alphys still built Mettaton’s body in this one. The two had a really big disagreement, because Mettaton hated the fact the town was going to close, and he couldn’t understand how Alphys could feel otherwise, even more so endorse the idea.

Mettaton, Napstablook, Mad Dummy/Mew Mew:

- Napsta and Dummy are pretty self-explanatory, they got straw hats. Mettaton’s outfit is a bit of a joke cos it’s a play on “work at the top and party at the bottom”. The tie has two different sides, one with the yellow red pattern, the other completely red. His “top part” is the business part, because when he’s on tv or in the mayors’ office, you don’t usually see his feet. The bottom is his party/dance part, cos his dancing/entertainment channels mostly feature his legs. 

- Mettaton, still a robot, Napstablook and Mad Dummy are all still cousins in this AU.

- Originally, they all lived and worked at the Blook Farm, the Animal Farm of this AU. Mettaton, however, despised that simple live and after befriending Alphys and her building him a body, he left the Farm to pursue bigger things. 

- Mettaton runs the local tv network. From weather to game shows, he does it all. He also runs the tailor shop in town that sells his designer clothes and merchandise. After Asgore stepped down, Mettaton also took over the role of town’s mayor and now works towards making the place more known again. Not everybody is happy with him doing that though.

- One of those people is the Mad Dummy. He can’t stand people anyways and he always claims that history would just repeat itself.

- Since the whole family is made of ghosts, they have different dummies and scarecrows they can use to take care of the animals. To mock Mettaton and kinda get back at Alphys for giving MTT such an opportunity, Mad Dummy found the blueprints for the Mew Mew robot and now modelled one of their scarecrows after it. 

- Napstablook isn’t fond of taking over obejcts like his cousins do, so he mostly takes care of the snails. Somehow, he can interact with them even when incorporeal. 

Muffet&Grillby:

- The two of them run the Inn together. Muffet cooks in the daytime and makes desserts, Grillby manages the bar in the evening. 

- The two still can’t really stand each other but working together like this benefits them both because their rivalry just spurs them on more.

- Even though Grillby is a patient person, somehow Muffet is the only person who riles him up enough to retaliate. (Well, maybe except for Sans, he’s a strong second).

So, basically everything between those two is a challenge in some way. Even if Papyrus doesn’t notice, even his cooking lessons are a challenge for them. 

- Even though they’re constantly bickering, after working together for so many years, there’s a strange level of respect and trust between them. Even if back when they first started this business, they’d pour salt into an already open wound, nowadays they’d know better and just take a step back from the other or even comfort the other (on very rare occasions only). 

Asriel&Chara:

- They be dead. Kinda.

Some Characters that’d live in that town too but that I haven’t made designs for:

- Gerson is the original smithy of the town. He’d grown up in a family of smiths, but he’d always had an appreciation for the sea. That’s why, when the town became more deserted and Undyne had a good enough skill level as smith, he took up the Captains hat and now mostly spends his days out on sea. He also ferries people to places if they need him to. Oh, and just like in canon, Undyne learned most of her skills from him.

- Burgerpants is a poor dude Mettaton basically kidnapped when he was trying to get fame in the city. Now Burgerpants works wherever MTT needs him to, be that as cameraman for the tv shows, cashier in his tailor shop or his slave secretary in the mayor’s office.

- MK is Frisk’s best kid friend. MK’s parents are in charge of shipping the goods out of town and paying the individual people. MK’s the one that usually collects the goods at the end of the day.

- Other than that, there are only a few people in town. I’d imagine the older folks or the really young families stayed in town after it was closed. I think the librarby dude would still run the library. Some Snowdin residents like the stone family or the dogs also might still live there. 

[buckys-black-dress]

all the signs i don't read

a/n: guys!!! I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH MY FIRST YEAR OF UNI! i'm sooo happy to finally be done, i can focus on writing more for you guys this summer :) here's a lil somethin' i whipped up after my last final today. enjoy! xoxo, ali <3

wc: 2.5k words

[bucky barnes x fem!reader]

read part two here!

-

You never thought anything of it.

You never thought anything of it when every time someone would come into the room, Bucky would act like he couldn't stand being touched by you.

It was little things, at first.

You would be in the kitchen in the morning, making coffee for him and you. He would be holding you from behind, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. And then Steve, or someone else, would walk into the room.

And he would shake off your touch, like you were poison.

It never hurt less.

