#it's tiring opening a box of cookies and finding only pretzels. you know what I mean

[freakwiththeknifecollection]

Ship names are being appropriated nowadays and it makes it really difficult to actually find ship content because people are putting platonic stuff in the ship tag

[foxsfiction]

Valentines Day Drabble

Dagon

Dagon takes a deep breath and clutches the bouquet of wildflowers to their chest. Their heart jumps to their throat when they hear your front door open. They turn around to face you with a big, goofy grin and red cheeks. They thrust the flowers into your chest. “Happy Valentines Day, chickadee!” They cheer. They shuffle their feet as you take the flowers and inspect them. “I know you’re probably tired of flowers, thanks to Dante, buuut I picked these. And looked up their meanings! …..They might not be the most accurate, though, aha,” Dagon scratches the back of their neck, “I’m not great at research and stuff, you know that. But I tried my best!”

They shake their head, “Anyways! I was wondering if you had any specific plans? For today? If not, I’d like to go on a little… walk. Show you something you might like!” You tell them you have some time before whatever you had planned, and would love to take a walk with them. Their smile grows, if it’s even possible. “Oh, good; great!! I’ll let you put your shoes on and stuff. Oh, and uh, leave the flowers here. You probably don’t want them to wilt or anything like that.”

Dagon takes your hand and leads you towards the direction of town. They don’t stop in town, though. They lead you right through, towards the woods. You both cross the railroad tracks and step onto the path. Then, they lead you carefully off the path towards a little clearing. A couple of thick blankets sit in the middle. A visibly full basket sits on those blankets. “Nothing like a picnic, huh? Little cold, but we should be okay,” Dagon says, letting go of your hand. They beckon you towards the set up, telling you all about what they’ve packed.

Tindra

Tindra smiles softly to you as you open the front door. “Hullo, angel. Happy Valentines,” She greets, presenting you with a clumsily wrapped box. The only way you could tell she was flustered was by her eyes, which are a little wider than usual. “I’ve cleared my schedule for you. Father wasn’t happy about that, but he can shove it. My only concern today is you and making you happy,” She says, a tiny bit of anger popping into her voice when mentioning her father. You move away from the door, inviting her into your home.

You manage to clear the kitchen for yourself and Tindra. She gently prompts you to open her gift. You easily tear the heart-decorated wrapping paper and open the box to find a pink, white and red desert tray laid out for you neatly; three cupcakes with perfect white icing, chocolate pretzels, marshmallows, truffles, and cookies along with some of your favorite candy. When you look at the blond across the table, she’s watching you intensely. She actually blushes when she realizes you’re looking at her, “Do… do you like it, angel?”

Laverne

Laverne smiles brightly as you open your front door. “Happy Valentines Day, lovey!” He borderline screams, holding out a giant box of chocolates and dropping a teddy bear that was tucked under his arm. He curses, scrambles to pick it up and winces as he holds that out too. His blush is bright, easy to see and his unusual fluster is admittedly cute. “I…. really have no idea what I’m doing honestly, lovey. Sorry if it’s too cheesy or cringy for you. I would’ve taken you to a fancy restaurant or something like that, but the idea makes me a little uncomfy. But, we can still have a good day around town! We can roam around the shops, and I’ll buy you whatever you want!” He rambles, showing off his nervousness. 

Seems you’d have to take the reins from here. But you know that no matter what you do, Laverne would be happy to spend the day with you.

[wjbsart]

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

👻Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

💯100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

���Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

🌅Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

🌠Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

🦟Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

🍐Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞🔎Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.

[jessbakescakes]

@twwobsessed​ asked for either 89. I noticed or 90. you can tell me anything from this post..

I accidentally deleted the ask, sorry! 

This one spans across the series... it also got way longer than I anticipated. Oops?

“Want some chips?”

Donna looks to her left to find Josh holding out a bag of barbecue potato chips he insisted on getting from the store across the street before they loaded up the bus to South Carolina. “Thanks,” she says, taking a couple from the bag. 

“Take as many as you want. It’ll probably be a little bit before we can stop to get something to eat, and we didn’t get a chance to eat lunch.” He places the bag between them, but doesn’t so much as reach for the chips again.

~*~

“Pizza’s here!” CJ announces, dropping several pizza boxes on the table in the center of the room. 

Josh tosses his pen on his notepad. “What did you get? I’ll grab it for you.”

Donna looks up from her note cards. “Oh, no, I didn’t get anything.”

“What? Why?”

She thinks back to the intern who came around asking for everyone’s orders about an hour ago, and the excuse she gave him. The Massachusetts Democratic Party catered a lunch with a sandwich spread; she told the intern that she was still full from lunch, but Josh would see right through that. He sat right next to her while she ate half a turkey sub and a just-this-side-of-stale oatmeal raisin cookie before they were ready to head to their next meeting. 

The truth, of course, is that she’s made a pretty big dent in her already modest savings account since rejoining the campaign. Her parents, in an attempt to impart some financial wisdom upon her during her teen years, had declared that half of each paycheck from whatever after school or summer job she held at the time was to be deposited into a savings account. She managed to make it all this time without having to dip into it; selling her car and sleeping on the floor had made it easier to stretch her limited budget. But it won’t last forever.

Before she can answer, CJ interrupts, calling out everyone’s orders. “Looks like we have some breadsticks on top, here, and some wings… here’s a cheese pizza for Kevin McCallister over there,” CJ says, motioning toward Josh as she opens the box, places it beside the stack, then closes the lid. 

“Hey now, Donna and I are splitting this pizza, I wanted to make her feel at home,” Josh retorts, grabbing a plate and handing it to Donna before pulling two slices of pizza out of the box CJ just abandoned. 

Donna turns to Josh. “I’m fine, Josh, really.”

“Donna,” he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from her seat.

“I don’t want to eat your food.” Josh gives her a pointed look, and she lets out a sigh. “How much do I owe you?”

Josh laughs. “What’s mine is yours, Donnatella.” He places his hand at the small of her back and ushers her toward the pizza box. “Eat.”

~*~

They manage to find a 24 hour diner in Little Rock two weeks before the convention. When their server approaches, everyone’s either staring blankly at their menus or engaged in subdued conversation. They were already tired, but they were pulling hours even longer than normal due to what should have been a minor PR snafu turned media beast that just wouldn’t die. 

Josh had gotten Leo to agree to bring Donna on as a salaried member of the campaign once the Governor was no longer the presumptive nominee, but the official nominee; all Donna needed to do was make her last few dollars stretch as far as possible for just a little longer. Her stomach growls loudly as the server moves next to Josh.

“I’ll have the chicken and waffles,” Josh starts, handing the server his menu and sliding Donna’s toward him. “She’ll have an omelette with spinach and feta.”

By the time she opens her mouth to protest, the server’s gone and Josh is listening intently to whatever it is Sam is saying to his left.

~*~

“I’m just saying,” Josh starts, putting his half-eaten box of Chinese food on the table in the Mural Room, “if Thompson thinks Braun and Miller will pull out, we need to plan for that now.”

“You really think they’ll do that?” Toby asks. 

Josh nudges the container toward Donna. “I do. At least, that’s what Braun was hinting at earlier. I don’t know what the hell that guy’s up to; he’s harder to read than any woman I’ve ever dated.”

Donna reaches for the food and peeks inside, noticing that it’s honey garlic chicken - her favorite.

~*~

“I think you’re not giving theoretical physics enough of a chance,” Josh insists. “I think you have some weird, unfair bias against it.”

Donna holds out her hand and takes the wrapper to Josh’s chicken sandwich. “Well, considering physics was the only class I ever came close to failing, I think my biases are perfectly fair.”

Josh laughs. “Donna Moss almost failed a class?”

“I stayed every day after school for a month and pulled it up to an A minus. But for a little while there I was in the mid-C range.”

“Painfully average,” Josh teases. 

“Shut up and eat your salad,” Donna sighs.

“I’m full, you can have it.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “Josh, you ordered this salad. You said you wanted this salad, and I didn’t question you…”

“You’re about to go back to work, and I know you won’t have time to stop and grab something for another… seven, eight hours? Eat the damn salad.”

~*~

The Hawk and Dove is nearly empty; it’s just CJ, Sam, Donna, Charlie, and Josh in the late hours of the snowy evening. 

“Toby was mentioning that earlier,” CJ says. “I don’t buy it.”

Donna pulls Josh’s untouched tray of cheese fries toward her and begins to eat, expecting a grumble or a whine from him. It never comes.

~*~

She’s not invited to this particular State Dinner. She could have gone home an hour ago, but she decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to catch up on some filing while Josh wasn’t around. 

Donna works through the last stack of files and returns to her desk to find two plates full of hors d'oeuvres.

~*~

Donna opens her eyes and stretches as much as the hospital bed will allow. Josh hears her stir and stands up from his chair. “Hey,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better,” she says, her voice a little hoarse. 

“They brought you some breakfast. Looks like you’ve got some fruit and eggs. They’re probably a little cold by now, though. You hungry?”

“A little, yeah.” 

Josh extends his hand and offers her a small package of mini muffins. “Don’t ask me how this works, but apparently there’s a vending machine down the hall that has some American snacks in it. I thought these would be chocolate chip, but… they’re blueberry.” 

She takes the package and notices that the word blueberry is written in bold, blue font across the front, directly underneath the logo. He hasn’t eaten any of them.

~*~

“If anyone asks, the Congressman won’t be commenting on the situation with Senator Stephens,” Lou says. “Donna, do your best to make sure they don’t ask.”

Donna nods. She walks back to her seat to find a small bag of chocolate covered pretzels sitting in the chair. She looks across the room at Josh, staring at an electoral map, eating a bag of the same pretzels. He turns to grab a marker and makes eye contact with her from across the room.

Donna’s stomach nearly ties itself in knots when he gives her a small smile before returning to the board.

~*~

Josh takes his seat next to Donna, leaning in for a kiss. “Hi.”

