#kenji's pancake ass

[cheesencrackersinprison]

(After slapping Kenji's ass)

"I feel like I just slapped a concrete wall"

Kenji: "Damn, are my muscles that hard?"

"No, because it's flat"

[accioscarheadthings]

Any chance a part 2 of the Kenji Sato x femreader tyla dance please? But THIS time kenji doing the tyla dance. https://youtube.com/shorts/SXthzzDmrIU?si=DSN457g5REVS1p9i

lmaoo (also, i had to use that one meme:))

masterlist !

kenji would be so confident about it. piece of cake, even he could move like that.

he'd call you over and make you watch him do the challenge. he'd set the camera in front of you both to record him dancing and you reacting to it.

you'd be at the side with crossed arms, lips threatening to burst out laughing.

the beat would drop and he would try his level best and do little dance moves, but his body would be very stiff as he attempted the dance, looking awkward and clunky as he fumbled through the moves, his movements lacking grace or elegance.

as he did the little dance, he’d have a bright, wide goofy smile on his face, looking like an idiot as he attempted the moves and kept you in front of him.

he’d keep attempting the dance, his movement blundering as he tried to match the moves in the video with his movements, his phone recording all of it, including your face.

"ah, don't shake my pancakes," you'd point a hand at him, hunching over in fits of laughter.

he’d immediately pout when you insulted his ass, insinuating it looked flat like pancakes, his movements in the dance faltering a little bit as he shot you a glare, "shut up, they aren't pancakes,"

"sure," you rolled your eyes at him.

kenji would gasp when you slap his ass, inhaling sharply, still recording the whole thing as you laughed at him.

his glare swiftly transformed into a cheeky grin as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a playful wrestling match.

you both tumbled onto the couch behind you, your bodies flailing as the blend of your laughter filled the room.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Armed Detective Agency headcannons:

Fukuzawa has left Dazai in charge once, and only once.

Kenji has a cow plush that looks identical to his actual cow. And he tucks it in bed every night.

Kyouka went back to that arcade and won Atsushi a tiger plush. With a note that says "I'm not a cat. I'm a tiger."

Kunikida has let kids plait his hair while he's speaking to the police or their parents after a case has been completed.

Atsushi takes good care of all his poessions because he's never been allowed to own anything before.

Dazai doesn't ruin Kunikida's schedule enough to actually send him into a panic. He knows his limits, he abides by em.

Junichiro has gone to Kunikida for help when he's been struggling with his lessons.

Ranpo doesn't directly share his sweets but he'll randomly drop some he knows are the others favourites where they can find em.

Yosano is a legal doctor, she went to med school and crushed it without using her ability just to show she could.

Katai doesn't set an alarm he just gets dragged out of bed by Kunikida everyday.

Kyouka teaches Junichiro how to be steathly because she can sense his blood lust from a mile away.

Atsushi went to the zoo and a tiger tried to kidnap him. It picked him by the scruff of his neck and walked back into it's den.

Dazai just stood their laughing his ass off while Kunikida went to go help.

Ranpo will read all of Poe's novel even if he's already figured out the mystery.

There's pancake batter on the ceiling of the kitchen, no one knows how it got there.

Dazai stubbed his toe and just laid on the floor for 3 hours saying it was the end for him.

Kunikida had an emo phase and Katai has proof of it but won't show it to anyone.

Fukuzawa makes sure to spend time with atleast one member of the agency each day.

Junichiro is terrified of horror movies while Naomi loves them.

Atsushi learns to bake and whoever has a job with him gets a lil packet of their favourites.

Kenji has told his whole family and than some about his friends at the agency and tells the agency they'd love to meet them some say.

Ranpo has sent threatening messages to Atsushi's old Orphanage along with a whole bunch of evidence of their crimes and says he'll send it all to the police if they ever try and hurt him again.

Everyone has Fukuzawa's personal phone number and knows if they ring him he will show up no matter what.

[sunlightinyoursoul]

TOTIK - Chapter 1: JANUARY 15

A/N: aaaaah chapter one!! i'm super stoked to finally have this up, i hope you guys enjoy!!

TOTIK MASTERLIST MAIN MASTERLIST CHAPTER 2

summary: you're a library science major who gets kicked out of their apartment right before the first snowfall is set to hit osaka. temp-job juggler and night student suna rintarou desperately needs a game plan that will keep his swindling relatives away from him and his sister. the deal? you get to rent out a room at their place for ridiculously cheap, and all you have to do is pretend that you're helping to take care of ayame whenever rintarou is away. getting attached isn't part of the plan . . .

AKA a story about pancakes, cats, and what "home" actually means

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The cold has kept people at bay, it seems.

The park five blocks down from your former apartment is unusually empty, and you’re grateful for it. There’s nobody to see what a mess you look like: lugging around a suitcase, three cardboard boxes, and your backpack; eyes red from crying; still in sweats and a T-shirt because your stupid asshole landlord hadn’t even given you a full day to pack all your things and move out.

You’re pretty sure that had been illegal, but whatever. Broke college students can’t afford to sue.

You tug up your scarf to hide your nose from the biting winter wind, shivering. It’s supposed to snow soon — maybe even today, if the dark gray clouds overhead are anything to go by. The forecast had predicted snowfall two or three days from now, but with your luck, it probably came early just to spite you. You hope Kenji and Mai get here before it actually does; you had called them nearly an hour ago now, and your ass is starting to feel frozen to the wooden bench.

Another harsh gust of wind sends a rush of — not dead leaves, like you’re expecting. Instead, it’s so cold that it takes your brain a moment to think even in the simplest words — paper, gold, why? — and you watch, confused, as the wind lifts them up, up to the sky and they float back to the ground like drifting flower petals. You snag one of the papers as it spirals closer to you.

TENANT WANTED, it reads. SINGLE-ROOM OCCUPANCY IN SUITA APARTMENT. FREE UTILITIES & WIFI. NO DEPOSIT NECESSARY. MONTHLY RENT: ¥23,000.

There’s more detailed information underneath, like room size and the fact that it’s in a mixed commercial-residential area and the closest train stops and grocery marts. And . . . a phone number. Your eyes go back to the rent, not quite believing that the number is real: twenty-three thousand yen.

That has to be a misprint. Nobody would rent out one room for so little, especially with everything else that it comes with. But your hands clench around the paper, crinkling it, and you know it’s dangerous to hope, but — it couldn’t hurt, right? Just to check?