But it's not like you could ever make a scene out of it, or anything. Because nobody even knew you and Bucky had been dating for the past two months.

You had no one to turn to in this situation. No one knew you two were together, and you kind of messed this up for yourself when you agreed to all of this at the beginning of your relationship. Bucky had told you he wasn't really ready for PDA, and you had told him, in a haste, that it was fine.

But after two months of extremely close calls, your patience was wearing thin, and you know it sounds bad. But you've been extremely careful with him, always asking asking him if everything was okay before going further with anything involving physical touch. You always made sure you weren't crossing any boundaries, but it was starting to get frustrating.

You couldn't understand why Bucky could get all touchy-feely with Steve and Natasha when he felt like it, but was practically gagging at your touch.

You were currently cuddled up on his bed, watching a movie. You were on cloud nine, basking in the warmth of your boyfriend's touch. This was one of the rare instances where he would let you get this close. It was nice, and you made sure to always take advantage of it if the situation presented.

You could feel Bucky's gaze fixed upon you as the colors of the TV screen reflected onto your skin. Your eyes dip down to his, and a warm smile graces your face as your eyes meet.

You couldn't ever put into words how happy Bucky made you. You had liked him for so long before he even asked you out, and you were over the moon the day he had brought up wanting to take you out.

It was another night of dinner with just the two of you. Everyone else was on a mission, and since you two were the only ones left, you had decided to make the decision to make food for the both of you.

"James?" Your voice resounded through the empty kitchen and dining room.

"Yeah, honey?" He answered, painting your face red in a blush.

"Do you... just- nevermind." You shake your head, looking back down at your plate.

"Hey, look at me." He says, putting his hand over yours. "I was actually tryin' to figure out how to ask you this..."

Your brows are pulled together, wondering what he was talking about.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me, James." You reassure him. You were grateful that he was such a good friend to you, and that he trusted you enough to open up to you.

"I was wonderin'... would you like to... go out on a date with me sometime?" He asks, holding your gaze.

You're sure you look like a fish out of water right now, your mouth opening and closing in shock. He wanted to ask you out?

"I just... I like spending time with you, I like how you call me James, I like how you don't judge me and how long it's taken me to get comfortable here. I like how kind you are, and how you've always asked the others to be patient with me, so... would you like to go out on a date with me?" He held such hope in his eyes.

"I... I would love to, James." You reply after a moment of silence.

"I'm so happy you said yes." He smiles warmly. "But just... don't mention it to anyone? I don't want Steve or Sam on my case. You know how they can be sometimes." He smiles, and you nod at his request.

"Of course, James. I don't ever want to make you feel uncomfortable, we can go at your pace." Your tone was soft and understanding.

"Thanks, doll. You don't understand how much it means to me." Bucky returns your soft smile, and scoots his seat closer to yours.

His gaze was fixed on you, and while you were playing over the time in your head, Bucky leans in and pecks your lips gently.

"Hm, what're ya thinkin' of, honey?" He questions, sensing your mind was elsewhere.

"I was just thinking of that night when... when you first asked me on a date. How sweet you were." You smile coyly, leaning back in for another kiss.

Your stomach fluttered at Bucky's hum of approval at your actions. He deepened the kiss, motioning for you to fully sit on his lap. Bucky gently placed each of your legs on the sides of his thighs, his hands grasping your hips.

As he stared from your eyes to your lips, back up to your eyes, you felt lightheaded. This was the most intimate the two of you have gotten so far, and you feel the butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

Soon enough, your lips are back on his, moulding onto his like you two were made for each other. Although you two loved watching movies together in each others' rooms, (to avoid prying eyes, of course) you have never been so close to him before like this.

You felt yourself getting high on his affection, and once you had it, you didn't think you could ever go without it.

As Bucky's grip on you tightens, your hands move up to his shoulders, also moving to grasp them. Your hips move with a mind of their own, grinding against his lap.

You didn't think anything of it, but Bucky freezes at the action. His hands stop their gentle strokes along your sides. His lips pause their actions, and you feel him pulling away.

Both physically and emotionally.

"James, is everything alright?" You ask wearily, truly perplexed. Everything was going so well...

"I just... I can't do this, Y/N. I- I'm so sorry... I can't do this with you." He leans back, and limply moves his hands to flop onto the bed at his sides.

"O-Oh," Your voice breaks as you process his words. He didn't want you. This has all been a joke to him. Even in private, your touch made him uncomfortable.