“Hey,” she says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

He nods. “Yeah. I was just getting the ‘don’t you dare hurt her’ talk from the President.”

“Which one?” Donna asks, taking a sip of champagne.

“Either. Both. They both like you better than me, anyway, does it really matter?” 

Donna laughs. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

Josh looks down at his empty plate, then at Donna. “You ate my slice of cake?” He’s saying it in a tone of incredulity, but he’s grinning.

She shrugs. “You left it; I assumed you didn’t want it.”

“Donna,” Josh whines. “I was going to eat that.”

“There’s still plenty left,” Donna reassures him. “Don’t worry. You can get another slice.”

“Why, so you can eat that one, too?” Josh sighs. “At what point did you start stealing my food, anyway?”

Donna moves her arm to rest on Josh’s chair. “Probably around the time I noticed that even though I was on salary, you still continued to feed me. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, by the way.”

Josh turns to face her. “Wait, you knew?”

“Of course I knew, Josh,” Donna says. “It was your way of taking care of me. It’s really thoughtful, actually. One of the many reasons I fell in love with you.” 

She looks at him for a moment, studying the smirk on his face. She’s still in awe that she gets to call this man her husband - this incredibly caring, ridiculously sweet, wonderful man married her. 

“I’m going to start putting my name on my leftovers,” Josh declares

“I’ll just eat them anyway,” Donna says, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah. You will.”

[mor-beck-more-problems]

Cry for a Cry || Morgan & Remmy

Set in the aftermath of Where Does the Good Go? Morgan and Remmy need a break.

Sometime in the silence between the angry, frustrated bout of sex with Deirdre, Morgan started crying and hadn’t stopped since. It hadn’t helped that Deirdre had paused and softened to her, that her cold hands had melted like water over her body, that the last touch she remembered was one of familiar comfort. She had cried carrying her things to her car, cried as the thought ‘I should tell her I’m home safe’ fluttered like a wing across her mind, and snapped dead. If she didn’t do anything, fast, Morgan thought she might dehydrate herself to death, crying into the night, into oblivion. So she asked Remmy to come. She could force herself to be a little together for Remmy. She could talk it out, the way grown-ups were supposed to, and she would find a box inside herself big enough for all her pain and tuck it somewhere safe. She hugged herself on the couch while she waited, tapping the time of her breath on her fingers. In, hold, out. Until Remmy rang the bell. She wiped her face. Breathed. She could do this. She could talk, stop, and move on. She needed to. 

Remmy didn’t know what people normally ate as comfort food, so they’d just bought everything they thought they might need. Ice cream, cookie dough (the edible kind, because they didn’t want Morgan to get sick!), whipped cream, cream puffs, those little frozen eclairs that were next to the cool whip, some smoothie mix, a bag of frozen berries, chocolate covered pretzels, and jellybeans. It was too much, definitely too much, but Morgan was in a crisis, and Remmy couldn’t stop moving. Those thoughts were creeping back in and they needed to get away from them. They needed to not think about how Alain was probably right. They needed to not think about how they were endangering all their friends by remaining passive in their stance against hunters. They needed to not think about how they desperately craved to be wanted, needed, and to feel alive. Remmy hauled all the bags up in one hand and rang the doorbell with the other. They were sure if their heart was beating, like normal hearts did, Morgan would have heard it when she answered the door. Instead, there was silence, and Remmy looked up at Morgan with mournful eyes. “I brought um…” lifted up the bags, gave an attempt at a smile, “some stuff.”

“Hey, come on in,” Morgan replied, as brightly as she could. It was stupid, Remmy was here because they knew she wasn’t okay, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Her cool, restful place was behind her. Ahead--only the universe knew. Her tasks. Her work. Her fucking curse. So she needed to find her way through this quickly. “We can uh, just put everything over here?” She started to take some of the bags but--wow, it was a lot. More than they could get through, but also good for the days of ‘too sad to heat up a pan’ that were sure to come. “Or I can put some away, real quick, and you can get cozy. Just real quick, okay?”

“No, I got it!” Remmy said, pulling the bags away from Morgan and scurrying inside. “I can put them away. Here--” set all the bags down, pulling out the cookie dough tin and holding it out to Morgan. “Cookie dough! You can start with that. I’ll be right over. I can put this away. It’s mostly fridge stuff, don’t worry. I didn’t know what you’d want besides that, so I just kinda bought everything I’d wanna splurge on if I could still taste food.” They started emptying the bags without waiting for Morgan, worried that stopping would let everything catch up to them. They had to clear their head enough so that by the time they did stop to help Morgan, the thoughts wouldn’t cloud their mind. They smiled over at her. “I-It’s okay, you can sit down. I’ll be right over.”

Remmy was already taking charge of the food situation, so Morgan lingered in the entryway, purposeless, until at last she saw no other choice but to amble to the couch and sit. She could do this. She’d talked things out with friends when she was kid. What do I do now? What am I going to do? But what was the point of asking when the answer was simply--nothing? Morgan tucked her knees up and waited for the answer to present itself.

When Remmy finished putting the food and stuff away, they paused for a moment to look at Morgan curled on the couch. They’d never really seen her like this before. Even when she was shivering and cursed. Even when she’d spilled her heart out to them about her curse. Even when she’d been rejected by Deirdre the first time. Something clenched at Remmy’s heart, and they shook their head, moving into the living room and sitting next to Morgan, setting the cookie dough and a spoon down on the table in front of her. “I, um-- did you wanna talk? Or just...watch someone? Or we can just, sit here quietly, too. I’m here for whatever you need. Really. Anything. You name it.”

What did she want? Morgan tried to think, brow furrowed. Right then she wanted the couch to swallow her whole. There wouldn’t be any more steps or worries or plans to think of if the cushions could just open like a monster’s mouth and take her whole. But that wasn’t anything she could say out loud. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice warbling, her eyes starting up again. “I just, um---” Would rather stop feeling things at all for a minute. Would rather go back in time, back to the forest, or before even that. She shrugged, wriggling with the effort of rolling back her tears. “What do you feel like?”

“Oh, um--” Remmy could see Morgan’s eyes building with tears and they weren’t sure if they should just let them come or not. Maybe Morgan was tired of crying. They turned to look around. “How about we watch something? We can match a silly movie and make fun of it. One of those like bad b-rate movies about zombies or witches and we can point out everything that’s wrong with them. Or just something easy, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or that uh-- that doctor show you really like,” they offered, looking around for the remote to turn on the TV. “How’s that sound?”

“Grey’s Anatomy,” Morgan said. And there she went, like some sad miserable child. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t hold up another wall, or draw one more drop of energy from the world. She was falling and shattering and the sobs she had just stuffed into her chest spilled out. She covered her mouth, as if she could catch them on the way out, convince each ugly burble that this wasn’t the time. That she’d had enough already. But out they slipped through her fingers, and there was nothing she could do. 

Remmy was afraid it’d been something they’d done for a minute, before remembering Morgan saying that that was the show she’d watched with Deirdre once before. Oh. Whoops. Remmy put the remote aside and reached out gently, but quickly, to grab Morgan and hold her up right as she began to sob, moving to let her settle in against them and rub her back. They didn’t say anything, they weren’t sure there was anything to say, except quiet mutters of “It’s okay…” and “Let it out…” as her tears stained their shirt. Remmy wished they could reach inside of Morgan and simply pull all her pain out, wished they could do something to help because lately it seemed like the only thing they were good for was worrying everyone and nothing more. Remmy held her tightly as she shook with sobs, and didn’t realize their own body was shivering against Morgan’s.

Morgan fell against Remmy, shaking with the force of her hurt. She didn’t even have enough presence of mind to hang onto Remmy, she just fell, and kept falling. “It happened so fast,” she whimpered. “And I can’t get her back.” She cried harder, the ligature in her body fit to snap.

Remmy just held Morgan. “I know,” they muttered softly, petting her hair softly, holding her tightly, as if they could keep her from falling too far just by doing that. “I’m sorry.” What else was there to say? Remmy couldn’t fix this. They couldn’t fix Deirdre and they couldn’t fix Morgan, and they couldn’t fix what was lost between them. So all they could do was hold on, and hope Morgan would come back.

Morgan continued to cry. After a certain point, it wasn’t even just her tears for Deirdre, but for everything that had fallen past her, every hole that had been cut through with loss and never quite filled. Eventually, however, her body exhausted itself from the practice. Her breathing evened out. Her shoulders, once so heavy and stiff, went limp. “You didn’t bring any water, did you?” She asked hoarsely. 

It was convenient that Remmy couldn’t get tired. They were able to hold Morgan the entire time she cried. And even after, when Morgan slumped exhausted in their arms and her breaths turned into little puffs of air instead of big exhales and shuddering inhales. It was only when Morgan spoke that Remmy realized their own face was wet. They shook it off quick. Water. They’d forgotten water. “I’ll grab some,” they said, and before Morgan had a chance to protest, had moved her just enough to lean back against the couch with a pillow and hurried into the kitchen. Wiping their face on their shirt sleeve, they grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the sink, taking perhaps a moment longer than needed to fill it. Closed their eyes, breathed in, then headed back out. “Here,” they said, holding the glass out, keeping it steady while Morgan took it and sitting back down.

Morgan took the water with shaking hands and drank. The world was muffled in a cool, cotton haze, around her body, around her tired eyes, but after she chugged the water down, Morgan noticed a red burn around Remmy’s eyes. She sniffled and moved back towards them. “Hey--” she whispered. “What is it? And don’t say nothing. Tell me the truth.”

“What? Oh, it’s--” Remmy stopped. They’d never realized how automatic that response was. ‘It’s nothing’. Maybe it wasn’t nothing, but it certainly wasn’t important. “It’s not important right now.” They couldn’t dump their problems on Morgan like this with a good conscience. She was going through enough. Besides, Remmy didn’t even know what was wrong. So, really, nothing was wrong. It was just...not right. That was all. 