You’re so lost in thought that you don’t hear the tap-tap-tap of someone running until there’s a gasp, and you look up to lock eyes with a young girl staring at you, a strange look on her face.

She has a stack of paper tucked between her arms, you notice, all golden and black font like the page you’re holding. Flyers, you realize. Her flyers. She must have been on her way to post them when the wind kicked up and blew them in your direction. There are still a good number scattered around, so you stand and roll down your scarf to offer the girl a smile.

“These are yours, right? I’ll help you pick them up.”

The girl’s eyes widen, almost imperceptibly so, but she nods and crouches down to gather the flyers closest to her. You can feel her gaze on you as you pick the rest up, and it makes you nervous, afraid to ask the question you’re desperate to know the answer to. Is she helping someone else advertise? She’s much too young to have her own place, unless she’s rich and living alone.

The girl, surprisingly, is the first to break the silence — she’s quiet, and there’s a hint of hesitation in her voice, but she does not waver. “Do you . . . need a place to stay?”

“That obvious, huh?” you say with a wry laugh, and the girl smiles tentatively in return. “Yeah, I kind of lost my old place last-minute and didn’t have a new one lined up, which is why I’m here and have all my things with me. I hate to seem so blunt, but is the rent really twenty-three thousand?”

“Yes,” the girl answers. She looks serious now, as if she’s running calculations in her head, tugging on a strand of her short black hair like it’s habit. You don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. “You can have it, actually. I’ll help move your boxes. It’s not far from the train stop, and I know Nii-san will be really happy to finally have someone in the room, and — ”

“Whoa, hold on!” you interject. “I’m glad for the offer, but you can’t just — bring home any person who asks like it’s okay! That’s dangerous. Your older brother, I should talk to him first, right? If he’s the number at the bottom, then I’ll give him a call later. My friends are letting me crash at their place for a few days, so it’s fine.”

The girl frowns. “But you are okay. I know. Nii-san said that I have majority opinion on who gets to live with us, anyways.”

You’re half-amused, half-exasperated that this girl already seems to think so highly of you. “You can’t just think I’m okay because I helped pick up your flyers. That’s a really low bar, you know? And I don’t think your brother would appreciate you bringing a stranger home. I’ll definitely call, okay?”

The girl looks like she wants to protest some more, but she’s interrupted by a rumbling engine being cut, car doors slamming, and the call of, “Y/N!”, and your heart leaps.

Kenji, Mai, and Takanobu are rushing up the pavement, looking frantic. Well — mostly Takanobu and Kenji. Mai looks like she’s ready to murder someone. Probably the landlord. She did say some colorful things about him during the phone call.

“Are you okay?” she asks as she hands you a hot thermos and a warm box of pork buns. “I’m going to kill that bastard, I swear to God.”

“I’m fine,” you assure her. “Just cold and hungry, that’s all. The food will help with that, though, thanks.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Kenji apologizes. “When we told Takanobu what was going on he wanted to come, too, and he got into this whole thing with his boss about leaving work early — ”

“Takanobu!” you exclaim. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have been fine with Kenji and Mai.”

Takanobu shakes his head furiously. He puts his hands on your shoulders and squeezes with a gentleness that warms your body, and before you know it your eyes are watering again, and you sniffle.

“Thanks,” you say, smiling weakly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”

Kenji snorts as he makes his way to the bench. “Die from hypothermia, apparently. Let’s get you out of here. It’s supposed to snow soon, and — Aya-chan! What are you doing here?”

The girl, who had apparently sat down to observe you and your friends, smiles politely at Kenji. “Hello, Futakuchi-san. It’s been a while.”

Now that takes you by surprise. “Kenji, you know her?”

“Yeah, she’s the little sister of a friend,” he answers, looking between you and the girl with raised eyebrows. “Since when did you two know each other?”

“Since fifteen minutes ago, when I helped her pick up these flyers she lost,” you say, waving the one you had been originally holding. “They’re looking for tenants. If it goes well, I don’t have to stay with you for too long — ”

“Ma would let you live with us for as long as you wanted,” Kenji cuts in sharply, and then adds, “but if it’s Aya-chan and her brother offering . . . you should take it. They have a — unique situation. You’d be a perfect fit, actually. I should have thought of that sooner.”

The girl lights up. “Yes! Nii-san would accept it if you vouched for them, Futakuchi-san.”

“No, that isn’t — I really should talk to your brother first,” you insist. “Kenji, you can’t just expect me to walk in and act like it’s okay — ”

“You guys are the same,” Kenji says, and you’re not entirely sure what that means, but the way Kenji says it — simple and straightforward, like it’s just a fact of life — makes you pause long enough for Kenji to mash out a quick text to his friend. “Okay, he knows. All right! Let’s get you two home.”

“What!” you yelp. “No, hey, I’m not done talking — ”

“I’m cold, too,” the girl interrupts, and you realize too late she’s determinedly marching to the car with one of your boxes in her arms and the flyers stacked on top. “We have tea back at the apartment. You can eat your buns there.”

You turn to Mai and Takanobu pleadingly, but Takanobu just grabs the rest of your things and follows the other two and Mai pats your back.

“You deserve this,” she says. “Besides, if it’s who I think it is . . . Kenji is right. You’ll be good for him. For the both of them.”

“What does that even mean?”

Mai only smiles and tugs you to the car.

It’s a thirty-minute trip from the park to the apartment, which is small and squat and nestled between an old kitchen supply store and a higher, more modern-looking complex. The apartment takes up the entire second floor, the girl explains.

“The ground floor has the laundry machines and the breaker and it’s where Masano-san keeps her office,” she tells you as she helps unload your things. “Masano-san is the building owner. We rent from her, so you’re really just subleasing from us. She doesn’t live here, though. She has a better place in Tezukayama.”

You make a face. “Tezukayama? Don’t tell me she’s a mean old rich lady.”

“She’s rich and old, but she isn’t mean.” The girl shuts the trunk and turns to Kenji. “Do you and your friends want to stay for a bit, too? Nii-san is coming home today. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”

“Thanks for the offer, Aya-chan, but Y/N’s right about one thing — they should meet your brother first without us meddling,” Kenji says. “I’ll call him, though, promise. You’ll definitely be seeing us more now that Y/N’s living with you, anyways.”

The girl smiles, small but sincere. “Okay. Thanks for the help, Futakuchi-san.”