"I... I have to go." You slide off Bucky's lap, gathering your belongings from the end of his bed and rushing out the door.

Without even a glance behind you, the door slams, and Bucky is sat dumbfounded on his bed. Why did I do that? He thinks to himself. Why did I say that to her?

As tears filled your eyes, you just pray that no one will see you. Unfortunately, your room was on another floor, and you think the stairwell would be the best option to avoid people at this point in time.

But of course, as fate has it, Steve is taking the stairs up. You can tell he's probably just returned from his nightly run, as he's sweating through his shirt.

You quickly wipe your eyes, hoping they look too puffy. Your nose was probably red, too, but just sniffle to clear it.

At the sound of your nose, Steve's head shoots up. Your eyes meet, and you plaster on possibly the fakest smile you've ever produced.

"Steve! How was your run?" You ask enthusiastically, trying to make it seem like you were just fine.

"Yeah, it was good. Took a bit of a longer route today. What are you doing here? You never take the stairs." He asks with a raised brow.

"I uh... I was watching a movie, and I had some snacks that were sitting a little heavy on my stomach. I thought a flight of stairs or two could do me some good." You shrug, trying to look as unsuspecting as possible.

"Are you sure you're alright? Your eyes seem a little red." Steve counters. He could feel that something was off.

"Y-Yup, I was watching a sad movie, you know how I get." You give a fake laugh, turning back around. "I have to head back, but good talk, Steve. Enjoy the rest of your night!" You practically yell while walking away from him.

The door of the stairs close behind you in a haste, and you take a moment to take a deep breath. You hated lying, but it's not like you could've said anything to Steve. He had no clue about anything having to do with you and Bucky.

While you locked yourself away to your room for the rest of the night, Bucky was still trying to process the events. How in the matter of a minute, he managed to shift your entire relationship. He was kicking himself, trying to figure out how to fix this. He couldn't seek out advice from Steve like he normally would in situation like this, or ask Natasha. Usually, she was the one to help him when it came to women these days.

But now, he was on his own.

And he was fucked.

So, he had two options.

One, go to Steve. Confess everything; dating you for the past two months, admit he was an idiot and didn't want anyone to know. Realize it would've been fine if everyone knew because everyone loved you. Try to win you back.

Or two, try to get you back on his own. And let's be honest, that option was not looking too good. Clearly, Bucky was clueless in this topic.

So now, he was left to stew.

That night, you drifted into a dreamless sleep with a heavy heart and a tear-soaked pillow.

-

The next few days were... rough, to say the least.

You could barely drag yourself out of bed. You would leave your warm blankets and pillows around eleven each day, which was unheard of for you. Natasha and Wanda would stop you on your way to the kitchen, and try to pry the problem out of you.

Sweetie, this isn't healthy for you.

Honey, just tell us what's wrong. We're here for you.

Y/N, we're worried about you. We love you, but you look horrible.

That last on made you crack a smile, but shook your head and headed in to make yourself a coffee.

For the first time in two months, you were only making coffee for you.

And fuck, was it killing you.

You so badly wanted someone to wrap you up in a hug, rub your back, and tell you it was okay. To tell you your touch was comforting, that they wanted to be close to you.

But of course, fairytales weren't real. You were alone again, and it seemed that it would stay that way for a long time.

No matter what you did, all you could hear in your head was James' words. I'm sorry, I can't do this with you. With you. With you. With you.

And you couldn't help but wonder. What was it about you that was so repulsive to him? You were understanding from the beginning. You just thought he wasn't ready for PDA, that he just wanted his privacy, you understood.

But what you didn't get was how James could have asked you out on a date, how he could've kissed you, for fuck's sake, and yet be so ashamed to be seen with you.

So you allowed yourself to only wallow for five days. You only gave yourself these next five days to feel sorry for yourself, whatever you needed to be pathetic for a few days, but that's it. After that, no more.

You were tired of feeling like you weren't good enough for anyone, like you were a burden. You were an amazing person, and if some people couldn't see that, it wasn't your problem.

You were done.

-

During your five days, you hadn't seen Bucky once. And of course, as your luck would have it, day two brought you your ex-boyfriend.

All in his glory, in the kitchen.

With not one, but two mugs of coffee.

His eyes meet yours, and you see a light in his. But you made sure you were quick to put that out.

"Do you need something, Bucky?" You all but sneer, and his soft smile drops.