Morgan shook her head and shook Remmy with what strength was left in her tired body. Her voice was thin and fragile, but no less serious for it. “No. I can’t do this game with you too. It was bad enough with Deirdre, and I just can’t. You’re important, Remmy. And you need things. You’re a person and you need things, so just tell me. Tell me what’s happening.”

“Well, I mean, I’m not,” Remmy said with a little more bite than perhaps they even knew. “I’m not a person. I mean Ricky said we’re people in our own way and I thought I could believe him and believe that, but I’m not-- I don’t need real food or water or to breath and I can get stabbed and be fine or hit in the head or go crazy and try and eat my friends and then just be fine.” Snapped their jaw shut firmly as they felt it begin to quiver. This wasn’t about them. “I’m sorry. I came over here to help you. We can just go back to sitting quietly o-or watch something or talk about something else. But not this. Please,” the plea came out with a croak, “please not this.”

“No,” Morgan said, her voice barely more than a whine. “Remmy--” She brushed her hands over their hair, it really was getting long. How well had they been taking care of themselves since they were last over? “We can’t be put here to break. That can’t be why we’re here. So we have to be whole, whole people, okay? So you can’t break yourself holding it in, and maybe you don’t break yourself letting it all out at once. But just a little bit? And I could hold a little bit with you. I could, and I want to, okay? So can you let me, please?” She sniffled. 

Remmy’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. Morgan’s hands were soft and Remmy wished they could feel them all the way, like anyone normal could. They looked down at their lap, lip quivering. “I’m fine,” they said, voice shuddering, “I’m fine,” they repeated even as tears began to stream down their face. “I’m fine. I have to be fine. What good am I if I’m not fine? I can’t be good if I’m not fine. I can’t help them if I’m not fine.”

“Come on,” Morgan urged gently. She tugged on Remmy’s cold heavy limbs and worked them around her back. She shifted around the cushions until they were tangled up in each other, holding each other. “I don’t actually know how this works, I’ve never had anything long enough to figure it out. But I feel like...we just have to try? And that’s not the same as being fine all the time.” She dug her hands into their shoulders, not sure if she bracing them or herself. “And I know it just...it doesn’t stop. I don’t know how to make any of this stop,” her voice began to quiver again. “But we can take a minute, okay?”

This was all wrong. Remmy was supposed to be here comforting Morgan. She was the one who had gone through something big and horrible and sad. Not Remmy. But they suddenly couldn’t stop. Tears streaming down their face even as they held in the sobs in their chest, body quivering, burying their face into Morgan’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m not helping, I’m sorry,” they muttered repeatedly. What was wrong? Why was this happening now? Remmy didn’t want to cry. Things were getting better, so why were they crying? What pain was left inside of them, begging to be let out? After a few minutes, they were finally able to quell the tears, holding themself taught and still in Morgan’s arms. “Do I hurt people?” they finally asked. “Am I a monster? Is he right?”

Morgan sagged and held Remmy as another, quieter, stretch of tears fell from her face. “I can’t imagine anyone less likely to cause hurt than you, Remmy,” she sniffled. “You are the best person I know. And you don’t have to be sorry. Or you can be sorry with me, because I’m sorry too, for everything. But no, you are not a monster. How could you be?”

“But I hurt Blanche,” Remmy immediately said, “And I hurt Skylar. And I upset you last time and I--” they stopped, bit down hard again. “If I’m not useful to people, if people don’t need me and all I do is hurt them, then what good am I?” They asked, looking up at Morgan finally, eyes shining with a sudden fear, “What good am I, Morgan?”

Morgan was running out of steam. She brushed her hand down Remmy’s back, hoping to soothe some of their surface pain away, to make it all go quiet. She sniffled as she spoke, “If all we are is the hurt we cause, Remmy, I am so screwed. I don’t know what the answer is but it has to be one better than that. The other stuff we do has to count, and the way we meant to do them has to count, so don’t. Don’t, okay? Let’s just take a minute. We can take a minute from the hurt, can’t we?”

Remmy teetered for a moment. Nodded, slowly. They could do that. They didn’t know what the answer was either, but they could do that. Take a minute. A minute away from all the hurt and pain and bad in the world. It was easy, over in Afghanistan, to put away the pain and the hurt, because every moment could have been the last. Lingering on feelings like that was pointless. But here, standing still, it all caught up to Remmy, dragging them down one by one. But here, on this couch, with Morgan, they could take a break from it. They leaned back down into Morgan, settling back into the couch and letting her rest against them, feeling her weariness in their arms. “We can,” they finally murmured, resting their head on top of Morgan’s. 

Morgan held onto Remmy tighter. Was this making it better? Or worse? She drew as much air into her lungs as she could and breathed. In, hold, out. She breathed again. In, hold, out. And she and Remmy waited, waited, and waited some more.

[izumisays]

dear yuletide author

Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy!

First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.

Fandoms: Nirvana in Fire, Spinning Silver, In Other Lands, Thunderbolt Fantasy, Grasshopper Jungle

As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences. 

How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting -- I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.

You may notice that quite a few of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.

I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and similar kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!

NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan

Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.

Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)

I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.

I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it.  Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!

 SPINNING SILVER: Mirnatius

Spinning Silver is a beautiful story, a polyphony of voices that echo the key themes with poignance in individual tales coming together into a bigger picture: admirable female characters, complicated families, bargains and stakes and wordless bonds, all spun and woven together with so much care and craft! While I really liked the whole journey, it’s two characters in particular at whom I’d like to get a closer look.

Irina and Mirnatius: both shipfic and/or gen. Irina the ruler, with an iron will and unwavering hand: I would absolutely like to explore the court life under her rule, after the events of the book. In between running a country and cleaning up a demonic mess, does she find a thought to spare about Mirnatius? Does she harbour any resentment or sense of obligation, or indulgently tolerates him as part of the ornamental royal regalia? Is there a role she envisages him playing? Does she box him into that role, or allow herself to be surprised?

MIRNATIUS, hands-down my favourite POV in the book. How does he get on after demon loses his hold on him? What kind of person he is on his own? I’d like to think he doesn’t lose all his edges, and perhaps gets high-headed and displaced now that his mind is vacated off its demonic freeloader, and there is a quest for find his own place in the new reality, before he can be that dramatic artistic bisexual with no interest in statecraft that Irina gleamed in him.

How do the power dynamics between them change, and how much of that stays the same? Is there any genuine love to be found between them, eventually? (The answer doesn’t have to be yes – for all that they are the same species, I tend to think their circumstances are more complicated than Miryem and the Staryk’s, and less forgiving.)

IN OTHER LANDS: Luke Sunborn

Elliot is a spectacular narrator. Novel-shaped case in point: In Other Lands.

Having said that, what I really, really want to see is a story that makes Luke a narrator, or otherwise puts him at the center. I have it on good authority that he makes one fucking adorable narrator (novella-shaped case in point: Wings in the Morning), but why stop there, right?

Luke/Elliot, either post-canon or slightly amending canon, is always a delight. Luke crushing on Elliot for years in a resigned, semi-unaware (or aware!) manner - he gives Elliot Dale’s name only as a distraction, to get Elliot off his back, and watches with horrified eyes how every member of his family is suddenly out there to set him up with the wrong boy! Luke handling the thought of Elliot the boyfriend with awkwardness unbefitting a Trigon champion (granted, Elliot is kinda more prickly than an average glass ball). Luke having 110% confidence in Elliot and admiring him sass people into submission from the sidelines.

A look at Luke’s friendship with Serene - completely compatible with Luke forever crushing on Elliot, just saying ^^. I suspect lack of Elliot’s Serene goggles could do marvels to building nuance to her character: a little less emphasis on gender-reversed dudebro comedy, a little more of someone who is clever enough to balance multiple things, connect the dots, and learn, and stand by what she believes is right.

Competence kinkkk. Forever admiring the bookish people, refusing to stop trying to catch up, and zero time spent being conceited about own achievements while fully embracing his role of a champion and defender - that’s the Luke I love <3 Luke’s brand of leadership & charisma - an introverted champion, well-loved by people and easily tired of company of not his people.

Figuring out life after graduation! Casefic of them solving a mystery and preventing a war breakout! Getting assignments and storming the castles! Building cross-cultural competence by throwing Elliot at new people and watching him sign up new pen friends and treaties!

Sunborn family fic! A holiday get together? Drunken exchange of family stories? Another terrible competition that Elliot boycotts? Rachel reading Luke’s letters from year one and with great amusement observing the progression of his “THAT ELLIOT” feelings. (I would so die to read an epistolary fic that documents Luke’s Elliot problems) God I love the Sunborns, especially Rachel <3

I’m not particularly fond of Dale, on understanding that he got enough screentime already, so I’d be grateful if you didn’t center the fic around him. Obviously no objections to him as part of class ensemble, whose names Luke continuously fails to remember.

If you are writing a Luke/Elliot shipfic (which is a prospect I would whole-heartedly welcome!), just a note to say that I don’t get particular kicks out of wingfic poetics. I mean, I’m alright with that as part of the “golden and beautiful” package and acknowledgement that Elliot sure gets his kick out of them, but I personally find wings-as-harpy legacy and associated emotional baggage/pragmatism mix Luke feels on the subject more interesting to investigate. All the rest of their ship chemistry is very much welcome, in whatever proportion you enjoy doing it most.

 THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan

I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE! 

If you had told me a year ago that I would commit a definitely not-insignifiant amounts of emotional investment into a Taiwanese puppet show written by Urobutcher, I’d have laughed in your face. I am so glad my lovely friends know me better than I do, and tied me to a chair long enough to show me the first few episodes, and smugly watched me breeze through two seasons and a movie of this tropey goodness. 

Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat.  It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.

I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request. 

Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3 

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE: Robby Brees

Do you ever, like, read an insanely cyclical, epic zombie apocalypse book that is probably narrated from the rubbles of the fallen fourth wall, and walk away softly clutching at your heart, whispering “Oh Robby”?