“No problem, kiddo.” Kenji ruffles her hair affectionately, and after you’ve hugged him, Mai, and Takanobu, they pile into the car and leave.

Now it’s just you and the girl standing outside of the building.

You adjust your grip on the two boxes you are holding. The girl has the third stacked on top of your suitcase, one hand on top to keep it from falling while the other fumbles with a set of keys. This time, you’re the one to break the awkward silence.

“I know it seemed like I was complaining a lot earlier,” you say, “but I really am grateful for this. I’ll try not to cause too much trouble for you or your brother.”

The girl shakes her head. “We’ll be causing plenty of trouble for you, I think. My brother will explain more when he gets home, but it’s like Futakuchi-san said earlier — we have a situation you can help with.”

The girl says ‘situation’ like it leaves a sour taste in her mouth, and it makes you smile. She had seemed so flat and expressionless at first, but she’s surprisingly easy to read.

“I don’t think we’ve even properly introduced ourselves yet.” You set the boxes down and hold out your hand. “I’m L/N Y/N. I’m looking forward to living with you.”

“My name is Suna Ayame,” the girl says as she reaches out. “My brother and I will be in your care.”

Something white and cold lands on your joined hands. Then more dotting your arms, the concrete, the boxes, and you tilt your head up, blinking. Huh.

It’s snowing.

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ending notes: i'm so nervous posting this, oh my god. i'd love to know your thoughts or comments or questions whatever!! don't be afraid to shoot me an ask about this or other characters as well :))

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

At this rate Shin will have a DLC for P3D before FeMC/Ryoji

And.....I ain’t gonna be mad at the little dude, I’ll pour one out for him he deserves it, and I mean PTS was a (now alternate universe not connected to the games as stated by Atlus after the release of P4/P3P as stated in the official artbook) sequel to the original/FES ver of P3 so like he wouldn’t be COMPLETELY out of nowhere for P3D (Laz-chan is tho tbh, they better explain where she was in P3/P....actually a remake for P3 she’d be an interesting bonus boss). I’m still gonna wanna light Atlus’ ass on fire for shunning FeMC and Ryoji tho. Just because they’re pushing it ;w; Goro is the Adachi of P5D, Shinji is not he’s just part of the main cast. At least put Ryoji, the Adachi of P3D in there. ;w;

(oh snap this turned into a rant under the cut, well rip 8U)

I’m not even mad Labrys and Sho got announced for DLC, mad they (or at least Sho) got announced FIRST/BEFORE FeMC/Ryoji, but not upset. They are integral to P3′s lore, and tbh Labby showed up in the drama CDs (which is the reason I’m fine with her being announced first before the FeMC, since Labby came out first, but I am mad she was announced before Ryoji cause he was first). And like not just lore, but Sho is also basically his own Strega and....it’s easier to just do one guy instead of 3. 8U Plus apparently he is popular 

Like fudging P1 OP and ED (and maybe P2 can’t remember) HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR P3/5D BEFORE THE FEMC OR RYOJI! Like brah I’m happy for P1/2 fans, but c’mooooooon man that’s not P3 related. ;w; Like if there are any fans who will feel and understand the pain of P1/2 fans feeling ignored it’s FeMC fans and PTS fans (I know you exist). The issue is while P1/2 can’t be used cause Tadashi bounced, and PTS can’t be used (but some stuff can be borrowed, similar to what happens to the FeMC all the gd time) cause it’s not “canon to the games, it’s an alt universe canon with it’s own canon” (hey it’s important they stated that cause the MegaTen canon is so fluid and people already get confused and yes the distinction is important to make), the FeMC has NONE of those restrictions.1) Hashino is still there and willing to let them use his characters without him directing. 2) It’s not even Hashino’s character tbh, Azuka Kido wrote her and most of P3P, if anything she’s the creator and she’s still working in the Persona department so like she’s not restricted like Tadashi characters even more 3) Atlus has stated if it happens in the game it’s canon, even if it’s an alt universe, it’s an alt universe within the game’s canon so it’s still canon, which is key to Persona’s lore (SMT If, all of P2, P3P, PQ, fudge every route for Arena/Ultimax too). All this means that there is NOTHING to hold her back like they do for P1/2/TS....but they do anyway! ;w;

I’m sorry this became a rant, but....it just hurts a lot of love this character. They’ll use her stuff, HER OWN STUFF EXCLUSIVE TO HER but they won’t give her the time of day....and there’s literally no reason to NOT give her the time of day. They use her songs for the 20th anniversary concert, but she’s shafted from the Soejima art (even tho there’s like an awkward space with all the MCs which makes me feel like she was meant to be there but was removed for some reason) as well as the merch. Her music is used in P3D but is nowhere to be seen. They took cues from her SL with Ryoji and used it for the P3 movies, THEY TOOK RIO AND SAORI AND PUT THEM IN THE MOVIES! THOSE TWO AREN’T EVEN ON THE MALE SIDE! Not even as NPCs you see in the beginning like with Kenji or Kaz are on the FeMC side! Rio/Saori literally don’t exist on the male side, they aren’t programed! ;w; 

I mean....I try to give Atlus the benefit of the doubt, I feel like the shoutouts (such as Akihiko’s pancake mention in PQ, and probably other stuff too), the music at the concerts and P3D, the Rio/Saori cameo and the Ryoji development in the movies....I feel like they’re thinking and trying to throw FeMC fans a bone and I think they think they’re doing a good job. “See we didn’t forget her, look at all the stuff from her route!” but.....it just kinda hurts, it feels more like they’re dangling a key in front of us, a key to a door she’s locked behind rather than throwing us a bone. 

I mean I get it, FeMC fans can be loud about wanting to see their fav, but just cause they wanna see her doesn’t mean we automatically hate Minato/Makoto or don’t want him. I know us being loud can be really annoying, but if you’re a P1/2 fan or a Goro fan I’m sure you can understand having your favs be shafted. Like her being excluded from 20th anniversary was a low blow, just her being with the other MCs would’ve held us over, just knowing they still acknowledged her. That’s literally all we want, not a whole game dedicated to her, just to be included in the artwork with other MCs.

[powershirt8-blog]

The Best Electric Griddles for Crowd-Size Cooking

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

More

Breakfast

Everything you need to make the most important meal of the day delicious.