"I just... I was about to bring you some coffee. Just how you like it, iced and black." He tries the smile again.

"No thank you, I'd rather make it myself." You turn your stare to the coffee machine, grabbing a capsule and sticking it in the machine before sliding it shut.

Bucky just stands there, dumbfounded. Again.

This seems to be a trend with you.

"Y/N, come on. Let's just sit down and talk about this. Let's go to your room, or maybe mine-" He begins, but you couldn't be bothered with him anymore.

"You know what, Bucky? No. If you want to talk, we can do it out here, for anyone to see. What are you afraid of? Me? Scared that someone will see you with me? God forbid, someone sees that you like me, right? God fucking forbid someone actually is proud-" your voice cracks in an ugly way, and even though you don't want to seem weak in front of him, you continue, "proud to be with me. I gave myself time. Time to understand why on Earth you seemed so... so disgusted to be with me. So ashamed.

And I got over. I am not going to let you make me feel like I'm anything less of a great person, and anyone would be lucky to have me. So screw you, and your secret relationships. I'm done."

By the end of your speech, tears had definitely made it down your cheeks, and your coffee was long forgotten as you turned to move out of the kitchen.

Bucky's eyes had widened at your words, realizing the weight of his mistake. He had made you feel so small, so repulsive and you thought all those things about yourself were true.

But they couldn't have been further from it.

Bucky loved you. He had only had you for two months, but in that short time, he was so hellbent on keeping you a secret. On showing the others that he wasn't weak, that he was still a big, tough guy. That he didn't need a girl to comfort him, or to help him through the nightmares.

But you were the best thing he ever had, and now you were slipping away.

But if Bucky is anything, he's a determined man. And he's determined on getting you back.

-

a/n: aw shit, what's gonna happen?? don't worry, i would never leave y'all hanging like this. part 2 will be coming shortly :) in the meantime, enjoy whatever this is. love, ali <3

read part two here!

[beckface]

Electric take: Human Maria would be a type 1 diabetic, since she's not an energy monster anymore. And hell, you could totally apply this concept to canon too.

FR, Maria could be such good child disability rep. Her canon struggle with  managing her diet on her own could be a parallel to lots of human medical conditions. As it stands right now, Maria doesn't have anyone supporting her/managing stuff for her, so she makes a lot of "bad" choices because she's hungry and wants energy :( even at the cost of potentially fufilling relationships. Remember when she was torn between being Eileen's pet and nomming on the electric snowman... and the snack won out? Remember how tired she was in the jar? These sorts of medical conditions are real things some kids struggle with, even with caring parents/access to good doctors/medical care. And symptom wise... honestly, Type 1 diabetes wouldn't be far off from what Maria goes through. I mean obviously type 1 diabetes doesn't turn you into a kaiju when you eat a lot or shrink you to the size of a beta fish when you don't, but either way, I think it's a fairly close match. It really seems like her bodies inability to store energy for later and use it through the day really messes with her, and that the best way to manage it would be, instead of calcuating activities, the calorie counts needed for that activity, and providing insulin for those calories, something like careful "meal" planning with the right amount of energy to keep herself at a healthy and manageable size. You know????

And if Eileen and her developed a good friendship, I can see her helping her throughout the day when Maria's guardian isn't there. I'm sure that if Eileen saw it as a medical thing she'd do her very best to look out for her friend and keep her on track. Meanwhile obviously Maria benefits because her size and energy levels aren't drastically shifting all the time, and also, good friends :D

I adore your Maria and Eileen ideas sm THEM

It would be great to see a character like Maria, that’s very ND coded on top of everything else, get to have the people around her create a system that allows her to live a normal life! Speaking from experience, a lot of times kids who are either mentally or physically disabled can feel sometimes like they just stick out like a beacon of electricity. They either don’t have enough and are too small and invisible, or they’re too much and zapping the energy out of the people around them.

I’ve said this before, but it would be so fun to see an au where Maria figures out a diet plan and can stay the size of a normal kid, keeps her helmet, and just goes to school with the rest of them. Obviously it wouldn’t exactly get easier for her, she doesn’t STOP being a being of pure energy, but she would have loved ones and a support system to keep her on track. She can still be a villain and lose herself every once in a while, mostly because I like her as a villain, but overall she’s just a normal, hyper kid that is great for clingy Eileen to be best friends with.

Allow me to go on a tangent a bit and give some ideas for how Maria might bond with the other kids besides Eileen. Give this girl friends.