I sure did.

I mean, I definitely loved all the obsessive, crazy, cyclical shit the book did. It’s a trip and a half! Austin is a hilarious guide to the crazyland of zombie apocalypse and multiple identity crises, and I enjoyed him tremendously. If you want to dabble in recreating that, I’ll happily read it! But my heart longs to answer some important questions like, Will Robby Ever Get Appreciation He Deserves, Do They Get Laid, and most importantly, What The Fuck Happened That Night When They Got Drunk and Shit Got Transcendental. (I feel it in my heart of hearts that their dicks must have, or at least should have, touched.)

Play however you like with it -- coda, AU, fixit, crack (oh god, if there was a canon that was borderline crack itself), futurefic -- I’m gonna look forward to any and all permutations.

A note to say that I don’t harbor any ill feelings towards Shann! My primary urge is to coddle and adore Robby, and I leave it up to you to negotiate the hows and whys :) 

FWIW, I have a copy of Exile from Eden on my hands, but haven’t cracked it open yet. It’s entirely up to you if you want to include whatever is in there: I’m going to be pleased with just GJ material as is! If I do read Exile anytime soon, and if it significantly changes my views on the subject, I’ll add a note to that effect.

[subindex]

First Graze Box & Pumpkin Spice Flapjacks

I am a starving artist.

Literally, my belly is constricting in pain from the vapid emptiness that has been the past 10 foodless hours of my wakeful life. My roommate knocks on the door and passes me a slightly battered green box. “Oh my god, is that my Grave box?” A light of awareness beams into my eyes. The hunger I hadn’t noticed since getting out of bed was finally going to be sated. I turn the box over and it says GRAZE. “Your original misreading somewhat concerns me.” The roommate accompanies his statement with a squinted stare.

Sadly, I decided to save the box for another day and continued to starve myself for awhile in favor of getting some commissions done.

Finally, a couple days later, the time has come. I am starving once again, and have no patience to make food. A plastic ribbon wrapping the box is in my way. No wait. There’s two. I have no patience to find scissors, so I fiddle with the ribbons for about twice the time it would take me to walk ten steps over to the kitchen drawer, pull out the scissors, then take the ten steps back. First obstacle traversed.

I appreciate the 2x2 grid with which my snacks are presented to me. It pleases my eyes. It would be more pleasing if I knew what they were so I could pick one. Sounds like a job for the pair of glasses sitting across from me. I opt instead to pick up the box and move it closer to my face where it gets in the way of writing notes exactly like this sentence.

Top Left: Pumpkin Spice Flapjack--rustic rolled oat flapjack with pumpkin spice Top Right: Snickerdoodle Dip--with cinnamon pretzel sticks Bottom Left: Fantastic Forest Fruits--blueberries, lingonberries, soft apple pieces & cherry raisins Bottom Right: Thai Style Sweet Chili--honey chili peanuts, lemon & black pepper fava beans, garlic sesame sticks & edamame beans

There’s a second 2x2 grid of snacks that the first one flips open to. The first time I try to open it up, the prequel to a snackslide happens. I press the cover down against the top grid before I try again, and this time successfully gain access to the bottom grid without spilling anything.

Top Left: New York Everything Bagel--cheese cashews, poppyseed onion sesame sticks & roasted pumpkin seeds Top Right: Cherry, Pear + Walnut Anytime Energizer--Get a kick-start with this good source of copper & manganese for energy Bottom Left: Sweet & Spicy Beet Crunch--beet chips, jalapeno chickpeas & sunflower seeds Bottom Right: Jelly Doughnut--raspberry strings, vanilla cookie drops, raspberry cranberries & almonds

I’ve been pretty tired the past couple of days, which makes me wonder if my period is coming on. I might try the “Anytime Energizer” then. But for now, reading and writing all these snack names and their respective ingredients has made me so hungry that I now have no patience to eat anything less than a meal. Time to go ask the roommate what he wants for lunch.

Fast forward to a few days later. I begin my journey as a Grazer with the “Pumpkin Spice Flapjack” and some leftover Dunkin Donuts blueberry iced coffee. (Extra extra cream, no sugar, please.)

Graze snacks come in these shiny transparent plastic containers, ideal for a single serving. Intimate for a shared nibble with friends or significant others. Peeling the wrapper off the top is a firm but smooth engagement of crisp plastic pulling away from tight clinging seal, all with dignified silence. Classy, and satisfying, like closure when the protagonist of a rom-com walks up to her 2/3-of-the-movie-obsession and says “I liked you because the idea of you fulfilled something in my life, but I don’t need you anymore.” That wrapper is now gone, continuing its own journey through life, apart from me, in a Dunkin Donuts paper bag being saved for trash.

Unsealing the snack slowly allows the senses to be hit with the fragrance of freshly baked pumpkin pie seeping out into the yard through a crack in the window. It lifts my lungs into a long inhale through the nose and holds the breath there hoping to absorb its essence entirely before releasing it back into the world. What a precious, fleeting moment as the scent quickly loses its impact the longer the snack is exposed.

The flapjack is a sharp rectangular block roughly the size of a bar of soap. A quick inspection reveals incisions made halfway deep into the bar which permit the snack to spread apart into even bite-sized thirds. Even if bite-sized bits aren’t the desired size with which one would like to consume the delectable, taking it apart with your bare fingers incurs a quiet, spongy texture of the separation, felt viscerally through the fingertips and transferred further into the bones of your grip so that your hands become jailors, and the newly severed pieces lose any hope of ever seeing freedom.

The first bite is always skeptical--delicate with caution, but brimming with curiosity. As the miniaturized bar comes close, the tip of the tongue comes to meet with it first, ensuring that neither the taste nor texture will cause great harm to the senses. With safety determined, the bar is immediately cleared to land on the lower lip which not only provides support, but serves as an automated crumb pan. The teeth come to grips with their strange new passenger, easy to sever from itself like densely sponged cake, but chewy from the excess in grains. 

There is confidence in the thick mash of oats that slim down between the molars, like butter conforming to the pressured space between two slats. It is a full and wholesome body that knows how to twist in front of the camera and say, “And I’m lean, too”. But a figure of celebrity is never complete without a personal sense of fashion, and this particular flapjack likes its satin luster, defined by the slip of dried dates within the layers of chewing. Chomp the oats, slide the dates, chomp the oats, slide the dates. Their consistency takes on a creamier version of a jelly bean’s innards, sometimes ending in a lightly familiar crunch of sugars.

Despite the all too familiar mouthful of a soft granola bar, I keep thinking back to the pie. Every second of consumption lends me to craft a more vivid recipe of a liberally spiced pumpkin pie, with classy, moderated measurements of sugar and vanilla extract, an oat-filled crust, and dried dates chopped in half then laid out in circles as topping decoration. I take a slice for myself and a slice for my boyfriend. A slice for myself and a slice for my roommate. A slice for myself, and a slice for myself. And then a slice for myself. And then I scrape the pan. And then I lick the pan.

The tray is empty and Graze beckons me to grade the snacks I’ve tested. I’m not a fan of oats, so I think I’ll mark it a dislike and avoid it in the future.

[littlelovelymemes]