Cooking brunch at home can be an ordeal, especially if you have several mouths to feed. The prospect of juggling multiple pans between limited stovetop and oven space, while trying to accommodate the egg-cookery and pancake-shaping requests of sleepy children or (worse) adults who haven't had their coffee yet, can make a trip to the diner sound pretty appealing. But that also has its drawbacks: You have to change out of your pajamas, leave the house, talk to people, possibly wait in a line, and drop a good chunk of change for food you easily could have made better yourself. It's a tough call.

If you like cooking classic American breakfasts in your own kitchen, it may be worth considering purchasing an electric griddle. Electric griddles are a budget-friendly, at-home version of the flat-top cooking surfaces used by short-order diner cooks. They allow you to cook greasy-spoon staples like pancakes, bacon, French toast, fried eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches in big batches, so you don't have to spend an eternity standing by the stove flipping two flapjacks at a time in a skillet.

The Best Electric Griddle: Presto Electric Tilt-n-Fold Griddle

Presto makes two of our favorite electric griddles. Its Tilt-n-Fold model is very simple to set up and operate, and it has a compact design that makes it easy to store in kitchen cabinets when not in use. It has a large, smooth, nonstick cooking surface that heats mostly evenly, can be set at an angle to drain grease, and is easy to clean. We love the price, too—the Tilt-n-Fold costs a little under $50, so even if you're not turning your kitchen into IHOP every weekend, you won't be upset about dropping a bunch of loot on a rarely used appliance (yes, bread maker, we're talking about you).

The Best Affordable Electric Griddle: Presto 22-Inch Electric Griddle

Our other griddle pick from Presto, and Stella's favorite, is even more affordable! This lightweight model comes with fully detachable handles that make cleaning and storing it a breeze; it will easily slot into the cabinet with all your baking sheets and cooling racks; and its nonstick surface has a textured crosshatch pattern that helps keep pancakes from sliding around and eluding your spatula when you're trying to flip them.

The drawback of this design feature is that it makes it harder to wipe away grease from cooking fatty foods like bacon. And without a tilting mechanism, that grease will pool in the middle of the griddle, rather than in the drip tray. For that reason, this is a great option for people who like to take the sweet route at brunch and don't need a griddle for cooking breakfast meats.

The Griddle Upgrade: Broil King Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle

The Broil King was the top-performing electric griddle that we tested in terms of consistent heating and cooking results, turning out batches of perfectly browned pancakes. Like the Tilt-n-Fold, the legs of the Broil King can be adjusted to pitch the cooking surface, which helps drain fat into its grease trap. This model costs roughly twice as much as the Tilt-n-Fold and has a bulkier design that makes it difficult to store vertically in a cabinet. It comes with a removable stainless steel backsplash that is a nice idea (minimizing grease splatter and providing a backstop to help flip food with a spatula), but its flimsy construction makes it more of a nuisance than a standout feature.

The Unplugged Option: Lodge Reversible Cast Iron Stovetop Griddle

While this review focuses on electric griddles, it's worth noting that some may prefer to invest in a stovetop cast iron griddle instead. Given our testing, which revealed that electric griddles don't get hot enough to properly sear burgers or meats, a large cast iron cooking surface like this one from Lodge can give you plenty of real estate for larger batches of food while letting you decide just how scorching you want it to be.

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The ability to cook in (relative) volume is the main appeal of an electric griddle. Nonstick pans are great for cooking up scrambled eggs or omelettes, but making an entire batch of pancakes with one skillet takes an eternity. You are left with the choice of doling out fresh hotcakes a few at a time, withholding them from hungry guests in a warm oven until the whole batch is ready, or attempting to cook in multiple pans all at once. None of those options is ideal. As for bacon, it's a scientific fact that you can never fit enough of it into a pan, and during the warmer months of the year, it's preferable to keep the oven out of the equation. Electric griddles allow us to cook these items in larger batches while providing the same easy cleanup we're accustomed to when using nonstick pans.

Most of the electric griddles on the market have the same basic design—a rectangular, nonstick, flat cooking surface that is heated by an electric coil on its underside. A control dial, located on the detachable power cord, regulates the heat, cycling on and off to maintain the set temperature. The majority of models come with a removable drip tray for catching cooking grease.

While a lot of griddles have the same basic design, they vary greatly in performance. A good electric griddle should have a large cooking surface that heats evenly for consistent cooking and browning. Because it isn't an everyday appliance, we want a griddle to have a slim footprint that won't take up a ton of valuable kitchen storage space and isn't so bulky or heavy that we would hesitate to grab it out of the cabinet when it could be of use. Finally, because most of us aren't cooking huge breakfasts all that frequently, we wanted to find griddles that are affordable; spending a lot of money on an appliance that gathers dust in the cupboard catacombs is frustrating and unnecessary. Spend good money on equipment you will use all the time, like a knife or Dutch oven.

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Even though we were hoping to find some high-quality affordable griddles, we didn't set price limits to the models that were considered during testing. We tested griddles that ranged from very cheap ($29.99) to outrageously expensive ($549.95). Along with the traditional flat-top design, we looked at sandwich press–style models that boast additional features like grill plate attachments. None of those panini press models performed well. When it comes to griddle construction, manufacturers should heed the wisdom of Ron Swanson, who once said, "Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."

We tested performance by cooking batches of pancakes, bacon, and finally burgers to see if any of the griddles could handle high-heat cooking that we normally reserve for cast iron or stainless steel pans. Throughout testing, we noted ease of setup, use, and cleaning. We paid attention to the cooking surface area of each griddle and how evenly they heated and maintained a set cooking temperature. Nonstick cooking surfaces can be easily damaged, so we also kept track of the wear and tear that these simple cooking tasks took on the griddles.

Cooking Pancakes

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We started out with the cooking task that any electric griddle should be able to handle—pancakes. Batches of Kenji's fluffy buttermilk pancakes as well as ones from an upcoming Stella recipe (!) were cooked on griddles set to 350°F (177°C). Cooking surface temperatures were monitored using a Thermoworks infrared thermometer. It is important to note that this methodology is not perfect, as reflective surfaces and bright light can adversely affect temperature readings, but we did our best to limit these issues by conducting tests in dim conditions. Fortunately, ultra-precise temperature readings are not as crucial for making pancakes as they are for something like sous vide circulators.

That said, there were a number of griddles that were wildly off the mark when it came to evenly heating their cooking surface. Panini press–style models that can be laid out flat for griddling purposes struggled to reach their target temperature and had very limited cooking surface capacity, thanks to the hinge, making it difficult to maneuver pale, undercooked pancakes with a spatula.