Becky- It’s career day, and everyone’s parents are coming in to talk about their jobs and things. Maria is feeling insecure about her not having actual parents and just being adopted by either her caregivers or Eileen’s mom. She starts sparking and Becky can sense that she might go on a distressed rampage, and to do her hero duty goes to try and talk to her and prevent that. Maria becoming a student is fairly new, so Becky still has her guard up, but that’s making Maria even more tense. At some point during the conversation Maria explodes like “WHY DON’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Go be with your perfect FaMiLy!” and Becky realizes what this is about. She apologizes for being skeptical of Maria and sits down with her and tells her that she’s adopted too. Maria is surprised by this, and the two talk more. Maria thanks Becky and they hug, leaving Becky’s hair all frizzed. Becky then heads back to the Botsfords while Maria goes to join Eileen and her Mother, feeling happy. Maria and Becky start getting along really well unexpectedly

Violet- Violet is very open to new people and very kind generally, so she would be the FIRST person to welcome Maria to the school. Maria and Eileen together would then proceed to talk her ear off. Eileen, being Eileen, kinda tries to steal Violet away from Becky and Scoops, saying that her and Maria make a BETTER trio, and it’s her birthday so she can do what she wants. Violet doesn’t want this obviously, but she tries to be polite while trying to get away. Maria doesn’t realize that this is a situation that has happened many times before, and doesn’t realize that Violet is uncomfortable, she’s just excited for a new friend. So when Violet puts her foot down and tells Eileen to leave her alone, Maria feels really bad. Eileen is just being grumpy the rest of the day while Maria is a ball of anxious energy (lol) and eventually she goes up to Violet after school to give her a long-winded apology, and please give her a second chance. Violet explains that she’s happy to be friends! She just doesn’t want to be forced into anything. Maria understands and relays this information back to Eileen, who actually listens now that someone she trusts is explaining it to her. The two start respecting Violet’s boundaries more and they all get closer

Scoops- Scoops interviewed Maria on the first day of school because duh, and he got so excited by just how MUCH content he got from her endless talking. He asked her to join the news club. Her favorite thing is being a news anchor. Maria and Scoops have that type of friendship where they just talk over each other for an hour and it’s the most fun thing ever

Tobey- Tobey cannot STAND her at first (tbf he can’t stand anyone) because she talks to him happily and does not pick up on any of his sarcasm or jabs. Over time he gives up and stops trying to be snotty to her and just listens to her talk and gives his dry input every once in a while. Man refuses to admit that he enjoys it.

Victoria- Victoria and Eileen were already close just on the basis of they were the only two kid girl villains. Victoria likes having another girl villain, especially one who is so easily impressed by everything even mildly cool she does.

[mac-n-cheese-flavored-arson]

Food banks are limited by the resources that they have, the funding, the donations, the volunteers, and sometimes (often) those resources are bad.

Food banks cannot accommodate any kind of dietary restriction. If you're diabetic and need healthy foods, too bad you get what you get. If you have a life threatening allergy, you can go through the food yourself in the parking lot and redonate whatever you can't eat, but they're not going to give you more, even if you can't eat 90% of the food they gave you. If you're left with two days worth of food you can actually eat, too bad you get what you get. If you have any kind of religious dietary restrictions, too bad you get what you get. A lot of times they either can't or just refuse to accommodate even something simple like vegetarian.

A lot of food that food banks give out is expired, moldy, or otherwise unsafe and just gets thrown away as soon as we get home. Fresh fruit that's already fermenting and rotting, loaves of bread with mold spots on one end of it, expired dairy that isn't thick yet but already has a smell, expired meat in vague shades of green and brown, two year old dented canned goods. People donate stuff sometimes the day before it goes bad and it doesn't even have time to be processed and given out before becoming inedible.

Our local food bank also gives out homemade food without ingredient lists or any kind of safety or background verification of the person donating it. Homemade breads, home packaged meats like venison and fish, homemade chicken nuggets, homemade pasta. This stuff could be made with anything, including poison if someone really wanted to. We have no way to know if this food was made with an allergen, if it was made in a kitchen infested with bugs and mice, if it was made on dirty pans, if the meat is expired or unsafe, we don't even have a way of knowing that the person who made it didn't spit in it or put poison in it as a secret fuck you to poor people. Would you eat food made in a strangers house with absolutely no information about it at all?