✰ * º ❛  new girl sentence starters.  ❜

‘  i don’t know which fork to kill myself with.  ’ ‘  damn it! i can’t find my driving moccasins anywhere!  ’ ‘  i’m really bad at making decision.  ’ ‘  if i had a dollar for everybody i couldn’t hang out with because they hated you, i’d be so rich.  ’ ‘  i just want to listen to taylor swift alone.  ’ ‘  pink wine makes me slutty.  ’ ‘  i’m like a mailman, except instead of mail, it’s hot sex that i deliver.  ’ ‘  i don’t mean to be laughing, but are you okay?  ’ ‘  i had figure skating lessons since i was thirteen and then my mom sobered up and realized i was a boy.  ’ ‘  i don’t think it’s fair that women have an excuse once a month to act irrationally angry when the rest of us have to keep it together all the time.  ’ ‘  this plan is officially the worst!  ’ ‘  don’t pretend to know my pain.  ’ ‘  you misspelled the word ‘rhythm’ 38 times.  ’ ‘  i’m as mad as a dad in traffic!  ’ ‘  i could do this all day, son!  ’ ‘  you sons of bitches ready to party?  ’ ‘  i’m dealing with a dingus.  ’ ‘  you’re the most throat-punchable boy in all the world.  ’ ‘  that’s like the president and the vice president not being best friends.  ’ ‘  oh, goodness gracious! what are you, a sorcerer?  ’ ‘  i can buy my own pizza! can somebody please loan me $15?  ’ ‘  i gotta tell my best friend i’m in love with her.  ’ ‘  i’m-- i’m pregnant. i mean, you’re pregnant. we’re pregnant!  ’ ‘  what kind of taco meat do you bitches have?  ’ ‘  i think you need me too much.  ’ ‘  i’m gonna be fine. i am. you know why? cause i met you. that’s why i’m okay.  ’ ‘  i’m the voice of reason, that’s why you brought me with.  ’ ‘  we didn’t bring you with. you followed us there in your car.  ’ ‘  saturday is a day for sleeping, and damn it, you will not take that away from me!  ’ ‘  i’ve seen his penis like... a million times.  ’ ‘  he’s my best friend. what if he gets into an accident? what if he’s horribly disfigured and i have to identify him and all that remains are his private parts? and i’m standing there and i’m saying, ‘no officer, i can’t help you because no, i haven’t seen his penis’ and then boom! he’s buried in an unmarked grave.  ’ ‘  people are the worst.  ’ ‘  hey, do you have any snacks?  ’ ‘  it’s a weird life, but it’s where i’m at right now.  ’ ‘  i was put in an awkward situation and i reacted poorly.  ’ ‘  it is perfectly fine to watch tv all day!  ’ ‘  i am not a successful adult! i don’t eat vegetables and/or take care of myself.  ’ ‘  as a matter of fact, i am tired and i am hungry.  ’ ‘  if i don’t know what’s gonna happen, i don’t do something. ever. i don’t care how much i want to do it.  ’ ‘  i’m gonna hit your ass with a ski.  ’ ‘  i want to cover everything up on my body with bubbles.  ’ ‘  how cute am i?  ’ ‘  i’m a color-blind american citizen and i can’t do puzzles.  ’ ‘  what’s your problem? don’t you want me to have a good night?  ’ ‘  maybe if we get drunk then magically everything will just happen.  ’ ‘  anything beautiful is worth getting hurt for.  ’ ‘  every prank you do turns out either too big or too small.  ’ ‘  it burns! it burns!  ’ ‘  why does your hair look so baby soft?!  ’ ‘  how do you get this thing off? get it off of me!  ’ ‘  everyone drinks midori sours! it’s a melon liqueur!  ’ ‘  what do i think the puzzle will look like? the pictures on the box. it’s a japense garden!  ’ ‘  what the hell is wrong with you, just waving that thing around like an idiot?  ’ ‘  give me the spot or i’ll kill you all!  ’ ‘  i will shred myself! i will shred myself in the shredder!  ’ ‘  that tastes disgusting, i don’t like it.  ’ ‘  sometimes i feel like you’re in one of those weird man-dog body-switch movies.  ’ ‘  where are your nipples, man?!  ’ ‘  stop being so mean to me or i swear to go i’m going to fall in love with you!  ’ ‘  i want you to get off my farm!  ’ ‘  i don’t have a vagina!  ’ ‘  this is my only face! i don’t have a lot of faces!  ’ ‘  i refuse to pay for the wifey.  ’ ‘  i don’t like it! it’s too much responsibility!  ’ ‘  shall i compare thee to a summer’s day? no, a summer’s day is not a bitch.  ’ ‘  gave me cookie, got you cookie! you gave me cookie, i got you cookie, man!  ’ ‘  back off, i’m starving!  ’ ‘  your job could be done by a vending machine.  ’ ‘  i thought god just didn’t give me abs.  ’ ‘  what you’re doing is illegal.  ’ ‘  i’m not taking advice from you. you pronounce the ‘g’ in ‘lasagna’.  ’ ‘  and i’m taking this remote because you always hit the info button by mistake.  ’ ‘  are we all just living in the mind of a giant?  ’ ‘  i don’t trust fish. they breath water! that’s crazy.  ’ ‘  do i regret it? yes. would i do it again? probably.  ’ ‘  i can’t work under pressure like this. you know i get nervous. i am just a man. i am not a god.  ’ ‘  first order of business: we eat their food.  ’ ‘  can i get an alcohol?  ’ ‘  if you are for one second suggesting that i don’t know how to open a musical, how dare you!  ’ ‘  the bees are back!  ’ ‘  i haven’t gotten a non-text message in two years.  ’ ‘  the only acceptable pet for a man to have is a saltwater fish.  ’ ‘  the point of dating is just to keep on dating and then never stop. it’s like burning fossil fuels or seeing a therapist.  ’ ‘  you ever wonder if someone in here has killed someone?  ’ ‘  you realize i say ‘goodnight’ to you every night and you never say ‘goodnight’ back? what is your problem? do you not want me to have a good night?  ’ ‘  i’ve made out with half of the people in this room.  ’ ‘  i’ve had nightmares about making out with two of the guys in this room.  ’ ‘  ah! son of a bi-- ...penis. that wasn’t better.  ’ ‘  someone’s personalized condoms just came in the mail.  ’ ‘  i just found a groupon for hypnosis lessons. think about what you could do with that! sex stuff.  ’ ‘  has anyone seen my good peacoat?  ’ ‘  hahaha. what a dumb idea. do it!  ’ ‘  this is the coin i had in my pocket the first night we kissed. and i always have it.  ’ ‘  i feel like i want to murder someone and i also want soft pretzels.  ’ ‘  i hate doors!  ’ ‘  suck it, mr. krabs!  ’ ‘  no, i don’t dance. i’m from the town in footloose.  ’ ‘  are you sure you’re okay? you’re walking like a disney witch.  ’ ‘  he asked me if i wanted to watch planet of the apes. i didn’t know he meant right now.  ’ ‘  would you eat your damn sandwich?  ’ ‘  when you see a dog cage for sale, you buy it.  ’ ‘  you know... i don’t get what’s going on here.  ’ ‘  hey, you made a difference. how does it feel?  ’ ‘  do you have a tank top i could borrow? you look about my size.  ’ ‘  cheers to unemployment!  ’ ‘  i was about to catch you but then you fell.  ’ ‘  there are tampons hidden all around the apartment.  ’ ‘  i think somebody had sex in my bedroom last night. i think that because they’re still in there having sex, i think.  ’ ‘  please take that thing off. you look like a homeless pencil.  ’ ‘  we are gonna make it!  ’ ‘  i’m not ready to lose you. i just got you and i’m not letting you go.  ’ ‘  i can think of five reasons why i wanted to be your friend: boob, boob, vagina, butt cheek, butt cheek.  ’ ‘  actually, that’s not fair, she might be a really nice ho.  ’ ‘  i’m not doing squats or anything. i’m just trying to eat less donuts.  ’ ‘  you’re gonna be fine. you’re gonna meet somebody and you’re gonna fall in love.  ’ ‘  who’s gonna... lay down a flag on this sweet, sweet continent?  ’ ‘  i like to improvise with my body. i’m like a sexual snowflake. each night with me is a unique experience.  ’ ‘  you can run away from your problems, but you’re just gonna find new ones that pop up.  ’ ‘  i hope you like feminist rants ‘cause that’s my thing.  ’

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat June 19

After being so annoyed with May’s Tokyo Treat I approached this one with an open mind. And I’ve decided this will be the final time I mention this, I’ve been considering dropping the individual item rating system. I‘ll still give my opinions but I don’t feel like those are necessary anymore.

Also, my mom’s surgery was scheduled for today and I wasn’t really in the mood to write this- but it’s giving me distraction.

“Hey there TokyoTreat family! We’ve got an exciting mix of delicious snacks for you guys this month; they’re perfect for a springtime hanami picnic! Hanami picnics are super popular in Japan in the springtime when the cherry blossoms are blooming! Pack your picnic basket and get ready for some sweet floral flavors, crispy crunchy textures, and a great selection of picnic worthy snacks! Are you all packed and ready to go on a picnc? We can’t wait for you to enjoy this month’s snacks in the Hanami Picnic box!“

Lucky Treat

As you can see, this Lucky Treat is heavily inspired by the pastel hues of a dreamy Kirby, with some candies and an adorable Miku plush thrown in for good measure.

June’s Contest Prize

Meanwhile, we also have some cute Penguin baby plushies for the grand-prize winner, and the runner-ups received a can of beer drops from Sappuro.

(Incidentally, the booklet made a mistake and had the information from May’s prize!)

--------

Okay, so as you guys know I don’t like to re-review items I’ve already had. There is a few of them this time, including the Candy Apple DIY Kit. If you never tried it I’d highly recommend it, it’s very tasty.

Lipton Sakura Tea

(See pic on top of post!)

Our first official item I will be reviewing is this fun pack of Lipton tea inspired by sakura/cherry blossoms. This is perfect for a Hanami (which means “cherry blossom viewing”) picnic; or just to partner up with the snacks in the box!

This was the very first non-cold/refrigerated drink we’ve gotten in this box, so that was pretty interesting to me. The downside was that I hate tea. The very few exceptions is if it’s a super-lemony/fruity iced tea (I think the one I like actually is by Lipton too), or if it’s mint.

I didn’t know what to expect with this tea because of this, and after I let it sit around for sometime it pretty much tasted like bland, bitter water and smelled like average tea. BUT, after adding some sugar, I found it to be pleasant. It tasted like a light sweetened tea with a hint of cherry, and you could pick up the cherry blossom scent a bit. I was pretty surprised, I didn’t hate this!

Sakura Shrimp Chips & Anpanman Soft Corn

By Calbee we have a big bag of Shrimp Chips- but not just any shrimp chips, these ones have an additional hit of Sakura flavoring. Each bag has 250 calories. The booklet describes this as floral notes, but I honestly don’t taste it. To me it tastes like normal shrimp chips, maybe a tiny bit less shrimpy than usual?

I don’t really like shrimp so I’m not a big fan of these, but I do like their light and crispy texture. My mom loves shrimp and shrimp snacks though, so I think I’ll surprise her with some tomorrow, when she can have solids again. 

----

The next item is one we’ve already had before, Anpanman themed corn rings by Tohato. I think they were also in a 4-pack that time too. As much as the 4-packs annoy me, if it’s something I like I’m a little more understanding :P These are even lighter in crispy texture than the shrimp chips, and each bag is only 40 calories. They have a vegetable flavor and a hint of salt.

I like them, but I will say that they aren’t extremely flavorful. It’s on the lighter side, so I can’t see them appealing to everyone, but the bag is pretty full and I think this could be a nice, healthier alternative to some other similar snacks. I also feel like this would be a good snack for children.

Abekko Ramune Candies & Yaokin Kinako Mochi

For a quick and cute little treat, we have these Ramune Candies by Abekko. They come in a variety of fun fruity flavors, each with a colorful package an adorable little animal interaction with the fruit the candy is based on. I got the melon candies, but there is also Strawberry, Grape, Lemon, and what looks like a Tangerine or Orange. This pack is 21.9 calories (but I assume they’re all the same).

For those unfamiliar, Ramune Candies are little candies made from pressed powdered ingredients, and when eaten/wet they dissolve in your mouth. In the mouth, they only take about 5 seconds to dissolve.

If you like melon then these are tasty :3 they’re sweet and have a very light sour note. I kind of wish we had one of each pouch to try because while I do like melon, I think I would have liked essentially every other flavor even more!