A number of the more traditional flat griddles had their own problems. Some of them got way too hot, fluctuating up to 100 degrees over the target temperature, and burned the surface of the pancakes before they could cook through. Others had glaring hot and cold spots, turning out rounds of flapjacks that were only browned in spots. Design flaws like small gaps between the cooking surface and the handles meant that some griddles became quickly gunked up with stray dribbles of pancake batter.

Our top-performing pancake griddles had enough room to comfortably fit eight three-inch pancakes, with enough real estate to maneuver a spatula around them. The grid-like surface of the Presto 22-inch griddle made flipping pancakes a lot easier, as it kept them in place better, so we didn't have to chase them around on the nonstick surface.

Pancakes cooked on the outer edges of the Presto 22-inch griddle took longer to color than those closer to the center. The Presto Tilt-n-Fold had the largest cooking area of our top three candidates, but it did have one problem—there is a cold spot at the center of the griddle that will yield a very pale pancake, something I had noticed when I used the griddle to test blini a few months back. The Broil King griddle turned out the best pancakes, which were evenly browned all over.

Cooking Bacon

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After pancakes, we used our top-performing griddles to cook bacon. While the pancake test focused on the evenness of heat distribution, this test highlighted how each one handles grease runoff as well as its drip tray design. The Presto Tilt-n-Fold and the Broil King were the clear winners of this test.

Both of them have legs that can be adjusted to tilt the griddle at an angle, so that fat trickles down toward the grease trap. This keeps the griddles from getting too smoky and also makes cleanup a whole lot easier. After cooking, all you need to do is empty out and clean the drip tray as well as wipe down the cooking surface.

The Presto 22-inch model, unfortunately, doesn't have this tilting mechanism, keeping the cooking surface completely flat. This means bacon grease pools up in the center of the griddle, making the drip tray pretty much useless. To pour off leftover cooking grease, you are forced to carefully tip the griddle so that fat can run off into a container (you won't want to use the drip tray as that will pop out when you tip the griddle toward yourself). Also, the cooking surface's grid pattern makes it hard to wipe away greasy residue, even after cleaning it with soapy water.

Cooking Burgers

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While electric griddles are best-known for breakfast food prep, we also wanted to see if any of our top contenders could handle other foods cooked on a diner griddle. I decided to cook some of Kenji's classic smashed burgers. It did not go well. Even when cranked up to their maximum temperature setting, 400°F (204°C) none of the griddles get hot enough to produce the signature crust of a perfect smashed burger. This is also a problem of nonstick cooking surfaces; they are next to impossible to evenly coat with oil before cooking (fat beads up in little droplets instead of an even layer), and you also don't want to get nonstick material screaming hot because it damages the coating, causing it to vaporize.

None of the burgers I cooked were of the quality that you get when cooking in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet or on a Baking Steel griddle. If you want to cook a good burger, then don't bother with an electric griddle (and if you need to cook burgers for a crowd, you might want to consider firing up a grill). Really, electric griddles are for making breakfast for a crowd, grilled cheese sandwiches, and not too much more.

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We picked our winners based on their ability to perform the core cooking tasks, while taking into consideration price as well as their size. Once we determined that electric griddles are best deployed as a brunch appliance and not much more, it was easy to eliminate expensive and bulky models. Giant, niche unitaskers are silly, especially when there are affordable models on the market that get the job done just fine.

The Best Electric Griddle: Presto Electric Tilt-n-Fold Griddle

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What We Liked: If you are in the market for a solid electric griddle to help step up your brunch game, then the Presto Tilt-n-Fold is a great choice. It has the largest cooking surface area of our top three models (253 square inches), solid cooking performance, and adjustable legs for easy grease runoff. It can also be easily cleaned and stored away, and it only costs around $50 (at the time of publication). That's a great deal for an appliance that most people will probably use once a week at most.

What We Didn't Like: The Tilt-n-Fold griddle has a cold spot at the center of the cooking surface, which means one out of every nine pancakes will be paler than the others (or take the hint and only cook eight pancakes per batch). While that isn't ideal, it's also not a dealbreaker for us. The legs of the Tilt-n-Fold do fold up for storage, but it still takes up more room than the more affordable Presto 22-inch griddle (see below). The faux stainless steel border on the sides of the griddle became quickly stained with grease after a couple of rounds of cooking bacon and burgers. Even after intense scrubbing, we couldn't remove the stains, and didn't want to risk stripping away the coating.

The Best Affordable Electric Griddle: Presto 22-Inch Electric Griddle

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What We Liked: In terms of price, storage footprint, and simplicity, you can't do a whole lot better than this other model from Presto, which still delivers good griddling performance. The removable handles make it really easy to clean and store in kitchen cabinets, while the textured grid-like nonstick surface keeps pancakes from scooting around too much during cooking. Stella doesn't throw around endorsements willy-nilly, and there's a lot she loves about this griddle.

What We Didn't Like: The cooking surface may be great for pancakes, but it's not so awesome for greasy bacon. The lack of a tilting mechanism means fat pools up in the center of the griddle, rendering (pun intended) the drip tray kind of useless. The textured surface makes it harder to wipe away greasy residue on the cooktop, even after washing it with soapy water.

The Griddle Upgrade: Broil King Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle

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What We Liked: Of the griddles we tested, the Broil King had the most evenly heated cooking surface, which produced the most well-browned pancakes. Like the Presto Tilt-n-Fold, the Broil King has adjustable legs that can be set to angle the cooking surface so that grease trickles down into the removable drip tray.

What We Didn't Like: The Broil King is nearly twice as expensive as the Presto Tilt-n-Fold, and even though it heats more evenly, we don't feel that its performance is proportionally superior to the Tilt-n-Fold. The removable stainless steel backsplash is a nice idea, but it is flimsy, warping after a couple of uses. It also doesn't fit snugly to the griddle and ended up scratching the nonstick coating. The handles of the Broil King make it bulkier and more difficult to store vertically in a cabinet than either of the Presto models.

The Unplugged Option: Lodge Reversible Cast Iron Stovetop Griddle

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If pancakes, bacon, eggs, and the like are what you're hoping to griddle, any of the electric griddles recommended here will do the job. But if you have any aspirations to put a good crust on burgers for a crowd (or steaks, or chicken, or vegetables, or, or, or...), then the electric models won't cut it—they simply don't get hot enough. Instead, consider a stovetop griddle like this one from Lodge, which fits over two burners. (We also are big fans of the Baking Steel Griddle, but it is quite a bit more money.)