Most food banks are only open during business hours, meaning poor folks that work can't use them as a resource. Our local food bank requires proof of address via an ID for every single adult member of your household, and pay stubs for anyone with a job to make sure that you meet the income requirements. Food banks often don't deliver to people who are housebound or without a car for whatever reason. Our food bank only lets families come one time a month and gives us less than 7 meals plus a handful of snacks or granola bars for four adults for the entire month (including the stuff that's expired and unsafe and has to just be thrown away immediately, which is sometimes half of it).

Please keep donating to and volunteering for food banks, but please keep in mind when you hear people talking about food insecurity that telling them to "just go to the food bank" is patronizing at best and ignores serious safety and accessibility issues at worst. Food insecure people deserve food that's safe, in-date, and has clear ingredient lists. We deserve enough food to make it through the month. We deserve to be able to eat regardless of dietary restrictions. Food banks are the best that a lot of us have right now and it is better than nothing, but we also absolutely deserve better.

Food banks can be a lifesaving and invaluable resource but that doesn't mean that a lot of them aren't bad, unsafe, and poorly run

[rainy-day-coffee]

may i request... riddle, jade and idia with an overachiever hardworking s/o who just does not know when to slow down ever. like genuine workaholic who cares too much about success type. would prefer male s/o but gender neutral is ok :] i love your writing sm btw!!

Thank you, and thank you for your patience!!

I hope you’re taking care of yourself!!

With a workaholic s/o

Riddle commends you for your hard work. You strive to do your best for the results you want. Really, he wishes everyone from his dorm could be as hardworking as you.

However, when he starts to realize how you never seem to allow yourself time to rest, he starts to worry. He understands, but he also wants you to understand rest is just as important. If you exhaust yourself too much, you’ll eventually burn out. Not only is that damaging to your mental health, but it also damages you physically as well, and he will not be having it.

From then on, he makes sure you take breaks more often, reminding you that your work won’t disappear if you rest for half an hour. He can almost sound commanding at times, but it comes from a good place in his heart.

He invites you to Heartslabyul’s garden for some nice relaxing tea and tasty snacks more often. It’s a good way to stay hydrated and fed! He asks Trey to specifically make your favorite snacks for these tea breaks too. As a bonus, you can walk around and enjoy the flowers together afterward.

He gets very angry if your resting time is disturbed by anyone. He will give them a scolding of a lifetime. With that in mind, he will also scold you, albeit more softly, if you try to skip your breaks.

He is always willing to lend you an ear if you want to unburden yourself. He may not be able to offer you advice, but he hopes he can help a little this way. He reminds you constantly that you’re doing amazing and that accomplishments do not signify your worth as a person.

Jade admires your dedication. He always praises you for your hard work. You’ve come a long way and you’ve accomplished so much. However, just as much as he praises you, he reminds you to take care of your well-being as well. After all, everyone needs to rest. 

Taking your mind off of everything may be difficult at first, but he’s quite persistent!

He tempts you to take breaks by offering to do your favorite activities with you! It doesn’t matter if it’s something he’s never done before! He’s open to many things.

When that doesn’t seem to work, he starts ranting about his own hobbies instead. Distraction is always bound to work one way or another. If he catches your interest, you’ll have to stop to talk with him. If you grow annoyed with him, you’ll still have to stop in order to scold him.

He leaves little notes in your workspace for you! They’re all reminders to stay hydrated and rest frequently.

When he has the chance, he brings you refreshments and healthy snacks! He sometimes stays and eats with you to keep you company. A small break from your busy schedules for the both of you!

He feigns sadness and complains when you don’t visit him at Mostro Lounge. He claims you should visit him at least once a day to watch him work. He’ll even pay for your drink and meal, you have no reason to refuse his request! Really, this is just another way of getting you to take a break. He gets to watch you relax while you get to watch the fish in the aquarium.

Idia finds you impressive. He wishes he could be a hard worker like you, someone who does their best despite everything and doesn’t seem to ever stop trying.

But when he realizes it’s not as healthy as he thought it originally was, he tries to get you to rest more often. He enlists Ortho’s help too, of course!

If he could, he would design an entire program to do your work for you. Unfortunately, that probably wouldn’t work well, much to his disappointment.

He pushes you to game with him, telling you it’s a wonderful way to alleviate stress. He has any and all types of games at the ready! If you want to play by yourself, that’s fine too! He’ll happily watch you as he holds you in his arms.