------

Now, if you read my previous TokyoTreat review you might recognize this item; it’s another baby mochi duo pack! This time they are the classic soybean flavor, a flavor I recognize as one of the ones the Chinese cafe at my mall serves.

Because of how it resembles the ones from the mall, I assumed it would taste like them and other soybean flavored snacks I tried; they’re usually a toasty, slightly peanut buttery flavor with a hint of sweetness. For most part these are spot-on, but there was something different... although I’m not sure what. I did like them though, and if you never tried mochi and can find these, I’d recommend them- just make sure you chew them carefully!

Sumikko Gurashi Card and Seal Gum

I’ve mentioned this before, but this is one of those generic several series types of snacks/candies, by that I mean it’s common to find them in a big variety of characters/series. However, I usually only seen Sanrio products like this, so this might be an exclusive item. This is 11 calories.

Anyway, besides the adorable standing card, we also receive a sheet of cute little pastel stickers, and a gum sheet in Soda flavor. As soon as I opened the pack my nose was assaulted by the scent, in a GREAT way! I really like the soda/ramune flavor, which I describe as being sweet and cooling, and this didn’t fail to please.

Sadly, the flavor only lasted for about 1 minute, then over the next minute it lessened and eventually vanished. It didn’t have much bubble making capabilities, so I can’t say it’s very impressive.

Ramue Energy Drink Bubble Candy

I mentioned this before but I don’t like energy drinks. I never tried one but because of all the health risks, I’m kind of afraid of them <3< As far as I know this is only flavored like an energy drink, and it comes in the form of a polished ramune candy. You can really see the difference between it and the melon ones above. What makes these fun is that they’re also foamy, so the more wet they get the more they foam up, like an actual carbonated drink!

The entire bag calorie count is 93 and it is resealable, which is good because you get tons of these!

But... for me it’s bad, because I didn’t like them. I was fair, I gave them a chance, but the flavor wasn’t appealing to me. I can’t even describe it... other than to say the smell reminds me of my old dentist office, again.

Sakura Mochi Cookies & Crushed Strawberry Pocky

Usually we get a lot of cherry blossom/sakura candies and snacks this time of year, so I was surprised by how little we got this time. As such, I was excited to see these unique cookies by Furuta, which are flavored after sakura and filled with what I assume is bean paste, but I’m not 100% sure. They are inspired by a popular sakura mochi snack, which is wrapped in edible leaf (you can see a pic of it on the package).

Each cookie is 46 calories, and they are described as moist in the booklet. They’re super-crumbly, but I can’t say they are moist, my mouth was pretty dry after eating one. The unique flavor is a hit or miss, but I like them; with the exception of the crumbly mess...

------

Now here’s something we haven’t seen in a long time! Pocky was sem-popular for a while in this box like a year or so ago, but as of late I think the kit-kats we’ve been getting ended up replacing them. Speaking of, we didn’t get any this month (I think it’s because May’s Kit-Kats were sakura flavored), and I was feeling kind of good about that. I like kit-kats but I was getting tired of them...

Anyway, this is a Crushed Strawberry pocky, so it’s different from the normal ho-hum strawberry pocky. What makes this box special is that not only are the sticks an interesting bittersweet chocolate flavor, but the strawberry chocolate cream has little itty-bitty chunks of strawberry in it! Each pack (there is 2) is 142 calories.

They taste pretty similar to normal strawberry pocky but with a very lightly-flavored chocolate stick and slightly stronger strawberry flavor. I like them, but I don’t have too much of an opinion on them.

Also, as a side note, it’s very cute; they have a To and From section on the back of the box where you can leave a message to someone special~

Nacho Cheese Pringles & Yaokin Porickey German Potato Sticks

Now, I knew they had Pringles in Japan, but having never actually seen them before (I believe we’ve only gotten the Japanese equivalent brand Chip Star until this point) I thought this was pretty interesting, even though this isn’t a unique or new flavor. But nacho cheese is still delicious, and who doesn’t like Pringles? 

This small pack of Pringles is 284 calories, which seems like a lot but you’re not going to eat them in one sitting or on your own... unless you’re my mom, she loves these types of chips too :P

These taste nothing like the nacho cheese most American people are familiar with, but I heard Mexican food is pretty rare or uncommon in Japan. They remind me of cheddar cheese chips I’ve tried, and if you like cheese you’ll probably like them. I find them decent, but not addictive or interesting. If you expect nacho cheese it’s not going to taste like that, but the booklet suggests eating these with nacho cheese to increase the experience.

-------

Perfect for a picnic snack are these Porickey pretzel sticks inspired by a German potato dish. The entire pack is 81 calories.

Okay so... I don’t really have much to say about these. They have very little flavor, but I noticed it seems to increase as you eat more, but it’s still not very impressive. I like the crunchy texture and they’re not bad, but there isn’t very much to them. They feel boring and bland, but at the same time they could compliment various other items, so maybe it’s not that bad?

Nori Potato Stick(?) & Mentaiko Umaibo

Okay, so... I was a bit confused with this next item, I’m not sure if there is a mistake or if I’m clearly missing the flavor note. I thought this would be tasty, but I was sadly mistaking. Nori is seaweed, which I really like, but this potato stick... is very bitter and kinda nasty >3< I didn’t like it at all. The seaweed flavoring is like nothing I ever tried.

But if you do like the flavor it’s only 28 calories, so it would be an acceptable snack if you’re trying to cut down...

----

Our last item is an Umaibo :D my most favorite thing in these boxes, especially if it’s Corn Potage! That is the best!

This flavor is Mentaiko, which I believe is Mayonnaise fish eggs, I could be a little off. I’ve already tried this one and I have to tell you, I don’t like fish but I’ve come to enjoy this one a little. It’s not in my top 5 Umaibo list or anything, but it’s not bad. I can’t really describe the flavor, but it has a hint of saltiness and spice that is pretty tasty.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4 out of 5. There was a couple repeats but they were items I enjoyed enough to not be displeased by it; but there was also 1 item I didn’t like at all.

Quality - 3 out of 5. I’m noting this because while nothing was tasting stale or old by the time I opened them, I did notice a handful of items were smashed/broken in the packaging (which was in mint condition meanwhile), and in the case of the Pocky, it was broken and melted together.

Theme - 4.5 out of 5. Now keep in mind, the theme wasn’t specifically cherry blossoms, but the picnic aspect of Hanami. But in saying that, I kind of wish there was a little more sakura featured in this box, or maybe some more traditional items to go with the sakura theme. Like for Hanami you would expect sakura, green tea, stuff like that, not nacho cheese and potatoes. BUT I do think all of these items are picnic acceptable.

Total Rank: 9 out of 10. Compared to the previous box I really like this one! I don’t have much to say about it, but I would recommend this one- especially if you’re looking for easy to carry snacks, which was the primary goal of this one.

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Ramune Candies - I’m not actually sure if these were my favorite of the box, but I really liked them. 

2. Anpanman Soft Corn - Light and crisp with a small flavor, but they’re still delicious to me.  

3. Sakura Tea - I really didn’t think I would like this, so I was pleasantly surprised.  

4. Kinako Mochi Cake - These are nice if you like Mochi and can’t really buy a bigger sized one, or if you never tried them before and always wanted to. The flavor was slightly different than what I’m used to but still yummy~

5. Sumikko Gurashi Gum and Seal - I like Sumikko Gurashi, what can I say. The gum tasted good for the minute it lasted.

6. Mentaiko Umaibo -  Again it’s not the best Umaibo, but it’s tasty ;3

7. Sakura Mochi Cookies - Their taste is unique, I’d give them a 70 out of 100 in terms of taste. I don’t love them, but I like them. 

8. Crushed Strawberry Pocky - Kinda like the pringles, they’re not very different or unusual, I’ve had tons of strawberry pocky. But they remain my favorite~

9. German Potato Sticks - Despite their little to no flavor, I can’t say I hate them.

10. Shrimp Chips - These aren’t bad but I usually don’t enjoy them too much. I know my mom will be happy with that though, and since she’ll be hospitalized for a few days I think they’ll cheer her up x3 

11. Nacho Cheese Pringles - They taste good, but there wasn’t really anything unique about them to me. 

12. Ramune Energy Drink Candy - Just slightly better than that potato thing. I still didn’t like them though.

13. Potato Stick thing - Horrible DX

[wanna-be-bold]

Thanks to Tali - Ch 9

You can read the full story here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12498508/1/Thanks-to-Tali

Army

“So if anybody thinks I’m a hero. When they watch me walk right into the flames. “I’m just marchin to the sound of her heartbeat. Yeah I’m a soldier, but if I’m a soldier. She’s an Army.”

May 9, 2019

           “So Tony, Ziva, we’re getting down to the last two months. Are you ready?”

           “I am very ready to meet this little one.” Ziva rubbed her stomach which had grown exponentially since her last visit. “And I know that Tony is too.”

           “Oh yeah, I’m ready for her to get here.” Ziva swatted his arm.

           “Would you stop Tony? We do not know if it is a boy or a girl and yet you still keep calling him a girl.”

           “Well now. If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black.” Ziva gave him a look of confusion as Doctor Thomas looked on in amusement. “You just told me not to call the baby a girl but you keep referring to it as him.”

           “That is different though. I have mother’s intuition.” The couple entered into a stare-off until their doctor cleared her throat to get their attention.

           “Okay you two. Let’s get this ultrasound done and then you can finish your stand-off.” Doctor Thomas went to work on Ziva’s ultrasound. 30 minutes later Tony and Ziva walked out of the doctor’s office hand-in-hand.

           “So Zi, you wanna go to our favorite diner for lunch? Then we can pick up Tali from pre-school and take her to that park she loves.”

           “Sounds perfect ahava.” They spent a leisurely 45 minutes eating lunch before it was time to pick up Tali. Back in the car, Tony grasped Ziva’s hand again, brushing his thumb against hers as she dosed in the passenger seat. After waiting in line for 10 minutes, they finally pulled up to the front doors of the pre-school and Tali raced to her parents’ car. As soon as she got in, Tony turned around with a finger to his lips.