Lodge's griddle is reversible with a ridged grill surface on one side and a flat griddle surface on the other. We don't love the faux grill surface, since it offers none of the benefits of grilling (except for the aesthetics of grill marks) while sacrificing the benefits of a griddle (namely, a flat surface for maximum sear and, therefore, flavor). But even if you never use the grill side, the whole thing is still a good deal.

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Here are notes on the other models we tested for this review:

The Wolf Gourmet Precision Electric Griddle is outrageously expensive and bulky. While it performs well, we can't justify spending that much money on this particular piece of kitchen gear.

Both the Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler and Oster Titanium Infused DuraCeramic Griddle got way too hot and burned pancakes. The Oster's griddle design made it hard to clean, as pancake batter got lodged between the cooking surface and fixed handles. The Zojirushi model doesn't have a drip tray for catching grease.

The Breville Smart Grill is one of the expensive sandwich press–style models we tested. It comes with only one griddle plate attachment (and one grill plate attachment), which means that if you want to use both cooking surfaces as a griddle, you have to shell out additional money to get a second attachment. That is asking a lot given the already-steep price tag.

Another sandwich press–style model on the market is the Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler. It does an absolutely miserable job at griddling; the tiny cooking surfaces never got hot enough to adequately brown pancakes. This machine should handle its main task well before it worries about tackling another four.

The Black+Decker Family-Sized Electric Griddle is very budget-friendly, but it heated unevenly and was difficult to clean. As with the Oster model, pieces of food can get easily lodged between the cooking surface and the base of the griddle.

Secura's Electric Reversible 2-in-1 Grill Griddle heated pretty evenly, but the drip tray placement and awkward glass lid made it cumbersome to work with.

This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/03/the-best-electric-griddles-for-crowd-size-cooking.html

[glassheartff]

23. All In

See the thing is...I know it's morning.

I could feel the sun on my face, it’s heat replacing the heat from Tina when she untangled herself from me earlier. I knew which one I prefered.

I had figured out she was a morning person from our stay in San Diego but then again I’m sure ninety-nine percent of the world was a morning person if you compared them to me.

I could honestly sleep for another seven hours but I knew the moment I felt Tina slip out of the bed I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

"You're seriously doing a

dine and dash

on me, Tina?"

She practically jumped and whirled around to face me while I was using all my fucking strength to sit up. "What?"

My eyes drift from her to what must have been her pyjamas. “Hit it and quit? Wham bam, and thank you mam? You just use me for my bed and walk away? Just like that? What is this? A one night stand?”

I could tell she was trying her hardest to keep a straight face but it’s a lost cause. I know I’d do near enough anything to see that smile of hers. “No...it’s a sleepover.” She concedes.

"Exactly, and do people leave as soon as the sun rises at sleepovers without saying goodbye?"

"No..."

"No.” I say with a yawn and groan finally getting out of bed. “At sleepovers after everyone gets up they have breakfast together, which is what we're doing."

I seriously have no idea where the fuck I was going with this. Breakfast? I don't even know if I've ever gone grocery shopping at all year and it was December. But as usual my mouth spoke before my mind decided on what I should say next. 

"Now, since you're a guest at my house, what can I get you for breakfast, we have a very fine selection of choices between...pop tarts and cereal."

They were standard things most people have in their house. I should at least have those, right?

Tina’s laugh was something I savoured because I hadn’t heard it in so damn long. "Surprise me." She says.

"Will do." I walk to the door then found myself stopping before I walking out and turn back to Tina who was looking at me curiously. "Stay here, try not to run out on me, will ya?"

"I'll try not to" She said in that voice where I wasn't too sure if she was joking or not but she sat back down on my bed. She made shoving gestures to the door "Go on! I'm just going to stare at these bare walls for a while."

Why would I even say that? I sounded like some clingy guy who didn't want her out my sights...which I was.

When the fuck did I become that guy?

As soon as you stepped foot in that interview room.

But what now? I know I'm just stalling the inevitable - offering to make her breakfast but what after that? We'll have to talk eventually about us.

Us.

Just one word and it had the most fucking complicated meaning in the world.

Like seriously, this can go both ways and I knew what way I wanted this to go but I didn't have a fucking clue what was going through Tina's head, I never did.

This could be it, it could be the end and if it was I wasn't ready for that, I probably never would be. I knew I was all in. Desperately all in it scared the fuck out of me and knew would scare the fuck out of Tina if she had an inkling of how much I wanted us to be together.

But right now I need to focus on food, breakfast. A distraction.

Really- an opened can of cream soda and crackers in the refrigerator. Who the fuck puts crackers in there?

If I feed her that I’m pretty sure she’ll end up in A&E.

"Shit.” I mutter to myself and jog lightly up the stairs to find Tina standing by my mirror with her hair up. She looks to my hands and stifles a laugh.

"Well you surprised me."

"Turns out I over exaggerate things sometimes. Sometimes I make myself think that there's things that aren't really there...for example, I thought I had all this food in my fridge when in reality there's only cream soda and some crackers that was already here before I moved in.”

Tina’s face scrunched up in disgust. "Eww. That's fine. I'll just head off--"

"--nope!” Again with the mouth working before my brain. “We're having breakfast."

Tina’s eyes narrowed in confusion. "But you just said--"

"--we'll just have breakfast somewhere else...where they cook better than me...which can be pretty much anywhere..." Now I’m really trying to think of somewhere, wait, I got it. iHOP. "I know this great place about five minutes from here, their pancakes are to die for"

Tina watched me for a second before finally nodding and smiling. "Okay, fine, but can I go home and change first?"

What the hell is she talking about?

"What? No! You live like thirty minutes away. Just wear what you've got on."

"Hello?" Tina pointed at what she was wearing from last night. Some college tee where she must of studied because the logo matched the one on her journalism diploma on her wall.  She then pointed to her flannel shorts. You do not need to tell me twice to look at your legs -- "I look like a troll"

My eyes went back to her to see if she’s joking, she wasn’t. So the only other explanation that made sense was that she was blind.

As a bat.