Since he can’t physically go and check up on you, he sends you lots of text messages instead. When you don’t answer those messages, he calls. And if you don’t answer his calls, he’ll track you down and go via tablet alongside Ortho.

So sometimes you’ll find yourself walking down the halls with a floating tablet and Ortho following you until you finally give in and go to Idia’s room for some much-needed rest and cuddles.

He stocks up on your favorite snacks and keeps them in his room! You need your replenishment, as he puts it.

While he may not be able to verbally say it at times, he assures you that what you’ve done is enough and that you are very much enough. He will send you motivational images and reminders of this all the time. Just please don’t comment on his red face when you see him-he’s trying his best. He’s not used to saying those kinds of things.

[proserpina-magnus]

i loved your blurb where the marauders comforted the reader about her eating issues. i have struggled with and eating disorder for two years now and i sadly when to the hospital recently. your fic made me feel so much better. I was wondering if you could write another one like that where james is sitting at dinner with the reader and he eats with her. again i love your writing all well <33

Hi!! I'm glad you found comfort in the blurb I wrote! I'm sorry you have struggled with eating issues and I hope in the future you can slowly lead yourself into a healthy life style that makes you feel safe and comfortable! I hope this blurb helps you. If you ever need someone to talk to, my dms are always open!

One where he helps you back into a healthy eating habit [ James Potter ]

Word Count: 1609

[ warning: female reader, eating issues/struggles, petnames such as "baby", background wolfstar + peter, James Potter in-fact strutted, not edited well ]

James had known about your eating issues, so he tried his absolute best to be a good boyfriend and help you in any way he could.

He first started to leave you small candy as gifts, always keeping sweets in his pockets. When you refused most of it, he only frowned but understood.

He kept trying new things, ranging from eating with you alone or taking you on dates that involved food. He even decided to cook your favourite foods for a date idea, he was thrilled when you ate everything and praised him for the meal.

You had been slipping back into your harmful eating habits again, skipping meals and trying your best to only drink water. James caught on pretty quickly, making a note to himself to get you back on a healthy eating track.

You gathered your things up, Care of magical creatures class had just ended. You look at James who is walking over to you in a confident strut, a smile on his face.

"Hi baby, can I walk you to the dining hall?" James asked, his hand resting on the low of your back. You sling your bag over your shoulder, shaking your head.

"Sorry James, I'm going to the library," you tell him, slipping away from his hand but he only moves closer. You both walk out into the hall, getting pushed to the closest wall by all the running students who are trying to get to the dining hall.

"I didn't see you at breakfast," He says, pulling you by the waist to get closer. Your head rests on his shoulder briefly, cuddling into his body.

"Yeah, I ate in my dorm. okay, I'm heading this way," You lied, smiling as you both walked down the crowded corridor.

"I'll see you at dinner?" He asked, a small worried feeling filled his gut. He was determined to help you in any way he could, he cared deeply about this and took it seriously.

"Sure James," you began, leaning up on your toes to kiss his cheek gently, your hand on his forearm for support. "Alright, I'll see you later,"

You part away from him, waving as you twirl to walk faster down the corridor to the library. James has a goofy smile on his face, watching you walk away.

"I better see you at dinner!" James calls out, getting shushes from talking paintings. He makes a shrug to them, giving a glare to tell them to piss off.

"Okay!" You yell back, waving your hand as you walk out of talking distance. James watches you leave for a moment, before heading towards the dining hall.

He catches up with Sirius and Peter, his arms swinging around them as he pulls them towards him.

"Where's [ name ]?" Peter asked, turning his head to see if you're where following them.

"She's going to the library," James answers, ruffling his fingers between Peter's blonde locks, making him giggle.

"She wasn't at breakfast prongs," Sirius tells James, giving him a small look. James shrugs, nodding as they get to the Gryffindor table. They plop down, shoving food onto their plates.

"I know. after I eat I'll pop into the library 'n give her a small snack," James plans, placing one of your favourite sandwiches to the side of his plate to save for you. The boys nod, soon Remus joins them at the table and they start to talk about classes.

James finishes his lunch, putting your sandwiches on a small plate as he bids his friends goodbye. He almost skips to the library, a small smile on his face.

"Hi baby," He whispers, sliding into the chair beside you. You sat in the back of the library, bookshelves hiding you from the rest of the students. You feel James kiss your head, sliding the plate next to your open book.

"James, what are you doing here?" You ask, giving him a confused stare. He smiles, gesturing to the sandwich.