           “Shh sweetie, Ima’s taking a little nap. How about we grab you something to eat then we can go to that park you love. And if you’re good maybe we can get some ice cream afterwards.

           “Okay daddy.” Tali nodded happily in agreement. 5 minutes later, Tony noted how quiet the car was and looked in the rearview mirror to find Tali asleep in the backseat. He pulled into the parking lot of the park 20 minutes later, put the car in park, and then reached over to gently wake Ziva up.

           “Have a nice nap?” She came out of sleep slowly and looked around in confusion before recognizing where they were at.

           “We are at the park already? How long was I asleep?” Tony thought for a moment and added up the driving times from the diner to the pre-school and then to the park.

           “Oh, about 40 minutes.”

           “I am sorry Tony, I did not mean to sleep that long.” She turned around to look behind her seat at Tali. “Looks like someone else was tired as well. Tali.” Ziva tapped Tali’s leg, “wake up motek. We are at the park.” At the word “park” Tali woke up instantly and started unbuckling.

           “Okay Ima, I’m ready, let’s go!” Tony and Ziva laughed and started getting out of the car before Tali could race off. The family spent 30 minutes at the park before Tali requested ice cream. Having not eaten dinner yet, Ziva asked Tali to eat her fruit cup snack and pretzels before getting the sugary dessert. With surprisingly little protest, Tali ate her snacks and, true to their promise, the family walked down the street to their favorite parlor. Ziva went with her usual raspberry sherbet while Tony and Tali splurged with dark chocolate fudge and chocolate chip cookie dough respectively, though they each shared bites with one another. Once at home, Ziva re-heated the left over chicken and rice dish from the night before so they at least had a healthy supper after having their rare dessert first. Exhausted, Tali fell asleep early on the couch and Tony had to carry her to bed. Tony and Ziva did their part of their nightly ritual in putting their daughter to bed before going back into the living room and sitting down on the couch. Tony turned towards his wife.

           “You’ve been fairly quiet today Zi, what’s on your mind?” Ziva sighed and turned towards Tony, her hands in her lap.

           “I am due on July 4th. That is just under two months Tony! We still have not chosen names! I am starting to stress out. I knew Tali’s name from the beginning, Tali for my sister and Amadora because it is Italian for ‘the gift of love; and yet we have never even talked about what we wanted this little one’s name to be!” Ziva started crying out of frustration. “How could this not have come up before?!” Tony grabbed her hands that had started waving around animatedly as she talked.

           “Ziva, amore, it’s okay. We’ll talk about it now and figure it out. It’s gonna be alright. Okay?” Ziva nodded and leaned against Tony’s chest. “First of all, how did you decide on what to name Tali? I know it was your sister’s name but did you have several names picked out?”

           “As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew that, if it were a girl, I wanted to name her Tali. There was no other name I had ever considered.”

           “What about a boy? I know your mother’s intuition told you it was a girl but did you ever have a name picked out in case you were wrong?” Ziva looked up at him in adoration.

           “If it had been a boy, his name would have been Anthony.” Tony looked at her in awe and tried to mask the emotion in his voice.

           “You were. You would’ve named a boy after me?”

           “Of course Tony. You were the father and I love you. It only made sense that a boy would have been named after you.” Tony couldn’t resist any longer and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips. She quickly deepened the kiss, loving how their mouths moved together perfectly. They separated slowly, coming together for a soft kiss before pulling away. “Now, let us talk about a name for this little one.”

           “So, how do we wanna do this?” Ziva thought for a moment, finally coming up with an idea.

           “How about this. Each of us come up with one name each for a boy or girl and then when he or she is born, we will pick one of those names.”

           “That sounds good to me. Should we spitball some now or think about it and revisit the conversation?” Ziva looked confused for a moment before the idiom clicked in her head.

           “I do not want to just, as you say, spitball names. Why don’t we take a couple of days to think it over and then we can reconvene on Sunday and present our names. Oh! And no objections from the other person.”

           “Deal.” They shook hands like they were closing a business deal before sealing it with a kiss. “So, are you ready for bed my ninja?”

           “Very ready.” Tony grabbed her hand and pulled her up off of the couch. Ziva took the lead and pulled him behind her to their room where they changed quickly into comfy pajamas and, taking advantage of Ziva’s ability to still lay on her side, curled into their favorite position in bed.

 Mother’s Day, May 12, 2019

           “Happy Mother’s Day Ima!” Tali yelled, climbing onto the middle of her parent’s bed while Tony walked behind her carrying a homemade breakfast and fresh squeezed orange juice made by their eager to help daughter. She crawled over next to her mother who was just coming out of slumber.

           “Oh my goodness motek what is this?” Ziva smiled at her daughter lovingly, rubbing a hand over her hair and down the side of her head.

           “Daddy and I made you breakfast Ima! Well, Daddy made the breakfast, but I squeezed the orange juice.” Tali watched intently as Ziva took a drink of her orange juice.

           “Mmmm, it is very good, thank you tateleh.” She hugged her daughter in gratitude and scooted over as Tony came around to her side of the bed, placing a tray over her outstretched legs and leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

           “Happy Mother’s day tesoro.” Ziva looked over the spread laid out before her, homemade waffles with strawberries, a blueberry muffin from her favorite bakery, turkey bacon, and a bowl of her favorite fruit. On the corner of the tray a small bouquet of red, yellow, and pink roses sat in a crystal vase adorned with a purple bow.

           “Wow. Thank you Tony, everything looks amazing.” He sat down next to his wife as Tali curled up on her other side. Ziva dug into the waffles first, moaning at how good they were before offering first her daughter then her husband a bite.

           “Are you ready for your present Ima?”

           “You got me a present? You really should not have.” Ziva looked at Tali and then Tony.

           “Of course we got you something Zi. It’s Mother’s day and you should always get presents for Mother’s day.” Tony grabbed the tray off of her legs while Tali crawled over to Tony’s nightstand where she had placed Ziva’s present earlier and grabbed it and her card. She proudly presented Ziva with her card made on colorful paper, a picture of the three of them drawn on the front with an arrow pointing towards Ziva’s stomach and the word “baby” scribbled above. The message on the inside – written by Tony – brought tears to her eyes as she read Tali’s words about how thankful she was to have ‘the best Ima in the whole wide world’ and how she couldn’t wait to be a big sister.

           “Thank you Tali, it is beautiful.” She leaned over and pulled Tali into a tight hug, wiping her eyes as she pulled away. Tony rubbed her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head as she accepted the gift Tali held out for her. Ziva gasped as she opened the square box and pulled out a gold necklace with three charms. She fingered the sapphire, citrine, and emerald stones. “Oh I love it. Thank you.” she kissed Tali’s forehead and turned to Tony, pressing a short kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

           “I wanted to get something for you that would represent our new family. And as soon as this little one is born I’m gonna get his or her birthstone added to it. Turn it around.” Ziva turned the necklace around in her hands and smiled at each of their names being engraved into the gold on the back of their stone. Tears began running down her face again and she blamed the hormones for making her cry so much.

           “Are you sad Ima?” Ziva patted her cheek reassuringly.

           “No baby, these are happy tears. Very happy tears. Thank you both for making this such an amazing Mother’s day.”

           “Well it’s not over yet Zi.” She looked at him in confusion. “We’re gonna spend the whole day watching any movie of your choice and Gibbs and my dad are gonna come over for dinner to celebrate with us.”

           “Well then I better get up so we can get started. I think Sound of Music shall be first, yes?” She smiled as Tony groaned and Tali ran into the living room, singing “Do-Re-Mi” at the top of her lungs. Tony just shook his head and mumbled something about musicals before grabbing the tray from the nightstand to place in the sink. Ziva crawled out of bed and took care of her morning ritual before joining her daughter and husband on the couch where blankets and pillows had already been laid out.

           The Sound of Music, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Disney’s Mulan later, the family decided it was time to get ready for the day. Ziva was pampered with a bubble bath prepared by Tony, complete with candles around the room and soft music playing, while Tony and Tali began making one of Ziva’s favorite dishes, baked chicken with steamed vegetables in a creamy sauce. With dinner in the oven, Tony took Tali into the guest bathroom to get her cleaned up and dressed. He left Tali in her room playing and went to check on Ziva. Walking into their bathroom, he found Ziva with her head laid back on the rolled up towel with her eyes closed. Worried she had fallen asleep, he kneeled next to the tub and whispered her name. Her eyes fluttered open and looked lovingly at him.

           “Have a good nap amore?”

           “I was not asleep Tony, just relaxed. I think I will need help getting out of the tub though.”

           “Well then Mrs. DiNozzo, it would be my pleasure.” Ziva pulled the drain plug and pushed herself up onto her knees. Tony grabbed her hands and helped pull her onto her feet and step out of the tub. He wrapped a warmed up towel around her so she could dry off before bringing her her favorite robe.

           “Hmm, I could get use to this.” Ziva slipped into the robe Tony held out for her and tied it around her protruding belly. She turned around in her husband’s arms able to kiss him as she pleased now with no little eyes watching. “Thank you Tony.”

           “You are very welcome Zi. I like pampering you, you deserve it. Now, dinner is almost done and Gibbs and my dad will be here within the hour so let’s get you dressed.” Fifteen minutes later, Ziva was dressed in her favorite maternity dress - dark purple with cap sleeves and flowy knee-length skirt – and lounging on the couch while Tony got the chicken out of the oven and Tali set the table. Senior and Gibbs arrived as dinner was being placed on the table and Ziva opened the door, greeting them both.

           “Happy Mother’s day dear.” Senior pulled her into a hug and handed her an envelope holding a gift certificate for a spa day.