"Shut up" I murmur as I went to my suitcase I took on the promo tour. I picked up a pair of basketball shorts I never wore because let's face it - I suck at basketball, have you seen me try and do a jump shot? Not a pretty sight. I threw it to Tina who caught it shock. "It's like you're begging me to sing Just The Way You Are to you, Tina...and I will, anywhere at any time if you say something like that again"

Either I was blind or Tina just blushed. "Please don't. There's only so much cheese I can handle so early in the morning" She says. She pulls the basketball shorts on top of her flannel ones, hell she could even make them look good.

"Perfect, let's go."

"Go where?"

"It's a surprise" I say as we walk out the bedroom.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate surprises?"

"You know what kind of people say that? People who haven't been surprised in the right way."

 If you told me last night I would be spending the next day getting pancakes and picking out a dog with Tina I would have laughed in your face, probably slap you for even thinking that then laugh walking away from your crazy ass but that's exactly what we did.

But on the way back to mine I could feel that we were teetering on the edge of uncertainty. That the moment to lay all our cards on the table was coming pretty fucking soon. 

Hey, at least I'll have Geronimo no matter what, there’s that. 

"This is fucked up..." I just about make out the words Tina was saying to herself.

"What is?" I laugh even though I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"It's so fucked up how..." She glanced at her phone. "Not even seven hours ago we were fighting and now we just went dog shopping together.”

"I guess we're just unorthodox like that. Aren't we just unorthodox, Geronimo?" I ask my brand new Rottweiler who barked back in agreement.  "See what I did there?" I looked back to Tina "I said Unorthodox...that's the name of my album."

She scoffs. "Yeah, I saw what you did there" We then set Geronimo up with some food in silence, I could feel the tension. "You should really decorate this place, especially since you have a new roommate" Tina breaks the silence and I immediately take in our surroundings, the lack of everything here.

"Eh...one day." I shrug and hop on one of my bare kitchen counters. "When things aren't so hectic...really wasn't the best time to buy a dog was it?"

"What more can you expect from an unorthodox person?" Tina countered with a knowing smile. Girl's got jokes, huh?

I’m impressed, but not surprised.

"Touche."

There’s that fucking tension again. It was suffocating and I really wasn’t sure what I was looking at any more, that’s how intense it was.

I latch onto Tina’s words, letting me know that she was probably feeling the same thing, thinking the same thing as me.

"...we should really talk about what happened last night...” Her voice is calming. “And as fun as today's been...and it's been really fun, I know we can't just keep on ignoring the elephant in the room for much longer.”

Fuck, I was not ready for this.

I knew it was coming but...shit. This could be it. The end.

But still I save face, play it off like I’m cool with it even though I was anything but.

"Damn...and I'm so good at ignoring elephants in the room. So, how far back are we gonna go on this thing?"

Despite how calm I seemed I was thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. I didn’t want this to end in a colossal argument like last night or San Diego.

Tina taps her chin lightly as if in thought. “Oh, say...the moment you came back to L.A?”

“Starting with the climax.”

“Aren’t they always the best part of the story?”

“Writer jokes.” I answer but it’s not really an answer. I look to my feet for a moment and take a breath, about to recall the moment the plane landed last night.

“So yeah, we touched down in L.A. Most the guys were tired and went back home to their beds and loved ones and I went to do the same--” I stop myself immediately I know how that sounds. Like I wanted to go home to Amelia.

Shit.

"Go to bed, that is..." I saved face in case Tina got the wrong idea like I did. "But Kenji was all pumped for some reason, fuck knows. He wanted to go out somewhere and I said I'd come with him but we needed to get changed first because who goes to a club wearing sweats? So we stopped by mine so I can get some clothes and Amelia was here...I don't know how she got in but she did, and she was just acting like everything was normal, even though we hadn't even spoken to each other in two months...and that's when I thought, what's the fucking point of it all? I spent two months on the road with people like Brian and Phil and Eric, and they're all just so fucking happy with their girls and here I am acting single every night with Phred and Jamareo while I have a girl at home who I'd rather not talk to."

Jeez, why do I get the feeling like I’m talking too much? But I swallowed in the paranoia because Tina was waitinf for me to continue.

"So I just did it, I ended the relationship...and Tina, I felt so bad for her...she was crying her eyes out asking me what went wrong and why it was so sudden and that we were so happy. How could have things gotten so bad between me and her that she was deluded enough to think things were perfect between us?"

���...I don’t know.” She answered quietly, adding no more words.

"And then she left...Kenji was there the whole time. It was so fucking awkward I wanted to rip my hair out" I let out a breath of air and I had the need for a smoke because I wasn't used to dealing with stuff like this that stressed me out this much but I knew I had to say it all. Lay out all my cards like I should of done in the very beginning. "And you know what I thought right after she left? About what you said in San Diego, about why it had to be you who got to make the choice if I break up with her or not."

Tina’s eyes lowered and there was a semblance of a smile on her face. "Oh, my little bitch fit?".

"Yeah...I had gotten this thought in my head that maybe things were supposed to work out this way. That I had to break up with Amelia on my own, and I thought we were in a good place after I apologized back at Phil's. I thought...that if I was to just go to you and say: I broke up with Amelia, maybe we could go back to what nearly happened in San Diego because honestly, Tina...I missed you more than anyone when we went on the road. Do you know how hard it was for me not to call you? Or not to ask about you whenever one of the guys spoke to Kendra or Raye or Fara on Skype or on the phone? But I knew I had to give you space because that's the best chance I had of you forgiving me for all the shit I've done"

Not that I deserve forgiveness or anything.

Tina just looked away from me and had her thinking face on and that honestly scared the shit of me. I just wanted to know what was on her mind.

I couldn’t stand the silence so I started talking again.

"I went to look in my mail and there was this invitation for the Holly & Ivy party tonight and we went there because I knew you were gonna be there. So I got suited and booted, got Kenji looking decent too and we went, it was like killing two birds with one stone really...he got his party and I got to see you...and I did...with Mr. Surfer Charity Worker."

I know she said they were just friends, nothing more...but if you saw the way he was looking at her that night you'd understand why thinking...mentioning...that guy made my blood boil.

It was the chime of Tina’s laugh that brought me back to that reality that she had spent most the night here with me and not with him.

"I just didn't expect that...you were looking...stunning -- you always do but damn...and when I realized it was for him it just pissed me off. I was thinking; here I am basically pining after this girl for God knows how long and she's here with some other dude."