"I'm bringing you lunch," he says, moving his chair to bump with yours.

"I already ate breakfast," you lied, pushing the plate away from your schoolwork. You almost frown at the thought of eating but smiled instead at the small action James took. His small actions always meant the most to you, it made you feel cared for and loved.

"Okay? Now you're going to eat lunch, you need three meals a day to fully function and be healthy," James states, pushing back the plate as he gives you a knowing look.

"I'm not hungry," you protest, going back to writing on your parchment paper. You were just about the dip your quill in ink before your book and parchment got snatched from you.

"Hey! James!" You gasp, trying to grab your work but he only pulls it away from your grasp.

"You can have it back after you eat," James reasons, sliding your work to the other side of the table. You go to stand up, but James only pulls you back down with a gentle hand on your wrist.

"James I don't want to," you whispered to him, you felt his hand slide into yours. He gave it a gentle squeeze, a knowing smile on his lips to give you some comfort.

"I know, but you need this to stay healthy. You deserve to eat okay? You don't have to torture yourself anymore," He assured, his eyes holding a comforting look in them. You sigh from uncertainty, turning your gaze to the plate.

"It's your favourite, you'll enjoy it. You deserve to enjoy this," James whispers into your ear, you turn away from him. You feel slightly embarrassed, so you lean your back against his chest as you pick up the sandwich.

You place it to your lips, taking a small bite. You chew for a slow minute, uncertainty in your veins. But James slides his hands around your waist, his chin resting on your shoulder.

You swallow it, instantly taking another bite. You realize how hungry you had been, so you gladly finish the rest of the sandwich.

"Can I have my work back now?" You asked, James presses his lips into your hair. He grabs your stuff, placing it back in front of you.

"Thank you, I'm glad you're eating, I know it's hard for you but you make me so proud," James praises you, which makes you give him a genuine smile. He takes the plate, pulling away from you as he pushes the chair back into its original place.

"You're not going to stay?" You ask, looking up at him as you dip your quill back into the ink pod, a confused look on your features.

"No, I can't. Sirius wants to... uhm, go fishing," James says, lying through his teeth. It's obvious that wasn't the truth and you roll your eyes at the thought of James doing something stupid, again.

"Alright, I'll see you at dinner?" You asked, James smiles proudly as he leaned down to capture your lips against his.

"Of course, but I really need to go! I'll see you at dinner!" James yells as he walks away towards the doors, his loud voice earns him a shush from the Liberian. He gives a mouthed apology, making you giggle.

—-

You finish your class of the day, hurrying along with the rest of the students as you all rush to the dining hall. You see James chatting loudly with Sirius at the Gryffindor table, but to your surprise, he's soaking wet.

You slid next to him, feeling his cold lips against your cheek. You shiver away from him, letting out a small sound of disapproval.

"You're wet," you claimed, seeing as James takes out his wand and mutters a quick spell to dry himself. His hair was a puffy mess, making everyone stare and gasp at his crazy curls.

"Just for you baby," James winked, which earned a laugh from his friends. You chuckle, pushing food onto your plate. Weirdly, all your favourite foods had been made for dinner.

"Charming," you mumble, taking a sip from your cup. You take a piece of food, the first bite being the hardest. James's hand comes to rest on your knee, giving a small smile.

You swallow the first bite, sighing as you cut another piece. Thankfully, the next few bites had been easier than the first. James kept you laughing the whole dinner, making you completely forget about your food. By the time you knew it, your plate was cleared.

"Have sum' more," James huffs, piling some tasty sweets onto your plate. You give him a look, but he only returns it with a look of his own. The pastries looked absolutely dazzling, they looked too good not to eat.

You take a bite, smiling as your taste buds get filled with a glorious warmth. You have to deny letting out a moan from satisfaction, the pastry tasted amazing.

James smiled at your obvious well liking to the food, he nuzzles into you, happy that you're enjoying your food.

"I'm proud of you," James whispered, kissing your shoulder as he earns a groan from Sirius.

"Why do you never kiss me like that?" Sirius whines, making everyone laugh. James kisses Sirius's shoulder, rolling his eyes.

"Happy?"

"Yes," Sirius chimes, giving a wide smile to everyone. James yelps when he gets kicked in the foot by a jealous Remus.

James pulls his attention back to you, a smile on his face. He's beaming at you, a proud look on his face. He was so incredibly happy you ate, he was proud of you with every fiber of his being.