           “Oh my. Thank you Anthony but this is too much. You really shouldn’t have.” Senior just shook his head and insisted that she deserved it. “Well, I will make sure to use this after the baby is born.” Ziva rubbed her belly affectionately and Senior patted her shoulder, stepping into the dining room to join his son and granddaughter and allow Gibbs to greet his surrogate daughter.

           “Happy Mother’s day Ziver.” Gibbs gave her a side hug and kissed her forehead, presenting her with flowers, her favorite cupcake, and a small, hand-carved jewelry box. Ziva rubbed her hand over the polished wood, admiring the way her name was carved into the lid.

           “Thank you Gibbs, they are lovely. This is a beautiful jewelry box, I love it. And this cupcake looks delicious, I will save it for after dinner.” The two stepped into the kitchen where everyone else was already seated around the round table and Tali was patting the empty seat next to her.

           “Granpa Gibbs, sit next to me!” Gibbs smiled and obliged, taking the seat next to her, leaving a seat open between himself and Tony for Ziva to sit. Ziva looked around the table in awe of her family thankful that she was here now and they were about to add one more child into the mix.

           Senior and Gibbs left shortly after dessert – a red velvet double layer cake with cream cheese frosting topped with strawberries and chocolate shavings – and, after ensuring Tali was asleep, the couple got changed into pajamas and curled up on the couch facing each other, ready to present their names.

           “So Ziva, this is it. Do you have your two names? Because there is no going back now.”

           “I am ready Tony. Although I do not think there will be any competition, my names are pretty good.” Ziva tried and failed to hide a cocky smile that Tony had to force himself not to kiss off.

           “Well then Ms. David,” Ziva lifted an eyebrow at Tony’s playful use of her maiden name, “why don’t you go first since you’re so sure of yourself.”

           “Very well then.” Ziva looked down at her notepad in concentration, filtering out all of the names that had been crossed off. “My final names are, for a girl, Ariane, and for a boy – which I know it is -, Ezra.” Tony looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing at his notebook, far fewer names than littered Ziva’s, with two names circled multiple times at the top.

           “I had a few ideas, but I kept going back to these two names. For a boy, Rafael or Rafi for short. And for a girl – which I know it is – Izabella.”

           “Well, we both have picked beautiful names Tony, I guess we will decided when he or she is born, yes?”

           “That sounds like a plan. Now, it’s almost midnight, let’s get to bed Mrs. DiNozzo.”

           “That is the best idea you’ve had all night Mr. DiNozzo.” Husband and wife climbed into bed on their respective sides facing each other and sharing a lingering kiss. “Laila tov hakhayim sheli.”

           “Buona notte vita mia.”

[mdhsnews]

Student Voice Box Special: Some Tasty Advice

To whomever submitted the question, “I love chocolate, what type should I try next?” to the student voice box.

Chocolate. Wonderous, delicious chocolate. As a treat, guilty pleasure, or comfort food, people have been enjoying chocolate for many years, all the way back to the mesoamerican period where it was a very common drink. Nowadays, there are so many different flavours of chocolate that choosing the next one to try might be a bit of a challenge. But never fear, dear anonymous person who left this comment, we’ve got your back!

Chocolate can be made with two components of the cacao bean: the cocoa solids, and the cocoa butter. These two are products of fermenting, roasting, and grinding the outside shell of a cacao bean. White chocolate has only cocoa butter from the cacao bean, but has the added enhancements of sugar and milk, whereas brown chocolates have varying amounts of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, along with milk, sugar, and any other added flavours.

Sweet Fact! White chocolate has no caffeine because caffeine, as well as theobromine, phenethylamine which are chemicals that make us feel (without going into super nerdy details here) happy, are present in cocoa solids and not cocoa butter.

Vegan chocolate exists! Yes, contrary to popular belief, vegans can eat chocolate and enjoy it, especially since there are more and more options for vegans to choose dairy free sweets. As mentioned above, cocoa butter is plant based, so when looking to buy chocolate, read the ingredients and make sure you find things without “Allergy warning: may contain milk”. Also, oreos, aka the best cookies ever that would be gone in 0.02 seconds after entering my hands, are vegan.

Aside from vegan but still on the path to being healthy, reading the ingredients is a great idea for anyone to do! Making sure your chocolate has the least amount of ingredients as possible is healthier, and probably a good rule of thumb.

The News Team has come together to share their favourite chocolate flavours and brands to hopefully answer the anonymous question.

I (Thea Richinson) love dark chocolates. Anything from 65% to around 90% cocoa is probably the best kind of chocolate out there. Lindt is one of my favourites because of how many different flavours you can get with almonds, lime, orange, raspberry, and so on. My absolute favourite would have to be any kind of dark chocolate with caramel inside. By the way, I pronounce it “care-a-mel”, how do you pronounce it?

I’m Zainab Fatima, and I love ALL sorts of chocolate!! But white chocolate has got to be my favourite since I have such a sweet tooth (for which I’ve been to the dentist endless times). I’ve tried all sorts of brands of chocolate: Nestle, Cadbury, Lindt, Ferrero Rocher… However, recently I’ve been trying to eat more Fair Trade chocolate, since we’ve discussed it in my english class and I want to support the cocoa farmers. As it turns out, this isn’t very difficult, either, because Canada has many Fair Trade chocolate companies in its grocery stores. Some include: President’s Choice, Cadbury, Green & Black’s, and many more can be found on the Fair Trade Canada website. One particular brand that I’ve been really into lately is Endangered Species Chocolate. I love animals and Fair Trade, and I can support both by purchasing chocolate from this brand! Another awesome fact is that most of the chocolates they make are VEGAN, gluten-free and Kosher! Not only that, but they have many interesting flavours like, ‘Caramel & Spiced Apple’ and ‘Cranberries, Orange and Cinnamon,’ just to name a couple. I found their chocolate bars at Sobey’s (in the gluten-free and vegan section), but you can also purchase them at Amazon. So, I wish you all the best in whichever chocolate you decide to try next, though I bet it'll be delicious, because what chocolate isn’t?

Maija here, and honestly, I’m satisfied with the less expensive or fancy chocolates. Just simple Nestlé® milk chocolate bars such as, Kitkat®, Coffee Crisp®, and especially Aero® are simple and sweet treats. Other than candy bars, chocolate covered anything are my favourites. Chocolate strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, pretzels, and raisins are the superstars of the chocolate-covered universe. Try Glosette® chocolate covered raisins and you won’t regret it (available at most dollar stores). My last bit of advice? Mini M&Ms® are better than regular M&Ms® hands down.

I'm Jasmine, and while I simply adore every single chocolate, my favourite chocolate is a Dairy Milk bar of milk chocolate. I find that white chocolate is wonderful, but anything more than a chocolate chip sized portion can be overwhelming and give me a headache. As for dark chocolate, that too tastes lovely in a small amount (and makes me feel very sophisticated), but having too much can make the bitterness difficult. Milk chocolate is the perfect balance between the two different chocolates, and I can never grow tired of it. Dairy Milk in particular has an irresistible flavour and the texture of the chocolate is so smooth, it melts in your mouth once you have it. As for chocolate candies, Aeros and Maltesers have always been dear to me; although Maltesers are rather expensive, they can be a fantastic treat for birthdays or times spent with loved ones and friends. Overall, my advice would be to try as much chocolate as possible to find your favourites and to be open to experimenting with new flavours!

Iman, reporting for duty, and wow do I have a lot to say about this topic. I’m well-educated in all things chocolate, one of my favourite foods. My favourites include mint chocolate, white chocolate, super dark chocolate, and salted caramel chocolate. My favourite brand chocolates are Lindor (DARK SEA SALT CARAMEL FTW) and this amazing brand called 4Fun. It’s like a super thick Kit-Kat, and you can find them near the cash registers in Milton Dollar Stores/Dollar Trees.

I’m Tithi Mayani, and my personal favourite type of chocolate is Ferrero Rocher, by Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA. With a hazelnut core surrounded by creamy chocolate, put inside a wafer shell, sprinkled in chopped hazelnuts, all topped off with a coat of chocolate, it is pure perfection. I love how it’s decorated in golden foil, and put inside a brown paper cup with a rim. It looks as good as it tastes. I know how some people love dark chocolate, but I just can’t seem to find a taste for it. I know how it’s supposed to be real chocolate, with milk chocolate being very diluted and all, but I just find it too bitter. I suppose it’s an acquired taste, like coffee and tea. One of the types of chocolate I do like, however, is caramel chocolate. I know how sticky it is, and how it can get everywhere, but I think that the taste is worth the hassle. Chocolate is the best!

I’m Nicole Rottgen and chocolate is actually one of my many loves, especially dark chocolate. That sadly seems to be a bit of an unpopular opinion here, but let me remind you that not only is dark chocolate healthy for you (...in moderation), it is a more pure form of chocolate compared to milk which only needs to be 10% actual chocolate. White chocolate isn’t even technically chocolate at all! My pretentious rant aside, I’ll have to agree with Thea that the best kind of chocolate is dark Lindt chocolate. I usually go for 70-90% chocolate, plain but sometimes with mint or sea salt added for something different.

I’m Prema Kapoor and honestly, chocolate is probably one of the best creations. I absolutely adore milk chocolate and Ferrero Rocher, just not dark chocolate. I love when chocolate is sweet and when it melts in my mouth. I love nutty chocolate and chocolate with caramel. Dark chocolate isn’t my cup of tea because of its bitter taste and weird aftertaste it leaves me with. If we’re on the topic of chocolate bars, the reigning chocolate has to be Snickers, because honestly, I’m not me without it. Chocolate is definitely delicious and appeals to everyone.

I am Hillary Ford and I love almost all kinds of chocolate, except dark chocolate. My all time favourite type of chocolate are Kit Kat chocolate bars. I love how there is not too much chocolate but just enough. The crunchy wafer in the middle just ties the whole thing together. The way the chocolate is mashed between the wafers just makes them so good. I highly recommend Kitkat chocolate bars!