Now was the time when Tina reassures me by saying she doesn't like him that way or calling me dumb for even thinking that but nope. Nothing. Fucking speechless again. Why can't she be like that when she's ripping my head off for something. "I always make you speechless at the worst of times..." I nudge her with my foot, that seemed to wake her up.

"You're always surprising me..." She blurts out. Okay, not the response I expected...but at least she's saying something. "Just as I think I've got you figured out you do a one-eighty on me...and I just don't know how you feel about me sometimes...and that scares me."

That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard, that was my first thought. How could she not know what she meant to me? Then I thought back to all the shit we've been through, it felt like we've been through every stage a relationship has in a lifetime.

We've spent more time not talking than we have talking and I'm partly to blame. I didn't tell her I had a girlfriend after I flirted with her and basically chased after her and when she finds out I still chase after her and in the end when things got tough I still stayed with Amelia.

Try explaining that logic to anyone, they would be confused as hell.

Instinctively took Tina's hand in mine causing her to look up at me and I’m glad. I needed her to understand me.

"Yeah, I get it...I'm complicated, tell me something I don't know. But one of the few things that's not complicated about me is the way I feel about you. The way I've always felt about you, from the moment I first saw you back in Mode's building all those months ago. And I've screwed that up so many times and there have been times when we've had fights but it's never done anything about my feelings for you..."

Tina took a breath and I needed to hear how she felt about what I had just said.

"...you can be a real jerk sometimes"

Okay, again, not the response I was going for, but her hand was still in mine so I wouldn’t complain. 

"And...I want to kick you where it hurts a lot, but when it comes down to it, I've always felt the same way about you."

I couldn't help but smile. I didn't expect her to say that, that after all these months, through the arguments and secrecy and my dumbass-ery she would possibly feel the same way about me as I feel about her.

Jesus Christ I feel like my fucking heart was about to burst through my chest.

"So..." Tina gave me a nervous smile as she gathered her words. "What do we do now?"

What do we do now?

"Oh wow..." I sat straighter on my seat on the counter. Emotions I could feel and identify clearly were: leaning back on the surprise, excitement, nervousness, weirdness...everything really.

"I wasn't expecting those...declaration of feelings from you." I looked Tina up and down and she knew what I was on about. I think every other time we try and talk about our feelings she storms out, she tells me to leave, she can't respond or she's too drunk to even understand them.

"Well, I can't be speechless all the time."

"I do like it when you talk. Okay...so let's summarize all that's happened so far. A.) You and that surfer guy--"

"--there is no me and that surfer guy." And there was that reassurance I was looking for!

"Let me finish. You and that surfer guy are non-existent" I held up a second finger on my free hand that wasn't holding Tina's still. "B.) Me and Amelia are non-existent. It seems like this complicated situation has uncomplicated itself. C.) I like you. D.) You like me, a lot, might I add. What do people usually do in these situations...?"

"I have a feeling you're about to tell me" Tina rolled her eyes at me like she usually does.

"I think we should..." I pointed to her then to me. "You know..." I shrug with a smile, feeling shy all of a sudden..

Tina raised her eyebrows at me, clearly finding this funny. "I don’t. What?"

"...start you and me, the right way."

Tina looked from me around the kitchen then back to with me a sigh. "We can't just jump into this..."

"Why not?" I question, or panic. I can’t seem to know the difference right now. It was like whiplash, I was almost one hundred percent sure this was going great.

"We need to be realistic" She explained with a serious expression on her face. "You just said it's not the best time for you to buy a dog, so what makes you think it's the best time for you to start a relationship?"

With her, there’s nothing I’ve ever been as sure about as I do feel now.

"Like with Geronimo and like with you..." I put her hand to my stomach "It's a gut feeling. Why don't we just follow that for now and see where that takes us?"

I could see the nerves in her eyes, the million thoughtd running through her head but what she said next had me laughing."...what if one of us has indigestion?"

She was a fucking breath of fresh air.

"We'll deal with the stomach problems when we approach them - with huge doses of Pepto Bismol. I know you haven't seen me at my best when it comes to being in a relationship but I swear I won't do any of that to you, Tina - I couldn't..."

Thinking about all I've done when I was with Amelia, I honestly couldn't picture myself doing that to Tina - not her. Ever.

Tina took in what I said and nodded her head. "I believe you, I do"

Thank God.

"Soooo...?"

"Sooo" She mocked me with that beautiful smile on her face directed at me "Why don't we...give this a chance?"

You couldn't describe the way I felt, there was no words for this feeling. Kind of like the way I felt with her after the concert on that balcony. All I knew was that I never wanted it to go away and with Tina here I was almost certain it'd stay.

This was almost perfect.

"Oh." I said sliding slightly closer to her on the counter "And one more thing"

There’s panic in her eyes and it almost makes me laugh. "What?"

"And...I want you to kiss me like you did last spring." I asked.

Tina stepped closer closing the gap between us wrapping her arms around me and pressed her lips onto mine. This was the best feeling. Just like back at the concert but better in a way I couldn't tell you. Maybe because it was honest, maybe because I was sober enough to understand all my senses, maybe because everything finally felt right and things haven't felt this way in what feels like years.

It was when I pulled her closer when I heard her starting to laugh as she pulled away.

"Not with Geronimo around!" She chuckled taking my legs from around her waist - damn, I didn't even know I was doing that. "He's too young to see this."

"Alright.” I give in. “But if Geronimo wasn't here right now I'd jump you right now"

"That...is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me." I grinned at that trademark Tina sarcasm.

"I try, I try."

"So when are you going to sign those album papers?"

Yeah, Brandon called earlier saying that everything was done. Every-fucking-thing. Two weeks is when it comes out and I guess two weeks is when things get hectic again.

I just did a shrug, this wasn't the formal kind of meeting you'd think. It was just like a get together with the guys in Brandon's office. It's kind of a tradition that I bring the drinks, I sign the papers and the celebration get's started. But it's sort of an intimate one since it was strictly those involved in the album. Just like during It's Better If You Don't Understand and Doo Wops & Hooligans.

But I wasn't going to go now to enjoy the two-man party with Brandon when he'll spend the entire fucking time complaining about the drinks I brought.

"The later it is the more likely everyone will show up. I'd bet fifty bucks Phred just fell asleep from whatever he did last night but because I'm so gentlemanly I won't gamble with you. Plus since Brandon doesn't like my champagne buying skills, I probably need a little assistance" I raised an eyebrow at Tina. "Who better to ask than a bartender?"

"You are so lucky you know me."